So, I might have a problem...

I shop at thrift stores a lot. Really, a lot. Clothes, books, décor items, cookware, raw materials for my shop; most of the goods I buy come from second hand shops. This is partly because I am cheap and refuse to pay full price for new when perfectly serviceable things are available used.  Mostly, however, I shop at thrift stores because they can offer some hidden gems found nowhere else.

Sometimes these gems are beautiful and unique vintage clothing, or quality kitchenware for a bargain, and sometimes it's yarn. Beautiful, irresistible, yarn. Yarn that I don't yet have a project for, yarn that is almost certainly discontinued and hard to find more of. Yarn that I inevitably buy. I may have a yarn problem.

So when you find awesome yarn on clearance and can't decide which color you like you get two balls of each, right? And then you jump through a bunch of mental hoops trying to come up with a project that uses four colors evenly, right? That's normal, isn't it?

At least for this batch I limited myself to one ball of each color. But the tin of buttons and beads probably erases any anti-hoarder cred that may have gotten me.

Imagine my disappointment when I realized those two big squishy hanks only almost matched. Clearly it didn't stop me from getting them and a bunch of mismatched mohair as well. Someday I'll make a Frankenstein Sweater out of all my single skeins of mohair.

Speaking of mohair, how am I supposed to turn down a ball big enough to make a whole sweater on its own? Surely this is the one instance where I can buy one discontinued ball on clearance and not need to scour ebay for another when it runs out before I've finished whatever I knit with it.

Yes, I have a definite weakness for pretty yarn, and pretty purple yarn in particular. I wish pictures could convey how soft and squishy that big hank is. 

May the Fourth Be With You!

Yes, I am a huge nerd. But I'm not the only one! Enjoy these super nerdy thrift store finds in honor of Star Wars Day!

First an R2-D2 thermos, now a lightsaber. One could make a whole set of super nerdy beverage containers, and it would be awesome! Almost makes me wish I were a coffee drinker...

My husband loves waffles almost as much as he loves the Millennium Falcon, he was very excited by this find!

I know, this one isn't Star Wars. But original printings of Star Trek comics, tech manual, and ship blueprints is so hardcore nerdy that I feel it belongs in spirit if not specifics.

May the Fourth be with you all!

Wait...What?

I shop at thrift stores a lot. Really, a lot. Clothes, books, decor items, cookware, raw materials for my shop; most of the goods I buy come from second hand shops. This is partly because I am cheap and refuse to pay full price for new when perfectly serviceable things are available used.  Mostly, however, I shop at thrift stores because they can offer some hidden gems found nowhere else.

Sometimes these gems are beautiful and unique vintage clothing, or quality kitchenware for a bargain, and sometimes the value of a find is just that makes me laugh:

So I'm a pretty avid cyclist, and I do occasionally enjoy wearing a ruffly dress and stilleto heels, just never together. I'm guessing whoever set up this photo has never experienced either one. She's using a proper cyclocross carry position at least. It is a track bike, and thus could possibly have toe clips which theoretically would fit her footwear. Though it would have her leaning way too far forward for that low neckline...

So...Post Cereals sponsored a "pounds thinner" pattern? 'Eat our sugary cereal and gain weight, then sew a dress that hides it!'

I get that they are just describing the style here, but seriously 'Empire Sorcery in Five Different Evening Moods' sounds like a collab jazz album between Darth Vader and Palpatine.

Nothing snarky to say about this one, I just really like the hair and shades on the little floating dude. He is very anime though, right? Like a little floating fairy sidekick.

Fully Stocked Kitchen

I shop at thrift stores a lot. Really, a lot. Clothes, books, decor items, cookware, raw materials for my shop; most of the goods I buy come from second hand shops. This is partly because I am cheap and refuse to pay full price for new when perfectly serviceable things are available used.  Mostly, however, I shop at thrift stores because they can offer some hidden gems found nowhere else.

Sometimes these gems are beautiful and unique vintage clothing, or delightfully nerdy bits of whimsy, and sometimes I find really high quality kitchenware for a bargain:

I once read an AirBnB review where the person jokingly docked points for the "fully stocked kitchen" not containing an egg slicer. It occurred to me some time later that I didn't have an egg slicer, and thus could not consider my kitchen to be Fully Stocked. My local thrift store had my back, though, with a super fancy German one that slices eggs into perfect wedges.  It's really a shame that this IKEA cheese grater is discontinued, because it is the single most useful and convenient grater I have ever used. 

I've had a love affair with cheesecake ever since I was a kid, and my mom has made me one for my birthday every year since. We've had a lot of fun trying out lots of different recipes. She also helped me hunt down octagon shaped dishes from thrift stores until I had full sets of the quirky and unconventional dishes. This springform pan I found for a few bucks is not only really high quality and in great shape, it also lets me make octagon cheesecakes to fit on my octagon plates!

Despite the fact that I have (and adore) shiny black geometric dishes, I also have a weakness for elegant porcelain with little purple flowers. I walked back and forth in front of this display for several minutes trying to decide whether to buy this set.  One the one hand, gorgeous! On the other, limited counter space and clashing style. I asked my mom and my hubby to talk me out of them (I don't know why I thought that would work, they are both such enablers...) and both told me to stop dithering and just get them. Mom even said she would store them for me until I found space! Long story short, I bought them. I'm determined to use them, though, not just let them be decoration, so they are all filled, though not necessarily with what the labels say.

More Giggle-worthy Finds

I shop at thrift stores a lot.  Really, a lot.  Clothes, books, decor items, cookware, raw materials for my shop; most of the goods I buy come from second hand shops.  This is partly because I am cheap and refuse to pay full price for new when perfectly serviceable things are available used.  Mostly, however, I shop at thrift stores because they can offer some hidden gems found nowhere else.

Sometimes these gems are beautiful and unique vintage clothing, or really high quality kitchenware for a bargain, and sometimes the value of a find is just because it made me laugh:

This was my Mom's find actually, and she only sent me the picture and not the actual shell critter thankfully :) I'm not sure what it is supposed to be, but the big eyes make me think owl. Speaking of owls...

 

My mom teases me that I have too many bric-a-brac owls in my house. I managed to walk past this impressive display without buying a single one. Though the brass trio on the upper left was very tempting.

A very different sort of bird...I'm not sure this one needs any explanation...;) If you can believe it, the inside is even better than the cover.

Nerds Shall Inherit the Earth

I shop at thrift stores a lot.  Really, a lot.  Clothes, books, decor items, cookware, raw materials for my shop; most of the goods I buy come from second hand shops.  This is partly because I am cheap and refuse to pay full price for new when perfectly serviceable things are available used.  Mostly, however, I shop at thrift stores because they can offer some hidden gems found nowhere else.

Sometimes these gems are beautiful and unique vintage clothing, or really high quality kitchenware for a bargain, and sometimes the value of a find is because it is incredibly nerdy:

R2-D2 thermos, Dr. Strange wall art, and Humphrey Bogart on a necktie; how much more cinema nerdy can you get?

Don't worry fantasy fans, I didn't forget you:

 


Medieval castle rubbings ready to hang in your dungeon/gaming cave, and yes that is a fully functioning water pitcher shaped like a dragon.

Always Read the Fine Print

I shop at thrift stores a lot.  Really, a lot.  Clothes, books, decor items, cookware, raw materials for my shop; most of the goods I buy come from second hand shops.  This is partly because I am cheap and refuse to pay full price for new when perfectly serviceable things are available used.  Mostly, however, I shop at thrift stores because they can offer some hidden gems found nowhere else.

Sometimes these gems are beautiful and unique vintage clothing, or really high quality kitchenware for a bargain, and sometimes the value of a find is because it is a wonderful piece of written hilarity:

I found this tucked inside a box full of old recipes, half of which included jello or marshmallows. I didn't even bother looking any further through the recipes and just bought the box, giggle-snorting to myself at the phrase 'long time napkin losers'

Apologies for the bad pictures but lighting in thrift stores is not always the best. These too had me giggling helplessly in the store: "...give your entire thought to preparing him for domestication..." and "When she appears to wilt, take her out to dinner..." are my particular favorites.

Vintage Craft Book Feature: Teach Yourself to Knit the Easy Columbia Minerva Way (1968)

Another of my many needlework hobbies is the collection of vintage craft books. Found in dusty corners of second hand shops, in pride of place in used book stores, these old tomes often contain beautiful nuggets of crafting wisdom, and a heaping helping of vintage charm. Reviving the techniques, tips and retro projects is just one more way for us to bring back the wonders of the handmade.

Teach Yourself to Knit the Easy Columbia Minerva Way - 1968

Another of my bargain finds, these old yarn manufacturer's pattern books are often filled with hidden goodies.  As a beginner's book, most of the patterns in this one are pretty basic and easy to make. That said, I do really like the little bits of color and ribbing on the cover projects.

As would be expected of such and instructional book, the first few pages are wonderful illustrations of various knit stitches and and cast on methods. All of it very handy and easy to  access for the beginning knitter.  I am not a beginner, and so I almost passed this one up, even at the low price, until I started flipping through it.

Peppered throughout the instructions are these adorably snarky babies that had me giggling aloud in the store. If nothing else I will page through this booklet whenever I need a good laugh in the middle of a tough project.

Also, this halter style man's vest is probably the coolest design in the whole book.

The Internet is for Kitties

I shop at thrift stores a lot.  Really, a lot.  Clothes, books, decor items, cookware, raw materials for my shop; most of the goods I buy come from second hand shops.  This is partly because I am cheap and refuse to pay full price for new when perfectly serviceable things are available used.  Mostly, however, I shop at thrift stores because they can offer some hidden gems found nowhere else.

Sometimes these gems are beautiful and unique vintage clothing, or really high quality kitchenware for a bargain, and sometimes the value of a find is because it was created for or by crazy cat people:

Go ahead, name as many as you can.  I'll wait :)

This lounging cat portrait was painted on black velvet, and is at least 3 feet tall.  Somebody clearly loved Fluffy very much indeed. Fluffy looks less than impressed with being told to hold the pose. 

The cookie jar just makes me smile.  Something about a looking at a contented sleeping cat can always make me feel a little better.

Unless he's contentedly laying on what I'm trying to work on, that is...

Vintage Craft Book Feature: Golden Family Craft Treasury (1975)

Another of my many needlework hobbies is the collection of vintage craft books.  Found in dusty corners of second hand shops, in pride of place in used book stores, these old tomes often contain beautiful nuggets of crafting wisdom, and a heaping helping of vintage charm.  Reviving the techniques, tips and retro projects is just one more way for us to bring back the wonders of the handmade.

Golden Family Craft Treasury- 1975

 

I found my copy of this book missing it's dust jacket, so I don't have a good cover image.  This, however, is a pretty good representation of most of the photos in the book.  They are filled with garish color and busy patterns, and many quirky, wonderful projects.  This book has instructions for everything from leather working, beading, and sewing to bookbinding, printing, and furniture making. The sheer breadth of projects makes this book a very worthy addition to any crafter's shelf.

That said, there is some very goofy stuff in here. The presentation of many of the projects is delightfully whimsical, like the crochet tie modeled by a sand sculpture. There are a lot of 'reuse everyday objects in a weird new way' sort of projects too, like the flowers made from feather dusters. If nothing else, this book will certainly have you looking at mundane items in a new light.

There is a lot of useful technique guidance throughout, even if the designs are a bit dated. The instructions for replacing book covers and printing fabrics are just a few of the countless bits of useful knowledge among the kitsch.

Maybe it's just me, but a lot of the projects and pictures in this book just sing to me.  Reusing old bed sheet fabric, using a paper cup as a circle template, filling a shadow box frame with random bits and bobs (I have something of a collection of old empty bottles...) is all exactly stuff I would do.  I even have that exact same embroidered ribbon in my stash somewhere!

History in the Finding

I shop at thrift stores a lot.  Really, a lot.  Clothes, books, decor items, cookware, raw materials for my shop; most of the goods I buy come from second hand shops.  This is partly because I am cheap and refuse to pay full price for new when perfectly serviceable things are available used.  Mostly, however, I shop at thrift stores because they can offer some hidden gems found nowhere else.

Sometimes these gems are beautiful and unique vintage clothing, or really high quality kitchenware for a bargain, and sometimes the value of a find is in it's history:

This snazzy old polyester tie is from a Clothing shop less than 2 miles from my house.

I don't know who anyone in this wedding party is, but I love this sort of old record of style.  From their clothes to the very frame, the style and taste of the era is readily apparent.

I know nothing about this book or it's author, but like the wedding photo above, I love what the styling of the cover says about the time it was written in.  .

Don't Underestimate Giggle Value

I shop at thrift stores a lot.  Really, a lot.  Clothes, books, decor items, cookware, raw materials for my shop; most of the goods I buy come from second hand shops.  This is partly because I am cheap and refuse to pay full price for new when perfectly serviceable things are available used.  Mostly, however, I shop at thrift stores because they can offer some hidden gems found nowhere else. 

Sometimes these gems are beautiful and unique vintage clothing, or really high quality kitchenware for a bargain, and sometimes the value of a find is simply that it made me laugh when I saw it:

                        

             

The best part is knowing that somebody somewhere once bought these new, on purpose.  I love trying to imagine who it was and what their house must have looked like :)