Joy is Thrifting

I don't have any new photos, but upon cleaning out my computer I've discovered a few series of photos I had previously taken for this blog (and never got to posting).

Unfortunately it's been so long since I got these items that I'm not 100% positive where they're all from anymore, but I will do my best!

If I remember correctly, this one comes from the Salt Mine Thrift Shop in Lincoln, CA (I'm totally guessing right now). There was usually a shelving unit with items like this lined up like books that I loved sifting through. The cool part about this particular item is that my birthday is actually in June :)

I believe I got this ship tile from a yard sale. I haven't added this one to my wall since the color is a bit brighter, but I'll find a spot for it one day!

I got this at a church yard sale/carnival in New Jersey with a few of my friends from college (awesome, right?!) It was one of those "fill a box or bag for a set price" kind of deals. We laughed at the quote on the bottom but for some reason I just really wanted this haha.

Happy Thrifting!

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My Wall: Part 2 & 3

Once upon a time, I wrote up a post about my wall. And since that post, we've moved a few times. I've since set up my wall twice - two different ways.

If you're just catching up now, I'll do a little recap:

I have a collection of hanging wall decorations that I like to hang all together. I just love the look of having a collage of semi-matching things up on the wall. A lot of these end up being owls or nautical themed, but it can really be anything as long as it looks nice together.

This is the current setup of my wall. It's in our living room above the couch. I stopped hanging stuff as it reached a closed shape. I have more items that I might add eventually, but I will only do so if it doesn't look unfinished at the end. That was what I didn't like about the original spot - it never looked finished.

This was at one of our previous apartments - in the bedroom. (Low quality photo, taken on my iPod touch.) I noticed this open wall space above the closet doors and thought it would be perfect for my decorations. I love how it turned out up there. As you can see I have a lot more of them hanging in this space.

So far, in each apartment I've set up my stuff in a different spot. First the den, then the bedroom, and now the living room. Who knows where it'll be once we have a house of our own!

I normally mention where everything was from, but I have smaller posts for the individual items, some of which I've posted and some I have yet to photograph. Everything was thrifted, though!

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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Suitcase Score

A while back, Ed suggested the idea of checking out the Goodwill Outlet store. We had never gone to one before and were willing test a new experience. After reading online reviews, we grabbed some gloves and hand sanitizer and were on our way.

The outlet was set up as rows of bins into which employees just tossed all of the donated items. There was a pricing guide on the wall and you basically just had to dive in (hence the gloves and sanitizer). A lot of it was junk, and it was hard to sort through since many things were broken and most people didn't care about personal space. The most interesting part was when they wheeled out a bin of clothing. They brought out the bin that was covered with a sheet and wheeled it to its spot, between two lines of people waiting for it. Then an employee took the sheet off and everyone just went crazy scavenging, taking anything and everything. It was quite like a scene on the Discovery channel.

Despite all this strange activity, we both ended up finding a suitcase each! Both were in good condition and were decently priced. After taking them up to the register to pay, she rang them each up as half price! That was a totally unexpected but welcomed surprise.

We've used them a few times already - they're perfect for weekend trips!

The blue one is mine (did you guess that?) It still had a return address stuck to the inside!

I already had one of those incidents where I thought it was closed all the way, picked it up, and all my clothing fell out (classic movie blunder). It was so funny I couldn't even be mad!

The brown one is Ed's. Someone wrote "TOP" in marker on the outside of his (on the top of course). We think it's funny since it's not that hard to decipher which way is up.

I haven't had much time to take new blog photos since we're in between moving right now, but hopefully I'll get back into the habit soon.

Happy Thrifting!

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Three Pairs

Sometimes you really score at an estate sale.

This was one of those times.
Knowing how much these types of things normally cost at antique stores, I'm proud to say I got this bundle for $20.

I love this pair of bunnies! They're perfect for my collection.

I've all but given up on finding a good price on Pyrex dishes unless I'm at a yard sale. So when I spotted the price tag on these, I grabbed them before anybody else could! I'm definitely a fan of the handle for easy one-handed access out of the fridge. Fun fact: I have a tea cup with the same design!

The more exotic the animal the better - I want my collection to have variety. I haven't seen many brass elephants and I'm excited to possess this pair.

My arms were full and my face was smiling as I left this estate sale. I really couldn't believe I got all of this for such a great price - which proves, it's all in the hunt!

Happy Thrifting!

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The Marysville Strip

This past Saturday my husband and I went on a semi spontaneous antiquing trip. I only say semi since that's a normal weekend occurrence for us, however it was in a town we've never checked out. Since there weren't any estate sales catching our eye, Ed suggested we look into what kind of shops Marysville has. We saw a couple on the map so we figured we'd check it out. 

We had no idea that the street was covered in antique shops!! After hitting our first stop, the Antique Mall, we noticed a pile of maps next to the business cards on the counter. Our day suddenly turned into an awesome adventure. And the best bonus of all: most of the shops were really decently priced...

...which made it hard for us to pass on some really great stuff!

We found this cute weather house on our first stop (the Antique Mall). I never saw anything like it before, which drew me to it even more. It reminds me of a cuckoo clock, but instead of keeping the time it measures the temperature and humidity. And of course, its German roots sealed the deal for me.

Who wouldn't get a good chuckle out of this poster? We found this at the Antique Mall as well, and it's a great addition to our place. It's already hanging up on the wall!

Ed and I have been on the hunt for a spoon rest for the kitchen. We've seen plenty, but none of them have really caught our eyes.. until this. Yes it's actually an ashtray, but how hilarious is this foot? Especially used in the kitchen?! I'm so excited to clean it up and put it to use. This also comes from the Antique Mall.

As we went into our second shop of the day, we were greeted by this sweetheart of a dog! It took us a while to even start looking at the items because she was just loving the attention (and we loved giving it).

Ed and I are both huge diner fans, which of course means we like all the little things that remind us of (good) diners. We snagged this little syrup dispenser at the second shop, called Times Passing Antiques. 

Before making our next stop, we decided to stop for some fuel. As we looked across the street, a huge sign caught my eye and the decision was made.

Brick Coffeehouse Cafe was delightful. Most cafes I've been to either have a really great coffee/tea selection and the food is lacking, or vice-versa. This place had a good selection of both, and let me tell you - what I did order was perfect. I loved it! I had (of course) the peach cobbler, warmed and with whipped cream, and blackberry sage tea. Ed had breakfast burritos, which likewise were good!

The outdoor seating was so cute. I want to go back again soon!

Back on track, the next place we stopped at was called Digs. I pined over this vintage chair that was sitting on the curb. It was more than I can spend at the moment, but I would love to have a chair like this in the future.

I did find this brass quail at Digs though. A great new addition to my brass animal collection! I love the detail in the feathers.

We didn't find anything at Sweet Pickin's, however we were greeted by this cute little pooch! I think all antique shops should have a shop pet.

One of the last shops we stopped in was called Old Town Treasures. It had a lot of great stuff in it, and I ended up getting a few things.

 I've seen sets like this before, but for some reason just seeing one by itself was much more appealing to me. I always like taking pieces of sets so I don't have way (way) too many things - and I didn't even have to break a set for this one, it was already by itself.

Even the back of the canister is cute!

I also found this cute trio of brass owls at Old Town Treasures. I couldn't resist!

Overall, we had a really great day! We're very happy we found a new spot to go shopping - somewhere that's got great prices, great antiques, and great food!

Happy Thrifting!

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