Treasure Box Wednesday: Treasured Humor

I had kinda of an amusing incident at the Goodwill the other day, and I wanted to remember to share it with you folks.

I had taken my lunchbreak at a local Goodwill branch and found a couple of goodies to my joy, one of which was a CD with some tunes I'd wanted to add to the 80s mix on my iPod.

The sign above them read that the CDs were kept in the back, to prevent theft. Totally understandable. More thrifts are keeping the discs safe in folders at the registers, so items don't just "walk away." I've gotten a lot of decent CDs this way.

So I continued shopping and then took my purchases up to one of the store's two registers just like any old time.

First, the cashier and I commiserated on the choice of music, she sharing a fondness for 80s tunes, and having owned the album herself in her youth. All perfectly normal...

And then she grabbed the store PA microphone:

"Cyndi Lauper-- She's So Unusual. That's Cyndi Lauper-- She's So Unusual, could someone please bring that CD to the front register, please? Cyndi Lauper..." 

Her words echoed throughout the entire store like the voice of a very efficient, very music-savvy deity.

The woman behind me in line looked as startled as I was and we both broke out laughing. 

It's a really good thing I'm not shy about sharing my music tastes, though I have to say, I can think of very few albums I'd really want to have announced over the loud speakers to the Wide World of my fellow shopping Goodwillers.

I imagine they did this because they have two registers and wanted the disks in neutral territory, for easy access from both, but I think there has to be a slightly better way.

Anyway, I hope all of you fine readers celebrating the Christmas holiday find yourself merrily in tune with the season. Thank you all for making it such a great year here at The Thrift Shop Romantic.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Treasured Humor

I had kinda of an amusing incident at the Goodwill the other day, and I wanted to remember to share it with you folks.

I had taken my lunchbreak at a local Goodwill branch and found a couple of goodies to my joy, one of which was a CD with some tunes I'd wanted to add to the 80s mix on my iPod.

The sign above them read that the CDs were kept in the back, to prevent theft. Totally understandable. More thrifts are keeping the discs safe in folders at the registers, so items don't just "walk away." I've gotten a lot of decent CDs this way.

So I continued shopping and then took my purchases up to one of the store's two registers just like any old time.

First, the cashier and I commiserated on the choice of music, she sharing a fondness for 80s tunes, and having owned the album herself in her youth. All perfectly normal...

And then she grabbed the store PA microphone:

"Cyndi Lauper-- She's So Unusual. That's Cyndi Lauper-- She's So Unusual, could someone please bring that CD to the front register, please? Cyndi Lauper..." 

Her words echoed throughout the entire store like the voice of a very efficient, very music-savvy deity.

The woman behind me in line looked as startled as I was and we both broke out laughing. 

It's a really good thing I'm not shy about sharing my music tastes, though I have to say, I can think of very few albums I'd really want to have announced over the loud speakers to the Wide World of my fellow shopping Goodwillers.

I imagine they did this because they have two registers and wanted the disks in neutral territory, for easy access from both, but I think there has to be a slightly better way.

Anyway, I hope all of you fine readers celebrating the Christmas holiday find yourself merrily in tune with the season. Thank you all for making it such a great year here at The Thrift Shop Romantic.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Party isn't Quite Over

Ah, before the winter winds whipped up and temperatures plummeted into the single digits, I'd gotten a chance to pick up just a few after-Christmas bargains.

And while I do love sharing great finds with you, I hope you won't find me too selfish in admitting their appearance here is probably as much for me as for you, my friends. Because how many of us have bought something after Christmas, put it away, and then completely forgot about it?

It was only last year's post on my mercury glass discoveries that reminded me what new goodies I could display for 2009!

So sometimes it takes a village... a discount bin Target Christmas village that is...

At 75% off, they might as well have just said, "Here, Jenn: put this under your coat and leave the building quickly."

I also snagged this large pink light-up vintage style church...
That probably would have made the coat bulky.

Other finds included some things for next Christmas and an assortment of things I can probably use throughout the year.
This angel was just $1.50 at the Goodwill. I thought she had such a pretty face, and she reminded me of antique religious statuary, the way her wings were done...
This little flocked child ornament seems to be made of plaster. It appears as if it might have come from a Victorian Christmas card illustration...
And a sale on scented candles brought a variety of inviting scents, some for the next holiday season and some, like the "Greenhouse" and "Herb" tarts, which should serve nicely any time during the year.
Well, that about wraps up this Treasure Box!

• If you missed Sunday's post on the Valentine's Day Tree, click here and check that out if you have a moment.

Keep warm, everybody! And let's think Spring, okay? Maybe if we all do it, it'll have some sort of effect. :)

Treasure Box Wednesday: Party isn't Quite Over

Ah, before the winter winds whipped up and temperatures plummeted into the single digits, I'd gotten a chance to pick up just a few after-Christmas bargains.

And while I do love sharing great finds with you, I hope you won't find me too selfish in admitting their appearance here is probably as much for me as for you, my friends. Because how many of us have bought something after Christmas, put it away, and then completely forgot about it?

It was only last year's post on my mercury glass discoveries that reminded me what new goodies I could display for 2009!

So sometimes it takes a village... a discount bin Target Christmas village that is...

At 75% off, they might as well have just said, "Here, Jenn: put this under your coat and leave the building quickly."

I also snagged this large pink light-up vintage style church...
That probably would have made the coat bulky.

Other finds included some things for next Christmas and an assortment of things I can probably use throughout the year.
This angel was just $1.50 at the Goodwill. I thought she had such a pretty face, and she reminded me of antique religious statuary, the way her wings were done...
This little flocked child ornament seems to be made of plaster. It appears as if it might have come from a Victorian Christmas card illustration...
And a sale on scented candles brought a variety of inviting scents, some for the next holiday season and some, like the "Greenhouse" and "Herb" tarts, which should serve nicely any time during the year.
Well, that about wraps up this Treasure Box!

• If you missed Sunday's post on the Valentine's Day Tree, click here and check that out if you have a moment.

Keep warm, everybody! And let's think Spring, okay? Maybe if we all do it, it'll have some sort of effect. :)

Treasure Box Wednesday: Posies, Pyrex and Presents

Ah, the thrift stores were perfectly packed with pretty purchases, if perchance you paused for a peek.

I won't be saying that five times fast, but I will proceed to the pack of pictures. We'll start with Presents, I think. Yep-- pepper and salt shakers, in the grape milkglass pattern! Perfect for that ever-more-giant basket o' thrifted goodness for my good friend's mom.

I'm delighted that these seem to be in terrific condition, too.

And how about some Pyrex? In two separate thrift store adventures, I came across this pink scroll patterned casserole dish, and this cute hot-air balloon printed bowl...


The hot air balloon Pyrex set, I understand, originally was designed to serve chips, while a small nesting bowl clipped to it for dip...


The pink scroll pattern is one I haven't seen before at the thrift stores, so I was excited to spot this. And yes, I am enabling my Pyrexia.... but LOOK at it! It makes me happy and it's so fun...


At the St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store in Penn Hills, I found this excellent marble-topped table, with a built-in table lamp for just $7.99!...

It needs some dusting and some sturdying up, but it was just too much my taste to pass up.

Then under the label of Posies, we have this vintage tablecloth...

I could just see this, with its brightly colored flowers-- Poppies, Perhaps?--- on a summer table. And the Salvation Army Thrift Store had this lace tablerunner, which matches my diningroom mantle scarf and window treatment...


Lastly, I found this little fairy centerpiece bowl, which matches two vintage candlesticks I already had. Now I have a whole set!


And before I go, I just thought you might enjoy seeing the bit of mantle messing around I did on Sunday...

You'll see I'm using those tall cherub lamps I'd found for $4 a piece at the Goodwill a few weeks back-- the ones I wasn't sure whether I would paint or not. They look surprisingly good just as-is here. I wasn't quite expecting that. The lampshades were Shabby Chic shades, just $2 a piece at Gabriel Brothers a year or so ago...

Anyway, you never know what you'll be able to use until you start pulling things together and trying it. But I think that's really a part of all the fun!

• If you missed Sunday's post, The Attraction of Carnival Glass, click here.

Otherwise, perhaps you'll pop by for next Sunday's post? Perfect!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Posies, Pyrex and Presents

Ah, the thrift stores were perfectly packed with pretty purchases, if perchance you paused for a peek.

I won't be saying that five times fast, but I will proceed to the pack of pictures. We'll start with Presents, I think. Yep-- pepper and salt shakers, in the grape milkglass pattern! Perfect for that ever-more-giant basket o' thrifted goodness for my good friend's mom.

I'm delighted that these seem to be in terrific condition, too.

And how about some Pyrex? In two separate thrift store adventures, I came across this pink scroll patterned casserole dish, and this cute hot-air balloon printed bowl...


The hot air balloon Pyrex set, I understand, originally was designed to serve chips, while a small nesting bowl clipped to it for dip...


The pink scroll pattern is one I haven't seen before at the thrift stores, so I was excited to spot this. And yes, I am enabling my Pyrexia.... but LOOK at it! It makes me happy and it's so fun...


At the St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store in Penn Hills, I found this excellent marble-topped table, with a built-in table lamp for just $7.99!...

It needs some dusting and some sturdying up, but it was just too much my taste to pass up.

Then under the label of Posies, we have this vintage tablecloth...

I could just see this, with its brightly colored flowers-- Poppies, Perhaps?--- on a summer table. And the Salvation Army Thrift Store had this lace tablerunner, which matches my diningroom mantle scarf and window treatment...


Lastly, I found this little fairy centerpiece bowl, which matches two vintage candlesticks I already had. Now I have a whole set!


And before I go, I just thought you might enjoy seeing the bit of mantle messing around I did on Sunday...

You'll see I'm using those tall cherub lamps I'd found for $4 a piece at the Goodwill a few weeks back-- the ones I wasn't sure whether I would paint or not. They look surprisingly good just as-is here. I wasn't quite expecting that. The lampshades were Shabby Chic shades, just $2 a piece at Gabriel Brothers a year or so ago...

Anyway, you never know what you'll be able to use until you start pulling things together and trying it. But I think that's really a part of all the fun!

• If you missed Sunday's post, The Attraction of Carnival Glass, click here.

Otherwise, perhaps you'll pop by for next Sunday's post? Perfect!

Treasure Box Wednesday: The Fruits of Thrifting

Funny how a thrift store can be empty one week-- nothing but some mismatched flatware, a few old patterns and a couple of chipped cups-- and then a week or two later, the shelves can be overflowing.

That's pretty much what happened this last weekend-- the overflowing part. I hit the same stores I'd hit just two weeks ago-- the St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill in Monroeville, and it had gone from famine to feast.

Part of the bounty is this Victorian transferware bowl. It's made by Dresden (of Ohio!), a whiteware pottery manufacturer around the turn of the 1900s.

The bowl has crazing, the little character cracks which are natural for whiteware, and don't detract from the value of the piece. But there aren't any chips, cracks or mars to this one. Hard to believe, really. And for $3.00!

I also found this lovely half-finished needlepoint of fruit...

It probably was supposed to be a chair cushion, but I think it would also look lovely in a vintage frame. I was really fond of the colors they used, and couldn't resist.

The same store had a feast of reading materials for me. I'd been hoping to get to read a few of Agatha Christie's tales feature her detectives Tommy and Tuppence, and the Goodwill certainly had them. In fact, they had a lot of other Christies, as well-- ideal for anyone hoping to acquire and instant collection. These editions were from the 60s.


In there is also Terry Pratchett, who I look forward to reading, as I've been driving around listening to a terrific audiobook of his. (Thanks a bunch for the recommendation, J.D.-- you were so, so right!)

Well, once we solve the mystery of who killed whom in the library with the candlestick... you need the candlestick, right?..

I got two of these-- $0.99 a piece-- from the St. Vincent de Paul. The base is cut glass and the style really looks like some Depression era pieces I've seen, though I can't find these particular ones in my books. But hey, old or new, they're quite stylish for the not-quite-a-dollar I paid for them. Cut glass, and cut-rate prices! Not bad.

Lastly, I found this nice little black purse...

It seems to be in great condition. It's no particular name I know, but I don't really care much about that. Basically, I will be using this for fall.

So here sits the full still-life of these thrifted fruits!

• If you missed last Sunday's post on Flea-ing Lambertville and Exploring New Hope, click here.

And me? I'm going to go devour those books. Have a wonderful week, my pals in thrift!

Treasure Box Wednesday: The Fruits of Thrifting

Funny how a thrift store can be empty one week-- nothing but some mismatched flatware, a few old patterns and a couple of chipped cups-- and then a week or two later, the shelves can be overflowing.

That's pretty much what happened this last weekend-- the overflowing part. I hit the same stores I'd hit just two weeks ago-- the St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill in Monroeville, and it had gone from famine to feast.

Part of the bounty is this Victorian transferware bowl. It's made by Dresden (of Ohio!), a whiteware pottery manufacturer around the turn of the 1900s.

The bowl has crazing, the little character cracks which are natural for whiteware, and don't detract from the value of the piece. But there aren't any chips, cracks or mars to this one. Hard to believe, really. And for $3.00!

I also found this lovely half-finished needlepoint of fruit...

It probably was supposed to be a chair cushion, but I think it would also look lovely in a vintage frame. I was really fond of the colors they used, and couldn't resist.

The same store had a feast of reading materials for me. I'd been hoping to get to read a few of Agatha Christie's tales feature her detectives Tommy and Tuppence, and the Goodwill certainly had them. In fact, they had a lot of other Christies, as well-- ideal for anyone hoping to acquire and instant collection. These editions were from the 60s.


In there is also Terry Pratchett, who I look forward to reading, as I've been driving around listening to a terrific audiobook of his. (Thanks a bunch for the recommendation, J.D.-- you were so, so right!)

Well, once we solve the mystery of who killed whom in the library with the candlestick... you need the candlestick, right?..

I got two of these-- $0.99 a piece-- from the St. Vincent de Paul. The base is cut glass and the style really looks like some Depression era pieces I've seen, though I can't find these particular ones in my books. But hey, old or new, they're quite stylish for the not-quite-a-dollar I paid for them. Cut glass, and cut-rate prices! Not bad.

Lastly, I found this nice little black purse...

It seems to be in great condition. It's no particular name I know, but I don't really care much about that. Basically, I will be using this for fall.

So here sits the full still-life of these thrifted fruits!

• If you missed last Sunday's post on Flea-ing Lambertville and Exploring New Hope, click here.

And me? I'm going to go devour those books. Have a wonderful week, my pals in thrift!