Boise Field trip

Welcome to the first of new posts: Boise Field Trips highlighting the best places to thrift and discover unique things.
When I thrift I have a rough plan of what places I am going to hit depending on what part of town I’m in and if the kids are with me

First up, you have to check out this place

You can find very cheap art and craft stuff that artists and interior decorators have donated. (I was in last week and got a few goodies I’ll post later.) If you sew, you need to check this place out fabric samples and remnants!! Currently they have a large pile of leather scraps in bold colors-which I may have to go bad and get.
Now buying more stuff is great but you can also donate your extra art and craft stuff. I’m thinking of some of the projects I never completed or the kits I never got out of the box.
Best of all it’s a half a block from one of my favorite thrift stores!

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studio glimpse

One storage solution

I have a small weakness for suitcases. If you’re local to the Boise area, the small table and black make up case came from Stop and say hi to Cheri!

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Thrifted Scores!

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I were “treasure hunting” that’s our name for thrift stores. They love it and love searching for something new. A couple of things I always am on the lookout for: art and craft supplies, old books (cheap), and interesting office things. I have a method when I go to thrift stores and depending on my location I have a system for hitting which store first.
My first score: 4 brand new in boxes Higgen’s drawing ink for 50 cents each!

I skipped the yellow and got blue, brown, red, and green. These are permeant, acid free, and light fast. Plus they are great for drawing.

My next score deserves the a life time achievement type of award. This is something that I have wanted for a very long time, something I’ve rarely found, and when I have found it has been way too much money.
Introducing: My map drawers!

This was $14.99 at Goodwill. I nearly squealed when I saw this thing sitting on it’s side. (okay I did squeal audibly which got my kids attention>)

I knew there was no way I could leave with out it. The only problem was I had the car and my sweet hubby with the truck was at the gym on the other end of town.
Sure, I could have paid for it and came back the next day with the hubby and truck. That would have been smart.
But, I couldn’t leave it there. So I pulled my car around to the loading area and the teen guy working there was very doubtful that it would fit. And it didn’t, it hung out the back of my wagon by a foot. Goodwill doesn’t have rope or flags or anything to help tie stuff down for liability reasons. So I did what every desperate thrifter does and improvised. I rigged a rope out of plastic grocery bags, tied the hatch down and drove home slowly.
My kids thought I had lost it and were really worried the whole ride home.
But we got it home with no problems, and I wrestled it out and under my table in the garage-which is another story which my husband asked me not to share with him.

All the drawers work, and one had a new block of Fabriano watercolor paper! So double score!!

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color love: turquoise

Do you ever stop and look around your surroundings and realize you collect a lot of one color? I’ve always loved turquoise, I had a silver ring my grandfather made for me years ago with a big piece of the rock. I am really drawn to shades of this color. As I looked around my house I realized I’ve been collecting it all along. Funny how the mind works sometimes!

first up, a robin egg, not really turquoise but still in the color family.

Next a pretty frame. This was a plastic dusty rose frame for 10 cents at a thrift store. A can of spray paint and it’s perfect! Caution: once you start spray painting, it’s very easy to get carried away! lol

A sweet little pitcher I’ve had forever.

My newest find: a hand beater.

A globe

My beloved typewriter

My dream truck, 65 F-100 Ford truck (original ad found online)

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Thrifted Thursday!

Last week for spring break I took a day to go exploring with one of my very favorite people and we hit a few antique and thrift shops.
First, a date thing. Cost: 75 cents!

I know, with all the technology in my life this is probably crazy, but I love it!

Next up, a globe. Cost 4$

First, I love the colors! Second, it’s old enough that there are still the colonial names of the African colonies, very few individual country names.

Now a cute little case. Cost 12$

I have a thing for suitcases, I’m kind of nut about them! I use them to store art supplies, ephemera, etc. Much nicer than plastic bins.

And finally, the BIG purchase at $24.

Found this beauty at an antique store and could not walk away from it. It’s my newest favoritest thing ever!
When my hubby gave me the “really-you-brought-home-another-typewriter-look” as I revealed this latest treasure I explained that I walked away from a matching phone that weighed about 20 lbs!
He just shook his head and walked away. Not much else he could say.
My kids love typing on the typewriter and working on their names. So now my junk has an “educational purpose”.

Ha!! I love it.
What about you, what have you found lately?
And be honest, would you have been able to walk away from that typewriter?

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Art: Found and Reclaimed

A few things you should know about me: I love birds, I love thrift stores, and I love to alter anything that will hold gesso!
So a while back I found this little 4×4 shadow box at my favorite thrift shop and it was half off the original price. I can also rarely resist a frame of any type that I can re-use.

At one time, I imagine it was quite loved by a soccer fan. One of my (many) quirks is that when I shop thrift stores I create little histories about the pieces that catch my eye; like the pile of commemorative plates I found on this same trip that I imagine came from a grandma’s house after she had to move out or passed away.

I pried the frame apart using my leather man tool and hammer. The hard part came when I tried to remove the soccer items, they were glued on so well I had to use a chisel and hammer to get them off! I would love to know what type of adhesive that was!
After cleaning it up I gave the entire piece of gesso then added ivory paint.
The background was a mix of papers, molding paste, and burlap with a painted bird nest and bird.

You’d never guess what it started it out as!

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sweet new haircut and some thrifty scores!

Got a lovely new haircut, very chic and makes me all feisty feelin! Then since I had a little time to waste until I picked up the kiddies I stopped at a couple of my favorite thrift stores. My first score was at The Idaho Youth Ranch, and I found this paper punch. Took me a second to figure it out.http://picasaweb.google.com/conkrotwife/Thrifty#5262682573222122050

Then I punched a scrap of paper in my pocket and realized it’s a tag/label thingy! Looks like the 7 gypsies tags I’ve seen in the past. Pretty cool got it for 1.25, a little much for a thrift store but a new punch is about 10 so I’m happy! 

My second stop was my local Goodwill. And this is where you go when you are looking for toys, costumes, books everything! Normally I have the kids but this time I was all alone and took my time wandering the isles. Found a Nora Roberts book I hadn’t read in a long time, a PINK socceer ball (for Miss Clara)

<a href=”http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mdk5FD2olGZSbdZjNmNAEg”><img src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eCQVytk-Ddk/SQjOAD83OUI/AAAAAAAAClo/8xGYA4yFLFY/s144/DSC_9583.JPG&#8221; /></a>

An apron for Jack, a halloween book, index card dividers (months and alpha) and the sweetest little jeans for miss C! All total $11.35! Not a bad deal.

I’m making  year in review mini album with the month dividers. Need to find one that’s numbered for my december mini…..

Last time I had the twins with me and they each got to pick out a couple of things (total about 3 bucks each) Jack got the most annoying truck with sound which he loves! Clara got a purple purse she calls her “rescue pack” from Go Diego Go, she also found a bag of my little ponies for a buck, it had 8 ponies! 

Thrift shops are the ultimate way to consume less, throw away less, and just be a little less controlled by your things. I like to box up stuff and donate which is good for my messy garage and good for my taxes, but I also like finding little things for a deal too!

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some thrifty goodness

 I admit to loving thrift shops. I like to see all the old stuff people have gotten rid of, those things that were all the rage (like the singing bass fish), the funky old tupperware, books, toys, clothes, picture frames (some with pics still in them), and all sorts of goodies. So my latest finds have been a wind up alarm clock which I thought about taking apart but it’s so fun to have that ticking in my kitchen! 


 Then I found my Royal Portable Typewriter complete with case. Needs a new ribbon, but after taking the air hose to it, it’s in terrific shape.

And now my very latest find. It’s a metal spinney thing. I got it for a buck. It reminded me of those cool 7 gypsies atc card spinners so I thought I could use it in a similar fashion. Or make it into a revolving scrapbook. I’m sorry to admit that it took me a week to remember what it was used for: holding stamps like in a office or courthouse. Still cool to me, still going to scrap it somehow!

But in the meantime I’ve used it to display some of my favorite mini books. How clever is that? This kind of silly, simple thing, is the thing that just makes me really happy. Simple minds and all that goes along.

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