Four Leaf Clover in My Pocket

With my grandchildren off from school last week I had the opportunity to spend time with two of them. At the beginning of the week there was my sweetie Kalob. He's fourteen now and just a fine young man. Of course the time was short with him and the time was spent with him. We ate and played video games and just gabbed about the things he likes and in less than 24 hours mom picked him up to be with a family member having surgery.
Later in the week my eldest daughter and I picked up my darling granddaughter. Amanda will be eighteen in August and a few days after her birthday will leave home to become a freshman in college. Where does the time go? She visited for four days and boy did Auntie, Mandy and I have fun. We shopped and thrifted, sewed and relaxed, gabbed and giggled and just had a wonderful time. We looked at and found her shoes and dresses. I didn't know she was into such cute dresses and we found her four. All thrifted and in wonderful condition. We also found her some great vintage shoes. She was all set.
We ended up visiting a total of eight thrift stores. I had literally felt like I had a four leaf clover in my pocket. I found so much that it seemed endless. I got whatever I could to build my store inventories. They included everything from some great Pyrex to Vera Bradley. Well look...see. This is only the tip of the iceberg of finds. I think I have enough to share through the end of March. I took advantage of the opportunity and thanked the universe for making the funds available to purchase so much.

 

 

As you can see there are two of the larger size Cinderella stacking Pyrex bowls, some  NIP twin size vintage sheets, four vintage made in Japan Santa mugs and a Libbey's golden wheat pitcher.

Then there was a Vera Bradley bag and card holder, two vintage Libbey owl and bird glasses, vintage party picks, a Care Bear friends plate and a great collection of vintage invitations, contact paper and shelf liners. These items will be listed on my stores within the next couple of weeks, but there are stacks of other items to care for and prepare that were purchased this weekend and as of this writing the washer and dryer are humming away with some of the linens found. I hope everyone has a wonderful week and please feel free to stop by my stores and take a peek.

butterflyplace.etsy.com and butterflyplace.storenvy.com

I'm sure I'll be listing other items found before I get to blog them all.

 

This is a close up of the libbey glasses. I've been unable to match them yet, but I will be doing an image search on them. They were just so different that I couldn't pass them up.

Linking to: http://www.thethriftyhome.com/2013/02/177th-penny-pinching-party.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thethriftyhome%2FazGy+%28*The+Thrifty+Home%29

 

 

 



 

Granddaughter's thrifted dresses

This is a darling black floral rayon dress that she chose to try on and when she did it was going home with us. It has that vintage 80's feel and a wonderful lace collar. What a wonderful find for $6 and is an easy care dress for her.

 

This second dress found at the fourth and final thrift store of our day is a bit longer and more formal. Although it looks like it just hangs on the dress form it has a balloon hem and is something that she can wear with a nice pair of black heals, a nice bolero sweater, some great jewelry and attend any formal event. This dress also was a steal at $6. We had a great day together with her Aunt and I can't wait to show you the treasures that I came home with.  

 



This week at the Zone

The only thrifted item this week was a total accident. No thrift shopping was scheduled so that I could work with what I already had in stock. We went out to do errands and wanted to stop at a used furniture store in search of an apartment size entertainment center. No luck there, but next door was a small but full thrift shop. This Josef Originals Owl set was all I bought, but there was too much to take in so I will be planning another visit. The set includes a coffee pot (?) or pitcher and two mugs. I'm sure the pot or pitcher had a lid, but it is still functional as is and in great condition. It was a great deal and this will be listed on butterflyplace.storenvy.com within the next few days.

This week was filled with work. Three weeks ago I left my job to work on my stores and to grow my business. Sounds dangerous, but I only had part time work. I've had a great week and sold items on both stores and eBay making it well worth my time. I probably will never be rich, but I'm enjoying the independence. I've got help from family and they are teaching me and helping me all of the time. I'm starting over again from scratch, but this time I'm making it fun and living.

Sold on butterflyplace.etsy.com were two NIP vintage sheets. Sold on butterflyplace.storenvy.com was a vintage made in Japan monkey cookie jar.

The following items were sold on eBay. I like the auctions because I can keep the cash flow moving to invest in my on line stores.

This is a large bundle of new fleece fabric, which at the time of this posting is still at auction. I consider it sold because there have been two bids on it and there are currently three watchers. This auction ends in two days.

 

Also sold was this bundle of white and pink satin fabric with white and silver lace fabric.

 



The best sale was this large stash of new lace yard goods. There were 21 yards up for auction and I got more than a fair price. This week I will be busy with shipping and listing more on both stores and eBay.
I also get to visit with my grandchildren. It is February break and I am so excited to be able to visit with them. That's what life is all about. Working at what you love doing and having time with the people who mean so much to you.

Most recent thrift finds.

 

 

The vintage tree stump with mushroom garden items above are actually a set of salt and pepper shakers. They are exceptionally tall and I hadn't seen anything like them before. Needless to say they came home with me. I also found a vintage 1972 linen towel that was in excellent condition for it's age. I fell in love with covered bridges on my trip to Vermont. The hanging owl is a candle holder. These items are listed on butterflyplace.storenvy.com .



 

 

 

 

I found this lovely Pyrex juice pitcher, many souvenir state trays. These are two from Pennsylvania. There is a tray and a bowl. I haven't seen many bowls and I was excited. Then there was this darling vintage Santa tin can. It measures four inches tall and two inches in diameter. I couldn't resist the illustrations on this tin.

 

 

 

The rest of the souvenir state trays will be listed in the next few days. I have taken all of the pictures and edited them. There's a tray from Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee and they are all in wonderful condition. I am always amazed when I sell one of these trays. I think it was a great score even though I didn't find any fabric this week.

 

Please stop by and see what's new on butterflyplace.storenvy.com and butterflyplace.etsy.com . I'm having a great time listing items on eBay also. The money from eBay is supporting my on-line stores. Ah... the art reselling.

 

 

 

Small finds but a special one.

This is the special find. A 16x20 inch shadow box. Bought at a thrift price, new and still in the package. Why special? This shadow box will house a special baseball T-shirt and ball cap worn by my eldest grandson. He gave me his uniform because it was a Red Sox uniform. Not his favorite team, mine. He believes he will play for the Yankees, his favorite team. Can you imagine the conversations we've had? He was 12 at the time. No matter where he plays or if he never makes it, the gift was special. I will cherish it forever and will be hanging it where I can see it everyday.

 

These two vintage 1982 Thermo-Serv, Inc. plastic mugs could not be left behind. They are bright red and feature ladybugs. Too cute.

 

Then there was a great find of vintage kitchen towels. These two are Vera.

 

 

These are three brightly colored floral kitchen towels.

 

 

Then to top it off these two calorie reminding linen kitchen towels. They may have been small finds, but good ones. These items will be listed on my stores: butterflyplace.etsy.com and butterflyplace.storenvy.com. I am also listing some items on eBay auction. This allows me to make a few dollars a bit quicker to support my on line stores. I hope you stop by and visit.

 

My thift adventures this week.

 



I had a good time getting out and thrifting this week. The finds were good. Some condition issues were only fair. Any way getting out for a while in this bitter cold weather was a healthy move. I don't want to get cabin fever this early. I found this bright colored Fisher Price twin size duvet cover. It is in great condition and I can't wait to list it this week. The golden book is a Joan Walsh Anglund story book. I love her illustrations. The BBC TV book is well illustrated also and is written after a BBC television show from 1972. Both books have been well loved and are in fair to good condition. I don't usually buy books, but these just captured my heart.

 

This darling owl bud vase is only three inches tall, but I couldn't resist his eyes. I found a funky flower bed sheet and a Care Bear bed sheet along with one dozen brown, gray, and tan fabric napkins. The sheets are in great condition and two of the napkins are soiled. I will look them over, but I thought they would be nice with a chocolate themed event. I guess avoiding cabin fever includes chocolate. Hmmm...

 

 

My favorite find this week and the one that brightened up the week was this bright red square Pyrex bowl. It was in horrible condition, but the price was right and even if I couldn't get it clean I wasn't going into financial ruin for it. The number on the bottom is 525B. It measures 9 inches in diameter and holds 2.5 quarts. I just liked it because it was red. After soaking and scrubbing I got it to usable condition. It actually looked like some one had baked in it.

Most of the items this week will be listed on butterflyplace.storenvy.com or butterflyplace.etsy.com but I may try some on eBay. I hope everyone is enjoying thrifting and finding fun things as I am. I've been out again and can't wait to post my Saturday finds next week.

 



 



Exciting New Entrepreneurs

This mid week blog is dedicated to new entrepreneurs. Young woman who are using their creative skills to succeed in business. I hope you take the time to check them out and see what they are doing.

First of these entrepreneurs is "Bake It or Cleave It". This is a catering service that is getting off the ground by making goodies for smaller events of 50 to 100 attendees. The events are fun and colorful and creative. This is the Facebook location for the business: https://www.facebook.com/BakeItOrCleaveIt?fref=ts
I hope you take a few minutes to check it out and like her page.

The next entrepreneur is Hannah Betts Photography. This photographer works along with "Bake It or Cleave It" on special events to create beautiful pictures for their advertising. This is Hannah's web site:
http://www.hannahbetts.com/
Hannah takes some amazing pictures so I hope you enjoy looking.

Both of these entrepreneurs work along with another entrepreneur who supplies vintage fabrics for their tables and back drops. She sells vintage items and fabric on her store and loves sewing new items from used linens. She is also a sponsor for my blog. Here is her blog address:
http://poetcharms.blogspot.com/
I hope you can take another minute or two to visit this blog and see what she creates.

Contact information is available on all of these sites so if there is some business you can send their way I'm sure they would be grateful. We all know that the road to success is through networking so that is why I am taking the time to write this blog. The web sites are on my side board also.

Soon to find new homes.

 

I had an incredibly wonderful adventure this week and found a good lot of vintage pillow cases. I also found a piece of black wool that I'm sure someone would love to felt.

 

 

 

The next two wonderful finds were a score. First there is a long and wide piece of new denim. I measured at least 3 yards. Who doesn't love denim. The stripe fabric is a heavy home decor fabric the same weight as the denim. Again this piece is at least three yards.

 

 

 

I also found two pieces of colonial print fabric, a fun piece of juvenile print fabric and two lovely hand made doilies that I may use as apron pockets just to add a splash of the past to a new item.

 

 

 

My favorite find was this vintage twin size race car bed cover. I just love the print and the colors. I can envision this as the focus point of a young boys bedroom decor.

Most of these items will eventually become inventory on my on line shops. Please feel free to visit:

butterflyplace.etsy.com

and

butterflyplace.storenvy.com

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and please check in for next weeks exciting thrift finds. New finds and more bright colors to come.

 

A few new thrifted items.

 

 

Just a few finds early this week. The first being a Napcoware made in Japan blue horse baby planter. The next being a made in Japan deviled egg dish. This is my favorite find. Both of these items are listed on butterflyplace.storenvy.com. The Pyrex bowl is the Shenandoah pattern and size 403. I have added this to two others to make a threesome. There are two 403s and one 402 and they are listed on butterflyplace.etsy.com.

 

 

 

I also found this vintage neon pink, orange and green floral paper tablecloth. It is large enough for a six foot table at least. It hasn't any labels or sizes on the package, but it is unopened and ready for that seventies vintage party. This is also listed on my Etsy store.  

Has anyone who sells on Etsy notice that they've made shipping easy. Even International shipping is a snap. I hope Pay pal picks up International shipping soon. No more waiting in lines and filling out forms. It's all done automatically on line. I'm loving it and what a boost for my business. A+ Etsy.



New year new thrifting

Small pyrex storage bowls with covers. Two small 10 ounce bowls and one larger 20 ounce bowl. These are listes on butterflyplace.storenvy.com

More reclaimed linens being cut for listing on butterflyplace.etsy.com

Another group of yard goods to list. I haven't decided which store, but it will be some time soon on one or the other.

Christmas ornaments from scrap fabric.

For those of you who follow my blog you know how addicted to fabric I am. I just love it and yes I sell it and yes I sew with it, but there's always those scraps. These are made from reclaimed trim and a yoyo and bead in the center. All of these are about four inches in diameter and required fabric no longer than 18 inch strips or eight inch squares or circles.

Yoyo's are easy to make and these became ornament bells with a jingle bell to finish them off. A star can go on the top to make it a small tree also, but I like the bell.

 

Inspired by Kumiko Sudo (Flower Origami) who is a fabric origami artist,  I folded these pieces of fabric to make these ornaments and added the bead to class them up a bit.

 

 

Also origami folded fabric, just a little more folding. These are my favorites and the red and white one's looked the best on a green tree.



These are also folded fabric but a log cabin pattern. I found the direction in a booklet I bought in Lancaster PA. I have been fascinated by folding fabric for several years now.

I added some folded origami to my Christmas stockings and made them look better than just plain white and green. This is how I use my scrap fabric and I hope to be semi retired to do more of the things I like some day. Scrap fabric is always for sale on my stores. butterflyplace.etsy.com and butterflyplace.storenvy.com. I hope everyone has a great week and a wonderful holiday.

New Entrepreneur

Please take a few minutes to check out the newest entrepreneur among us. I have added a link on my side board to his site and I'm sure he'd appreciate any one just taking a minute to check his new business out. Just click here http://myshakeology.com/esuite/home/kross982 or click on the link Team Beach Body on my side board. Thank you all for looking. Have a wonderful weekend.

Who would have ever known?

 

 

Who would have ever known that thrift shopping, which I did because I didn't believe in paying full price for anything, would become a small and growing business. To top it all off the challenge is fun. It doesn't feel like work at all. I think the hardest part has been the promoting, connecting to blogs, and that's where all the work is. Even the paper work is easy and up to date. Who would have ever known?

 

This past week took me to several different stops. A couple of off the wall places and the finds were just incredible and so were the prices.

 

 

First there is the never ending quest for vintage linens and sheets. These two sheets and two pillow cases are so great. I just love the colors. It makes me wish I could change my bedroom decor every week to something new. However they are now inventory.

 

 

Next there was this vintage Tom and Jerry eggnog bowl with six mugs for a price that I couldn't resist. I didn't get this into inventory because a visitor bought it for her holiday. Glad I took pictures. She loves it.

 

This vintage made in Japan miniature mother bear and two cubs was another fun find. Mother bear is two and a half inches tall and the cubs are one and a quarter inches tall. She shows her frustration so humanly with her children.

 

 

I also found this UCTCI made in Japan little girl with a vessel statue. She appears to be resting  and has the most adorable face.

 

These are the special thrift finds that came my way this past week. I have listed some on my Etsy store, butterflyplace.etsy.com and if you're shopping this week don't forget to put in coupon code Santa to get 20% off your total purchase of anything in the store. Also stop by butterflyplace.storenvy.com to see how things are going. I will be listing more items more often there now that things are settling out for me. Have a great week everyone.

 

 





Spread the Word!

 

HOLIDAY SEASON SALE

 

20% OFF UNTIL DECEMBER 15TH

 

Holiday sale at butterflyplace.etsy.com. Enter coupon code "Santa" and receive 20% off the entire store until December 15th. Vintage items, home made items, collectibles and some antique items are available. Come and look there may be something you like or something unique for a special gift.

Inventory Building

 

Vintage pink glass Christmas ornaments

60 Vintage wooden Blocks

 

 

New ladies Isotoner gloves

 

 

Vintage made in Japan monkey face small cookie jar

 

All of these items have been listed on my new store, butterflyplace.storenvy.com , and I'm having more fun finding different items to list that are not all home made or vintage. I sure hope you stop by and follow my shops as this mature entrepreneur continues on her new adventure.