Thrift Thursday - For the Dogs

I got this flannel tapestry at Goodwill today for $1.99:

It's pretty big - 4.5 feet wide by 3 feet tall. What do you think I should make with it? A wrap skirt? Tote bags? Pillows? A big dog bed?

Thrift Thursday - Another Mt. Rainier

I found this painting of Mt. Rainier today: 

It's a little different than the one I found 3 months ago but I like it just as much. Erik looked at it quizzically and said, "Didn't you already get a painting of Mt. Rainier?" to which I responded, "Yes! And now I have another one." Then he looked at it closely and said "Eh, I think you could paint a better one." Critic! I still like it. In fact, I think I've found a new thing to collect - original oil paintings of Mt. Rainier that end up at thrift stores. The hunt is on...

Thrift Thursday: Vintage Stationary

I love finding vintage stationary at thrift stores and estate sales.  Somewhere, hidden in a drawer for 20-30 years, these papers stayed blank and never sent.  Thankfully, at least they were preserved, and when I happen to find them still bold and bright and crisp and blank and often for less than a dollar, I have to get them. Kokoleo customers might recognize some of these prints that I've used for the hand-written thank you notes I include in my packages.

I'm drawn to the kitchier patterns, like day-glow daisies and patchwork,

 butterflies and cartoon animals,

scalloped edges and fancy borders,

 and unique invitations (Evite be damned!),

or anything offbeat. These notepads reminded me of R. Crumb cartoons:

I tried to write a thank you on one once but it just came across as angry and yelling, so I didn't send it.

And since I don't want to end this blog post with screaming  and finger-pointing, I'll leave you with these sweet little girls...

Thrift Thursday... For the Family

Wait, it's Thursday already? The week went by fast. I had plans of photographing some of my collections of thrifty treasures (vintage mugs, stationary, wrapping paper, fabric)  but never got around to it. I've been pretty busy with commissions, which I haven't blogged about either. That's next on the agenda. But this afternoon, instead of doing any of that, I went shopping. It's was half-price day at Value Village and I found some awesome deals. Armed with $58 I made off a recent pillow commission, I got all this:

A Kenneth Cole faux leather jacket in shiny new condition for Sage. 5 bucks (originally $9.99). Even he admitted it was pretty cool, and he's pretty picky when it comes to his clothes. He also got a Shawn White flannel and Mossimo cords for $5. Pants, a shirt and a jacket for $10 - not bad considering they would have gone for about $100 retail.

McKenna got this shirt and embroidered jeans:

for $2.50, and a striped shirt, black velvet Levi's, and these rain boots, which I wish could fit me:

The kids also got to pick out one toy each, the getting of which was dependent upon their behavior in the store (yes, I bribe them). Sage got a Nerf Super Soaker ($4) and McKenna got a Playdough tiki pirate ship playset ($3). Toys weren't on sale but it was a small price to pay for being allowed to shop in relative peace.

McKenna also got these CDs:

because she listens to music every night and I was getting tired of the same old songs. We listened to most of them when we got home and they're great. ($2 each, not on sale) She also asked for this book:

Which freaked me out a bit because I had this book as a kid and loved it. It's a scratch-and-sniffer and though it's lost all it's sniff-ness, for 69 cents I had to get it.

It was slim pickins for kokoleo finds, but I did get this Shakespeare linen:

 

for 99 cents. I'm envisioning a pillow or tote in the near future, the perfect gift for some Shakespeare nerd. (As a former English major, I know they're out there.) 

I also got Erik a pair of Steve Madden shoes for $2.50 but he told me if I post a pic of them on my blog he won't wear them because he doesn't want people commenting on his blogged-about thrift store shoes. But he liked them.

Finally for myself, I found some new-with-tags running pants for $5 and this frilly top and flower pin:

 for $5 total. And I, unlike Erik, don't mind if you comment on my thrift store finds.

Thrift Thursday Returns!

I haven't done a "Thrift Thursday" in a while and I think it's time to revive the tradition. Here's my latest acquisition:

A tiny painting (5" x 7") of the massive Mt. Rainier. At least, I think it's Mt. Rainier. (It looks similar to the pics we took on our visit to Mt. Rainier Park). Purchased at the Goodwill in Kent where, when you stand in the parking lot on a clear day you can see Mt. Rainier in the distance.

It cost me 99¢. The frame is a little worse for wear and I may revamp it, but I'm loving the little window to the outside world it gives to my windowless bathroom.

It's Yard Sale Season in Seattle!

After living in Los Angeles for the past few years and being spoiled by the year-round yard sales, then living without them during the cold and moist Northwest winter, I'm super-excited for the start of Seattle-area yard sales. Last weekend, when we had zero obligations and I saw the forecast predicting sun and mild temperatures, on Friday night I hit up craigslist for local garage sale info and together with Mapquest mapped out a route close to home. Here's what I scored...

Embroidered linens, $2.50:


Various sewing notions including an unused herb-themed Irish linen, $3:


Books for McKenna + handmade barrettes and pony tail ties, $2:


A Henry McKenna whiskey jug, $1:


A shirt, gameboy game and Nerf frisbee/ball for Sage, $3.50:


Handmade hummingbird earrings for me, $1 (she gave me a deal):


And, my favorite deals of the day because they're hard to find and sell for way more on ebay...

Return of the Jedi sheets and pillowcase, $1:


I'm still torn between letting Sage have them and cutting them up for kokoleo clothes.

Also, 3 Butterprint Pyrex nesting bowls, for THIRTY CENTS.

The sweet old lady up the street had no idea they were worth more so I ended up buying a few more things, all priced ridiculously low, and gave her $5 just because seeing those bowls for THIRTY CENTS made my day.

Thrift Thursday - Avon Calling

When I was a kid we had a frog-themed bathroom. It had frog wallpaper, frog-appliqued hand towels (I mean, frogs didn't applique them but there were frogs appliqued on them), a framed needlepoint frog my mom made, and a dish of frog-shaped soaps that we weren't allowed to use because they were just for decoration. I loved playing with those soaps and smelling them and scratching the bottoms of them to carry their scent around with me under my fingernails. It's funny the weird childhood details that stick in our brains.

I also remember my mom bringing home Avon catalogs from her substitute teaching jobs (the cafeteria ladies sold Avon). I couldn't read, but I liked looking at the pictures of shaped soaps in fancy packaging, eyeshadows and lipsticks (I vividly remember once getting tiny lipstick samples, I loved those), and jewelry like jumbo owls and lockets that held perfume-scented disks. Oh, and the elaborately shaped perfume bottles! My friend Cindy Kellenberger had a shelf full of those perfumes. We would dab a little of each on on our necks and then feel woozy for the rest of the day. I'm pretty sure some of those perfume molecules are still stuck in my nose.

(Photo mosaic by m kashahara in flickr)

Occasionally my mom would let me pick out one thing from the catalog - a bath toy or fancy soap or jewelry from the kids section. Waiting for it to arrive made it all the more special. I coveted the jewelry and took special care of it so I could give it to my daughter. When McKenna was 2 I gave her my frosted glass snowman necklace with a tiny gold top hat. That was a poignant moment, putting my old necklace on her, a moment I'd looked forward to for 30-some years. Less than an hour after I put it on her I noticed all that was hanging from the chain was a tiny gold top hat and the snowman was gone forever. Sigh. I held off giving her my other favorite Avon necklace - the mama and baby ducks - until today when writing this post reminded me of it.


I'm sure she'll lose it soon.

So why am I thinking of all this? Because earlier week at St.Vincent's Charity thrift shop, as I was checking out, these caught my eye:


I would have purchased them for the packaging alone, but after a quick inspection I discovered they still contained the soaps. For only a buck each I immediately bought them and waited to completely unwrap them at home. How cute are these?

Hansel and Gretel!

and these:


Three Little Birds! And a soap dish... shaped like a nest! Be still my thrifty heart.

If you come over to my house you'll find them sitting by my bathroom sink. Don't use them! They're just for decoration. I'll let you scratch their bottoms though.

The best fabric ever in the history of the whole wide world.

Two weekends ago I had a yard sale. Basically I just put a bunch of junk in the driveway and spent the day weeding the front yard and occasionally someone stopped by and gave me money for the things I didn't want anymore. Sage willingly parted with a bunch of junky toys and I got rid of some excess sewing notions and a bunch of fabric that just wasn't my style. I advertised it as a "Recession Special - Nothing over $1!" and made $50. Afterward, I dropped the leftovers off at the thrift store and then couldn't resist going in to browse and maybe spend some of that new cash.

And there I found it - something I'd been searching for for years. It must have been karma or kismet or the fabric gods sending me a gift for sharing my stash with others that day. It was the kind of find that makes your heart start pounding and you grab it and hug it tight and expect someone to fight you for it. But no one did. It was mine, all mine! It was this:

(Click to enlarge, it's awesome.)

A rare vintage Sesame Street bed sheet featuring such long lost characters as Mr. Hooper, David, Farley, Roosevelt Franklin (and his mother), Sherlock Hemlock, as well as Big Bird, Oscar, Grover, Cookie Monster, Snuffy, Ernie and Bert. I had bid on it a few times on ebay over the years but always got outbid (and watched one go for over $60!). I got this one for $2.50 - and not just a little bit, this much:

A whole swing set full! Sage thought it made a nice tent:

I, however, envisioned sundresses and skirts and pillows and bags and lots of other wonderful new things. But first I vowed to make something for McKenna and something for me. The rest will go to kokoleo. Here's what I made today:




And although we've never done the matchy-matchy mother / daughter thing before, I couldn't resist making this for me:



I can't wait to see what else will become of it. Thanks, fabric gods.

Thrift Thursday - Yay for shopping!

Yay, March is over! And so is my resolution not to shop. I did pretty well, all things considered. I do have to fess up to buying band-aids, light bulbs, (the darkness in the bathroom was irritating and they were on sale) , and I threw a few things into the cart at BigLots like shampoo and nice new 400 thread count sheets (but Erik was the one who swiped the debit card so that doesn't count). I also got these shirts for the kids from the Sesame body exhibit:

They were our only store-bought souvenier from our 8-day excursions - 2 for $20. . . not available in stores. . . plus, they're organs with eyeballs! Where else can you find organs with eyeballs? (When Erik saw them he said, "Um, that's kinda gross.")

I didn't, however, buy myself clothes or cosmetics or or books or junky toys for the kids. I didn't step foot in a mall or thrift store. Instead, I spent the month getting rid of stuff. Sage learned that if he wanted something he had to spend his own piggy bank money, and he spent that money judiciously. McKenna didn't even notice the lack of new things. She's just as content with an empty box as she would be with anything that costs money. We spent the money we saved on all those excursions and a few nice dinners. I think we'll remember those more than any thing.

But! on April 1st I was excited to be able to shop again. I hit my 3 favorite thrift stores in one afternoon and found a few cute things at each. Like these skirts for me:

($15 total) and this shirt:

(GAP, $3.99) And a few things for McKenna, including this outfit:

(Talbots kids, $3.50) and this jacket:

(Pumpkin Patch $3.99). I also got a pair of new-with-tags Steve Madden sandals ($4.99), and 5 pairs of reading glasses (to make into jewelry) for $1 each, and I found a few books that I knew Sage would like. The kid loves books - it's hard to pass up hours of enjoyment when it's only 50 cents. Oh, and I found a brand new kid's croquet set for $6.

I felt like the most extravagant person in the world and I only spent about $50. You're welcome, economy.

Thrift Thursday - Linens and Drink-things

Last Friday I found an unexpected package on my doorstep. It was from my friend Annette. Thank you Annette! You're awesome. Check out this cute linen piece she sent me:

I always feel bad for Thursday's child, full of woe. Poor thing. But what an awesome linen! I'm not sure what I want to turn it into yet - a bag? pillows? little dolls? I'll have to think about this for a while. Here's another linen she sent:

Ha! So 70s.

Also in the box was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bedsheet (I'm thinking they'll become boys pajamas), and a shirt made from this material:

which I'm thinking I'll turn into a sundress for McKenna. Also in the box was a big bag of buttons (with two quarters! free money!) and this mug:

Which Erik finds disturbing and won't be drinking coffee out of any time soon.

Speaking of drink-things, here's a glass I found at the thrift store yesterday, it makes me happy. . .

. . . as does the liquid that's in it.