A few of my favourite things from the Thrift Store

Looking back on my year of thrifting, a few favourites stand out (but let's face it, everything vintage from the thrifts was splendid and stood out in its own way). On with my super favourites then!

A vintage German log chalet thermometer. The two figures swivel depending on the air pressure I believe. Not sure if that function still works, though. The trees and the box window flowers are adorable. It was $1.46 (!) at St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store.

Found my first piece of Pink Gooseberry Pyrex, it's so pretty.

Round Casserole, for only 99 cents at Value Village!

 

My year of firsts....I also got my première Snowflake Aqua Space Saver ? Casserole at VV.

It was in very good condition and the lid was included as well. It was $5.99 (swell!) but

I ended up paying less because I had my 30 percent stamp card! Yay!

I love the pink and aqua together. They have a certain je ne sais quoi about them with the pastel background and the white design.

An Arabia of Finland Strawberry Creamer. I love anything with strawberries on them, so it was
a bonus to find them on a Arabia piece. It is in excellent condition. And the price was "sweet" as well... $1.99 at VV. That store has been very good to me!

Paired up with an Arabia Plum jam pot with lid that I found a few years ago

at a church rummage sale.

A vintage goldtone family tree with round ornate picture holders. The backing material is

 red velvet. $1.99 at VV.

 

Looking forward to another great year!

 

Happy New Year!



 





Merry Christmas

Whew! Finally put the finishing touches on my vintage mini Christmas tree.

The angel in red to the right of the photo is a vintage wooden ornament with wool hair made in Sweden. She has foil wings and a halo.

The ornaments are so cute, I had just enough to circle the base of the tree. They are not glued on, so that I can rearrange them next year.

My Little Vintage Tree

I decided to make my own tabletop mini Christmas tree this year as a fun crafting project...using thrifted items of course. Here it is Christmas Eve, and I have finally undertaken this project. Yup, if it wasn't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done (wink).

I used as the foundation two styrofoam bases purchased for pennies at two different church rummage sales I attended in the fall, and several mini wooden ornaments for a couple of dollars from the thrift. The only thing I purchased new was the silver tinsel trim and Martha craft glue.

I think this is called a disc arranger

Vintage vials of glitter (ooh!) and a bottle of craft glue from Winners.

I spread the craft glue  (akin to Podge It) on the top surface of the styrofoam disc arranger. I like how the glitter reminds me of old vintage Mica glitter on Christmas ornaments.

The photos below are taken before the base was finished.

Lotsa wooden ornaments this year...

Schmid Snoopy Music Box for Christmas

First of all, let me confess that I am an avid Snoopy collector. I collect vintage and newer items, and a lot of my finds come of course from the thrifts.

I recently found something at Value Village that made my heart stop.

 

Blandly marked "Housewares Seasonal"

Once I got my ticker going again, this guy came off the Christmas display shelf in the store and into my sweating hands:

It's a vintage numbered Schmid Snoopy music box. Look at all the stockings on Snoopy''s doghouse!
He's got it covered! I can't believe this was still there at the end of the day. It works beautifully and is in spotless condition.

 

 

 

When you wind it up, it plays "Silent Night". It's one of my favourite Christmas songs. Twas meant to be!

Christmas Craft Supplies on the Cheap

I am a huge crafter and am able to find most of what I need in thrift stores. Value Village often sells excellent craft items in their bagged goods, some of which are unused or a fraction of their original price. I've been able to find huge bags of glue gun sticks (a glue gun is a crafter's dream tool), stencils, wooden stamps, and ink pads.

 

I recently found a bag of brand new Stampin' Up ink pad in red and

DIY Christmas stamps with blocks for $2.99.

The stamp pad was still sealed. It looks like only a few stamps were used.

The stamps were unmounted and came with various wooden blocks. You simply cut the stamp out of the rubber sheet, and stick it onto one of the blocks. These were some of my favourite stamps - a snowflake mitten, a pine cone, and a peppermint candy. Sweet!