2016 Thrift Review

I went back through my IG feed last week, looking for my best thrifted finds of the year.  I bought a lot this year, although it was less than in the past, I think.  But, most of it went to either the Spring or Fall The Junk Ranch, my booth, our shared booth, Lara's booth, Instagram or ebay.  I tried really, really, REALLY hard not to add many things to the house and to my collections.  But, somethings were just meant to stay.  Here are my top nine finds of the year.  (If you don't follow me on IG, I need to explain the car shots.  If I find something and I am SUPER stoked about it, I take a photo on the dashboard or in the seat next to me and post it PRONTO.  As you can see, most of these photos are in the car, so I was HAPPY about them!)

1.  Set of six Boopie Glasses I found at Goodwill for $1.00 each.  My Mom always set the holiday table with glasses like these and I have been on the hunt for some for years.  I have seen them at auctions and antique stores, but they were waaaay out of my price range.  So, finding six for $6.00 was really exciting!  Now that I had them to use at MY holiday table - guess who forgot to use the damn things?  Doh! Remind me next year to use them, okay?

2.  Sweet little JAPAN pose bunny doll.  Found on the Pickin' Time on 59 Yard Sale Crawl.  She wasn't priced, but when asked I was told 10¢.  Uh, yes please.  I already had her twin at home, so she was meant to come home with me.

3.  Three little salesman sample telephones from my beloved Super Cheap Thrift.  The three of us were headed somewhere and I stopped in for a quick look.  A huge rainstorm came out of nowhere so we were there for a lot longer than I had originally intended.  As we watched out the window, The Breadman rooted through the toys and found the tan telephone.  I spotted the 25¢ sticker and I clutched it to my chest.  Then he pulled out the blue one and then the green one.  Isn't that just the way it would work that HE would find the best thing ever?  I sold the tan and blue ones for $24.00 each and kept the little green one.  It is just the CUTEST.

4.  One hot day this summer the yard sales were few and far between, but I managed to find one sale at an older couple's house.  I spotted those deer bookends and swooped them up lickety-split.  They were $3.00 and I actually debated about getting them at that price.  (Yard Sale math - $3.00 sounds like a lot, but then I take a second look and realize it is a STEAL).  I bought them for the Junk Ranch. I really did.  But I worried about them breaking or getting chipped, so I sat them on my shelf and there they still sit.  

5.  A Ruth Newton squeaker.  I found her late in the day at the Neosho City Wide Yard Sale after we had spent three hours sealing with a split tire courtesy of a broken street sign post in Neosho.  There was an older man with a scary amount of old moldy dolls, but some old moldy dolls are worth money, so I took a look in the pile.  I squealed when I saw that sweet little face peering up at me.  She was $2.00 and she almost. almost, made up for an otherwise craptastic day. :)

6.  Tonka Winnebago.  I was out thrifting with my Dad when I spotted it locked up in the glass case at a thrift store.  I almost didn't ask the price.  Things locked up in glass cases are generally really overpriced.  But, on a whim, I asked if I could see it anyway.  The lady said, "Isn't that cute?  It's marked a dollar."  S-O-L-D!  

7.  Light Up Globe.  I tried to not collect globes.  I mean, I had a couple including another light up one, a tin one, a miniature one and one that The Bean had in his room all well before they were THE THING to collect.  I almost gave them up when everyone else started collecting them.  But, sanity hit and I saved them.  This light up globe is the prettiest blue with it is on.  I paid $7 for this one.  A bargain I realize now, but another one of those items I had to really think about spending that much on. (I'm crazy.)  

8.  A collection of old Rosbro and Irwin hard plastic toys and candy containers.  I found these at a backyard sale on the Bargains Galore on 64 Yard Sale Crawl.  This sale was the best one of the day and I bought a ton there.  I had never found any of these old plastic toys before, so I scooped them all up.  I think I paid about $8.00 total for all of them.  

9.  A gorgeous feedsack quilt.  Each block is just the most delicious feedsack material surrounded by the loveliest Jadeite green fabric.  I found a sale in a tiny spot in the road out in the middle of nowhere.  It was an older lady and she just had a few things for sale.  She was in the business, she knew what she had, but she still had decent prices.  The quilt was $20.00 and I knew that was a deal. It is perfect and very unusual with it's coloring and edges.  I'm proud to own it.  

I usually do a big recap of what happened this year.  But, honestly, the year just flew by and the same old stuff happened just like last year.  I went to the same places, saw the same things, hit a lot of thrift stores and yard sales, decorated for the holidays, sold at The Junk Ranch twice and all the other usual things.  I did have a BIG birthday and The Bean turned 21.  The Breadman worked the same crappy job while looking for a new crappy job and went to all the Razorback games.  I lost a dear Uncle in August that I am still so very sad over.  But, other than that, nothing terrible happened to me or my immediate family, so I am thankful for that.   I had big plans for 2016 and I don't think I accomplished a damn thing except to just keep swimming.  That is all I could do - just get through one day until the next one.  And now, they are almost gone.  Maybe I'll keep swimming in 2017 and get something DONE.  From my lips to God's ears.

Happy New Year, my friends.  Stay safe, stay happy and stay near.

My 15 Minutes

Here's that Sneak Peek I teased you with on the last post.  My friend, Laurie, writes a small column in the paper where local people share their favorite space in their homes.  She asked me if I had a favorite space and I said I love it all during Christmas.  So, BOOM, I was the Christmas Eve story. And by story, I mean 250 words below the fold on Section E.  But, still.....it was fun.  

I talked about all my vintage, but there's not really that much vintage in this photo besides the Annalee's, the runner face Santa's and the tree ornaments.  I really should have said the front porch and been out there with the Blowmolds.  

It would have been more vintage'y, but I wasn't sure how it would look during the day.  

ANYHOOOO - 

Here's the article.

My favorite space is: during the holidays, it's my living room.

Why? As a vintage seller and maker specializing in vintage Christmas decor and accessories, a lot of wonderful antique items pass through my hands through the year. I often think, "Why am I selling this?" But in December I start pulling out the things I've found and kept, and admiring all the wonderful things that are mine! When I see all my totes full of my Christmas decorations I am reminded why I can't keep it all.

My totes hold a variety of collections: old Shiny Brite Christmas tree ornaments, Santas, kitschy old dime store packaging, vintage "knee-huggers," a forest of vintage bottle brush trees and much more.

Creating festive vignettes and sharing photos with my followers on Instagram makes me happy. It's not uncommon to find my family watching TV while I'm facing the other direction, admiring each Shiny Brite indented ornament hanging on our tree.

Christmas brings out the kid in everyone and I'm no exception. I love rearranging things after they're on display and adding a thing or two each year. My living room may be a little over the top for some, but for me it's the perfect amount!

If I could make one change to improve this space, I would: Make it bigger so I could collect more things.

So, it's official - I'm THAT lady.  The Crazy Christmas Lady!

I hope you are having, or had, or be be having a lovely Christmas.  

To all of you, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Fa la la la la lala la laaaaaaaaaah!

One week from today and Christmas is over.  SAD FACE.  I love the holidays - all month of December is just so fun.  My decorations in the house and outside, the parades, the decorations in town, the music on the radio and everything is just so much fun.  I love it.  I am truly working on me and my house and my life and trying to make the other eleven months as joyful.  Make the house happier, make me happier, make my life happier.  But where do you start on something that monumental????  

Geez, I came here to show my decorations and I went all deep.  Stop that!  

Oh, and thanks for all the love on that last post.  I appreciate all of you that come here to read whatever silly things I have come to post.  You guys are me tribe.  Okay, I must admit.  I loathe that saying.  I really only said it as a joke.  But you guys are MY friends.  My, Boo, if you will (Right, Ree Cee?)

Okay, let's look at my crap-ola.  

I took out the tablecloths before the Fall Junk Ranch and culled out a few to sell.  A couple did, but one did not so I put it on ebay.  It sold but they never paid.  So, I relisted and THEY never paid.  So, back into the pile it went.  I can take a hint.  Don't sell tablecloths......

The Santa's.  Right after I took this photo, out dingbat cat jumped right up on the bottom shelf, but only managed to knock off the little one in the brick chimney.  How that is all that fell is beyond me. He hasn't gone near it since, thankfully.  

I added two squeaks and a Liddle Kiddle Santa this year.  I pulled a few to donate too.  

This tiny hutch is one of my favorite things to decorate.  It's so silly, but I have such a love of tiny things.  So, this is the perfect place to display them all.  Oddly enough, one of the other cats jumps on the cabinet where this sits to get to his perch in front of the window, but he has never knocked one thing off the hutch.  Miracles of miracles!

Let's go outside for a minute.  I've always wanted to hang the big Santa head on the door, but couldn't figure it out.  This year, I configured the lights around the door so the cord looped back up to the side and then I shoved a 20 count set of lights into the Santa head and plugged it in to the end cord on the lights.  It works perfectly.  I would rather no cord, but I knew those battery operated lights would cost a fortune to run all month.  I snagged that Santa head of the MIL's porch when we cleaned out her house.  It hung there 365 days a year for years.  I grabbed it as a joke as this was before my vintage loving days.  Whodathunk it would be one of my favorite things one day?  

Oh, how I love my porch.  All my Santa blowmolds lined up like soldiers.  I want to find one more HUGE one to stand on the other side.  I will someday, I know it.  *fingers crossed.  I found that light up Merry Christmas sign after Christmas last year, so I was happy to be able to add it to the spectacle.  

Let;s go back inside - it is 9 degrees tonight!  Brrrrrr!

Kneehugger Central.  I had a lot of kneehuggers and my girl Carol sent me some more and then my friend Paula gave me even more!  So, I have quite the collection now.  I was collecting these long before the Elf on a Shelf made them so popular.  I found all the ones on the tree in an old Whitman's Sampler box at a sale years ago.  Those are the sort of finds we all always remember.

The Dime Store Decor.  Another favorite area of mine.  I hardly find anything to add to this collection anymore now that vintage is so hot and I tend to sell a lot of what I find now.  I did find something since I made this display, but it will have to wait until next year to be added in to the display.  

I found these four packages of LEAD tinsel at the thrift last week.  It's heavy and thick.  I have never seen it before.  Apparently, Ist Das Beste!  The packages aren't really old, but they aren't new either. But, I love the German graphics, so they will look great in there somehow.  If there is a will, there is a way!

Annalee Mice.  And Santa boots.  They go together in my world.  The shelf isn't wonky, the photo is wonky.  I love those old boots, but my requirement for buying them is that they have to have a name written on the bottom.  Or a date.  My favorite is from Mommie.  1949.

Annalee Santa's and Mrs. Claus with an occasional elf thrown in for good measure.  The big glittery Merry Christmas is just from the Dollar Tree, but it looks like it cost a lot more to me.

Par of the village.  Top shelf is all glittery churches, bottom is my dream house located between Chick-fil-A and Krispy Kreme.  I can dream, right?

Hazel got a new Christmas dress this year.  My self imposed $1.00 or less an outfit rule for her almost got broken when I saw the $1.50 price tag on this dress.  Luckily, it was half price day, so new duds it was!  Whew. That was close.  I'm pretty strict on myself.  :D *Note that she is wearing a 24Kt gold baby bracelet and a 14K gold child's watch all bought within the price limits.  

Gurley Candles.  I never find these, so they are all contained in this old clock cabinet.  In the back you will see The Bean's Kindergaren TP roll candle.  A keeper, for sure!

Friday I found TWO Gurley candles.  Still in the original plastic.  

Now I will have to work them into the clock cabinet.  

Are you tired yet?  Need a potty break>  A snack?  

I'll wait.

I never really appreciated or even liked these old plastic candy containers in the past.  But this year they are my NEW FAVORITE.  Why?  Who knows.  But I can't get enough for them so my radar is on point right now.  I haven't found any - but I am LOOKING!

Okay, now that you're back.  We're almost through.  This is where I usually put all my glass garland. I had a good year of finding glass garland.  So much, in fact, that I sold q lot of it at the Junk Ranch and at the booth.  So, I carefully place all my garlands on here  going this way and that and to and fro and stepped back for the big reveal and it was AWFUL.  Too much, too tacky and just not good at all. So, I took a lot of it down and just left the multi colored strands and a couple silver strands.  I added in the few elves that looked like they had been nipping on the eggnog and called it good.  But, it needed something at the top.  

Friday night I had a fitful night of sleep (We had a town emergency of a fatal car accident, gas main eruption, 100 foot high flames in a fire, all utilities cut and mandatory evacuations.  The fire burned for nine hours, taking out a duplex and everything in it.  It was a scary day and night - all of this was less than a half a mile from me.  The whole sky was glowing orange and the noise was so loud.  It was really a scary night.)  Anyway, as I was trying to think HAPPY THOUGHTS and try to go to sleep, I devised and made this wreath in my head.  Today, I actually made it.  My friend Paula had given me some kneehuggers that were not perfect - missing legs and hats or stained.  I hid their imperfections in the bottle brush trees and Shiny Brites.  I think it's kind of AWESOME.

Well, that's it. That's a lot, isn't it?  And, every single item is in my living room!  I like the WOW factor so I put it all in one room.    

Here's one last photo, but I will save that story for another day.  

SUCH A TEASE!

A Very Fun Day

The week before Thanksgiving I had an email arrive in my in box titled, "Want a date?"  I almost deleted it because I have had a rash of erectile dysfunction ads and "meet hot Russian Women" emails lately.  But, I took a second to look at the sender and determined that yes, yes, I did want a date!  It was from the one and only Eddie!  Eddie and Keith were making their annual pilgrimage to Arkansas (a 13 hour drive!) to see Keith's Mom and other family in the area.  Last year we had tried to get together, but that is such a busy time that it just didn't work out.  This year I was hosting Thanksgiving, had company coming into town and had lots of cleaning and prep to do so I didn't think I could drive the two hours to meet him this year either.  Eddie said they needed a little escape time, so they headed up over the mountain and came all the way to me!  Can you believe that?  I warned him that I might not be worth the drive, but he insisted.  

We met at the Goodwill up the street.  When I pulled in, I saw Eddie in their car and waved at him. He came bounding out all smiles to come hug me.  That was such a nice feeling!  Seeing someone you know, but you don't really know, and they are happy to see you.  Keith is not a thrifter and that was our plan for the day, so he went on his own adventure while Eddie and I went in to Goodwill for a little treasure hunting.

We ended up going to my house and Eddie got to see my not yet ready for company house (oye), meet The Breadman and The Bean and rub the cat's head.  The Bean loaded up with us and we headed out for a day of fun.  We hit nearly every thrift in town that was open and even had Mexican food as per Eddie's usual junking day out meal. I took him to my flea market to see the booth that lara and I share.  I bought some junk, he bought some junk and we had a good time.  It seemed crazy to meet someone you had never spent a minute with and then spend five hours with them.  But, the day flew by and we just had the best time.  I'm hoping we can do it again someday!  Eddie, you're a great guy and I had so much fun with you!  Thanks for coming up to see me!  

(I look terrible, but what do you expect?  He's wearing a TUXEDO, for heavens sake!) 

Life Lately

Hello my friends.  Every night I sit and think I need to blog.  I refuse to be one of the many, many people that has given up blogging.  I like to write so I will always blog.  It's just that sometimes I don't have anything interesting to say or show, so I just don't blog.  I did have a fun adventure last week, but I'm not sharing that quite yet.  But, it was stupendous!  

It seems like I am busy from the time I get up until the time I go to bed and I don't even have a "real" job.  I do have our shared booth chock full of stuff and sweet Lara has been nice enough to let me put some vintage Christmas in her lovely booth.  I have been selling a lot in her booth so that makes me feel good about sales IF I am ever able to get a booth in there of my own.  Sales for me have been good in the shared booth as well.  So, that's good.  Of course, I could always use more money so I have been selling quite a bit on ebay.  Even though it is the time of year that I just start thinking about Christmas shopping, it is almost too late to sell on ebay.  People start wanting it RIGHT NOW and at bargain prices.  I just find it easier to not sell in December.  I do have a few Christmas items I am going to list as BIN and see if they sell in the next week.  

I'm also going to offer up some things on Instagram since the people on there are so much more laid back and friendly.  They feel like they are buying from someone they know more than just an ebay seller.  One of my recent ebay transactions involved an older man who told me repeatedly that he was a Veteran and he had to take a bus to the grocery store to get a money order to pay and on and on. I'm thankful for his service, but when he didn't pay for two days, ebay opened a case against him, as per ebay RULES.  Anyway, he wrote me and said you ebay people are crooks and you ebay people are cheaters and on and on.  I tried to work with him but he just go angrier and angrier. Finally, his payment came through, he got the item and left me glowing feedback.  I really expected a negative, even though I could have had it removed.  I swear it is always the under $20 sales that give you the most trouble.  I sold a $300 item and never heard a word from the buyer.  It's all just crazy sometimes.

Hey, remember when I said sometimes I don't have anything interesting to say?  Well, that doesn't always stop me from blabbing on and on and on about it, now does it?

I've been decorating. I started Monday but I still have a ways to go.  I'm doing it slow and enjoying my treasures.  I sold a lot of vintage Christmas at the Fall Junk Ranch and in both of the booths, so I was itching to see what I had kept!  People always ask em how I can stand to sell such wonderful vintage Christmas things.  That's because I keep the cream of the crop for meeeeeeee!  Photos to follow eventually.  It's really the same things I do every year, but it all makes me super happy.  My front porch is Happyville.  

I have been out hitting the thrifts on the hunt for more vintage Christmas, but it is few and far between.  I think more people are out looking for it and more people hoard it so it's harder to find.  But, I am hoping that people are starting to put their decorations out and start culling out some things to send to the thrift.  My Super Cheap Thrift had their Christmas all half off already because they have so much more to put on the sales floor.  So, I have plans of going there every time they are open until Christmas.  I went Thursday and got five huge bags full of ornaments for my ornament wreaths. Some of it was junk, so back it will go.  But I got a nice amount of things to add to wreaths in those 25¢ bags.  

This Nativity set was wrapped up in bubble wrap and newspaper in a baggie.  I took a chance on it and was pleased to find a nearly complete set.  It's missing an angel, but I think that is all.  

Yesterday I stopped at Goodwill just as they were rolling out a cart of merchandise.  They do that at 4:30, so that is the time to go, I have discovered.

This very old and very heavy wooden tool box was on the bottom of the cart.  I pulled it off and looked at it.  The top opens and the drawers all pull out.  It's really awesome with that red paint and the old address on top.  I decided it was too heavy and too bulky to buy, so I put it back.  The clerk walked over and took it to the furniture area and set it on the floor.  I walked about ten feet away and then I came to my senses and went back and swooped that sucker up!  Well, as much as you can swoop a 40 pound wooden chest up, that is!  

Today I was cleaning out the liner in the drawers and getting rid of the few screws and old files that were in it.  I pulled out all three drawers and found a bunch of great old things under the bottom drawer including three old wooden folding rulers!  I held my breath in anticipation of money taped to the bottom of a drawer, but there wasn't any.  Wouldn't that have been exciting?!?!?!?!

I hope you are all well and getting in the spirit.  I have missed your comments and I really do appreciate all of you!