One Thrifty Gal!

It has been ages since I stepped foot in a thrift store.  Not sure why, I actually find them interesting.  I was fortunate enough to go on a day without my lovely children.  This, of course, meant that I actually got to LOOK at what was there. 

I didn't go in with any expectations.  More of an opinion that if I am meant to find something, it will present itself.  That said, I was a bit disappointed (at first) to see how picked over some of the shelves had been.  In the back of my mind I was silently hoping to find some accessories for my dining room, specifically decanters and the like (of which there are USUALLY many).  Alas, none to be found. However....

I did find a lovely hand-carved teak bowl and some little carved wooden bowls that I decided wanted to come home with me.  You may be thinking to yourself, "wooden bowls make me think of Grandma's rec room".  You would be correct in thinking that, only because they were so popular in the 70's.  However, over the years I see them cycle back into the home style magazines, and figured at $8 for the lot, mine (especially the $4 teak bowl) were a great deal.

Along the way I managed to snag a big bag of wooden beads for $1- no intended purpose yet, I just never seem to have them when I want them.  I also found a heavy duty winter jacket which looks brand new (which I DID need) for a whopping $35.

Now, before I reveal my next find, I need to tell you a little bit about myself.  I never throw away magazines. Seriously.  Home and garden magazines and 'How To' books are my absolute favorites, and I (for some unknown reason) commit nearly every image and technique to memory.  This is, admittedly, a sad reality and such information is taking up valuable real estate in my grey matter- evidence of which can be found in the fact that I have a hard time remembering my phone number and postal code.   That said, a few years ago, when 'shabby chic' was all the rage, I had purchased a book entitled, 'Flea Market Make-Overs'.  I ended up finding the book somewhat useless, since my luck at flea markets, garage sales, and thrift stores had never yielded me such treasures as this author...that is until yesterday.



From the book, 'Flea Market Make-Overs'

Whilst poking about this large thrift store, I found something that made my heart stop...the stuff of thrift store legends...the breakfast tray.  (What?! You were expecting something more exciting?)

I KNEW in my mind, I had seen something very similar in one of my books...and sure enough, here it was.  Page 136- 137 in the above mentioned book, is the breakfast tray I had committed to memory in hopes of one day finding. I've scanned the image (and claim no rights to it, please don't send me to jail).

Today was my day!  I found the following bamboo breakfast tray for $5, and have no intention of painting or refinishing any part of it. I actually like mine a bit better, but maybe it is the fact that I actually found it myself.

...and now to convince my children to make me breakfast in bed.