Friday, November 21

let me count the ways i love thee...

last week i shed 'tears of sorrow', this week i have shed 'tears of joy'...
if you are sitting comfortably, then i shall begin...

wednesday night is my favorite night of the school week, having a large brood most school nights are packed with activities and such like. wednesday night is no different, however the activity that is needed to be 'got to' is only five minutes away from my thrift store.
("how convenient is that" i hear you cry..."i know" says i)
our #2 is required to be at dance lessons by 7pm, so i leave the shed behind with 'fed' children (ha ha ha) and head down the hill, tip out our #2 and then head onto my destination.

just little old me, all by myself, just the way i like it...
as i get nearer my heart starts to beat a little faster...what treasure has been discarded by another and now sits waiting for me to find it. i have a path that i take once inside the store, first stop is 'coat hangers' just in case a lovely crocheted one is waiting to be given a home...then i peruse the 'china' aisles, moving on to 'pots and pans', quickly glancing at 'glassware' as i round the corner to 'bric a brac'...next i head to 'bedding & linens' before checking the furniture dept, finishing up in the ladies 'undies' aisle to browse the slips.
it is a great way to spend an hour or so, usually by 'bric a brac' my allergies have set in and i need to do everything in my willpower not to scratch my eyes out...but it is a 'cross' i am willing to bear to get my 'thrifty' fix.

so the scene is set dear readers ("blimey Tif, is there more?"..."oh yes, it's quite a ramble today")
this wednesday just past, i had finished in the bedding aisle, snapping up a delightful pair of pillowcases that i have no use for but as one day i may have to run a 'bed & breakfast', it seemed foolish not to think ahead and plan accordingly.
i rounded the corner and pushed my little cart past the 'granny blanket' section, spying a perfect one for ''used dog'...(and let me tell you it was most appreciated by her). and that was the moment dear readers, the moment that happens maybe once or twice in a lifetime when inside a thrift store...
yes, a chorus of angels appeared, yes, glory shone all around and yes, a lone tear of joy slid down my cheek (what was that you say? no, dear readers that was not my allergies, i swear it was an emotional reaction and not the dust mites coming from used dog's blanket)...how could it be that only little old me could see this treasure and everyone around seemed oblivious to it's magnetic powers...


when i bought my 'how could you have ever been cast aside' treasure home, my man was quick to notice that something in my studio was 'attacking' him as he walked by (a term he uses frequently when 'doilified' items and the 'likes' get too close for comfort)...


"oh god, you've been to the thrift store again...why Tif, oh why do you have to go through the door? and what have you bought home this time...oh, let me see, another stool...i imagine you were thinking the abundance of stools we have already just isn't enough"

"don't say a bad word about this little stool, it's not just any ordinary stool, it is special...and before you say it...no, it is not a commode" i replied on the defense.

"well 'special' is certainly the word for it" he mocked back

"i have never in all my forty years come across a stool like this, therefore i am thinking it will be another forty years (god willing) before i see another in my travels. that alone tells me this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, one that i could not pass up..."

yes dear readers, i may have my 'rose colored' specs on but i do not care, a stool like this is a 'find of the century' (at least mine that is)...now safely in my studio, living out it's remaining days by my side...


she will see you on monday, after the 'holiday shop' ~ Tif

21 comments:

Betz White said...

you are so entertaining...I love the thrift store plan of attack, I have one myself.

And the stool! I knew it was a spy stool with it's sneaky secret compartment. Only a woman with such a devious mind (I know #2's dance lessons revolve around it's prime location) would detect the covert operations of such a demure and unassuming stool. :)

Louise said...

Don't worry, we understand! It's absolutely perfect!

Michelle said...

OMG love it...
i'm in vinyl heaven...
my grandma had stools like these...
it just brings back memories...

bigbucketgirl said...

G O R G E O U S!

Your man and mine would have a hoot discussing the trials and tribulations of being 'thrift husbands'. They seem to share the same speech patterns! Substitute 'stool' for 'little table' and i know the tone and mocking would be the same. You could also substitute vintage blanket/cardigan or pyrex to thesame effect.

Love the stool...but what i can't get over is that at night there is such a shop open! Here they batten down the hatches at a sniff past half past 4! Before i hit 40 i'm heading in your direction to hit a thrift store. I'll give you a shout!

Unknown said...

men have no appreciation for the finer things in life ;) - it's just so pretty!

emm
x

Anonymous said...

* GASP!! * It opens up and it's in mint condition!? I must be dreaming!

Anonymous said...

Oooh the stool is a delight - as to your Man - well - he couldn't see what was wrong with plastic or wire hangers so you shouldn't be entirely surprised at a lack of vision in regard to your fab swag :)

(I squeaked a bit at the interior shot)

E

Gigibird said...

I'm afraid I'm with your husband with this one Tif....it looks like a commode....vinyl makes me feel uneasy.
However it almost redeems itself with the interior. Stick Indie inside and take a photo then I might warm to it:)

Pauld said...

In your defense, it -does- look perfect there. And how can you have too many stools? Will 3 little boys, there is no such thing to me.

dottie angel said...

i knew i could rely on my trusty band of 'thifty' friends to see the 'glory' in my little sewing stool :)

Tif x

Unknown said...

Lol. We sure share a passion for the thrift stores. Your story could have been mine. I also would have jumped at this stool. It's simple and clean lined, perfect. Happy hunting thrift sister!

Kristy said...

Husbands what do they know?!

Anonymous said...

Oh goodness!, Tif, I have been reading your blog for quite a while, and I still love how you phrase everything. This time, I especially smiled at when you wrote that you had to 'tip out #2'. {As I read it, I had a vision of you gently tipping her from the vehicle.} Lol.

I share the same allergic reaction to thrift stores. It by no means hinders my love and desire to thrift, but it puts such a dagger in it sometimes, doesn't it.

I love this stool! - with a compartment, to boot! It's absolutely perfect!

Francesca said...

tif, i love it. i forgive you for the shabby chic scales of the summer.

gayle said...

It's very YOU. Is that an insult? No, I do love it, but it would look stupid in my house. As to the inside, are those things for thread spools? Is it actually a sewing stool? If so, that is just fab.

Hear Me Roar! said...

I don't understand how he couldn't see how amazingly useful a stool with secret hiding places is!

dottie angel said...

yes, yes...it is a little sewing stool and those are little 'pegs' for spools of thread...

thanks for the 'thrifty' love :)

ChristineMM said...

Oh my gosh I love the thift store visit write up.

I'm going to post this on the ravelry forums in the thread for 'what we found today'.

Fantastic.

CraftyCarole said...

I think our husbands are related. I adore your stool. Even better that it has a secret. Wish my thrift haunts were near gymnastics classes

Anonymous said...

Hi! I was browsing through and was I excited to see this stool! I found one just like it at an estate sale a couple blocks from my home in Chicago. I'm in love with it! Does your's flip open? Love your aesthetic. Happy hunting!

dottie angel said...

yes yes it does! a most spiffy inside to behold, i painted it though as it was a little unloved... congrats on your peachy find Anon :)