Thrift Shopping For Men....

As a frugal gal....I do a lot of thrift shopping. Most everything we own is secondhand. Through the years I have found a lot of great bargains that were in our budget and nice. Just because it is thrifted certainly does not mean it's not nice. We have always been on a tight budget...I grew up fairly poor....you learn to appreciate things and to be frugal with everything from buying groceries to buying clothes. I do buy things new at times...But mostly I will buy secondhand. I think even if I had a ton of money in my budget to spend. I might splurge a little, but to be honest, the way I grew up and the years of using frugality...I would probably still look out for the clearance racks and bargains. My husband appreciates the bargains I come home with. It doesn't break the bank. He doesn't mind one bit if I came home with secondhand clothing for him either. Which brings me to this post. He is not one to go shopping for himself. He does not enjoy shopping. Mainly, I have been the one to pick out his clothing over our 20 years of marriage. He feels I have a good eye and my taste is suitable. And, he always likes what I choose for him. He is a simple kind of guy. He is not one that is too concerned, or fussy with his looks or fashion. He is most comfortable in a pair of jeans a T~shirt.

In the most recent years he has tired of wearing just a T~shirt and started to wear casual button ups or polos. That's simple enough. He does however have a preference to colors. He will absolutely not choose to wear pink or purple, nor will he wear pastels or gaudy prints. He generally stays in the earth tones. He like plaids and stripes...Which makes my job very easy. He is still a young man, so I try to stay with what is "IN"...Still keeping to a classic comfortable look. Thrifting for him can be hard at times...depending on the stock of the store. I choose gently worn with no stains or new items. Many are name brand or just nice. I also try to stay in a good price range. While thrifting I do not like to spend over $8 for a shirt. The most recent purchases I made ranged from $5~$7. Sometimes I will have a stamp card from my local thrift that gives me 30% off my entire purchase, or look for tag sales, or clothing sales. If I donate two bags of stuff to my local shop, they in return give me a 25% off voucher for my next purchase. These all come in handy while shopping for my man. 

I was able to buy him 6 button ups, short and long sleeved on sale this week for a whopping total of  $20. It was a great bargain...And he loved what I chose for him! If you are looking for a great gift or just need to stock up on some good clothes for the man, and you or your guy in your life doesn't care if it's second hand...I highly recommend thrift shopping. There are great bargains..A great place to find a whole wardrobe under a fraction of the cost for new things. The items I bought here, are in such great shape, you can't even tell they were previously owned. We are on a budget...This is how we roll. I am not ashamed... not one bit. And boy is he gonna look good!

Bright Sun Shiny Day Thrift Store Finds.....

Freckles and I went on one of our thrifting excursions earlier this week. We were thrilled to find a whole big stack of books for her library...She is collecting a lot of good books as well as classic reads. As she was picking out books, I did my normal run through the isles I focus on. I was thrilled to find a whole set of Melamine Mar-Crest Melmac cups/saucers and a sugar bowl/creamer in lovely Buttery Yellow from the 40's-50's. They will be perfect for our picnics and perhaps some tea parties...All for just $6.

 

 

Another sweet find were these adorable ceramic place holders for names and flowers. I thought they would be perfect for a dinner party of 6 or even that tea party we will have when using the dishes we just got. Yeah.... I love the happy colors....right up my alley. Final cost $2.

 

Then I found these darling little juice glasses with butterflies.
 Perfect in every way. So far I was hitting the jack pot...$5 for all.

The last treasure I couldn't pass up were these two bath towels. These vintage sweeties are in awesome condition, as if they were hardly ever used. I don't mind the mixed matched look...so they came home with me. It was a bright sun shiny day...

And I didn't even break the bank. $4 for both.

 Now I have to go through stuff I don't want and donate it. I told myself if I ever come home with new stuff, then something old that I don't need or use will be donated.

 Then I won't end up a pack rat. It really helps.

Cheers to a great weekend.

The Thrill Of The Hunt...

Freckles and I have been out and about the past several weeks, hitting all the local thrift shops and neighboring towns shops in the search for little treasures. Some shops have been big flops. Yet, some shops have reaped little treasures. I am only bringing little things back at this time, since Mr. Darling advised no more big things until we move. So little things it is. I love the hunt however...It is thrilling to go into a shop and sift through every little corner, sort through every little pile, and dig through every shelf. Sometimes there are winners, sometimes we leave empty handed. But when we find a little something....

Our hearts go pitter patter. I know, it probably seems silly...But we enjoy it as a little past time hobby. My recent finds will all have homes very soon, as we finally have some good news to share. Mr.Darling has been called for a year internship, which will move forward into a church plant. More about that later next week, after we visit our new area and search for a place to call home.

Today we brought home this cute little naked Kewpie...And a sugar spoon. We also found this 5 lb. rice bag. Would be cute in our kitchen or made into a pillow...We'll see what happens with that.

We also grabbed this saltine cracker tin...I love the colors. I may just use this as a cracker tin. 

Makes sense, don't you think? I like using tins for what they were meant for. I wish they still made cool packaging like that with food....Nowadays it's just cheapo trash, nothing cute, nothing special. 

They just don't make anything like they used to.

I also found this large, plump velvet strawberry pin keep.

 It was just a couple bucks... 

We have also collected some sheets and pillow cases, a handy yellow mirror, a few children's books to add to my growing collection, some votive's and Pyrex. Will share some of that another time.

When we move, it's gonna be like Christmas.

 I can't wait to unpack and make a new home sweet home again. It will be mighty fine to be out on our own again, with a chance to have a whole new fresh start to our lives. My hubby will finally be doing what he loves, after the many years of schooling and Seminary.

 We are so excited to get back on our feet and do the Lord's work.

 Next phase: Home Hunting....That will be thrilling.

Happy Weekend

This weekend Freckles and I went out on the town, hitting the little thrift shops in the area. 

Lets just say, it was a good thrifting weekend..

We also found this big wall of graffiti, so we had to stop for a picture, I think I'll take both my kids back for a little photo shoot. I love the colorful, funkiness it adds.

I love the hunt for little treasures...We went up and down every isle, sorting through,

 digging in and searching for the things we know we like.

I was happy to find a whole lot of vintage hot pads in one shop...

They were 50% off...I left paying about $5.00 for all nine. In another shop we found this sweet embroidered linen dish cloth...all that work and never used...Another 50% off item...at $3..

I was thrilled.

This little sweetie sat lonely on a shelf...no matching mate...I knew I had to have her for my little kitschy salt and pepper collection...I have a few other orphans packed away. She will fit in just fine. Isn't she the cutest sweet pea you've ever seen? I found a few more things which I will share later...I just didn't get pictures of them yet.

Last week we went out thrifting as well....I found this lovely quilt top...Full of happy colors, yet needs to be either finished our used in a project. I am thinking about maybe using it to recover a chair...we'll see when the time comes. It was cheap, so of course I had to snag it.

I also found this little red velvet character...perfect for Valentines....He was just a coupe bucks...

 And I couldn't resist those big eyes looking at me.

lastly we grabbed this View~Master...It brought me back to my childhood. We don't have any reels for it...But I found this site where you can have your pictures made into reels for these little machines...They are a bit pricey... but, I think it would make a great coffee table conversation piece.

 Check it out here.

Hope your having a 

Happy Weekend...

Little Things

Hello friends, it's another week, another Monday...How are you? Sorry I have not been posting much...I just aint got notin'. I am trying to find inspiration to begin on new art pieces...I am really digging deep, and have some ideas in my mind...it's getting h
them out that's the problem. Aside from that....Freckles and I have gotten out a bit ti find some little things from thrift shops around town....We didn't find much...
But still had a good time together, as we always do.
 
I love that she likes to thrift shop with me.....Anyhoo....
I was pleased to find this cute red and white potholder
for a whopping 75 cents...Can't
 wait to add it to my collection in my new
 future kitchen ( where ever that may be)

Another fun little thing we found was the old thermos...It is in orange and brown...the inside was broken, so I removed the insides and decided to use it for Freckles pens~markers and pencils on her work area...Cute,functional and just perfect for my little write. In the Spring & Summer it just may have to hold a little bouquet of flowers. She loves it...And oh so cute, coupled with her darling vintage typewriter she got from her Gramma last year for her birthday.

Lastly this darling little thing awaited to be adopted for just a $1.50....He is adorable...He loves books, just like Freckles. So we brought him home. So, we didn't find anything realllllly spectacular, but sometimes it's the little things that brighten up ones day...and these little things did just that and didn't break the budget. Hope y'all are having a great week...Sorry to my regular readers and favorite blogs for not coming by lately...and leaving some love...I hope to get back to reading your blogs as soon as I get a better regiment to my day started. Hugs to you all. Have a blessed week.

Cozy Quilts....

I love quilts...This is the perfect time to dig them out, wrap yourself up in it's cozy warmth and extreme cuteness. My recent thrifting finds are these quilts ( And they were very inexpensive). One is finished completely by hand and very old as there are a few blocks that are very fragile. I am always amazed when I see a quilt that has been hand sewn....How long did it take them to do all of it...The simplistic patchwork with all the quilted detail...I love it.They are works of art. The thicker one is perfect for Winter evenings and chilly mornings.
 
The second beauty I found is unfinished...The top is Dresden style ( flowers and stars in multi colored patterns)....so sweet and purty...I knew I could finish it off as a project this Spring...The colors are happy just waiting to be quilted and snuggled in. It's a wonder though what happened...Why was it not finished? All the hours and work and stitches put into it then left unfinished for who knows how long. Thank God I know how to sew...It's gonna be a beaut when it is finished.

It just makes me appreciate them all the more.
 Do you love quilts?

 Hope you all are keeping warm out there....It is still pretty chilly..
The perfect quilt weather that is for sure. Have a toasty day.

I LOVE The littlest Things....

 

I've been so good! Really I haven't stepped foot in a Thrift Shop for weeks! As much as I love to Thrift I had to back down. I thought heck.... I can window shop right??? Well that all depends what if I found something I really loved....I only reallly love the little things. I walked in thinkin' I'm just looking!!! But, I can't just look cause something always jumps into my hands. I found a vintage flowery sheet that will be used in a project... and heck it's 75% off all linens so I got it for a dollar!!!

 

Then I walked innocently through the isles and it jumped at me and fell...yes fell into my hands...This sweet delicate glass jar with happy colors with flowers and birds and hearts oh my! It was only $2.00...I just couldn't put it down...it made me happy... and just look at it...C'mon! It is so me right?

 

It reminds me of this sweet crewel embroidery I found not too long ago that has the same sort of design on it...( I will share that with you later ) Maybe a Dutch print? Anyhoo...I never did put the jar down..I walked out of there only spending a few dollars. That makes Mr. Darling happy too!

 

What will I do with it...Oh you can bet it will be used for a pretty bouquet and perhaps some candies or trinkets as time passes. Can you walk away from the littlest thing that makes your heart jump with giddy? I guess it all depends on the price....Hope you have a lovely weekend dears...I am off to get the rooms ready for my MIL and SIL & Nephew visiting us!!!
Hugs XOXOXO

Fill them Up....

Love, love my old glass jars! 

Sometimes the packaging of store bought foods 

just isn't appealing to the eye.

So, I decided to start storing our goodies in cute glass jars.

I had bought these cuties at the thrift shop...

And spent less than 2 bucks a piece. 

Filled them up.

Now my pantry is happy inside.

And so am I !

Daisy....

My beautiful Daisy Ganny.....

A sweet find while Thrifting!

( $3.00 )

Lucky me!

Just In Time....

Why did we buy this sweet umbrella last week?

Well, of course we got it

for April showers.

Just in time too...

This first day of April,

the rain is coming !!

 I told Missy to get under it...

But she would rather get wet. 

She's just happy that her grass will keep green.

I guess we will have to take a walk 

in the rain 

(maybe even sing in the rain)

just to get the chance

to use this sweet umbrella 

I thrift-ed for only two dollars!!!

Well, I am off to plan out a romantic weekend.

Mr. Darling & I are celebrating 

our 16th Wedding Anniversary.