Okay so I lied . . . Finds for December 22, 2010

I thought tonight would be booked with something else, but I turned out to have a free night. So I stopped by a thrift store after work and check out this great haul! I was so excited! The cost was around $25. 

Included in this find are:

A few vintage Strawberry Shortcake playsets

Several vintage Care Bears and a giant newer Funshine

LPS puzzle

Rub a Dub doggie

Poochie Puzzle

A few vintage My Little Ponies (will have to clean them up)

A MLP remote-control scooter

Some Russ trolls

A vintage Pound Puppy Christmas ceramic

Flatsy doll

A trapper keeper

Lots of G3 MLPs

Beach Bunnies

Rainbow Brite doll

Smurfette Doll

Peppermint Rose bunny

Thundercats action figure

Several newer SSC items

and more!

Tomorrow is my birthday so I will probably try and squeeze in a thrifting trip during my lunch break. A lot of this stuff will end up on my trades page, which I won't be updating until sometime in the second week of January so keep an eye out!

What I'm NOT going to collect . . .

If you read a lot then you might have picked up a book called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben. In it she test drives the wisdom of the ages to see if it makes her happy. She gives lots of advice in the form of rules such as "Be Gretchen" (that is, be yourself), and "Do what ought to be done." One bit I picked up in the book that really struck me was the advice to "give something up."

This is an interesting idea. How can giving something up make you more happy? It's simple. By giving up things you kind of love you make room for the things you really love.

With that in mind, I decided to list some things that I will not collect, even though I think they are cute and fun and I find them all the time at thrift stores.

I WILL NOT COLLECT CABBAGE PATCH DOLLS

They are cute, yet sort of creepy. Even though I have a lot of good memories of these creatures of the cabbage, I decided I do not want anything but perhaps a good outfit for my My Child Doll. As time has evolved I have begun to look at them as too close to Chucky and not close enough to cuddly.

I WILL NOT COLLECT JEM

 
Just looking at Jem zooms me back about twenty years into the past. That alone is tempting. But to be honest, while I loved the show, still love the artwork and respect the line, I find the dolls odd looking . . . even unsettling. I wish they'd do something like Bratz or Monster High with them . . . you know, ditch the androgyny and ramp up the stylistic aspect.

I WILL NOT COLLECT POUND PUPPIES

Sure they are cute. Sure they are cuddly. And yes, I do want to get my hands on the poodles (I had them as a kid) but I draw the line there! The reason? There is no end. If I were to try and collect all the random permutations of Pound Puppies I would fill my entire house with them. If there were, say, twenty different and definite styles I would collect them. But as it is . . .

I WILL NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT EVERY PONY OUT THERE

Do you know how many non-USA ponies are out there? THOUSANDS! Yes, if I even attempted to get my greedy paws on every 80's pony ever produced I would lose my sanity, my family and my marriage . . . not to mention money. I love the vintage MLP line. They are gorgeous and awesome, but for now I am not setting my heart on every single one. At least I am trying . . . very hard. Pray for me.

I WILL NOT COLLECT POLLY POCKETS

I love these too, but I only had a few and so, they gotta go off my list. I just didn't love them as much as I love other 90's toys. I find them all the time though. I guess there's always trades.

I WILL NOT COLLECT TEDDY RUXPIN

 Actually, I had quite the TR collection going before I noticed Teddy was really creepy. And I mean really horror flick freaky. You don't think so? Turn him on in the dark. You will see.

I WILL NOT COLLECT ANYTHING NEWER THAN 2000

Ahh  . . . the daily temptation that is THE TOY AISLE. And when I say tempted, I am talking salivating-on-your-pushcart tempted. There are so many cute things out there. And yes, I did grab up all the new Care Bear figures that came out in the mid-2000's but that was where I stopped. Strawberry Shortcake, Littlest Pet Shop, Polly Pockets, Disney, Moxie, Bratz, Monster High, Zoobles, Zhu-Zhu . . . I mean they are all so cute it's hard not to want to start on something that you don't have to troll the internet for. But I realized two truths: 1-The feeling of holding an old toy is what I enjoy. It is something that brings back a time of my life that was simpler. This is why I collect. 2-The toy companies may never stop producing these toy lines. We may be in 2030 and still be buying Strawberry Shortcake dolls for our great grandkids. So where do you draw the line? Plus, I like the challenge of finding old stuff.

So I encourage everyone to think about what brings them the most joy and narrow things down a bit. It really does release a bit of tension on the bones. Repeat after me, "I don't have to have everything, I don't have to have everything, I do not have to have everything!"

Some fun things I got this week!

 I have been a bad girl this week . . . or a good girl. You be the judge. I bought a lot of stuff online. Good thing I got the items for awesome deals. The prices here include shipping. If you can't find a good deal, the purchase isn't worth it.

Complete Lady Lovely Locks Sunnypeek Doll $5

 Plush Apple Dumpling .50 cents (thrift store)

 Complete Oatsmobile $20

 Complete Strawberry Shortcake Lime Chiffon Deluxe Miniature $4

 Complete Smooshees Heather on a Hike set $4

Complete Angel Cake Blow kiss doll $12 

 Various Moon Dreamers $15

 Lady Lovely Locks complete Sea Magic Salon $10

 Sweet Secrets (plus some accessories not shown) $5

 

Cabbage Patch Poseables $10

 

Precious Places Ballet Studio (Has box too) $5

Ballerina Lady Lovely Locks (Missing Pixie tail) $30

Come Thrifting With Me!

I love to go thrifting. I make no apologies for it, I say it loud and proud. It's probably my favorite thing to do on earth. I like it more than regular shopping. Give me some money and set me loose all day at the swap meet and I am a happy girl.

I know some collectors dislike goodwill stores. They are messy (sometimes), smelly (sometimes), filled with odd folks (all the time) and you have to dig and dig and dig. Some people prefer eBay. Others don't have the time to go. But people like me can't get enough. We try to curb it, try to stop and it works for maybe a week and we are there again!You can't cure it. There's no thirty-day chip. You just have to embrace it and learn that it is part of what makes you happy, even if others look down on it.

I thought I would share my thrifting adventure today through pictures. It's always fun to hear of how people make awesome finds. I rarely make big finds (maybe I'll post about some I have had one day) but almost every time I go I find something.

So let's get started!

First place I go when I get into the store is the very back where they keep the toys.

As you can see, they don't keep them in neat bins or bags. They just throw them on the shelf, so one must dig and dig!

Usually this aisle is filled with kids who tear at the shelves and make a mess all over the floor, but today it was pretty empty in there. Not sure why.


Right away I spot a vintage He-Man guy (I really need to get some more He-Man!) and a Josef Original Flocked deer (don't usually collect them, but my girls like them).

The next aisle over is filled to the brim with plush. The other side has puzzles and games.

I grab some games (I've mentioned me and my kids love playing games), as well as a Bright Heart Raccoon and a bag of 80's Barbie accessories. My daughter wants American Girl-sized furniture for Christmas so I also grabbed the wicker table and chair. I think I will get a AG tea set to go with it at a regular store.

After checking if the games have all their pieces (the pizza one doesn't) I spot several puzzles. Two vintage My Little Pony ones and a Muppet Babies one.

Then the guy who works at the store starts giving me the stink eye so I put away my camera for a bit and look around in housewares. I can sometimes find a vintage thermos or whatever. Today I found a Cabbage Patch Kids TV tray, which I plan to actually use. When I had surgery I hated not having something to put my laptop on as I rested in bed.

I found several other things hiding in the holiday isle. When I see stuff I might want I throw it in the cart and decide later if I want it or not. I did get the Horseman doll, and the locker (which looks like vintage Barbie or GI Joe) but I did not buy the Furreal friends cat (we have enough animals around here!). I spotted a MLP and Shortcake Pony and grabbed those as well as two MLP combs.

 

All in all, this is what I will keep in my collection. The locker and the Horseman doll I will save for other things (eBay maybe, or something). The entire bunch cost me about $13. Not too bad, I think!

I might do this again sometime. Hope you had fun reading!~

Finds for October 28, 2010

 This picture is not very good quality . . . sorry! I went to an antique store today as well as Savers. I was so excited to find bell charms! The bag cost me $6.

 And yes . . . I am crazy enough to wear these.

 The antique store had a couple of Monchichhis for $1.50 each.

 Not sure why I bought the clown PVCs lol.

And something I have never seen before: a Cabbage Patch Kids playset! I'll have to do some research on if it is complete or not.

Finds fo October 25th 2010

What a great time at the thrift store!!

I am over the moon about the PJ Sparkles doll, especially since she has her original socks and shoes! I got one of these when I was about 9 years old on Christmas Eve and loved her! Now, I need to check if she works and do a little day at the salon.

There in the back (that weird bunny thing) is a 1960's Easter musical spinning bunny.

 I am also super excited about the Peppermint Rose puzzle. 

Found me a Care Bear mug for hot chocolate (I'm not a coffee drinker). And a Kewpie, which are fun.

 And a hoard of Sky dancer bases. I am not sure why I keep buying these. I have so many. My kids do like them.

And an Aurora plush Sky Dancer (like Caterpillars). She's in super excellent shape and is up for trade!

My five-year-old thinks this throne was the find of the day. I bought it for only TWO BUCKS!! That's cheaper than a garage sale. It had a lot of the jewelry and accessories with it too and my dog loved it :)