A Thrifty Grab Bag

I made an unbelievable haul at my favorite thrift store yesterday, just in time for Thrifty Thursday! This particular store makes up large, clear grab bags of small odds and ends, most often containing ugly Christmas decorations, awful 80's craft supplies, and old pantyhose. This annoys me to no end, since you can't really tell what all might be stuffed down inside the bunch of worthless junk you can see. Usually I give the bags a quick once-over and move along, but yesterday one caught my eye. I made out an adorable vintage wooden girl and boy on a see saw, probably once an element of a toy or nursery mobile, two old patterns, and some vintage Fisher-Price people. I figured I'd take the gamble for $2.98, and it paid off. All of these things will look really cute on Sugar Pea's display shelves in her room.


I'm not certain what this cool, handmade double mushroom thing with the tiny holes is, but my best guess is some sort of hors d'ourves server? Maybe for toothpicks holding cheese cubes or cocktail weenies. The holes are quite tiny. Any guesses? I also found what I believe are little hand-painted cake pick birthday candle holders. Present are Humpty Dumpty, his wall, several of the king's horses and men, and, inexplicably, numerous butterflies. Perhaps they weren't all meant for the same cake.


There were tons of other things in the grab bag, including a set of three metal Halloween candle luminaries that spell out B-O-O when lined up, pieces of fabric, a bag of expensive potpourri, fabric gift bags and more. Some of it went directly into the trash, like the old bra and golf glove I found together in a sandwich bag, but not before the ever-hilarious Mr. Sweetheart had a little fun. When I wondered aloud about what such items had to do with the general crafty/holiday theme of the bag's contents, he sighed, rolled his eyes and asked, "Do I have to spell everything out for you?" He then proceeded to put them on and demonstrate all the crafty endeavors one might undertake while wearing a size 28A brassiere and a ladies' golf glove.
I bought another bag too, but this one was no gamble, as I could immediately see it was packed with thread, elastic, zippers and other vintage sewing notions and trims, still in their original packaging. This is just a little of it, along with the patterns and a like-new 70's kitchen towel from the first bag.


I also happened upon a grab bag in the book section containing all these great 1950's how-to books, and found two Emmylou Harris records for 45 cents each, along with an Abba record for Mr. Sweetheart.


I almost knocked someone over to get to these two vintage clocks to add to my collection for $1.98 each.


I nearly did a victory dance in the aisle when I found this vintage salon hair dryer that works perfectly for only $12.96. It's not the only one I own, but that's a show and tell for another day!


This is a cool divided Pyrex dish with a blueberry pattern I don't recall seeing before.


I hit the mother lode of vintage coffee cups with cool designs.


These are three of my favorite mugs. The Texas souvenir has a pistol for a handle, and the Nassau one is made from a piece of bamboo. The one on the left bears one of my favorite kitschy phrases, "I'm a beautician, not a magician." High comedy, in my opinion.


You might be wondering what a girl needs with so many mismatched coffee cups. Here's a little hint: they might be part of something especially crafty and vintagey I'm cooking up. Have I intrigued you? Stay tuned, Dollfaces!