Gift Thrift

Already I have failed NaNoBloPo. Hopefully no one wept at seeing I didn't post yesterday. Today I'd like to highlight two of my favorite items, both given to me by my beloved paternal Grandma D. Here we are a few years ago at Christmas:

I'm very thankful to have two wonderful grandmothers in my life!

The first item is this red orange dress. Perhaps someone can help with the history of it; did my Aunt J make the dress for Grandma Diane? Or did Aunt J make it for herself? Anyway, I LOVE how it fits me PERFECTLY. I resemble my Dad's side of the family and in this case genetics are a blessing.

Grandma D is also responsible for starting my Haeger flower pot collection, as she allowed me to remove this red pot from her basement. The plant inside it is a from a cutting from her as well! (I have never seen another pot like this one.)

What are some of your most treasured gifts?

Thrifted Objets d'Art

Heyo, Happy sunny Thursday to you! I realize most of my friends and family fully embrace thrifting as a hobby and lifestyle, so in many ways I'm preaching to the choir with this blog. For those of you who aren't thrift aficionados I will suggest that thrift stores and resale shops also can provide furniture and decorations for your home.

I'm totally in love with this stained glass column, found at the Lake St. Savers:

Also note Robert's handiwork on the tile floor, freshly painted bathtub and restored claw foot!

I also collect flower pot-type vessels, particularly from the manufacturer Haeger. The golden yellow pots here above my cabinet are Haeger. The other fluted round ones don't have a manufacturer label; I just like the shape.

See you tomorrow!

Nov 2

Howdy and welcome to November 2nd. Today I could find neither my phone nor my water bottle as I left the house. Probably they are throwing a big party and bothering Stella in her kennel. Here is my outfit from yesterday. My photographer was sitting down as he took the picture, which explains the awkward angle of my bust and double chin.

This is a J Crew dress purchased at the University Avenue Goodwill. Boots from one of the Unique thrift stores? The plastic necklace I purchased in Northfield, MN on an excursion with my Mother in Law. You can't see the row of tiny red beads at the top of it. Happy Wednesday!

NaBloPoMo 2011

Greetings friends,

On Sunday I decided I should participate in NaBloPoMo for the first time. Considering it's been eleven months since I've posted here it's clear blogging hasn't been a priority of mine.

But buying thrift store items remains an important part of my lifestyle. I still purchase new items, such as these boots.


(Which I got for $35! They must have been the last 9.5 wide pair or something, which I why I bought them.)

So for November 1st, I present this blurry picture of yesterday's thrifted outfit: Martin and Osa jersey shirt (thrift store unknown...maybe an Arc Value Village?) and Zinc wide leg trousers (Goodwill, Portage, WI). Also my adorable dog Stella!

Thrifted outfit showcase!

The above photo highlights a mixture of older and newer thrifted items. The gray sweater dress is from Target, found this weekend at the Lake Street Savers. Black patent boots are from two Augusts ago, Goodwill on University Avenue. Red belt from a Unique, red necklace from one of the Savers.

This picture highlights the challenges of a do it yourself Christmas portrait with a dog. Note the treat crumbs below my chair!

United in Thrift,
Wendell!

Long neglected thrift blog....

I hope to start posting more as my semester finishes. Here, a totally thrifted outfit!




Check out these crazy Steve Madden boots (pretty uncomfortable!)



Details to follow.

Designer Jeans!

Dear Reader,

While I have not been blogging, I have been thrifting! Hopefully many of you took advantage of the big sales over the Fourth of July weekend!

Designer jeans are a major reason shopping pre-owned can save you big money. Ranging from $100 to $200, brands such as Joe's Jeans, Citizens of Humanity, Level 99, Adriano Goldschmied, 7 for All Mankind, Paige Premium Denim, Chip and Pepper, True Religion and Rock & Republic all can be found in thrift stores for a fraction of the original cost.

While the Unique Thrift Stores may sell these jeans from $15 to $40, check out these Joe's I found at the Roseville Goodwill for $6.99!





While these didn't fit me, I sold them to a friend who gave them to her niece.

I think the best odds of finding designer jeans are at the Lake Street Savers, followed by the University Avenue Goodwill. For extensive and more expensive high-end jean collections, check out Plato's Closet, TurnStyle, Clothing Mentor, Marshalls/TJ Maxx or my favorite consignment shop, Nu Look!

xooxxox
Wendell!

The Downtown Salvation Army/"Target Outlet"

Last week I made my third pilgrimage to the downtown Salvation Army. Introduced to me by my sister in law Julia several years ago, her sister Anna and I went there together last summer.


The building is monstrous and therefore holds plenty of furniture, tschotchkes, tons of shoes, loaded bookshelves and of course, clothes. Items are arranged by male/female/boy/girl, genre and color, but not size, which means a lot of picking through racks.



The upper story is your average thrift store, though I would say fairly dated in clothing styles. I feel you wouldn't find designer jeans here, but you would find plenty of 80's and 90's styles. (Acid washed jeans are back, apparently!) Vintage Levi's would be a possibility.

But descend to the basement, aka the "Target Outlet" and you will find most of the customers in the store! This Salvation Army seems to be the repository for Target store clothing samples, overstock, scratch and dent and miscellany. However the prices are much higher than upstairs; $5 for a t shirt, $10 for a dress, etc.



The home goods section includes furniture, various decor items, towels, comforter sets ($30 to $50), sheets ($25 for a queen set without its original packing, wrapped in duct tape, which seemed high for not knowing the fabric/thread count.) There are some toiletries and pet care items there, along with gardening items and clothing accessories. One highlight is the multitude of brand new shoes and sandals in the basement.

The majority of the lower level is dedicated to clothing, arranged by titles like "Girls T-shirts", "Mens Pants", etc. I was especially drawn to the colorful summer dresses, but there were few in size large. The extra-small or plus sized woman would have a field day down there, as well as expectant mothers who like the Liz Lange line.

I didn't check out the kid's clothes but there was a huge selection!

One drawback is that this Salvation Army only has one dressing stall, upstairs. Also make sure to look carefully at your Target cast-offs; they might have a hole, stain or a big stamp labeled "SAMPLE" across the back. Some items have no tag or no size listed at all.

For me the "Target Outlet" hasn't really been worth the digging. Target pants usually don't work for me anyway, and the store itself has pretty good sales. I feel most Goodwill stores have plenty of Target clothes at better prices. But, for the Target addict, this Salvation Army is a must see!

New and New to Me Thrift Stores

In the former Joe's Garage restaurant at University and Fairview Avenues in St. Paul is the new Second Debut store. Run by Goodwill Industries, Second Debut features high-end clothing and designer shoes and jeans. The store seemed to cater to a person older than myself, but did have a great selection of pre-owned items. Running the gamut from a Gucci jacket ($150) to Express Jeans ($14.99) prices are obviously higher than at the neighboring Goodwill Store. Clothing is arranged by size and genre and includes accessories and a large shoe room, where a size 7.5 pair of Manolo Blahnik black pumps sold for $79.99. Definitely check it out!



I recently made my inaugural visit to a thrift store in St. Anthony, Hidden Treasures. This was a very neat, well organized store of the "smells like Grandma's basement" variety.

Hidden Treasures had furniture and loads of kitchenware, including many matched sets of dishes. The usual vases, candle stuff, cutlery, Tupperware and wicker baskets were included, as well as a large selection of books and video cassettes. There was a tempting but too small black velvet and taffeta dress, but otherwise the clothing was from the Kohls/Kmart/Walmart ilk, mostly dated. For $19.99 I purchased a dehumidifier that appeared to work in the store when I plugged it in, and proved to indeed dehumidify our basement! I also found clothes for my niece and nephew (1 and 3) who had their birthdays this week.


(The tags with the bar codes are from Hidden Treasures; the others are from the St. Anthony Unique Thrift store.)

I feel both stores are worth checking out; Second Debut for the cream of the Goodwill clothes crop, and Hidden Treasures for who knows what! Ah, the beauty of thrifting.

Happy shopping,
Wendell!

Thrifted Outfit SHOWCASE!

This outfit includes three thrifted items: the sunglasses and Lux denim skirt (originally $65 at Urban Outfitters) from the Lake Street Savers, and the Frenchi gray t shirt from Arc's Value Village in Richfield. All three pieces were $12 or less apiece.

Thrifted Outfit SHOWCASE!

I found this Boden wrap dress for $8.99 at Goodwill on Fairview and University Ave in St. Paul. The necklace and the little bird house are pre-owned as well!

The Time Has Come

For a new blog. I think.

While my love for critters remains undiminished, I have sort of run out of MN wildlife to feature on the Critter Corner.

Meanwhile, thrifting has grown into a new passion in my life. Perhaps because of necessary budgeting as a homeowner, or simply the "wisdom" that comes with being over 30, buying pre-owned is becoming more attractive.

Both my Wisconsin and Minnesota families are avid thrifters; none more so than my mother in law R and sister in law AM.

AM gave me this thrifted rug last summer for my birthday:

(Not included: her dog, Ari.)


I found the middle Haeger pot at a local thrift store to match the ones my Mom bought me for Christmas.



At the Savers on Lake Street in Minneapolis, I found this Boden wrap dress for $12.99, compared to a retail of around $100:



Even today I found a SIGNED COPY of this Tyler Florence cookbook at the same Savers, for $7.99:



Hasten there immediately if you're a size 31 in designer jeans; there were at LEAST five pairs of 7 for all mankind, Paige Premium Denim and Paper Denim and Cloth jeans at the Lake Street Savers.

Blog Entry: November

Heyo,

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all enjoying a lovely holiday.

We had a relaxing day with the B family:

(Baby M was getting really tired at this point!)

What critter encounters to report? After the squirrels stole our tiny pumpkins last year, I decided to get a larger specimen as my sole outdoor decoration. Once more the squirrels destroyed my hopes and dreams:







It took me a few days to realize these "crumbs" on the floor were really wood chips left by a rodent invader:



(Yuck; never take macro photos of your dirty floorboards!)

He worked alone:


The above photo might not be in the true spirit of the Critter Corner. I felt badly after killing the mouse, but he did poop in my house and chew my floorboards.

Recent thoughts:

Lately I have been contemplating changes in my life. I don't fully recall my daily life while I was in college, or the year afterward which I spent in my hometown substitute teaching and waitressing. Things become clearer when I remember moving to MN for grad school, watching my friends move to the opposite sides of the country and finally meeting Robert. Now I consider how my shopping sprees have moved from the mall to the thrift store (mostly), and how our Friday nights consist of pizza and a NetFlix viewing. We see our friends a lot less often now.

It seems my life is more centered around my husband, dog and house now. Does this mean we should have a child?! Hmmm.

My other thought is less weighty in nature: Salon Guilt. Do you have a long standing relationship with your stylist? I did for a while but for the last year I've been going to the Aveda Institute for discounted services performed by students. While I feel confident about what I want for my hair, I dislike the conflict that arises every time they ask about my product usage. I prefer Suave shampoo, Nexxus Humectress conditioner and LA Looks hair gel.


$1.99!

No offense to all of y'all Aveda product users, but that stuff does NOT work for my dry, bleached, naturally curly hair. I don't like the fragrance and my hair felt and looked like straw yesterday two hours after I left the Institute. I just dislike hearing that my cheap products are hurting my hair. Finally I realized I could just lie to the stylist and tell them I use Aveda so and so shampoo/conditioner and hair gel. My choices were confirmed today when I washed using my makeshift system and my hair looks and feels great; soft and shiny, with a defined curl.

To summarize, I guess I feel guilty about not buying the suggested products stylists recommend. Also I hate how you go to one salon and the stylist sniffs, "Did they put you under the dryer at your old salon?", or, "They used a razor to cut YOUR hair?" There's a lot of disapproval at salons.

Hugs and winter critters!
Wendell

October

Dear Critter Readers, specifically The Carrot Queen, how are you?

I'm sorry to abandon you for the last two months. What happened was school and six-day work weeks and several 10 day plus work marathons. Then I needed to spend quality time with R and Bobo, eat, do laundry, rehearse, etc.

What has happened since August 10th? Sister KB and I did a triathlon!


Next came my birthday and a big surprise! R, AM, KB and RM arranged to purchase and secretly deliver a new piano for me! Here nephew B and I play a duet:


I went thrifting 1000 times and bought cool stuff (next post). One $1.99 garment seemed perfect for our little niece, M:


The piano necessitated a living room rearrangement (provided by the peeps listed above). I enhanced it by finding a cool tv stand and coffee table at Aldi. I am obsessed with that store. And the furniture doesn't seem half bad!


R and his Pa have been busy remodeling the upstairs bathroom, one Saturday at a time. So far it's gone from:

To:

To:



Last weekend R, Bobo and I visited my sister AG and her hubby TG's cabin in Northeast WI. It was great to see the fall colors, my Mom, A's dog Ninja and most of all, A's baby bump!


I have nicknamed the baby "Beavis".

We tried to attract wildlife by leaving an offering:

I believe Stella ate it.

We did see some chipmunks though, and eagles.



That's the report. I may have saw a fox running into the alley across the street, but maybe it was a dog. Today I planted 70 of the 400 bulbs I bought. Went a bit overboard on bulbs!

Hugs and warm coats,
Wendell!

Beetle-Bugs of Summer

Heyall,

Hope things are going smoovely for you!

This post is being written on a beautiful, hot Monday that finds me paralyzed with indecision about how to spend such a day. Buy new running shoes? No. Exercise? Not right now. Clean? Maybe. AND the library is closed and I'm out of books!

Yesterday GH and I went to Izzy's Ice Cream to get some cones. I tried the Mexican Chocolate as my Izzy scoop and the Salted Caramel as my main ice cream. It was AMAZING and probably I should not go back there today for more.

While summer is prime ice cream time, it is also the height of bug activity. Along with pretty butterflies, busy bees, crawling ants and biting mosquitoes, beetles gather under logs and fly around porch lights at night. Let us learn about some of these flying, crawling and plant-eatin' dudes!


The June Beetle.

These black, brown and yellow beetles are around an inch long. They are members of the New World Scarab beetle family, or Phyllophagia (leaf-eater in Greek), which is part of the beetle order Coleoptera.

Side Note: Coleoptera contains the most species of any animal order in the world!



June beetles are "chafers", or leaf eaters, who enjoy eating corn leaves and other crops. While the beetles can be destructive, beetle grubs are especially evil. Living for three to four years underground, beetle larvae eat the roots of grass and cereal crops. They can be especially pesky underground at golf courses.


Ew.

My cousin Miss Lippy has a very disturbing story about such a grub attacking her as a child.

More intimidating than a June Beetle is the Stag Beetle!

Ay!

These oversized mandibles were thought to resemble deer antlers, hence the name "stag". While scary-looking to humans, the mandibles assist male beetles in wrestling matches to find mates!

The British stag beetle is the largest insect in England. Their grubs live in rotting wood instead of underground.

Perhaps the most annoying of these insects is an import: The Japanese Beetle, Popillia japonica.


These green and copper beauties like to eat the leaves in your garden! In the US there are few natural insect or bird predators that will eat Japanese Beetles.

Thankfully the adults are only alive for about a month, and can be easily collected in a bucket of soapy water and discarded. If you have leaves which are eaten between the veins, or "skeletonized", Japanese Beetles might be the culprit.



Scientists think these beetles were accidentally imported in a shipment of iris bulbs before 1912. The first Japanese Beetles were found in New Jersey in 1916.

Please keep me posted on any beetle sightings!

xoxoxoxo
Wendell!