Out and About Thrifting My Life Away

People always ask me what do I do with my spare time. I giggle and say "what spare time"? When you are a "thrifter" it never ends. And your mind never stops.Your mind is always thinking about the "hunt". What will I find at the next Goodwill, or thrift store. It doesn't matter where or when, just finding some cool items is enough for me. Yes, I would say it's an obbsession, maybe an attiction. But, I believe it's the thrill of the hunt. And it never ends. I have been doing this for more than 40yrs. I even furnished my first apartment with my tagsale finds. So check out some of my recent finds in my Etsy shop. Here are a few fun items that may just entice you to purchase a item or two that will make you happy. Sweet Pea Vintage and Urban Findings is a eclectic online store full of vintage clothing

and home decor.

I found these wonder copper pots and pans in my last round of thrifting. Cleaning them wasn't any fun, but they turned out beautiful. I will be adding them to my Esty shop soon. So check back in a few days. https://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetPeaVintageTwo?ref=hdr_shop_menu #SPV2 #copper #vintage #kitchen #antiques 

 

Can You Make Money From Thrifting? "Let's Talk Goodwill "

I can't tell you the last time I actually went into a mall or department store to buy something. I bet it has been years. Why, because you can literally find everything that you need to live a very comfortable life by shopping in thrift stores. By this, I mean any church thrift shop or local thrift stores in the area.  But, I also go to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. I will say I'm not a fan of upscale consignment shops only because you have 2 people who want a piece of the pie. So, if you can cut out the middle man you are saving money. Remember, these shops are getting this stuff for free, consignment stores aren't.
Today lets talk about Goodwill. I could sit here and give you lots of info about how Goodwill Industries came to be, but that is kinda boring. So, for all the nerds (me included) this is the link to Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodwill_Industries Even in the Goodwill world, there is a hierarchy. Some quick tips, if you have a resale certificate bring in a copy and you don't have to pay tax on your purchase. On certain days seniors or veterans may get a discount. Always check your items in good lighting, stains are easy to miss. Try on clothing if you can, just because you are getting a deal it may not fit. I love buying vintage linens, but again stains and wholes just devalue the item.
1). Boutique Goodwills you guessed it, upscale stores with much higher-end merchandise. Unless you are buying for yourself that Gucci purse for a couple hundred dollars might be nice,  but when you are reselling it, there's not much room for profit. Honestly, I have found some good items like Royal Doulton character jugs for $l0.00 each, and leather items but no deals to speak of.

2). Retail and Superstore Goodwill stores are usually where I go. Most are very clean and have some organization to them. Not in binds that you have to plow through. Each week a certain color is picked and marked down 50%. Just remember the color as you are going through. I would say this is the best place to find great deals. Yes, even their prices have gone up, but deals can still be found.

3). Goodwill Outlet Stores. Here is where the fun really begins. If you have the patience, time and wear with all this is the place for you. First, get there early, I mean early. People start lining up 2 to 3 hours before opening time. Kinda like the old Black Friday sales at Macy's.   And for heaven sakes bring a good pair of gloves. Once you start dumpster diving into these bins you never know what you will find. Buying by the pound sounds like fun....I can just have someone say, "I'll take 5.00 worth of underwear please", just kidding. Just be careful, broken glass and sharp items can find there way into the bins. And by all means, wash your hands when done. 

So what's the bottom line. If you are thrifting for yourself, go and have some fun. You can't beat the home decor items, especially if you are into retro or vintage stuff. As they say "one mans junk is another man's treasure." If you are buying to resell like I do, make sure that you can make a profit on the item. Don't forget to add in packaging material and postage to your costs. If it is a heavy item it probably isn't worth the expense of the postage costs.   Clean everything that you purchase, it may look great but old used stuff can get a funky smell to them. You don't really know where they came from, especially if they were smokers or had pets. Just a few tips that I have learned. So," happy thrifting" to one and all. I guess since this is my blog I can add by little Esty shop link. https://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetPeaVintageTwo?ref=hdr_shop_menu

I Love Mushrooms and I Don't Mean Ones That You Smoke

I love mushrooms and I don't mean ones that you can smoke. I think that it may have been a fallacy way back in the 60s and 70s. That if you dried, ground up and rolled them like a joint you would get high if you smoked them. No, the mushrooms that I am talking about are the retro vintage style dating back to the 70s and mostly designed for a kitschy kitchen. Sears used to carry a very cool line of Merry Mushroom series. Women went crazy for them. This was the era of orange, yellow and avocado green, throw a bit of brown and you had a retro kitchen. Oh, don't forget the shag carpet. But it was the Merry Mushroom design that I found enchanting. Here are a few pics of what you could find in the Sears Catalog back in the 70s. Enjoy a trip down memory lane.

Mushrooms, where do they all come from.
The Sears catalog. 

It is pretty hard to find a complete set of canisters anymore. 

If you couldn't find it in the Sears catalog you probably couldn't find it anywhere. 

Sears carried just about anything a happy housewife of the 60s or 70s could want. From dishes to lawnmowers to fancy dresses that they can wear to the Junior Women's Luncheons. All you had to do was circle the items then call or fill out a order form and like magic they would appear at your doorstep. Even if your husband wasn't happy about you spending his hard earned money, I bet he wouldn't even notice them. I could put new things right on the counter and my husband wouldn't even know they were there. Oh, well.

The Merry Mushroom series has become pretty popular these days. The younger generation is getting a bit nostalgic and like to bring back memories from their mothers or grandmothers. Especially around the holidays, we do tend to get a bit sentimental.

The Hippie Life For Me

The Hippie Life For Me by sweetpeavintage-1 featuring black home decor

If you are tired of boring home decor, check out some of these items sold through Polyvore.