A Used Christmas

We don't have a lot of money this Christmas. I don't say this as some plea for sympathy or checks in the mail (though if you want my address, I'll oblige... *wink*).

But we don't. It's just life right now. It's how things fell, how life fell, how we're picking up the pieces.

I love Christmas though. I love it so much and I'm determined to not let an empty wallet pierce my little Cindy-Lou Who heart.

When I went to decorate the tree this year, I was sad to find quite a few of our ornaments had shattered, broken, or simply succumbed to old glue. So...with a jar of quarters budget, I wandered into a thrift store.

Did you know that thrift stores are currently marking down all their Christmas inventory?

Did you?

Because I didn't.

So imagine my joy to spend $1.18 and leave with a bag full of vintage-y ornaments, wrapping paper and a renewed Christmas spirit.

We hung them up, in between the hand-me-down ornaments, the bruised ones from years gone by, and it all seems so appropriate. We're fitting in our used with the bruised.

(And yes it's an artificial tree. Let's not talk about that.)

Whether you're on a budget or not, I hope you discover that Christmas is so much more than how much cash you're spending. Maybe this Christmas isn't shaping up to what you hoped it would be. Maybe you've known for awhile now that this was going to be a hard year.

I can say, though maybe without full knowledge, I know how you feel. I'm fitting in my bruises with the things that feel used, too. But somewhere in there, Christmas exists. I hope you find it too.

Even a thrifted Christmas has so much joy, I sometimes can hardly contain it.

Deer Heads, Denton Thrifting and CrossProcess

friday favorites

My first appointment this morning was cancelled, so I was able to sneak up to Denton (AKA the hipster capital of North Texas) before my next calendar item. Wandering aimlessly around thrift/antique/junk stores is one of my favorite ways to kill time. You never know what will surprise you around the next rickety shelving unit. (Example: The above deer head. It was kinda creepy.)

So that's what I did for the bit of time I had. I took out my phone and snapped away with my favorite iPhone app (CrossProcess) and boy, Denton had some fun things to see today.

Something in me felt compelled to buy this.
I didn't, but it was like my Polish blood started hopping in my veins.
I mean, how can you turn down "Seven Beers with Wrong Woman"?

Oh if only I had hours to sort through these. But I didn't. Not today at least. 

I kinda loved these. Not head over heels. But enough to snap a photo.

Almost bought. Admired instead and talked myself out of it by imagining
the horror of my two-year-old tearing the pages out.

Collecting dust. Sad. It was marked at $56, so someone knows it shouldn't be collecting dust. Still sad.

"Why aren't cameras this cool anymore?" (I say as I take a picture with my iPhone)

I just really liked these. They made me smile.

And not a dime spent. Aren't you proud mom?

'Twas a Weekend of Leisure

A weekend of baseball (antlers up, y'all!), BBC's North & South and straight hair.

A weekend to shop secondhand, try new recipes and write new songs.

thrift store treasures: one pair of Frederick's
of Hollywood stilettos ($4), one long plaid shirt ($2).

potato and mushroom golumpki (stuffed cabbage). it's a Polish thing.

For the little M, it was a weekend for big girl ponytails, a sleepover with her "Texas grandparents" and banana muffins.

And in dark mornings, late nights, sullen quiet, this weekend was long afternoons of thinking, daydreaming, musing, analyzing, processing.

taken from my copy of Louey Chisholm's "The Golden Staircase: Poems and Verses for Children"

Thrifted Tuesday

I really love thrift store shopping. I always have. I used to shop my grandmother's closet when I was in Jr. High. Maybe it had something to do with growing up in such an antique-crazy family, especially the women. It seems all of us have a certain love for Saturday morning outings to hunt for treasures. (Or maybe it's that I have a special place in my heart for things that smell like they've been shoved into a cedar trunk for 40 years.) So it should come as no surprise that I take a weekly trip to local places where I can find old, dusty, forgotten, used things. My most recent trip brought home these treasures for the bookshelves:

“Does it hurt?”

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse...

"I'm not my name. My name is something I wear, like a shirt. It gets worn. I outgrow it, I change it."

And this book I thought just looked really cool. As it turns out, it might be a really good read as well. I blogged once about how I thrift store shop. Here's the link if you want some of my silly tips — 15 Tips for Shopping Secondhand

Thrifted on a Thursday

My current favorite find from a local thrift store. Thanks Second Glance for $1 handbag days.

taken with the CrossProcess App for the iPhone

A Good, Normal Saturday

Some Saturdays should be like this one. Not all of them. If they all were like this one, well.. I probably wouldn't blog about their splendid simplicity. Eyes blinked open at 7 a.m. and we hit the ground running. More like stumbling out of dreams into waking, but we were up. By lunchtime, the laundry was tumbling, a trail of toys told of the wandering imagination of a toddler, and we packed up to visit the thrift stores.

So here's what makes a simple day splendid:

Lime juice and salt on chips, and dried blueberries, almonds and bleu cheese on a dark green salad. Those colors make me happy.



Fresh vegetables and frozen peas, garbanzo beans and a hot skillet. A curry simmer sauce made this meal perfect. Just perfect over a light portion of whole-grain angel hair. (I didn't leave myself enough time to make basmati rice).



And the thrift stores.  Let me just say... small treasure hunting at its best today.

Like these curtain panels and the few pieces of clothing for us girls.



This book (and a few others). Country ideals. Easily overlooked but crack open the cover, and look the contents. Just. Look. (I realize the only kindred I might find in this is my sister. And that's perfectly just wonderful with me.)



The pillowcases on the left. I'm not sure if I'll use them or re-purpose them, but I fell in love with their somewhat ugly but irresistible design. Then a red dress. Joy.



A book. Did you know that Genevieve (my middle name) means "white wave"? I know it says "white bird" but it made me think of me, so I bought it. 50 cents. Then the three little items. A bird to hold the light. A mug to hold the drink. And the white cover to hold a pillow.



All in all — $30 spent and one happy little home.

Happy weekend!

Thrifty Tuesday: 15 Tips for Shopping Secondhand

I thought on this lovely Tuesday afternoon, I'd give you, my faithful dear friends, some tips as to how to do your own thrift store shopping.

1. Map it out. Know your local thrift shops and make sure you give yourself enough time and plan to hit the right ones along a good route.

2. The early bird gets the worm. Sorry to say, but it's true. Thrift stores, consignment shops, and the like get picked over pretty quickly... especially if word gets out about sales or that they carry good stuff. I showed up to a Goodwill once around 9 a.m. to hear their announcement "For the next hour, all books are 20 for $2." Imagine if I showed up at 10:30? No books and no deal!!

3. Don't be afraid to dig. As hard as the store associates try, the shelves still get cluttered, clothes end up in different racks, books get stacked on DVDs, mugs get stashed behind Christmas decor... and you get the idea. Politely sneak past the casual shoppers and be that crazy person who reaches to the back of that dusty shelf. You'll be glad you did.

4. Do your research. I can't tell you how many times I've walked past items, books, furniture, or whatever only to later find that those books/things/clothes/shoes were RARE or a hot item... or even worse, not being made anymore. Sad. Also, check the prices.

5. Think of others. Thrift stores are great places for finding the random things your friends talk about but can "never seem to find." I've found books for my sister, clothes for my daughter, decor for friends, etc. And if they don't like it - you're only out a dollar or two!

6. Go with cash. Keeps you in budget. Every now and then you can dicker with an associate if they're looking to clear out stock. Everyone is willing to make a sale when you flash the green.

7. Think innovatively. Like the frame but not the picture? Get it and trash the part you don't like! Like the lamp base but not the shade? Use your craft skills or make an Ikea run to get the perfect "vintage-modern eclectic" look. Hate that ugly dresser but it's the perfect size? Make it a Saturday project to update the paint and knobs. You'll end up with items that are less commercial and more YOU.

8. Think holidays. It never fails that thrift stores carry past-season decor for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving. The same thing you would buy for $20 at Target may only be $5 at Goodwill. Buy it and put it away for next season.

9. Take your time. Don't go unless you have time to look, consider, dig, shop around, etc. If you're looking for an in-and-out, you may as well go to the mall. Check the sales too, red dot items, etc.

10. Leave the kiddos at home (if possible). The items aren't always at kid-friendly height, and most things haven't been cleaned or laundered. There's nothing more gross to me than my daughter sticking a stuffed animal in her mouth ... straight from that dusty top shelf. Awesome.

11. Clean out your car or make arrangements for big furniture items. You NEVER know. I've been to resale shops for baby clothes and have walked out with a $20 antique sewing table. It's a pain to make that extra trip just for one item, so if you can, bring your vehicle ready to haul.

12. Go with friends! Everyone sees different things. It's inspiring, fun, humorous and cheap!

13. Check out the auction shelves. Most thrift stores have items that they auction off once a week. The last time I was at Goodwill, they were auctioning off Prada purses for $30. (And no they weren't "Prado"...)

14. Know the area. I try to shop the stores that surround the high end suburban neighborhoods or really funky urban towns. It does make a difference. My husband and I decided to check out a different thrift recently and I kid you not when I say the clothes were stained and/or torn, the furniture was still covered in animal hair, there were broken glasses on the shelves, etc. I'm all about cheap, but not trash. Some places will take anything and try to make a dime on it. It's not right.

15. Don't forget who you are. That fur and leather knee-length duster may only be $10 but where will you wear it and is it you? There is plenty of random, weird, cool, pretty, fun stuff... but it doesn't mean you should buy it, wear it, display it, etc. Give yourself a little pep talk before you enter the store (I will not buy that really cheap DVD set of Teletubbies. I will not. I won't.)

Thrifty Tuesday

My mom and I were on the lookout for a new dresser for Madeleine. I like buying things that need a little TLC. Of course, I bet my husband secretly wishes I'd complete my "tlc" projects, but I'm getting there.



Maddie's new dresser was one of hundreds in a resale shop, priced at $39. My mom was generous enough to make the purchase, as she had been wanting to help us out with this additional piece. Feeling inspired, I searched around eBay for different drawer knobs. I found a random collection of 14 ceramic knobs selling for $12.



After one trip to Lowe's for the right size screws and one evening of switching the knobs out, we have a little bit updated dresser. Next stop? Lining the drawers, but that's more than just an evening project. :)





And my next, next goal is to figure out a way to take better photos of this stuff. The iPhone can only do so much!

Other places to find fun, different knobs for furniture updates:

Anthropologie
Etsy — HobKnobin
Etsy — MonkeyShines
Etsy — GemKnobs

Thrifty Tuesday

If you know me, you know that I find great joy in searching through racks and piles, dusty shelves and junk at thrift stores for just one good treasure. Since I do this so often, I figured I'd make Tuesday my day to share the latest find with you... and maybe even inspire you to shop the old and forgotten!

One thing I like to do is to meander around the higher end "flea market" stores (Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and others) to see what they are piecing together for their interior collections. Then I go to my local stores or online "thrifts" to find my own versions of these things.

The Deer Silhouette — $1.99
This little guy jumped out at me. We're not really "deer" people, but I really liked the wood-on-wood silhouette and thought I might be able to make it work in my home.




Some other places you'll find deer-esque things?

1. Anthropologie
2. ZGallerie
3. ZGallerie again
4. Etsy - The Little Ragamuffin
5. Etsy - Designed Designer