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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Things to Look for at the Thrift Store Should I Ever Go Back Alone:

Last Friday I got a wild hair and took all three kids to the thrift store here in town. It wasn't completely crazy, we'd been to the post office, where they were perfect, then Dairy Queen, where they were also very well behaved. It was a bit risky, but I didn't think I'd have a better chance, so we went.

In the 2 minutes we were there before Buggy decided that he should play hide and seek under the racks, I think I discovered that there will be lots of treasures to be found. If I ever get to go back alone! I did find the bowl above, and a small blue ball jar like these. I know there were more of both the bowl pattern (am I the only one who loves that bowl?) and some more jars. After getting home with my jar, which I plan to use as a soap dispenser once we have a drill again, I realized that I'd really like several more to use for popcorn and rice and beans. That led me to the inevitable list making, and since this blog is Books. Lists. Life, I'm sharing with you.

Things to Look for at the Thrift Store Should I Ever Go Back Alone:
  • A striped knit shirt. I read a lot of fashion blogs of the what-I-wore-today variety (as opposed to the runway fashion variety) and I see a lot of cute layering with striped shirts. I want narrow stripes of a color and white. I need to keep in mind that I can alter a too big one.
  • Skirts. I can alter a lot about skirts. I'm not a big wearer of shorts and would like more everyday skirts. I need to keep in mind that I can cut a dress in half and make a new waist if it's cute enough.
  • Belts. How often do these bloggers use belts to belt over a cardigan or a dress to make it interesting?
  • More mid-sized bowls, maybe serving platters. The bowl above is the size you'd use for a side of peas. We have very few mid-sized bowls.  I love that they wouldn't all match.
  • More jars with lids. As previously said, for dry storage.
  • Interesting things to use for storage. In my sewing room I have little glass bowls for my buttons, and a little casserole dish holds sewing odds and ends. I need to look for little baskets and bowls and boxes. (Can't seem to move that picture to this bullet point. See the little jars on the left? Second shelf? They stack, buttons are sorted by color.)
  • Linens. Sheets, tablecloths, napkins. Both for use as is and to use as fabric for sewing.
  • Craft stuff. I noticed this store has a whole wall of hoops and patterns and I don't know what all (I noticed it as a ran past dragging the baby in her car seat and loudly whispering for the Bug to "get back here right now!"
Ok, giant list. You see why I need to go alone? What do you look for at the thrift store?

As a side note, see the troll on the top shelf? That thing was in my grandpa's study my entire life. It used to scare the shit out of me. (Sorry for the language, but crap does not convey the terror.) I would sneak down the stairs past it so it wouldn't get me. When my grandfather died and my grandmother moved, we were asked what we wanted out of the house and that is one of the things I requested. I love it.


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10 comments:

  1. Good luck finding your treasures. Does the troll scare your kids?

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  2. Troll? That thing looks like one of those sand monsters from Star Wars. Sorry, I don't know my Star War's characters too well.

    I typically do not do well with clothes from the thrift store but what I like to look for are paintings, specifically oil paintings. I also like baskets and glassware (small jars, etc.) The Girl likes those small, clutch type purses and there are always a ton of those.

    I also like furniture that I can restore. I saw a really old (in bad shape) white, roll-top desk that I almost bought to restore, but it was sort of hollowed out and a bit too light for my liking.

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  3. Yeah, bookstores and thrift stores are the only times I put my feet down with my friends and their kids. For those adventures, they are welcome to come, but daddy gets baby-sitting duty. They are places to browse and you can't do that with children.

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  4. I love going to the thrift store and finding books for my children for dirt cheap. I also enjoy looking for myself but usually by the time I get a chance one of the kids is crying or ready to leave.

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  5. Oh, I have lots of those little jars! I have smaller ones and bigger ones and sometimes I use them for everything and then I stop for a while. I used them for years in the kids art area but they've outgrown that so now I need to find a new use for them. I always have to do thrift stores alone. My husband likes them, too, but I hate shopping with him!

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  6. Love the bowl! I look for skirts as they are the best to wear in the summer. I look for unique kid's clothes for my Groovy Girl. Last time I found a huge ball jar with the attached lid-it now holds my brown rice. Good luck and it is best to go alone-quiet time. Love that you now own the scary troll.

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  7. I had a set of those exact dishes! Loved them!

    In thrift stores, I always wind up looking a books.

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  8. I have a son with special needs. I used to take him with my everywhere, but since he's gotten a "mind of his own" (think toddler in the body of a teenager) I pick and choose where I'll take him or at least WHEN. Last weekend we went to Goodwill, with me telling him all the way there, "FIRST we look at books, THEN we can look at toys, then we can look at the other stuff." I quizzed him as we drove, "What do we look at first?" "Books", he signed. I reminded him as we walked in the doors..."books first". He did SO well, I made a small jaunt to another Goodwill. Reminding him and quizzing on the way. I overestimated his ability to perform appropriately twice in a row. This time I spent my time chasing him, telling him to put breakables down, reminding him he's too big for a riding toy made for a toddler, trying to wrestle him (he's a strong 13 yr. old) out the door when he wasn't minding and hoping no one thought I was the incompetent mother I felt like while I was there.

    Soooo....next time....no SON with me and I'll just be looking for whatever treasure is waiting to be found! ;-)

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  9. I LOVE storing things in jars. I get a thrill when I've emptied food from a jar and the label comes off easily with no glue left behind and the jar is plain, without any words or graphics on it. Such a thrill. Those are the ones I love to reuse for all sorts of homemade foods or dried herbs, spices, beans, lentils, couscous, and more.

    I also look for serving platters and bowls and such when going into thrift and or junk shops. Except I actually prefer that they don't match! LOL. Similar color schemes, yes. Matching, not really! ;)

    I also love making lists. It's no wonder we're friends.

    As for that scary thing from your grandpa. Ohmygosh, I'd sneak down the stairs past that thing NOW. It IS creepy looking.

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