Treasure Find Tuesday

I never even THINK about intimates such as underpants and most night time garments when I am thrifting. Those are usually items you keep to yourself ya know! I used to think of swimsuits as an "intimate" item, but the week before our trip to California I was wading through the dresses at Goodwill and turned around and saw this top. I am always attracted to red, white, and blue. I don't know if it is because I am an air force wife or the fact that the combo is simply classic ... could be both. This bathing suit top was $3.00 and most importantly I didn't have to go through trying on all the bathing suits from our honeymoon to see if they still fit. Can't beat that! Fortunately, I already had navy bathing suit bottoms (Target) so that (and the fact that I machine washed it before wearing) eliminates any ick factor. The suit was perfect for soaking up the California sun!

San Diego, California

Seaside

This past Friday Chris and I drove up highway 1 in California. We had stayed the night before at Vandenberg Air Force Base and were on our way north to visit friends and family. We stopped by the Commissary before heading out to prepare a picnic. Ham, Cheese, Sourdough, watermelon, hummus, and pita chips, oh and the pacific ocean made a perfect guest appearance. So Beautiful.

We were in our travel clothes so our wedding rings snuggled up for a photo

Yes!

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica, California

I LOVE skeeball. If I had a gameroom and lots of money I would have a skeeball machine over pinball. For sure.

Treasure Find Tuesday

This weeks find comes from here:

Los Angeles, CA

I mapped a route of local thrift shops and somehow ended up in little Ethiopia to find these:

only one is pictured because the rest are nicely wrapped ready to go home, but I found five and scored the lot for $5. The shop where I found them was interesting. It advertised that EVERYTHING was 50% off, but nothing had a price tag! Their policy is to make up prices on the spot when you ask. Needless to say I tried my best to hide my enthusiasm when I asked the price of these beauties.

Love the crackle and color ... these actually remind me of this treasure find. On the bus ride back to the hotel I actually had a lovely conversation with a woman carrying a Goodwill bag. She had been thrifting all day too, but unfortunately did not find the kitchen table she was looking for.

Treasure Find Tuesday

This Tuesday we are going bedside. It has been a long day and I am awfully tired.

Welcome to my side!

I don't want to ramble about this swan ... but I can't help it! Bear with me or skip ahead. I probably wont find out if you do. I came across this swan in Columbus Ohio after dropping this lovely lady off at the airport. I was a great ride and an excellent excuse to go to Anthropologie (there is one in Cincinnati and Columbus, but not Dayton). I had never been to this particular shopping center before. It was dark, raining, and I was kinda lost. While looking for Anthro, I stumbled upon the seasonal store Glad Tidings. It was BEAUTIFUL. The girl behind the counter explained to me that the woman who started the store includes seasonal items she purchases in bulk and thrifted items she picks up throughout the rest of the year. The woman has great taste and all of the items I saw were reasonably priced. I was so impressed that her stock included items she thrifted. Can you say rachel's dream job!? This swan was one of the thrifted items and thus the only swan like it in the store. What a neat idea! The shop was quite a treasure find, but I do love my swan. It is perfect for storing bobby pins, gum, hair ties, lip gloss, and the rest of my small bedside clutter.

This is a photo of William R. Monks and William J. Monks aka Billy aka my dad aka greatest man alive. My father and grandfather were, are, and always will be my most beloved role models. They are the real deal.

These plates are always a joy to look at. The larger plates served as centerpieces at our wedding reception. I ended up creating cake stands out of them using velcro and candlesticks via recommendations from others. The smaller plates were part of our amazing wedding cupcake display. Oh and all of them were of course, thrifted.

Some of the stands ready to go.

potential cupcake set up

Cupcakes at the wedding

(Could only find poorly cropped photo on short notice =/)

Thanks for sticking with me ...or skipping to the end... either way have a lovely evening!

Oh and btw this Thursday the base thrift shop is hosting the officers spouses club luncheon and we are doing a fashion show. I know. Be excited about next Tuesday!

This Day In History Unveiled

A lot has changed for me in the past two years. I'm married and living in Ohio for crying out loud. I keep thinking "hmm, what was I up to this time last year?". Luckily I have an ical and can travel through time. Ok, I'm still in the now, but I like that I can do a few clicks and remember where i've been. Try it. It can be particularly fun if it is a day when you had a big test or paper due. It's a relief to know its behind you. Well, I did this today and realized that exactly a year ago was the day mom and I found my wedding veil. See!? Good times. I also realized that I never mentioned it before.

I didn't expect to go for anything fancy, but like many unsuspecting "simple" brides, I tried on the bling and was mesmerized. Fortunately the dress was simple. I LOVE that it has two layers.

What were you up to a year ago?

Booking It

I just booked my flights for California! Sunshine here I come! Chris is going to be taking a week long course at UCLA later in March and I'm tagging along. He is even taking a few days off afterwards so we can travel a bit ... and I'm staying a few days extra since I can use as much vitamin D and friend time as I can get! AH I can see it now:

Los Angeles (betcha didn't know that's where my title pic is from)

San Jose

San Fransico

San Diego

*photos are from my previous CA adventures

The Sun Is Out

for the second day in a row! This feels like a record! I wish I could feel it all over, but it is still FREEZING outside. At this point I will happily take what I can get!

...any ideas on what I can do to enjoy it without having to freeze?

Treasure Find Tuesday

Hello Friends! What a Tuesday indeed. Today I pulled double duty at the thrift shop because it was my week to provide lunch for all of the volunteers. You can imagine how nervous I was considering my cooking background. Chris was a HUGE help in preparing two homemade lasagnas on Monday night. I am a very lucky lady. Last minute I was invited to a theatre scholarship event downtown and literally ran out of the apartment saying "I love you please layer the last lasagna, put it in the oven, and make room in the fridge for both of them k bye!". No worries, I made sure to return with a butterfinger milkshake for the man (and one for me so I wouldn't eat all of his). Lunch is one of the best things about working at the base thrift shop. Every week someone cooks and it is ALWAYS a hot delicious homemade meal. It just so happens that I am the baby and everyone else is far more experienced. BAH! Happily lunch was a success. I got a lot of support from my fellow volunteers and even had some time to search the store for todays treasure finds.

A quick note about our "thrift shop"

We do consignments for military members... I don't really understand why they call it a thrift shop when it is a consignment shop, but no one has asked me for my opinion on the title. When you bring in items to consign (you are limited to sixteen a week), they are displayed for five weeks. On Monday of week six volunteers do a sweep of the shop and move all "expired" items to the welfare room where everything is discounted and ALL the money goes to charity rather than a portion to charity and the other to you the consigner. If you want you can also donate items which people often do if something has a stain on it or they just don't want to hassle with ... making money? I don't know why you wouldn't want to make a little on the side but to each his own. Donations immediately go to the welfare room. Sometimes it seems a bit complex, but it is actually an efficient system.

This morning I mentioned that todays post would include items found today. This added a little pressure because I don't like to buy things I can't use/don't need and you never know what will be there. Here is what came of it:

Magazines are by far one of my favorite items at the thrift shop. Someone out there donates rather than consigns their old Country Living Magazines each month which means they go straight to the welfare room. This means they are current, thirty cents, and all the money goes to charity and scholarships. Every now and then I pick up a Better Homes and Gardens or score a MARTHA, but Country Living is my favorite.

This shelf was a whopping fifty cents. I had my eye on an old ladder weeks ago, but alas someone else snatched it. I mentioned the ladder to Barb, a lovely lady I work with, two weeks ago. When I walked in this morning this ladder-looking display wall hanging was set aside for me. She felt bad that I didn't get the ladder and thought this could tide me over until I find another one. It was SO sweet of her to think of me I had to buy it ... any ideas on what I can do with it???

Now these I really did need. I have been looking for more practical cooling racks and for fifty cents these are perfect!

This three wick candle was originally fifteen dollars. I bought it for two. Now that it is in my home ... it kind of smells. No lie. I may be re-consigning this one. You Can't win them all.

This cast iron mold is my favorite find of the day.

I wanted to buy it last week.
I'm glad I resisted, so I can share it with you today.
It makes a beautiful home decoration and I am dying to see if heart shaped pancakes and cornbread work out! This was pricer than my other finds, but at 5. 25 it is still worth it. All together I spent about 9.98.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

Chris made me feel bad because I am posting this on Wednesday night, but I am going to label it as if I posted on Tuesday ... i'm a liar, but I was tired and had friends over for leftover lasagna last night and Treasure Find Wednesday isn't as catchy.

T day

It's Treasure Find Tuesday. Excited? Me too. I'll be posting this evening. I think I'm gonna put the pressure on this week and post something that I find today while working at the base thrift shop. Who knows what will come in today, or better yet what will go on clearance =) Stay Tuned. Enjoy your day. See you Tonight.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. -Audrey Hepburn