We Came. We Saw. We Thrifted.

"Susie" by Goddard, Museum Print Edition

This past Tuesday, I decided that I needed an entire day of thrifting. So after mapping out a trip to three thrift stores in the Souderton and Montgomeryville area, I  hit the roads with a friend and without a budget in mind.

The first stop was The Care and Share, which is literally a shopping plaza of thrifting. Each thrift store within is conveniently divided by departments. Of course we browsed the books and oohed and ahhed at the vintage furniture.

But it was in the variety thrift shop of The Care and Share that I scored this lovely "Susie" print which now sits atop my dresser.

6 records. SIX. Guess how much! 

I'm not sure I can decide on my favorite find of the day, but I can definitely pinpoint the cheapest. I salvaged this vinyl playlist from the Care and Share Thrift Outlet, where ya gotta dig for the treasures:

24 Groovy Greats LP

Blondie: Autoamerican LP

Iron Butterfly: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida LP

Carole King: Music LP

The Kinks: Low Budget LP

Stevie Nicks: The Wild Heart LP

All six albums for $1.50!!!

Ooooooh, a pretty peacock.

The cheapest find of the day did have a close contender. While I love, love, love this turquoise necklace and bracelet set from the Salvation Army, this skeleton key tray was one hella cool find...on sale for 39 cents!

Like my newly acquired vintage art, this tray is staying right on my dresser. 

Now, isn't that dreamy? 

I wasn't necessarily looking to spruce up my dresser, but that's exactly what happened. What I was really hoping to find was a nice addition to my Spring wardrobe. But instead I got a pile of tunes, a colorful costume jewelry set, vintage decor and... 

Freud for me and The Doors is a gift.

...a few good books. I rested my favorite coffee mug on top, which wasn't thrifted but a thoughtful gift that I love. 

I scored all this stuff when I was just looking for some clothes. But considering the quality of the haul and the teensy weensy price tags, I'm quite satisfied. 

Vintage "Susie" print: $2.25

Six assorted LPs: $1.50

Turquoise peacock necklace with matching bracelet: $5.00

Skeleton key tray: .39 

Paperback books: $3.00

Three yards of vintage fabric: $3.25

Wait a second. Where did the vintage fabric with the floral print go? Has anyone seen the fabric I bought for my photo backdrop? 

Oh, there it is! 

Silly rabbit, vintage is for thrifters. 

Well, my sister's dwarf bunny, Coco, has taken over my vintage fabric. I guess she's entitled. It is almost Easter, after all. 

What have you conquered from the thrift store?

The Spice of Life Part One: Dolls and Decor

 


Goodwill. $1.97



The last few weeks have proven quite fruitful when it comes to sweet secondhand finds. Sometimes it just happens that way, when everything you never knew you wanted was right there, ripe for the picking.

Dolls, decor, books, records, fashion. I found so many wonderful little treasures, in such great variety, I’m seizing the opportunity to divide the finds into two blog entries.

So let’s see here. First I will share with you the dolls and decor.

The sign pictured above I absolutely love. It’s a thick, sturdy plastic with a metal chain for hanging. It looks to me like a vintage sign for a school, library or hospital.



Goodwill. $3.00



I also found this neat little hanging frog and shell at Goodwill over the weekend. It’s difficult to make out in this photo, but the color is a pale blue. And don’t you love that aged patina look? This will be hanging in my garden once the weather starts being more cooperative.

 


Goodwill. $.50

   
Ordinarily I’m not into Western decor, but this miniature plastic wall hang is kinda kitschy. And it’s only about 4” in length. So tiny!

My last piece of decor to mention is my personal favorite. I was pleasantly surprised to win this lovely vintage piece of owl art from Sonya of Dime Store Thrift. Many thanks for such a wonderful prize, Sonya!

Pugsley must also have enjoyed this win, as he sneakily found his way into my photo staging area.

Well, that’s okay, as I figured he could stick around to introduce the doll segment of this post.




 Philly Aids Thrift. Cabbage Patch Kid w/original clothes, socks and shoes, $5.



  But apparently, that photo shoot wiped him out. There he is sleeping next to “Fred,” our newly adopted Cabbage Patch Kid.




Impact. $2.50



This little doll in a big dress is a vintage treasure. The maker hand painted “1971” on her neck. I love her long legs and torso in comparison to her tiny feet.




Her face and hairstyle bares a striking resemblance to my Aunt Gert, a lifelong crafter who passed away last year. So I decided to name this little doll after her in tribute.

Well, that’s the end of the “Dolls and Decor” segment of this exciting two-part variety special. On the next episode of Let’s Go Thrifting! read “The Spice of Life Part Two: Books, Records and Fashion Finds.”

A 10/10/10 Special Edition: The Top Ten Things You’ll Find in Every Thrift Store

From the Salvation Army in the Bucks county suburbs to The Philly AIDS Thrift near South Street, regular thrift-goers know their territory. They know the sales, the days and times to beat the crowds and how to scout the store for hidden treasures.

Not every visit to the thrift is going to yield a cart full of 80’s toys, hipster clothes or super cool decor for your apartment. Those treasures are reserved for one day when the stars align and you just happen to find just what you were searching for. Or in the happily-ever-after version, you just stumble upon something so awesome that you weren’t even looking for and your pretentious roommates are beyond jealous of your find.

Now we don’t want to pump you full of false hopes. The sad truth is that fateful day might be a long time coming.

But in the meantime, we at Let’s Go Thrifting have something to tide you over. Actually we have ten somethings.

Next time you think your visit to thrift is a total bust, take a look around. We have. And we noticed a little pattern of repeats… items no thrift seems to lack.


We’ve noticed The Top Ten Things You’ll Find in Every Thrift Store:

• Personalized picture frames. Usually pretty cheap to begin with, these presumably donated gifts never seem to sell, since they’re always on the shelves. You know the ones. Dear Sister, Father, Best Friend, Cousin, Husband, Dog. Nothing captures 1000 words quite like this hideous hunk of plastic that denotes our relationship.

• Fundraiser tee shirts.  You are a true philanthropist, sir. Your support through the secondhand purchase of that Erectile Dysfunction Run ‘97 shirt is really raising the community awareness.

• Poorly executed Designer Knock-off Handbags. Unless you are shopping consignment and are well-versed on textiles, don’t tread the designer route. Chances are your Prado bag won’t be on any catwalks.



Doesn't this make you want to have a picnic?



• Wicker. Tons of it. In every shape and size. Mostly baskets. But sometimes you’ll find the occasional wicker hats, chairs, wall decor, desk organizers and crafts.





This cross-stitched gentlemen was a buck.


• Framed “Art.” Sure, these pieces weren't exactly in a national gallery. But the topic is still debatable in the thrift community. Some leisurely thrifters argue the validity of these framed portraits of depressed clowns and disproportionate fruit bowls. And we at Let’s Go Thrifting agree. Afterall, some of these artistic abominations are so awful, they’re in fact…pretty awesome.

• Hilariously Outdated Computer Software Manuals.  Think 1995. At the time, those free AOL disks were a hot commodity. So were the the thousands, literally thousands, of how-to books for the software of the time. Now…they’re at the thrift store in record numbers. And they are utterly useless.

• Trivial Pursuit. You would think this was the most despised game in the history of family entertainment, given its prevalence at every single thrift store on the face on the planet. We like to think that they were played so often, the trivia became common knowledge at parties and were passed on for future playing elsewhere. Still…there’s a lot of them out there. We counted seven of them the last time we hit the Goodwill!



Does your granny know you donated that afghan?



• Afghans. Who knew so many people could crochet…and with so many different color combinations?

• The King James Bible. How are thrift stores like motel rooms? The Bibles. There’s at least a few in every thrift. Are people straight-up abandoning Christianity? Or is the thrifty version of spreading the “Good News?”

Is that shaving cream?

• Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. This dude seriously sold like a grabillion copies of this album and became some kind of overnight sensation. We kid you not. How else do you explain every thrift store having the Herb Alpert vinyl discography? 

Don't believe us? Make a check-sheet from the above top-ten list and have a thrift seek and find. You won't be disappointed.