Thrifty Thursday on Friday

Yes, I'm still alive!

We just got back home from:

1. Renovating a house with the boyf's parents
2. Visiting my parents
3. Having a reunion at the beach with some college friends!

We had a great time but I'm ready to stop hopping around the east coast. Plus, school starts Monday....dun dun dun! First day of the first year of medical school! Am I excited? Mmmm....kind of. I'm excited to begin the first steps in my career as a doctor but I'm not excited to start cramming a mountain of information into my tiny wittle brain...

Anyway, on our way home from....everywhere, I totally made a few stops and collected some thrifty items! Take a look see:

I found this hounds-tooth fabric and thought it'd make some fabulous, modern throw pillows for the living room couch. 

I was collecting these pots for three succulent plants I got from Ikea. As you can see one of them (on the right) died a little while we were away. Yes, I killed a succulent - the hardest plants to kill =(.

I thought this table cloth was pretty. I wanted to use it outdoors on our new balcony (which I'll share later) but it might have to stay indoors.

Last, I saw this tray and I couldn't look away. It has no markings and I have no idea what it is...anyone is welcome to let me know. But the colors are awesome.

Here's the grand total:

Thrifty Thursday - From the road!

We have left Philadelphia! The renovation went well, it's not yet completely finished, but, I did finish my job at least! The floors we put in look great. I know I said I'd take pictures of my work but it completely slipped my mind while we worked morning til night. I mean, even my fingers were sore by the end of it!

Anyway, right before we left in a rush last week to help out with the boyf's parents' renovation project I made sure to take some pictures of the thrifty finds that I found last week!

Here they are:

This mirrored tray for my bathroom to put my lotion, toothpaste, etc on. I now have two - they are so handy and beautiful at the same time!

I thought that my new collection of succulents would look grand in this pot I found:

I found this eclectic collection of candlesticks to decorate my mantle. I love that they are not super matchy.

These two pieces of vintage pyrex are my faaaavorite finds of the week. One butterprint and one yellow cinderella bowl that I believe belongs in the yellow daisy cinderella set.

This last find I had been searching for, for the new apartment. I needed a coffee table and I finally found the perfect thing (sorry for the blurry pic)! This vintage wooden table has definitely seen better days. I think it was probably used in somebody's art studio or something of that nature as there are a bunch of paint and glue stains. It doesn't look half bad though and kind of gives it a lot of character. Even so, I might sand it down and refinish it. What do you think?

Here's the total:

Thrifty Thursday - Serious Loot

Happy Thursday folks! This past week I had a pretty hefty haul of thrifty finds. Usually I spend around $10 per thrifty thursday but this time I might have gotten a bit carried away.....teehee.

Anyway, look what I found:

Remember this lamp I found a few weeks ago? I had DIY recovered the lamp shade it came with but then I realized that the size and proportion were all wrong. So, when I found this vintage lamp shade for 75 cents I didn't think twice and scooped it up!

I also found these gorgeous tulip cereal bowls. I love tulip bowls but could never find them in a set. I don't think they are vintage (there is a Pier 1 marking on the bottom) but they are pretty nonetheless!

Next, I had been searching for some inexpensive way to make/get curtains for the new apartment. Then, I saw these brand new Ikea curtains at the thrift store! They turned out to be the perfect length and look great in my living room.

This Spanish flamenco/festival poster with frame took me for $8. It's now sitting on my mantle and I'm loving it. It's relevant to my life too, since I lived in southern Spain for 5 months where flamenco is super popular =)

I have a very cute art project in store for these round frames - stay tuned!

In the end, I always have to throw in a little something for the boyf. This budweiser goblet will go nicely in his collection =)

Lastly, I also found two of these small, clear pyrex bowls. They'll be great for serving when I make my chutneys and dips.

Here's the total:

Hope you've had some good finds recently as well!

Thrifty Thursday Returns!

I've been on a break from thrift store shopping recently as I have been traveling and visiting with family and keeping busy - I'm sure the boyf is happy about that. Nonetheless, I did manage to sneak in some vacation thrifting on the way up to the beach a couple of weeks ago. Here's what I snagged during our roadtrip!

This tin bowl was way too pretty to pass up. I think it will look grand on my yet to be purchased coffee table or in my entryway as a catch-all for keys, etc.

These jars were calling my name as soon as I saw them. The Atlas Wholefruit jar is missing the lid but looks awesome anyway. I think I'll use it as a pen/knitting needle/paintbrush/etc. holder on my (once again) yet to be purchased craft table.  As for the tiny Le Parfait jar,  I already have a larger one that I use in the kitchen to hold lentils and grains so maybe I'll use this one to hold some spices!

Next, I found these still-in-the-packaging vintage bias tapes and I thought they would come in handy one day or another so I grabbed the prettiest colors I could find.  Don't you just love?

Last, this necklace was in the 4th of July display case and I thought hey, I might as well show some patriotic spirit and buy myself some jewelery!

Here's the total:

I'm itching to get back into my thrifting game now that I need a few more pieces to furnish this new apartment, so stay tuned for more thrifting adventures!

Thrifty Thursday - Thrift AND Retail!

I think the boyf has banned me from thrift store shopping (or just shopping in general) for a while *sad face*.  I still managed to sneak a few things under his nose this week though!

The Beck's beer stein wasn't too difficult to get by him and he received it happily for his collection ;) He's a big beer guy. It was not a bribe....I swear! This is not the Beck's logo of today, so I'm thinking it may be vintage.

The opal white loaf pan will be added to my vintage pyrex collection (which I hope to share in it's awesomely vintage-y goodness soon). It had been a while since I found any pyrex and I was definitely hoping for a loaf pan so, dreams do come true, people.

Lastly, I found the oval mirror at the local SA, a store which I find to be rather more expensive than it should be. I wouldn't normally pay that much for most things at a thrift store (unless it's the right piece of pyrex), but I couldn't get away from the thought that it would look so great in my new apartment! I'm nesting, leave me alone =)


I should tell you, my bargain hunting is not limited to thrift stores. I do tend to expand my thrifty motivation to the retail store arena as well. I don't like to buy anything that's not discounted in some way and if I do....it's probably a special occasion. Here's a couple things I got a great deal for at some retail stores.

I needed some nice lamp shades to go with a few lamps that I have, but I was getting very frustrated finding anything good looking that fit my budget and my lamps. I was looking to spend less than $10 on each shade but it seemed like they didn't exist (if you've ever shopped for lamp shades you know what I'm talking about)! I even considered making my own (which would've been the wrong decision, trust me). When I was about ready to give up, I decided to stop in at Tuesday Morning (have you been?), a discount home store I had never been to but had heard about from a couple people. And lo and behold, I found nice shades for cheap that were the right size to boot! Two were on sale for $7 each and one was $9.99! Ahh! *happy sigh*

I found the trowel for a dollar at Michael's, and with a 20% off coupon, I got it for $0.80. I had been looking for a trowel for a while for gardening but again, I didn't feel like paying 5 bucks. Has my bargain hunting gotten out of hand?

Thrifty Thursday!

Lately, I've been going through the thrift stores, keeping my eye out for items to go in my new apartment. Yesterday, I found these:

I found this cool looking lamp. I love the base, but the shade...not so much. I think I'll either buy a new one or recover this one. I might even stain the bottom wood stand a darker color. What do you think?

I also found these pieces of embroidered artwork. I just kind of giggled when I saw them because I thought they were so cute. Maybe with some reframing, they will be showcased better. I'm sure I'll find a great home for them in the apartment.

This lamp, I picked up kind of absentmindedly, I was on the phone with my dad at the time, I noticed the interesting green glass part and the price, which was $2 and I was sold. When I brought it home, I got a sideways look by the boyf, so now I'm not too sure if it's going to work out. I thought maybe I would spray paint the ugly brass white and see if that works. Do you have any suggestions?

Here's the total!

Thrifty Thursday - 1st edition!

I started thrifting when I graduated from college. With student loans to pay, a measly lab technician salary, and the expensive cost of living in NYC, I had to start counting my pennies. Now that I'm a student again, life is no different! So, I continue to thrift and I've even been thrifting more, now that I don't have much income.

Today I hit up a local thrift store on the way back from my favorite farmer's market (where I got some delicious local dairy, eggs, and produce!). Here's what I found!

My mom really likes the vintage corning ware cornflower blue pattern of bake ware. She has a couple of pieces but when I saw this tray today I had to get it for her. Only $1.50!

Every time I go to the thrift store, I make a stop at the stuffed toys bin. Dog toys can be expensive so I buy a lot of my little Ginger's toys the thrifty way. Of course you have to make sure that there are no beaded eyes and other dangerous parts to the toy. Today, I found this blue little guy for 50 cents. She loves him. Look at the absolutely appropriate face he's making.

I also found these embroidery hoops

(ranging from 28 - 58 cents each) in hopes that I might pick up embroidery OR create some wall art (for my new apartment, eek!). I found some inspiration on the web.

Check it out:
Sunburst mirror from Danielle Oakley Interiors 
Floral bloom embroidery hoops from Lushlee
Left-over fabric scraps in hoops from Apartment Therapy
Embroidery hoops doily earring display from Apartment Therapy

This beer mug with a Sam Adams logo goes in our beer glass/mug collection (which I'll share later) and the frame is probably getting a make-over in either white or black. Cheap, good frames are hard to come by but this one was only 50 cents!

Last but certainly not least,  I found this piece of vintage jewelery. I have no idea how old it is, but I do believe the chain is gold plated. The pearls of course are fake. I can't wait to wear it!

Here's the grand total: