JUNK 101: PART DUEX



Found this glass terrarium
at a church rummage sale.

 Where do you find JUNK? The good kind. (Here's where things get down-right exciting.) The answer, anywhere and everywhere!  After three decades of doing what is now called, "Junking," I can honestly say that good, reusable, vintage things are all around us.  Years ago I began shopping at garage sales and thrift stores because Sweet Hubby and I were both "belated" college students -- in our late-twenties with a car payment and mortgage. We literally had to watch every cent. It was a happy day indeed when I realized I could go to the big Veteran's Thrift Store off May Avenue in Oklahoma City with a mere $10 and buy three shirts, a 1940's rose painting, an old ladder-back solid wood chair, and still have money left over to buy tacos on the way home!



Found this sweet antique stitchery at a garage sale.

Cost less than lunch and makes my heart sing!

I became hooked and hit the thrift store every couple of weeks since shopping at the beautiful shopping malls and cute campus boutiques were just not in our financial picture. Shopping frugally just made more sense. Now, mercifully, things are a bit less tight financially speaking, but I still CHOOSE to shop at garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, antique malls, thrift stores, and yes, flea markets.  (After all, I write a flea market mystery series!)  The bottom line is you pretty much know what you'll find at the department and discount stores, but you have no idea what lurks at the garage sale across town or in the barn at the estate sale in the next town. I like the thrill of finding something old and still usable.  Something unique.

Vintage microscope found at a garage sale.
 I think I used to have one of these.



 Most cities have Goodwill and Salvation Army Thrift Stores.  There are also thrift stores run by churches, hospitals, veterans' groups, and many other worthwhile charitable causes.  I love this added incentive to shop and help my neighbor and community at the same time.  Now that's cool!

Here's a sampling of things I've found in the past few weeks, mostly at garage sales:



Child's vintage Blue Willow tea cups
 go well with this silver pedestal.



Yes! Another old quilt! I couldn't resist the pretty faded print.



Funky vintage safety-pin and bead baskets
found at a garage sale and thrift store.


















Craig's list is a good place to begin the hunt, although you have to be careful. Since I've been reading classified ads for years, I've gotten pretty good at figuring out where I may find something on my list. Sometimes I luck out and find all kinds of interesting things -- other times -- zip, Nada!

But that's just part of the fun of it.  The not knowing. The hunt. The find.



A sneak peek of THE GARDEN CAT's
 treasures for the Junk Salvation Vintage Flea Market.



This weekend's Junk Salvation Vintage Flea Market hosted by the fabulous Funky Junk Sisters will be an awesome place to find treasures for yourself, help raise money for breast cancer awareness, and have a stupendous, junktabulous time.  Here's where to find the details for Junk Salvation --http://www.junksalvation.com/. Come by and see me at my booth, THE GARDEN CAT!!

Today's Good Stuff:

1) Post-season baseball

2) Vintage flea markets

3) Pumpkin muffins

4) Halloween costumes

5) Indian Summer

Peace, love, and all the good stuff, y'all!