[Photo courtesy of Dreams on 34th St.]
A photo from the Ruffles and Rust show last month. I would have loved to have gone. But, as some of you may have been reading around blogland, there's a place you can shop all year 'round now! The new Ruffles and Rust Square in Snohomish, Washington! Booths full of fabulous finds and gorgeous old junk - like Melanie's from My Sweet Savannah.
Spring must be right around the corner. This morning I did a circuit of the local thrift shops and came home with lots of amazing finds! It's seemed like a slow winter full of dull auctions and unexciting estate sales, but today was different. It was exciting!
I can credit my avid love of thrifting to my mom and aunt. When we were little, my mom and her sister (both stay at home moms with 4 kids each; my mom 4 girls, my aunt 4 boys), would wait in line on Wednesday mornings at the nearest Salvation Army warehouse. They called it The Sally-Anne Shop, or Sally's Boutique. There was a line because this was the day that they put out all of the "new" merchandise.
Now this may seem funny, but it was actually serious business. Have you ever seen elderly ladies argue over odd balls of yarn? Well I have, and it wasn't pretty. We were assigned into sections, each in charge out scouting out a specific department. Anything that seemed like a good find, was gathered and would be edited later. We were crammed into a change room with my mother guarding the door, each of us girls fumbling around, trying on our finds, being handed item after item.
It was in this old warehouse that I developed my "thrill of the hunt" instinct. It was here that I discovered that just because something was thrown away, didn't mean it wasn't still useful.
Luckily, I married a man who understands this side of me. He likes to tell me that "He's been thrifting since before I was born". It's probably true. His mom is the same way. Their most embarrassing childhood story involves my mother-in-law, along with my husband and his sister, out garage saling one Saturday morning. Coming across a yard full of furniture, they began sorting through everything, quiet excitedly actually, as they seemed to be the only ones who had found the sale so far. While inspecting an old dresser, my mother-in-law was surprised to find socks and underwear still inside! When she asked the owner, who was now making his way outside, he informed her that this was, in fact, not a garage sale. He was moving in. Embarrassed, they quickly got back into the car, and continued on.
It's quite a lot of fun thrifting. It can be dirty, and a lot of digging, but those are the days that reap the most rewards, and bring the most excitement. One of the reasons I'm looking so forward to spring is the spring cleaning - that means decluttering. And where does all the unwanted "junk" go? - to the thrift store, just waiting to be scooped up!
