Don't Judge A "Box" By It's Cover

I love a trip to the thrift store...and I really love it when I find an unexpected surprise!  

Like this one....an Electricity Kit for $2.99.  I'm not sure why I grabbed it off the shelf...maybe because it looked old and interesting!! 

It looked even more interesting when I saw the top of the box.  I saw the word "ornaments"!!  

Woo Hoo!  Vintage ornaments??? Maybe!

I peeked in the box and saw some shiny metallic and some poinsettia printed paper.  

Then I closed it back up and put in my cart.  Yep...I pretty much bought it sight unseen.

When I got home and opened it...well, let's just say it was worth it!

Have a look at all my wonderful treasures.

  

Pretty ornaments and this really lovely piece of Christmas gift wrap.  I love vintage Christmas things. They're hard to find, so it's really special when I do.  I'll use some of them in my Christmas decorating...but most will be used in my Christmas creating.  

Maybe I'll make something like THIS or THIS.   

Remember...never judge a "box" by it's cover...there might be vintage treasure inside!

Michigan Part One

We took a road trip to Michigan last week.  The main event...a visit to see my mom.  But there were other perks involved as well.  We got to do some out of the ordinary (for us) shopping and eating.  Made a few visits to some thrift shops and I found a few treasures. 

The thermos is going to be a vase, the ink jar will hold some pens, and the old rosary will become a necklace.  The coffee mug...well, it's going to remain a very cute coffee mug that cost me a whopping 25 cents!  Total for all four items was only $6.54!!

We also stopped in at The Christmas Tree Shop and Meijer.  We don't have either of these stores near-by (although I did just learn that The Christmas Tree Shop is only 45 minutes away), and it's always fun to stop in.  I managed to find one treasure at each stop.  

Back in January (I think) I shared a photo of some vintage Christmas decorations on Instagram.  My cousin contacted me after seeing the picture and said she had some treasures for me...if I wanted them.  Did I ever want them!  She lives in Michigan...so this was my first chance to see these treasures.  Aren't they awesome!!  A Santa, a Snowman, and two soldiers!!  I love them!  They might stay right there in my living room until Christmas!  Thank you Tina!!

 Of course, the high point of our trip was seeing my Mom. The frosting on the cake was being able to see all my siblings as well!  Here we are...left to right...Steve, Emily, me, and John...plus the mama sitting up front, looking pleased as punch!

I mentioned that we did some "eating" as well.  

Did we ever!  Part Two coming soon!

Thrift Store Treasures

$24.00 well spent!!

Thursdays are 25% off at my favorite thrift store. I don't often go on Thursdays because by the time I get there it's all pretty picked over.  But last Thursday I hit the jack-pot!

Look at all these goodies I got!!

The best deal of the night goes to this Catherine Holm fondue set. It's in excellent condition!  

These pieces sell for ridiculous prices on Etsy and Ebay.

I see these tackle boxes and just can't resist..when they're a good price!  $1.50 (after the 25% discount) WAS a good price. I'll be storing my glue gun and glue sticks in here.

I'm going to re-purpose this musical jewelry box for Charlotte. 

She just got her ears pierced and she'll need somewhere to store all her earrings someday.

Bright and cheery serving trays...too cute to pass up. Especially when they were 25% off!

Children's books are always one of my favorite things to look at. 

On Thursday all pictures books are only 75 cents!  These two are like new!

This Snap Circuit kit was going to be for Elijah, but he already has this particular 

set...so does Penelope.  It's like brand new and it was only $2.00!

This Christmas plate is for me...it's going to look wonderful in my dining room hutch come December.  The pattern is Merry Christmas by Johnson Bros...it was $3.00!

Aren't these vintage platters awesome! I love the crazing and stains on 

them...it just adds to the beauty of the piece!  

The three platters together cost $11.00...they range in size from 10 inches to 15 inches.

~~~::~~~

I keep telling Bill that all this is an investment...some day 

I'll make money off these things!

These pieces will eventually be listed on Etsy. 

Once Upon A Time I WILL open an Etsy shop!

It's such fun to find things for "the littles"!  This time Elijah will get the books, 

and the circuit board kit will go to Charlotte in a year or so.

Cathe Holden created some amazing stenciled platters.

I'd love to give that a try!  

If these turn out they might end up in that (someday) Etsy shop!  

Or at least at a "craft show"!

You can see Cathe's here, here, and here.

Only two more days until Thursday!!!

Thrift Store Fun

I had another fun trip to the thrift store this week. 

I found a little bit of springtime & some long, lost relatives...among other things!!

We have a lot of mugs.  I would guess that 85% of them are from Disney World. That's certainly not a bad thing...but when I spotted these two mugs I decided they were too "springy" to pass up!

The same goes for these three pedestal compotes.  They're so bright and cheery.
Wouldn't they look cute with some little succulents planted inside!

The flashcards and playing cards will be added to my paper stash. Playing cards can be re-purposed in so many ways!  I'm thinking about turning them into price tags.

One of my favorite finds was this candle. The company is called Rewined.  The smell is amazing!  The candle is made using a re-purposed wine bottle...and it's never been burned!!  
They retail for about $28.00...I paid $5.00!! 

I'm a sucker for old photos at the thrift store.  It makes me sad to see them there..separated from their family.  As long as they're not too expensive they come home with me. 
They might be my long-lost relatives!

Such a cute pair of brothers!  I just couldn't leave them behind.

I wonder what their names were....maybe James, on the left,
and Edward, on the right?? 

Well, whoever they are, they're hanging in my workroom now. Framed and all!

 



Lazy Day

Yesterday was my day off....I went to the thrift store and Target. I did a little laundry, watched a little news, took a nap, and was otherwise basically unproductive.  It was a lazy kind of day!

Now I feel a little guilty, having let the day get away from me.

So I thought I'd at least take some photos of my thrift store purchases and share them on my blog.

99 cents worth of buttons...there are some pretty glass ones mixed in.

A small quilt...hand quilted...perfect for a picnic for some little girls I know.

Curtain rings...you can make so many things out of curtain rings.  Like SHEEP!

LOVE the tablecloth I found...my sister made the angel, lots of years ago.

Hall Bros. truck....made by Hallmark. I think it was meant for displaying Christmas cards. 

I think it will be perfect for hauling Christmas trees!

My favorite find...an old Brownie camera.  it will join two other vintage cameras on Bill's bookshelves.

Thrift stores are fun!!

It was such a lazy day, that I didn't even use my camera to 

take photos...I just used my phone!