Spoonful of Imagination

Add it to a Family for Something Beautiful

Afghan Confusion

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When you go thrifting (if you go thrifting) do you always look for the same item? Do you always head straight to the dishes in hopes of finding some vintage Pyrex or straight to the furniture section for your next piece to redo? I love to check out a few sections. Pictures frames, toys, baskets, and linens are a few of my favorites. Lately, I have had some afghan confusion.

Every time I walk into a thrift store I see at least one afghan for sale. I am confused! Why do people part with these beauties?

By definition, an afghan is a blanket, wrap, or throw made of colorful yarn. They are hand stitched or knitted into beautiful geometric shapes and patterns.

colorful afghan throw blanket

I love color and I love handmade, so afghans are my latest obsession. I have three and all three have come from a thrift store. Each one is a different knitted stitch and I just love them. We use them daily to build forts for the kids to play in or to cuddle up with on the couch. Just this weekend did each kid have their own fort and they ate their lunch in them. Childhood memories are being made with these pretty blankets in my house.

blanket tent fortsWhen my afghans are not tided or clipped to furniture for forts, I keep them in a big basket on our fireplace to grab for couch snuggle time. I think they add such a nice warmth to our living room with their pretty colors.

pretty afghans

Why do you think these homemade beauties are selling for just a few bucks at thrift stores? Or maybe they aren’t selling-that’s why they are always there! I think I just made it my little mission to collect a few more. They are fought over on movie nights around here.

afghan fortI tried making Caleb an afghan when I was still pregnant with him. I only got a few rows stitched, before I became burned out and I quit. There has to be some serious dedication to finishing one of these blankets to be a usable size. Lots of time and yarn are invested in them. If I had to price one (from my experience of buying yarn and trying to sew one), I think they would easily be in the hundreds of dollars. So, tell me! Why do you think these are at thrift stores?

Is there a particular item you are searching for at thrift stores lately? I am headed out for a day of errands with my kiddos and just might have to stop to find another pretty afghan for my collection!

Thank you so much for stopping by! If you missed my DIY Ruffled Shower Curtain over the weekend-check it out and enter to win two of my embroidered hoops!

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The Way I Thrift

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5 and 5

Do you frequent thrift stores and look for treasures?  I do!  I know it can seem dirty and a way to bring germs into your home, but there is nothing a little sanitizer, Clorox wipes, bleach bath, or hot run in the washer can’t fix!  I have two short lists for you that can help you break into this world of thrifting.

thrift store shopping list

5 on my Thrift List

1.  Frames

I am always using a frame for something.  I bought a ton of frames for my wall of art.  I have found that you can find great wood frames with character for cheap!  Most frames I buy are just a $1.00 or $2.00.  I add a little paint and a light sanding job and voila!  You have a vintage frame.

wood frames

This past weekend I went thrifting with Erin, and I found this 3D type frame.

thrift store picture frames

I have been wanting one just like this to spruce up and make a tray like this one that The Lemon Tree Creations made.  For a full tutorial go see the great post Patrice wrote up on her coffee table tray!

tray

2.  Pillows

I love making pillows and you can’t beat the feather inserts being only a couple of bucks at a thrift store.  I always check to see if there are nice pillows for their inserts, but every once in a while I run across a pillow I don’t want to do anything to (except wash it).  Thus was the case when I found this rug/velour flower type pillow (in the center) for only $2.92!?!

colorful bed with pillows

3.  Toys

Toys can be so expensive, and I have found you can really find some nice inexpensive ones at a thrift store.  I have found some of the best monster trucks and action figure guys for my boys at a fraction of their normal cost.  This past weekend, I found a baby stroller for my little Reagan and I was so excited.  I had been wanting one ever since she freaked out over the one we gave her just a few weeks ago for her birthday, but it was plastic and cheap and broke quickly.

little girl stroller

This new one looked brand new and was only $2.92!  Plus, check out the double seating, canopy, and basket below.  She was giddy and thanked me all afternoon, after I gave it to her.

baby doll stroller

4.  Linens

I love looking at the sheets, table clothes, place mats section.  I usually buy these for their fabric.  Cheap sheets make incredible “liner” fabric for pillows or other sewing projects.  Just place mats can be great to change the scene on your table or transformed into small throw pillows.  I recently bought this vintage flower sheet for $1.00 and have been using it as a tablecloth.

vintage table with flowers

5.  Baskets

We are always needing more creative ways to keep us organized and baskets can be so cheap!  Check out this huge basket Erin got for $5 on our thrifting adventure.  To see all of her recent thrifting finds click over to the plans for her boys’ room makeover.

thrift store basket

**I also browse the furniture section and drool over fun pieces like these chairs (pictured below) I found last week.  Currently, I don’t have any room for more furniture, so I passed on a set of these chairs at $6 each!  I was happy a sweet reader was able to snatch them up from this instagram picture.  You can get such a great deal on furniture that is old and rich in character-that just needs a little lovin’.

old chair

5 tips to Thrift

1.  Have an ongoing list

My list is always changing of things I want/need.  It helps me to write the things down, so I have a game plan before walking in and my imagination running wild.  It is easy for me to see an item that I wasn’t looking for and wasn’t on the list and buy it.  Without my list, I will get home with a new treasure (that requires more items for “the list” since it needs a little lovin’), but my original items, I totally forgot to look for.

2.  Know the days for special discounts or find the coupons

Most thrift stores have color codes.  For example, the tags on all the items through out the store might be written on a piece of color card stock or have a letter written below the price that represents what color tag that item would be.  Some days the red (or any other color) tags might be 50% off the price listed.  So, look for items with that color tag to get the best deal.

One of my favorite thrift stores sends out coupons in the mail, and I always cut them out and try to go on the day listed.

thrift store coupons

3.  Have a prepared car

You don’t want to find the perfect dresser and have a carload of kids or stuff that makes you have to pass the item by.  I go thrifting a couple of times a week.  Most of the time I have my kids, but there is usually one day where I can swing in by myself and get a look for anything that is calling out to me! Some stores will allow you to purchase your item and come back for it but I have also found some want the merchandise taken with you.

4.  Know the days they restock

So, Erin is more gutsy than me and figured out the restocking day for one of our favorite thrift stores.  Wednesdays and Fridays would be the best days to shop for the new items before they get really picked over.  Don’t be afraid to ask for these details!

5.  Use your imagination!

Something make look old, dirty or weird but with a little imagination an old junky item can become your new treasure!!  All this talk of thrifting has me excited to go again in the morning!  What is on your thrift list?

 

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Thrifting Treasures

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I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday.  We had an amazing day!  It was our first time to host, and we had Matt’s extended family over.  It was a lot of fun with lots of laughter and family!  The benefit of hosting was we hardly had to do any of the cooking.  Sweet deal in my book.  I can’t wait to share some of these pictures with you! I hope you enjoy the rest of this holiday weekend.  I did a little Black Friday shopping last night with my sister-in-law and am now gearing up for my son’s birthday tomorrow.  It is crazy busy times, but it is all so fun and full of love.  I am truly blessed!

Even though its been a busy week I didn’t want to ignore my Friday Project Spotlight. I wanted to share a quick chair makeover that my sister, Olivia did last week. Olivia is the other half Dancing Zebras, our Etsy craft store.

Olivia, and my niece, Charleigh, were in town for a week.  We crafted and did all sorts of fun thrifting shopping adventures.  It was a perfect week!  My mom was so sweet to watch the boys one afternoon and finish up “school,” so I could have a girls day!  So, my sis and I loaded up our girls and went to four thrift stores in a row.  It was so fun!

We found lots of good deals and fun things to re-do/re-vamp!  Don’t you love Reagan’s Baby Gap hat we found for $1.00?? I love brainstorming with Olivia and dreaming of how to make ugly things beautiful again.

One of Olivia’s amazing finds was this old chair that she redid with a little paint and a pretty piece of fabric!  I love it and might secretly be wishing I had bought that chair!

The chair folds up, and it would be so easy to store and yet bring out when you need that extra seat!  I love the colors she choose and combined together!  She unscrewed the seat, spray painted the chair, then recovered the seat with some fabric she had left over from another project.  She then went back and gave it a light sanding job.  Didn’t it come out so cute?! It always amazes me how quickly these thrifting finds can become treasures.

We had a lot of fun on our shopping trip.  I found some fun things that I was able to use this week to decorate for our Thanksgiving feast.

I got that little pumpkin holder for $1.00 and those glass vases for $.80 each.  I simply filled them with some acorns I had collected.  I just adore that wood bowl I found for $1.00!

Thanks for stopping in and seeing my Project Spotlight item.  Thanks Olivia for letting me feature your chair makeover!  Do you have a project you would like me to spotlight?  I’d love to hear from you and share one of your creations!  Message me and we can work it out! Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I’ll be back on Monday with more from my Tidbits of Me series.

 

 

 

 

**Linked up at Miss Information.

A week from TODAY!

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One week from today is November 6, 2012.  It is my thirtieth birthday!  I can’t believe this day is almost here.  I remember thinking, when I was young, that thirty was so old.

{Of course I used a Photoshop Action on those two pictures, because I am way too young to be from the time of solely Polaroid shots.  :)}

It doesn’t feel old anymore.  It is crazy to still feel so young but look at the events of your life (married, drive a mini van, own a house, have two dogs, and three kids to fill that mini van) and realize that although I still feel young at heart, I am older.

In honor of this HUGE milestone in my life, I am proclaiming my own “teacher work day” next Tuesday.  My school will be closed, and my kids and I will do all my favorite things.  Which let’s be honest, they probably are driving to get  a sweet tea, browsing through Hobby Lobby, rummaging through a thrift store, and spending time together in our pajamas.  Oh.  I. am. old.

P.S.  My birthday may also be election day this year, so go out and vote.  The End.