Monthly Archives: February 2013

Thrifting Thursday: Random Shopping

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Has it really been two weeks since I last celebrated Thrifting Thursday?! Actually, I do believe, it’s been two weeks since I’ve even blogged! Talk about being behind on the blog schedule! I think it’s time I cash out and give you that meaty Thrifting Thursday post you have all surely been biting at the bit to read.

If you’re new here, Thrifting Thursdays are the day I’ve set aside to talk about all the great antique, vintage, and otherwise previously loved goods to be found in thrift stores. Thursday also makes a great day to celebrate all things thrifted since Thursday sort of rhymes with thirfting, but not really. Let’s just pretend it rhymes.

Anyways….back at the ranch.

Here are some cool things I’ve spotted while rooting around my favorite thrift stores.

80'sbragbook

I couldn’t help myself, that poor kid plunged me back to 1987. I had the girl version of this haircut. It was awesome and went great with my equally awesome pink CareBear, velcro sneakers.

brunswickmostlymale

Speaking of awesome haircuts, check this guy out. Apparently, he is Mostly Male.

mostlymale

Evidenced by the interchangeable outfits between the mostly female ,the mostly male is pictured with.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. (Quoted from Seinfeld.)

elvishead

After savoring the openness of clothing from the ’70’s I wandered over to another section of the store and was officially creeped out by this Elvis head. I guess The King is still alive, at least at our local Goodwill.

As always, when I’m out thrifting I’m on the look out for some really nice vintage-y furniture. I am obsessed with the sturdiness and design of pieces that are 40 years or older.

midcenturydresser

I LOVED the legs on this elegant lady! And those clean lines…OH LA LA.

vintagewoodcabinet

And then there was this guy, I have no idea what I would’ve used him for, but I would’ve found a place for him. If only I could find a way of making the trunk of my Malibu stretch.

secretarydesk

Oh, and then I found this pretty secretary.

Ivintagesecretarydesk

She wasn’t that well made, nor that old. But I still liked the idea.

oldwoodensecretarydesk

Plus, she offered extra storage. See those little ledges on the sides? Those are meant for shelving, I couldn’t find the shelves nearby so I can only guess they were either broken or just got separated.

All in all, I’d say there were some pretty good finds, nothing that I felt warranted handing over my hard earned beans or cramming into my already cluttered home, but some pretty great stuff nonetheless. Although, I might go back for that Elvis head, that’s a classic piece.

Valentine’s Day

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Maybe it’s all the sugar, or maybe I’m just plain tired from a busy week, but I’m not really up to sifting through, editing, and posting about all the great things I’ve seen this past week while sniffing around some pretty awesome thrift stores. So, with it being Valentine’s Day, I bid you a very happy, love and sugar filled day!

valentinedonut

I’ll just owe you a Thrifting Thursday next week. You might be surprised to find that Thrifting Monday is just as exciting as Thrifting Thursday!

Weekend Happenings: Zombie Apocalypse

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Tuesday, where did Monday go? And why is Wednesday already tail gating me? Before I know it, heart day will be here and gone, and then it’ll be time to enjoy that marvelous long weekend! Or what others may call President’s Day. That’s the joy of being a public employee, the long weekends thanks to national holidays.

The point is, this week is just flying by, and it’s not just this week, it’s other weeks, time in general is flying by. As I’ve hit that 30-something mark, the days feel longer but the weeks feel shorter, my to-do list keeps growing, but the tasks never get done. Even right now, as I sit here writing this post there are a million, zillion, things that I know are not so patiently waiting for their turn at my attention. While I think of all the other things that need to be or want to be done.

Whew!

I think I just tuckered myself out thinking about it.

Maybe it’s time to stop, re-focus, and remember all the relaxation that happened over the past weekend.

albertsonscake

We had cake. No, it wasn’t a birthday or some other big event, it was simply Saturday. And the cake was on sale, why not? I should also mention, it was a mini cake. I LOVE cake, but I could never eat an entire standard sized sheet cake in one weekend. Well, I could, but by Monday I’d be waddling into the nearest Old Navy to buy bigger jeans. No thanks, I’ll stick to the mini cakes thankyouverymuch.

teamaker

And I finally got to break in a new tea maker. By the way, thanks Mom for the great gift that provides me with that sweet sweet caffeine!

Yes, I am so addicted to iced tea I can’t wait for the water to boil to make it the old fashioned way. And yes, this is my new tea maker, meaning that I have worn out another one. And yes, I buy home teeth whitening products in bulk, actually, I don’t, I’d rather live with slightly yellowed teeth than have the shade of blue teeth that Suze Orman has. No offense to those who whiten or to Ms. Orman! I love to watch the Can I Afford It segment on her show every Saturday. But it also makes me sad, because I realize I can’t afford it.                                                                              “It” meaning the newest toy I’ve had my eye on.

Where was I? Oh yeah, the weekend…

pinktulips

I picked out my Valentine tulips early this year. Apparently, the closer you get to heart day the more expensive flowers get.

lionbrandhomespunyarnOh, and the most exciting part of the weekend was stepping into Michael’s to find all Lion Brand yarn was 50% off!! I may have gone back a couple more times to stock up. Ya know, just in case there’s a zombie apocalypse that causes a yarn shortage. Since, I hear zombies love to knit and crochet in between eating people’s brains.

And finally, what weekend re-cap wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory dog picture?

goldie

Well, I’m off to check some items off my to-do list:

1. Make dining table pretty, bananas do not make an attractive center piece.

2. Sweep the crazy amounts of fur off of the floor

3. Hide hoard of yarn before zombie apocalypse happens

Thrifting Thursday: They Cut My Shins Off

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Today is Thursday not Friday… I’ve been having to tell myself that all day long, wishful thinking I suppose. Not that today is a particularly bad day or that this week has been stressful, it’s just that I look forward to the excitement and energy that surrounds an upcoming weekend. There’s just something about the promise of two full days free from the office, and from the electricity in the air I know my officemates would agree. Again, it’s not that the 9-5 job is horrible, in fact I quite enjoy it, but to have time without a schedule is bliss.

And to celebrate that upcoming bliss, let’s partake in my weekly indulgence of Thrifting Thursday. I found something really awesome to show off this week…

kielradio

At first, I thought this was a pretty awesome coffee table, maybe a little rough, but with a little sanding and some paint it would be good as new. Then I looked a little closer and saw hinges.

antiquekielradiostand

GASP! Upon further inspection, I found two labels…

aatwaterkentradio

authentickielDOUBLE GASP!

At the thrift store I really didn’t know what all this meant, I just knew it had to be old and it had to come home with me. So, $25 later this rugged beauty was standing in my living room.

kielradiostandold

After a few moments of admiring by newest acquisition, I couldn’t take the suspense anymore and did a quick Google search.

wornkielradio

Turns out my unique and awesome coffee table wasn’t really a coffee table in her original life, and she was much taller in her younger years.

Via

Actually, she originally housed an Atwater Kent Radio! The manufacturer of the table was Kiel. According to this awesome ad:

Via

She’s pretty old, I’ve read several different sources that give her year of birth between 1929 and 1931. If she were a person, she could be my grandma!!

If you look at the ad, the going rate for this beauty ,at the time, was $179, in 2013 that’s equivalent to $2500. So, she would have been the center of one’s sitting room, much like a TV is today.

So, I’m pretty proud of my “coffee table”, even if she’s had her shins cut off much like Cotton from King of the Hill.

He’s the short guy on the right, short due to the lack of shins.

And I am having second thoughts on painting this piece, maybe a sand down to the bare wood and a re-stain is in order. I think she’s much too lady like to be painted.

What do you think?

Weekend Happenings: Wild and Crazy

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How’s this for a week that’s already off kilter? Thrifting Thursday on a Monday and a weekend review on a Tuesday. At least, I’m blogging this week! So, I’d call the first two days of the first week in February a success! (By the way, why is February so hard to spell? Every time I try to spell it on my own, spell check kicks in and gives me the dreaded red line. I shouldn’t be surprised since most of the time my posts are covered with red lines. Thank you spell check.)

Anywho, on this Tuesday I’ve got the past weekend still on my mind, maybe I’m hoping the next weekend will get here a little faster. Actually, I should rephrase that, I am happy with where I’m at right now, which happens to be in the middle of a work week. And thank goodness, I have work to keep me busy during the week. Even though the prospect of having a life of all weekend seems pretty enticing, there are little things to worry about like eating and paying bills. Ya know, the small things in life.

But back to the happenings of the weekend:

doublecrochetproject

I started a new crochet project, this time it’s a kid-size blanket for my soon to be 6 year old niece. Once it’s done I’ll tell you all about it.

dionspizzaandsalad

We ate pizza and salad, yeah I know me and the hubs live on the wild side.

And last but not least….

magazinereading

I read a magazine and took a picture. This post gave me the great idea. Aren’t you glad I have follow through?

Hows that for a wild and crazy weekend from one wild and crazy gal? (By the way that was typed with the same accent Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd used in this SNL skit.)

Thrifting Thursday on a Monday

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Well, now that the weekend has come and gone, and I’ve gone a week without a post, I thought I owed it to you guys to do a Thrifting Thursday post. Yeah, I know it’s Monday, but maybe it’ll make that weekly transition from weekend warrior to office monkey a littler easier.

This past weekend, I found something I couldn’t leave behind.

vintagechickenjars

I know, they’re kind of kitschy, but aren’t they cutest kind of kitsch? At first glance, I thought they were so ugly they would be perfect to make fun of on the blog. Then after taking this picture:

chickencanisters

I noticed the lids, oh geez, those lids, they slay me. Don’t know what I’m talking about, here let me demonstrate:

chickenjar Collage

How cute is that? It’s the whole egg to chick progression. Now do you see why I couldn’t leave this set behind? I HAD to rescue them! They were all priced separately so I knew the set would get split up. I just COULDN’T let that happen people!

On the bottom of each canister is a Sears and Roebuck trademark with the year 1976. They do look pretty ’70’s don’t they?

So, now I have a super cute set of chicken canisters, with no place to put them. Currently, they are cluttering up my kitchen table. Bubba (husband) and I have been opting to eat in the living room in front of the TV, or just giving in and eating on one end of the table while the chickens stare back at us. This makes it difficult to eat an omelet, or any other type of chicken product. Let’s just say, Bubba and I have been eating lots of beans and rice lately.

Aside from avoiding dishes that contain a certain fowl, I’ve also been admiring these beauties:

beveledfootedglassesA set of six ,footed and beveled tumblers. After purchasing this duo a couple weeks ago I’ve had my eye out for more.

I just love how they catch the light.

peachbeveledglasses

And I can’t get enough of that beveled texture.

peachbeveledfootedglasses

I wasn’t completely sold on the peach tone, but it’s grown on me.

footedbeveledtumblers

I am guessing the maker of these sparkly glasses could be the Indiana Glass Company  and they could be from the American Whitehall line from the mid ’70’s based on this information. If that’s the case then they are an imitation of the more expensive Fostoria American. Either way, I don’t really care if they’re valuable or not I’m just happy to have some pretty glasses to sip sweet tea from.

Oh yeah, and I’m participating in a little linky party/scavenger hunt over at Young House Love. There’s more of the low down on that here. Basically, the challenge is to hunt for things mentioned in the Macklemore song “Thrift Shop”. I won’t be linking to the original because there are lots of dirty words in it, so here’s the clean version. And I should also warn you, it’s rap, so if that’s offensive or just plain annoying you may want to avoid listening.

Macklemore Challenge:

Step 1: Go to the thrift store with a $20 in your pocket and take a picture.

Step 2: Spend $20 and photograph your spoils (hello, thrifting thursdays!)

Step 3: Find one item (or more) referenced in the song and snap a pic.

Alright, so I failed at taking a picture of the $20 that was in my pocket or rather in my purse. But I did photograph and gab about my spoils. (See above.)

Also, I did come across one item mentioned in the song.

bigdonkeycoat

A big ugly coat. I was much too fearful of what may be lurking in that fake fur to try it on, call me a weenie, but at least I don’t have head lice. Now, my head itches.