Monday, June 29, 2015

Full disclosure: bought "new" tops out of boredom.

I accompanied my son shopping for pants at Target and ended up getting myself a men's pullover. At 70% off, it was still $9, which is pricey to me. However, I am short on big, warm, unconstructed Fall tops and haven't had much luck at the thrifts for these. I think men wear such tops until they are rags. The other shirt I got when I took my mother shopping at Marshall's. It is also a Fall top, a tunic with a lot of fancy sewing to it. It was on clearance for $15. I didn't really need the top, but I will certainly get good use from it. I apparently just can't stand to do nothing while waiting for others to shop.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Made new bird baths from "not new" glassware. Sure hope they'll sell.

I doubt I'll be able to get anywhere near minimum wage for these, but I'm hoping to at least make more than I invested in the parts. These are much more difficult to make than one would imagine. The glass pieces are far from even, so in many cases, you sort of have to put them together looking lopsided to get a level bird bath. I've sealed these so they can be left out in the Winter with a proper covering on the top, but I'm not going to seal the rest as it takes a lot of time and looks slightly messy...people will just have to bring them in for the Winter. What price range would you think people would pay for these?

Sunday, June 21, 2015

How to not have to wait for your holiday restuarant seating

We like to enjoy a meal out without having to wait 30 minutes to be seated. I've found if you think outside the box, you can always find someplace that will seat your immediately. On Father's Day at 6 pm, we waltzed right in to this pancake house that is packed at breakfast time, but always empty for dinner.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Sometimes you get what you pay for (the saga of the pawn shop miter saw).

While the miter saw has been working okay, it was not performing when I needed some really straight cuts. On closer inspection, the (solid metal?) guide was snapped completely in two and askew. (Same saw came without a blade guard...I have to call and order one, hope it's not over $10...can't find one used.) Fortunately, I seem to have been able to epoxy the parts together. Meant not getting done what I needed to get done the day I wanted to do it. Sigh. (Was pretty proud of myself for getting that durn clamp on...the epoxy was supposed to set in 5 minutes...NOT!)

Thursday, June 18, 2015

The garden is looking ugly (at least it was cheap).

So...when I had to come up with a new plan to replace the raised bed that I heard neighbor hated...I didn't really have a lot of time or options. I couldn't find any big pots at thrift stores and didn't have time to get enough through yard sales, so I got the biggest "pots" I could find at the Dollar store. Doesn't make for much of a view. Next year the soil will be ready and everything will go in the ground. Perhaps this interim eyesore is a good thing...the neighbors will think next year is such an improvement no one will think to grouse about me putting veggies in the front yard, no?

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

I can't resist a thrift store sale.

Around here, a good many of the non-profit thrifts have 50% off EVERYTHING on most holidays. Last year I cleaned up at AmVets on Labor Day. I managed to squeeze in a visit amidst family drama on Memorial Day, but didn't have much luck. I picked up these mock turtlenecks for $1.50 and $1. Can't remember which was which. Not really in season, but basics like this always come in handy...and I hate to leave empty handed.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Beneath digging up free "not new" perennials from the fields? Not me.

I'll be going back for these two day lilies. I found them where snow had been dumped (really snowy winter meant the stuff had to be trucked to designated dump sites). They were probably scraped up from someone's roadside garden.

Over the years I've gotten a lot of nice perennials from fields and such. You just have to be able to recognize the foliage. Once I found an abandoned farm field full of irises. Because the tubers had become covered with weeds, they didn't bloom in the field, but bloomed nicely when I took them home. I've found other such plants by looking for for former home sites in the country. You can usually tell by the layout of the weeds/trees that something used to be there. These are sites that will later be plowed under for development, so I consider it a plant rescue as well as an addition to my garden.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Craigslist comes through with "not new" packing material for cheap.

I was looking for bubble wrap (and one big roll did blow onto my car...see a previous post), but this foam sheeting will probably work as well and will take up much less space. I'm told there should be 100' in this roll and it cost $25. I had been using using newspaper to pack the glass yard art (that I hope to sell), but it was not cushiony enough, heavy and would likely deteriorate in the basement or garage (I'm assuming I'll have a lot of unsold stuff that will have to over-winter. Very happy with this purchase, even though I did have to drive a long way for it.

If anyone actually looks for my posts, I apologize for my recent absence. A family emergency has kept me occupied.