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...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Monday, June 4, 2012

Thrifting 101...

Last week, on a whim, Norene, her daughter Haley and I decided to
go into the city for some serious thrift store shopping.
Usually I tie this in with other chores I have to do but this day
was strictly devoted to the art of thrifting.
We parked the van, paid the all day fee and walked all
over the city in search of  our treasures, beginning with a walk through Chinatown...
After spending some time in Value Village (one of the biggest thrift stores around)
we had worked up an appetite...Irish Times Pub to the rescue!
Nothin' like Guinness, fish tacos and pizza to recharge your retail therapy battery...
Cruising around town on a sunny day, checking out the old and the new...what fun...
 Heritage buildings becoming condos.
Some places have been around since I was a teenager.
My mission was to find vintage wooden spools of thread for a needle felting
project but I was out of luck on that mark.
But the thing about thrifting is that you never know what treasures will appear to you...
Here's a few of my finds.
Nice, wooden stamped fruit box...$3
Lovely bird print fabric...$4
Antique cutlery for a garden project....25cents each...
Pretty summer skirt...$4...
Wooden Russian bear on skis toy (for a friend who collects them)...$3...
Shadow box frames for needle felting landscapes...$3 each...
Little blue plant pot $2...
So grand total about $22 dollars.
Shopping with the girls...
Priceless!

Post script...
I just recieved this email from my 2nd cousin in Australia!

Hi Kerry,
I've been following your blog for a couple of months. I love your images and your thoughts. The apple blossoms are exquisite!!! They resonate really strongly with me. And your music - Levon Helm, Joe Cocker, Neil Young - I just love it.

One of your recent blogs mentioned thrift shops and I had to smile. I saw your blog this morning and I thought I'd send an email. It must be genetic. Your Great Grandmother, May Cairns, was a big fan of thrift shops. I can remember trailing around behind her in the early fifties as she checked out 'Sally's' and the 'Goodwill'. I remember baskets of buttons and jewellery, big bins of ladies' 'foundation garments' - that pinkyorange colour was both horrible and fascinating. Maggie and I still visit the second hand shops. The city (pop of about 40,000) she lives in has at 5 or 6. Retail shops are very boring. 2hand shops always have something different, unexpected, surprising, emotive......

Oh yes, I recently found a post card, (at home, not in a 2hand shop) with a poem to May, from WW1. I think it must be from Jack Cairns to Granny. I'll send it to you as you seem to be the keeper.

All the best
Ellie (your second cousin)



4 comments:

Suz said...

I can't believe the treasures that you found!....major jealous about the beer....and great company
but ..you know...I think you deserve it
I have old spools somewhere..I'll look....little ones...labels still on ...some branded....and some old sewng stuff....

Cobalt Violet said...

Fun! I love a bargain!! I love that pot for 2 bucks? Good gravy. That skirt print is adorable too. Interested to see what you have in mind for the cutlery! :) Hope you are well!

Mary said...

Wow! What delicious fun you had, and what beautiful treasures you found! I love the bird fabric. I can feel the texture in the photo, and the silverware is marvelous! Guinness!! :D There's nothing else quite like it. How i would love one right this minute. But not in a bottle. Just not the same.. it MUST be draught. :) Have a wonderful week, Kerry..

Anonymous said...

love this. a friend and i hit the garage sales early saturday mornings. it's good to go with a patient friend and he is so good at finding things no one else looks at twice. the spools- i've been finding them for a dozen for fifty cents here but only at garage sales. the thrift stores price them much higher. love that little pot!

sherry