Nifty Thrift Picks of the Week (4.28.08)

Sharing my weekly faves from the Nifty Thrift flickr group where people post pics of their nifty thrifty finds:

1969 kids book
Originally uploaded by anja louise verdugo

I adore vintage children's books, especially when they are from the 60's and 70's and have awesome psychedelic illustrations, so when I saw this cover my jaw dropped. It's absolutely perfect in every way: that hair, the dress, those tights, the flowers!!!!! I wish I could reach through the screen and open it up to see what's inside. I have to say, Anja Louise Verdugo is a thrifting genius, she has such a great eye! You may recall this book cover featured in my first Picks of the Week post. You can also see more of her fantastic finds on her lovely blog Clever Nettle and the good news is that most of them end up in her Etsy shop estate sale where her wondrous vintage wares are made available at extremely reasonable prices. In fact, the little gem above had already been purchased by the time I saw it in the flickr pool... lucky duck!

thrifted shirt- neighborhood
Originally uploaded by yummygoods

A vintage polyester shirt with a whimsical print is something that in my opinion everyone should own at least one of, and this one thrifted by yummygoods is seriously one of the best I've seen! The blue/orange color combo and the neighborhood print are truly awesome. I think there should be a designated day once a year on which everyone wears their most fantastical polyester print shirt, what a wonderful spectacle that would be :) Visit her bloggy blog yummygoods for more peeks at this fantabulous shirt.

Tiny teapot
Originally uploaded by Oliveark

Oliveark finds the best little charity shop treasures! This is the third time (#1 and #2) I have featured one of Oliveark's finds as a Pick of the Week, and I am now officially convinced that I need to make a pilgrimage to the Scottish Highlands for some thrifting. This minuscule turned wood tea set and the tiny woven baskets were discovered by surprise inside the smallest of a set of nested baskets, I love that, and can you believe the wee baskets are only the size of a fingernail?!!

Buried Treasures

Some might shy away from such a tangled mess, but not I.

Found these at the very bottom:

Two shiny sequined belts. Figured a little extra sparkle might be nice.

The multicolored one was tiny, must be a kid's belt, so I decided to wear it as a headband... all the cool kids are doin' it. I found there was a fine line between ethereal wood nymph and Olivia Newton John a la Let's Get Physical... it's all about placement!

Moral of the story: next time you go thrifting and find yourself staring down an ugly heap of whatever... just dig in! I know... but there was really no way around being cheesy right there, there just wasn't. ; )

The One that Got Away

photo via warhalday's flickr

I've been on the lookout for a simple pair of black oxford shoes for months now with no luck. I stopped by the Salvation Army yesterday afternoon on the way home from a walk with Clover. At last, I found one! Perfect fit and everything... yay, right?... wrong... I found one...ONE... as in ONE shoe! I searched that thrift store high and low for its mate to no avail. ARGGGHHH!!! Oh thrift gods... why hath thou forsaken me? :(

Thrift Wrap

I'm a shopper by nature. Shopping brings me joy, I don't even need to buy anything. I just love the process of searching for the perfect whatever both for myself and other people. I enjoy shopping for gifts, hunting down just the right thing for a given person, and creative gift wrapping is something that makes me happy... really happy. I usually go the ribbon and fresh flowers from my yard route, but I love this idea featured in a shot from stylist Stella Nicholaisen's portfolio (via Desire to Inspire). A tea cup or saucer in lieu of a traditional bow not only makes for gorgeous gift giving, it also fits right in with my ongoing quest for ways to use my thrifted teacups.

This got me thinking about ways to use other commonly thrifted items as interesting gift wrap options.This combination of baker's twine and a single vintage button (via noddyboom's flickr) is so simple, yet so perfectly sweet!

I was inspired to see what I could do with what I had on hand. For years I have been thrifting various calico fabric remnants in hopes of someday making a quilt. (This has yet to occur. In reality I'm not all that crafty, but I'd really like to think that I could be if I tried, and even that I will be one day as soon as I get around to it. I have ideas, I just need to get better about following through.)

So one piece of fabric, one thrifted vintage handkerchief (another one of those items I collect and don't know what to do with), one vintage flea market brooch, some recycled ribbon from a gift given to me, and a couple of safety pins later, I produced this pretty little package. Perfect with Mother's Day coming up and the possible variations are endless. I also thought about using a pendant in place of the brooch and what a perfect way to make use of a lone ear ring. Check me out, how Martha Stewart am I ?

Nifty Thrift Picks of the Week (4.21.08)

Sharing my weekly faves from the Nifty Thrift flickr group where people post pics of their nifty thrifty finds.

Let me just start off by saying how blown away I am by how PERFECTLY this week's picks go together. This is bringing me great pleasure... I don't know why but it is! It's all about cute, cute, and more cute with these picks:

ShiningEyes.
Originally uploaded by sherbet tone

My head is spinning from the adorability of this vintage cotton little girl's parasol. The colors and that print are just so perfect! If a more charming way to shield oneself from the sun does exist, I don't know what it is!

Rocking horse
Originally uploaded by hownowdesign

I love that this lil' fella looks like he came right out of that glorious print on sherbet tone's parasol! I first saw this amazing rocking horse the other day on the wonderful blog Aesthetic Outburst, of which I am a fan. I was so excited to see it show up in the Nifty Thrift pool yesterday so I could feature it as one of my picks! If I were to have come across this in a thrift store, I would probably have fallen over with joy. That is how much I love it, what an incredible score, and that little blue collar with the bow tie... too precious!!!

pottery mushrooms
Originally uploaded by cottonblue

I am loving this little set of ceramic mushrooms and how they appear to have just sprouted up on this book shelf. The colors and their polka dotted caps... so delightful!

Thrift Style Icon: Enid from Ghost World

I recently re watched the 2001 film Ghost World with Thora Birch as Enid the outsider art student. From her coke-bottle glasses to her combat boots, this girl is the epitome of what thrift style is all about, being unique and creative and most importantly having fun. With her flair for eclectic vintage and dry sarcastic wit she's definitely a girl after my own heart!

She was also the inspiration behind the much loved Luella Spring/Summer 08 collection:

Leaving you with this unedited version of the dazzling dance number from the 1965 Indian film Gumnaam, featured during the opening credits in Ghost World:

This makes me want a shiny dress layered with fringe and ruffles, in which to dance masked and with reckless abandon... SUCH MOVES!!!

Blue, Green, and Gray

The only non-thrift items in this outfit are my olive green tank (layered under the blouse) and gray socks. The main pieces (other than the hat which you've seen before) were all scored half-off on Friday at the Salvation Army. Here's the break down:


I had been on the lookout for a secretary style blouse for awhile and as far as what I was hoping to find, this one pretty much has it all. Gray is a favorite, so the color is perfect. It has a lovely sheerness and drapey quality that I like. Most of all, I love that even with the wonderful feminine details like the puffed sleeves and the ruffled collar, it's not too frilly. (cost: $2)

The little coat is a perfect spring cover up. It's actually Liz Lange Maternity for Target. I love the way it fits though. It also has wonderful details like the peter pan collar, the fabric covered buttons, and the gathering. Most of all, I love that it has pockets! (cost: $2)


I couldn't believe it when I spotted these boots. I'd been wanting a pair of combat style boots ever since I saw this picture in an old issue of Lula magazine. They look black, but close up and in the sun, you can see that they are actually a very dark green. (cost: $2.50)


Dickies carpenter pants are just an all around great basic that can pretty much go with anything and I really like the way these fit. (cost: $3.75)

It seems obvious now, but not until I got everything home did it even occur to me that all of these pieces could be worn together. Not bad for just over ten bucks!

Nifty Thrift Picks of the Week (4.14.08)

Sharing my weekly faves from the Nifty Thrift flickr group where people post pics of their nifty thrifty finds:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76982768@N00/2398494757/
Originally uploaded by joulesstar

Vintage suitcases are one of those items that seem to be on every thrifter's wish list, thus making them increasingly difficult to find. Not only are they beautiful to look at, evoking travel images of a more glamorous era, but functional too, both for travel or as home storage containers, and they look particularly nice stacked in groups. So many things make this case especially covetable: the size, the shape, the color, the perfectly worn decals... spectacular find!

feedsack baking cups
Originally uploaded by Oliveark

If you saw last weeks picks, you are probably now on to the fact that I'm pretty much stoked on anything cupcake-related and have been from a very young age. These wonderful baking cups are no exception. I love how the little patterns really do look like old feedsack cloth and they bring back wonderful memories of birthdays gone by! Yes, that was me :)

Reading Charm
Originally uploaded by land bridge

The Girl Reading Book charm on this $2 Goodwill bracelet is just too sweet for... well... words. As a kid, I loved going to the library. I can still recall the seemingly endless rows of books, how their spines crackled when I opened them, and the slight musty scent of their pages. I can't wait until Clover is old enough to appreciate books as so much more than just something to chew on. Since becoming pregnant, passing by the public library now sets off romantic notions in my head about what it will be like to take my daughter there and get to experience it all over again through her.

Sacks

The new window displays are up at Sacks. Fantastic as usual. The theme of the first window is Vintage and the second is Art. I know they are a bit difficult to see with all the reflection, but the close up shots below turned out better, and for fun you can play "find Missa" in the reflections : ) hint: I'm wearing a white knit hat w/ two stripes and a pom pom.

The Vintage window is my favorite. Lots of neat old stuff and that sewing machine is pretty incredible. The pics can be enlarged for a better view.

The cover of this book is absolutely beautiful and the teeny floral painting would be a perfect addition to my budding collection of small paintings. I'll have to go back and see if anyone has reserved it yet.

You've just gotta love Vintage House Wife in her heels and pearls, vacuum in one hand... empty martini glass in the other... ahh, simpler times...

...and I do believe that IS the buffalo stance being thrown down by Chic Parisian Girl... aww yeah.

The Necklace

Today I am wearing my all-time favorite piece of thrifted jewelry. I spotted this necklace a couple of years ago in a case at the VNA Hospice thrift store. I like its short length and the pendant is so sweet and unique with a gold-on-black image of a girl in what appears to be a night gown, kneeling down to pick flowers with a little butterfly hovering just above her shoulder. I think I only paid about a dollar fifty for it.