Long time no see, all my fault, I know. It’s been a hectic time around the creative thrifter’s house, with transitioning to a new job this summer, oh and.. becoming pregnant!

Here I am at 25 weeks of glory, sans belly-button and full of a perfect little bundle of love. We can’t wait to meet our new little guy come May! So this blog may have some more exciting activity as we tackle the nursery in the coming weeks!

Anywho, today was a really awesome thrifty day so I had to break my hiatus and share the goodies with you:

Vintage Richmond Sign, $10

We’re headed to a travel themed nursery and first stop is this fun sign featuring our favorite location in the world. Second stop is that awesome fabric with postage stamps to be the backdrop. I can’t wait to put it all together!

Vintage Travel Calendar, $7

To aid in our travel decor, we found this amazing calendar with some cool vintage style artwork that will be perfect for framing in our babes transportation haven. We especially love the Canada print!

Antique Mattel Jack in the Box, $12

I fell in love with this classic toy while scoping out a really cool flea market. It works like a charm and will provide many future giggles I imagine! Also makes me smile that they are going for more than double the price on ebay.

Keen Sandals, $2

Hello new water shoes! I bet my father-in-law will be proud of this find as he has the same pair and $2 wouldn’t even cover the tax on his!

And now for the thrifty find of the week (maybe the year!)

Catherine Holm Saucepan, $6

Yes, you read that right, I got this sweet mid-century saucepan for an amazing $6!! I jumped up and down and giggled like a little girl when I spotted it, and then when I checked out the prices on ebay I knew I struck thrifty gold! We don’t even need this sweet pan (as I collect antique orange le-crueset), but maybe my collection may change.. If I could only find some other cute and affordable Holm cookware, oh who am I kidding that’s just a thrift fantasy and a bit of a stretch!!!

Not only was it a super fabulous time filled with good food, good friends and good gifts! But somehow the thrift gods decided to pay me back today by giving me something I REALLLY wanted from the moment I laid eye’s on it.

The Thrift store find of the week

Americraft Kitchen Kutter, $15

You may be thinking, Carley WTH is wrong with you and your obsession with food processors, slicers and all things kitchen. And I may be asking myself the same thing. But I promise this one is different. This one is the ONE!

You see I was at a trade show a few months ago and somehow I got sucked into this cooking show demonstration. There was a fast talking slick salesman, slicing veggies with ease, I was pulled in and I took a seat. This veggie cutter he was demonstrating was AMAZING it cut everything but the peel of the peel of the squash or the onion, it did it so fast and effortlessly, it was my kitchen dream! I sat and watched as the rest of the FOURTY FIVE MINUTE presentation went on, regarding their excellent cookware, which doesn’t need water to cook your veggies might I add (yes I really did want the cookware too). But I waited till the very end of the presentation, because I knew I had to have that veggie cutter, that apparently was only sold in live demonstrations, no online resale, no retail stores! Then the price came out of his mouth, it was a shocking $350 (I think cannot remember exactly)! That just couldn’t be!! It was more than my precious food processor more than anything I’ve ever bought for my kitchen including my refrigerator, and I walked away with such a sad face. I knew it wasn’t meant to be, until we struck gold, or some other miracle amount of cash fell into our laps.

Then enters this new thrift store on Jahnke Rd a half a mile from my house. We stopped by today, and there on the shelf was an Americraft Kichen Kutter, ALMOST NEW with the silly apple sticker on the front. I thought, this cant possibly be the one I have my heart set on.. can it?? On well there is only one attachment and that other one had a bunch, oh look here are he others.. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I almost skipped to the checkout with glee!! But decided not to so I didn’t trip and cut my fingers up on these super sharp blades. There was still one question however, no price tag was anywhere in site. And I was for a moment scared they wouldn’t sell it to me without the price marked. The cashier called the owner to check on the price, and replied $15, but it’s worth $75 retail… MORE LIKE 4 times that amount!!

I paid scooped it up and randrove home as quickly as possible. Set it up in seconds and cut up a carrot with all the attachment blades much quicker, easier and with more variety than my food processor. Then I found them online, selling for $250 used! I proceeded to watch 30 minutes of demonstrations on youtube! I must admit, I’m a little too excited for a good kitchen utensil. Something is freakishly wrong with me. But I am thrilled, and in possession of my new favorite kitchen utensil!

See what I mean here!

Sugar dispenser, $1

This happens to match a salt and pepper shaker we own, and is the perfect accessory for my coffee lovin husband, who like’s his sugar raw.

Veggie Steamer, $.75

I’ve got a rice cooker that also steams veggies, but I figure it could come in handy for when I’m too lazy to get the rice cooker off the top shelf and deal with all the parts needed to plug it in.

John Deere Stationary, $.50

Another perfect gift for my coffee lovin husband, only this is so he can write home on the farm with some apropos stationary. 7 cards for .50 cents is a pretty nice find.

Emily Haines CD, $1

One of my favorite singers, couldn’t let her make it to Goodwill. Check her out if you haven’t already, she has a beautiful voice.

Target Jacket, $1

A cute little number at a sweet little price.

And now for the best of the best, the creme de’ la creme the yard sale find of the week!!

Large Floor Pillows, $9

Look at these beautiful sage green floor cushions! They will match my living room or den, and supply a couple extra butt spots, when seating is limited. At $4.50 a pop, I couldn’t refuse.

Zues agrees, theses pillows are great!

Basting Brush .25 Cents

Small kitchen items are always good and cheap at yard sales. I think this silicon brush is basically brand new and ready to do the job on the super cheap.

Yellow Tank $1

Quirky and cute. I love the pink stripe details in the buttons.

Apples to Apples $5

I have a love hate relationship with this board game, sometimes i love it, sometimes i hate it. But now I own it and for $5 it’s worth a shot at hating it sometimes to love it others!

Vintage Dress $2

I never have a hate relationship with a cute flattering dress!

Zigzag dress $2

Another flattering dress, that looks much better on me than it does on the dress form.

Space Heater $3

My new office, happens to be very well air conditioned.. a little too air conditioned! This should fix that stat.

Vintage Stationary $1

My college dormmate Karen hosted a yard sale a couple weeks ago, and had this adorable stationary for sale at it. She also mentioned that it may have come from the set of “As the World Turns” where her aunt is the set decorator.

Lacey Tank $1

I also nabbed this ADORABLE lacy top from karen’s sale! She’s always had good style so I was especially excited to attend her sale

Floral Skirt $1

Look at this darling skirt, at that darling price! And you guessed it is another Karen find.

White Flats $1

These cute shoes are not a karen find, but they are still pretty cute!

And now it’s time for my yard sale find… of the month??
Correlle Plates $1

I love Correll plates, SO MUCH! They are so thin and stackable, and don’t chip and it’s hard to break them! I mean look at these beauties, they are decades old, and still look like new. And the pattern! So cute!! There were 8 total at around .12 cents a pop!

Now that you’ve got an idea of the process lets show you how I racked up this week!

Bocce and Croquet Set, $5

As a lover of game nights, this is something that was seriously lacking. You see we have several board games, and we usually get good use out of them, inside. But we do not have any outdoor games for backyard summer fun. I’m thinking we need to plan a good ol’ fashioned bbq, stat.

Sleeping Bags/Mat $8

Another item to help us get back to nature. Me and the Mister want to go on a roughin it camping trip this summer. Wait let me rephrase, I would like to go on a good roughin it camping trip, and the Mister is being dragged along kicking and screaming. Apparently he already grew up in the woods so he doesn’t need to connect with nature the way I want to. At least he will be sleeping in style with these nice Eddie Bauer sleeping bags!

Woven Baskets, $2

I always love a good storage container, especially when they are the same price as the cheap crappy plastic ones from the dollar store. Got these beauts for a buck a piece and they are already holding towels and hair products in a perfectly practical fashion.

Black Top, $2

I love this cute babydoll top from H&M, I think it’s something about the crocheted pattern that makes it so appealing. Usually I shy away from black clothing, as it does not match my bubbly personality, but this one has all the touches to make it right for me.

Silky Bird Dress, $3

This dress spoke to me, it said tweet tweet I will make you look sweet. With the embellished bird on the shoulder, cut feel and style this dress was a killer deal at just $3.

Yellow Ruffle Tank, $0

Here’s were haggling comes in again dear friends. When I spent $5 on the two items above, I simply said, $5 for everything, and the seller said, oh no, $5.50, and I repeated, will you take $5, and she agreed. Real life example yall. I’m 50 cents richer and with one cute yellow shirt.

Sunhat, $1

Last year I got a white Merona sunhat from Target to the tune of $20. Unfortunately I learned that it cannot be bent or stored next to a brightly colored damp towel, because it will stain and lose it’s original shape. Lesson learned, so when I saw this tan cousin of my broken hat, I knew I could give her a good home, and a fun little handmade pom pom accessory to boot.

And now, for my most coveted item of the day, this week’s YARD SALE FIND OF THE WEEK.
Side Shelf, $3

Look at this cute little mid-century shelf with it’s cute clean lines, and wood and metal accents. Talked down from $5, this shelf found the perfect place in my home and my heart as all cool furniture usually does.

New BYO Lunch Bag, $2

This lunch bag is SO flipping cute. I’ve always thought the ones made out of this material were sweet because the collapse small, look and feel fun. So when I saw a brand new one with the tags still on and a little sandwich tupperware to boot I didn’t think twice about dropping 8 quarters, or $200 pennies.

Strawberry Shortcake Tin

My cousin Jessie, who lives in Washington state, is a collector of all things Strawberry Shortcake. In fact when she read my blog, she made a point to let me know if I ever found SS goods, that I must purchase them without a second thought, and ship them to her for lots of smiles and happiness. I’ve been to hundreds of sales since she mentioned this, and this weekend I finally found a cute little vintage tin, perfect for her collection!

Japanese Maple, $1

MY FAVORITE TREE IN THE WORLD IS A JAPANESE MAPLE. Wait.. I just remembered that I love Dogwood trees more. But Japanese Maple a VERY close second. Yes, I love these trees, perhaps a bit too much. But I’ve never bit the bullet and purchased one for myself.. that is until I found one that was just the right price! $1 buck for a little baby sapling. I hope I can raise it to maturity and plant it in my front yard for the world to see and be jealous of my awesome tree.

Lemonade Jar, $4

You may remember my horror story about the pottery barn glass pitcher that was purchased for our wedding, that I sadly broke! You may also remember the white ones I purchased last year to replace my beautiful glass one. While I still love those, they are only really good if I’m having a LOT of beverage in them (2 gallons?), not for a small group, which is usually the scene at my house. So when I saw this beautiful glass one that holds less than a gallon, for $4 I didn’t even try to negotiate. It’s practical and beautiful and I wanted it, no questions asked.

New Mandolin Slicer, $2

You may also remember last year when I was obsessed with finding a food processor? It turns out they don’t do the various slicing that I was really looking for. Shredding, blending, pulsing, and one shaped disks yes. But if you want different sizes, widths, textures, you must invest in one of these. So I’ve had it on my list for some time. And this seller was looking for $2 for a whole set up with the protective tape still on all of the blades! If I ever think sleeping in is much better than going out hunting for a bargain, please remind me of my $2 mandolin.

And now it’s time for the YFOTW! The Yard Sale Find Of The Week might look like an odd one, but it really was the item that I was the most excited to find, at exactly the right time.

Graduation Bear, $3

A teddy bear? Whaat? It happens to be the most perfect teddy bear I have ever stumbled upon. This saturday, my cousin Hayley Graduated High School! Perhaps she was walking to get her diploma at the exact moment I purchased this bear?! Earlier in the day, I mentioned to Jenn while seeing a different teddy bear, gosh I hope I find a teddy bear with a little graduation cap for my cousin. Then at the second to last stop of the whole day, I find this perfect little bear that holds a little note. Then I get it home and unwrap it, and realize, it plays the graduation commencement march if you squeeze its left foot. And it also allows you to record a personalized message for playback! So of course I recorded, “Congrats Hayley, Class of 2011! We’re so proud of you!!”

Cowboy Boots, $1

Yehaw! What a kickin good deal!! I cant believe I got these awesome boots for just a buck. It helps boost my ego that they came from my super stylish pal, Melissa. Now I want to go back to Billy Bob’s and get my two step on.

Paper Towel TP Holder, $1

I love this rustic iron birdy paper towel holder so much! I originally bought it because I liked it more than our current paper towel holder, feeling silly about breaking my, “only if I need it rule.” And then I realized a new use for it, TP! It looks so cute in my bathroom, and for just $1 that always makes me smile.

Card File Cabinet, $5

What are the odds of finding aweome metal card filing cabinets two weeks in a row? I know!! Pretty slim to none. I know you’re wondering how could I possibly have another use for these, but I do! Its going to be a tool box for my husband. The first set was to organize my craft supplies and thread, my god I love mine! Now I know Travis isnt so much into organizing, but I think he will love his too.

Sweet Necklace, $1

This little gem was so neutral and beautiful. Just Carley’s style at just Carley’s price!

Okay now it’s time for the Yard Sale Find(s) of the week! Yes there are two, but they were a package deal.. And I love them both a lot.
Mid-Cetury Modern Metal Table & Chairs, $20

I cannot say how much I love these, because words do not even describe it. When the seller said $20, I made an executive decision without consulting my husband. Usually we decide together on furniture purchases, but these belong in our life. I know they are rusted and need a lot of work, but holy cow, they are so freaking cool! We plan on sanding them down and maybe painting them a vintage orange or seafoam green. I know when we have a sunny patio one day, they will be the perfect furniture accessory!

Clock, $0

So the seller threw in this awesome clock for free, when I asked really sweetly, if I could give her $20 for the lot. No this was not a find for me, we’ve got our fill of household clocks, it now lives at my neighbors home across the street, because she was in search of a new fun clock and this one fit the bill!

Gotta love cute pups and big bones!

Let’s see the good’s!

Retro Lawn Chairs $2

Travis and I were saying just a couple weeks ago that we so wanted a set of these old lightweight practical lawn chairs. And the church across the street from our house must have been listening to our wishlist and granted us these beauties for a really great price!

Retro Lawn Lounger $2

Okay so the lounger we don’t reaaaally need especially since it’s not in a pair, but you know, now I am inspired to go tanning in my backyard!

Portable Cake Stand, $2

I’ve been wanting a travel cakestand for a while now, since it is something I will make use of since I like making cakes for friends special occasions. Well, the usual ones I find are either ugly tupperwear or too hard to get open. Then this beauty came in my life and future birthdays better watch out!

Egg costume, $1

This is going to make a cheesy halloween costume! I’m so stoked!

Enameled creamer, $.50 cents

I love all things enameled and so what If I only get to use this once every couple years. It will still look cute with my other cute tea collectibles.

Four Metal Card Filing Cabinets, $3

Wow, this was too good of a deal to pass up. I’ve always loved these babies for their style organizational powers, but to see four in a cute antiquey color for $.75 cents a piece.. Iets just say a little happy dance was made and an extra trip home just to make room for other goodies. In a world where I am the only awesome shopper, this would have been my YFOTW. However, this week’s yard sale find comes from my side kick, who managed to somehow bat her pretty little eyelashes and score incredible deals!!

And now for the Yard Sale Find Of The Week:

A MILLION Mason Jars, $3.25

Yes, Ashley managed to get over 30 mason jars for less than ten cents a piece on average! First she scored the box of tiny mason jars with handles for just a buck, then she scored the four glass ones with lids for a miraculous quarter. Then she used that awesome deal to talk down another seller from selling her valuable aqua bell jars for just $2 for the whole box!! (They sell in antique stores for $8-$12/ jar with the lid). She plans on using these treasures on her wedding centerpieces. Which are well on their way to being awesome and affordable! Just goes to show patience is always on your side!