Good Thrift Store Day

The first of today’s thrift store treasures…

I’ve really never seen another like it and I don’t even mind that one of the leaves is missing a small chunk of wood.

It’s beautiful.

And it was made by someone clever.  Look how it opens:

And the compartment is lined.  Clearly meant for a very special ring or something.

I also picked up an old-fashioned egg basket.

The top opens flat like a big flower.

I found a little English pottery set too.

All three pieces are chippy, so I can’t really use them for food, but they were really inexpensive and I couldn’t resist.

I love the little houses.

The backs read:

“Good courage breaks ill luck”

“Waste not want not”

“Take a little cream”

Here’s the bottom of the sugar bowl:

And just because he saw me with the camera and he likes to pose, here’s the boy:

Happy Monday!

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But I Wanted The Clown

I spotted this little set at a thrift store yesterday:

I was pleased to find all six stampers still inside.

I didn’t look very closely at them while I was in the store.

I just liked their vintage schoolhouse vibe, the bright goldenrod box and the rainbow of wooden handles.

I also appreciated the fact that they were made in Illinois.

My dad was a teacher and he grew up in Illinois.

The stamps made me think of him right away, so I was quick to hand over a few dollars.

Now that the stamps are sitting on the desk in front of me, I am amused.

The outside of the box says “INSTILLS PRIDE IN GOOD WORK.”

And yet,  the first stamp reads “You were not listening.”

That makes me laugh.

I would have hated getting that stamped on my paper in grade school.

The box also says “CREATES DESIRE FOR IMPROVEMENT.”

The second stamp says “Watch spelling.”

That one makes me laugh even more.

I only paid $1.49 for the whole set, so I don’t why I feel a bit duped, but I sort of do.

The “Excellent” clown from the box isn’t even included.  😦

Neither is the “Very Good” sun.

In fact, all six of the stamps show owls.

I like owls okay, but these are sort of negative.

Except for the one that says “Perfect Paper”, but how often do you think anybody every gets that?

The fourth stamp says “You can do better.”

Finally, a vote of confidence!  Or is it a condemnation of the student’s mediocrity?

My favorite is the stamp that reads “Do work over.”

Ack!

No wonder someone donated these to Salvation Army.

This is a box of stamps for lowering self-esteem!

For the first time in my life, I prefer the clown.

Oh well, guess I’ll keep them anyway.

Ha!

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What did you do this week?

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We wore bunny ears.

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Meatballs, Sniffles & Christmas

My son just ate a meatball.  It wasn’t a homemade masterpiece, but I don’t care about that.  It was this…

and that is good enough!

When I put the bowl in front of him, he did his usual visual inspection and sniff test, but then he just popped the spoon into his mouth with a meatball on it!  Then he did it again.  And again!

He ate three meatballs and several bites of the pasta and sauce along with them.  For a child who exists primarily on crackers and chocolate milk, this is progress!

Sniffles

We needed some progress today because the morning hasn’t gone well.

The boy is home again with his constantly sniffling nose.  That nose drives all three of us absolutely batty.  I’ve written post after post about that nose.

It keeps us up at night and makes us nervous all day.  I swear, it sometimes seems that nose is just as responsible for my son’s challenges as any cognitive issue ever has been.

This morning, he was so annoyed by it that he started slamming his bedroom door to show his frustration.  Since we have such a tight, pressured schedule in the morning, I have no patience with that behavior.  Whatever the cause, I simply don’t have time to indulge it.  Unfortunately, I let stress get the best of me and I went overboard in response.

First, I yelled up the stairs and asked him to stop.  He slammed the door again. Then I heard myself asking him if I should call Santa and cancel Christmas.

Cancel Christmas!  Can you imagine?  I am horrible and I regret it.  It made him cry.  My lecturing loudly to him didn’t help.

What the hell is wrong with me?  After the events in Connecticut last week, what business have I to do anything other than hug my child and not let go?  I am weepy over my failure.

Cancel Christmas…sheesh!  Christmas pretty much got cancelled last year.  Remember?

There is no way I would take the joy of this season away from my son (or myself!).  So why did I say it?  Why?  Because I am an ogre.  I am a very stressed-out, over-tired ogre.

Back to the sniffles.

My son doesn’t like the doctor and he has a horrible time getting any medicine down his throat, so he just keeps sniffling.  It’s an impossible situation.

Yesterday, the school called me to come get him an hour early.  He was hitting himself, losing focus, disrupting class, all in frustration over that nose.  I didn’t get the message until it was time for him to get on the bus.

When I finally spoke to the teacher, I felt the need to promise her something.  I said I would take him to the doctor.  Honestly though, I don’t really want to.

His pediatrician doesn’t have anything new to say about this, so going to her feels like a huge waste of time for all of us.  I requested a referral to a specialist instead.  The specialist can’t see us until January 7th.  Right.  Of course.  It’s a week before Christmas.  😐

Speaking of Christmas

On a lighter note, I had lunch with an old friend this week.  It was very nice to relax and chat without having to worry about my son for a few hours.  (Thanks for playing single parent all day, husband.  🙂 )

After lunch, my friend and I went to a new Goodwill store in my mom’s neighborhood.  Shopping the thrifters at Christmas is so fun.  You find the weirdest, best stuff ever during the holidays, and it’s usually marked way down so they can clear it out.  I went to the Spring Valley AMVETS store this week too – one of my favorites.

Here are my latest treasures:

seven sugared fruit
(They’re not strung for hanging, but I love them!)

a painted alphabet sign
(This is kind of hard to photograph since it’s already on my wall.)

When I mused out loud to my friend about why I was drawn to the sign,
she  immediately said “because it has cute sheep.”

So true.  So very true!  Baaa.

and a big purple ornament

Ornaments are a problem for me.  I can’t resist them.  They bring such excitement to my son, I find myself buying them all year.

Mostly I pick them up at thrift stores, so they’re not pricey, but they do take up space.  I try to weed out the broken, worn, or uninteresting ornaments every year, but I’d rather just add more trees, if you want know the truth.

I love ornaments, even the cheap kind that impress with only their immenseness.  Please note giant green, gold, and blue orbs personally selected by the ten-year-old:

I also have a thing for the painted tin ornaments from Bazaar Del Mundo.  Someday, I will have a tree just for them.  For now, there are a few on the big tree and a few hanging from the chandelier:

That’s All, Folks.

The child has discovered a long forgotten disposable camera.  He has decided that taking the entire roll of me is the thing to do.  Unfortunately, the flash is blinding me something serious.  Gotta go!

What are you up to?

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Renegade Craft Fair & Fun With Friends

I met a couple of friends in Los Angeles yesterday.  They rode the train in from the desert and I drove up to Union Station to meet them.

We started our morning with some coffee and Mexican pastries on Olvera Street.  We sat and chatted while the sleepy storekeepers unfurled their goods, then we shopped a bit before walking back to my van for a quick ride to our main destination.  We were headed to the annual Renegade Craft Fair at Los Angeles State Historic Park.

Renegade is an annual gathering of etsy.com artists and local food trucks.  The off-road parking is dry and dirty, the bottles of water are overpriced, and shade is in short supply, but the art is worth the inconveniences!

I think the best thing about this event is that everyone has a web presence.  If you spend all your money before you get to the end of the first row, you can still have fun walking through and gathering business cards for future purchases.  All of the vendors sell items online.

Another great thing about Renegade is that it’s not gigantic.  You can actually see everything.  Twice.  And you still have time for some other adventures in your day.  That’s a boon for me, since I don’t live in the area.

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We headed to Atwater Village next.  After a quick peek into the Out of the Closet thrift store, we had veggie burgers at the very teeny Atwater Grill.  I was pretty hungry when we got there, but even with that bias, I think I can say that was one of the best veggie burgers I’ve ever eaten.  It came with huge, delicious onion rings too.  Yum!

Ever the fiend for something chocolate immediately after a meal, I shuffled my friends down the street to a little bakery called Sweets for the Soul.

Honestly, I wasn’t impressed when we walked in the door.  The cashier was a bit aloof and there was a stressful vibe in the air.  Odd.  Or maybe we were.  I don’t know.

Nothing in the display cases appealed to me particularly.  I really sort of wanted to leave, but my manners got me.  I chose a salted caramel shot, just to be polite.  I paid a few dollars and thoughtlessly tossed the container into my bag as we walked out the door.

It wasn’t until I had parted company with my friends a few hours later that I found the box and decided to eat the little cake inside.

OH MY!  What a surprise of heavenly goodness!  Small wonder this place has gotten rave reviews.

The “shot” was something in between a brownie and a small cake.  It was dense, but with a good crumb texture.  And it was moist, not like the dry muffin I’d had hours before on Olvera Street.

It was very chocolate, but neither too bitter nor too sweet.  And the salted caramel on top?  It had melted slightly in the box – a happy accident, if you ask me.

The whole thing was just three teeny bites of yummy.  I wish I had another one right this minute.  Sigh.

I’m in chocolate love and MUST go back to Sweets for the Soul.  ♥

This experience taught me a lesson.  I think I’ve concluded that small sweets need to be eaten within mere steps of their source.  If you have to get another one, you’ll need to be right there.

Going forward, I will make my purchase respectfully, but with a fib about saving it for later, then I will duck around the nearest corner and enjoy it at once!

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From there, we headed to Potted in Los Feliz.  I love this store!  Love!  My friend had been there before and she described it only as “inspiring.”  I have to agree.  Potted is serene and beautiful, but interesting, just the way a garden ought to be.  I saw many, many things I would love to own from this place.  I will definitely go back the next time I am in the area.

On West Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank, we went to Mindfulnest Contemporary Artisan Gallery.  Over 70% of the merchandise in the shop is made by local artisans, including the line of Klean Spa bath products blended on site in the back of the space.  I bought a small bottle of cream in the Lemon Love scent.  I think I might even like it more than my old favorite J.R. Watkins Shea Butter Lemon Cream!  THAT is HUGE.

Somewhere along the way to all of these destinations, we also hit a few other thrift stores.  I did the driving, but with my friends along, I was blissfully freed from navigation responsibilities.  Yeah, so don’t ask me how to find any of these places again, okay?  In fact, I will confess, I started our day by forgetting where my car was parked at Union Station.  That was a good 45 minutes of frustrated social anxiety.  Sorry, ladies!!  😳

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Anyhoo, this is what I have to show for my day of fun.  Not a lot, but enough for me.  🙂

On Olvera Street, I bought a few more teeny chickens for my collection…

and a guatemalan wallet/glasses case.

At the Renegade Craft Fair, I found this whimsical soap dish by Catherine Reece:

and a very heavy weight, well made tote (with long handles like I love!!) by Dutch Door Press

At Mindfulnest/Klean Spa…

and from Leighann, my beautiful friend who always brings me the greatest stuff –

a very fun drawstring Maneki-neko bag – so freakin’ cute –

a pack of bright orange rick rack – not even opened – love!

and a very pretty batik stamp…

I agree – the little curlicue at the top is the sweetest part of the design!

And from one of the thrift stores, I bought a book for Thomas –

because who can resist those crazy Berenstain Bears?

and because I can’t leave my house without buying a book, right?

Right!

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That’s it for my day in L.A.

Happy Afternoon!

♥

P.S.  What did you do this weekend?

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Charming Embroidery

I got this at Goodwill a few days ago.

I paid $2.99.

Do you love it as much as I do?

Actually, that’s probably not possible.  🙂

Look at the little lady with the cane.

She’s so cute with her teeny orange lips and that big giant purse.

And the weather!  Simple gray stitches and it really is raining.

The whole scene is so clever.

I can’t wait to find the perfect spot for it on my very full walls.

Hmmm…

Something else might have to go!

I did get rid of ten picnic baskets yesterday.

I posted them in the “free stuff” section on craigslist and someone claimed them within five minutes.  Five minutes!

I loved these baskets, but I’ve had them forever, they were really dusty, and I just didn’t want them anymore.

Gotta love craigslist when you really want to get rid of stuff without leaving your house!

Happy Sunday!

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The Boy & Some Beautiful Ribbon

Socks

It’s a little early…

but the boy is ready for St. Patrick’s Day.  🙂

Please ignore my dirty house in background.  😳

Or, if you prefer, you may study it more closely…

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Nine-Year-Old Art

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Sniffle Boy And His Doughnut

He will probably be fine to go back to school tomorrow, but today was a doughnut day.

It was also a Mama-doesn’t-care-about-the-green-felt-pen-marks-on-your-neck day.

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Out and Ugly, but totally Alpha

Our spice cupboard has been on the clutter control hit list for a few years.   I finally tackled it this weekend.

It’s not the solution I dreamed of, but it’s a huge relief in this house of never ending inconveniences.

This will just have to do until I get enough nerve and know-how to open the wall.

I learned that I don’t need to buy crushed red pepper or cinnamon again for a very loooooong time.  😐

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Thrift Store Find – Beautiful Threaded Ribbon

And speaking of things I dream of…

I am smitten with ribbon.

I use it frequently, but I also have plenty that I just like to look at.

Today’s thrift store purchase falls into that category.  I plan only to gaze at it dreamily, unless a really spectacular ribbon-needy occasion presents itself.

I’ve never seen anything like it before and I look at ribbon almost everyday.  Everyday and everywhere.

Maybe one of you will tell me this ribbon is very common…

or maybe you will tell me that it’s just 99 cents at Target or something.

But I don’t think so.

Even if you tell me that, I don’t care.

It’s officially the loveliest ribbon in my collection.

Isn’t it dreamy?

Happy Wednesday!

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Thrift Store Redo

A few weeks ago, I bought a plastic burro at a thrift store.  😐

If you’re a regular reader, then you may remember that I have a weakness for little plastic farm animals.

I wasn’t going to buy this one, but he was perched on a ledge about six feet off the ground and he caught my eye.

I held him for a moment, then I put him back and tried to chuckle off my impulse to purchase.  He had lived a rough life and it showed.  I didn’t need him, so I left him on the ledge and walked away.

I wandered through the rest of the store, trying in futility to look for other treasures.  I was distracted all the while and almost certain that I heard him braying my name.

Finally, I couldn’t stand it.  I had to go and get him.  I rushed back, overcome with anxiety, and was relieved to see that no one else had scooped him up in my moment of parental neglect.  He was meant to be my baby and I had left him alone.  😳  I wouldn’t do it again.

I paid twenty-five cents and brought him home.  Twenty-five cents!

And this week?

This week, I named him Donkey Xote.

And I painted him a house – a colorful, cheery house with a night sky, so he can rest and dream…

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Before:

After:

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Happy Friday!

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