Tuesday, June 7, 2011

thrift-therapy


Hey!  I'm back.  Just took a little year long hiatus.  NBD.  If you wanna read about it here you can.  If not - whatever.  I'm back in business and ready to teach you the ways of thrift-therapy.

Ready?

So, my hubs is out of town for work and I got really ambitious and took both my kids with me to a favorite thrift spot today.  Sit back and check out the cool stuff other people threw out that are now MY treasures!


I collect vintage salt and pepper shakers.  My Granny Opal did when she was alive, and now I have picked up where she left off.  It's cool - you should see my collection.  I will say that it is pretty rare to find full sets of shakers at thrift stores (that's what he said?).  But I got lucky today.  I left the set with the black lids and bought the little, cute glass ones.  You can toss the lids and use them as mini vases!


Ahhh, Bocce Ball - Italian lawn bowling.  A very fun game if you've never played it.  Believe it or not, but I have actually been talking to my husband about buying us a set of bocce balls and then lo and behold right under the used ski section there it sat.  BRAND STINKIN' NEW!  I bet someone didn't know how to play and it was given to them as a gift or something.  This is like a really nice set of bocce balls, people; these are professional grade!  Retail from $50-$70, and what did I pay?  $10.10.  
SUPER SCORE!

Saw this vintage washboard bathroom cabinet/towel rack and thought it was cute.  I don't need it, but it's vintage flavor drew me in.

Check out this rug!  Only $40 and completely brand new.  Too bad I just bought a new rug this week.  Typical.

Too bad they weren't my size...



Onto to the kids clothes.  Always a little daunting staring at a rack like this.  

Here are my secrets:

1) Patience is key, but not always practical when my kids are with me.

2) Start left and go right.  Usually the clothes are arranged by size.  You can see above that it goes from small to big.  Then after that it goes from short sleeve to long sleeve.  Pace yourself.  Drink water.

3)  Check the tag.  Even if it looks like the right size it's always good to check under the hood and see where it came from and what size it says.  Remember too that used clothes may have shrinkage issues (and that's why they were dumped at the thrift store).  Even if it says 6-12 months, hold it up, examine it and see if it would fit your kid.

4)  Check for stains.  Babies and kids can make messes of their clothes, but they also grow out of them uber fast!  If your luck is as good as mine maybe you'll find some clean outfits that some rich kid grew out of before he could get grass stains on them!



drool

Alright so my kids kinda flipped out at the store squirting apple sauce all over each other - so I stopped taking pictures and checked out as soon as I could.  Picking right back up where we stopped....


At most thrift stores they toss all your stuff in a big plastic bag like this.  Which I like because when I get home it feels like I'm digging into Santa's Christmas bag finding presents!  And since everything was SO cheap it really does feel like a treat.

awesome 1980's shirt with cute pocket.  I will probably cut the neck out of it and hem it under.


Forever21 high-waisted banana leaf skirt - hot!


Forever21 strapless polkadot dress.  Double hot!

found this.  thought it looked cute on the hanger but couldn't tell how cute...
UNTIL

I tried it on and oh yes, is it cute.  And $4 is the cutest part about this cotton, navy striped dress!
I did however discover a tiny rip in the armpit whilest I was wearing it.  Easy fix though.  Two seconds on the sewing machine and wha-la!  Good as new.

Super cute 1980's butterfly elastic belt.  I seriously have like 5 of these and all different colors that I've scored at various thrift stores.  I have one that's even thrifted from Germany!  But I didn't have a white one, so I got this little belt for $1.50

On to the rest of the Kids clothes I found...

Adorable red vintage shirt for Sparrow when she's like 4.  I just HAD to get it for her though.
And I love the 2 piece tan tropical dress and bloomers.

My girl has outgrown all her 6-9 month jammies and was in desperate need of new ones, so I grabbed all of these for about $8 total.  The pink one on top is a Zutano Baby and usually sells for $30.  There's also a flowery Calvin Klein (new with tags!) that was probably $20 originally.

Love this owl shirt and the purple 2 piece outfit is from India!
 H&M baby pants

 Picked up these 2 infant outfits for my niece - coming soon

Noah is growing like a weed and his current favorite color is red so I found him a couple red shirts, a Lightening McQueen shirt (his favorite) and some camo shorts.


For the Home I scored these treasures

 white watering can, those S&P Shakers I pointed out earlier and a nice glass pitcher/vase

I also found this awesome bright turquoise polyester tablecloth with a white lace trim.  It had one little stain, but I love the color so much I don't mind.

So there you have it.  My latest rendezvous with thrift shopping.  It was surely successful (apart from the children squirting applesauce all over each other).  Although I have seen children behave worse at thrift stores.  Touche'...

If you keep your fingers crossed AND become a follower (elbow nudge) I may just make this a more frequent occurrence for your viewing entertainment and educationment.

Coming soon....Around my House: What I have thrifted over the years


Almost forgot - found this sailor dress for $2!   

AHOY BARGAIN HUNTERS