thrift with me thursday

When I was a kid growing up in D.C., my sister and I were introduced to thrifting by my wonderful Emma, aka nanny/surrogate-grandmother-extraordinaire (and yes, my little one's namesake).  She would take us on adventures all over the city by public bus, and she knew every thrift store on every corner.  I remember one of my favorite ones was in the basement of the church at Chevy Chase Circle.   I think those old ladies got to know us by name.  I bet it's still there.

I remember hunting through piles of old lady's gloves and hatpins and stuffed animals and costume jewelry.  Over the years my taste changed, of course.  As a teenager, I hunted down plaid flannel shirts at every Salvation Army and Goodwill store I could find (Hello?  Nirvana?)  Now, I walk in and I'm instantly transported to that musty church basement.  The flouroescent lights, and the smell of...what.....dust?  Dirt?  Sounds inviting, doesn't it?  Heh.  :)  Then comes pride in ownership.  I feel like every visit has the potential of hitting some kind of lottery, and the anticipation is almost better than the actual find.

I love the challenge of thrifting.  It's gotten rather trendy recently, so you have to look harder and find the stores that nobody knows about.  You have be committed to the search, even if you go through some dry spells.  This week, I think I done good.  I found a couple of gems and I think I spent all of $30.

Black patent leather pumps - with a platform heel.  Oh, you fancy!

Red and white enamel bangle I can mix in with my others.

Vintage black leather clutch

Silver metal belt with bow clasp - perfect with cardigans

And last but not least....a vintage schoolroom pencil sharpener.  Don't you remember it?  Oh, I do.  I remember it well.  There's nothing better than a reeeeeeally sharp No. 2 pencil - right?

 

Speaking of pencil sharpeners, I was inspired to pick it up because it will have a new home.  I am finally almost finished with Emma's Art Studio!  

Originally, we had her play kitchen in this corner.  But at age 4, she's not into the kitchen scene as much, and she's REALLY into the coloring/cutting/crafting/pretend homework/business executive scene.  So I combined a few ideas from pinterest, and from a DIY blog and came up with this.  Pretty much all of it came from IKEA.  Artwork?  By you-know-who. 

Love the desk/drawer combo - perfect for storing paper, playdough, paint, etc.  Pull it out 
to reveal a desk big enough for 2 kids, and just push it in at clean up time!

 

I also added some curtain wire across our large kitchen window.  They come with clips.  Perfect for ALL THE PAPERS she brings home from preschool.  Gah!  Seriously??  What do I do with all that paper?  Some of them are masterpieces, and some of them are dots and a scribble.  Or her name.....written 1000x on a piece of notebook paper.  Oy.   Well, at least now I only have to part with the really obvious ones.

 

 Thanks for looking!  Happy Thrifty Thursday!
♥,
E