Freshly Curated (AKA Thrift Haul, New Name) Sexy Summer Vintage and Clothes + Updates

My hunting is limited these days. I'm still trying to list everything in my apartment, clearance, and purge before I start yard sale hopping in earnest again. In fact on the fence with reselling. Journalism and photography and paramount and I'm putting my feelers out there, but reselling will always be there at a smaller scale. I did go hunting for some necessities though, here some of the latest finds and curated goods:

I love my new gym shoes! I found these along with an identical pink pair (given to mom) at the Goodwill "Pound Store" for a song.  (As colloquially refer to it in Jacksonville, I see it's called "Outlet Store" elsewhere. The wares are sold by-the-pound so you can get a lot for very little.) I was borrowing my roommate's shoes for trips to the gym with AJ and it's nice to have my own pair. They're ironically the same exact shoe except in neon yellow rather than powder blue. I threw them in the washer machine and they came out like-new. I was going to fork out money for new ones, glad I didn't!

Mom took me to a Plato's Closet near her house that was a having a $1.00 sale. These stores will buy and sell your used name-brand clothing and resell it, making it a bit of curated more "socially acceptable" thrift store marketed at image-conscious bargain seekers. The sales racks were picked-over but I came back with some comfortable pieces I really like for summer. The colorful geometric skirt reminds me of a favorite dress I paid way more for.

And I got some nice sunnies for a song from the same store. Yep, all the more reason to never shop retail for clothing. There's so much out there for so little!

I'm not into rings or jewelry in general but I couldn't resist this adorable fish ring. I'm a HUGE fish/aquatic creature fan, I seriously considered marine biology as a career for years. Unfortunately Mr. Fish fell off the kitchen table and broke immediately. Anyone have tips for reattaching metal pieces? The hot glue gun didn't work and I doubt super glue would do it, either. I'm going to try E6000 next.

And on the curated goodies for the week! This Garcia y Vega vintage cigar box was used to hold nintendo games when I was a kid! I can't hoard -all- the sentimental stuff, though, so it's On Etsy.

And I've listed this cute brown throw on Etsy. It's super warm and comfortable. The Yuko kitty loves it. (Don't worry, it's been washed.)

And I finally listed this adorable doll. I don't feel like she quite suits my reselling aesthetic but it's a fun piece. On Etsy.

I love this orange vase, so perfect as a display and one of the my favorite colors. Check it on Etsy.

I went ahead and listed my Hardy Boys books individually. I adore the covers to these and should make time to read them! They're some of my favorite photo props. Check them on in my book section, they're only $6.50 each.

And I did the same with these gorgeous Galaxy books. Those color covers! The beauty! Also only $6.50 each, see them in the book section of my Etsy shop.

And the latest add to my overstock shop (wanted to do more, need more time in the day!) are of course, more tea canisters! I love Japanese things and tea, what can I say? See it here.

And a bit of randomness, Fenna sent me all these awesome goodies in the mail this week. All so perfectly "Me" - it's like the wood monster game out of my mind! Enjoying the How to Be an Explorer of the World book too, it will definitely inspire some future posts. So grateful to anyone who's sent me thrifted goodness in the mail, it's always exactly my "style" of kitschy goodness, it's makes me happy readers "understand" my craziness! My "brand" comes across strong!

I've also received Japanese robot coloring books, a huge Godzilla shogun warrior vintage toy, beautiful dinosaur books and magnets. Fun times! Thank you, everyone!

The monster fits right in with my current gallery wall situation. It's like he was meant to be here, Destiny!

Random Updates: Posts are slow. I'm really trying to crank out bigger things dealing with issues I'm passionate about and want to publish only the best I possibly can...with a mix of some more casual reading in there to keep me from going crazy trying to produce "perfection" (Ha! Doesn't exist!) all the time. I hate that the posts I really want to do are ones readers don't normally like, (ouch, rejection of the content of my soul!), but I have to switch directions and go where my heart demands. Sometimes I think the blog name needs to change, I don't want to be a thrift, budget, reselling or "goodwill" blogger. At all. I added the note that this is a "haul" posts to the title because the "Freshly Curated" name is rejected, too. I'll keep cracking at it and try to keep positive but it's been tricky lately with all the conflicting feelings on my life changes. (Yep, still burned out, in short.)

I Want to Write About YOU: I'm heading to Puerto Rico to visit family from July 25th to the 31st. There will be plenty of posts and photos on it and hopefully some video if I can manage it! I need to schedule as many posts as possible ahead of time not just for this trip but in general.

I want to show your homes, workspaces, business, your stories, I have so much to write and need your help. Get with me to collaborate on blog posts into the future. And I'd also love to know what you'd like to read into the future. I was thinking of doing a "dear diary" honest update once a week or once every other week with updates on my project progress. Would this be wanted? Let me know. I need your feedback! It really helps! E-mail me and let's discuss post possibilities, dammit! 

Thrift Core Books: And yep, still working on the business e-Books behind the scenes. Trying to deice if they will be a series at $7 or so each broken into parts like marketing/photography/etc or bigger books at larger prices stuffed to the brim with info. Anyone have a preference? Would love your thoughts.

And Sale! Let me know if you're interested in any group deals. ALL THINGS MUST GO. My Etsy and Overstock shop are still on deep clearance. Go shop, it won't last forever!

Linked to: [Nifty Thrifty] [Thrifter|Maker|Fixer] [Sir Thrift a Lot]

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Freshly Curated: Vintage Illustrations, Colorful Tins, A Sneak Peek at a New Shop

After a fun slightly "off" Saturday it feels good to dig back into creative projects! I hate to pull myself away but 'tis true, you have to complete unplug from work to come back with a fresh perspective. I'm working behind-the-scenes on an additional online shop where I can stage and sell non-vintage quirky merchandise. Here's a look at some of my progress and some vintage finds I finally time to curate properly:

I found this gorgeous set of vintage tea tins at a yard sale, the home owners had saved them from when they lived in Japan. The graphic design, typography and colors are beautiful!

Here's a selection of a few, more will be photographed and added to the shop. They'll be listed from about $5.00 each, let me know if you'd like any or a group deal before they go up.

I enjoyed staging them with the little Usagi-chan (bunny). Most of them have their seal intact so you can use them to store food, keep cookies and other edibles safe (these make fun and easy "gift wrapping" for homemade goodies) or use them to store supplies.

Another collection that's evaded capture are these gorgeous laminated vintage illustrations. They were lost in my white background and didn't look great with gray, either. They were they type of item that looked best staged in an environment.

I like that there are letters on the back for a front-and-back deal. These will also be listed for around $5.00 each.

These illustrations are so weird and fun, almost uncanny valley odd in the best way. They look gorgeous framed.

They'd make great gifts as well. Let me know if you'd like any of these or if you'd like to discuss a group deal on the lot. Each card is 13" x 10" and can easily be cut to fit more conventional frames.

Update: You can now buy these signs from my Etsy shop

And now a funny random behind-the-scenes shot! I love catching mid-shot funny-faces on this animal. She follows me everywhere when she's hungry. Which is always.

And now I must go out for a swim and then get back home and continue to clean/organize/curate. I've been trying to exercise more not only for fitness but the mental clarity it's supposed to bring. I'd say it's worthing thus far. Send me an e-mail if you'd like to buy anything you see. I'm excited to work hard on getting my "secret shops" up!

Go Shop, I Say! I still have lots for sale in my Etsy shop and I'm adding more items daily. If you're local I can put items aside for you, if you're not I can calculate a low group shipping rate.

Linked to: [Nifty Thrifty] [Thrifter|Maker|Fixer] [Sir Thrift a Lot]

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Freshly Curated: Polaroid Land Cameras, Kitschy Illustrations and Toy Furniture

I'm on a "Thrifting Fast" but those yard sale signs will get me every time. Luckily I haven't had the time to stop save for a vintage sale I actually participated in and another neighborhood sale I had some time to stop at on the way back from the post office. For a mere two stops I was able to curate an abundance of inspiring finds, observe!

This yard sale was off of Park St. across from my favorite house in the neighborhood- which is, appropriately, Japanese-styled. There were stacks of the type of oxidized, super-shabby finds the "American Pickers" non-reselling audience thinks you can sell for $1,000 each on eBay...haha, no. I resisted most of it but the vintage "Wet The Brush" set above got me! 

First off, that box design! So kawaii, so ominous! It's like those Ren & Stimpy 1950s toy commercial parodies. A perfect mix of 100% accurate design and homage and unsettling uncanny valley weirdness? It's that lettering. It looks like an artistic ejaculation. Sorry, I've been watching weird indie cartoons since the nineties, I can see nothing else. It's too drippy, almost sinister. Horror movie cover here! Enough of that case though, on to the books within...

Now these are perfectly Leave it to Beaver innocent American fun. Check out Forest Families / Lucky Find / Color Surprise and Let's Ride. I wish I had time to document every single illustration inside. May have to come back to these for sure.

And to complete the innocent fun theme we have some beautiful dollhouse furniture.

Dollhouse furniture can do well for me so I had to scoop them up. But not merely for that reason.

These make excellent photo props. I adore the clean lines and bright solid colors.

Great for illustrating scale or re-arranging on a shelf in your home for inspiration. As weirdo creatives are want to do. My favorite is the vanity with the round mirror! Buy the whole gorgeous set On Etsy.

The furniture was in a pile with this pan and plate.

I can't help but love "smalls".

And they we have a little train.

Held up for scale. It want to Choo-Choo-Choose You. Remember that Simpsons episode? No? Well, damn.

This "Fun Book" was indeed just that, so many beautiful illustrations!

If I had time I'd have scanned every single illustration ASAP. Each one is a gem. It's awaiting it's new home with another design fetishist on Etsy

This little tartan elephant and mouse plate had a gorgeous illustration too. Love the rust on this piece. Chillin' On Etsy

And how about 'dem polaroid Land Cameras? I have one with flash and a polaroid bag and one without for sale.

These are wonderfully iconic and lovely to behold. If either one sticks around for long I may have to order some film and play around. By the way, I want to write some detailed photography composition and equipment tips. Any photographers wanna get with me on this? Hit me up, please! 

These creepy babies were thrown in with the doll house furniture! I assume they went with the original set? $5.00 to anyone who's interested? See what I mean by shabby old stuff? Old and tattered does not equal valuable. Usually quite the opposite from my selling experience but people don't believe me!

SALE SALE SALE!!! Off to work with me. I want to clean-up the work mess I made yesterday before my kitchen shift and put the finishing touches on my blog archive/the week's post. (I abandoned both projects last night in favor of a night dip at the beach...because you have to live and stop working a tiny bit, right? Yes. The answer is yes.) EVERYTHING in my Etsy shop is ON SALE so stock up on that quality vintage goodness. I'm trying get a fresh start with merchandise!

Shipping: I can do group shipping if you're interested in a group of items. I can reduce shipping if you're international, I just have to overestimate to cover my bases. I always refund overages. I'm totally willing to do group deals, too. Gotta clear out this stash! 

Did you find anything interesting this weekend? To tell of your thrifting/finding adventures in the comments.

Linked to: [Nifty Thrifty] [Thrifter|Maker|Fixer] [Sir Thrift a Lot]

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Thrift Haul: A Few Fun Finds From a Quick Flea Market Romp: Mod Furniture & More

I almost didn't make it to the flea market, I left my wallet behind and was going to take it as a sign from a Higher Power (Optimus Prime, is that you?) that I didn't need anymore crap. No. More. But decided I'd give my will power The Ultimate Test and drive back to The Flea. I'd say I did well on my mission to avoid smalls and bought home only a few "big"(er) items I feel I can sell fast:

I got this stool for a steal, I say! An absolute steal, it's going to my Southern Crossing Antique Mall soon. I knew it would love perfect staged in front of my vanity in the bedroom.

I happened to have the round pillow on-hand already from a previous thrift outing. This is also -------
>>> On Etsy

On the more practical find side, these frames at $2 bucks each saved me money and time getting new ones at the store for some gorgeous art prints I bought during Free Comic Book Day. (Did you go, they have Transformers comics this time!)

And here they are framed with my new prints. Yes they are way off center I have not had time to fix it yet. I'm writing this post with a timer set right now, so busy!

They are awesome hung above the tv, that area needed a new little something. The arts prints were $5.00 each, the frames $2 each. I got myself a nice new "gallery" wall for $14.00. Good deal- can you get even one art print for that at Target? Not likely...

NO. MORE. MUGS! Ever! I have two little boxes full. These guys are from last week, actually. I resisted some beautiful 1970s ones this week. ------->>> On Etsy

And matching my tiki cups is a tropical-like boat scene on velvet in delightful retro frame. I have a seagulls above the sea one in a very similar color and the same shape I will soon pair this with online and in the new booth. ------->>> On Etsy

 And I always scoop up a good train case or suitcase when I see one. This one's a little rough but still beautiful, great for staging items, road trips, etc. ------->>> On Etsy

I normally resist these desk organizers but this one had a price I couldn't resist- practically free. Fun piece. ------->>> On Etsy

And I found yet another little shelf, this time in white! This one is going to the antique mall booth soon I believe though they're always fun to have around. ------->>> On Etsy

I have a planned future post all about making a classic wardrobe for yourself while shopping second-hand. I'm bad, all I do is buy little dresses from Goodwill to switch things up- it's not to be "pretty", it's a lazy get-dressed-in-one-step maneuver. This purple Target-brand dress is the latest acquisition, very comfortable.

And I now must rush and make my meals for the day, get to school and finish some stuff, then to work at the kitchen for a called-in shift! Then writing 'til I pass out! Busy but happy, lots of new things going on- fresh experiences are always needed to keep creativity flowing.

Did you find anything interesting this weekend? To tell of your thrifting/finding adventures in the comments.

Linked to: [Nifty Thrifty] [Thrifter|Maker|Fixer] [Sir Thrift a Lot]

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.