My plug for thrifting...well, sort of

I really enjoy shopping at thrift stores.  I like the low prices on brand name clothing, the exciting deals on kitchen things (from tea cups and antiques to mixing bowls and nifty gadgets), the inexpensive home décor to liven up my home, the opportunity to express my artistic side mixing and matching unexpected combinations.

And I am especially privileged because I am able to volunteer at a small, locally owned and operated thrift store four blocks away from my house.  In exchange for my time and organizational help, the owner lets me take stuff home.  This works out nicely because I can take something without having to pay money, and if it doesn’t work, I can just take it back.  I get most of Little Man’s clothes from this thrift store, and many of my own as well.  The variety of what comes through is astonishing.  We do a lot of throwing away plain old junk, but often I can find cute, well made clothing, lovely antiques, quality toys for Little Man, and sometimes even small articles of furniture.  It’s a win-win situation, she is happy with my work, and I am happy with my finds.

I was particularly pleased with last week’s finds.  Here are the highlights:

The first find is purely for fun.  I saw this exquisitely detailed orange plate and decided it would make a charming addition to my collection of serving dishes.  I think it is antique.  Does anyone know anything about this kind of plate?  It is a little smaller than my corelle dinner plates, and it says “Oven Serve, Made in USA” on the bottom.

Since I have been feeling ridiculously down about my maternity wardrobe (even though it is adequate), I was very happy to find three nice sweaters to cheer my wardrobe outlook.  All three are big enough for now, and I think they will also be small enough for me to wear when I’m not pregnant.

The first is a soft, brown sweater with this gorgeous teal and orange embroidery detail on both sleeves.  I’m wearing it right now with jeans, but I think it will be versatile enough to dress up a little bit too.

The second my husband has proclaimed to be “a little old lady-ish” (I wish I could type out his tone; it’s an analytical, evaluating tone, not a condescending one). ;  )  Half of me agrees with him.  But half of me really likes the sweater; after all, it’s long enough so that my long maternity tops don’t hang out at the bottom, it is button down for easy removal if the day gets too warm, and the knitting details are charming (I think it was handmade).  Plus it is cut in a modern un-grannyish way: long and thin.  I’m wondering, though, if I could make it even more modern feeling by changing the buttons.

The third is a simple, white cotton sweater that I am foreseeing being very versatile this spring.  What really made me decide to get it, though, was the sweet flowers that cover the snaps that fasten it down the front.  They remind me of antique linens.  I love subtle details like that.

So those are my happy ramblings about my exciting finds of the week.