beauty that moves

i love 50% off day at the thrift store!

My favorite! My uniform of choice would have to be a soft (but still a little crisp) cotton, sweet and tiny floral print button down paired with perfectly broken in faded jeans or a denim skirt. I'm sort-of a prairie girl at heart. I would like to make 84 of these in all different prints (with the pattern changes that Liz suggests in her photo description).

 

See how sweet!!

Not bad I say, not bad at all. Now here's the thing, every single Wednesday is 50% off all clothing at our local Sal's which is 5 minutes from my house yet I rarely remember to go. I need someone to gently (or boldly) remind me when Wednesday comes around to get over there and spend just fifteen minutes looking around... you never know! Truthfully, for all the thrifting I do I'm not much of a clothes person to begin with so I don't make this stop a routine visit. But it is nice to look somewhat put together for work (which starts up again in approx. 3 short weeks!) and maybe leave the hippy-dippy wrap skirts that I've owned since high school (and wore one earlier this week...!) at home. This isn't a Dead show afterall...

Here are a few tips/guidelines that I use for buying second hand clothing...

1. If it looks good on the hanger, it will likely look good for countless washings to come... can't say that about brand new clothing! ;)

2. Always check zippers and buttons. Buttons are easier to replace than a broken zipper. It's nice to know what you're dealing with before you get home.

3. Check the arm pits of tops! Yellow stains are just a little too gross for me...

4. Always go to the men's section for great sweaters, especially cardigans.

5. Infant clothing is easy to find and gently used. Once the clothing reaches toddler sizes and up things get a little more worn... BUT... it's not impossible, and dresses are almost always in great condition at any size.

6. The dressier the better condition rule applies to adult clothes as well. The above pile is a good example, while not real dressy, they are perfect for most dress-casual work places and there isn't a single thing wrong with any of them.

7. Jersey and various knits often look a little worn at the thrift store (refer back to the first rule when deciding).

8. For some reason, I have found the best overalls throughout the years at second hand shops... which of course speaks to my inner prairie girl.

What about you? Have you found anything amazing lately while thrifting? Do you have any of your own steadfast rules or tips for thrifting? Care to share?

eye candy from a thrifty weekend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a weekend for the record books!

:: Thank you for all of your incredible help on my last post. I'll be printing it all out and passing it on to my friend. There was such good information within the comments, what a fabulous resource you all put together!

:: I'd like to give a warm and friendly welcome to this months new sponsors. Coyote Craft and Good 4 You, two wonderful shops that I am thrilled to have on board here this month.

:: Don't forget! This Friday is June's First Friday Giveaway... I can't wait to show you what's in store for this months offering!

::  And finally, how about these finds from the weekend? So much to play with and sort through! Some of these things will be staying right here (like that awesome rocking chair on my front porch, and the beautiful embroidery on linen panels in the bottom shot), but plenty of things will be making it into the shop as well. Though I expect very little listing will take place over the next 2-3 weeks as we wrap up the school year and soccer season. But you can always let me know if something catches your eye and you'd like more info about it.

Take care, I'll be back soon!

one for me, several for you

For the most part I keep a healthy perspective when it comes to thrifting. I'm not really a collector of anything, I don't have shelves of bric-a-brac that need to be dusted weekly. I'm happy to discover and rescue beautiful pieces that represent a snapshot in history, clean them up a bit, and send them off for a new life. I do set up my own home with mostly thrifted and second hand items... I just don't hang on to more than I can use. But lately I've developed an unusual attachment to things. I find certain things hanging around with me for a while before I can list them... if I ever list them.

Like this candy tin. It's beautiful (and turquoise!) and I just want to look at it for a really long time. I guess there isn't anything wrong with that, I just have a little fear of becoming one of those people who can't move through their house because of the mountains of beautiful and special and too important to get rid of things! (Though it would make for some comical blog photography.) I feel confident however, that my minimalist family would intervene should that start happening. ;)

So here are some lovelies that I am ready and able to part with. This afternoon they will be listed in the shop!

 

 

 

Maybe you'll stop back later to take a closer look... have a great day!

she's developing quite an eye

Every Sunday morning our family heads out thrifting. We all sort of have our own agenda - usually Adam is on the search for tools, fly rods, books... Emily will be searching for the right pair of dress-up shoes, books, or, um, swords.

I have my own list of course (which is waaaaay longer than theirs). At the top of mine is turquoise, yellow and red pyrex/fire king, scored this weekend! Also I'm looking for flat lidded glass storage dishes to store leftovers and such in the refrigerator. Refrigerator dishes are quite collectable and popular these days (I think we are all trying to rid every bit of plastic from our kitchens) so they are hard to come buy. I found two last year, they are this style which I think is the very best and cutest of them all. Anyway, we were walking along and Emily asked me to take a look at what she had found. Just like any good thrifter, she was looking down and found the good stuff... "Mom, what do you think of these?"

What do I think? I think I've got myself a new assistant! These are technically considered covered casserole dishes and not true refrigerator dishes. But their flat lids (meaning they are stack-able) make them work for me. When I asked how much they were the guy responded, "two bucks for all of them." It was so hard to contain my excitement!

So after all this time of carefully training my cohorts to look down, under the tables, deep in the boxes... it is a pleasure to see this important life skill developing so nicely. ;) 

getting ready for a new season

It's hard to believe, but thrifting season (for me) officially starts in one month! I'm pretty excited, it is such a family affair around here. And of course, though it starts early and is always cold those first few weeks, it does bring with it the promise of warmer temperatures. And I do feel officially ready for that.

Things are beginning to wind down in my vintage reserves, I am adding new things to Mayberries Vintage almost daily, making space in my studio and getting ready to bring in new goodies. This week has kept me pretty busy in my shop providing some much appreciated pocket money as we head to NYC for the day tomorrow, so thank you!! I really love running this little vintage shop and when I take the time to tend to it regularly, it hums along as quite a nice (tiny, yet so helpful) side business. It also is the perfect way for me to enjoy the thrill of thrifting without hoarding every little gem that I come across. Sending second hand goods out into the world to be used as an earth friendly alternative to brand new? Well, that's just the icing on one very satisfying cake! Did I ever tell you about this fan? Oh, this fan. It is the one that got away... You might recall the photo (or one very similar) as my blog banner for most of the summer, it was a way for me to hold on to it's beautiful turquoise heavy duty self. I remember hesitating  as I listed it (you just can't get fans like this anymore), I talked myself into placing it in the shop with the agreement (yes, an agreement with myself... about a fan) that I would only let the listing stay up for five minutes. If it wasn't snapped up in just five minutes, I would take it down and keep it forever and ever. You can probably guess how this story ends... oh well, I bet it really made someone else's day. ;)

Another truly incredible find, a nursery hamper from the early 20th century. I was so excited when I found it, ran home to list it (over the summer!), and yet... it is still sitting quietly over in the shop. Hmmm... I think the price is fine, maybe it's the photos? You all know by now I have many challenges with my camera, it doesn't capture true lighting and color too easily, if ever. The listing photos for this item were taken before I discovered I could brighten them up and such through editing. The photo above has been adjusted and is how I see the hamper in real life. I should go in and correct the photos on some of those older listings, that would be most helpful I think.

It's time to start dreaming about the amazing finds with a fresh thrifting season soon to be underway. We could still use a few more cast iron pans, and several more pyrex refrigerator dishes (the ones with the flat lids). Maybe this will be the year I find that recipe box filled with the perfect collection of handwritten recipes from long ago. That would be the holy grail of thrifting for me.

What about you? What would make your vintage loving heart just go pitter patter? Please, do share! I am preparing my shopping list you know...