Archive for the ‘Thrifted Treasure’ Category

Thrifted Treasure – Home Interiors Pagoda Light

August 9, 2010

My snob is showing.  I have never been much of a fan of Home Interiors (now called Celebrating Home) items.  I have visions of going to a home party in the 80s and only seeing plastic wicker butterfly wall plaques and (in my opinion) ugly pictures.  Not my taste then or now.  Although armed with the new plastic paints I look at some of them with a different eye now.

I had to adjust my thinking when I found this pagoda votive light  in a thrift store last week.  Home Interiors Pagoda Votive LightIt is a heavy frosted green glass.  The design pressed into the glass is well executed.  I think it will be really pretty with the candlelight flickering in it.  This was one of those things I would like to keep but I gave it away as door prize at Thursday’s On Purpose Connections Over Coffee meeting at Bliss Coffee and Wine Bar.

This find reinforced again what I know really well with clothes – don’t look at the label until you decide if you like the style, quality, materials and workmanship of the garment.  Otherwise a label can influence me to pass over something or worse buy something I don’t absolutely love because ‘it’s a (fill in the blank)’.

I can’t find this item online.  Judging from other Home Interiors votive lights I did find, my guess is that it cost $20 – $25.  I paid $1.50!
I love thrifting.

Thrifted Italian Rayon Scarf

July 15, 2010

Friday is the Baltimore meeting of Connections Over Coffee at Mystikal Voyage.  My door prize donation is this rayon scarf.  It is 34″ square and has a wonderful drape.  It washed beautifully and did not need ironing.

I love scarves and what they do for a wardrobe so I usually keep what I find.  However the dark reds and autumn colors of this beauty do nothing for mine so some lucky woman will carry it away tomorrow.

I can’t find an exact match for this but I think it would sell for about $30 new.  Thrifted price was $1.75!

Thrifted Treasure – Lenox Spyro Dish

July 1, 2010

I chose the right time to go to the Goodwill store last week.  I walked in and on the front shelf was this treasure.   When I was checking out, the cashier said  “Oh, nice” as soon as she picked it up.  She said it must have just been put on the shelf.  Lucky me! and lucky someone else who will win it at the On Purpose Networking meeting at Bliss Cafe on Friday.

It is metalware by Lenox – the pattern is Spyro.  It must be discontinued because I cannot find much about it.  I paid $2, retail cost estimated from similar items is $15 – $20.

Painted Sandal Update

June 18, 2010

A few months ago I posted about my thrifted Dansko sandals and how I painted them.  I had no idea of how they would look after wearing them for awhile.  I have worn them a lot and last week I was caught in an intense rainstorm in a grassy field after my craft show.  And the finish held up!  Here is a picture of them, complete with grass clippings still clinging.

I am going to touch them up because they have worn on the inside where I must scuff them together when I walk.  A lot of my shoes show the same wear so I am assigning this to the operator rather than the product itself. 

I am quite pleased with the experiment and will not hesitate to paint shoes in the future.

Thrifted Treasure – Votives

June 17, 2010

It is time again for an On Purpose meeting at Mystikal Voyage on Friday.  I made another score – these votive lights from Yankee Candle.  They are frosted on the outside and a beautiful green foil on the inside.  I want to keep them.

Similar votive holders on Yankee Candle are $3 each
Thrifted price .25 each

Hall Bain Marie Jar

May 20, 2010

Tomorrow is the May meeting of On Purpose Connections Over Coffee at Mystikal Voyage.  I really enjoy getting together with this fantastic group of women and Mystikal Voyage is a relaxing and inspiring place.  I look for a thrifted treasure to give as a door prize each meeting – and I found it again this month.

I used to collect teapots and was always thrilled to find a vintage Hall pot.  Even if it had a chip, I would buy it to display.  They are heavy and the colors always beautiful.  Tomorrow’s treasure is from the same company. It is what I call a ‘utensil crock’ and what the Hall website calls a  Bain Marie Jar.  It is in excellent condition and the color will fit with a lot of kitchen color schemes.

Thrifted cost – $0.98
On ebay – $25 plus $11 shipping

Garden Treasurers

May 19, 2010

I spent this weekend with a friend who lives in a rural area close to the Delaware beaches.  I spent time by the ocean and by the bay.  A wonderful weekend.  The last thing we did before I left was made a visit to the local greenhouse/nursery.  I bought several plants and they are waiting for the soil to dry a little so I can plant them.  Some of the plants I bought I won’t necessarily recognize the plant until the fruit begins to grow.  And I bought some seed and don’t want to forget where the basil (which I do recognize since I plant it every year) is planted.

I have been thinking about making my own plant stakes for awhile but not sure how.  Then I decided I would use thrifted stainless steel forks.  Again not sure exactly how.  And then – as is often the answer to my DIY dilemas – polymer clay!  And the next question.  How to make it stay attached to the fork.  And then the final enlightenment – I created the name plate and once it was baked, I placed it on the back of the fork (better angle for viewing) added some liquid clay as a glue and then pressed unbaked clay through the tines to form a tight grip.  And then baked again.  It worked and I like the way they look in the garden.  Here is a picture in my marigold bed since none of the veggies have been planted.

A side note on thrifting.  Why are there almost no forks in the thrift stores?  There are a few spoons and knives by the hundreds but there are almost no forks.  I wiped out the Goodwill Outlet store when I bought 13.  Maybe they are all going into gardens.

Thrifted Treasure – Handpainted Scarf

May 5, 2010

Hand painted silk scarfTime again for a meeting of On Purpose Women at Bliss Wine & Coffee.

I found this hand painted scarf from the Cayman’s last week at the GBMC Barely New Sale.  It still has the tag.
I love the colors, this one almost did not make it to the door prize section – it would make a lovely summer accessory for me.

This silky treasure cost $2.

Teapot Giveaway

April 28, 2010

I am going to an On Purpose Networking meeting tonight and did not have a Thrifted Treasure to give as a door prize.  I went to the Salvation Army this morning for half off day and found this Huesnbrews treasure in it’s box.  It has never been used.  The only reason it is being given away is that it is not my color of red – and I already have 3 single serving teapots I really like.  One more example of the excellent deals we can find in stores.  Thank you to the person who donated it rather than put it in a landfill.

Thrifted price:  $0.74
On line new price:  $20.99

Thrifted Items Identified

April 21, 2010

This winter I picked up two linen garments and put them away for spring and promptly forgot about them – which I tend to do before I have worn something.  When I swapped my velvets for linens during our recent warm spell I was pleasantly surprised to find them.  I did not know the brand name when I bought them but saw and felt the quality immediately, despite the fact they were dry cleaned, pressed and very stiff.  Why do people do that to linen?  Before wearing them I rolled them in a ball.  I paid $2 for each of them on half price day.

This weekend I attended the Sugarloaf Festival and there was the Ad Libs booth selling the same style garments for $65 to $100.  Most of the current offerings are made of cotton jersey with the same colors and stencils.  I have already worn the jacket several times and am looking forward to a long relationship with both the jacket and the top.

Ad Libs Top - Back

Ad Libs Jacket - front


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.