Recent Thrifty Finds

Another snowy day here! This never-ending winter weather is really starting to intrude upon my thrifting habits. When I have only a couple of precious mornings each month to hit the aisles, bad weather or other unexpected occurrences rudely interfere with my plans. But tomorrow is the first day of spring and I do hope that means I won't be seeing any more snowflakes for a good eight months or so!

In anticipation of the upcoming change of season, I am embarking on a massive spring cleaning. Luckily, we've only lived here for a few months so there is no need for a great purge yet, but as the children keep outgrowing toys and clothing, I have found a fair amount of things to stuff in bags for the Goodwill. Gotta keep the thrift pipeline flowing! I'm also organizing the odds and ends of things that never seemed to find a home when we moved in, and trying to be ruthless in deciding if I really need it if I am having a tough time finding a spot for it. I'm also making sure that I have a spot or purpose for each new thrift store treasure that I am tempted to bring home. Here are a few recent things that have made the cut:

First, here's this oil on paper Rothenburg scene by Paul Sallmann. It is signed and numbered by the artist. It was actually one of a pair, but the other was not numbered (and I didn't like it as much), so I only purchased this one. I have attempted to research this piece but have not turned up much information yet. In the meantime, it looks lovely in my sitting room/library. I especially love the pale turquoise bordered matte.

I also recently picked up a box of four Tasha Tudor Fairy Tale puzzles, dating to 1963. The box was taped up so I couldn't see the condition before I bought the set, but someone had helpfully written "complete" on the front of it. In black Sharpie, of course. Lovely. But I couldn't resist them because I adore Tasha Tudor. We have many of her beautiful children's books, and they are among our favorites. So of course I bit.

And when I got home and opened the box, the fairy tale set was indeed complete, but tucked inside were a couple of extra treasures--two vintage Playskool puzzles.

Cute finds, right?

Another cute find was this small vintage Minnie Mouse figurine. Sometimes sentimentality gets the best of me, and this was one of those times. I do not collect Disney, and normally would not even notice this type of figurine. But this one happens to be very similar in age and design to one that my sister had as a child. I still have the matching Mickey and I just felt they should be reunited. Of course, if in my latest spring purging I decide that Mickey can do just fine without her, a quick check on ebay confirmed that she does have a modest resale value, definitely several times what I paid for her.

And while I say that I do not collect figurines, another exception to this rule is vintage Christmas figurines. A friend gave these adorable petite candle holders to me and I just love them. Of course, now I am on the hunt for "N" and "L", so if you run into them in your thrifting adventures, let them know I am looking for them.