Pyrex mystery!

Meanwhile, whilst thrifting...I have a bad habit of finding things mysterious to me and trying to identify them. Yesterday I found this small round clear glass piece of Pyrex, marked "France D". It has a sloped base, but sits flat on the taller rims. It has a semi-circle notch on both sides, opposite to one another, that almost look like ashtray ridges. I've looked everywhere. My best guess is that it's some sort of obscure laboratory part. I'm interested in selling it when I find out what it is. It's my current mystère-du-jour.

I'm sitting in bed eating cinnamon toast and listening to talk radio. It's election day and boy do I not give a flying fuck. I am sick of the constant phone calls, the mail full of glossy attack ads, and the general vomit of political signs all over town. I am done done done. No matter how much I care about the issues, come election day, I usually feel this way. The whole process makes me hate to participate, hate to vote. I'd rather pretend to not care than participate in the orgy of power. That being said, I will step away from the computer and go vote, because I need to shut up about everything if I'm not willing to do the easiest thing available to me.

Cheers to all! Happy thrifting :)

Linking up with Sir Thrift-A-Lot's Thirftasaurus :)

Update: A friendly comment from a reader revealed that this is a milk saver! Thanks readers!

Salvation Army Mecca :)

I went to visit my sister up in Northern California's beautiful wine country over the summer, and took the opportunity to go to a dream destination of mine, the Salvation Army mega-store commune in Healdsburg.

If you're interested in going, here's the address and phone number. It's right off the freeway and easy to find.

200 Lytton Springs Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 433-7404

I think I went at the worst possible time in the week, late on a Saturday afternoon. Everything had been picked through, and I didn't find anything outside in the hard-scrabble bins. I enjoyed the experience, however, and also enjoyed providing the women-starved men of the rehab center a little eye candy. I got so many offers of help, I started to avoid anyone who smiled at me.

There were several stores, but no real deals. Again, I went on the worst possible day, but I was surprised to see how expensive everything was. I might be spoiled with cheap thrift. It seemed like a good place to get furniture and appliances.

There are plenty of people to help you load your purchases should you wish to get some larger items and can't lift them by yourself.

Maybe I was tired, but the furniture just bored me. I drove about four hours to get here and there was a ton of traffic because I took a wrong turn and there was no way to turn around.

It was fun to treat it like a field trip and take pictures of all the stuff. Although there were some tools, this was definitely not a destination for outdoorsy mechanical things.

It was also really hot in July. Perhaps that's why there aren't a lot of people in the outdoor photos. The stores were all full of people. I felt crowded. There wasn't a lot of walking space. This makes sense given that the property was so large and the buildings were so small.

I could tell that stuff sat in the sun if it didn't sell, so it looked like old garage sale rejects in some places. The broken stuff was depressing to me.

There was some interesting original art.

I loved this painting, but didn't feel like I could spend any money on it.

Some stuff seemed really expensive for being at a thrift store. I don't know if they had any additional online selling or marketing going on.

This place was a barn that had all the clothes in it. It seemed like the most familiar place to me. This was the only location where I bought anything. Because of the gas to get there, I was trying to be really  cautious in any spending. I bought a large framed Picasso poster, which currently sits in my store. I also bought a suede Fossil bag that has sold fairly quickly. I really like the selection in this particular store and spent the most time in there.

Questions? I'd love to add more to this post :)

Thrift Share :)

Jie Sweden Ceramic Traveling Couple

I think I'm getting better at finding things. These three selections from my last few days are a good representation of my awesomeness. I traveled an hour south today to hit three shops in one city, and bought something at every one of them, which made me feel like the trip was worth it. The Ferragamo pumps and Hug print definitely sealed the deal.

Salvatore Ferragamo Suede Pumps

I thought I'd stop on the way home, but I was extra tired from a long weekend. Friends threw me a housewarming, and there were over thirty people at my house on Saturday afternoon, on into the early evening. It was the perfect day for it. People mostly stayed outside in the backyard, under the big tree, and enjoyed themselves.

Fritz Rudolf Hug - Stretched Canvas Print

Sometimes it's hard to get up on Monday morning and hit the ground running. This morning was especially important for me. I needed to focus on my work after an especially emotional weekend. Sometimes life has the worst timing. There's something about work (thrifting in my case) that keeps me grounded. I need to work. I need to have purpose, even when life feels hopeless or scary or sad.

People brought me all sorts of lovely things for my housewarming. Some people even brought secondhand stuff. My bff brought me a round pedestal table and chairs that fits perfectly in my little eat-in kitchen. She found them at Salvation Army. The thrifting gods were shining down on me that day :)

Linking up with Nifty Thrifty & Sir Thrift a Lot.

Painting share :)

It's Christmas and I'm thinking about my goal of making the world a better and more beautiful place. Did you know this about me? At some point in my early youth, my favorite book was Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney (1982). Miss Rumphius was a lady who made a beautiful life in her work, in her travels, and in her scattering of lupine seeds on the hillside.

Miss Rumphius never married, and when she was old, she retired to a cottage by the sea. I don't know if I imagined my life the way it is today, single in my little cottage, perfectly content. I lived in the jungle once. I've seen some pretty cool things in my life, and my soul is fed by the work I do each day. These all seem like things Miss Rumphius would be proud of.

The holidays are a difficult time for me. I am reminded of the brokenness in the world, and the brokenness in my own life and family. But then, without fail, I am never alone in these feelings. A woman in yoga shouts "I hate Christmas" at the beginning of a class last week. I am welcomed into people's homes and families in ways that shock me with an abundance of love.

Tonight I will read several long passages of scripture at my church's annual Christmas Eve service. I was practicing just now. Think about how you say the word "homage". I've decided to say it like an English speaker, and not the francophone that leaves deep inside me ;)

Fun quotes of the day from fellow thrifters!

1. Great Expectations? I heard that's a terrible book. Sans irony, people. Sans irony.
2. Well, whatever turns you on, right?! In response to someone who enjoyed fantasy novels. Not romance novels. Fantasy novels. Poor man, publicly shamed for asexually enjoying Star Trek.

Fun folks of the week :)

Original Vintage Watercolor :)

1. Grandma with teenager: It's raining for the first time in ages and the thrift store is so full, there's some sort of "valet" parking in the lot. A grandmother and grandchild wander through the store following an employee, asking if she can cut them a deal on a blazer. "I'm on a fixed income!" the grandmother keeps saying, over and over and over again. It starts to make me ill. The employee is so great about it. "Ma'am, you can come in for a few hours, and we give you $17 worth of clothing credit." It's actually a super good deal. You can do it for food credit too. They have all kinds of different ways to help people.

2. Man in vest: A man in slacks and button down with tie, all under a fleece vest, with an employee tag on a lanyard around his neck. He looks like a person with a job who is wandering Salvation Army on a break. But he won't stop talking, exclaiming loudly over the prices. "Can you believe this?!" shouted to anyone nearby. This last for about ten minutes, and an employee starts to follow him and laughing-shout at him, "You need a meeting! Go to a meeting! You need to go to a meeting right now!" It was like Abbott and Costello: pure comedy. Who even knows what kind of meeting this guy needed to go to.

3. Tiny Superman: A 3-4 year old boy runs through the thrift store in a superman costume that's too big for him with a huge smile on his face. I couldn't help but grin at him :)

Your fake.

Fake Hermes Belt from the Salvation Army - so, so fake

I haven't been blog writing, but I have been writing writing, just in case anyone is worried that I'm lying in a puddle of my own vomit or something. I'm okay. I had a hard month of July, but I'm on the other side, and I'm feeling fine.

I bought a fake Hermes belt yesterday. I was feeling lucky, so I bought it (for a dollar, so I have no regret). Sometimes I do things like this: last second purchases, impulse buys. And these are often my best sellers. Instinct is a powerful thing. But this "Hermes" belt didn't have a "made in France" marking, or even a "Hermes" marking on the belt itself, so I should have known better.

I still don't own a smart phone, and am often surrounded by people who do. Sometimes I feel a twinge of jealousy. But then I remember that I have a brain, and am quite content using it to its full extent. I've chosen not to have a smart phone because it's too decadent for my humble income, but also because it would totally get in the way of the therapeutic meditation thrift provides for me, the non-technological part of me that needs to hunt.

Anyhow, purchases like these bring me back to reality, remind me to slow down, enjoy the process, buy less. Sometimes I need a reminder. It's good thing :)

Thrift Share - Brass Edition :)

Vintage Apple Belt Buckle by BTS - 1978

One day, one completely normal boring day, I found two of these buckles. Two. I've listed them for the highest price they sold for in the past few months, and crossed my fingers. If I sell one, I'm going to visit my friend in Canada. Fingers crossed. I have "Best Offer" on it, so maybe someone out there, somewhere in the big wide world, will want it.

I'm willing to wait.

These Ernest Sohn Design - Brass Coaster

My fourteen-year-old friend and I went rummage sale-ing two Saturday mornings ago, and that pretty much fell flat. Rummage sales have huge ranges. My view of a good rummage sale is a lot of stuff to dig through. Anything less than a lot is a yard sale. When you see a lot, you just know.

Rummage sale-ing wasn't going so well, so we drove to a thrift store to make up for it. But on the way, we saw an "Estate Sale" sign, and it was a special sign made of wood and painted, so it was the real deal. And it was worth it. The house was full of stuff, and the estate sale was being run by a dealer. Every single freakin thing was marked and they weren't taking any offers, so I only bought a few things, but it was a fun place to walk through. Tons of vintage stuff, and hundreds of decorative plates.

Brass mice family - these are the kids :)

I found this little family of mice, two parents and three kids. I found the Ernest Sohn piece nearby. I've heard that bras is supposed to be cool right now. What do I know?

Today is Memorial Day, and I slept in late and now I feel drugged and maybe like I won't accomplish anything for the rest of the day, and I might be okay with that. Anyhoo, when I went to Hawaii a couple years back, I went to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, and the message was "Remember". I kept thinking about all of the people who have died, and all of the soldiers overseas in wars that few of them believe in, and I thought, "What are we remembering? What's the point of remembering if we never do anything different?"

Do something different today.

*Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

I have no title.

DIY sidewalk chalk is particularly amazing :)

I love this store in Oakland that is dedicated to the ethic of reuse. They cater to teachers and artists, people who might benefit from supplies en masse. I like to buy a lot of envelopes when I'm there, stickers, pins. I've never bought as much as I want though, because I have to carry it all around the city.

I would love to start a store like this in my city, a non-profit dedicated to reducing waste and encouraging reuse in creative ways. There was a composting bicycle service for a few years that also had a worm farm, but for some reason they couldn't sustain it (time, energy, manpower), and they went away.

I wish that I could do it all, compost all the restaurant waste, create a place where people could recycle crayons and hang with like-minded thrifty people. I wish I had my own store. But the rummage sale made me think otherwise. It made me think that I don't have the emotional acuity particular to running/operating a thrift establishment. Or maybe I do, but I would definitely need a partner. I have a friend that I could work with every day and not hate it, but I'd have to import her.

btw, today has not been awesome, but I'm getting into Parks & Rec, so yeah.

Summer sandals :)

Vintage Hot Pink Dress with Tied Cap Sleeves and a Geometric Pattern

Now that I have a professional job, dressing is of utmost importance. So in thrift stores, I'm always looking for stuff to sell, but I've also got my eye out for clothing for myself. You wouldn't think it (ha!), but my thrifted finds often wear out sooner over later. Also, I'm terribly picky.

So I often spend time on eBay looking for deals on the finds of others. My current interest is sandals. I used to be terrified of my height, my figure, my female-ishness. But now I'm okay with it. Give me heels! Flowers on the toes! Even pink! I can handle it.

But I'm still working on my debt, which felt so possible to pay off next month, but a bunch of things came up this month, so that feels not-so-possible now. I'll have a few slow months in the summer work-wise, so now I feel less in-control, and that always messes me up a bit.

But the sandals...oh, the sandals!

Thrift store conversations.

A section of a beautiful handmade square dance skirt - my new thing :)

Yesterday, at my favorite cheap thrift store downtown, where they let you barter, and still sell things for ten cents, this conversation was overheard between an employee and two volunteers. I, a recognized regular, am the only shopper in the store.

Employee: [referring to an old friend] Oh! She was the most wonderful person. One time, a woman came up to her and complimented her earrings - would you believe it - she took them off and gave them to her!

Volunteer: What?! That's like giving away your underwear!

Employee: [completely flustered] Well...uh...oh my! Why are you talking about underwear?! Oh my goodness. This is so inappropriate...I can't believe this is happening...

Volunteer: Oh no. You misunderstand me. I'm just saying that that is how I see someone giving away their earrings. That's a personal item, just like underwear.

Employee: [laughing anxiously] He said it again! Oh my goodness. This is too much. You need to go in back and move furniture. Underwear! He's talking about underwear!

Several minutes later...

Employee: [to me (volunteers are in back, out of hearing range)] Did you hear that man? He is after me! I don't know what to do about it. It's been going on for a while now, but today was just the worst! He was talking about underwear! As if he wanted to talk about my underwear, as if he thought he might be seeing it soon!

Megan: [nods sympathetically] Yeah, wow. Hm. That's a tough one.

Employee: What do I do? This needs to stop! [turns to another employee who has just approached] Did you hear him? Talking about my underwear? I can't believe it! I don't know what to do!

Thrift Share Monday :)

Small quilted wall hanging - doll blanket, perhaps

There's a hospice thrift shop in town that moved to a much, much larger location, and has made their prices much, much bigger. So a store that I used to go in weekly is now only a store I go in maybe once a month. This month, I was in luck! I got two of these quilted pieces. They're beautiful. I don't know what someone would do with them, but I hope they find a loving home.

Vera scarf - this makes me think of a square dancing group :)

This is one of two vintage Vera scarves I found. This one is a lighter fabric, cotton maybe, but the other one was from the 1940s and silk. It had a huge stain in one corner, looked like coffee, and I thought I could wash it out. Oops. The scarf was like thick paper, and tore [insert Megan railing to the heavens].

Vintage 1978 Columbia Minerva Crewel Pillow Kit - "Primrose Garland"

This is such a beautiful kit, and it's complete. This past week, I finally sold a Paragon kit that had been listed for quite a long time on eBay. I could only find one other identical kit listed anywhere online, so I listed mine for 40% less, but even with that, it took a long time. I'm always trying to walk that fine line between getting a higher price, and moving inventory.

Vintage Diane Von Furstenburg jumpsuit

I found this DVF jumpsuit at a Salvation Army a few days earlier in the week, but needed to wash it, so it got posted with this other stuff. I honestly do not know how people make these look so freakin' cute. I am not one of those people. I cannot rock a jumpsuit. Oh dear lord. With shoulder pads?! Epic fail.

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

Cover your damn mouth.

Awesome old Starbucks mosaic coffee travel tumbler :)

My friend, who works at a thrift store (to be distinguished from my thrift store friends, an entirely different category), has had an unfortunate number of encounters with fecal matter in her work. From people pooping in dressing rooms, to finding poop in donated clothing, working at a thrift store is a neverending battle with possible disease and the ever-present possibility of upchucking.

I've experienced vomiting children several times. There's nothing like walking into a thrift store, and smelling vomit. Lately, I've been on high alert for coughing children, the ultimate disease carriers. I'm trying to avoid the flu, and every time I see a child coughing, I immediately feel afraid and try to avoid them. And unfortunately, there are a lot of sick people around these parts. When I went out into the country last week, there were signs everywhere warning of a scabies outbreak.

I don't think of myself as a germaphobe, but I think I might be becoming more aware of how susceptible I am to illness, and how important it is for me to protect myself from infection, viruses, etc.

Anyhoo, hope you weren't eating just now :)

Making friends :)

I can't wait to sell these boots! They're really cool :)

So now, around town, I feel like a wise old thrifter. I have seen so much. I have patience. I have an appropriately furrowed brow (oh dear, this expression will age me quickly). I am the best thrifting resource you will find, if you only have the time to look around and see if anyone is paying attention to you. I am present. I am smiling. And yes, that color would look great on you.

I used to hang my head and mumble, say "thank you" and never attempt conversation. But something in me has changed over the past year. I think my life has smoothed out to a more steady pace, and I'm able to take moments, full minutes in fact, to speak to people, look them in the eye and talk to them. It's been a trip, really, because it has made my thrifting hobby into something I do, not just because it gives me mindless time (which I need on a daily basis), but it also gives me social time to talk about nothing of any importance. I don't have to give a lot. I can just be me, and enjoy the experience, and smile and let go of the heavy burdens I often put on my own shoulders.

So maybe I'm endearing, and that makes it easy for people to talk to me. Or maybe I'm weird and eccentric, and I don't stand out much (let's all remember fake baby lady from a few weeks ago). I don't know what people think, because sometimes I'm wearing my normal clothes, and sometimes I'm wearing my professional clothes. Maybe they call me something like "weird tall lady" :)

Anyhow, I'm having especially enjoyable times thrifting lately :)

Mug share :)

Doesn't this remind you of truck-drivers?

I don't know why this mug thing has taken such a hold on me, but it has. It's my thing, and I like having a thing. Maybe when I have a bigger place, I'll have room for some sort of bizarre incongruous collection. I try not to get attached to things, though, so that keeps me from making collections of anything.

The mug only holds a little liquid - false bottom :)

Severe hoarding is a way to hold onto things that we have lost, a tangible way to hold on to the intangible. I've always been super reticent to hang onto things. I occasionally get rid of things, just to make sure I'm not holding on too tightly. That makes me sound somewhat paranoid, now that I think about it. Maybe that's not so healthy, the not wanting to hold onto things.

Somewhere out there is a matching mug that says "me"

I guess I try to walk a fine line between keeping and throwing away, but I don't think I'm very good at it. Just when I think I've figured it out, the pendulum swings in the opposite direction.

Anyhoo, let me know if you collect certain mugs, and I'll be on the lookout for you :)

My weird perspective :)

Vintage large round light blue eyeglasses from "Mainstreet"

Location: Salvation Army
Time: Yesterday afternoon

I am in line behind a woman purchasing three San Francisco Giants souvenir baseball bats in orange and black. The cashier bags the bats, and the woman says, "Thanks for the bats. I like to take these on my walks", then walks out the door with her purchases.

Wait...what?!

As the cashier bags my mug, and I hand her my 50 cents, I say quietly, "What is she doing on these walks that she needs a bat?" The cashier and her manager stare at me strangely. "I mean, what does she need to hit with a bat?"

The two women look at eachother and start cracking up. The cashier says to me, "Bags! She said bags! She likes to take bags on her walks! What's wrong with you [smiling]? Get out of here! Stop spreading rumors!"

I laughed at myself for the next five minutes :)

Mug share :)

B. Kliban Cat skating mug

Kliban mugs are pretty popular. I myself am not very fond of cats. I've become less fond of them as time has gone by. Dogs are better. That's how I feel. Deal with it. Cats are selfish, self-centered, egotistical, etc. They serve no purpose. Rant over. However, if you live on a farm, and the cats take care of rodents, then I rescind my rant, and find them to be quite useful. Not hypocritical. Pragmatic.

Boynton beaver dam mug

I don't find Boynton mugs as endearing as a lot of people, but they sell well, and I enjoy sharing them with others. I'm pretty flush with mugs this weekend, got a good healthy stash going. Storage is always an issue, but they stack fairly well, and can be seen pretty quickly. I had a moment a few weeks ago when I thought about making my Etsy shop into a vintage mug shop, but that seemed to be too much work for the moment, and I'd miss the eclecticism that I've got going, so I've put it off for the moment.

Anthropologie initial mug

I have a coworker who always drinks out of this mug (with her initial on it), so I knew it as soon as I saw it. I'm not as fluent in Anthropologie brands and symbols as other people are, so I lucked out this time. Some people are all about brands whilst thrift shopping. Me, less so.

I am, however, having a lot of trouble dressing myself lately, which is anecdotal at best, but really important to my everyday functioning. Maybe it's the cold. I'm just having trouble with my current sweaters combined with pants, combined with tops, and then I feel like I'm a freakish color wheel with no sense of matching, and then I only have black tights which don't go with much, except black and then I look like I'm in mourning, but I don't want to wear bright colors, because then I'd look even more discombobulated. Or maybe observers think I'm a genius who's too brilliant to be understood. This lack of appropriate matching is only worsened by my hair, which has reached epic levels of fro-ishness, and it's making me have some identity issues.

I'm currently hooked on The X Files, which is awesome. All is well :)

Sterling silver :)

The ultimate thrifting problem: non-working watches

So I was out-of-town yesterday for a meeting and needing a thrift fix before I drove back home. I stopped at a large charity store en route, and was happy to see that they were open 'til 6 (it was already 5).

I wasn't very excited, until I remembered that I, as a reseller, actually look for specific things, and that I might find cool stuff (I know, I'm weird - thrift wandering is good on its own). So I walked over to the mugs, looked through the vintage ties, found a man excitedly looking through records, all with empty hands. I found some red Vara bow Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, but they were in bad shape, and they were size 7AA, so I didn't feel up to fixing them, only to have them sit in my shop for a year.

Behind the front counter, the store had small plastic tubs, filled with jewelry. I asked the employee to let me see them, which he gave me one at a time, and I slowly went through the hundreds of pins, earrings, and necklaces, all in small plastic bags, looking for sellable pieces. In the end, I found about 2 ounces (over 50 grams) of sterling silver jewelry for a little over $4. I can't quite explain it, but it made my day. It made me feel smart and thrifty and productive for the day.

I finished off this awesome day with a taco truck burrito and a crazy-exciting high school girls basketball game. The team I was there to see was up by eleven in the first few minutes, only to find themselves down by two, with two minutes left in the 4th quarter. A foul, followed by two perfect foul shots (Ack! One minute left!) and a three-pointer with 21 seconds on the clock. Booyah. Great game.

Thrift Share Monday :)

These vintage posters are from The Nut Tree in Vacaville, California. I found them in a huge old Nabisco warehouse that has been turned into a storage facility/vintage stash open three days a week for crazies like me to dig through and find treasures like these. The owner was impressed with me that I had found them. The bottom one is in better shape than the top one. I hope someone finds them who can really appreciate them.

When I was in my early twenties, I went to Healdsburg for a weekend trip with some friends, and my friend and I went running on Saturday morning to enjoy the hills and the sunshine. I think we ended up back at the hotel like two-and-a-half hours later, after we'd taken the long way around, wanting to explore every new hill we saw. We flatland folk get really excited in the hills.

Running in hills is the the best way to increase one's cardiovascular capacity. My best running happened when I was training up in the foothills, back when I was still trying to be a badass. This is no longer the case, and I'm very content with that. I was never meant to be an endurance athlete.

Anyhoo, I've never been thrifting in these parts, and I'd love to check it out someday. Maybe next summer :)

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

Way more play...

Made in France! Who knew they loved self-help books?

This guy kept passing me in the aisles today making weird noises, almost like clicking, but not quite. The first time it happened, I figured I was hearing something. The second time, I figured out what was happening, and it did not feel good.

Maybe it's my terrible hair making me more approachable; maybe it's my ever-present smile scowl - but I've been getting way more play in thrift stores lately. Even the female employees are becoming more friendly, and I talk to them about things other than thrift! Isn't that cool? I'm becoming an almost friendly person, perhaps even likeable. Or maybe it's because I shower regularly and have all my teeth. Meh, it's a crapshoot, really.

I'm so into mugs right now. It's a thing. Usually my thing is food-related, but not currently. I can't even remember the last time I ate a burrito. Now how weird is that?

The Atkins Diet

I hope this doesn't cost me readers.

You know how they tell you that the healthiest stuff at the supermarket is on the perimeter, and if you stick to the perimeter, you'll be okay?

Yeah, that's my new rule for thrifting. A quick sweep of the room, three pairs of shoes, and I'm out. I've got this thing down to a science, people. I could do it with both hands tied behind my back and a crying baby. There's always a crying baby.

Peace out.