Thrift Store Treasure ~ Plates

Over the years I have blogged about my thrift store finds here and there. Years and years ago, when Mr. TRH and I were newly married we couldn't afford much. Out of necessity (and it was fun to find things at such a cheap price too!) I shopped at thrift stores a lot. I still love shopping at thrift stores and garage sales, but the way I shop has changed over the years. There are things I look for and collect and one of the things is small floral plates.

They are so many plates at the store, but to find a plate with beautiful floral design in good condition is very hard. Little by little my collection grew...

When I checked the back of the plates to see where they were made, most of them are from England and Japan. Then some from china and unidentified ones. My collection is still small, but someday I want to display them to create a "great wall of china".

Because there are several things I look for when I enter the thrift store I hesitate where I should start looking. What if when I am looking at vintage sheets, pretty floral plates are taken by someone. What if when I am looking at vintage books, a rare milk glass vase was thrown in to another person's cart?! Ahh! Such drama! If you are a thrift shopper at heart you will understand exactly what I am talking about.

I will write about other things I collect in the near future. Is there anything in particular you look for at thrift stores?

Recent Thrift Store Finds

I realized I haven't had a "thrift store find" posts for a while, so let me share some findings from last week...

I quickly stopped by one of my usual shops when I realized I only had a few minutes to spare before I needed to pick up my kids from school. Here are the details:


Large white bowl $X.XX

Metal strainer $1.99

Vintage pillow case $1.99

Book $2.99

I was looking for a large white bowl like this for a while after seeing this on the Pottery Barn website.

It is $79 after the price was reduced from $99. Mine? That's right, it was $4.99! :)

I have been looking for a colorful metal strainer for a while too, but that was something I didn't really need. Nor did I want to spend $15 to $20 on. But if it is $1.99? Now, you are talking.

I have been collecting vintage sheets and pillow cases, and I really liked this one. The book seemed very interesting too and I had to grab it. :)

I would say my quick thrift shop stop was a huge success. You never know what you will find at a thrift shop, but it is always nice to find the items that you were looking for for so cheap. No more garage sales and yard sales till Spring, but thank goodness thrift shops are open all year around. :)

Vintage Patterns Found

Sometime last week, I found some vintage patterns at one of the thrift stores that I go to. One of them was printed in 1957... that is a little more than half a century ago! I love the illustrations on these patterns. They were only 50 cents each! They reminded me of my forever fashion icon Audrey Hepburn.

I don't know if I will actually use them to make dresses for me(if I do, I seriously need to get back to my excercise routine to have a skinney waist like those models). I think, I can even frame them for my sewing room.

Hmmm... thrift stores are full of tresures, that is why I can't stop going there. It is also yard sale season; have you found anything amazing lately?

Ruffled Shirt ~Vintage Dress Repurpose~

Note: I have a special surprize at the end of this post, it is somethig to do with the fabric I used...hint hint hint ;)

In the last few posts, I wrote about the vintage dress I found at a thrift store and the things I made out of it.


I still had more fabric left, so I decided to make a top for the upcoming season. I just finished it...


The close up...


I used a pattern from Simplicity(2415), but I changed a few things here and there to make it mine. I made thin strips of ribbon to use as a belt. Also, I couldn't resist to add a feminine touch by adding ruffles in front. I LOVE how it turned out!

I can think of so many different ways to wear this shirt. For example, with some denim...


or, capris and other bottoms, but I think my favorite outfit will be with a white skirt...


accompanied by my favorite white straw hat...


I have a little surprize for you all... The skirt of the vintage dress was made from 4 panels of fabric. Now I am down to 1 panel. Since I had so much fun with this fabric, I thought you would too. I am doing a fabric giveaway!


The rules are simple:

1. Leave a comment on this post (you will get one entry)

2. Become follower of my blog and show me your beautiful face on my side bar (second entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and link back (third entry)

I will announce the winner on the night of Friday the 16th. What would you make if you win the fabric? A scarf? A bunch of flowers? The possibilities are endless.
I am really excited about this giveaway, I hope you are too. Have a nice week everyone!

Can't Wait For the Season

In the last few weeks, I had some conversations with my friends and neighbors about how much we can't wait for the garage sale season to start. Finding great stuff at a garage sale is such a rush, I alway get so excited. We have a few months until the season starts; I've been going to various second hand stores in the last few weeks. I'm usually trying to find something that I can fix or refinish, vintage fabrics, and dishes; unexpected finds are nice too!



The cute tin cans I bought to organize the kids' small toys and legos. The picture frame is in such a great shape, it is almost like brand new, I'm going to paint it white and add it to my wall of pictures. Since our last name starts with "A", the "A" is the perfect decoration for our house.



These cute enamelware dishes are brand new with the price tag still attached. I found three of them. I thought it would be nice to decorate a room around them. As soon as I cleaned them and dried them out, Rachel took them without me knowing and started playing house.



The twin size sheets was brand new, but the flower print make the sheet look vintage. When I think about what I'm going to make out of the sheet and a vintage looking bandana I get a little skip in my step. (Little things like this make my life happier.) The green basket, I might paint a different color. The handbag looking basket, is from Nine West and is in perfect condition. LOVE IT!

These findings have satisfied my cravings... for a while. I'm still waiting for the season!