Sunday, March 6, 2011

Thrifting on the Run

Several months ago a friend asked if I would do a workshop on how to publish an ebook for a literacy conference she was organizing. Sure, I said. It was way in the future. I’d have plenty of time to prepare (and recall what it was I did to publish Sleeping Dogs Lie as an ebook).

I’m sure you can guess what I’ve been working on this past week!

No, I didn’t leave it till the last minute…I just wanted it to be FRESH.

Turned out to be a lot of fun, had a great group. But what I didn’t realize when I signed up was that the conference would be on a Saturday morning.

Saturday, the day sacred to the thrifting gods. And not just any Saturday; one of the four Saturdays a year that having yard sales is legal in the town I live in, when I head over to a gorgeous posh neighborhood and drool over the vintage houses as I shop on the vintage driveways.

But the Queen of Fifty Cents is not going to let a little thing like a workshop commitment get in her way. Workshop started at 9:00; needed to be there about 8:15 to set up. Garaging starts about 7:00. You do the math!

An hour of thrifting beats none at all, and I even managed to spend $15. Didn’t have time to meet lots of pets, though I did spot this handsome guy.IMG_0137 I wonder if he used to be able to squeeze through that gap when he was a baby.

The garden tour on April 30 has been much on my mind. But I found a Garden Angel IMG_0160and I’m going to try to turn over any fretting to her care. Have to admit she’s not to my husband’s taste, but I was smitten with her jewelryIMG_0146and her Minnie Mouse shoes.IMG_0157BTW, if you go to the tour website, there are now some pictures of our yard among the Saturday 1 photos. Or visit my garden’s very own website!   

At the same sale I picked up a couple of new dish towels.IMG_0140Continuing in a practical vein, I bought one of those steam cleaner thingies.IMG_0141Hmmm. Not just any steam cleaner thingie, the ULTIMATE steam cleaner thingie. Have no idea if it will be worth the five bucks I paid, but I did test it on a little bit of grout in the kitchen and the gunk melted away, so I have high hopes. It would be great if it really will clean things like my shower doors. We have very hard water here and it’s a battle not just to be clean but to LOOK clean!

I suppose this find is also practical. At least semi practical, since I’m not sure yet where it will go.

IMG_0161You can turn on just the base, or the top bulbs, or all three, and the darned thing weighs almost eight pounds. Always a consideration when the kitties go on a rampage through the house. I think what really got me was the little pointy thing on top though.IMG_0165My last buy was this little Yixing teapot. My collection grows slowly.IMG_0167 IMG_0166As I was paying for it, the woman took my money and then announced quite loudly, “Your jacket is the exact same fabric as my sofa.” Everyone in earshot whirled around to see what a well-dressed sofa would wear.

High time to retreat to my workshop. As far as I know, no one mistook me for a sofa while I was there.

5 comments:

  1. Love the garden lady! So funny but will look cute there I'm sure. The lamp is very nice and I like heavy also! Interesting teapot! hugs, Linda

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  2. Sofa??
    what a peach!
    I want to know where these golden neighborhoods are....
    Ended up just going down to the Circle in Orange. There is a shop there that has a garden section that carries fresh new Annie's Annuals plants. Spent more than I want to admit, but have new fancy sweet-peas, and little Blue Eyes! and got five corms in one pot of a new fancy iris! Now, if it please the gardening Gods, may they all live!

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  3. The snow is being melted by rain, but, it still is winter here in Maine and this is when winter really, really overstays its welcome. I am reading posts about gardening and shopping and it is so, so hard to keep my happy face. But, I love to see what you got and that lamp...is fantastic. I am impressed that you were able to fit in shopping before your workshop. Is there anything more difficult than having to drive by sales? Some people don't understand that, but there are a group of us who do, right? So, I sit here and pretend that I was with you, smoozing the cute dogs and laughing the rest of the day at the connection made about your clothing and a couch, ouch!

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  4. Hey there!
    Really, really cool blog!
    Just thought I'd pass a long a website I'm working on, http://estatesales.org. its a super friendly way to find local estate sales (and you can have a weekly digest emailed to you of sales that a certain kind of item listed!)
    cheers!

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  5. Now I need to see a picture of your jacket! We were just at the upholstery shop last week picking up our truck with the newly upholstered front seats and I checked out all the fabrics hanging in the shop because I was thinking jacket! I sew and there are some beautiful upholstery fabrics that would work great for a jacket. (I'm sure your jacket is one of those!!!)

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I really love your comments. Thanks for coming along on my thrifty adventures!

 
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