September 24, 2022

So much time has passed I forgot I even had this blog! haha well if you were a family member you would not be at all surprised at this. I have had some really lovely scores over the years, which I'll try to post in a decent amount of time. Currently between jobs as our absolutely gorgeous Hospice House was closed for good this past July. Extremely sad, and as Patient Care Manager, I along with about 30 other employees, lost our jobs. However, I always remain positive that God will put me where I need to be. 

This is a photo of a beautiful old office chair that I believe I spent $90 on a few years back. 

It is a gorgeous piece, very comfortable, thought I typically have a tie-on cushion on it for extra padding. It rolls like a dream, however the adjustable mechanisms seem to be locked up, so I don't fiddle with them. 

Here is a George Gorton Machine Company box for storing some sort of gears or tools. We use it to store our remotes. This lovely box set me back about 10 dollars.

Below is a photo of a lovely wrought iron vanity I found. It was filthy when I bought it, however it cleaned up beautifully! The mirror is adjustable as well. It also came with the little stool which I recovered in a cool chenille as it was ickily stained. The two glass sconce table lamps were a huge score, though they are on old electric wires without a ground plug so probably need to get them rewired for safety. They light up and look like candles. The little boxes are also thrift shop finds, however, the Singer Sewing box is a fake remake but handy to have a little sewing kit in the guest room.

This little sugar bowl is so much fun! I love the thumbprint style and the little flip top!

And lastly for today, these two lovely little glass containers. The one with the brass lid has been used for coffee in the past, and now is our q-tip holder. The other is a candy dish being used for little cotton pads.

My passion is becoming buying and selling books online, mostly collectible books, first editions, rare books and the like. What an exciting thing to walk into a bookstore and see what kind of treasures can be discovered there! We have recently moved to the Heartland area of Florida, where pastureland is King. What lovely scenery there is here! I feel as if I am looking at Highwaymen paintings when I'm driving around!

Off to bed.... tomorrow is Sunday and I have found a new church which I'm enjoying. Ciao!

October 8, 2016

Goodwill shops are one of my favorite haunts. They receive such a large amount of donations that they cannot screen for gems the way the smaller thrift shops can. Here are two recent discoveries which I was tickled to find!

The cast iron cricket is a vintage Boot Jack which we keep on our front porch by the door. The vintage bell pull is another treat which is normally mounted next to our front door, but for some reason, my husband thought with Hurricane Matthew bearing down on us, should be removed for fear of losing. Matthew was not really a problem after all for us, though we really battened down the hatches for fear of a direct hit here in Melbourne, Florida.

February 26, 2016

Well, I've just discovered this blog of mine which has been seriously neglected over the last several years. Rummaging through my photos to see what sorts of lovely things I have found has led me to the realization that I am not thrift shopping as I once was! This is a bit sad, and I aim to remedy that and get out there again to find some treasures. 

Here is a wonderful vintage music box I found for $5.00 for our little Granddaughter Quinn. It is a delightful little toy, and I love Humpty's little face!

This next photo is of a bell I bought for my sister's birthday. When we were small, our parents had a bell which they would ring at the back door when it was time for us to come in from playing. She was big on bells actually. She also had a smaller bell in the house which she rang when dinner was ready! She was not a yeller like myself obviously. I'm not adding how much I paid for it because my sister might read this and I probably paid too much anyway! lol

This photo is of a vintage aloha shirt, which I bought for $40 steep dollars at a vintage shop. It was sandwiched in a rack of vintage dish towels and aprons. I loved the kitschiness of it, and thought it would make a great gift for the love of my life. Sadly it was too big, so I resold it for $150 on eBay. Yay me!

This victorian bird house was actually found by my son Adam who thought it might be good for our parakeet. It is lovely, but not spacious enough for our little guy, so I have it out on our porch. Actually trying to re-sell it, but have had no luck!

These were probably in most homes in the 50s and 60s. It is a glass ring mold, which I find from time to time. Good for Jellos, cakes, rice molds, etc. I think I got this for about $2 and resold for $10.

Here is one of my favorites! This pilsner glass is a duplicate of the set my parents had way back in the 50's and 60's. I love the retro-ness of it! I have a small set of these now, and this lovely photo is of one filled with a Mimosa! Yum!

Here we have a vintage stamping set, which I bought for our daughter. Don't remember what I paid for it, but loved it any how and she loved it too. She has an Etsy.com shop called Glass Poppies where she makes and sells jewelry. She uses these for jewelry stamping!

This lovely entry light originally had a brassy hardware to it, which was quite ugly. I spent $40 on this, which my husband thought was way too much. I'm thinking he does not love my light as I do. My lovely husband repainted the hardware in a shabby black for me, despite his obvious dislike of the poor light, and now I have a very cool and amber-ish entry light! Gives off a nice glow too!

This is one of two candlestick holders I bought at a church thrift store. I paid "I think" $4.99 for the pair. They are iron and glass... they cleaned up beautifully!

Well, this has been a fun trip for me down memory lane. I have some other cool stuff I need to add, but will have to wait for photos first. Another day. May God bless your world, keep you safe, and bring you nothing but blessings all your days! Catch you later!

November 11, 2012

Whenever I find myself in the vicinity of one of my favorite thrift stores, if I have a few minutes to spare, it's so worth my time to dash in for a quick-see and make sure there isn't something really wonderful to be found. I know many people are turned off by the smell of thrift stores, but you must be brave and ignore that to find the really amazing treasures!






Translucent Walt Disney "Sorcerer Mickey" Playing Cards
Originally $8.00 - paid .99. Sweet!

Crate and Barrel Beehive Drink Carafe - value unknown
paid .99 (makes a great vase too!)

Custo Barcelona Designer Trench
Can't find exact match on web, but these run in the hundreds. Paid $39.00.
(Pardon the mustard leggings paired with this... I was too lazy to change!)

And from the back...

This is my love! Adorable red-checked vintage chair. Had a few
stains on the arms, which shampooed right out. Who knows what
this would have sold for new, but at one of our local church thrifts, it was selling
for $25.00. Luckily, I bought it on a 50% off day, so stole this chair
for a flat $12.50. Oh my goodness. You just can't make this stuff up!

Hopefully, tomorrow I can fit in a trip to the Goodwill. Lots to do though, between driving my Dad to his appts, and watching our grandchildren while our daughter goes to her appointments. Life is always an adventure, and never ever boring around here!
 

October 30, 2012

One of the interesting things which my thrift-shopping friends and I have discovered, is that there is no place like home for great thrift shops! We have traveled to many areas of Florida seeking out gems and treasures, and have always found that our own area really does have the best thrift shops.




Genuine Eelskin Purse - $4.99
 

One of my favorite things to hunt for while thrift-shopping is vintage children's books. Much of the childrens literature which has been published in the last forty years has been sadly lacking in the imagination, and rich illustrations found in many of our childrens books from many decades ago. 
Here are some of my favorites in my collection!





Choo-Me-Shoo
by Holling C. Holling
True 1st Edition
bought for a quarter!




Beautiful illustrations



The classic Make Way for Ducklings... 0.50

These comforting brown illustrations zoom me right back to my childhood!

The Boy Jesus... vintage hardcover. Can't remember what I paid for this one. I've had it a long time!

 

Though Goodwill and Salvation Army have excellent bargains and finds, I love the small thrift stores at our local churches. Time is needed to hunt through the racks and shelves, but I nearly always come out with some little treasure or other. I have found that one of our local charity thrifts has started pricing goods according to their internet searches, which means you are not likely to get a real treasure without paying for it! Very disappointing approach for we thrifters, though maybe they raise more money that way. I hope it is not the wave of the future.

 

October 28, 2012

Here are a few more items I have found over the years which I have kept in my personal collection.

Small Fontanini Italian Creche or Manger. $4.99.
Measures about 12" long and 10" deep.

Purchased for $35.00 - this is an original signed painting on
what appears to be silk! Loved the old gilt frame as well.
 

These are a couple of old Italian prints.
I have been unable to find out anything about them, but
love the shabbiness about them. Purchased for $20.00.


 

Old, hand-tooled leather-bound Webster's Dictionary.
We don't use this as a resource, but they look lovely gracing
my shabby black bookshelf in my office.
Purchased for $2.00 each.
 

Old German Christmas Pyramid
bought for $2.99
broken piece fixed by my husband and a bit of glue!

American Girl "knock-off" for $20.00
(normally $125-$150!)
Vintage Gown $7.99

Vintage 1980's Fisher Price Adventure Play Set
$20.00

Framed Eiffel Tower Print
Just liked the simplicity of this and
the frame matched our bedroom furniture.
$5.99

Old Display Case - perfect for my nurse's hat,
Bible, and Student Nurse Pin.
I even found a Florence Nightingale style lamp to go with it!
Case - $2.99
Lamp .99

I'll try to upload more finds later this week. I found a few things today while shopping which I want to share with you as well! More to come...

October 27, 2012

As with all maiden voyages, there is a lot of excitement upon initiating a new adventure. Thrift shopping has been my love for many years, and when I decided to write a blog featuring all my ridiculously delightful "finds", I jumped right in!

If you are looking for fashion, this is not the place to be. Clothing is a very small part of my shopping addiction, and usually only if something deliciously vintage catches my eye! Here are a few of my treasures from past thrift shopping forays.



Vintage Sewing Box purchased for $19.99

Interior of Sewing Box

Slick Vintage Purse - $4.99



Retro Glass Display Cabinet - $30.00

So check back often as I update with my treasures and great buys... from antique books, to kitchenware, to home decor, to accessories, nothing is safe when you Live to Thrift!