A Goodwill Thrifting Trip

My youngest brother was home for the holiday, and in need of a desk, so The Husband and I took him thrifting the day after Black Friday(which I will not go out and go shopping on) while the crochet grandma watched the babies.

I think we embarrassed him.

You see, normally, even on a good thrifting day, we don't spend more than fifty bucks, and that's typically on clothes for the kids, so it doesn't really fill up a shopping cart. But this day, oh on this day, we spent much more, as we just happened to find everything from clothes for the kids to Christmas ornaments to books and ceramics and dishes. We filled that shopping cart up past the brim.

What can I say? It was just a jack pot day for finds!

But my poor brother, he was terribly embarrassed as a line of people amassed behind us at the checkout.

I won't show you all the things we found, as some were actually project pieces, so I'll show them to you in the project posts, but here's a taste of the goods we acquired on our anti-Black Friday shopping trip.

Those of you who follow my facebook page know that I spent Black Friday morning perusing ebay and etsy for vintage Christmas ornaments and garland. I wanted some slightly gaudy tacky(depending on your interpretation of the words) beaded ornaments and some apple ornaments and some sparkle and bling for The Kid's pleasure. I didn't actually purchase anything because most were so expensive, so I was taking my time in deciding what I wanted most.

And then all this happened at Goodwill. It was as if somebody dropped off their stash because they knew I was coming by. These were crazy cheap. And the best part was that I didn't even clean them out or anything. They still had bags left!

These beaded balls are made with hundreds of pins stuck through a bead and a sequin each. I cannot even imagine how long they took somebody to make. That probably makes them not too safe for a tree that children are left alone with, but my kids are never alone with our tree, so I feel ok about hanging the shiny crazy things from the tree's branches.

Who doesn't love an angel with a shiny gold guitar?! Rock on, tiny angel. Rock on.

Yes. More copper. We're nuts, I know.

An upside down Fire King Peach Lustre Ware pie plate. I've loved the peach Lustre Ware since I was teen. My first choice in vintage dish ware is always Jadite, but Lustre is usually more affordable, so I collect it as well. And I use it!

Can a person ever have too many of these? They are perfect drinking vessels. Especially when you have company over.

Little Fire King custard cups. Perfect for puddings. And mini trifles. And so many other lovely little desserts.

This Rubbermaid pitcher excited both my brother and I, as we both recognized it as "The Kool-Aid Pitcher" of our youths. Our mother had one just like this. And she served us Kool-Aid from it. And while I don't drink the stuff, nor serve it to my kids, the pitcher still makes me smile, in the way that only nostalgia can. SO I bought it.

And guess what?

IT SMELLS LIKE KOOL-AID INSIDE. No joke.

This is The Kid's new "briefcase". It was made in 1980. How cool is that?

Goodwill is always a great place to find toys. Vintage and new ones. These links were only eighty-eight cents. And they aren't even old! They are a really wonderful imagination toy. The Kid has made everything from bracelets to necklaces to snakes from these things. Definitely worth the buy. And super easy to clean, unlike so many electronic toys.

I wish that I had snapped a photo of the ceramic buccaneer bust that my brother bought. That was probably the best purchase of the day. And exactly the sort of thing that makes thrifting so awesome. I mean, where else can you find a ceramic buccaneer bust for four dollars, or a bag of beaded Christmas ornaments for three, or a vintage pie plate for three?

Thrifting is where it's at, my friends.