Treasure hunting

The best part of thrift shopping, or charity shopping? It's the adventure of hunting for treasure. The thrill of finding something fabulous among the detritus of chipped china, stained linen, and tin jewelry. Something everyone else has overlooked. Something no-one else has. Something that makes you smile when you see it. Quirky, vintage, or just plain odd.

I've loved thrift shopping since I was in high school. In our throw-away society I'm constantly amazed at what people toss out, or (hopefully) donate.

I frequent charity and second hand shops, auction sites, and even the dump. I know that sounds terrible, but people throw away perfectly good stuff! I scored a wheel barrow and a hedge trimmer, and would have had a cane lounge chair, but The Bloke wouldn't let me climb down into the pit to retrieve it! I still think longingly of that lounge chair and how good it would have looked on the deck :(.

I've seen people throw away furniture that just needed a sand and a lick of paint, curtains, books, kitchenware, plants, oh the waste. My thrifty Irish soul is mortified.

In local charity shops I've found original art works, vintage china, vintage day gloves, crystal teardrop earrings, table linen, clothes, shoes, costumes, hats, books, furniture, cutlery, Christmas decorations, and even a family bible.

Over the next few weeks I'll be blogging about the treasures I've found. Here's a little taste. This quirky little tea-set was found last week in the local charity shop for the grand total of $8.

Grace