Friday Finds

Sadly, since moving a year ago, I've not found any great thrift stores around my area.
I've checked out a couple, on more than one occasion, and they haven't done much for me.
I don't normally buy clothes at the thrift store, because of the tall issue at our house, so I am looking for other items.  It just doesn't seem like I can find anything that calls out to me.
Hubby is probably thrilled about that as I haven't bought much in that department.

The couple times I've been back in our old neighborhood area I've stopped by my favorite store and found a bargain or two.  I suppose I'll just have to find other ways to fill my bargaining need.

Therefore, my Friday Finds section might be few and very far between from now on.
Here are some of the things I have found, and probably not posted about in the last number of weeks or months or even in the last year.

"Slinky" clock
Love this thing.


This baby was a challenge.
Buying a thrifted clock is a gamble.
It may not work...even with fresh batteries.
Tried it.
Nothing.
I could hear it "ticking" but the hands weren't moving.
I bought and subsequently returned two different clock mechanisms because those were not the right size.
Finally, with nothing left to lose, I took the mechanism apart.
What I found was that the cogs were off slightly so they wouldn't connect with each other.
I carefully put the cogs back in their proper place, refreshed the batteries and it has been working great ever since. YES!!

I had planned on using this in my boys' room, but decided I liked it more than they did and now it is hanging in our dining room.

8 Wood Shutters
This score makes me so HAPPY!  I happened to see this pile of shutters on the side of the road, in the drizzly rain, but didn't stop.  Then later the same day after running errands I was hoping and hoping they were still there.


Yes, they were, and still in the drizzly rain I grabbed them all.
They measure 14 inches wide by 48 inches tall.
I mostly wanted them to make a headboard for my daughter's room.
I'll show what we came up with next week.
We were super excited with how it all turned out.

Adirondack Chairs
Found all of these last Fall and have been holding onto them in our screen porch until this Spring to do a makeover on them.


2 Adirondack chairs for $1.50 each at the thrift store.

4 more Adirondack chairs free from the curb.  They have some broken spots that will need to be repaired, but I already figured out how to do that.  I plan on painting all of them once they are fixed up.  And then we can use them out by the fire pit that we don't yet have either. Minor detail......

Repair idea #1
Repair idea #2
Fixing paint oxidation on plastic chairs

Enjoy your weekend everyone!  It is looking fabulous here in Minnesota.

Friday Finds

Found this gem at my thrift store.  I'm sure it is a corner piece for a sectional couch, but I like it just as a chair. ($11)  It is super comfy and other than smelling a bit like cigarettes, it'll work great.



I had it sitting out all day the day I got it and sprayed it with Febreeze to see if that would help.  It may need another time or two of airing out as well as Febreezing.  The plan is to make a slipcover for it and redo the 2 cushions.


When the middle school kids came home from school they were happy to try it out and use it as a homework space.  They also told me that they would happily have it in their room.


Nice try.
This will either go in the LR or in the master BR when we get a new house.


Our lovely neighbors Carol and Doug gave us a meat slicer, still with the box, that they've probably used twice--for both HS graduations of their children.  At least one of their kids is now a grandfather.  It has been a long time.

I think they figured Hubby could use it for the next time he gets a deer.  We do already have a meat grinder, we make our own venison hamburger, but we didn't have a slicer.  We'll just add this to our other food storage equipment.


Found this spiky-ish Fall wreath at the Thrift Store that I decided I liked.  Took off the gold ribbon/bow and have hung it by my front door.  (My other Fall wreaths are packed somewhere).

Friday Finds

Here are a couple of my finds over the last couple of weeks.

After driving by this LARGE dumpster in front of a house at least 2 times in a couple days I decided to stop for this pair of chairs I could see the legs sticking out.  The dumpster was completely full of all sorts of stuff, mostly household stuff, but I just wanted the chairs.

I knocked on the door of the house more than a few times, but no one answered. Since it was in the dumpster I just took it.



Turned out it was only one chair---at least where I could get to.
The other legs belonged to the pedestal portion of a table.
No table top that I could see.



The chair is cool, and so was the pedestal, but I didn't want to think about figuring that part out.
I just took the chair.

Then a different week on a different street and after passing by a freebie pile in someone's front yard about 3 times in a couple days I decided to rescue a hexagon side table with a glass top.



I think I will put a wood piece on the bottom to make another shelf.  There might have been another glass piece there on the bottom, but it is now gone.  I may replace the glass top with wood too, but not sure just yet.  Here is an upcycle option I saw on Pinterest.



Last week hubby asked me if I went to the thrift store every day.
"No, just Tuesdays and Fridays on their 25% off days."
"Oh", he says, "it just seems like you go every day."
Maybe, but really I don't.

Funny thing about him though, the very next day he comes home and says to me, "Do you want a cedar chest?  There is one just around the block with a FREE sign on it."
I grabbed my shoes and off we went.
Now we have another cedar chest--hubby plans to give it to our daughter, which is certainly fine with me.



She was excited about it once she saw it after work and then they were doing some research on it and it turns out it is a Lane cedar lined chest that was made in July 1942--we know this from the serial number underneath.



It still has original paperwork inside attached to the lid--dated Jan. 1944. And the inside looks brand new.



Other than some glass water marks on the top and a slight crack on the inside drawer which can be easily glued together it really is in great shape, especially as old as it is.  Hubby says he doesn't think the owners knew what they had.  Probably not, but that's fine.  We'll take good care of it.

Just wish I knew some of its history.

Friday Finds

A couple weeks ago I had my #2 daughter with me and we stopped at the thrift store to browse around. This is NOT one of her favorite things to do.  But she will go with me from time to time.

I go enough that I have my "routine" of where I look and which aisles, etc.

First up is furniture.
On this particular day we saw this beautiful desk with some fabulous scrolling and cabriole legs and even a cute bench to go with.
Just no price tag.
That always scares me.
I figured they would probably mark it at $50 or $100 because it was in really nice shape.

We walked around and checked out the rest of my spots and then came back and there was the desk still sitting there.  I made her stand by the desk while I found someone.

I asked one of the workers if they knew how much it was and when they couldn't find a price tag either they called someone else over, who left to go get a price.

Lo and behold I about died when he slapped on the tag and it was $29.99!!!!

What!!!
That meant it was only going to be $22.50 because it was 25% off day.

We bought it and while I was waiting for someone to write up the slip a different worker came to ask if we were getting it because someone else had been asking about it.

Yes, we are buying it.
Daughter #2 decided she should have it for her new room in the new house that we still don't have yet.
I agreed she could have it.



Isn't it cool?!
No broken drawers.
No missing scroll work.







Great feet.
And a bench to go with.



That cushion will be super easy to change out. We'll have to be on the hunt for a fun piece of fabric.

We are thinking of leaving the top of the desk dark wood and then painting the rest a cream color and distressing it a bit.

There's my one big happy find for this week.
I am trying to do other things besides accumulate things.
I better get back to my sewing machine.
Enjoy your weekend.

Friday Finds

Over the last week or two I have found some good bargains.  I've also passed on some good bargains, somewhat regrettably, but I'll be O.K.  If they had been FREE I would've snatched them up for sure.  But I am trying to curb the "wants" since we still are trying to move and I don't know what I will be doing with everything for sure.

Mission style side table or nightstand--$14.99





Small side table--$3.74.  Daughter #3 wants this in her new room.



I plan on beefing up the bottom shelf/base, adding legs and painting a fun color.
Love the detailing on the side.


Grocery bag worth of fabric for $2.99
Includes:

• 2 yds. blue cotton print
• 4 yds. of brown/orange knit fabric
• 2+ yds. of white upholstery weight fabric--I may dye this down the road
• 1+ yd. of heavy denim
• 3 yds. of floral print
• 6 yds. of chambray linen-ish fabric

4 blue canning jars for 75 cents each.  One was marked $4.99 but they let me have it for the lower price of $.99/ea before the 25% discount because the other 3 were marked lower.  Yipee!!  Daughter #3 went with me last time and spotted a small blue jar that we only paid  $.51 for.  Good eye, kiddo!!

I made these up with some Dollar Tree flowers and have used them as a centerpiece on our table when we have a house showing.  

Trio of pretty green candle holders for $1.49.

Storage ottoman for $3.74 which may not even need anything at all done to it.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!  Hope it is a good one.

Friday Finds

When you are trying to sell a house and move you really shouldn't be finding or buying additional stuff.  The whole idea is to purge and clean out for a fresh start, don't you think?

Sometimes it just can't be helped.

As hubby and I were once again heading to Menard's for something we needed to finish a project we drove by this group of furniture sitting out on the curb in this industrial park area.

Still there on our way back I picked up a chair and a bench.  Passed on the round glass table.



These are metal and wood and fabric.  The fabric needs help, but everything else is in good shape.  I actually went back again and picked up the other 2 chairs (3 total) and will figure it out later.  At least one will go to my son for his desk in his new room that we don't yet have.



I really liked the metal supports on this bench too.  They are on the ends too.



This can be used in then entry or mudroom--once again I don't know where we are moving to, but I have visions anyway.  It can be painted some fun color....or add a cushion....



And here is the downsize and staging of my LR.  We moved out a cedar chest and a loveseat to the basement so that we can make it look more open.



The little table between the chairs is a sewing machine table that I found free on the curb in my neighborhood 3 yrs. ago.  I had my son take out the machine just this week because it was SO heavy.  And although the machine did work, I hadn't ever used it and decided to remove it (donated it to my thrift store).  Then we tightened up the legs a bit and good to go.



The 2 wingback chairs I just picked up on Wednesday at one of the thrift stores that I frequent occasionally. Stopped there on a whim and found these for $12.99/ea. marked down from $27.99/ea.  They were in better shape upholstery-wise than the other 2 I had in there and these matched each other, so even better.  I had almost bought a different pair of wingbacks last week for $49.99/ea.  Glad I didn't.  They had dark floral upholstery.  The lighter ones (they are kind of a green grey fabric) look nicer in this space.

I also picked up recently 2 different Pampered Chef stoneware pieces.  A loaf pan (which I absolutely LOVE for making homemade bread) for $5 and a 9 x 13 pan for $10.  Happy day!!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!!

Friday Finds and packing up

I should NOT be going to the thrift store at all.  Repeat, NOT AT ALL!  But lo and behold I've stopped by a couple times in the last month or so.  I have to say though that I have usually left with nothing.  That's a good sign, because I am purging my house as we are getting ready to put our house on the market and really I shouldn't be adding anything to my packing piles.

But....I did find a little bit of a fabric treasure last week on one of the sale days.



Paid $9.60 for all the above.
3 Kwik Sew t-shirt patterns for the 3 youngest.
And 6 bundles of fabric, including a fun Alexander Henry piece.
I did put about 4 of those pieces (the juvenile prints) back into my giveaway pile as I knew I wouldn't have a use for them.



Most of the pieces were at least a 1/2 yard each.
So I guess that means I should come up with a fun blue quilt project.
Maybe I'll think up a collaborative project again with some of my friends.  We'll see.

In the meantime I am having a hard time emotionally going thru my sewing "crap".
I have gotten rid of at least 3 large bags of scraps and other items.
You can't tell if you were to look at my sewing room, but I have done it.
I just need to do more.
You would think it would be easy enough for me as quite a bit of my fabric has been given to me.
No such luck.
I can think of lots of things I could do with the fabric, but I need to be realistic.
Just because I could do something doesn't mean I have to. Right?!
Right!

One thing I am doing, in anticipation of packing up most everything in that room, is to package up some of my projects individually in large ziploc bags.  I find these at the dollar store--2 for $1.  They have been great for me.



I put the fabric or fabrics, thread, pattern, and other extras that may go with all in the same bag.  I plan on putting these in one place or box so that if I "need" to sew while in the midst of all this moving madness I'll be able to pull out a baggie and get to work.

Friday Finds

I'm so glad that school is back in session.  I feel like my life can normalize a little bit now. It has been hard to do blog stuff when we've been working through some medical stuff with 2 of the kids: including new braces, high BP medication, a previous undiagnosed congenital kidney defect, an angiogram/angioplasty, medication changes, a colonoscopy/upper endoscopy, ultrasound, HIDA scan and a couple CT scans on various body parts.  I feel like I've been a crazy woman running to this or that appointment and at times turning into the mean mother bear who wants answers about her cubs---NOW---and who wants them fixed and healthy. Fortunately for us at least one of the kids now has a plan in place and things are good.  Still working on the other one and have more appointments down the road.  I'd really like to find a solution for her...soon.

Anyway, I think one of the things that has helped keep me sane through this is my time being able to wander thru the aisles at the thrift store.  Yeah, I know, probably lame, but I like it.  And my kids usually don't want to go, so even better, I get to go by myself.

This is a partial list of some of the goodies I've found recently or earlier this summer.

• 2 yds. of very PINK swim fabric for $1.50.  Hello more baby swimsuits with ruffle bums!
• Porch swing for $30 that we hung on the swing set for all to enjoy this summer.
• Two Land's End swim skirts from the thrift store.  Both brand new (with the crotch lining protector still intact) in the style we love. Black one for $3 and turquoise one for daughter #1 for $3.75.  WooHoo!!
• Almost 10 yds. of 1 1/4 inch drawstring elastic for $1.87.  So happy about that one as I have a bunch of sweatshirt material for pants in the Fall for the kids....and me.
• Gorgeous navy and white swim fabric for under $3.
• Chicken wire and twig ball thingy that I want to use on a lamp somewhere for $2.24.  I actually got 2 of them on 2 different occasions.  Not exactly the same sizes, but close enough.

• Last week I found a Pampered Chef Apple/Peeler/Corer/Slicer for $4.50.  Retails new for $32.00! And it appears that it's never been used.  This find really makes me happy because my previous PC peeler is dead.  It is old and has served us really well.  The replacement peeler I bought elsewhere isn't as good.  So back to Pampered Chef we go.  Yeah!
• Sauce Master Food Strainer for $3.50 (minus 2 parts, but I can order them new for $10.)  This retails for $50 new.  I don't know that I "need" 2 of these, but seriously for this price it beats any replacement parts I may need to buy down the road.
• Just this morning I picked up another Kenmore sewing machine for $15.00.  It is super similar to this one that I got for free.  Same options, etc. though probably a slightly older model.  I think my friend Jenny is going to buy it from me as her machine is junk (really, it is) and she has the sewing bug.

Friday Finds

Before I get into the Friday finds I just have to show you what is happening at my house today---May 3rd people!!  We are getting snow!

About the only thing I can be thankful for is that in other parts of the state they already received 13 inches of snow in the last 2 days.  Are you kidding me!!  I just want to scream.  I shouldn't be wearing gloves and boots to do my errands in May.


O.K. back to the schedule....
I haven't done a Friday Finds in awhile so I thought I'd show a few things that I've acquired over the past weeks...or months.  It has been awhile.

• 2 yds. of  white and royal blue striped knit for $1.99.  I made a maxi skirt for daughter #1 out of this.  The stripes are super wide on this piece---7 inches.  We used pattern McCall's 6654 for a regular slightly flared maxi. Inspired by this pin.

• 1+ yds.of green and blue floral cotton print for $.99.  As I'm looking at this up close this isn't really floral but more four leaf clover-ish.  Hope daughter #1 doesn't mind.  I still think it will be a cute skirt.

• Some baskets for my master bath to use on some shelves that I have't yet put up.  2 rectangle and 3 square for under $6 total.  I'll already spray painted them white so everything will coordinate better.  And the pink check liners will be thrown out and replaced with nothing, or something better fabric.

• About 9 yds of royal blue swimwear/dancewear fabric for $7.50 for the entire bolt.  There is a flaw on one selvage edge that appears to be thru the entire bolt, but that is still a lot of fabric and I can work around it.  Daughters #1 and #3 will be in blue heaven.  I plan to make some swim team practice suits for my girls for the upcoming swim season.  Last year's suits probably need to be retired--a little too much thinning on the backside if you know what I mean.

• 6+ yds. of turquoise stretch lace fabric for $3!!!  WooHoo?!  Daughter #1 will probably get a dress out of it--something pretty and flared at the bottom.  I plan on keeping the rest myself.

• 5+ yds. of navy fleece for $2.25.  I plan on making fleece long johns or sweats for the hunting/scouting crew. 

• Nine 1 - 2 yd. pieces of Michael Miller and Moda fabrics in various colors for $11.22.

• 23 Marcus Brothers Civil War Collection fat quarters for $7.49 = $.33 per fat quarter.  I am thinking of using these to make either the Sunday Morning (low volume quilt) from Sunday Morning Quilts or the Candy Coated quilt.

• 3 stacks of charm squares and a couple additional fat quarters for $11.22.  It appears 2 of the stacks are the same or possibly different colorway of the same. I think this is actually the equivalent of 6 charm packs. The 2 sets will make a fun Fall quilt.  The other group something for Valentine's season.

• 3 yds. of stretch denim for $3.  I had bought 2 other pieces at my favorite fabric store for $3/yd. So this will give us a nice amount to make shorts, or capris, or a jean skirt.

Wow, it appears I've gone a bit crazy on the fabric shopping.  Haven't done that in a long time.  Maybe this out of season Winter weather is throwing me off.  Anything to cheer me up....pretty fabric anyone!?