AS THE BLOG TURNS............thrifty finds and more

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:06:00.001-04:00

Candy, fun costumes, cute kids, spooky decorations..........what's not to love?? Here's a couple of cute crafts I did this year.

First, is my take on ghost poop soup............a fun inexpensive little gift for family and friends. I found the black mugs I was looking for at Dollar Tree........gotta LOVE that! The little die cut stickers were also from there. I had actually bought them for another craft and then a light bulb went off and I realized they would work for this as well (and it sure beats cutting my own when I got a whole pack for a buck!). Gotta love those light bulb moments! Some hot chocolate packets, mini-marshmallows, and a cute tag and I had a nice little seasonal gift for under $1.50 :)

The next craft is just TOO adorable for words! Using my adorable grandson Bud's handprint, we made really CUTE ghosts! I used black cardstock cut to size, some white acrylic paint and Dollar Tree frames. Oh and a silver sharpie to write his name and the year. Thankfully his Mommy was on hand to help as we made 3 of them and he's only a year old so we had to work quickly :) Here's the adorable results............sorry about the flash spot on the glass. I tried without the flash and it wasn't better. Unfortunately my photographer (aka hubby) wasn't around when I needed the picture. Still TOO cute :)

What's Halloween without some adorable pumpkins?

Here's Elmo..............

And Tigger....................

And THE most adorable pumpkin of all......................

Happy Halloween everyone!

Deb

Happy Fall !

2010-10-06T20:01:00.009-04:00

I'm SO excited that fall is here! The cooler weather, the changing leaves, pumpkins, mums, apple cider, hayrides, fairs, fair food..........I could go on and on! I'm still in the midst of decorating but here are a few goodies. More to come........

My daughter and I made these last year. There's a yummy smelling vanilla candle in the middle of the mini Indian corns. Festive and cute! The clear plate and mirror are Dollar Tree finds. The cute spider web mat is from KP Creek (LOVE KP Creek!)

I found this cute candle holder at a yard sale early this spring (it pays to think "off season" when attending yard sales). It's hard to see but I have a little LED candle in it. LOVE those LED candles........no worries about flames and if I forget and leave it on, I'm only out a little battery. By the way, you can find those little button batteries MUCH cheaper on Ebay! The cute little vintage looking ghost and candy corn are from KP Creek.........LOVE, LOVE, LOVE KP Creek! The fabric is one of those pre-finished squares......probably from AC Moore (another LOVE of mine!)

I LOVE Longaberger baskets (went on a bus trip there this past spring............heaven!) This basket is one my faves! For some reason it didn't photograph well but the weave is green and orange and the liner that goes over the side is OH so cute for Halloween! Right now it has dum dum lollipops in it :) Bud has "discovered" them and knows exactly what they are for!

This is another yard sale find.........

I think I paid a buck for it! It's fun to fill with all sorts of fun items. These little gourds and pumpkins (Dollar Tree finds) fit the bill for fall very nicely.

Here is my greatest fall "decoration".........my sweet grandson Ethan (aka Bud). Here he is enjoying a french fry at a local fair :) Hard to believe he celebrates his first birthday later this month! SO precious!

Happy Fall everyone!
Deb

Michael's coupon!

2010-09-15T22:37:00.003-04:00

I'm sure there is something that most of you "need" at Michael's this week........50% off one non-sale item at this link: http://http//mic.michaels.com/20100912SLUSLP.aspx (with the usual restrictions of course). Come on.............you KNOW all that fall stuff is calling ya :) Speaking of fall, here's a pic of my house from last fall. I'll put a new pic as soon as I'm done decorating for this year. Happy decorating!

Deb

Trying to get back to this.............

2010-09-09T10:54:00.006-04:00

I can't believe I let this go for almost a year! It's not that I haven't been thrifting and hitting garage sales, flea markets, etc. but I just didn't take time to write about it. Perhaps welcoming our first grandchild last October had something to do with that? Just a tad?? LOL We lost my father-in-law last year as well, younger DS graduated from college this past spring and while he still "technically" lives at home, we don't see much of him so DH and I are sort of empty nesters these days. Let's just say our lives have had some big changes in the last year and a half and call it a day :)

I need to work on pictures of some of the exciting stuff I've found this year so for now, I'll leave you with a pic of one of my most treasured possessions...........my grandson Ethan (aka Bud). I've never found anything this cute while thrifting :) His chair in this picture did come from a garage sale! Isn't it adorable??? It's Osh Kosh and oh so cute..........I just couldn't pass it up! Oh and the "fencing" in the background.........DD found that at one of our infamous spring "mud sales" for a buck! It has 6 panels and comes in quite handy for keeping Bud away from the tv and her elliptical! LOL We saw another one listed on Craig's list earlier this summer as "rare" and they wanted $75 for it!

Until next time (and I promise it won't be as long!),

Deb

Holy Cow..........where did the rest of the summer go?

2009-10-10T12:17:00.004-04:00

Between camping trips, family reunions, canning, and a baby shower, somehow the rest of the summer just FLEW by! With being so busy, I didn't get to as many garage sales as I did the first half of the summer. Still a few good finds here and there and I'll try to play catch-up!

First I'll post a few baby shower pictures from August. Little Ethan Robert is due any day now!

Our cute tables..........the old canning jars worked out great for centerpieces! It's hard to see from the picture but the jars on either side of the flowers have little tealights in them and cute little blue diaper pins tied with blue ribbon around the top. We got the flowers at Sam's, the blue gingham fabric at JoAnn's (with a coupon of course!). The little diaper pin tie-ons came from either Oriental Trading or Dollar General (can't remember which). Let me just say that plain white tablecloths from Sam's are a great investment! We've used these for numerous family celebrations including 2 weddings, an Eagle scout ceremony, and now we'll add a baby shower to the list!

I had to show you the chicken that dh cooked. YUMMY!! The chicken cooker was a good investment too.........it holds 40 pounds of chicken and comes apart for transporting. There's an Amish business near us that makes them. Pretty cool!

The 2 "uncles to be" playing horseshoes :)

The parents-to-be opening some of their many gifts! You can't see from the pic but the little blocks on the gift table spell out E-T-H-A-N :)

The beyond yummy cake and cupcakes! The little bear picks in the cupcakes came from Dollar General and the tiny blue baby bottles behind the cakes came from OTC. We put lifesavers in them and then gave them away to the younger kids.

Shower attendees trying their hand at the games. We had a baby picture guessing game, a candy guessing game (candy was in a big blue baby bottle), and a raffle of sorts to guess Ethan's birthdate. Prizes for the winners (and a couple for the losers! ha ha) were awarded!

It was a beautiful summer day and such a blessing to share it with family and friends.

Deb

4th of July goodies...........

2009-07-06T21:26:00.006-04:00

I wasn't expecting too many garage sales on Saturday but there were quite a few. One of my fave Amish salvage stores was having their annual yard sale and had about 20 vendors. Some Amish, some not, a lady selling Tupperware, lots of good food including home made donuts........YUM! Here are some of the treasures I found:

I love this candle! I'm going to change out the candle and get rid of the potpourri. I have some crackle finish paint (that I got for FREE) so I think I'll spray paint the metal stand too. Pretty nifty for a buck!

A cute little patriotic sign will fit right in with my other patriotic decor. Another $1 well spent :)

This little basket of stars is really cute too. I think I paid 50 cents for it. Love that!

I think this sign about sums it up! The weeds in my garden have loved the sun and rain of late. How is everyone else's gardens doing?

This sign is SO me! LOVE the old boards. Another lady was sort of looking at it and I was so hoping she didn't take it. I didn't want things to get ugly but it was MINE! LOL

These valances are so pretty! They're nice fabric and lined. Love the tab tops and the detail! I got 2 of them and they were only 50 cents each! I did a little looking around online and discovered this pattern is called Nantucket Ticking. One website listed them for $28 each! Ummm...........sure...........NOT!

HOW cute is this bag holder? Okay........only cute if you like cows I guess but it will suit DD's decor very well :)

These mugs will be great for our camper. I have a border in it that has moose and bear on it and I have it decorated in a cabin theme. At 25 cents each, the price was right!

LOVE these old jars! They're missing the lids but we're going to use them for dd's baby shower to hold flowers on the tables so lids will not be necessary. At 75 cents each, they were a great find!

What fun! Six Good Housekeeping magazines from the '60's for 10 cents!! I'm sure there will be some interesting articles in them :)

I'm not entirely crazy about either of these designs but they're new kits and I can change the design to something I like better. At 50 cents each (were $11 each), they were worth it for the materials.

Stamps anyone?? Some of these have never been used! I got 16 for $1. The majority of them have a $1.49 price tag on the back. Nothing will be safe from my stamping! bahahahaha

I was SO excited to find this nifty little gadget for 25 cents! It's from Pampered Chef and makes crustless sealed sandwiches (like Smuckers Uncrustables!). I have one and I love it! Having a spare (especially for a quarter) will be even better!

I hope you enjoyed my treasures. If so, leave me a comment and tell me so :) Until next time............

Happy Thrifting!

Deb

Hope you all had a great 4th of July..........

2009-07-05T14:58:00.008-04:00

It was gorgeous here! Mid 70's at most, sun, a breeze...........what more could we ask for? We got together with family at a park for an event called Freedomfest, ate some good food, played Washers (kind of like horseshoes) and Yahtzee (found a cool travel edition at Dollar General) and saw some fantastic fireworks in the evening.

Here's a pic of the cute cupcakes I made :) Those gummy bears proudly waved the flag! I also made the little jar lamps. LOVE those LED candle lights from The Dollar Tree that flicker!

And patriotic brownies...........nothing was safe from me and a flag pick yesterday! LOL The brownies had a Rolo candy in the center and of course red/white/blue sprinkles :)

And our pretty centerpiece. I must confess I did not make this. We had gone to a big yard sale at one of my fave Amish salvage stores and they had these for $4! I simply added the flags and we took it along for our picnic. How could I go wrong for 4 bucks??? The flower colors are amazing!

Dear son Zach (aka Bud) cooking up burgers and dogs :) The corn is roasting on the other grill. YUMMY ! You can't see but our grill tools are Craftsman! I found them on clearance on Sears Ebay site last year. I got DSIL a set too. EVERY man needs Craftsman grill tools!

A ruthless game of Washers! This is DD Mandy and DSIL Robby. She teamed up with me and he was with our son J.

And here we are. The team of Mandy & Deb were victorious! WOOT! Take that BOYS! I have to be honest and thank Mandy for the win........she used to be a pitcher back when she played slow-pitch softball and she has pretty good aim.

At one point, Robby thought he needed his helmet! That's actually the lid to his grill (Eagles grill obviously!) AND they found that grill at a yard sale earlier this season for $5!

And after the food, games, and other fun came................

LOTS of them. The show was over 30 minutes long!

And during the grand finale.............Old Glory was raised by a HUGE crane! I thought this picture was really cool with the fireworks showing through the flag (thanks to dh and his photography skills!)

And later the servicemen who were honored earlier in the program posed in front of the flag. One of them even proposed to his girlfriend on stage (YES, he got down on one knee! ahhhhh!). She said YES! It was SO sweet!

We couldn't have asked for a better day. Family, food, remembering WHY we celebrate the 4th of July, thanking some servicemen, thanking God that we live in this country, gorgeous weather. SO much to be thankful for!

I hope all of you had a fab day!

Deb

A few more treasures............

2009-07-01T23:42:00.004-04:00

Okay I hinted at some other finds in my last post. Pottery Barn to be exact..........let me just say while I do like some of their stuff, I would NEVER pay their prices! We even have an outlet near us and pfffffffffttttttt.......I wouldn't pay those prices either!! However, when I see something I like and it's at yard sale prices (I mean REAL yard sale prices.........not the sales where the folks want half of new price) then I take advantage of it!

Our first item up is this cool brushed metal light. It had a $149 PB price tag on it. Not a chance! But for $10 (yes 10 little buckaroonies) it was mine! I think it will go in dh's office but we'll see :)

We had to get this for dh! In case I haven't mentioned it before, he is a part-time photographer and has been in love with photography almost his whole life. This Pottery Barn tri-pod lamp was just perfect for his office! It didn't have the PB price tag on it still but a similar lamp on the PB site listed for $299. We got it for a mere $10! Whoo-hoo! We were on a roll!

Not pictured (because dh didn't take a pic yet!) is a Pottery Barn red silk Roman shade. It still had the $119 price tag on it and we got it for $8! Once the office re-do is done, I'll take a picture of it once it's hung. It came with all the hardware, instructions, etc. Another whoo-hoo!

At a different sale, we found this cute little sidetable. It doesn't show in the picture but the top is leather. I think it will go really well with the free wingback chair we got a few weeks back (yes, FREE!). I don't remember what it was marked at but we got it for $10! Another whoo-hoo!

We don't always do this well at yard sales but it sure is a whoo-hoo weekend when we do! Anyone can go to Pottery Barn (or your store of choice) and buy something off the shelf. It takes more time and effort to find stuff you love at yard sales and thrift stores. Of course we save a lot of money but it's more than that.......it's the thrill of the hunt! And then more fun bringing the stuff home and figuring out where it's going to go, what color to paint it, how to re-do it to suit your decor, etc.

I hope all of you had some whoo-hoo finds this week!

Deb

Yard Sale Bonanza Weekend.................

2009-06-30T13:20:00.011-04:00

Loads of yard sales again this weekend. We saw some people we knew, some cute pets, and loads of goodies (well some good and some not! LOL) Here are some highlights of our finds:

How cute is this piggy? He'll look great above my kitchen cabinets with my vintage kitchen utensils. And for $1, the price was right :) I probably shouldn't hang it near any items that cut. LOL

Another cute tin. I love those little Bon Ami chicks! For a quarter, they're even cuter!

A pretty brushed frame for a $1.

Another pretty frame. Also a $1.

And yet another pretty frame. I'll give this one to DD and DSIL.

A pretty new Martha Stewart snowflake table set for $3! There is a tablecloth, runner, and 2 napkins. Original prices on the pieces was $34. I remember seeing this set last Christmas but didn't want to pay those prices. "Good things come to those who wait" comes to mind :)

A pretty Christmas towel for 25 cents. More snowmen are always a good thing :) Isn't the red gingham border just adorable?

An adorable Christmas garland for 25 cents. How cute is that little red cardinal? Oh and another snowman of course!

I thought these placemats were just adorable! Looks like one of Santa's reindeer wanted to borrow his hat? There are only 2 of them so they will go perfectly in our camper as the table only seats 2 :) And at 25 cents for both, the price was right!

These jewelry kits are new and cost me 25 cents each. One is marked $7.95 and the other is $9.95. If I don't like the outcome, I can always take them apart and use the pieces for another project.

This cute little shoe book was 25 cents. Even the little bookmark has a pair of gold shoes on the ribbon! This will be a gift but I don't want to say for who as she will probably read this!

And on the more practical side.........a Williams Sonoma aspragus cooker. New in box for $1.

A Pampered Chef cheese knife for $1. I have one of these and I love it!

One of my favorite things of the day! A Fiskars paper cutter for $15! It still has the $73.99 price sticker on it from AC Moore. We have one of these and there are times it would be nice to have 2.....like when we were making baby shower invitations last week! I can't believe I found one at a yard sale! Whoo-hoo!

Not a bad haul if I say so myself! I have a few other treasures to post about once I have dh take the pictures. They're larger items than will fit in my little picture taking area that dh made for me so I'll let him take those. Here's a teaser.............3 Pottery Barn items and a Calphalon hanging pot rack and none of the pieces were over $10!

Happy bargain hunting!

Deb

Goodwill Finds..........

2009-06-18T21:43:00.008-04:00

My daughter and I went to visit JoAnn's yesterday to get some paper and other materials for baby shower invitations. There is a GW in the same shopping center so of course we had to spend some time there. They had LOADS of name brand clothing. The only thing I dislike about GW is they group their clothing by color so you have to go through all of it. I did manage to find a navy tank top (from Old Navy) and a pair of brown flip flops that are really thick and cushy. DD found a pair of maternity shorts for $4 (from Motherhood Maternity) and a pair of animal print slip on shoes for $3 (they were new). I didn't take pictures of any of that stuff. Unless it's vintage or baby stuff, clothes and shoes just aren't all that exciting! LOL

For the more exciting stuff..........
This interesting muffin/tart pan for $1.97. I have other molds/pans hanging above my kitchen cabinets so this will join them.

I thought this candle holder was neat. It was also $1.97. It will get a coat of paint eventually.

For 97 cents, this cute little tin will fit in with my vintage kitchen utensils :)

I couldn't find a name on these mugs but I thought the flowers were just so pretty. They were on 1/2 price so at 49 cents each, they made their way into my basket. They may become gifts with some tea or hot cocoa mix.

An interesting little jar for 47 cents. I'm sure it will find a home eventually!

Another nice family frame. No need to pay full price for frames when there is an abundance of them at yard sales and thrift stores!

A nice little assortment of items that were just the perfect pick-me-up for the dreary rainy week we've been having!

Deb

Daylillies............

2009-06-15T20:42:00.003-04:00

My orange daylillies bloomed today! Aren't they pretty?

Deb

Monday thrifting.............

2009-06-15T20:04:00.009-04:00

Our weekend was a tad busy so we didn't go out to any sales on Saturday morning. Of course I needed my "fix" and I had some bags of clothes to take to the thrift store, so that presented the perfect opportunity :) My total was less than $10 and here are my finds.

Baby clothes of course! Most of it is Carters and the shoes are new. The little baseball onesie was on 1/2 price tag.

A tub of blocks for 75 cents. They'll probably be used in some kind of craft project.

I thought this birdhouse plate was cute and for 75 cents, the price was right.

A nice Eagles mug for my son-in-law for 50 cents!

A bag full of ocean inspired shower curtain rings. I'm redoing one of our bathrooms in a summer/ocean theme so these will be put to use somewhere.

Not pictured is a set of black shower curtain rings that go just perfectly with the Pottery Barn shower curtain I found a few weeks back, a new in package acrylic block for mounting a stamp, and some nice baby hangers. I love getting a bag of stuff for under $10. Linking this over to Rhoda's party at Southern Hospitality.

Happy Thrifting!

Deb

Some things that bring me happiness..........

2009-06-12T14:29:00.019-04:00

The pretty yellow daisies I picked up today. They're in a metal water pitcher I found at a yard sale earlier this season.

The strawberries I picked up at an Amish roadside stand yesterday. They will become jam later this afternoon. YUM!

We love watching the birdies when we're eating dinner. We have a cardinal couple who come about every night. We've had bluebirds come this year too.......I haven't seen bluebirds around here in ages! By the looks of the food level, I'm sure the birdies are hoping "the lady with the bag of food" shows up later today :)

Not a lot of activity at the hummingbird feeder this year yet but we enjoy them too. This one is nicer than the one I had before. It holds more guests and the food holder is glass so it easier to clean.

This is brand new and I can't wait to see it in action! It's supposed to help keep the squirrels away from your birdfeeders. We shall see!

My chives came back really good this year. They looked better before all the rain of the last 3 days. I love going out and snipping some when we're having baked potatoes. Sour cream anyone?

Oregano is pretty tasty too!

I think my little clay sign says it all!

My pretty orange daylillies are about to pop! I can't wait. This is the third year for them. I got them for Easter one year and transplanted them into this larger pot. What's not to love about perennials?

This is my first ornamental pepper plant. I'm anxious for them to turn red.

This is one section at the front of our house. It's "in progress" as the moment as I'm redoing the whole front. My son found the little garden gnome for me. The wooden crate came from a yard sale earlier this season (shown in an earlier post). The old wooden bucket with the hen and chicks came from a sale a few years back and it was free in a box of flower pots!

This is a close-up of the little can flag. I got this at a craft show quite a few years ago. An elderly gentleman made them out of soda cans. Recycling at it's best!

I got this old wagon wheel at an auction several years ago. It currently resides in the same "in progress" area that is shown above against an old metal lawn chair that I love.

I got this perennial at a roadside stand for $1.25! The Amish lady told me it is a type of geranium. It bloomed last week with these pretty little purplish-blue flowers.

I look forward to seeing the stuff that brings you happiness!

Deb

Saturday thrifting............

2009-06-08T16:44:00.005-04:00

Not an abundance of yard sales in our area on Saturday so we decided it wasn't worth it to get up early. We did hit a couple around lunch time but they were junk with a capital J! I don't think it was a matter of missing all the good stuff from earlier either! LOL

We did hit the thrift store in the afternoon. Our closest one did a huge remodel over the last couple of months and it just reopened last month. It's gorgeous now.....2 floors, nice lighting, attractive displays, and lots of stuff! Some things I didn't take pictures of.......like the denim shorts dh found or the hanging canvas shoe rack he's going to use in his office. It was new and only $3.......useful but not all that exciting!

On the other hand...........

How cute are these? And all for the grand total of $4.25. A real bargain considering the white sneakers are Nike and the swim trunks are Polo! The little blue and red sneakers are Wee Sports and the overalls are Osh Kosh. The green onesie has a matching hat and booties. The overalls and the blue and white onesie were on half price tag. It's exciting to buy little boy items :)

Very appropriate for this time of year. I may spray it with clear coat and hang it down in my garden.

This was new in package for $1. It will add some decorative value to my shed door. My old one is pretty faded plus there is a hole from a bb gun from a number of years ago :P The "little" boy responsible for that will be 20 years old next month and is in college now :)

These 2 kits look like fun! I used to do quite a bit of plastic canvas and both these Christmas kits were on 1/2 price tag so I think I'll take it up again. For $1.25 each, they were a good deal since both were unopened and contain all the supplies needed. Both contain a music box to incorporate into the house.

A nice little herb book for $2. I don't usually pay that much for books but this was hardcover with the dust jacket and looks really interesting.

Also not pictured.......I found 4 blue fabric napkins for 25 cents each and a silver picture frame for $1.

It was a good thrift store day :) I hope everyone found lots of goodies in their weekend travels.

Deb

More Finds.............

2009-06-05T20:01:00.020-04:00

It's been a crazy week so I'm playing catch-up from last weekend's treasures. We had a death in the family so we had to travel out of state for 2 days. On an up note, we found out on Tuesday that our new grandchild that is due in October......

Now we can buy more gender specific clothes at all the yard sales!

On Friday, dd and I hit the thrift store. Quite a few goodies there (including baby stuff which is a huge priority these days). DH and I hit tons of yard sales on Saturday......a town near us was like a yard sale bonanza. Several streets in town were having sales, a couple of developments, a huge sale at the Jaycee park as a benefit for Relay for Life, and on and on. A few highlights...........

Blocks anyone? These well loved blocks were already in this worn blue bowl. For $1, they just had to come home with me :)

A Longaberger Old Glory little market basket liner for $1. Yes, I'll take that!

A country tin of apples for $1 just begged to come home with me too :)

One can never have too many snowmen. This little guy is all ready to go sledding! And for 25 cents, he can sled at my house :)

A new snowman flag for a $1. He'll brighten up our house in the winter.

A nice little frame. The top part pulls out to reveal a hanging album and will hold several pictures.

A new in box digital photo frame ornament for $1. I think it will be fun to scan in pictures of Christmases past and hang it on the tree!

A cute frame for 50 cents. The picture isn't bad either. These little hangers are just adorable!

A whole bundle of Christmas remnants for 50 cents! These will be great for ornaments and cards.

And a half yard of this nice green print for 50 cents. One can never have too much fabric :)

This adorable little star ornament was 25 cents.

This stamp set will come in handy for making Halloween cards. They don't appear to have been used.

These little guys (and girl) will be a nice addition to my patriotic decorations.

And a nice little book on decorating. Hopefully I'll be able to borrow an idea or two.

Tomorrow is Saturday again.........and that means more yard sales! I hope everyone finds some treasures!

Deb

A lovely chair........

2009-05-24T19:52:00.002-04:00

I found this charming little chair this afternoon. For the grand price of.......FREE! It was sitting out in front of someone's house with a free sign on it. We were on our way back from Lowe's and had potting soil, paint, etc. in the beast and didn't really have room so we didn't stop. Thankfully it was less than a mile from our house so we came home, unloaded a bit, and went back. I did a little spot cleaning on it. It has some worn spots but nothing too bad and it has good structure. I'll probably get a slipcover for it at some point and may even tackle redoing it.

Here is a close-up of the pattern. I just love it!

Enjoy!
Deb

The Weekend in Review........

2009-05-17T17:26:00.010-04:00

LOTS of yard sales this weekend! I hope everyone found an abundance of cool stuff. On Friday, I was at dd's house and we hit a few sales in her area (she lives in a bordering county and their sales aren't usually as good as ours). The first sale was an older lady who said they were having the sale for some folks how had died. Most of the stuff didn't have prices on it.......GRRR! I really dislike this kind of sale as it's so hard to tell what "ballpark" people are expecting when they say "Make an Offer". At any rate, we found a true mish mosh of stuff.

This old baby scale called to me. I thought she might be asking a lot since it is obviously old but I got it for $3. I'm going to try and do a little research on it later. I wonder how many babies were weighed on it?

This old hen picture was at the same sale. Obviously someone's artwork on wood. I thought it was cute and it fits in with my country decor. A cute accessory for 50 cents :)

Not pictured are a couple of plain grapevine wreaths (50 cents each) and I got a nice pair of leather hiking boots that look barely worn for $1. DD got a pair of Adidas shorts for 50 cents. I'll post the grapevine wreaths when I turn them into something a little more exciting.

Up and at 'em early on Saturday morning. DD arrived at 6:45 and we were off and running. One sale advertised a filing cabinet and dh needed one for his office so we were there when she opened her sale. She's moving and needed to get rid of a bunch of stuff. DH got the filing cabinet for $5 and it's an older heavier model. DD scored a nice little cooler for a $1 and a few other odds and ends. I found 2 new Haagen Dazs travel coffee mugs for 25 cents each (much needed here as some of ours need to be tossed). Upon opening them up today, I found a coupon for a free pint of Haagen Dazs in one (good up to $4.25). Score!

On a less practical note.........

A little hard to tell from the picture but this a table set with cute snowmen on them. The seller said she made them. Included are a table runner, 4 napkins and 4 coasters. All for the grand total of 50 cents.

On the same street were 3 Amish ladies having a sale together. REALLY cheap prices at these (my kind of sale). DD found a nice locking diaper pail for 75 cents and a Tupperware divided kid's bowl with lid for 10 cents. Also a cute older farm toy for 10 cents. I'll have to get her to send me a picture of it later. A couple of my exciting finds:

How cute is this tray? For 50 cents, the cuteness factor went way up for me. I'm not sure what I will use it for yet but when did that ever matter?

This little guy was just begging to go home with me. And for 50 cents, I obliged his wishes. Good thing he has wheels so he can get away from that crow! LOLWe hit a jackpot of fabric napkins at the Amish ladies. The top row still have tags from Kohl's (at $2.99 each) and I paid 10 cents each! The placemats also still have tags (at $4.99 each) and I paid 50 cents for the set. There were actually 2 sets and I sent one home with DD. They'll be cute for summer with the bright colors. The bottom row of napkins were from another sale and I paid 50 cents for the plaid set and 10 cents for the single green one. I'll use the bright colored ones at dd's baby shower and the plaid set I'll probably put in our camper as it matches the "cabin" decor I have there.

A couple of other treasures:

This cute pillow will go well with my patriotic decorations. The 75 cent price tag goes well with my budget!

This cool old crate was a good deal at 50 cents. It will probably go outside with some potted flowers sitting on it.

How cute are these fabrics? I couldn't resist adding them to my fabric stash. Since they're very "kid" themed, I'll probably use them to make stuff for our grandchild when he or she arrives. We find out if we're getting a grandson or granddaughter on June 2nd! Both pieces are 3 yards each and I paid $1 for each piece. Another craft booklet to add to my collection. I paid 10 cents for it and it has a $10.95 price tag! I collect snowmen so will give me some more things to make (as if I needed any more ideas!).

Another BIG find of the day was a Step 2 kiddie slide. It's the big one with the little "fort" underneath. It comes apart and was in perfect condtion (not even sun faded!). They were asking $40 for it and I got it for $30. The lady said she paid $140 for it! We'll store it for now and I'm sure it will get a lot of use later! A few baby clothes along the way including some hats and a cute "My First St. Pats' Day" onesie! What baby would be complete without one of those?? LOL

Also dh found "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" on dvd (one of his favorite movies), and several books including "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories", "Politically Correct Christmas Stories", and"Everyone's Guide to Composting" for 25 cents each.

Another sale yielded a bunch of FREE paint and other household "stuff". I got 6 cans of Rustoleum spray paint of which 3 of them are the textured type, 1 is for plastic, and the other 2 are "decorator" type. All are full or very close to full. DD got some Goo Gone and and a few other things. Turns out the couple having the sale have sold their house and are moving to Arizona. The moving company won't take any chemicals and they don't want to haul them in their car so they were giving them away. DH bought some shelving and DD found a pretzel containers of little plastic tools and a 20lb gas cylinder they needed for their grill.

As I said it was a great yard sale weekend! Thanks for stopping by and sharing my treasures!

Deb

More Flowers.........

2009-05-11T11:04:00.010-04:00

Can you tell I like flowers? Thankfully, my family is aware and I am the lucky recipient of lots of pretty flowers :)

The pretty Gerbera daisy is from dd and dsil for Mother's day. It looks pink but is a pretty peach color. There are 2 blooms and more to come!

I wish you could smell this pretty bunch! They were from ds for Mother's day. The yellow rose and gardenia are especially fragrant.

Enjoy,
Deb

Passing the thrifting torch.........

2009-05-10T23:15:00.004-04:00

All of our kids were used to going to garage sales, auctions, flea markets, etc. while growing up. It's nice to see them carry on those same traditions. DD (who is expecting our first grandchild in October) found this at a yard sale yesterday for 50 cents.

The lady they bought it from said her kids played with it in the late 60's. She brought it along when they came over today and I did some research. It was made by Child Guidance and was called "Type A Tune". There were song sheets you put through the "typewriter" part and that instructed the child what keys to play in order to play a song. I found an old scanned in newspaper ad from 1967 with it for sale for Christmas at Ben Franklin for $3.33. You can check it out here:

http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/chronicle/CCC_1967%20(E)/issues/11-30-1967_12.pdf

This is far from dd's first yard sale purchase but it's her first vintage find I think.

Happy treasure hunting!

Deb

Saturday finds...........

2009-05-10T14:19:00.025-04:00

Lots and lots of yard and garage sales this Saturday. I didn't get out as early as I had planned (went to bed too late the night before) so all the sales were in full swing by the time we got to them. Dh went along (he usually does) so we did a quick stop for cash and a pastry and drink at WaWa and we were on our way.

First stop was in the next little town down the road from us (a budding metropolis compared to our town! ha ha). They had stuff on the driveway, lawn, and in the garage. Lots of tools, Christmas and holiday stuff, some clothes, and other odds and ends. Pretty good prices too :)

Who could resist this lovely little group? Six of the characters from Rudolph's Island of Misfit Toys. These will go to DD who LOVES that movie. Most still have their $6 price tags from CVS. I'm sure that is the reason we didn't buy them when they came out in 1998! I paid 50 cents each (a LOT better to my liking). I think I have a couple of others in my Christmas stash so perhaps between now and Christmas, we can complete the set for her :)

From the same sale. A lovely Christmas tablecloth for 50 cents. Those snowmen make me smile :)

Another sale was one of those "perpetual" sales that is mostly junk and overpriced. Once we realized it, I made a mental note to ignore that address when looking in the paper or on Craigslist in the future! Of course "mental" notes don't always stick :P Why is that ??? LOL

The next stop was a "big" development sale. These are all big new homes so I wasn't expecting a lot. Good thing as all but one house had little bits of overpriced crap.

Borrowing a line from my idol http://queenoffiftycents.blogspot.com/ , they were very proud of their stuff! LOL One house was a nice younger couple who had obviously been to a yard sale before. There I found:

Hard to tell from the picture, but it's a set of 2 placemats and napkins. Perfect for dd's decor so they are going to her. 50 cents for the whole lot........my kind of price!

I'm not sure I like the print but the frame is very nice for 75 cents. When I turned it over on the back.................

It's from Pier One........part of a "fruit series" and retailed for $15. I like 75 cents better.

From the same sale.....cute start cut-out wooden box. I'm going to use it as a candle holder with one of those battery operated candles. I have several left over from dd's wedding last year. I paid 25 cents for this. I had to chuckle when I turned it up to check the price...........

I guess no one wanted to pay $10.....hmmm....wonder why? Someone did pay $3.50 apparently. I like 25 cents much better!

DH bought 2 dvd's at the same house............"Troy" and "The Fifth Element". He paid $2 each but they were brand new (still shrink wrapped) so I guess that was okay :)

Several group Amish sales this Saturday. These are good for the tasty food if nothing else! At one I found:

It's some kind of hunting bag. It's a name brand of camo and looks brand new so for $1, I knew either DSIL could use it or he and DD could fight over it (she would like it as a purse). Well worth a $1 just to see which one of them ends up with it :) And for a complete change of pace:

This was at the same table as the camo bag. A very pretty ladies handkerchief. Doesn't appear to be vintage but I like it anyway and it was a dime :)

I've been on the lookout for pretty cloth napkins to use to line serving plates and such at dd's baby shower in August. There are 3 of the plaid type and the other 2 are Pfaltzgraff. I paid 50 cents for each "set"

Off to the next big Amish group sale. This one was all about the food......chicken bbq, homemade cheese, homemade soft pretzels, homemade root beer, etc. We took advantage of several of those offerings (it was past lunch time by this point). A couple of bargains as well:

A Pottery Barn shower curtain (new in package) for 50 cents. I don't give a hoot about the Pottery Barn name. However, it has metal grommets (which are the only shower curtains I will buy) and dh said he needed a new one for his shower. This one is clear (which is good for more light in a smaller bathroom) and says "Morning Thoughts" on it. I don't think dh has too many thoughts in the morning (he's so not a morning person....LOL) but maybe this will inspire him. The price inspired me...........especially when I turned it over and saw the original price

A little hard to read but it was $19! I don't think so!

A few other odds and ends here and there. DH found a couple of tools and I found a couple other little decoratve items. I think this might have been the best dime I spent all day..........

I think most of us need to do more of this :)

I hope everyone found lots of goodies yesterday!

Deb

Beautiful Roses........

2009-05-08T22:00:00.005-04:00

I thought I'd share the roses that my dh got me for my birthday. I thought the color was amazing :)

Enjoy!

Deb

Making a list..................

2009-05-08T11:56:00.000-04:00

I'm perusing the ads for tomorrow. There were some sales today but the sun is out (finally!) and I really need to get some yard and garden work done before it rains again (it's rained all week here). Of course that means I run the risk of some sales being canceled or postponed tomorrow but that's okay. There will be enough sales indoors I think (I hope!). Hope to have something good to post tomorrow :)

I forgot I had this blog!

2009-02-02T21:39:00.000-05:00

I must have signed up for this on a whim a few years back. Haven't given it a thought since........well that is until I started looking at all the blogs on thrift store shopping. You see, thrift stores (and garage sales, flea markets, rummage sales, etc.) are some of my favorite places to visit. It's not just a hobby, it's a way of life. Why would I want to pay new price for some run of the mill (fill in the blank) when I can find something unique (and maybe one a kind) for much less money? I can't think of a reason either :) And so my love of thrift and the thrill of the hunt goes on. Happy Thrifting!