So I’m slowly going back through all my old posts. If I mention this more than once (or more than a hundred times) it’s because I’m still doing it and it takes forever! I really want my new site to be functional though and for links to work and pictures to be in the right places. One thing I am doing is updating my categories and adding tags. One category that was smoking hot for a while and has almost fallen off the map is New to Me – Thrifting Adventures. There are a couple of reasons.
When I first got his house I thought to myself, “1,100 square feet, how will I ever fill that up? Plus a basement? I’ll be thrifting for years before I even have to shove stuff under the bed!” Well my friends I even added a second story and I still managed to fill the house up nicely (and garage, ahem…). So there’s the space issue, and there’s the lovely husband who doesn’t think we need another chair that I might get to in the next three years (but probably not since I haven’t in the last three) and there’s Tuesday. The way I tend to thrift shop (early mornings at estate and garage sales, popping in and out of the car as I notice one) doesn’t work well with a toddler. I have become annoyed with myself lately at the things I am buying brand new and paying full price for. Things I used to just wait to come around while thrifting.
But tonight I sit here in my $2 Columbia fleece as cozy as can be ready to change my ways.
Observe my $20 shopping spree: a reversible ironing board for hems and cuffs I’m guessing (plan: set up for Tuesday with a play iron, and use myself when needed), tiny hand rake, a couple pairs of pants for Tuesday (when did she start growing like this?), a jersey stripped boat neck shirt (plan: cute skirt for Tuesday), the above mentioned fleece (was this ever worn?!?!), ugly horse thing (plan: let Tuesday get her $1.95 of kicks out of it and send it back to the thrift store), small tool boxes, funnel (I finally remembered we needed one of these!), nice little shovel, $1 double CD set of annoying kids music, 2 bars of Fels-Naptha (I keep reading things that say to use this stuff, I figure it will come in handy some day), Tuesday sized butter knife, little thing to learn to use chopsticks, and a Dover activity book (I always have one in my purse).
I know how quickly these things will get incorporated into our lives and I’ll forget exactly when I got them. I know this because I stumbled upon this post and realized I used four things from that thrifting trip just today! I love that, using old things, things people don’t want. So I’m making a better effort. With my mom and (almost) sister in law Kat helping wrangle Tuesday I’m planning on thrifting every Friday morning. So I’ve set up a nice little list of goals.
Some inspiration from Flickr (these are also on my newly made Flickr gallery: Things I want to find thrifting). 1. Vintage Wood Tray, 2. Vintage Children’s Sewing or Lacing Cards, 3. FP Record Player 2, 4. DSC_0014, 5. vintage doll highchair, 6. coming soon to the store – old fruit crates!
-vintage wire baskets (I’m doubtful I’ll ever have enough of these)
-wooden crates to turn into a shelf thing for Tuesday
-small trays for Tuesday’s projects
-doll highchair (I was thinking wooden, but that blue one is pretty cute!)
-interesting things for Tuesday to sort
-Lacing cards
-Fisher Price record player. They have ones with little plastic records and ones that take actual little records.
-photo holder, I’m thinking a flower frog maybe?
-cute container for my business cards, they are 4×4 so they don’t fit in a standard case
-books, books, books! I still need hardback Harry Potters 1 & 3, Tuesday loves I Spy books, and I collect a vintage children’s series about a girl named Maida (the books are Maida’s little house, Maida’s little zoo, etc.)
-And my dishes: Johnson Brothers Ironstone plates, bowls, etc. I love them. I still remember when I got them (ah yes, and the basement surprise… guess what we’re dealing with round two on that. Details after I told to the waterproofing expert tomorrow). I’ve had some luck on eBay, but shipping prices and breakage in transit never make it worth it (I admit I’m putting all these photos up in the hopes someone says, “hey I live down the street and I have a whole box of these I don’t need!”).
Of course the things I stumble upon that are not on my list are just as fun (like this fleece!). And there are more things in the back of my head if the deal is just too insane. Like the time my mom found a silver tea set for something like $20. If I could get Bj a scroll saw for that I’d be all over it (I’m obsessed with Made by Joel and have determined that toy making should be Bj’s new hobby).
So what are you hoping to find this thrifting season? What is the best thing you’ve ever found? Give us all hope with your astonishing finds!
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Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.
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Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.
I know you long time readers have heard me mention my “crew girls” many times. I’ve heard from some of you that you thought that meant my crew, as in posse. I call them crew girls because we rowed together at Oregon State. The summer between my Freshman and Sophomore years was my first as a counselor at an all girls camp in Maine. I had a co-counselor who mentioned that she thought I would make a good coxswain, and I should see if my school had a crew program. Little did I know that simple statement would lead to life long friends ships and some of the best experiences of my life.
Tracy and I were in the same class of novice rowers that went on to row for three more years together. She was often in my bow pair, actually closer to the front of the boat than me, and I was steering! Almost three years ago now she called me up and told me that she was pregnant, but only six weeks pregnant. I said, so high and with such a squeal that she didn’t hear me right, “I’m six weeks pregnant!” So she said, “yes, I’m six weeks pregnant.” I said, “No, Tracy, I am six weeks pregnant too!” Our babies ended up having the exact same due date. Oh did we have fun telling the crew girls. We made little cards with January 2nd typed on both sides and passed them out at a crew girl BBQ. We told them not to look. Then we said in unison, “We’re pregnant!” and told them to look on one side for my due date and the other for hers. It was a great happy shock all around. Lachlan and Tuesday were born two days apart. And this month she’ll have her second little boy.
One of my favorite photos ever. That silly little dog. When I talked to Tracy about doing their shoot in their home I said a project or activity would be good and she came up with cooking biscuits (added bonus? They let me stay for the biscuits and gravy).
This shaving idea was another one of Tracy’s. Tiny bathroom, so Tracy and I were in the shower while I was shooting!
Her first son is so sweet and beautiful (and all boy as you can see by the little marks from the tumble he took right before this shot). I can’t wait to meet the second one. Tracy and I were so excited to have each other to talk to during pregnancy. We didn’t think much about the fact that our kids would be the same age… like forever. It’s so handy and so cool to have someone like Tracy to call up. I couldn’t be happier to have captured her family. After the viewing session she said, “Am I supposed to be tearing up when I see these? Because I am.” If I’m doing my job I thought. And I guess I was. -
Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.
Joining in on Amanda’s this moment project. A moment from the last week. A slice of life.
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