The Week in Thrifting: May 11-17, Part 1

This post has been a long time coming as I haven't been able to blog much with my mother's medical issues.  There was a surgery and there have been lots of appointments and need for assistance from me.  I began this post soon after the trip was taken but haven't had time to finish it until now.  I apologize for the delay

This last week (May 11-17) my mother found ads on Craigslist for not one but TWO church rummage sales! Church rummage sales are the best.  Everything is donated so prices tend to stay low when there isn't a lot of sentimental value for the person marking the prices and they're usually raising money for something I can support like missions trips and Children's Ministry.

The first sale we went to was empty, almost no one there to shop and great prices.  Lots of things were unmarked but the prices quoted to us were around $0.25-$1.00.  We got everything pictured above from this first sale for under $13.00!

The entire box of ribbon was $1 and if I only ever use two rolls up I've still gotten a deal on them as many rolls are brand new.  The Tupperware measuring spoons were actually FREE because they were "dirty".  I can't believe that.

 

Do you see the smudge on the smallest one?  that was the only thing off about it.  The small assorted things like the "Hawaii" cocktail works, the rosette irons and the melon baller cost less than $1 total.  I am very excited to try and turn the rosette irons into fun Christmas ornaments as they are a bell and a fir tree.  Purple Kukui Nuts are for my bead stash as I already use some black ones with hibiscus flowers on them as focal beads for row counter bracelets.  The plastic measuring scoops are one of the things I had told my mother about wanting only days before this sale and then there they were!  Those scoops are wonderful for flour and sugar especially. 

Mom and I had been toying with the idea of making mini bath bombs for soaking feet or hands so when we found these decorative ice cube trays we just had to have them!  I haven't had time to try my hand at bath bombs but I'm certainly going to share my adventures when I do.

We did pay a whole $1 each for these Reader's Digest Condensed Books which is usually above our price for hardback books but the covers were just too good to pass up.

Don't you think those will make beautiful notebooks?  I am hoping to do a craft night with some ladies at my church to make bound journals with my Bind-It-All machine and these should be perfect for that.  My personal favorite is the one on the far left from Autumn of 1962 as I love the wallpaper-like pattern. What's yours?

Mom has an exasperating habit of insisting on reading EVERY book that enters the house, so who knows when I'll get to work on them...

MOM:  "Hey!  There are 5-6 books in each one of those.  That's 15 books, and they're usually best sellers.  And I can't even leave the house except to go to the doctor.
And there's nothing good on TV.
And I have nobody to play with.
All the other Moms get to read books.
You never let me do anything fun.
You don't love me anymore.
Wah.....
 

ME:  Ok, Mom, you can stop using all my old arguments. You convinced me, lol.

This is the thing we paid the most money for at a whopping $3.  A Rolykit is an old As Seen on TV product designed to hold sewing notions, craft supplies, beads, fishing tackle - whatever someone might need stored in the same place but separate compartments. 

The container unrolls to be several feet long (That table is about 4'6" across I think) and will roll back together, securely locking your small supplies in place.  I think I will start to use this for beads as it should work better than the train case I am currently using.  Mom was very excited to find this as she thought it would be perfect for beads for me; isn't she wonderful?

The mini muffin pan is also to be used for mini bath bombs, it just didn't get into the photos with it's plastic brethren.  The bed sheets pictured here were $1 each and we bought them to hopefully use the fabric for a future project; aren't they just lovely?  I love vintage floral print sheets!

This women's devotional set will go to my Women's Ministry leader for a door prize as she likes to do a small drawing at every social event we have and it is very nearly brand new - I only paid $1.50!

These shoes were probably the best find of the sale (not my photo obviously) I got a pair of these same Sofft Mary Jane style low heeled shoes in black leather and they are lovely and so comfortable.  I have admired Sofft shoes at consignment shops for years and used they often run around $20 which is just more than I can justify for used shoes.  These were $2!


The second rummage sale we went to was a HUGE affair, and I don't have time to show you everything we found in this post, but I'll be sharing them with you soon.

I'm linking up to these parties.  Please stop by and join the fun:
Show and Share
Roses of Inspiration
Vintage Bliss Tuesdays
Vintage Inspiration Party
Treasure Hunt Thursday

Pink and Yellow (and Green and Blue)

It's Mary Engelbreit Monday at Cherry Chick's blog, so it's time to show you my recent ME finds. I just love the $1.00 ME items at Michaels.

Yellow cherry socks.

Pink flowered socks.

Some for me and some for my niece.

And if $1 isn't thrifty enough, I can use my 40% off one item coupon that comes in my weekly email from Michaels.com.

Speaking of $1,

I found this well-loved blue Pyrex primary 401 bowl at an estate sale. Now I just need the 402 red bowl to complete my set.

I also found this pretty blue divided server,
with a not-quite-matching clear 2 Qt casserole lid for $2.00. I think the pattern is Blue Horizon, but since it didn't have the patterned lid, I'm not sure. The actual color is more of a cadet blue than the blue in the picture.

Some day I hope to have a pink and yellow kitchen of my own, so I am always on the lookout for pink or yellow kitchenware.

14 inch Boonton melamine platter - $1.50.
Isn't that a cool shape?

Pearlized white and yellow Tupperware cold cuts keeper with 2 deviled egg trays inside - $2.25.
I already had one of these, but not in this dreamy color. I can't wait for picnic weather.

And my Mom found these cute little juice glasses for $4.00.

I couldn't get a picture that didn't distort the lines; they really are straight.

This green cake plate was $3.00. It's not vintage, but I really like the color.

These last three are for my mother.

She didn't need any more depression glassware, but she has a soft spot for grill plates, and these were only $5.00 for all three. The pattern is called Florentine No. 2, made by Hazel Atlas between 1932 and 1935.

The weather has been really cold here lately,
so I'd like to leave you with this sentiment.

I'm linking up to the following parties:
Mary Engelbreit Monday
Thrift Share Monday

Click on the links and join the fun.

Thrifting By Proxy

Do you ever Thrift By Proxy? That's when a friend is at an estate sale or a thrift store, sees something she thinks you will like and gives you a call. Just because you're not there doesn't mean you can't share the fun.

Like early this summer, when I was at a garage sale and called my Sean Connery obsessed friend Brent:

Me: Do you have twenty dollars?
Brent: No. Why?
Me: Oh, okay, never mind.
Brent: Wait, wait, why?
Me: I just found this framed picture of someone you might know. A man named Sean Connery. Ring any bells?
Brent: (incoherent excited babbling)
Me: He even signed it. I think it's from that movie "Hunt for Red October". Have you seen it? (I happen to know it's his favorite.) But since you don't have twenty dollars, I'll just leave it here.
Brent: No, no. I have twenty dollars. Buy it. Now.

Or the more usual calls to Mom on any Sunday, when I stop at Goodwill on my way home from church:

Me: Do you have five dollars?
Mom: Why?
Me: Pyrex
Mom: What kind?
Me: The five dollar kind.
Mom: (Thinking: $5... must be good) Is it still shiny?
Me: Pretty much. Some light metal marking.
Mom: What pattern?
Me: The kind that will cost you five dollars.
Mom: (giving up) Fine. Buy it. We can return it if I don't like it.

Or:

Me: I found you a present.
Mom: What kind of present?
Me: The goooood kind.
Mom: Is it Pyrex?
Me: Maaaaybe.

This is family code for "I ain't tellin'." When I was a kid, I would try to guess what was in the presents under the Christmas tree, and no matter what I guessed, Mom would never say "no." I could guess "a pile of dog poo" and she would say "maaaaybe".

Mom: (Playing along)Is it socks and underwear? That's what my parents always got me.
Me: I'm at Goodwill... do you really want socks and underwear from here?
Mom: No thank you. Did you use my money?
Me: Well, duh. Have you met me? Broke college student?
Mom: Okay, what did I buy myself?
Me: A surprise.
Mom: Oh, goody. It's such a surprise I didn't even know I was buying it.

Last Friday, Mom invited me to go to an estate sale with her, but I already had plans. My BOYFRIEND wants me to go with him to the premiere of the new Harry Potter movie next Friday, and I hadn't seen the last two movies yet. (I haven't read the books, either, please don't flame me.) So my BOYFRIEND was bringing the movies over for us to watch. (Btw, in case you haven't noticed, I have a boyfriend. And I am officially 12 years old.)

So Mom went alone, and in the middle of the movie, I received this call:

Mom: Are you busy?
Me: I can't talk. Bellatrix is at Snape's house.
Mom: Is $3.50 a good price for three Pyrex mixing bowls?
Me: (to the TV) NOOOO... don't touch her she's---- wait. Pyrex?
Mom: Spring Blossom Pyrex. [My pattern] Three piece set. Cinderella mixing bowls.
Me: How much again?
Mom: $3.50. Do you want it?
Me: Well, duh. Have you met me?

I have a very NICE boyfriend. He lets me interrupt Harry Potter for Pyrex. We support each other's obsessions. (Hey, at least neither of us is into Twilight.)

But that wasn't all Mom found.

She also got a green depression glass mixing bowl, something she's wanted for years. The yellow and green round casserole is the $5 Pyrex from Goodwill. The pattern is called Shenandoah, and my lousy picture doesn't do it justice. She paid $1 for another Tupperware cake keeper because it had this inside it.

This is a pie stacker, so that I can carry two pies in one cake carrier. (Pies are my favorite thing to bake.)
And... several free booklets, including:

The recipe book from the first Pillsbury Bake-Off (before they used that name) in 1949. Someone was offering this for $450 on ebay last week because it is supposedly rare. No takers. One did sell this week for $10, though. I just love the names of the winners... Mrs. Ralph E. Smofield... Mrs. Herbert Leslie Evans... Mrs. Casimir T. Subbie... I am NOT making these up... not the sort of names you hear these days.

This colorful little Coldspot manual is from Sears, Roebuck and Company. No date, but from the pictures, I'd say mid-fifties. That gold and silver chevron on the front is a close-up of the handle to the fridge. How cool is that? And can you see the adjustable watermelon shelf? I want one for my fridge. Plus, it boasts Recipes "that will make you an envied hostess," and they are surprisingly normal for mid-fifties recipes.

And then there was what she didn't buy. There was a wonderful wooden high chair for $40. We would love to have one, but can't afford that price.

Isn't that picture precious?

There were more estate sales on Saturday - the fun kind, that are run by the family, who can tell you about the house and the people who lived there, and who are more interested in clearing out the house than in making a lot of money.

The first one was run by a brother and sister who were clearing out their father's stuff. Dad found a bunch of stuff, like some pointy things, and some greasy things, and some rusty things, and a big bag of aluminum pieces that hold plastic pipes to form the skeleton of a pool cover that he's going to use to make a greenhouse... some day.

And we got:

Twelve Corelle plates for $3.

For as long as I can remember we've had one plate in this pattern. It is fairly beat up and faded and scratched but when I was about five years old it was my favorite plate. I had a little bit of a princess complex (and by little I mean a huge one) and had decided that it was the princess plate because it was the prettiest. It was my job to set the table and so, at dinner every night, I made sure that I got the princess plate. I remember one night my sister made the mistake of sitting at the chair with my plate in front of it. I promptly informed her that it was my seat. She, being unimpressed with my delusions of grandeur refused to move and I bit her arm. My mother then looked at me, sighed, and said "Betty... princesses don't bite." I released her arm and, as punishment, was not allowed to eat from my princess plate.

Mom had decided just two weeks ago that she wanted to start acquiring this pattern for our everyday dishes and Voila! they appear. She was ready to pay the usual Goodwill price of $1 each . I was at Goodwill last night and there was a whole stack of dinner plates, lunch plates, and bowls. They wanted $13 for FOUR plates. I don't know what they've been smoking at GW lately, but it must be some good stuff.

Nesting dolls - $3. This will be a Christmas present. Is it for you? Maaaaaybe.



Two Shiny Brite flocked ornaments for 50c. I've been looking all year and these are the first ones I've found.

And the big ticket items:

Three Puzz-3D puzzles for $5 each. These sell pretty well on ebay, and Mom wanted to give it a try, but there was no guarantee that all the pieces were there. The sellers were certain that they were intact, because their father had been meticulous about his puzzles, and they wouldn't budge on the price, so we took a chance. It turns out that two of them are intact, but there is a piece missing from the biggest one. Oh well, Mom wanted to try putting one together anyway. We'll have to see how the other two go on ebay. We've never sold anything on ebay before, so it should be interesting.

Do you know what these are?

Mom: (Rummaging in a box of toys): Look, they have Yogi Bear bowling pins!
Man running the sale: Because you know what they are, you can have them.
Mom: Thanks, I'll show them to the Grandkids. They're pretty chewed up; missing a few ears.
Man: Yep.
Mom: You must have had a dog.
Man: Nope.

At which point the man's sister busts out laughing and points to her brother, who just grins.

They also gave us these. Hai Karate sells pretty well on ebay, too, but I've never seen it in plastic bottles, and these seem less than half full, so I don't think they're valuable, but they are fun.

We hit two other estate sales and the Goodwill. We got some miscellaneous housewares and books for next to nothing, and these items.

A Pyrex juice carafe for $1, an Airedale dog with two pups for $2, and a pair of copper-dipped baby shoes for $5. Bronzed baby shoes were on our list of things to look for. I had no idea there were copper ones. I like these better, and there is one for each of us.

Well, that was my weekend of thrifting.

I'm joining these parties to share.
Click on the links and see what others have found.

Junkin Finds with Linda @ A La Carte
Thrift Share Monday

Thrifty Birthday Weekend

Friday was my Dad's birthday.

He was given the day off from work, so Mom found an estate sale with lots of tools. He called a friend, and they all set off for an adventure in the country. I had school, so I missed the fun.

It was a very interesting sale, and just right for my Dad. The estate had belonged to a man who was big on self-sufficiency/survivalism. He had guns, BDUs (camouflage uniforms) , cases of MREs (military food), buckets and boxes of long-term storage foodstuffs, and lots of tools. He also had books on politics, history, religion, survival, medicine, guerrilla warfare, military tactics; even a copy of the unibomber manifesto. On the way home, they found a couple of other sales, too. Here's some of what Dad came home with:

An electric belt sander, an air-powered orbital sander, a scroll saw, a brace and bit, a stud finder, a bag of giant hooks, 2 brass faucets (for making rain barrels), 4 big casters (for making a rotating compost bin), cowboy boots, a Spec-Op handbook ('cause he's a guy), and 2 big C clamps, because he only had 12, and you can never have too many C-clamps. (You know, like Pyrex) He said he already has enough BDUs and MREs.

He also got some DVDs - Westerns and War, of course (ok, plus one for Mom)


And some books



Apparently the guy was very concerned about hiding his guns and valuables. Hmmm... I wonder if the people handling the estate read this book and found all his stuff.

They also came home with this for the garden.

What? You don't use plastic forks in your garden? Well, neither do we, but Mom plans to. You see, we have a lot of cats that roam our neighborhood. And they all think that our empty garden beds make purrfect (Yes, I went there) places to plant their poops. Cat poop, along with the poo from other meat-eating animals, is bad for the garden (unlike chicken manure). We cover large areas with chicken wire until the seedlings come up, and that helps to deter them, but there are always small spots of bare soil.

Mom read online that if you take dead branches and stick them in your garden, they make it difficult for a cat to find a soft place to plant her bottom. But we don't have an endless supply of small dead branches. So next spring, before the new crops come up, our garden will have rows and rows of plastic forks standing guard against marauding cats and their poops. I can't wait to see it.

Mom got something too. A couple months ago she found this cool Paula Dean glass bacon press at a garage sale for $1.

She was rather excited until she got home and realized that it wouldn't fit into the round dutch oven she uses to cook bacon. But as you can see, it does fit into the square electric frying pan she found.She also plans on using it to make rosettes this Christmas.

I got presents too:

A couple of CDs,

a1976 Batman Pepsi glass (surprisingly popular on ebay), a Pyrex opal white divided dish, a copper souvenir ashtray from Missouri, and a copper-colored aluminum volcano mold.

Then on Saturday, I got out our 1957 PINK! Sunbeam Mixmaster that I found at Goodwill for $25,

(It was even prettier before the tape monkeys at GW got to it and the tape pulled the paint off. Grrrr!!)

and my vintage ovenex pans

and baked this Devil's Food Cake for Dad.

Doesn't it look yummy displayed on my new cake plate?

Then the fun continued on Sunday. After church, I rushed over to the mall because Dad had received a card in the mail to redeem for a birthday gift from one of the stores.

He very generously let me keep it.


I also did a little thrifting myself this week.

Another Relpo baby planter!

I am linking this post to:
Thrift Share Monday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Thrifty Thursday
Garage Salen Party
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