{scissor variations}

thrift store sourcing for holiday 'helpers'

 

wool sweaters

last winter my sister and i gathered wool sweaters at our favorite thrift stores. we then felted them all in a single afternoon. once they were dry, we cut them up and we each had a basket full of pieces to use for this year's hand stitched ornaments + other craft projects. the felting took little time. waiting a full year to use the felt for some specific projects took a little more patience.

 

this is an excellent guideline for felting especially if you have little or no experience-the instructions are very clear + easy to follow.

what i did was cut + paste the wool types she listed + made a little wallet card for myself + that way if i decided to pop into the thrift store i was armed with the information card + could hunt + gather suitable sweaters (i stuck to 100% wool+ lambswool). obviously you could just put this information in your phone as well for easy access. following her tips we had 100% success with the felting process.

 

 

food + product tins

whenever i am at my local thrift store i quickly scan over the tin section every time. always. there are lots of "duds", but every once in a while you will spy a gem.  

for this year's gift giving i have found a vintage tin with my husband's name on it as well as a couple of tins depicting photos of some famous cities in Europe--where a family member will soon be visiting. the small honey tin will be used for a plant for a friend who used to live in the city where the honey was made.

 

i love using tins for presenting food gifts, and they make great gift "boxes" for non-edibles as well. be sure and clean them in very hot, soapy water. i also run them through the dishwasher to further sanitize them (wash + dry them throughly once the dishwasher has run its cycle).

 

 

linens

i found this gorgeous linen poinsettia tea towel in subtle holiday hues that i thought i might frame and either use as a pin board (i might not be able to bring myself to make pin holes in it). or i may just frame it under glass as artwork or a dry-erase message board for the holidays. i am sure this tea towel had never seen the light of day until it landed at the thrift store as it is in pristine condition and has that new unlaundered stiffness to it. i just need to get those crisp creases out.

 

as i have mentioned many times i find it hard to resist a hankie. even from a place i have never visited. however, i know this travel souvenir will hold court in a family member's home, as soon as i launder, press and frame it for them. if you find a linen piece that may have a stain on it think about how you might be able to cover the stain by adding a few embroidery stitches to it, or the recipient's name or year that you are giving it to them--or if it is a souvenir fabric piece you can embroider a special date on it that means something to the recipient.

 

 

 

what i'm buying at the thrift store now

decorative wood serving platters.

 

i always head to the bakeware section of the thrift store to see if i can find a treasure or two.

 

but lately i find myself drawn to the kitchen section that has "all things 1970's wooden" --salad bowls, serving utensils, platters.

 

these pieces remind me of my parent's in their younger years, wood panelling and basement rec rooms. not normally where my vintage affections are directed.

 

when i saw this oval shaped serving platter i had to do a quick self-check. really? are you sure? i was definitely second guessing my attraction.  

 

when i see too many of these wood pieces grouped together i go "agghh". but when paired with a mirrored surface, some fresh flowers, an inlaid shell picture frame--all of those textures together make me very happy. and those swervy sections? well, the collector in me gets instant butterflies.

 

when i had a "guess the price i paid" game among friends recently they were only over by $39.50.

variations on scissors

 

an easy painting project is to color code your vintage metal scissor handles for specific use: fabric, paper, yarn, etc. since i am not much of a sewer and i have no personal attachment to these thrift store scissors i assign them to paper cutting and other such blasphemous craft tasks.

 

before i set about painting i usually take them in to be sharpened and tighten the center screw as they may have been sitting idle in someone's sewing basket for several years.

 

i prep them by washing them and drying them thorougly, then i tape off the entire lower blade portion. i use a spray paint suitable for stainless steel. allow to dry according to manufacturer's directions. then repeat on the other side.

 

i prefer the feel of metal handles over molded plastic, there is something so much more tactile about them, don't you think? and often you will find that the vintage metal scissors have been made by noted manufacturers in England, Germany and Switzerland---this is usually noted near the center screw, squinting may be helpful.

 

 

i have always meant to have this as my blog banner. september always feels like my official fresh start. so there it is. 4+ years later...

what i'm buying at the thrift store now

velvets!

 

don't just scour the fabric shelves---the cool retro green velvet in the above photo (3rd from the bottom) is the ugliest curtain panel, but i could see the potential for future craft projects so i got all 4 panels.

 

grey grey grey-i love using grey for the holidays with another solid color

 

 whenever i spot velvet and/or suiting
yardage and remnants at the thrift store i know better than to leave them
sitting on the store shelf.

 

thrift stores offer great pricing, often have 50% off sales or scale sales ( a set price per pound for fabric/clothing/linens) --so take advantage when you are scouring for fabrics.

 

and don't forget to look for upholstery shop sample books too.
often the books will make their way to the thrift shops when the "decor seasons" change. my local shop charges 10 cents a swatch. i look for velvet, wool and linen swatches (+ anything green!). there is often enough in a swatch for a smaller project--- you can make a small change pouch or a sachet or a few fabric tags with a swatch piece.

 

 

if you have taken the time to stockpile these richly textured fabrics in the summer, you will have a head start to your holiday crafting.

 

mrs beetons cookery

 

i have wanted an early edition of Mrs. Beeton's for quite some time.

 

 

and like everyone else who wants a Mrs. Beeton's you want it for the color plates.

 

(my favorite page, after the color plates, of course)

 

an early edition (pre-1905) of Mrs. Beeton's often sells for between $75.00 and $125.00 on ebay. so, while i wanted a copy, i decided to just admire it from my computer screen.

 

it was my lucky day at the thrift store a while back:

i got my Mrs. Beeton's

 a 1901 edition.

for $1

the color plates are beautiful-especially the cake + pastry ones. but the cheese "plate" may be my favorite.

+ i love that you can find boiled tongue on the same page as treacle candy.

you know. for quick reference.

missoni collection by value village

 

 i had a few Barbies growing up, but i could take them or leave them. i was more enamored of the portable cases and closets, the plastic scrolled hangers and shoes, and the tiny details on the clothing.

 

 

now when i find myself in a thrift store i quickly peruse the bagged up Barbies to see what they're wearing. and i check their hair. i search for matted, tangled hair. this can be a telltale sign that it is an older Barbie--and if you're lucky they'll be sporting a retro outfit.  

 

last fall Missoni created a collection for Target.  i remember, as a kid, that my mother had some Missoni clothing.

   

one day in the VV Boutique i did my usual Barbie scan. my eyes became fixated on the dress of one Barbie.

Matted hair? Check.

Cute dress-and pink + orange, no less? Check.

Missoni?

Indeed the dress was reminiscent of Missoni, with some chevrony-craziness going on.

 Hmmm.

Missoni in miniature? Check.

Frameable? Check.

my Missoni.

 

(this post on Blair's blog is what actually opened my eye spy eyes to Missoni again)

 

**when i find miniature clothing pieces i gently wash them in a delicate detergent, rinse and press out the excess water. you can then "block" the clothing -like you would do after washing a quilt or afghan--pinning the perimeter so it will dry flat, or simply place the piece between 2 towels to dry--a heavy book on top helps.

at the thrift store [as of late]

 

 

a rhyming dictionary (my first)

+ vintage hooks & eyes packages--i love the backs as much as the fronts

 

a small hard cover book for a special project

 

look at all the words that rhyme with 'thrifted'

 

 

what i didn't buy

 

 

i became quite enamored with this organ. it was in terrible shape. but if you look closely at all of the carved detailed elements--the music stand, the buttons, the carved lower portion--all elements which would stand on their own if the piece was taken apart. it was a steal at $55. but of course i was traveling light.

this entire "stop" was quite picked over by the time we arrived on the scene, but i loved rooting through the decrepit, torn cardboard boxes where everything was a dollar.

that huge tree in the back ground had piles and stacks of old picture frames leaning against it. many of the frames still holding the moldy, musty original art work.

 

{this is the "ceiling" of the new antique shop we discovered}

 something i have learned over the years is in consignment shops like these if you politely ask "what is your best price on this?"--they will offer you an alternate price on the spot if they are able to or look up what the consignee has deemed a fair, lower price.

 

and of course, there are a couple of things i am still thinking about....

 

roll-down classroom maps just don't fold well and my sister is still keeping one in her garage for me from a visit 2 years ago. that one was $5 and so i don't care how long it takes me to get it back here(!)

 

oh, and there was a 3 feet by 3 feet dove tailed wood shipping box that had Encyclopedia Brittanica stamped on it. i thought it would have made the perfect toy box for Piper with castors added to the bottom. or a mitten box for a mudroom. or a book box for a child's room.

this one might have been my biggest regret when it came to "things i really wanted but were too large to bring home".

 

i was trying to convince my sister to get it since she is in the middle of a mudroom addition.

 

 

and a few more wee things to add to my "to have + to hold" collection:

tiny tea ball (i have amassed a bit of a collection of tea balls and i love it when i find this wee size)

the twee trophy i shared a few days ago

glass ironing bottle (my mom told me that her grandmother had one of these and it was used for sprinking water when ironing). instant vase for pixie posies.

 

we had a great time perusing the roadside treasures (and extreme junk). i had an interesting conversation with one of the shop owner's who was featured on Canadian Pickers telling me what the experience was like (it was not staged). i will also not forget the amazing onion rings at the roadside food truck located in the middle of nowhere. nor will i forget the gorgeous yard we stopped in only because of the amazing tree whose foliage spanned the entire width of the lawn + formed an umbrella over the tables that were set up.

 

can't wait 'til next year!

 

to have + to hold [an ongoing theme]

 

i unconsciously developed a theme early on in the yard sale marathon:

 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

i have a weakness for vintage school + office supplies, and perhaps an even greater weakness for  vintage containers.

combine the two and i'm hopelessly smitten.

a little rust? who cares?

a ding?  a dent?  not a problem.

still totally functional in my eyes.

[and in my office]

 

also in my returning luggage were vintage school locker baskets (at only $5 bucks each I could not resist) + vintage metal bakeware pans.

....all in the name of office organization, of course.

 

 

the 5,042 km yard sale

 

 

the phone conversation went something like this:

 

me: i haven't watched the actual tv show, but did you know you can watch episodes of that Canadian Pickers show online?

sister #2: i haven't had a chance to catch it on tv yet.

me: i just watched the episode they filmed 'at home'. there's a new shop that we HAVE to go to. just have to figure out where it is. now everyone is going to know about our secret antique spots.

sister #2: that big yard sale is this saturday.

me: what big yard sale?

sister #2: you know, one of those 50 mile yard sales.

me: where?

sister #2: right-by -OUR- antique shops

me: i never knew there was one out there. uggh. why did you tell me that?

sister #2: well, if i had told you next week when you come home, you'd be mad that i didn't tell you this week before you came.

me: yeah, i guess (resigned sigh).

 

and so that was how i found myself yard sale-ing along a favorite country road with my sister headed towards OUR antique shops a week earlier than my original scheduled departure. 

ah, kismet.

 

photo is of one of my favorite finds a 3 -1/2" twee trophy dated 1926, found at the "new" place.

 

[5,042 km = 3,132.95 miles]