Thrift Store Treasures and Fabulous Finds

Most people who read my blog, even occasionally, will know that one of the things I enjoy most is going to thrift stores. It is a favorite past time of mine and I could and sometimes do explore the aisles of these places for hours. Sometimes I go with a purpose in mind, but some of the best finds are those that are unexpected treasures. Today, I will post about some of the things I nabbed this spring and summer.

First, let me show you something my friend and I found near the beginning of summer. This hutch top:

We had to go back to Harriette's house to get her truck, so we could haul it home.  It is a pretty big truck, but fortunately it has a camera for safe backing. It's a good thing, because we certainly did not want her to be the topic of headlines in The Aiken Standard for being the woman who backed through the Habitat Thrift Store. She did a good job backing into the space, never getting close to the glass window,  as you can see from this photo:

It is an antique hutch top, for which I paid $15.00 at Habitat's 1/2 off sale. It actually has the date stamped across the back, which also states the color finish on the piece as being "parchment."  Please, if you see my husband, please do not mention to him that I said it is an antique, because it was built the same month and year he was born. It is in good shape and it cleaned up nicely with some Murphy's Oil Soap. http://www.colgate.com/murphy-oil-soap#/home. I love that stuff! You probably already know this, but Murphy's Oil Soap is a terrific product and I use it for tons of jobs around the house. It is made from vegetable oil and is gentle on most things, while still being really tough on dirt and grime. It even works great as a pre-wash treatment to remove grease and lots of other stains from items in the laundry. It has a pleasant and mild fragrance, at least I think it does, unlike the caustic odor of some other cleaning products. There is no compensation for my telling you this. I truly enjoy sharing tricks and ideas that make my life easier around the house.

A nice gentlemen helped us load the piece into the back of the truck:

The original idea was to attach a bottom plank or board to it and it would make a good bookcase. It was pretty quickly realized that idea could be ditched because it will look like it was missing something. To be precise, its bottom half. Therefore, I will now be searching for a match which will coordinate nicely with it. Then, I will paint both with some chalk paint to marry the two. Maybe a subject for a later post?

The following picture is fuzzy and does not do justice, but I also nabbed these white cafe/tab style curtains at Habitat half off for $1.25. There were 2 pair, so I picked up both pairs for a whopping $2.50. They worked perfectly for what I had in mind. I used these in the latest DIY project around my house, the master bathroom "refresh."

It is important to keep an open mind when thrift shopping. I have been married a long time and have raised two girls and helped to bring up five grandchildren. During that time, I have experimented a lot and have developed a pretty good knack for removing stubborn stains and getting things looking good again. This wonderful cut-work and embroidered tablecloth had been passed over because it had "some spots," as the writing on the piece of tape which was wrapped around it stated. There were no tears or frays on it and no loose threads on the embroidery. It was priced at $3.50, so I got it for $1.75(half price). 

Beautiful Cut-Work and Embroidered Tablecloth ($1.75)

This is actually a long, rectangular cloth, which I had folded and placed on my kitchen table to take some pictures. The "spots" turned out to be a few tea stains, or at least that's what they looked like to me. I experimented a little with some "Shout," which was not what was needed. I really did not want to use full strength chlorine bleach. I have used dishwasher detergent to remove stains from counter-tops and even a few items of clothing in the past. I gave it some more thought and then I decided to try about one-half cup of "Cascade" dishwasher detergent in the pre-soak cycle of my clothes washer, using hot water. I let it fill up and agitate for a couple of minutes, then I allowed it to soak for about forty minutes. I checked and the spots were gone, so I added laundry detergent and washed the cloth on "delicate" cycle. This is actually long rectangular cloth which I intend to use on my dining room table after I paint in there. I hope to do that within the next couple of months. I just finished painting my master bath and will soon begin working on the bedroom. For purposes of picture-taking for a future post, I folded the cloth and placed it on my kitchen table to take the above picture. The tablecloth really is beautiful. Here is a close up of the cut-work and embroidery motifs in the cloth. 

Close-up of Cut-work And Embroidered Motif  On Tablecloth

Isn't it gorgeous?

So far, I have been posting about Habitat Thrift Store finds. Now, I'll show you a couple from Goodwill Industries. 

Here is a solid white shower curtain which I was able to get for $1.51:

White Shower Curtain From Goodwill Industries. Price $1.51.

It is in perfect condition, so I used this shower curtain in my master bath refresh, after putting it straight into the washer and dryer. Since I am going for a fresh, crisp and clean look in there, it was perfect, at least for the time being. Honestly, how could I lose at $1.51?

Now, I adore wood items and I really like great boxes. I was planning on putting some sort of container in the middle of our vanity to help control clutter and to use as a place to store our daily medications, etc. I knew I had an immediate purpose for the box I am about to show you. I was considering giving it a coat or two of paint in a white hue, but my husband likes the stained wood, so I am planning cleaning it up with some denatured alcohol, as soon as I get to Home Depot or Lowes. This great box was marked at just over $10.00. It was senior day at Goodwill, so it came in at just under $10.00 at the register. 

Wooden Storage Box From Goodwill (Priced Around $10.00)

The items I have posted about today are a few that I have purchased recently and that I thought you might enjoy reading about. I have used several of these in my master bath refresh, which I hope to post about later. It was great fun hunting for these little thrift store treasures and fabulous finds. Thanks for reading my little post today. I hope you enjoyed checking out what I discovered and how I am using them!