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Sunday, January 25, 2009

Some Thrift Store Treasures

A great day at the thrift store that had a 49% OFF sale yielded many treasures: clear elastic that should fine a use in my making of things; velvet red ribbon... and this little unopened bottle of Mental Leaf Adhesive Size. I have no idea what it is or for...but decided it looked artsy and would learn from YOU what I need it for and then be glad I bought it. LOL These rubber stamps with wooden backs are very expensive in the store... I got them for next to nothing... And this bunch of fabric looked like wood or earth an will certainly find it's way into an art quilt one day... This was the GREAT FIND that I did not know I had until I opened the rolled up fabric today. The bright colors and promise of "states" got my attention. When I opened it and found this full map of the United States with all the capitols and state birds listed I decided I must quilt it for the grand kids room. They will be learning these things soon enough, and already do as they fly from California to Massachusetts to visit family. Or drive or fly to Oregon to visit other grands. The circles and arrows at the bottom say things like "My grandparents live here" or "My cousins live here." Etc. Fun!!! The BOOKS are FREE...and I found three I wanted. The Time of the Butcherbird by Alex La Guma is set in west Africa and since I now know several South African bloggers I thought it good to learn some of the history and ways of that country. The Middle book: Blindness by Jose Saramago won the Nobel Prize for Literature and looked good too...and the third I am unsure of as they made a movie out of it and I am never too impressed by the movies made from books, except maybe Schindler's List, Spielberg did that one well. This one grabbed my attention as it's How To Make An American Quilt by Whitney Otto. One quote on the cover says: "Remarkable...It is a tribute to an art form that allowed women self-expression even when society did not." Jill Mc Corkle. We shall see. It may just have redeemable qualities. I also got a fourth book that about Love Friendships and quilts. It's upstairs and did not pose for photos. The top box is a brand new never opened box of Full book and complete Backgammon game. My son likes this game very much so I thought I should learn it and be able to play it should he come to visit one day. And one more thing was a plastic bag full of two little flat paper/magnetic dolls with magnetic clothes that will go in my Grandma's Bag. The kids will love playing with these. I think I spent a total of $8. Amazing yes?

13 comments:

  1. You can sure find the bargains. Some great finds there. I never find such great finds. You must have a really great thrift store there. Can I come and visit you and go shopping with you?? :))

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  2. Wow - unbelievable that you got all of that for $8! I have no idea what the metal leaf adhesive is ... but perhaps just as it says: adhesive for little metal leaves used in craft???

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  3. wow - you have a great thrift store near you! I love the states fabric - what a great quilt that will make.
    The adhesive is for gold leaf - you put the adhesive on, let it get tacky and then put of the gold leaf or gold leaf flakes and adhere it with a soft brush.

    Have fun

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  4. Wow, all that for $8. What great books! Yes, I've heard good things about "How to Make an American Quilt." Oh, you're going to have fun with that map, eh? Can't wait to see and hear more.

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  5. Way to go Lynn! Nice finds and I'm always happy to see items find a good home (outside of the landfills that they sometimes end up in!) It's a good reminder to look through our own piles of unused potentials and send them off to better and sometimes needed homes!

    If you've never heard about Freecycle you should see if there is a group in your area....they are WONDERFUL!

    Have fun with your new found treasures!

    (oh, and by the way, you don't need to be giving away anything on your blog to be a part of One World One Heart, so consider yourself entered in my giveaway!...if you find some extra time, you should click on the link with the OWOH logo and check out the over 500 artist pages who are participating this year...it's so inspiring!!!)

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  6. Hmm, Lynn. I think the adhesive is for gold-leafing. You stick on the golf leaf, which isn't really gold. Oh, I see below - or above, when I post this - someone mentioned that. Good to find your blog through Judy Wise. I'm tracing back on some of her comments. I like your fabric art and the economic crisis "statement" is pretty close to home! jeanne in oregon

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  7. our local thrift store is a community run store and the money goes to the local battered woman's shelter. I love shopping there.
    There is a huge corner devoted to craft items, fabric, etc. Free books (limit three a visit) I return what I get there to recycle them for others to enjoy next. I get clothes and toys for my grand kids there, costumes, etc. There is kitchen ware, house hold items, clothing, and much more. Oh I got a really nice arty looking pair of earrings for 50 cents too. I forgot to add them to the mix. ;-)

    Yes, I will take all of you shopping there if you come to visit.

    Thanks for the explaination for the gold leaf item.

    Thanks for your tips too Lady Bug.

    And welcome femminismo! Do come again.

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  8. totally amazing. i know all three books and they are all wonderful reads. enjoy.

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  9. I am drooling with envy. Such "rich" thrift stores in your area. These are all marvelous finds. The mental(metal) size (I did have to chuckle at the typo as you do work in the mental health field) is used for applying gold leaf or fake gold leaf to papers or objects. To apply the gold leaf properly there are a number of steps which i cant remember and a number of little jars of things to use besides this one. Myself, I just use gel medium to apply the gold leaf, much easier. Maybe this size can be used for some other purpose or products too though. I would experiment.

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  10. SB, thanks for the review of the books. I look forward to reading them all.

    Suki, glad to have your expertise...now I will have to keep my eyes open for all those other products that go WITH this one. I will play with it and see what else it can make stick to things. ;-) I'm all for experimenting. Yesterday I used red fabric paint to paint something plastic and it worked!
    ;-)

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  11. What great finds you have there. Thrift stores can be goldmines if you have the time to look.

    Kate

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  12. Yes, when I come to visit I'll definitely want to check it out.

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  13. Oh goodie, Elspeth. When I went there today again, I found more gems: a book by Maya Angelou called
    Phenomenal Woman with Paintings by Paul Gauguin. Wow FREE
    and
    a Pengnuin Academics book called
    Fifty Great Essays by Robert Diyanni
    the back says: "from Dave Barry to Frederick Douglass, From Langston Huges to Ralph Waldo Emerson, From Cynthia Ozic to Mark Twain Also FREE

    And a wonderful grouping of long thin black bamboo tied in brown packing twine...perfect for a quilt hanger.

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