Bret Michaels Award

Along with Keyboard Cat, I'd like to present Yard Sale Snoop's first ever Bret Michaels Award for public annoyance to the guy across the road from us who feels the need to clean his driveway with a leaf blower, even though he has a tiny driveway. P.S. Why must you do this at 8 a.m. Sunday morning? Oh yeah, and why do you always park your car on the street and not in your driveway like the rest of us? Is your driveway paved with the rarest ebony? I realize that my revved up neighbour likely doesn't read my blog, but perhaps someone else out there in thrifty blogland with a leaf blower fetish will read this and see the light. I live in hope.

Smiles,

Erin

South Dakota

The pickings continue to be ever-so-slim. I found this South Dakota drinks tray at Value Village today for $1.99. I've got a few other states, so it must be another collection. I hope to find something special this week.

Awesome Canadian Blog by Awesome Canadian Woman

There are so many wonderful blogs out there. It's hard to keep up. I just received a request by Kate to join the Pyrex Collective. I checked out her blog Scientific Culture. Don't be fooled by the title. The subtitle is "A crafty blog where science + cute = awesome." Kate is from British Columbia and she loves Pyrex, gardening, science, crafting, and lot's of other things we all like. Do check it out. I didn't think she'd mind if I shared this sweet cat picture in order to draw attention to her happy blog. Enjoy!

Erin

Mugging for the Camera

Toronto still remains a thrifty vintage ghost town, but I managed to find these swell Termocrisa bowls at my gloomy local Value Village. They cost $1.99 each. From my scant, Yahoo research, I can tell you that Termocrisa was Fire King made in Mexico. I suspect this happened before the whole NAFTA way of doing business took over. I like the tulips and gingham combo.
I know, this looks like the kind of souvenir mug you'd give your grandpappy. I had a massive Mexican mug that I loved, but the handle had a hairline crack and I knew that one morning, I'd end up with a hot mug of coffee on my lap as I was about to rush out the door. For this reason, I reluctantly retired it. Today, I was determined to find the biggest mug that didn't have a corny message on it - "Mom's make cherished memories" or "Brandi's Mug." I've actually been to Fort Henry a couple of times. I'm glad they included their goat mascot.

I hope to find some new fabulous finds soon. Short of hitting an antique store, I'm doing all that's humanly possible. Stay tuned!

I've Been Looking - Really

Well, the title says it all: no yard sales, no interesting items at the local thrift stores. Nothing for the past few weeks. Today, I rode my new Schwinn out to the Value Village at Victoria Park and Eglinton. There wasn't much there: Woodland and Forest Fancies Pyrex, a dishwasher scuffed Pyrex refrigerator dish and nothing else of note for the kitchen.

I did find this charming hand-stitched hanging. I'll give you the first few lines. Be the best you can be! If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill, be a scrub in the valley - but be the best little scrub by the side of the rill. Be a bush if you can't be a tree... This is lovely. I'm going to fix it up and hang it outside my classroom in the fall. $2.99 was the price.
Speaking of school, I'm teaching grade 1 next year. I'm looking for rhyming books and this Dr. Seuss collection was just the job. The books were .99 each, but if you buy four, the fifth one is free.
I've been looking for something like this for ages. Duncan has a collection of dead insects, bones, shells, and other treasures from nature. I'll try to take a picture once he's put his collection together.
I'm always looking for "thank you" cards. There were two sets inside for $2.99.

Hopefully, I'll hit vintage thrift gold over the next few days. I live in hope. In the meanwhile, here's a sassy song and video for anyone who's ever thought about locking up someone and throwing away the key!

Erin