Lacquerware Plate Set

Lacquerware Plate Set, originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

No idea why I love these plates, but I've managed to get my collection up to seven now. Not that I've been to any of these places...guess it gets me thinking I should visit one or two sometime in the future. My favorite is the Japanese Village plate...so much detail...but I can't forget the Las Vegas plate where the cowboy is saying "Howdy Podner"...that's just too funny :-)

Thrift FAIL

I'm a sucker for classic sandals like these Bass Sunjuns. I swooped in to grab this pair at my local stare last month. They were in near mint condition and I waited for the perfect day to wear them. It was an art market where two of my percussion groups were scheduled to play. I unloaded the drums and was walking to the tent when one strap popped out...glue fail...oh, well, at least they are not falling off my feet...5 minutes later...second strap pops out...aaaacccckkk ! I have to march around the market carrying a drum in a few minutes ? What to do ? I tried to rig up a knot which rapidly slipped loose, so I put out a frantic call to some friends at the market and a kind friend offered her Chacos sandals for me to borrow...what a lifesaver !!! Moral of the story...bring along an extra pair of shoes when you are taking your untested thrifted pair of shoes on their first day out :-p

Vintage Embroidered Tablecloth

Vintage Embroidered Tablecloth, originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

This tablecloth was a beautiful find on a recent trip to one of my favorite stores. It has a small hole and some dark spots, but they could be artfully covered with the right table setting. I love the embroidery...it has a real southwest feel to it.

Dancing Feet

Being an avid thrifter is a bonus when you're also a dance fanatic. I practically spent my whole childhood in the ballet studio...age 5-13...and my love of dance never went away...in fact, it has pretty much returned with a vengeance in recent years, so keeping an eye out for sweet deals on dance shoes is an important element of my thrifting sessions. Here is my collection of never worn (at time of purchase) dance shoes I have collected over the years...black and pink ballet slippers, jazz shoes, tap and ballroom also. I didn't include the pair of rhythm tap shoes my friend gave me for free, since they weren't thrifted, but all in all, I think I saved myself a few dollars over the retail dance shoe prices ;-)

Routine thrifting

Yes, I'm keeping up with my routine, no, I haven't posted here in awhile, and yes, I have found some cool stuff ! Yesterday I stopped at four different stores...didn't buy a thing ! Which is good...means I've become very selective ;-) But last week, I spotted these sweet drinking glasses and snapped them up at 75 cents each. Other recent sweet buys include a brand new silver leather "spy" coat...need to find a place to wear it !

Facebook recently changed their group functions, and now it's alot more fun to share photos of thrifty goodness with other folks in this group, Thrift Store Confidential .

10 cent bins !!!

I am a super lucky thrifter because in my neighborhood, there are two thrift stores that regularly sell items for only 10 cents apiece in their bins. Every Wednesday, I hit the one with the largest bins, and battle the crowds to claim my prizes...a pile of usually 20-30 items for under $3 total. Since I began losing weight over a year ago, I kept going for personal items in smaller and smaller sizes...I have way too many shirts, skirts and pants now, so I'm focusing on pieces to cut up and re-use, plus I'm collecting silk pieces for a fellow artist who does nuno felting .

My 100% wool sweater collection has grown sizeable in just the last couple weeks, so it's time to start hacking them to pieces and restyle with my new serger my incredibly generous aunt bought for me two months ago. What should I make ? Well, fulled purses is my first thought, but tonight, I found this blog post in my google reader for glove construction . A-ha ! My soft and lovely 100% merino wool sweaters will make nice gloves ! I found my inspiration, so wish me luck !

Team Upcyclers

Last week I was scouting all the Etsy street teams, looking for good groups for a friend to join, and I spotted the Etsy Upcyclers street team...first thought, yep, that's me...so I sent in my request to join. Few days later, I received a very friendly welcome from Collagical . It looks like the team is active on Twitter as TeamUpcyclers and Facebook as Upcyclers . I haven't had a chance to go through all the team members' shops yet, but it looks like there is a lot of creativity in recycling going on.