Monday, August 24, 2015

August 2015 Thriftcation In Review


BJ and I were on thriftcation last week. We didn't do anything particularly exciting and didn't get out of town, but it was a good time nonetheless. We started out on Saturday with the goal of going Halloween Haunting and were successful! To start the day, we went to the Mall so I could buy BJ his birthday present. Along the way we stopped at Hot Topic to stalk the Pop! vinyl wall for the newly released Munsters and Agent Carter. They had only received Eddie and Lily of the Munster clan, but Agent Carter was there as well. The store is always buy one get one half off and we had a coupon on top of that so everything we got was a steal of a deal. We stopped by the Disney Store and I got a Mickey rib cage t-shirt. Our trip to Home Goods was not all that I had dreamed of, but we did get a box of Shiny Brite Halloween ornaments and a giant skull mug that reminds me of Central Perk if it catered to the spooky crowd. I was so excited to come home to some happy mail from Luxulite. I've been wanting to buy a brooch for so long and finally decided to pop on a Halloween one. It was packaged to perfectly and I received it quickly!



It was oppressively hot and humid for at least 3 days straight and I'm positive that I suffered from heat exhaustion. Sunday was BJ's birthday and we went to a Twins game. It was really uncomfortable with the heat, humidity, and lack of wind. I was also lucky enough to be seated next to a child who had never been taught how to act like a human being. She kept kicking and elbowing me and never once apologized. She also kept smacking and crunching nachos right in my ear because half of my seat was hers apparently and that isn't rude. She ate slowly and got a second helping halfway through the game... By the time we left I was boiling literally and figuratively and welcomed the overly air conditioned and empty train ride home.



We headed over to Goodwill on Monday where I found a bright orange bookend Bakelite bangle with a blue tag, which was half off! ZOMG! O_0 Nothing else of note, but dollar Bakelite is enough of a score. How was this still there for the second half off day?!



After the stretch of heat, we got 3 days straight of rain and a 20 degree drop in temperature. So strange. We went to Joann's and I was in awe of this pumpkin display. It was buy 2 get 1 half off, but the smallest ones are $5.99 so I can't image that I will ever bring any of them home. I resisted buying anything, but it was hard! They have so much fun stuff this year! We went back to Gordmans and I got the creepy pumpkin and vintage inspired Happy Halloween sign I had my eye on last time and that's it. So much cute stuff that I have to resist bringing home!



I found 4 Bakelite bangles at my main thrift. I can't believe these weren't in the case with a crazy price!!! I got the 3 black matched set on Thrifty Thursday for 25% off. I didn't get the yellow one that day. It looked and felt like Bakelite, but it was weird colored and smelled like beef jerky. We went back the next day and I just couldn't let it go, so I went around testing all of the bracelets with a cotton swab. I was unsure if the yellow one was testing positive or if the paint was coming off, but I think it finally came clean enough after all the rubbing and friction that I finally got the smell. Then I reconfirmed with hot water at home. Wait. It gets better.



On Saturday we went to a thrift we don't usually go to and found a bag of green bangles for a quarter. Once in the car I cackled in delight that they were in fact Bakelite! 5 for a quarter!!! What?! I had just said to BJ that I didn't have any green ones and then we found them!



I had received my order from Brighter Bakelite that morning (right) and opened it on the way to find the green ones. In the afternoon we went to the little vintage jewelry store in Hopkins where I found an unrestored match (left) to the bangle I had just received! It was super cheap, too, so I had to get it. I found so many that I wanted and told BJ he knows where to go shopping for Christmas. It was a really Bakelite thriftcation.



Friday morning we went to a couple of estate sales. We didn't wake up early to get in line because we weren't sure there would be anything good enough to justify it. It turned out to be a good choice because there was still everything we wanted minus the BS of waiting around! A turquoise 232 Pyrex for $2!!! I picked up the black cat blowmold in the dark basement and discovered only after we got to the car that it is a Don Featherstone! There was SO. MUCH. HALLOWEEN. at that sale. Most of it was new and gory which I'm not really into. I left behind a stack of jack o lanterns blowmold and a GIANT Santa which I'm still sad about, but we have zero space. I got two cat candles and the skull candy bucket, so I'm very happy with that sale! The next sale I got a few Christmas things: a box of paper  and wood bead head angels, the little spunhead Santa above, a hot air balloon carrying two kneehugger elves with original box, and a vintage egg carton with mercury ball ornaments inside. I got it just for the box because the chicken is so cute.



We went to Animal Ark during the week and I just couldn't believe that I found the nest that goes with the bluebird shaker I bought exactly 6 months ago! I searched and searched for the other bird, but he wasn't there... I also picked up the white cat scrubbie/soap holder and we got an Are You Afraid of the Dark? board game free because it had been there since 2013! Other notable finds are the flocked red skull bank, butterscotch 501 with lid for .79, and the original full length Addam's Family movie with the original characters on VHS!



Here are before pictures of the turquoise 232. It was really gross, but it doesn't have any dishwasher damage and now looks good as new after a long soak and a lot of elbow grease!

All in all, I'd say that thrifting and Halloween haunting went very well. We also spent some time reorganizing and toting up shop stuff to make the studio a studio again and not a non-walk-in closet. I'm hoping to get back to sewing and refresh my Etsy shop. I've got some ideas and hopefully can come up with more. I'm trying something new and hoping it sticks. Now I'm off to go make a disaster because Halloween goes up TODAY!!!

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