Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Goodwill Day!

I haven't been feeling great lately, so I haven't taken the time to stop in at Goodwill since last week. Many of you know that I have a fantastic, cheap Goodwill in town. Actually, there are 2 Goodwill's, and they share a building. In side 1, you have the "AS-IS" center, which sells items that don't sell in the regular Goodwill after however long. The AS-IS center gets cast off's from 12-15 area Goodwill shops, and is quite the little treasure trove.

The prices are dirt cheap- the highest price anything in the store, be it Prom gowns, Fur Jackets, Furniture, or Electronics, is over the price of $3.49. The store uses a sliding scale to price objects- if it's clothing, and it was originally $1.99 or less, it's only $.29. Housewares marked $.99 or under are also $.29.

Tonight I stopped in for just a quick stop. I didn't spend time digging through clothing at all, as it is laid out on long tables with a small edge. You really have to dig to find things. They are at least (usually) sorted by who & what. For instance, all women's tops are together, all men's pants, all the kids clothing, etc.

The entire store is lined with shelves on the walls, which hold houseware items, books, shoes, music, and movies. Toys are put in tubs on the ground under the shelves. I walked the perimeter once, then again a second time. Today, I was looking for items I could use for future (unknown) craft projects.

I found some great glassware. I hate plastic serving dishes, they are cheap, don't last, and look horrible. It's hard to find affordable, quality glassware, though. This Goodwill is a great place to find vintage glassware.

Today, I found a nice large round divided tray, with 2 larger compartments, and 2 smaller ones. My grandma always had a smaller trey like this sitting out with cheese chunks, olives, and crackers for Holiday dinners. I think this will be a great dish for when we go places for the holidays.

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I also found an assortment of long stemed, wide goblets that will work fantastic for dessert cups during the holidays, as well. 2 are the same, but the rest are all different. I love them all, they're fantastic, with ridges, and shaped cups.

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Lastly, I found a box with Christmas ornaments- the glass bulb style. There were two with golden touches, but the rest were bright colored bulbs covered in gobs of ugly lace and ribbon. I figured I could probably take that off, and the whole box was only $.29. In it, there were 9 total ornaments. Unfortunately, 1 was broken (I found this later), and the ugly ones were not salvageable, as the bulbs were scuffed and scraped, and the lace was super glued on. But, I did get the two golden balls, as well as a one with beads on it.

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When I was done at the As Is center of Goodwill, I went next door to the regular Goodwill to look around. When I walked in, the first thing I saw was a 3 or 4 foot tall shimmering, shining metallic silver Christmas tree, with fiber optic lights. Oh, how fabulous!

I've been wanting a silver tree for a few years now, and ALMOST bought one a few years ago, but went with a white tree instead, to be "safer". I had decided at the time that I might not enjoy a silver tree as much in a few years, so it was probably a good move at the time.

But, there was a nice miniature silver tree, just sitting there, all pretty and sweet! It was lit up, so I know the fiber optics work, and it was $10. Ouch. A bit steep, but I knew without a doubt that the tree would not last another full day. It was just too fabulous to last!

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So, after a bit of debate, I put it in the cart.

I found a 6 pack of matte finished navy blue ornaments for $.59, and a bag with 5 of the same matte finished ornaments in burgundy next to it, for $.99. Last Spring, I bought 2 metallic paint markers, a silver one and a gold one. I plan to write names & the year on them for gifts. I may also get some pretty matching ribbon to tie a small bow to the top of each one with. The blue looks black, but they have a nice rich navy color to them. The spots are mostly dust.

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Lastly, I found a brand new red felt, scalloped edge Christmas tree skirt. It's plain, but it was only $2.99, which is cheaper than the cheapest ones at the store. I thought about appliqueing it with felt, maybe a Snowman design, or something, and figured it was a good deal either way.

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After I left Goodwill, I had to stop at Dollar Tree real quick for some needles, and when I walked in, I detoured to the Christmas section. I found a pair of large felt Christmas Tree shapes in white & green. I looked at them for a moment, and decided that was exactly what my little red tree skirt needs. I bought 3 2-packs, so I'll trim the skirt symmetrically with green & white trees. I also might sew some individual sequins around the skirt, or on the trees.

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Not a bad deal for a $6 tree skirt. I eventually would love to make my own tree skirt, but I hesitate to try, because I'm scared it won't come out good. I am passable on the sewing machine but can't follow patterns at ALL.

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All in all, I had a good day at Goodwill, and got the prettiest little silver tree. I'm excited with my find!

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