Thrifting for Therapy...

I'm still having a lot of fun with my new book, How To Never Look Fat Again.

I've been making more frequent than normal trips to the thrift stores to work on my wardrobe and yesterday was no exception.  My mom, one of my sisters, and I spent the entire day at thrift stores and consignment shops.  I'm pretending like I won the makeover on the What Not to Wear TV show but instead of using a $5000 credit card at the fancy stores in NYC, I'm staying within a reasonable budget that could only be stretched  by shopping at Salvation Army and the like!

My sister frequents a more upscale consignment shop in her town called Fashion Finds Boutique.  We spent several hours there yesterday.  The owner welcomed us as we came in the door an offered to take our jackets and umbrellas so we were more free handed while browsing around.    The building is a charming old house and every room is full of stylish, clean and "new" looking women's name brand clothing.  There are several dressing rooms and a large bathroom with mirrors, and even the side porch is full of accessories such as sunglasses, scarves, and jewelry.  Throughout the store the displays are very suggestive and draw you in to visualizing how you can put outfits together.  There is even a $5 room upstairs, where I found these great shoes.  Another room is full of formal wear.  

 I mostly concentrated on casual tops for summer...but I also found a lightweight cotton blazer with the stripes going vertically, which seem hard to find for some reason.   I'm also trying to be a little more "colorful" in my selections since I have so much black in my closet!  Brown is also a color I'm trying to get attached to, since it is popular right now...

Notice how I'm sticking to the "rules" with my V-Necks and 3/4 sleeves.  I hope it doesn't get too monotonous.  Finding pants, capris, skirts and dresses I expect to be a lot more challenging, so I will have to dedicate another day to looking for those.  

The only non-clothing items I purchased yesterday:

I'm really excited to have found this Brita UltraMax water dispenser for my refrigerator.  It is "new" and was still in the box at Goodwill.  Retailing for $41.99, I picked it up for $14.99.  It even came with one filter, which is worth about $6 itself.  It uses the same filters that I already use for my Brita pitcher, so that keeps it simple.  We try to drink filtered water whenever possible.

With it being Easter season and all, I couldn't resist paying $1 for this hardback book on rabbit collections put out by Country Living.  I don't know anything about vintage or antique bunnies, so I think it will be a lot of fun to read.

To ease my conscience for bringing more "stuff" into my house, I had a front porch full of bags and boxes that the AmVet truck picked up yesterday, and already this morning I cleaned out the foyer closet and have some things ready for the next time they come by.

So that's what I've been up to recently.  What about YOU?

Shopping for fun and thrift...

I had a couple days to go thrift shopping recently and here are some things I came home with. The AmVet truck comes to my house next Tuesday, so I will make up for bringing more stuff into the house by donating some other things. I've been told more than once that I have a good eye for bargains, which only feeds my habit! All of these came from the Salvation Army and Goodwill Stores. What do you think?

Meet Noah. He came in his original box with all the annoying packaging so he's brand new. He also came with twin elephants. By squeezing his thumb, you can get him to talk to you. His hands are also magnetic, so he can pray. He is very soft and cuddly. Not bad for $1.99.

I am a soft touch for Christmas tree ornaments no matter what the season. My grands have been "riding" mops and brooms lately so I had to snag this. He'll look adorable on my tree this year, and especially for only 29 cents.

How could I pass up this Cuisinart stainless steel can opener? It's heavy and extra tall...and I tested it before I left the store. For $3. I was really excited!

Near the can opener, I found this Oneida stainless steel shaker. The top twists to reveal three different sizes of holes. I plan to use is mostly for cocoa to top off tiramisu or homemade lattes, or for powdered sugar to sprinkle on top of pizzelles. What a deal at 50 cents.

My older two grands, Deacon and Elylah, are really into board games right now. This Veggie Tale game wasn't missing any pieces and is fun to play. I thought it was well worth $1.50.

I'm fairly sure this is a towel holder. It has a place on the back of the blue star to affix it to a nail. I love Americana things for the house and I'm planning on re-doing our upstairs bathroom some time this year, so I thought this would be my "inspiration" piece. 50 cents is all I paid for it.

This may have been my riskiest purchase. I shelled out $5 for this S'mores maker kit and I haven't even opened the box to see if it is all there yet. I must have been dreaming of summer, and I don't know, it just seemed like it could really be something fun to do indoors over this cold, cold winter we are having. I'll let you know! I hope to try it this weekend.

I think I'm the most excited about THIS purchase. I have needed an ice bucket for quite some time now, and this thing is brushed stainless steel with a plastic lining. It's about 10 inches tall and about 7 inches in diameter and will go well with other stuff I have in the kitchen. I did not mind paying $5 for this item!

Drum roll please........grand total $17.78.

I came, I saw, I thrifted...

Wednesday happens to be "half off" day at our local thrift store. I found myself "in the neighborhood" with two hours that wasn't spoken for, and the rest is history! I almost never shop for thrifted clothing, reason being I'm very hard to "fit" and I usually have the grandkids with me, so it's too much trouble to try things on. But yesterday I was by myself, and I took notice of the large dressing rooms with mirrors. I decided to make a stab at it. I made a mental note not to spend more than $10. Did I?

First I'll show you the incidentals that I couldn't pass up...

*The tin candle scounce goes with several other pieces I already have. Can you believe, 25 cents?

*The small display hanger was 15 cents. I have black iron accents in my kitchen, so I'm sure I can find something to hang on it.

*The larger hanger I'm thinking is supposed to be for a bunch of bananas. For 99 cents, I picked this up to give to my mom, who also has black accents in her newly remodeled kitchen.

*The candle holder in the middle of the photo is dark blue speckled tin. It's a cup with a handle attached to a bowl. I thought it was well worth the 75 cents I paid for it, even though I changed out the decorative ring and added my own candle.

I'm totally in love with this soft leather purse, which measures about 8" x 6". It is in perfect condition with a nice silky lining and a working zipper. My cost? 50 cents!

Now for the clothing...

This will be my first attempt at wearing a vest. I liked the color, and it fit well even when it was zipped up. I have a cream colored, collarless, long sleeved T-shirt that I think will look nice with it, either with jeans or black slacks. The vest is a combination of cable knit and suede and the color is something in between rust and burgandy. For $2.00, I thought it was worth the chance.

I was really happy to find this green sweater with the black trim, especially for $1.50. It is in beautiful condition and I wear black dress slacks a lot. I just read yesterday that the "in" color this season is black, paired with darker shades of greens, blues, reds, etc. instead of the bright "neon" colors that have been popular the past couple of years.

This is a more casual shirt, but the fabric is heavier than a T-shirt, so I think I can wear it either with jeans or slacks and it would look nice either by itself or with a casual vest or jacket. It's by Sonama, and well worth the $1.50 I paid.

This blouse was my real gamble. It doesn't quite fit me well enough to wear it yet, but I really love it. I'm pretty sure I tried on something like this at Coldwater Creek a couple years ago and it didn't fit at all...plus if I recall it was something like $50...which was totally out of the question. But I loved the style and the feel of the fabric. When I tried this on yesterday, I made a pact with myself that if it still didn't fit a year from now, I will donate it, but I think if I can lose one size it will work. I bet $2. on it. Have you ever done anything like this--bought something you really liked but couldn't wear? How did it turn out for you?

All of these items together came in under my $10 limit. But one more item called my name! I debated with myself, but finally caved in.

This is a faux suede lightweight jacket from Briggs, that is machine washable & dryable. It fits well even when zipped, with the exception of the sleeves, which I can easily hem up. I know I will get a lot of use out of this basic jacket, especially as much as I'm in and out of the car, where I hate to wear heavy coats. So the $4 put me over my self-imposed budget, but I'm not feeling too guilty.

Grand total, including tax: $13.64

Grandma called it junkin'...

I had a couple of hours all to myself this afternoon (big smile) and even though it wasn't half-price day, I headed straight for the thrift stores. Yes, that is plural. The first store is where I got the most deals. The second store yielded nothing, and the third store produced a good item. Ready? Here we go:

I collect a lot of different items that commemorate the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 for two reasons: I like to decorate in that style, and it was the year we were married. This 11 inch plate is from Carson of Freeport, PA and is metal that is "pewter-like". I have several other similar items from the same place. My cost? $1.40.

One more pineapple for my collection...a small box that is in excellent condition. For 29 cents, I had to bring it home!

I have no intention of rushing the Christmas season, but this primitive star ornament is made out of wood and tin. Again, 29 cents.

I really don't need any more Wheaton bottles, but this large (height, 8 inches) Paul Revere was only 79 cents. Of course I had to rescue it from the store before someone dropped and broke it!

Not a very clear photo, but I bought this tiny framed print for 29 cents because the design on the crocks looks very similar to my Pfaltzgraff dishes and some pottery that I have...such as this:

I have a small collection of this style of pottery made in Williamsburg, Va. I got this candlestick today for 99 cents.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but these glasses are 5 1/2 inches tall but the cup part is only 2 1/4 inches in diameter. We were recently served a dessert wine in small glasses like these, so I thought it would be fun to pick up a few, especially at 29 cents each.

At 99 cents, this pretty Salem China tea cup with lid made the cut!

Another 29 cent item, I thought this would make a cute little fall decoration.

My biggest splurge of the day, I paid 2.99 for this black knit Sag Harbor sweater. What attracted me was the pretty covered buttons, the excellent condition, and the design.

Grand Total....(drum roll)....$9.48 plus tax!

(Note: Five Aspects of Woman Series in progress at my other blog, www.mistressofmydomain.blogspot.com. Scroll back to Aug. 29 and read forward)

it was a great day for the flea market...

I gathered up the two grands I babysit and my mom and we took off this morning for the Hartville Flea Market. It sure got HOT out there, but it is such a fun summertime thing to do. I only took $20 in cash with me so I wouldn't go crazy...

I really just wanted some fresh veggies, but I left the sweet corn as I thought it was priced too high at $3-$3.50 for 13. Here's what I did buy in the food department:

4 large beefsteak tomatoes, $2.

Two green zucchini's for $1. and a yellow zucchini for $1. I've never tried the yellow before, but I'm told it's "sweeter".

I spotted these at the indoor market--I love these spaetzles but almost never buy them because they are about $4 a box at the grocery store. Picked a box up for $1.49 because it was a little dented (but not open).

Once inside where it is air-conditioned, we had a light lunch and the kids had rainbow sherbet.

Elylah showing her great-grandma her colored tongue...

Here are the rest of my finds-of-the-day:

A 7 inch pewter plate (Wilton, PA) for...$2!!!!!

A tiny Jenny Lind Wheaton bottle to go with others I have...Elylah spotted this...and it cost only $1.

Priced at $1 each, the kids got to pick out one beanie a piece. Elylah has a little collection of small bears (mostly pink) and she names each one...this one is now called "Daisy"...and Ethan thinks this is Clifford the Big Red Dog!

For another dollar, Elylah choose this pinwheel...

For Ethan, can you believe genuine Thomas-the-Tank Engines and a caboose for $1 each?! He already has tracks from Ikea that work great with the Thomas stuff, thanks to Aunt Ellie and Uncle Andy last Christmas...

The tiny bit of change I had left, we threw in this young man's guitar case...

and headed home to Tallmadge... I love hot summer days when I take the time to do something just for fun! Today was one of those!

Historic Old Town Hall (1859)

Tallmadge Circle