A Fun Day at the Thrift Stores with My B.F.F.

Yesterday was a really good day! I have said this before, but one of the things I enjoy most is visiting thrift stores and hunting for hidden treasures. When my B.F.F., Harriette, can go with me, it is much more fun.

Please allow me to share with you the great things I found.

I found this pretty and very large (28 X 22 inches) framed print at the newest S.P.C.A. thrift store in town.

Framed Print of  Children at Play from S.P.C.A. Thrift Store

Everything in this store was fifty percent off yesterday, so this $15.00 picture cost just $7.50! I have not measured it yet, but it is very large. It is just a print and the frame has some dings, here and there, but I love the children in it.  I haven' t yet decided where I am going to hang it, but it will look very good in most any room. I snatched it up and am happy that I did because it instantly spoke to the heart of this grandmother of five!

I also picked up this wonderful plate with a picture, in red, of a man toiling in a wheat field.

Here is a close up picture. I hope you can see the detail a little better.

 I find these types of scenes of every day life so very appealing. The original price was $3.00, so this plate cost a whopping $1.50! Wasn't this a great find?

Over at the Goodwill store, the first thing I spied were these fabulous antique/vintage glass insulators.

Would you believe these were priced at fifty-five cents apiece?! They are in perfect condition and not a chip or crack on any of them. The lady at the check out counter said the person who priced them obviously did not know what they were looking at(and that is exactly what I thought). Needless to say, I swooped these right up. I have taken a few minutes to check some prices on E-bay and think I made a good decision when I shelled out a total of $1.65, for all three. I enjoy looking at these and it childhood memories of seeing these on top of all the telephone and electrical poles, when there were no underground wires and cables.

Also, at Goodwill, I found this matching set of 5 X 7 inch, shell pattern, cross-stitch pieces. 

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The colors are so pretty on these and someone put a lot of work in to creating them. I knew when I saw them at $1.55 each, they would be perfect in my bathroom. 

My last purchase during our excursion was one I made at Habitat for Humanity Restore thrift shop. It was a gorgeous vintage Sunshine Biscuit Company tin. I was a little torn, being Ms. Cheap, herself, to pay $5.00 for a cookie/biscuit tin, but my heart just told me that it was there, just for me! Not only that, but experience told me that it would not be there the next day.

I absolutely love the pictures, one on each side of the tin. I tell you, it is wonderful!

This is a very large octagonal shaped biscuit tin, measuring a full 12 1/2 inches. Here, on the side that opens, is a copy of a Rococo style painting, by famous French artist, Francois Boucher. 

Copy of a Painting by Francois Boucher's "The Charms of Country Living"

The original of this romantic painting, named "The Charms of Country Living," has been hanging(according to the description on the inside of the tin) in the Louvre for over 200 years. The fact that this scene has sheep in it makes it all the more appealing, as far as I am concerned. I would love to see this, in person, at the Louvre!

This is a picture of the inside of the tin's lid which tells more about the painter and the piece of art.

My tin is in pristine condition and looks like new. This is a side view of the tin, as well.

I saw this top sold separately on E-bay, as a wall plague.

On the bottom of the tin is a copy of yet another painting by Boucher. This one is called "The Nest,"

and I think I like this one even better than the other. Here is a photo of that side.

Copy of Francois Boucher's Painting "The Nest"

Again, on the bottom inside of the tin is a little of the history of that painting, as well.

Here is a closer image of "The Nest."

I think this is a great scene and good for spring decor because the ladies in the picture are dressed in finery. The lady in the middle of the picture is wearing a wonderful hat with pink ribbon to match her gown. She is holding a nest in which baby chicks are sitting. The subjects in the painting are all looking with great interest at the nest and the man is playing with the chicks. One of the ladies seems to have picked a basket of spring flowers. Sheep are pictured in this one, as well. Is it difficult to see why I fell in love with this wonderful tin?

I checked this one out on the net, as well, and it appears I made a wise purchase.

I found some on E-bay, some costing several times more and being described as have some issues of spotty patina, wear and and rust. The fact is I really like it and it makes me feel good when I look at the tin.

In all, I spent less than $19.00 for all of the great things I purchased and I am very happy with all. 

Speaking of happy. I am very happy that God brought my friend, Harriette, into my life many years ago. We are different, each in our own way, but we are alike in so many ways that it is almost scary. We have many of the same interests and hobbies and we enjoy doing crafts and things like that together. We have the kind of friendship where we know each other so well that we can, and often do, finish each other sentences. Both of us are at the ages where that can be a real plus sometimes, if you know what I mean.

Yes, I had found a lot of great things on our outing but there was more to come. My friend has been purging at her house. She knows I love rolling pins and wooden bowls. I have been collecting both for many years. Harriette has been collecting rolling pins, too, and has collected quite a few. It amazes me that she decided to let her collection of rolling pins go. She was going to get rid of her whole collection, except for a couple that had belonged to her sweet mother. Since she had made the decision to let them go, she wanted me to have them, if I wanted them. Yes, I wanted them!

Folks, when we got back to her house, here is what she gave me!

A Wonderful Gift from my Sweet Friend

Now, I ask you, is this not a beautiful sight for this or any rolling pin collector? There are eleven pins, in all. Oh, and she said she wanted me to keep the pretty basket they were in, as well!

This bowl collector also thinks this is a beautiful sight!

And this great glass rolling pin can be filled with ice and water, so as to keep the pastry nice and cold while it is being rolled out!

Now, I can pretend that I am a famous French pastry chef when I use this glass one!

Harriette

Yes, my friend is beautiful, she is intelligent, she is generous, she is caring and kind. She loves God and is a powerful prayer warrior. She is always there for me, through the good times and through the bad, the happy and the sad. We laugh a lot together and we cry together. We even laugh together "at" ourselves sometimes when we do things that we fondly call "crazy." I just know, deep in my heart, that when we both get to heaven someday, we will be enjoying one another's company, just the way we do now!

She is the best, in every way a friend can be. She really is my B.F.F. My Best Friend Forever!