Valentine Weekend

Over Valentine's Day weekend, Ed and I did what we do best - thrifty adventures.

Our day started at Salvation Army in Manassas, VA. This was our first visit to this particular location, and I'm glad we finally went. (I'm not sure what took us so long! Salvation Army is my favorite thrift store chain.)

This was my first purchase of the day. As we were perusing the knick-knacks I spotted this tree mug. I love nature and hiking, and I had never seen a mug like this one before! I'm very particular about the mugs I buy - I have to be - since I already have so many. But I didn't even have to question this one. It was mine as soon as I picked it up.

I have been on a hunt for short sleeved boy's button ups for a while. I check most times we stop at a thrift store, but usually I have better clothing luck at Salvation Army. And not surprisingly, that's where I finally found one! I was expecting to buy a plaid one (I would still like to) but this curious pattern caught my eye. I held it up and thought, "I could wear this". Of course I had to try it on first, but it fit and I already wore it out!

After Salvation Army, we went to our favorite used book store, McKay's, where I spent the $10 my grandmother sent me for Valentine's Day :)

This was easy to do since McKay's is packed with books! But look what $10 got me - 8 books! I can't tell you enough how great this used book store is. We spent a long time in there. Usually I take pictures of books I'm curious about and research them later. Then the next time we go there, I check to see if those are still on the shelves (and buy them if they are). That way I don't totally splurge every single time. 

So a quick rundown:

Two of these books I had previously researched.

Four of them I bought on the spot.

And two are part of a series I already started.*

I haven't read any of these yet, but I'm currently in the middle of The Book of Lost Things (which I thrifted from Goodwill).

Happy Thrifting!
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*If you are ever curious about the books I've read, you can find me on Goodreads!

Rainy Weekend

A couple weekends ago, we got up early on a rainy day and hit some thrift stores. We grabbed a few things that day, including these two from Goodwill. (I'll make a separate post about the other items later.)

And when the cashier rang me up, it was less than expected - an even bigger win!

We used to live near Lake Tahoe, so I thought this mug was appropriate. It's such a beautiful area!

I also love the speckled inside of the mug. It's the perfect size for a small cup of tea or coffee. 

I don't remember the last time I bought a new book. I scanned the books, not expecting to find anything, but I spotted this one right before we left that section. I was intrigued, so I texted my friend Michallynn to check the rating of it on Goodreads (I don't have a smartphone). I usually just buy ones that pique my interest, but this one was a little more than I usually spend so I wanted to make sure it had a good rating (it did).

I also didn't want to fall victim to judging a book by its cover - look at that artwork!! I love it. Hopefully I love the book as much once I pick it up to read.

Happy Thrifting!

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A Weekend of Travel

I know, it's been forever! I've been busy with lots of things - one of which has been a cross-country move. We are now living in Northern Virginia! We left Northern California at the end of Feb/beginning of March and drove all the way south through Texas and New Orleans and back north to our home state of Pennsylvania. We stayed there for a few months and then moved into our new place at the beginning of June. Our belongings arrived here at our new place in the beginning of July and we are finally (mostly) unpacked. Which means it's safe to say we have started exploring some local thrift/antique stores and estate sales. But before I get into those, I'll tell you about our most recent finds.

A couple weeks ago, my husband and I went on an anniversary trip back to Pennsylvania. We spent the whole weekend on the road - visiting friends and family, and going to our favorite amusement park. Of course we had time to fit in a stop at Black Diamond, in Frackville, PA. We used to visit this antique store years ago when we still lived closer to home. It's been a while and a lot has changed so we were happy to check it out again.

I always check the prices of these Pyrex dishes, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a price on this pair that I would normally see for just one dish. They're a bit bigger than we normally need, but it was too hard to pass up. They're in perfect condition and both have their lids, which is rare.

Nearing the end of our 4 hour drive back to Virginia, we noticed there was a Salvation Army on our route. It's a little out of our way on a normal day so we decided to stop out of convenience. We're glad we did, because it wasn't the best Salvation Army location (and we probably won't be returning). However, we did find one thing while we were browsing. This cute crossword mug! It was still in its box, never even used. It comes with a pencil for filling in the blanks and the clues are on the side of the box. The top of the mug says, "With a crossword, we're challenging ourselves to create order out of chaos. - Will Shortz"

Just a few new things to add to our kitchenware! (Did I mention the movers broke about 10 dishes??)

Happy Thrifting!

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Globe Mugs

The infamous globe mugs! I know a lot of people who have these - including my own mother and my best friend. I always use them when I'm at home, and would excitedly grab one out of the cabinet at my friend's house as well. They're just fun, and I love that they're clear.

That's probably why, when my mom saw a whole set of them at an estate auction, she bought them for me. So when I opened my gifts on my 18th birthday, I was delighted to find these (and I remember laughing a lot).

They're perfect for a smaller cup of coffee or tea; I also use them for small portions of ice cream (when I don't want to go overboard because mmmm ice cream)! I actually have never used that one with the little spout (for milk/cream), but I do keep sugar in that last one.

Do you have globe mugs? They seem to be pretty popular!

Happy Thrifting!

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Mugs Part 1

Yet another kitchen item I love finding at yard sales and thrift stores: mugs. There are SO MANY designs to fall in love with!

I'm splitting my mugs into a few posts so I can focus on each one - here are three to start.

This Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign mug is definitely on the top of my list. It's a good size, it's sturdy, and it's hex signs! I have a collection of actual hex signs hanging on the wall (I'll get to that in another post), so finding a mug with a bunch of hex signs/folk art on it made me so happy. I can't remember if I personally found this one or my friend Catie did, but I'm pretty certain it came from the Salvation Army in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Rainbows are colorful and awesome, that's all there is to it. I found this one at the Volunteers of America thrift store in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

I found this mug at the Salvation Army in Wilkes-Barre, PA. I'm a sucker for German things and it's super cute!

I drink a lot of tea (and the occasional coffee), so I go through these mugs quite quickly! More to come in future posts!

Happy Thrifting!

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Denio's Flea Market

Since moving out to California, we hadn't been to any flea markets, so we decided to do some research. After scoping out some websites, we planned on going to Denio's in Roseville today.

This was the most overwhelmed I've ever felt at a place like this. It was enormous! We didn't even know where to start/what path to take. So we jumped right in, and ended up spending quite a bit of time there. Here are the things I picked up:

These two I found almost immediately. I have a brass animal collection, and though all the animals I already have are small, I needed to have these. I was so excited they were cheap. (Let's face it, I wouldn't have bought them otherwise.)

I always have to stop myself from buying more mugs... but it has been a while since I've gotten any new (old) ones. I love the design of this one. Plus the double-finger handle - how cute!

Rings are my thing at the moment. I go through jewelry phases, and I've been all over large rings lately (and by lately I mean for the past year). I didn't have any green ones, so this one hit the spot.

What a day! So sunny and hot and full of good finds. Hope you're all having a good Memorial Day weekend!

 Happy Thrifting!

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