Back on Track

Hi-ho. You're never going to believe this. I went to many thrift stores on Saturday with a large group of people and I'm going to blog about it. Right away. No months of letting the pile of unphotographed flotsam sit on my kitchen floor. No weeks of guilt as I look at said pile and wish I had the time to tell you all about it. No pretending as though I don't owe you anything.

So get ready, because here it comes. Everything you see was bought at my absolute favorite and cheapest of the thrift stores: AmVets.

I didn't have the gumption to look at clothes this time. Our (one, small, coat) closet is spilling over and so are all the drawers in our place. I need to do some serious purging before I can be allowed to bring more clothes into this small space.

I did, however, look at all the "stuff" areas. Got me some good junk.


As I look at this photo I'm really reconsidering that last sentence. The 99 cent vintage frame is well and good. I snag them whenever I can because they look smashing when spray painted (or not) and I use frames all the live-long day. The Christmas devil, on the other hand, might have you wondering. Wondering if I'm into haunted dolls that will stalk and kill me from the shadows of my own home some dark and stormy night. I'm not. That, my friends is a gift. A gift for my aunt, who has other such...pieces. But I don't think she has a Christmas...one. Now she will. I can't tell you how much I paid for it. It's embarrassing. It's the kind of thing you should only have if you lost some kind of bet, not if you paid for it. But I think it will make my aunt and the other imps in her collection happy, and you can't really put a prices on happiness...right??

Don't look directly at it. You'll turn to stone.

My colors. Pink, green and black. (My jam, if you will. As in, "This here is my jam!") Don't even say "Another polka dot purse? How many polka dot purses does one girl need?" Because you know the answer: Many. At 99 cents, it's not about need, anyway. It's about 99 cents. You don't think at that price. You just act.


Yes, I've bought another pair of pink shoes. That I probably also will not wear, like most of the other pink shoes I've bought. It always seems like a grand idea at the time. But then, when you're going out to lunch in June you put them on and look down and think, "My, but those are pink!" and then you kick them off and put on some flip flops instead. But, I'd like to point out two things. One: Made in Italy. Everyone knows shoes made in Italy are better. Why or how, I wouldn't know. But they are. Two: 99 cents.


Green plastic earrings: 99 cents. Marked down from nearly three whole dollars! See why I love AmVets? The pink tablecloth was a whopping $3.89. It's in gorgeous condition and worth about $40.


This is a gold tone cat pin. With jewel eyes. I have a friend who collects critters with jewel eyes. I can't help it, I know some weird ass people, ok? The fur in the background isn't just to make the photos look sexy and dangerous. It's a faux fur collar and I'm going to attach it to my jacket at this year's Tweed Ride.

So, in summary:

Vintage Frame
Devil Doll
Another Purse
Shoes I Won't Wear
Green Earrings
Fake Fur
Vintage Tablecloth
Scary Cat

Mother Necessity

Necessity is the mother of invention. I believe this more than a lot of notions out there. Especially here at the Snug Bungalow. We have a tiny little house and sometimes it gets filled up rather quickly. With only one tiny coat closet to the entire house, you have to get creative.

I keep my burgeoning earring collection on a lamp in my bedroom what is a replica of the Eiffel Tower. It's lattice of wire works great for storing danging earrings. (Pretend that I wasn't too lazy to take a picture of this and that you can see exactly what I'm talking about, mmmkay?)

But, as you know, I am a collector. I really prefer that term over hoarder. That has a nasty ring to it. I like me some earrings, ok? I wear them every day, so I don't feel like I have to curb my collection. I like a wide variety. But where to put them all?

I know some people who crochet (knit??) lace and frame it in a picture frame without glass and use that for hanging earrings and it works and looks really great. But, I'm out of wall space.

Enter: Mother Necessity.

I do have a stand alone 3' jewelry box. It's a small piece of furniture, very modest compared to my mother's closet of jewels and the husband's mother's three floor length boxes she's got mounted to her bedroom wall. This stately piece holds most of my jewelry but doesn't have an area for earrings. It has a door on each side with hooks for necklaces and there seemed to be extra room in there when you closed the door.

A quick trip to the Home Depot later and the husband whipped up exactly what I wanted. And needed.

Check it.

Midwinter Blink

I'd just like to get this out of the way up front. I miss my Christmas tree. There, I've said it. I don't want to "turn back time", as Cher suggested, but I would like to still have it up. A tower or glitter and twinkle lights in the middle of your living room? Yes, please! I guess I 'll just have to get creative and make a remedy for the situation.

It's January and snow has only fallen a few meager times. It didn't even mean it, really. Just a few measly inches, nothing substantial with staying power. Poor kids wanting to make snowmen and forts. Poor skiers, wanting to plunge blindly down a powdery mountain on what amounts to two slats of hardwood floor. I really hope it doesn't all translate to rain or snow until May. Because I'm jonesing for yard sales already. Normally we have to wait until April for that and there's no way I'll make it a month beyond that.

To help satiate my hunger (Can you tell I've been reading vampire books? No, not those books. Other vampire books. They do exist, you know. ) I went to a half off sale at Savers. They scanned my card so I didn't have to have a meltdown. Let me show you what I got!

Banana Republic argyle sweater. $5.


White, very soft Gap sweater. $4.

Gray, loose and light J Crew sweater. This is going to probably end up being my favorite weekend sweater, ever. Too comfortable for it's own good and light enough to wear on chilly yardsale mornings. $3.


SO striped sweater. $3. It smells a little like old lady perfume so I'm left wondering what 80 year old was bopping around town in this. Probably will be me in a few years...

That's all I got at the sale. I was pretty resolute about getting sweaters. Next on my list of things to show you is a picture that I framed. The husband got it for me from Etsy for my birthday. Just recently I found time to spray paint the frame and find a spot for it. Oh god, it's good, people. Hold on to your hats!


Fancy Beehive lady is now in my bedroom, above my bedside table. I mean, look how at home she seems!

See other fun work by this artist here.

Speaking of Etsy...I bought something the other day.

That would be a super rare Zoot egg cup. He's from the Muppets (Honestly, people. I shouldn't have to tell you that.) Sax is his ax. He's in the famous band "The Electric Mayhem". It's one of my all time favorite bands. Usually he's wearing a large hat, but it's an egg cup, see? And he's bald. See? Funny, eh? They also made a Sam the Eagle and a set of Statler and Waldorf egg cups. I got this for a song and I can't stop looking at it and grinning like a cat. I set him on my mantle just to take pictures and now I can't seem to put him away, in the Muppet Room.