2nd Time Around Tuesday

Hello & welcome to Second Time Around Tuesday...hosted by Diane @ A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words. It used to be called Trash to Treasure but she changed the name because it's not really about make-overs but about second-hand finds & how we treasure them & use them. I have been garage sal'ing & flea-marketing for as long as I can remember....and oh how happy I was when I first discovered thrift shops, about 12 years ago. I could "garage sale" anytime I wanted! I didn't have to get up early & beat the crowds, I didn't have to waste much gas, I could go in any kind of weather... it was nirvana for someone like me.

I have always loved going through piles of old junk. Most of it I don't want but still think is pretty neat. And I almost always find a little sumthin' that calls my name & says "Can't I come home w/ you? Nobody else appreciates me & "gets" me like you do." *grins* Crazy as that sounds, there is an element of truth in it. Someone, somewhere has designated me the "Keeper of the Stuff". Again, I am aware of how crazy it sounds but I am only half-joking. I have found 3 napkins @ one thrift store & a a month later found the 4th at another thrift store. I have bought a crocheted doily, used it on the back of a chair, wished I had another for the other chair & again, found the mate a month later. This stuff is supposed to be w/ me. I know, I know...I can feel you all looking at me like I'm crazy, I get the same looks from my family. ;o)

Anyway, this was my haul from about a month ago...I'm always behind in posting my finds. It might have all been in one trip but most likely was at least 2...I keep my recent finds in a box & then take pictures of that week's haul.

(click on any picture to enlarge for details)

The wings y'all saw in my Valentine's decor.

Lovely watercolor of some sweet birds. I'll either reframe it or paint this one. And I scored 3 Pampered Chef bread tubes. They bake the bread in fancy shapes. Hubby had the idea to make pound cake in one, slice it & serve it w/ sliced ice cream frozen in the same shape. The man has been married to me for too long! *grins* There was a time when he would have thought I was silly for wanting to do something like that & here he is, coming up w/ these ideas all on his own.

Embroidered runner, crocheted doodads.

This little lamb has already been photographed...it must have found it's way back into the box. Camera hog! The little egg slicer was for hubby...he loves old kitchen gadgets. The gold tea cups I needed to go w/ my gold-rimmed china. This week, I found a nicer set of 8 though so these will be redonated w/out ever having used them. Good thing they were only $3, huh?

Now see...this is an example of what I mean. I found 6 of these tea cups & saucers . I already owned 6 dinner plates (also thrifted) in this pattern by J & G Meakin. The pattern is Sterling Renaissance, I love them & they're obviously, supposed to be w/ me. ;o)

Love the ironstone canisters! $3 a piece! Yes, I'm a price-dropper...but I can't help but brag about my bargains.

And I forgot to get a close-up of it but in the first pic, you'll see a white picture frame. I printed off a letter C, distressed the paper w/ a bit of distress ink & slapped it in the frame. Not bad for a $2 investment, huh? You'll see more of my finds in the future...nearly everything in my home was bought second-hand. Seriously, almost everything in it... I'm proud of that!

Are you a thrift junkie too? Then come w/ me to Diane's to see everybody else's treasured finds.