Category Archives: Thrift Finds

The Stars Aligned

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Do you ever have one of those days that the stars seem to align and magically many good things happened all at once.  That was my Thursday.

I’m still on my diet.  I’m doing better with it this time around.  I think previous times when I’ve done it I’m been doing childcare at the same time.  Often I just didn’t eat because it was so much work to figure out what I could eat.  With the childcare kids not here, I’m taking a little bit better care of myself.

Well I was running low on fruits and veggies.  I needed to make a grocery run.  I’m still being very careful about going out, always wearing my mask and using proper hygiene.  I don’t stop as often either.  For example it I needed toilet paper, I would get it at the grocery store vs making the extra trip to WalMart.  I do not want to feel complete deprived either so my happy medium to mental and physical health was a trip to the grocery that included a stop at my thrift store….again, masking up and being careful.

I’m so glad I stopped and some of you will be too.  I found vintage quilt tops.  I think 4.  I’m so excited to share them with you.  That will happen coming soon.  I debated trying to decide if I should buy them but I knew you would love them.  I’ll be offering them up on auction here on the blog with proceeds going to my postage fund for sending out charity quilt tops.


I adopted this old hardanger doily.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it.  It has some holes and it’s in the best shape…I just love it though.  My Aunt Agnes was a master hardanger…I’m told my grandma Johnson was too.  I never met her.

I bought a couple frames, 50 cents each with the hope that it would work for my cross stitch piece I am working.  Ugly now I know but I’ll paint the frames black.  I only needed one but Kelli has the same chart.  This way she’d have a frame too.  For 50 cents it was worth the risk.  Think black paint!!

I also found this…it’s fabric.  It was in the curtain section.  Someone had used fabric to make curtains and must not have liked them.  The fabric is crisp and nice just like it came from the quilt shop.  There is over 4 yards of it so at some point, it will likely be a quilt backing…just $2 for that.

I found myself a pair of Maurices jeans too.  $2.  I have such trouble with pants.  As Craig says, “You Kramers are all gutt and no butt”.  (Yes he says that!!)  We take it in stride as it is true.  We don’t have hips.  Well that makes it hard to find pants.  They are typically too tight in the waist and too roomy in the hips/thighs.  These were perfect.  We aren’t allowed to try on clothes so it was a wild guess as if they would fit.

I was so happy as I was leaving the store.  What a great day.

Well the greatness didn’t end there.  As I was driving to the grocery store, there was a garage sale.  Not any garage sale.  It was at the house that host my FAVORITE garage sales.  With covid I debated about stopping but decide if I was careful and followed the same protocol, I’d be okay.  Also, the sale is outside and easy to social distance.

As I pulled up I realized that the sale really wasn’t open.  They were just setting up.  I asked if I could look.  They were perfectly fine with that.

I am so glad I stopped.  I can’t begin to tell you how glad.  On my want list has been a stroller.  I want a double, side by side, jogging stroller.  Kalissa has been looking on sale groups for one.  She sends me links all the time and they are $250 for a used one.  I pass on them every single time.  I told Kalissa I was confident I could get one for $100.  She laughed and told me no.  But guess what I did???

….and it’s nice.  It even has speakers for my phone. YAHOO!!  Yep…a stroller tripped out with speakers is mine!!

I found just what I wanted for $100.  I’m thrilled!!

I also found a carseat for my car to transport the grandkids….a bike that is Carver’s size for $5.

Fabric was 50 cents each.  The pink is SEVEN yards worth..the other 4 yards!!  Would you have left it behind?? Continue reading →

Thrifty Finds

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I was at the thrift store and rummaging around the craft section…no fabric on this day but nostalgia had me buying this.


See the saying on the bottom, “God Bless our Home”?  Well I had the kit for that when I was in my teens.  I stitched it and took it to the fair and got a blue ribbon.  Stitching this is what taught me to do French knots.

I kept it for years and years and then ended up passing it on to Kayla when we moved to the house in town where we live now.

Well this kit is for the upper one that says “Home Sweet Home”.  It has the cloth and all the thread for it.  It was only $1.  Who knows if I’ll ever actually stitch it but nostalgia could let me leave it there.  Sometimes I know I am too sentimental.

I also found this and I’m in love.
It’s a lap desk.  It’s no color I love and I think it suppose to be a kid lap desk.  That’s okay.  I love it anyway.

A bit ago Kelli told me she had a lap desk and liked it for cross stitching.  I thought that was weird but after she explained how she rested her hands on it and how much she liked it I thought I’d keep my eye open at the thrift store to see if I could find one.  I was to the store about three more times when I saw this one for 75 cents.  I didn’t like the color but though I’d try it and see.

So I gathered my supplies for the project I am working on…
I started cross stitching.  Oh my word.  I love it.  My hands can rest on it as it’s just a little bit higher.  I soon agreed with Kelli that I liked it.

Being mine, unlike Kelli’s, had a lid and storage container on the top, I ended up opening the lid and put the things I wasn’t needing like the extra thread, in the top.  I loved it.  I put the scissor there and snuck my hand inside to get it when I needed it.  Oh my…the best 75 cents I’ve spent in a long time.


When I was done I popped my whole project inside and shut the lid.

Did I say I loved this.  I really do.  I told Kelli that I found it and was glad she recommended getting a lap desk, and I told her mine had the container attached to the top.  She told me if I found another to buy it.

I thought I’d look online so I goggled “the original lap desk company” into Ebay and no luck.
They didn’t have one like this.  I went to Amazon and typed in lap desk with lift top…no luck.  Oh well.  I’ll stay on the lookout at the thrift store.  I’d love to surprise her with one.

I didn’t find much fabric.  One lone piece.


I don’t know if they are upping their prices for someone else was tagging fabric.  It was $2 for a half yard.  It’s still a deal but this normally would have 50 cents or $1.  I’m not complaining…just curious.

This piece is going right in with all my other white base neutrals.  It’s wonderful that I have those so nicely stocked.  I had to dive in and make a quilt…but trust me, I will!!

I picked up a couple baby items for Kayla…nothing fancy just a couple outfits.

It was a nice thrifty day.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that I don’t NEED too many things there.  My house is only so big!!  Thrifting is addicting so I am often reminding myself of that!!

Adventures in Thrifting

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I was thrifting…

I was happy when the thrift store turned over to fall clothing.  Although I’m not hunting for men’s 100% cotton shirts, I do still take a look because I’m not-not hunting either.  I happen to find this orange one.  I’m a cheap skate and won’t pay more than $2 for a shirt so when I find one in a hard to find color, I snap it up!


If you’re a long time reader you know I’ve been collecting shirts for Bonnie Hunter’s Oregon or Bust quilt only I’m doing in blues and oranges only.  So although I don’t have immediate plans to make the quilt..it is on the list.  The quilt is one I think I’ll keep for myself so…it gets set aside…and waits until other deadline quilts and gifted quilts get finished first.

I found fabric again…this time there wasn’t a lot.  Mostly things I didn’t need but ended up buying as I will pass them along to the Cresco quilting ladies.

See the Christmas fabric on the far left…more of them have 1 1/2 to 2 yards and were only 50 cents each.  The ones on the right were 50 cents each too.  All of this I’ll put in the box for the Cresco ladies.


These were 1/4 yard cuts.  It was 25 cents all together.

These I pulled for me… Continue reading →

Thrift Store Finds

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You might remember that last week on Monday I went to Lacrosse to have a needle biopsy done.  Kelli was doing childcare for me while I went to have that done so I wanted to get back as soon as possible.  On the way home Kelli called and said, “Mom, I’m fine here.  If you don’t stop at the thrift store, I’m going to be mad at you.”

Well I decided I’d stop but try hard to make it a quick stop.  I hit up the toy section and the craft section but just did a quick once over on anything else and completely skipped clothing.  I’m so glad I stopped….I found fabric!

Here’s my haul.


These two pieces were 50 cents each.  The white with letters was two yards worth.  The green was left overs from the backing of quilt I think.  There is a yards worth of that but not in a traditional cut.
There was this kit of purple fabric that someone designed and put together.  I says that two more yards of purple are needed.  I’m going to have to read through it carefully and see exactly how I’m going to use it.


For $2.50 it was a deal.  I think it will be fun to figure it out and make it into something…or I might throw the fabric in my scrap bucket and jazz up my scraps with some purple.  It’s a color I don’t typically have a lot of.


These three pieces were rubber banded.  They were “specially marked”.  Two were $1 each.  One was $1.50.
The $1.50 one was two yards…on of the $1 ones was one yard.  The one on the lower left was left overs from a quilt backing.  I think it is about a yards worth but again, not in a traditional cut.

People often wonder if the stuff I get at the thrift store is quality fabric….See for yourself…. Continue reading →