July 25, 2012

Gifts and Thrifts

How are all you other treasure hunters doing this last week in July? This past Friday was Mr. B's birthday. His favorite present didn't come from a thrift store (remember, he got his easel early, a couple of months ago) but was inexpensive and has been declared "The best present ever! It will be all downhill from here." he said Friday. What, you wonder was such a fantastic success? Why, a contraption to kill flying insects in mid-air. Let me present: 


the Racquet Zapper! This was an impulse buy but clearly a good one. When he got to work on Monday his description was so eloquent the owner of the company went directly online to order several for the office. Who knew it would be such a hit?

This gift container is a thrift buy. I like it so much it's hard for me to wait till my friend's birthday arrives on August 2. 





It is cardboard, made like a handbag. The straps and handles are leather and the catch is metal. The design continues on the inside as well as the exterior. The maker is Punch Studios. Isn't that cute for $1.10?

These next are some recent buys for myself, or rather, the house. First, yet another basket:




It is sturdy, with  leather handles and just the right size for magazines, a good deal for $5.00. When an item is useful, looks good and doesn't cost much, you can hardly go wrong. 

This well built little shelf unit still needs a paint job. It came home the same day as the basket above. 




It has castors, that's what made me roll it straight to the front of the store to put behind the counter while continuing to browse. Since it's small, it seems it would be good for canned goods; now to find somewhere to stick it once it's ready to use. It was $6.00.

Lastly, here is my leap onto the bandwagon of industrial/metal/tool in the world of decorating. 




It is like a trowel on steroids, 17 inches long. It's big enough to use for some other purpose, though. What do you think? A shelf to put a plant on? Hung vertically to use as a hook?  Any ideas will be most welcome. It came from my most reliable source, Sand Dollar and cost $4.50.

That's my report for mid-week. 

Happy hunting, all!

Michele


4 comments:

Shabby Brocante, Karen said...

Ah ha ha....my husband got a zapper as a present once and I swear it was the best gift he ever got. He loved that thing. It's completely "zapped" now and has hit the garbage. I bet he misses that thing!!!!

Tricia said...

I can't wait to see what you do with that large trowel! And I'm glad you included a photo of the bug zapper, so I could see what it looks like. Everyone should get at least one whimsical gift on his birthday!

GardenOfDaisies said...

That looks like the perfect little shelf for storing lots of goodies! I always have my eyes open for things like that. The basket does look like the right size for storing magazines. I keep one in both the living room and the family room, to help control the magazine and paper clutter. So handy.
Thanks for sharing my blog post with your friend who collects paper dolls. What is her blog called? I am always on the lookout for other paperdoll enthusiasts.

Tammy @ A Walk in the Countryside said...

I always love finding a good basket for a thrify price! Your friend is really going to appreciate her gift in such a lovely container!