If you know me, and I think you do, you are aware that I’m often popping in to estate sales, thrift stores, and fleamarkets, searching for treasures and a ruddy bargain or two. It’s my strange addiction.  Here’s what I nabbed over the past few months.

Sip N’Smoke ashtray from Oddfellows.

Oh how I miss the days when smoking wasn’t bad for you. You could drive around in your car with the windows rolled up, your kid strapped in the backseat (or not strapped, because seat belts weren’t really important back then), and smoke away without a care in the world. Sound familiar mom & dad? Just kidding! [cough cough]. Really though, why hasn’t someone invented a healthy cigarette yet? I’m not talking about that e-cigarette garbage, I’m talking about real cigarettes, but instead of  nicotine they’re full of ginseng or some shit? A smoke-able multi vitamin. Can someone please get on that? I could really go for a non-cancerous sip n’ smoke.

Speaking of cancer sticks…  I found this ash tray at Oddfellows as well, but gifted it to my friend Tiffany for her birthday. One can only have so many unusable, yet adorable ashtrays in their home.

Let’s talk about these crazy-sexy-cool poodles.

I went to an estate sale put on by Vogue Vintage for a family who collected e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. Ceramic garden bunnies? They had fifty. Wicker baskets? Probably a hundred. Christmas teddy bears? This is where they went to die. It was impressive and horrifying all at the same time. Not only did they have every shot glass and ceramic bell ever made, they also had a large collection of pink spaghetti poodles. I’ve often admired spaghetti poodles at antique stores, but they’re usually too expensive for me. Lucky for me, this one was priced to go. A few weeks ago, I came across the white Japanese poodle at Oddfellows, and having an inherent soft spot for weird poodle figurines, I couldn’t pass him up.  It has real fur, which ironically feels nothing like that of a poodle.

Back in July I bought these two tropical print serving trays for $2 at the annual Royal Oak Garage Sale. They were marked $5 for the set, but when I handed the seller my cash, she said “Oh, these should be $2″. And who was I to argue? They are perfect for outdoor parties.

Don’t they remind you of something Joyce from Edward Scissorhands would use for serving her ambrosia salad?

Ask anyone who interacts with me on the regular and they will attest that my sole mission for the past 5 years has been to find a small, mid-century, stacking record player console. My requirements are as follows – must work – must stack – must be small – must be mid-century – must not be a million dollars. And did you know? They’re about as easy to find as a tap dancing unicorn. Every now and again I’d find one on ebay, but it would be in Texas or Florida, or I’d find one around here that was in bad shape or a million dollars. I decided to pop into Vogue Vintage one day, and the owner mentioned that he rented out a small 1955 RCA Victor to the Rattlesnake Club for a mad-men themed party. He said it would be back in the store in a week. So a week went by, I popped in, and lo and behold, it was perfect! And small! And affordable! And…. broken. Womp, womp. He sent it off to his repairman, told me to call back in a week, I called back, it wasn’t fixed yet, he told me to call back in three days, I called back, it wasn’t fixed yet, yada yada. That went on for several weeks and was kind of excruciating. But due to the powers of blogging, BAM. Here she is, all shined up and in my living room.

Hello, record player of my dreams!

I found this 1960’s Saltillo blanket at Lost & Found Vintage in Royal Oak.

The colors are beautiful and it’s very soft, but I have no idea what to do with it. Hang it on the wall? Drape it across the back of a chair? Make an outfit for Celia?

I just showed her these pictures and she was unimpressed.

I picked up a stack of Good Housekeeping magazines from the 1930’s for two dollars a piece at the Royal Oak Garage Sale.

I found some AMAZING articles. And by amazing, I mean sexist and horrible.

In an article titled How to be a Swell Wife, I found this golden nugget of advice:

Nothing more thrilling than marriage, eh? And these tidings of encouragement:

Thank God I’ve been able to hold my job based on sentiment and sex and not had to rely on sheer efficiency. I mean, can you even?!

And this barf-a-thon:

Can someone explain to me what sanitary belts are? Wait, never mind.

Ladies! Prove you are wise by washing your face properly!

At least these chauvinistic texts look nice on my coffee table and provide for entertaining discourse at parties.

Oh, olden times. You so crazy.

xoxo

 If you don’t recognize that lyric, then stop what you’re doing & watch this immediately.

If you follow me on instagram, then you are aware that I am thrifting all the time.  And by all the time I mean all the time.  Whether it be at thrift stores, flea markets, antique malls, estate sales or Craigslist, I just love sifting through other people’s dirty old crap.  And I like the hunt.  And a good deal.  And I like STUFF.

Here’s a peak at what I’ve found lately.

Vintage lucite tray, Abe Lincoln photograph, light up Santa head, and a brass rolling record stand, all from Oddfellows in Berkley.

Vintage lucite trays are usually quite expensive, but this one was a little scratched up so it was only $30.  I love it so much I want to PUT IT ON MY FACE.

But instead I put it on my coffee table with some art books, vintage milk glass vases, and an anthropologie bowl filled with polaroids. I can also envision it on our dining room table, the bar cart, or the dresser in our bedroom.  It’s quite versatile and open to change. Like Taylor Swift’s lady parts.

This creepy Santa head is just too good. A little scary… yet also jolly. Like your dad.

The Abraham Lincoln photograph is dated 1891, has the photographer’s name on it, and is still in the original frame.  After chatting with the dealer for a while, he offered it to me for much lower than it was marked because he was happy to see it go to a good home.  I can be very charming to old people.

Here’s Babe-raham in my dining room.  I imagine him reflecting deeply on the emancipation of slavery and how cute my no-sew drapes are.

I found this necklace at a vintage consignment store in Indian Village.  I’m digging the 70’s vibe.  Also, it kind of looks like a jelly fish?

Old lady bingo set from Etsy.  Holla bitches!

Milk glass cream & sugar set from Russell Street Antiques in Eastern Market.  For sipping tea at my sexy bingo parties.

Acrylic table from Craigslist. $25!

TWENTY. FIVE. DOLLARS.

Here’s how the Craigslist transaction went down.

(ring ring)

CRAIGSLIST GUY:  Hello?

ME:  Hi, I’m calling about the acrylic table you have posted on Craigslist for $40.  I love it.  Is it still available?

CRAIGSLIST GUY:  Yes, and I’ll take $25.  *scratches my head?*

ME.  OK sold! When can I pick it up?

CRAIGSLIST GUY:  I have it in my van, I can drop it off right now, no charge.  *scratches my head?*

ME.  Cool!  Here’s my address, see you soon!

10 minutes later he pulled into my driveway, threw me in his van full of dead bodies, and made a lamp shade out of my skin.

Just kidding, that never happened.

After the guy dropped off the table (I met him outside, house locked, pepper spray in hand – cuz you know) I brought it inside and dressed it up with some succulents and a pouf and lived happily ever after.

Mike D and I found this tiki lounge sign at an antique store in Oscoda, MI on our way to Mai Tiki Resort for a tiki themed beach weekend with friends.  If that’s not serendipity slapping you in the face, then I don’t know what is.

And now, just for kicks, here are some things I loved, but left behind.

I came across this old desk lamp and tried convincing Mike D to get it for his office.  Alas, he felt it was a little too “testicle-y” for his liking.

Fair enough.

This Charlie Brown garbage can is cheesy and 80’s but so am I.

This fancy phone would look pretty on my nightstand and would be very convenient for late night calls to my dealer.

I kid, I kid. I would never call my dealer from a land line.

This chair (reupholstered in luxurious velvet) would be perfect in my tea parlor (that doesn’t exist).

When I stumbled upon this glorious rainbow of Eames chairs I yelled “OMG-OMG-OMG SOLD!”  And then I saw the price tag of $300 per chair to which I slowly backed away and whispered “Never mind. Carry on. Nothing to see here”.  And then I ran away & cried because I’m poor.

This early 1900’s photograph of a little girl is in the exact same frame as my great grandmother’s photograph.  I wanted to bring her home with me, but she was very expensive and possibly haunted.

I  almost bought this stereo at Vogue Vintage,  but after testing it, we found one of the speakers was blown out.

The owner sent it to a repairman the next day but apparently it needs a particular part that is no longer in production.  *cries*  Everything else functioned perfectly,  so the owner said he would hold onto it in case a similar stereo came along that he could steal parts from.  I’ve been calling him every 3 days and I’m pretty sure he wants me dead.   I want it so bad I would sell Eleanor to the circus for it!

No I wouldn’t.

Or would I?

More thrifty updates to come soon – it’s almost garage sale season!.  And I’m headed to an estate sale this weekend!  Someone stop me, because I can’t stop myself.

xoxo