Friday, September 3, 2010

thrifting and vintage goodies

I've been hitting up my local thrift stores quite a bit the last several months. I have a game plan when I go into these stores. First, I check out the dishware/china area. I'm on the lookout constantly for cute Pyrex dishes to add to my collection.

Second, I check out the linens section. I'm looking for fun vintage sheets (like the ones I used to make Mia's apron) and lately I've expanded my search to doilies crocheted in unexpected colors (eye popping pink or sunshine yellow). I also look for vintage kitchen towels.

Next, I hit up the luggage area. Currently I'm looking for a vintage train case, by either Samsonite or American Tourister. I've seen a few on Etsy (you can see some here) but they charge way more than I'm willing to pay. I saw one at a thrift store a while back for $4 and I'm still kicking myself for not picking it up. It was sort of a drab shade of blue, but I could have decoupaged something cheery on it.

I also check out the crafty area for vintage sewing notions. Sometimes I'll glance at clothes (skirts, mostly) but that's about it.

Last week I found a set of these lovely crocheted valances. I thought Sweet! I'd love to have these in my living room, and it's so great that some granny crocheted them a zillion years ago. Um, not so much. Right before I washed them I found the tag that said "Dry Clean Only" and "Made in China". Oh well, they're still nice. I'm wondering what my husband will say when he gets home? Plus, since I crochet, people will probably assume I made them. Is that wrong? I'll tell the truth, but only if they ask, haha.

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I also picked up a grab bag that included several things for $3 or $4. I saw this through the bag and thought it was ridiculously cute...


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so I didn't pay attention to too much else. This is what I found when I opened the bag and started pulling things out:


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fun heart shaped bean bags (think I'll use them in my classroom for some kind of game), a fun wicker ball (not pictured), some other piece of junk I threw away, and this...


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... pardon my French, but can somebody please tell me what the hell this thing is?!?

It totally cracks me up every time I look at it! It's just so kitschy and country and I think it's hilarous.

Yay for thrifting!

3 comments:

  1. Pop says it's a rug beater. Without hesitation, I might add.. We like the kitchy and weird as well.
    ~Gwen~

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  2. We'd better never arrive at a thrift store at the same time, or we'll be hitting each other to get to the goodies first! Chalk it up to good taste. Teacher pun. Get it? Oh, the apple's best feature is proper punctuation! It's the first thing I looked for! After I typed this comment, I checked my grammar and punctuation as well. Did I succeed? Now I'm second guessing my self. Good enough!

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