Retail therapy on a budget

Today I finished an order and took my daily walk. A friend who sells antiques and collectibles in several antique "malls" was having a garage sale. I got some picture frames (for some stitcheries), a very old grubby flour sifter (to turn into a lamp), a large round enamel wash basin with handles (to plant marigolds in), a very old, slightly rusty potato masher (to use as a base for a make do), an old cream colored cream pitcher (just because I like old cream colored vases and pitchers) and a truly unusual cast iron cook book stand (you set it up like an easel and put the book on it and there's a cast iron cocktail fork that folds down over the page to hold your place) and 3 wooden picture frames for stitcheries.

I got home and decided I wanted some time off and some more vintage things to "play" with. My husband and I got in the car and went to a thrift shop about 18 miles away.

Along the way, we spotted a garage sale where I scooped up 3 pair of shoes to recycle on my dolls for a total of $1.75.

At the thrift store, I got 2 men's shirts and 2 suit coats--1 was wool__to cut the buttons from (each shirt has at least 8 buttons, the suit coats had 2 large and 4 1/2" buttons on one and 2 large and 6 - 1/2" buttons on the other. The wool coat will also make scarfs for snowmen and the other coat and the shirts can be used as rag stuffing. I paid less for the clothing than I would have had to pay for a card of 4 buttons in the store. The wool coat was $2 but there were the 2 large buttons, 6 - 1/2" buttons and all that wool so it was a great bargain. I also purchased a hand embroidered dresser scarf that I can cut in half and make 2 aprons from.

From there, we went to several antique malls but I didn't find anything exciting that was also affordable. On the way home, We did stop at another thrift shop where I got a huge polyfil stuffed pillow for 50 cents and another nice wooden frame for 25 cents.