I thought I’d share with you guys the cool stuff I picked up at thrift stores in December. I spent a total of about $83.
First, I think my favorite find of this whole year. I had one of those moments where I actually squealed out loud, and while I was shopping with these babies in my cart, three different people stopped me to comment.
I guarded my cart.
These are a 7.5 quart dutch oven and a large sauce pan–both from Le Creuset. Amazon sells a brand new dutch oven this size for $369 and a sauce pan for $275. They’re enameled cast iron, absolutely gorgeous bright blue, and nothing I’d ever spend the full price on because…that’s more than $600 for two pots and THAT’S nuts.
It’s even more crazy that I found them for $8 each.
They don’t have lids, but that’s okay.
I also found this little vintage grinder thingie that I pretty much only bought because it cost $1 and it reminded me so much of my grandma. My sister Jill and I used to sit at our grandma’s kitchen table and grind up saltine crackers in hers–which was just like this one.
Don’t ask me why we ground up our saltines. I guess because we could? We’d eat them by licking a finger and dipping it into the salty crumbs.
I’ve actually come across these before, but the grindy teeth inside are almost always rusty. This one has a little surface rust on the arm, but the teeth are in perfect condition, straight from the 1970s.
One more little thing for the kitchen: an electric coffee grinder. It’ll need some cleaning, since it came complete with the remains of the last beans that were ground in it, but it works perfectly and is kind of cute. It reminds me of a little alien space ship. Plus, it cost $3, so a little elbow grease is okay.
This is just a metal pencil box–kinda lunchbox shaped–with a picture of 3D sharks. I saw these at Staples in late summer (you know, school supply time) and couldn’t make myself spend $12 on one.
The one I really, really wanted had an astronaut on it. But this shark one was only $2. I’ll probably take it to school with me next week and then pass it on to Ruby.
Rwar!
I actually went out thrifting this month specifically looking for something like this. I live with a LOT of people and I work from home. Which means I work in my bedroom a lot. It’s the only place where I can have at least some privacy some of the time.
I decided that I couldn’t keep giving most of my nightstand over to a lamp. So I wanted something either wall mounted or hanging–that just plugs in. We’re renters and I don’t want to mess with wiring.
Voila. For $5, totally worth the search. I like the cut glass shade. I’m pretty sure it’ll make pretty patterns on the wall when it’s up and lit. It works fine, but the switch is sticky and also on the wrong side for my side of the bed, so I ordered a wireless remote plug.
Technology, man. You just plug that thing into the wall, plug the lamp into it, and a wireless remote will connect. The Clapper of the 21st century. Overall, with the plug, this lamp will wind up costing me $17.
This next doodad is pretty utilitarian. It’s just an over-the-shower-head thingie. It’s big, which is why I bought it. And has hooks at the bottom. And it cost $3.
Here’s another thing I got super excited about when I saw it. It’s a pretty green cashmere sweater. Suuuper soft and it fits me perfectly. SOMEONE stuck it in the wrong place, probably hoping to come back to find it later.
But it’s mine! For $5. Amazon has a similar sweater, the same brand (Charter Club), for $129.
And when I’m at Lake Tahoe next week at school in the freezing cold…it will come in handy.
I also found this kind of amazing leather jacket. It has a vintage-y feel to me, although I don’t think it’s very old. Maybe 1990s? It fits me like a glove and I love the length–just to my hips. And it cost $10.
Something else that’s making the trip to school with me to help make sure I don’t freeze to death.
I almost never find shoes that fit me and are in like-new condition at a thrift store. For one thing–I wear a size 11 or 12.
Actually that’s the only thing. There are always tons of cute shoes in smaller sizes.
So I was super excited to find these little soft-gold flats for $5. I’m pretty sure they’re just from Payless, but they fit me just right and are adorable with a little bit of sparkle that you can’t really see in the picture.
As many purses as there are in thrift stores, I don’t usually find any that I like well enough to bring home. I loved this one though. It’s a nice medium-sized leather bag that hits me just at the hip, which is perfect. I love the rich toffee color and the leather is butter soft.
There’s no brand name anywhere, but it feels very well made. The kind of purse that gets better as you use it. It cost $10.
I found this pretty awesome, very vintage copy of The Courtship of Miles Standish and Other Poems by Wadsworth. It was published in 1900. And it cost me $2. I couldn’t resist. The cover is quilted and gorgeous–and I know that at the turn of the LAST century, someone really cherished this beautiful volume.
My local SPCA thrift store has a loft that they have set up as an ‘art gallery.’ I love taking a look up there. I found a bunch of pieces this month.
Let’s start with this print by a French painter named Jean Crotti. It’s a print of a drawing called The Infinite Staircase. It cost $2.
I absolutely could not resist these three little guys. Seriously. Those mustaches. I love the graphic feeling of them. And the green frames. Everything about this trio makes me so happy. Including that they cost $5 each.
They’re designed by an artist named Nicole Thompson. The prints sell for about $27 each, unframed.
They’re big–24 inches by 18 inches. I’m 99 percent sure I’m going to hang them over our bed.
Lastly, I saw this ship picture. Something about it made me pick it up and take a closer look. I probably wouldn’t have bought it. It’s just a print and not really my style.
But then I turned it over. And on the OTHER side, for some reason, there was a paint-by-numbers horse. And that is definitely my style. I have a small collection of mid-century paint-by-number pieces. There’s just something about them that appeals to me so much.
This little guy was mine for $2.
