Category Archives: Thrifting

Thrift Finds: November 15th thru December 3rd

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I haven’t been feeling like myself lately. I don’t know if its the upcoming holiday craziness, or the lack of sunlight. I just haven’t felt like sharing what I have been doing, with the internet or anyone outside my immediate circle of friends. It’s not like I’ve been sitting on my butt doing nothing, I’m actually doing the complete opposite, working non stop.

To get me out of the house, my husband has been suggesting more and more treasure hunting trips. Antique malls, flea markets, and thrift stores. Any place where we can walk and look at neat stuff. Well, apparently it’s a great time to do this, because I have found A LOT! So be prepared for a long post…

I have been on the lookout for some neat holiday decorations for a long time. I even had my entire family looking this year. None of us had any luck until last week! I found two blow mold pieces at a local shop, the snowman and the Santa in the above left photo. Then this past Saturday I found the little Santa plus the really large candle and what I think is a gnome. That gnome is the same size as CT. ha. I really love these types of decorations for the same reason as I love Mold-A-Ramas, the process behind how they are made is so neat and the colors are always so vibrant.

I also found a, new in package, plastic Santa garland. There’s 10 feet worth of Santa’s that spell out MERRY CHRISTMAS. How cute is that? All the pieces were still there and the Santa’s were in really good condition. I’m planning on assembling them tonight and hanging them tomorrow. I’ll post photos once their up.

I found the above wicker lamp at the ReStore. I walked past it a few times, I really wanted it but had no idea where I would put it. By the third time walking past I figured it out, it can go in my soon to be new sewing room! (The previous room got hid hard by Hurricane Sandy. and is the middle of being repaired, so I’m taking over another room permanently). I also found the glass ship in a bottle at ReStore, I just liked the way it looked.

The dad mug was found this past weekend at a thrift shop near my hometown. It’s milk glass, and I think it’s super funny. I like to think that illustration was done to look like someones actual dad.

Fun Fact: I can’t crochet (or knit), and it upsets me that I can’t. I have been wanting a granny square afghan for years, I tried to make one, but that did not go well. I asked my sisters to make one, but that also didn’t happen. So I started looking for them at thrift stores, but apparently everyone had the same idea as me. Finally this past weekend I found the mother load. An entire aisle of afghans!! I didn’t just stumble on one that MIGHT be the right colors, I stumbled on a bunch of choices. I picked out the above one b/c I liked the colors and the zig zag edges. It’s in great condition too! I’m thinking of placing it on the back of our living room couch. That room could use more color. HA!

No thrifting post from me is complete without some Disney and Pyrex. Well here is the Disney! I found that Disneyland cookie jar a few months back at an Antique Mall for $35, I really liked it, but didn’t want to spend that much. So I left it behind. Well last week I found another one, the one above, for $3! So of course I bought it. It has a small crack on the back that has been repaired, but I’m fine with that. The Minnie and Goofy mugs were the same story. I saw them super expensive at an Antique Mall, but then found them for less than a dollar a piece this past weekend. I just wish I could have found Mickey too.

… and here’s the Pyrex! I have been finding a lot of pieces for amazing prices lately. I haven’t been buying it all because it’s the holiday season and I need to spend at least some of my money on gifts. I was really excited to find the two gravy boats above. I have a bunch of pieces in both patterns, so if I feel like being super silly and matching everything, I can. The little red Pyrex was only $1 and I figured I could find a use for it, maybe for makeup? The best find out of the first photo is that deep pink colored casserole!! It’s so pretty. I don’t think I could use it, but I did find a place to display it in my kitchen.

The best find of all though are these Pyrex plates. Their all in perfect condition and really pretty. I found three sets of 24, plus a pile of desert plates. I only bought the plates and one set of 24. I don’t think I could have found a place to put them all, or enough people willing to trade for them. I had a hard time justifying the ones I did buy. I’m wondering if they came from some restaurant or diner? I know they come in other colors too, because I have some of the tea cups in blue. Anyone know if there are any other colors besides the two?

So those were all the finds I could get pictures of. We also found a complete Playmobil pirate set for super cheap, a littlest pet shop house, a kids Ikea table and chair set in perfect condition, another holly leaf Corelle platter, a few Hallmark ornaments, a bunch of Little Golden books, an awesome Strawberry Shortcake book, some Muppet Baby books and a Fraggle book. I don’t just buy stuff for me when we go out. I think CT makes out the best.

I have a pretty busy weekend coming up. I have a Pie Party to go to Saturday and then CT’s 3rd Birthday party is the next day. I also still have loads of sewing to do. So I don’t think I’ll be thrifting for awhile, but who knows.

Oh and a side note, it felt good to write this post, so I think I’ll be back to my normal blogging schedule soon.

 

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Thrift Finds: October 10th thru November 14th

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As I’ve said before, this time of year is just crazy for our family. Between craft shows, get togethers, holiday shopping, horrible weather (and dealing with insurance companies), and lots of other stuff, I don’t really have time to do the things I really enjoy. I haven’t been able to sculpt much, or sew anything that isn’t a gift (which means I can’t share until the new year). I also haven’t had much of a chance to thrift. There just wasn’t enough time in each day.

Well, this past weekend my husband thought it would be a nice to go treasure hunting again. We didn’t have too much time to go all over the place, plus CT has been very curious and has to touch EVERYTHING, not a good thing when their glass everywhere. Even with those limitations we still found some neat things…

The two pieces of Pyrex in the middle weren’t from this weekends trip. The bread loaf dish on top my mom found and gave to me and the casserole on the bottom I found for $1 during a quick pop in at a Goodwill, a week or so ago. I try not to buy pieces that are similar to ones I already have, but it was $1 and it’s a good size to use for Thanksgiving (which I’m having at my house for JC’s family).

The blue and yellow mini casseroles were an awesome find! I have been wanting the 8oz size for awhile now and was so happy to find them. Apparently friends of mine had seen them too, but left them behind! Thank you friends! Ha.

The Pez are for CT’s collection. She didn’t have the weird blog monster in middle, which she has named the “milk man”, so I picked them up for her.

Another awesome find, from the same shop as the mini Pyrex, was this Disney themed metal dollhouse! It was 50% off! This thing combines two of my favorite things to collect, Houses and Disney! I already have a metal dollhouse in my library, but I think I like this one better, so I may be switching them out.

These awesome holiday themed Corelle plates were the last of my finds. Like, they were actually the last thing I found before checking out. I was super excited because they mostly complete my set. The woman in line in front of me was also excited and tried to convince me NOT to get them! Ha. Who does that?!? Apparently I’m not the only one trying to complete a set.

So now that I have these holiday plates, I guess that means I have to actually use them? Maybe I’ll do a family dinner or something. Maybe.

I have plans to go out again this weekend. I’m on the lookout for some specific types of holiday decorations, I’m in winter decorating mode. Is it to early?

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Thrift Finds: September 7th thru October 9th

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I haven’t really had to chance to go thrifting as often as I use to. There just hasn’t been much wiggle room in our schedules or wallets. I’ve been getting ready for shows and the holiday season, and as a family we’ve been saving up for vacation.

I was able to sneak two quick thrift stops over the past month and did find a few neat things…

I found an awesome, single drawer, metal card catalog case at a new shop two weeks ago. Other than some paint chipping here and there, it’s in awesome condition. No rust! I have a few double drawer models that I use to store random stuff, mostly tape. I plan on using this one in the kitchen to hold random little things. I figured it would add a little industrial feel to my kitchen (which really doesn’t have much personality of its own). I love card catalogs, wooden, plastic or metal. Something about the little drawers all lined up in a row is so neat to me. One day I hope to own a huge, multi drawer unit. One day, maybe when the craze dies down.

I also found a few milk glass McDonalds mugs (we had four, but JC gave away one, and I lost the other). I would have found more, plus a Stuckey’s mug but the lady standing next to me at the shop snagged them all. She was super nice though and told me about her collection at home and how she goes to all the local shops looking for glasbake and pyrex pieces. Basically, I have competition. Ha.

On another trip I found the six pyrex bowls. I already have six similar shaped bowls in a different pattern that we use all the time. So i was super excited to find these! Now I’m on the hunt for matching plates and tea cups.

CT really loves the thrift shops just as much as we do now. She knows the layout of each one and knows where to look for the cool things. On one of our trips she picked out the globe pictured above. She loves mine, and apparently wanted one of her own. She told me she was going to keep it in her bedroom, right on her dresser. So thats exactly where I put it, and it’s exactly where it has stayed! She’s very gentle with it.

Our local goodwill apparently got a lot of Borders stock when they closed, because we have been finding piles of brand new, never been used books for $1 a piece! CT’s Dr. Seuss collection has grown very fast, and so has my craft book collection. I would show a picture, but there is just too many.

I’m really hoping things will calm down soon, because I really do miss “treasure hunting” at the thrift and antique stores.

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Thrift Finds: August 28th thru September 6th

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What started as “lets just go to one yard sale, the one right down the street” turned into an all day thrifting adventure! We stopped by the yard sale down the street, which wasn’t that great and then we drove around looking for more. We figured we were already passing by some of our favorite stops, so why not look around? In the end we stopped at every Flea Market, Antique Store and Thrift Store within our, normally 20 minute, drive to Frederick.

I found a bunch of great stuff, but I didn’t buy it all! I’m getting better!

First off is this awesome embroidered yarn deer art already framed. I passed by in several times trying to figure out if I had room for it in my house. I finally just put it in my cart and decided I’d find room later. I have a lot of deer artwork in my house, It fits right in. I’m actually thinking of putting it above the hutch in our library.

The Raggedy Ann piggy bank and the Mickey and Minnie salt and pepper shakers were no brainers! They go great with my collections. I’d seen them a bunch of times at the more expensive antique shops each going for more than $15 a piece. So of course I picked them up when they were less than $3.

How neat is this industrial lamp I found? I have been dreaming of one of these for my sewing room for awhile, but they were too expensive online. Especially for a room that only I see. So of course I was excited when I found this one for $15! It’s in great condition, it just needs to be re wired. (I may ask my brother in law for help with that). I can’t wait to hang it!

Of course no thrifting post is complete without some Pyrex! I also found some more holly leaf Corelle to go with my other pieces. I may just have a complete set by the holidays. My favorite find is that blue and white casserole dish in the middle. I had stopped by the Re-Store to look for some cabinets for our mud room. I was just walking around and saw this out of the corner of my eye in their dishes section. It was $2! Tasha helped me identify it too, she said its a Meadow casserole dish.

I don’t know how much thrifting we’ll be doing these upcoming weekends.

  • I have very large plans to finish CT’s room (that I will share along the way)
  • I’m making her a few princess dresses for our upcoming Disney trip (plus a totoro dress, hopefully).
  • I’m switching our art room and our guest room soon to make it more efficient for everyone. One is upstairs, one is in the basement.
  • I want to finish a few of the quilts I have half started
  • I’ve also started a bunch of handmade gifts for Christmas, I want to be done early this year so I can actually enjoy the holidays!

The list keeps going past that too, apparently I’ve given myself a lot to do. :) I’m totally fine with that, I like being kept busy.

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Thrift Finds: July 27th thru August 27th

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We have been trying to stay in a bit more lately, to save money and to just have calmer days. I’m getting a load of projects done, CT is getting in more play time and my husband is getting really good at Minecraft. We actually went TWO WEEKS without going to a thrift or antique store. Amazing! We slipped back into the thrifting craziness the day we went to the aquarium. We had dinner with my mom to give my brother back and stopped by one of the shops near her that we always love! It just snow balled from there.

Here’s some of our finds…

I found some more Plasticville houses at a local antique mall. These are a smaller scale than the last set I found. Those were H scale, these are HO. There were a bunch in boxes  and just two already assembled (and cheaper). I usually only like houses, but I thought the five and dime store would be a cute addition. I’m up to six little buildings now, which means I need to find a home for them. Collections are always nicer looking when grouped, in my opinion. I feel it brings order and looks less hectic. Now to find some empty space! ha!

As usual, I also found a bunch of Pyrex. A few piece that are neat, and a couple that are just plain awesome. The two large pieces in the first photo were found on my birthday!! I had been looking for both pieces at a reasonable price since I started collecting and I found them both on the same day (at two different shops). I was so happy!! The red and orange piece is from the Friendship series and one of my favorite series. It didn’t come with a lid sadly, but I do already own the plate that goes underneath!! two out of three aint bad. The only name I know for the pink one is Pink Daisy. Pyrex people, is that right? Anyway, I really wanted a pink piece and was very happy to find one!

All of the other pieces are very neat and Im happy to have them as part of my collection!!

Along with collecting Pyrex I also collect Corelle dishes. I actually got excited about Pyrex because I found out that some of them matches Corelle pieces I already owned!

I’m not normally a person who has holiday themed mugs, plates, glasses, etc that only come out during the said holiday, but when I saw the above set I changed my mind. I found the whole set for $5! I’m totally keeping an eye out for more now. There is two different size mugs, both sets milk glass (by Corning) and five dessert plates.

Have you ever seen these before? Do you think it’ll be easy to find more?

Of course there is more travel plates for my collection! I’m crossing my fingers I have enough time to work on hanging these this weekend! The wall I’m going to put them on needs to be painted though. During our one year walk thru for our house (its new construction) they fixed some nail pops. Well they used the wrong paint color. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of having them repaint again, so I need to paint over the brownish blotches before I can hang anything.

These chairs were the last finds from this past weekend! First off is two mini plastic schools chairs that match our dining room chairs, and are the perfect size for CT. I’m going to put them downstairs as part of a little art center I’m thinking of putting together.

The other find was this awesome, solid wood, mid century school chair. It’s a 1968 Buckstaff chair that apparently was used at St Marys College of Maryland. (I found all this info on the bottom of the chair! Ha, no google needed) It was $7 and is a perfect fit for our library. I’m trying to decide which books will be going on the bottom shelf. I think it’s a perfect place for those books that don’t fit properly on a regular bookshelf.

Whew, that was more than I expected to type! I even edited some of it down! I was just to happy worth everything we found. I also found a few other Pyrex pieces (that I’m putting aside for trades) and a really nice heavy duty tripod that aren’t pictured. I’m slightly angry at the tripod. I dropped it on my foot after purchasing it and it seems one of my toes may be broken. Thrifting can be dangerous, especially when wearing Vans that have zero protection for your feet. Ha!

Did anyone else find something awesome this weekend? Did you write about it? I’d love to see!

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Thrift Finds: July 15th thru July 26th

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Our thrifting and antiquing trips haven’t been happening as much as they use to. It’s just too darn hot out, and most places don’t have efficient air conditioning!

Even with the heat, I have found some neat things during our short trips.

I have been searching high and low for a Plasticville model set that was ready for assembly for months now. It all started with that little yellow house I bought back in April. I found a cute little diner at my local hobby shop that I picked up, but I really wanted a house! I just love building houses. I found this one at a local shop for $5! They had a bunch. The rest were $20 or more, and the assembled ones were even more. If I really love assembling this set, I MAY go back for more. Building things is very therapeutic for me, and $20 is cheaper than a therapy session, right?

Oh and if your interested in little plastic houses too, check out my Pinterest board I started!

Of course it wasn’t a successful week, unless I found some Disney items! This time around I found another plastic Mickey and a Donald Duck to match my red Mickey from last time! My husband found me this awesome Small World 7″ record with read along story book insert. I’ve looked through every page and can not find the illustrator, but they are seriously awesome looking! Were planning a Disney trip for the fall, so weve been getting CT all excited about the rides and such, so things like this def help!!

I’m planning on showing all of my Disney memorabilia next week as part of my collection series, so if your interested please check it out!

The little blue guy was a funny find, it’s a rubber version of “Sulley” from Monsters Inc. The funny part about him is hes SKINNY! he’s not supposed to be skinny, he’s a big chubby monster. It was so weird we had to bring it home.

Oh and the random Brunswick soda bottle? We have been accidentally collecting soda bottles, and thought this one was neat since we live in Brunswick, MD. Simple.

As with the Disney stuff, I can’t seem to leave a place without at least one travel plate. This time I couldn’t seem to leave without TEN travel plates! They were mostly theme park and tropical island themed this time around, and not a single one cost more than $2!

I finally found a place to put all of them in the house! Once I’m done hanging ALL of the plates, I’ll make sure to share it here!!

Do you have weird compulsions to buy certain things at thrift shops? I’d love to know I;m not alone.

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