Commas Save Lives

What?!  You don't believe me?  Well, just look at the two sentences below and see if you disagree.

Let's eat, Grandpa!           vs.           Let's eat Grandpa!

See what I mean?  This is important stuff my friends!  A few years ago my girls and I read the book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference and really enjoyed it.   It's definitely worth checking out from your local library if you haven't read it.  Lots of good stuff in there!

Knowing how important punctuation is, can you imagine how excited we were when Big Daddy and I came across this little cutie on one of our typography quests?  Isn't she pretty!?  I've been admiring all of the marquee letters on Etsy and thought this lovely would be the perfect place to start.  Big Daddy did his electrical thing and I added a little trim to the inside and I must say that I absolutely adore her!

Say, you know what the real problem with this thrifting/upcycling lifestyle is?  You want to keep every last fabulous thing.  I do keep a few from time to time but this one I'm going to share.  (I've already called dibs on the first pi and ampersand we come across, don't you worry.)  I think I'll hang her in my bedroom for now, you know, just to keep her safe and all.  In the mean time you folks watch that punctuation.  Commas really can save lives!

Borrowed Thrift

I've been thrifting for a long time and you know what that means...  I have a LOT of stuff.  Yes, it's fabulous stuff but even if you put a bunch fabulous things together it's still just a pile of stuff.  And my piles are piling up.  That means it's time to start sharing some of my favorite things in the shop.
I think I'll begin with a couple of vintage Disney serving trays I found some time ago and fell in love with instantly.  The old school graphics are absolutely charming.  And can you just imagine using them to serve at your next backyard barbeque?  I can.........(queue dream sequence)............................................
 The Eames chairs resting comfortably on the bright green AstroTurf covered patio....me in my ruffled half apron exiting through the sliding glass door with these trays held high...the brightly colored shiny aluminum tumblers full of icy Tom Collins nestled safely in the souvenir of our most recent Disney vacation...in the other hand a plate of deviled eggs, carefully sprinkled with my best Hungarian paprika and garnished with curly parsley on the side. (Oh my, maybe I'm not ready to let go just yet.)  But the truth is that I don't have the Astro Turf to really put these babies to good use so I'm going to have to pass them along to someone more worthy of their retro charm.  And that is one of the things that is the most fun about this thrifting life.  I get to spend some time with all of these lovely things before passing them along.  It's sort of like borrowing from a friend.  Yes, that's exactly what it feels like.  And now it's time to send them off to someone who does have the patio to put them to use.  (I just hope they invite me to the shin-dig.  I could use a good Tom Collins!)

Grunge Thrifting

Hi, I'm Christi and I'm a thrifting geek.  Not just any thrifting, mind you. I prefer the dirty, you have to dig to find the good stuff and be careful not to loose a finger, kind of thrifting.  Somehow the pretty stores with their treasures all lined up and dusted off just aren't doing it for me these days.  Don't misunderstand me, you can still find lots of amazing things at the pretty places but I need to feel like I earned it.  Besides, I believe these things are on a sort of death row for junk and that every piece I buy is saving a lovely from the landfill, which makes me extra happy.


One of my favorite hangouts lately is the Goodwill Outlet Center, also known around town as "The Bins".  That's right, they sell the things that didn't make the cut at the regular Goodwill.  (Frightened yet?)  Honestly you can find some pretty amazing things here but you have to be willing to dig for them and deal with some seriously aggressive shoppers.  And guess what?  Everything in the store is $1.39 a pound.  Nice, huh?  You fill your shopping cart up, roll it onto a large scale, and that's that. 

If you're looking for the Goodwill Outlet near you I suggest checking out this site.  (That's what I did prior to the last family road trip!  More about that later.)  Also, I have a few hints and tips to keep in mind.  First and foremost, be careful!  These bins are loaded with stuff and there is no organization whatsoever.  You could be reaching for an embroidered linen tablecloth and not see the broken glass sitting just underneath it.  Broken glass, knives, and sharp objects of all kinds are all over the place so be on the lookout.  Some people wear gloves to protect themselves but I find that they just make me clumsy and that I'm safer without them.  You'll have to decide what works best for you and go for it.

You should also be prepared for some serious funk.  Yes, pack the hand sanitizer but don't fool yourself, it's likely you'll run into a few things that your handy dandy cleaning gel isn't going to be able to help you with.  I have come across live bugs, rotten food, dirty diapers, and even a dead rat.  Just when you think you've seen it all you will find yourself surprised, that I can assure you.  If you're still interested then I suggest you make your way to a Goodwill Outlet immediately.  And when you do, please drop me a line and let me know how it went.  I just can't wait to hear all about it!

What is it?

Sometimes when you're thrifting you find something you love but aren't quite sure what it is.  I really enjoy these moments and just can't wait to get home to do a little online digging.  Today I thought I would share with you one of my favorite things for sale in the shop (that I am secretly glad hasn't sold and so get to admire it every morning when I get up...shhh).  Isn't it fabulous?  It's the perfect blend of industrial complete with rotating mirror, shiny gooseneck and funky little toggle switch. ...swoon...  But what is it?  Well it's an Agglutination Viewer, of course.  (That part's easy since it's written nice and legibly across the bottom, but that wasn't much help for me.)  

Apparently this little slice of pie is used in blood banks for typing, cross matching, and other blood bank-y things.  Today these little guys are made of plastic (of course) and are simply not much for looking at.  But this little guy, well he's hawt!  He's the sort of strong silent type that will sit quietly in the corner just waiting to be noticed.  And when you do notice, boy howdy...

Meet Fernando

One of my very favorite things about thrifting is finding funky little accessories to stash decoratively place throughout the house.  Sometimes my connection to them is instant and just so powerful that it cannot be denied.  That's what happened with my dear friend Fernando.  This is his story...

On a very ordinary Goodwill trip one cold December afternoon, I spotted him.  The twinkle in his eye shone thru the dusty plastic Christmas tree that someone had obviously imprisoned him in.  I knew instantly that I had to bring him home and love him forever.  When I asked an employee how much he cost she told me he came with the tree and that I would have to buy the whole thing.  What?!  Well that just wasn't going to happen so we said our goodbyes and I vowed to keep him in my heart....always.

That Christmas my girls handed me a present and I could tell by the excitement on their faces that they were very proud of whatever was in the box.  I opened it carefully, savoring their enthusiasm.  When I opened the box I could hardly believe it....Fernando!!  (Apparently my husband took the girls back to the store the next day and had one of my beautiful girls ask about the price.  Ha!  Why didn't I think of that?)  I immediately nestled him into a chandelier so that I could see him every time I came into the house or walked up or down the stairs.  We were terribly happy together until, one horrible day, it became clear that his life was in danger from a light bulb he was sitting near (and thus the big black burn on his little bitty hat).  The girls and I thought long and hard about where he should live and decided that this Buddha would care for him and they could be buddies.

Yes, I know he was intended to be a holiday decoration but I love him so and just can't bear to put him away.  That's what I love about personal style, it's all yours and you can do what you want with it.  I would love to hear about some of your favorite finds and how you have incorporated them into your home.

Happy Father's Day

This post goes out to all the big daddies out there who are getting it done!

The girls and I decided that the best way to celebrate Father's Day this year would be to take their dad on a whirlwind tour of the small town junk shops he loves to pick thru.  Unfortunately those places aren't open on Sunday...boo!   We decided the only fair thing to do would be to turn it into a Father's Weekend.  Woo Hoo!  So, we started our journey bright and early yesterday and found a few gems for our little Etsy shop.  They may not look like much now, but wait till Big Daddy gets them all fixed up!



As you may have noticed,  lamps are our new obsession.  There are a few up and ready and so many more vintage parts around here just begging to be illuminated.  I just can't wait for you to see them when they're all finished!

I'd love to stay and chat but it's Father's Day and I have some serious relaxing to do.  Since we were out and about all day yesterday today's plans include a whole lot of nothing, followed by one of Big Daddy's famous barbeque feasts.  Mmmm-mmmm!