Do you love Garage/Rummage/Thrift stores. Treasure Hunting

[glowgirl]

I adore them! I thought it might be fun to talk about our big treasure finds. 8 years ago I was at a church rummage sale when I found a painting of a butterfly that I really loved for a buck. The painters name was Gabriel and was obviously a hobby painter. I adore it because the butterfly is very um.......not cutesy, but it captures the flight feeling really well.

So, a few months ago I was digging through some paintings at another sale and I find this other butterfly painting I liked. I took it home and hung it in the same room, stepped back and realized it was by the same painter! The style was the same, the brush strokes, the medium.....it was obviously the same painter.

What are the odds of finding two paintings, by the same non professional painter, 8 years apart???? Pretty low right? It's a rummage sale miracle!

Also one time I found a real vintage Loiuse Vutton purse for a buck! In good condition too!

What have you found??

 

[Sylvie]

I like thrift stores, use to go at least once a week till a couple months back..
Have found some decent things over the years but the most memorable thing was a mastiff book for 25 cents that we decided to get for my fiance's mother.. I decided to look up the book when we got home and well needless to say, his mama didn't get the book lol.. It ended up going to canada after we got over $600 for it

funny thing is ever since that day, we haven't been able to find anything decent. He says its my fault for not giving the book to his mama lol...

I agree kinda rare to find paintings from unknowns that far apart..pretty neat!

 

[Hellen A. Handbasket]

Hi Glowgirl and Sylvie! I love garage sales, rummage sales, thrift and charity shops! YAY

I spent lots of years selling antiques by going to those while raising my 3 step kids. Allowed me to stay home with the kids (and during the summer, I took them hunting with me). I still go once in a while and always come home with some treasure or two.

Some examples of my (100's) of best finds were huge ruby/diamond earrings for $5 (I should take a pic of them, they're incredible!!), a lovely diamond ring (one 1/4 carat and 5 5pt stones in white gold) for $3.99 (Goodwill), a Louis Icart etching (Madame Butterfly) for $3 that I sold through Butterfield's Auctions for $800, a huge Gucci logo suitcase (that has a custom cover over it, so the shop didn't even know it was a Gucci... it was $4!!!) and my favorite is a 3/4 length white fox fur coat with the tags still on it for $100 (I went to the maker's website after I bought it and it retailed for $2,500 - go away PETA haters... LOL). Yeah, I'm in Arizona, but I wear it a few times a year.

From these shops I've got a closet full of great designer hand bags, fab new designer clothes from shops with tags still on them (that I'd never go and just buy) and fun vintage things that I wear once in a while. We have great shops out here.

My biggest "luck out" was when Hubby accidental rolled and dumped the brand new monster stainless steel Jen-Air natural gas grill off the side of the concrete patio. It dented in the side table piece that was screwed on to it really badly and it looked like hell. A month later I was in a Goodwill and there was the piece! I asked how much it was and it was only $3. Someone must have built theirs into an island and gotten rid of the side piece. Hubby couldn't believe it when I came home with it, screwed it on and now it looks brand new again!

 

[jj2]

I love them, and make the rounds about once a week!!!

 

[blueeyekelly]

I love them when I have money to spend... that has not been in a while....LOL

 

[glowgirl]

Wow that's a good score!! Did you sell it at a book shop or on Ebay. I have a 100 year old copy of The Works of George Elliot that I found at goodwill for a buck. It's really battered but I like having it.

I like thrift stores, use to go at least once a week till a couple months back..
Have found some decent things over the years but the most memorable thing was a mastiff book for 25 cents that we decided to get for my fiance's mother.. I decided to look up the book when we got home and well needless to say, his mama didn't get the book lol.. It ended up going to canada after we got over $600 for it

funny thing is ever since that day, we haven't been able to find anything decent. He says its my fault for not giving the book to his mama lol...

I agree kinda rare to find paintings from unknowns that far apart..pretty neat!

 

[classwife]

Meeeeee tooooooo !!!! I have soooo much fun !!! I collect up old rhinestone jewelry, tea cups and saucers. These are also sometimes gifts, like if someone says they really like something, it gets labeled for their birthday !!

 

[glowgirl]

I want to see pics of the earrings! I gather old costume jewelry from sales and make refrigerator magnets out of them. My fridge looks like a Atlantic City Grandma.

Hi Glowgirl and Sylvie! I love garage sales, rummage sales, thrift and charity shops! YAY

I spent lots of years selling antiques by going to those while raising my 3 step kids. Allowed me to stay home with the kids (and during the summer, I took them hunting with me). I still go once in a while and always come home with some treasure or two.

Some examples of my (100's) of best finds were huge ruby/diamond earrings for $5 (I should take a pic of them, they're incredible!!), a lovely diamond ring (one 1/4 carat and 5 5pt stones in white gold) for $3.99 (Goodwill), a Louis Icart etching (Madame Butterfly) for $3 that I sold through Butterfield's Auctions for $800, a huge Gucci logo suitcase (that has a custom cover over it, so the shop didn't even know it was a Gucci... it was $4!!!) and my favorite is a 3/4 length white fox fur coat with the tags still on it for $100 (I went to the maker's website after I bought it and it retailed for $2,500 - go away PETA haters... LOL). Yeah, I'm in Arizona, but I wear it a few times a year.

From these shops I've got a closet full of great designer hand bags, fab new designer clothes from shops with tags still on them (that I'd never go and just buy) and fun vintage things that I wear once in a while. We have great shops out here.

My biggest "luck out" was when Hubby accidental rolled and dumped the brand new monster stainless steel Jen-Air natural gas grill off the side of the concrete patio. It dented in the side table piece that was screwed on to it really badly and it looked like hell. A month later I was in a Goodwill and there was the piece! I asked how much it was and it was only $3. Someone must have built theirs into an island and gotten rid of the side piece. Hubby couldn't believe it when I came home with it, screwed it on and now it looks brand new again!

 

[glowgirl]

Well I have to admit it gets expensive. However if your savvy you can pay for your habit using Ebay and Craigslist. For a year my husband and I were really stretched financially, heck we still are. We would patrol the goodwill and rummage sales and sell items we found. He would handle all tools and computer stuff and I would handle the purses and vintage items. Oddly enough we just got audited and I had to go over that year and explain all income. Turns out 30% was from Ebay sales that year. I had no idea at the time I was doing so well! I just thought I was struggling but I did almost 9 grand in sales. My biggest sale was a Kate Smith handbag I found at the bins for 50 cents, sold it for 220! My husband found a Coach laptop bag once.....it's crazy what you can find sometimes.

I love them when I have money to spend... that has not been in a while....LOL

 

[MrsJaaxx]

Absolutely love it! That is what we do for fun!

One of my favorite finds is a KitchenAid trash compactor for $10-- The handle was broken. Hubby screwed a new handle on it (that we already had off an old cabinet) and it works beautifully. Looked it up online and they sell for $500 or more!

 

[Sylvie]

Wow that's a good score!! Did you sell it at a book shop or on Ebay. I have a 100 year old copy of The Works of George Elliot that I found at goodwill for a buck. It's really battered but I like having it.

I sold it on ebay, local book store doesn't pay as well

 

[Fudgey]

I love them, so much fun just to go look. Getting ready to hit them up for some furniture for the son.

 

[Hellen A. Handbasket]

I want to see pics of the earrings! I gather old costume jewelry from sales and make refrigerator magnets out of them. My fridge looks like a Atlantic City Grandma.

I'll dig them out tomorrow and try to get a good shot of them.

The magnets sound like fun! I have huge "junk" jewelry bags from Goodwill (because I find real/good jewelry in those!) that I need to do something fun with. Maybe I'll do that this year (or send it to you, LOL).

 

[Mary Kay]

love to look and sometimes buy. I got a set of Guardian Cookware for about $20.00. I kept a couple of pieces and had my son sell the rest online for me. I tripled my money and still have the best Sunday Roast pots ever!
These are what my two look like, except I have both glass lids.

 

[glowgirl]

Oh those are drool worthy!

I don't know why exactly, but I just like things better if I got them for cheap. Plus I have the comfort of knowing they aren't going into a landfill. Green and Cheap and Rare are my trifecta of shopping....

love to look and sometimes buy. I got a set of Guardian Cookware for about $20.00. I kept a couple of pieces and had my son sell the rest on sunday roast pots ever!line for me. I tripled my money and still have the best Sunday Roast pots ever!
These are what my two look like, except I have both glass lids.

 

[glowgirl]

What you do is get some rubber cement and plain magnets from the craft store and a good pair of needle nose pliers. Then you pick a theme. You can take apart pieces, add stuff or just wing it. I prefer to try to make them the same approximate shape and circular but my mom went on a animal spree and had a great year searching sales for elephant broaches and turtle lapel pins. It was pretty cool.

I'll dig them out tomorrow and try to get a good shot of them.

The magnets sound like fun! I have huge "junk" jewelry bags from Goodwill (because I find real/good jewelry in those!) that I need to do something fun with. Maybe I'll do that this year (or send it to you, LOL).

 

[glowgirl]

I got my kitchen aid mixer from a sale too! It had a broken something or other, but my hubby was able to fix it. Right now we are on the lookout for boating stuff. We bought a old bought from a neighbor and have been getting it water ready. It's funny because all last year I saw tons of life vests and boating stuff. Now that I am looking for it...nothing.

Absolutely love it! That is what we do for fun!

One of my favorite finds is a KitchenAid trash compactor for $10-- The handle was broken. Hubby screwed a new handle on it (that we already had off an old cabinet) and it works beautifully. Looked it up online and they sell for $500 or more!

 

[Hellen A. Handbasket]

Nice find Mary Kay! I have some pieces of those that were picked up years ago at yard sales. One is a huge dutch oven/turkey roaster with lid. Kitchen stuff is usually a bargain at shops and yard sales... I love my Show Time rotisserie that I got for $20 (just a few weeks after my sister bought a new one for $160). Makes the best Chicken ever.

No time to mess with my earrings and do pics today. Maybe later... I cleaned out a 50 gallon aquarium (a Craig's list find, complete with a black wood 2 door cabinet stand, pump, decorations, rock and tons of chemicals and food) and have to get it ready to transfer my 10 year old Koi (can't believe I've had him this long!) and his buddy the Plecostomus into it some time in the next week or so after the tank is filled and cycles. Will fill it and put all the rock/plants and stuff in it tomorrow.

 

[glowgirl]

I used to have a great aquarium. I should keep my eye out for one. They were a lot of fun and very relaxing.

 

[MrsJaaxx]

Oh yeah, I'm always seeing aquariums!