Thrifting. YES!

So today was my day of awesomeness. Awesomeness being nothing on the agenda but thrifting and a phone call. I didn't even have to feed the cats or clean their box or listen to Clementine bitch, which was so so great. And to think that one of the reasons I was on the fence about this trip was because I didn't want to leave my cats...ha, that was a stupid.

The reason I'm here (Minneapolis) is because Joe is on a business trip and I have one week left till I return to work, so I figured I should take a vacation from my vacation. A guy that Joe is working with said something like "wait- your wife is with? what is she going to do the whole time???" Um, was he kidding?! Hello, I'm in the thrift store and shopping meca of the Midwest, duh. Some people don't get it.

So yes. I woke up at about 5:00 this morning (and quickly realized that I would never be a good candidate for studio apartment living...I don't envy that lifestyle one bit, I've decided) and waited and waited for Joe to wake up. Being that we're in a hotel with no restaurant attached, there's really not a lot that I can do other than just lay there and wait since I didn't want to wake him up.

Anyway, so he finally woke up and I started planning my trip. My thrift store extravaganza trip. The Thrift Shopper is the best site ever when it comes to this, by the way. So I got all that scribbled down & then it was time to take Joe to work (at the doll store in the Mall of America, haha) and I went in to get some coffee for my big day, went back out to the car and plugged in like 10 thrift store addresses into the GPS & started driving.

I finally made it to my first stop & I was very let down by it (and 16-mile-one-way drive) and then even more let down when the other thrift shop out there didn't seem to exist. All that driving for nothing! So back I came and hit up 4 or 5 that were closer to my hotel.

And then it happened- my first find of the day. I was excited to come across this huge spool of thread, especially because I'm currently on a mission to gather more materials for wrapping packages. And because it was the prettiest shade of blue & I thought it would look nice if I kept it out on a shelf in our soon-to-be-library.

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Pretty, right? 

Speaking of our soon-to-be-library, books have been one of my most sought after items at thrift shops lately. Building a library from pretty much nothing takes a long time, unless you have a huge budget. And since I can't convince my mind that I have time to build a library, I've been getting all my books from thift shops. I highly recommend it. I really like hardcover books and I really REALLY like old hardcover books. It's an aesthetic thing. I wish you could see how gorgeous the book cloth on this book is. Well, okay- I know you can see it. But I wish you could feel it. Oh god, it's so good. One of my favorite finds to date.

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AND the illustration & print is in metallic green ink. I picked this up & knew that I had to have it before I even opened it. And then I opened it: "And so we bought Stillmeadow. Although Jill always said Stillmeadow bought us. We lived in New York Ciry, I was raising my daugheter in a sixth-floor apartment about the size of a station wagon. It had what I called a sometime elevator for it did run sometimes." Okay, this is where I admit to you that I have not read a book since grade school (not a lie) because I haven't found one that will hold my attention AND because I hated reading in school but since I could write well I just took notes and aced the papers. Suckers. Anyway, this one will hold my attention. I know.


It was at that time that I thought "I need a basket" and as I was walking back to the book section, I spied my next find on a wall full of scarves. The minute I saw her I pretty much lost my breath and said "Oh, Vera". How did I know it was Vera from so far away, you ask? Because Vera is that good. So good that I have never even seen a Vera scarf in person but knew what I saw within half a beat of a heart.


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After I found it I started to think about the Vera book I've been wanting & how I never did buy it for myself from Amazon like I had told myself I would. I decided that I would buy it when I returned to my hotel if I had any money left in my thrift-fund by the end of the day.

I was near Edina so I drove over to West Elm. I mainly went in to look at their styling rather than their items, since I haven't been too excited about their stuff for quite awhile now. On my way out I started looking at their book section and I remember thinking that I don't like the fact that these design stores are selling random books just because they'd look nice on your coffee table. And then I shut up. Because...could it be?

Any guesses? Any at all? Come on you have to guess because I let the guy wrap the thing just so I could play this game with you. Okay, I'll give you a hint. It rhymes with Sara. And I was just talking about it a minute ago. And it was only $9.95. 

Yeah. I know. And at $9.95, it was a steal. Even better than the price I was going to pay for a used one on Amazon. Friggan awesome, right? Right. This just goes to show that January is indeed the best month ever. Other than July, September and November. I like those ones, too. And I didn't even realize that those 4 months are every other month, minus March & May. They're alright too I guess.


Okay, back to reality here. My last stop was at the Goodwill across the street from my hotel. I walked in & spotted these cuties right away. They are so French to me. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. Trust me though, I know French when I see it. It comes with the gig that one takes on when they are part French (moi). Haha, like how I worked that one in? I do.



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Aren't they great? Oh man. So good. I love their fashion sense, don't you? There were 4 total & I walked around with all 4 and made the spontaneous decision to put 2 back right before I got in line. I wanted somebody else to find them, too. And I kept thinking about my Portland trip (which is happening in 2011) and how I need to save for it so I had to stop spending $ even IF it was my birthday soon and even IF they were only a dollar each and even IF one broke how I'd only have one left.


And then I got back to my hotel and made my phone call and started to take photos of my new stuff and I got to these glasses and started to get sad about leaving the other 2 behind and my mind was having fist fights with me and I couldn't make them stop so UGH I got in my car and drove across the street and walked back into Goodwill, being sure that I wore a different scarf & a hat this time so they didn't think "isn't that the lady that was just here" and then I walked over to the shelf they lived on and got them. Along with 3 other things that I didn't see earlier.


And now I'm happy.


Yeah. I know. 


So NOW it's 6:12 and I have like 4 or 5 hours till Joe gets off work. The Wild play the Blackhawks tonight and this is the first and only game I will get to watch this season. Against the Hawks. Which is awesome. So part of the determining factor of me coming to MN was the fact that I would be in Wild territory & that I would get to watch a game since we don't have cable at home. I walked into our hotel room & quickly noticed the 15" tube tv that is bolted to the dresser so I can't even put it on the bed to watch it. 


So I'm going to shower & go find somewhere to watch it. Like, at a bar or something.