Monday, November 18, 2013

Thrifting Finds #32!

Things were a little topsy-turvy here at Fondue Headquarters this weekend.  We lost our interwebz on Wednesday.  An hour on the phone with tech support on Thursday brought a technician out on Friday.  He managed to fix the problem within about 15 minutes.  Friday night, the interwebz went out again, so another hour on the phone on Saturday brought another technician out on Sunday.  This was a bit of an ordeal, as it took him nearly 3 hours to fix the problem. He had to replace our router and modem, and then take everyone in my building down.

I was okay with that.

It was still working this morning when I left for work, so yay.

On to the thrifting!

This weekend was a little more productive than the last few, I'll admit.  I still didn't get anything really fabulous, but I do like what I got.  I was tempted by a couple of things:  a Tupperware chip & dip set and a Corningware pan in a size/shape I had never seen before.  I toyed with getting them, but finally realized that I really didn't actually need either, so left them behind.  Interestingly, the Goodwill had three of the unusual Corningware pans.

Here's what I got:


1.  Magazine rack!  This is kind of mid-centuryish and I definitely need one (the one I had kept collapsing.)  Magazine racks seem to be hard to find around here for some reason.  I should probably polish the "brass" parts and wax the wood handle, but I probably won't do either because I'm lazy.  This was $8.00 at the Goodwill, which I thought kind of pricey, but as you can see, I paid it anyway (I'm kind of rich this week--see below.)


2.  Folding chairs!  I hemmed and hawed over these because the second I walk into a thrift store I become Mr. Indecisive.  We already have folding chairs, but they're from Ikea and not very sturdy.  We need folding chairs often enough to warrant having nice ones, so I'm not sure why I was so hesitant about buying these.  They're sturdy, reasonably comfortable, and they were only $4.00 each, for crying out loud.  As you can see, they did end up coming home with me.  They could do with a little wiping down, but nothing major.

(I actually bought one more thing, but I'm saving that for next week, because I think there will be very little thrifting next weekend.)

In other news:

In reading other people's blogs, I realized there are a couple of things I have never seen in a thrift store:

A) Knee huggers.  I would really like to have a few to put around the house, as I think they're kind of fun and cool.  Have never seen a single one in person.

B) Vintage tablecloths.  Christmas or otherwise.  In fact, I'm not entirely sure I've even seen contemporary tablecloths in any of the thrifts.  People keep finding the most fabulous Christmas linens all over the place, and I'm completely jealous.  I'd probably have better luck at estate sales, but we don't really seem to have those around here.

Hey, remember Creepy Snowflake Girl and the framed photograph of the gun?  Here's a little unsettling news:  they've both been sold.  At any rate, they were both gone from the store, which seems to indicate that someone bought them. *Shiver*

Ebay success!  Remember the Eames coat rack and the free laptop I got a while ago?  Well, I stuck them both up on Ebay last week, and they both sold!  It's been a while since I sold anything on Ebay, so I'm behind the times, but when did they start collecting fees on the amount of postage?  That just seems wrong to me. Between the Ebay fees and the Pay Pal fees, it's seems to be only worth posting something really valuable that you got for a song.

What I Made This Weekend Department

Crock-Pot Meatballs.  No picture because while delicious, the finished product just was not very photogenic!  There really isn't much of a recipe either--just combine a couple of cans of cream of celery soup with a good tablespoonful of beef broth base (not bouillon), Throw a bag of frozen pre-cooked meatballs in the Crock Pot (I used Aldi's Fit & Active turkey meatballs), pour the sauce on top, and cook on low for a couple of hours.  Since everything's already cooked, it really just needs to heat up.  Serve over noodles.

This is the kind of broth base I use, but I'm sure other brands would be just as good.  Just don't try to use bouillon which is super-salty, not to mention nasty.  This stuff is kind of salty too, so be careful.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza.  No picture for this either, because I haven't made it yet!  I'll update tonight, as long as the finished product is presentable.  Not much of a recipe for this one, either:  Unroll and press out a Pillsbury pizza crust.  Spread some barbecue sauce on top.  Throw some diced, cooked chicken on top of that (I love the precooked chicken chunks you get in the meat department.)  I like to put a drained can of tomatoes with chilis on, as well.  Throw on as much cheese as your conscience will allow, and bake according to the directions on the pizza crust tube.

Edit:  Here's the picture


And that's it for this week, kids!  This week I'm linking up with  Sir Thrift A LotThe Nifty Thrifty, The Remnant and We Call It Junkin 


16 comments:

  1. It was awhile ago when they started collecting. People would list stuff for $1 and the real price would be incorporated into shipping... it does suck, but scammers ruin it for the rest of us.

    I get my kneehuggers from markets mostly. Rare to find them in a thrift around here, let alone a market! I found my first. ones NIP. Didn't know they had a name, just thought they were super.cute!

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    1. I remember having a knee hugger as a small child, but it's long gone. I also have never seen any of those cool Napco figurines like you found. Mostly what our thrifts have are dollar-store crap and ugly homemade stuff.
      I guess I really don't sell enough stuff on ebay to get that upset, it just makes me think twice before I list anything. I'd love to have a space in an antique mall, but I think I'm really too lazy to keep it up.

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  2. Replies
    1. Thanks! It's really well-made and sturdy too. I guess I should probably go ahead and Pledge the handle, shouldn't I?

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  3. MEATBALLS FOR EVERYONE!!!

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  4. I see vintage tablecloths all the time at both estate and garage sales. (Sorry, not trying to be obnoxious!) If you're looking in thrift stores, check among the curtains and bedspreads and fabric - they don't always recognize a tablecloth when they see one. And of course there are lots on eBay!

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    1. Oh, I'm much too cheap to buy a tablecloth on ebay! I always check out the linens department in out thrift stores but for some reason there are hardly ever any tablecloths, vintage or not. There's the occasional flannel-backed plastic model, which I wouldn't have in the house. I guess I just have to be patient, huh? Seriously, that's not one of my strong points!

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  5. My house is decorated more 1940's than mid-century but there is no way I would have left that awesome magazine rack behind. Glad you brought it home :-)

    I will have to agree with you about eBay. It is a gaggle! You have to be a rocket scientist to figure out just how much you will make on an item once you've paid the eBay and Paypal fees. Sometimes it's just not worth the time and effort.

    ~Erica

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    1. Well, the two things I just listed sold for considerably more than I paid for them, so it was worth it. After doing the math--and you're right, there was a LOT of it--I came out almost 300 bucks ahead. So definitely worth it. But it's a rare find indeed that will make it to ebay.
      And yeah, I'm glad I brought the magazine rack home, too ;)

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  6. What if the same person bought the snowflake girl AND the gun picture. Really a scary thought... Congrats on the eBay sells. I sold a few books, and yes, was shocked at what the fees added up to. Might check out Etsy, I notice more vintage-sellers use that, there must be a reason... Thanks for sharing this at the We Call It Olde Link Up! So glad to have you join each week. -Dawn @ We Call It Junkin.com

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  7. Man, that would be scary! But isn't that a house you'd love to visit? I'll bet it would be totally entertaining!

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  8. those folding chairs are exactly what I need--they hide so well and then pop out when you need them--they lay flat right? I love that! Thanks for linking up to Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm

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    1. Yes, they fold nice and flat, which I why I got them--I don't have much storage space for them. Still, I'd kind of like to stumble across two more...

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  9. Hi! I wanted to thank you for coming by my blog and giving me the Betsey McCall idea on that doll - you are RIGHT! It isn't the right dress, but guess what - I went through the big box of doll clothes I bought and found her original red and green plaid dress and her red stockings. She had on the original shoes, so all she seems to be missing is the hat. She is the holiday doll. THANK YOU so much!

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    1. Oh, my pleasure. I've been lurking at Monkeybox for some time now.
      I also noticed Baby Go Bye-Bye's Bumpety Buggy in one of the pictures. Did you get the doll as well?

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