Friday Find

Do you like to go to yard sales?  When I was a kid, my parents turned their noses up at a family friend whose entire family piled into the van and drove around to yard sales all Saturday morning.  The feeling has stuck with me, and I always feel uncomfortable looking through other people’s junk.  Then, a neighbor introduced me to this place.

On Wednesdays, all clothing is 1/2 off the ticketed price, and many times almost everything in the store is marked 50% off.  Lately I’ve been buying most of my kids’ and my own clothes here.  Name-brand jeans (like Old Navy, Chicos, and Ann Taylor) are about $3-4 a pair.  Can’t beat that! 

After the third or fourth time going, I realized there was a jewelry counter up in the front of the store, so I always make it a point to take a look in there before checking out.  I found these beauties laying upside down in the case this past Wednesday.

I think they are maple leaves and made of pewter or something heavy and rhinestones.  There is no sterling silver mark or maker’s mark.

I am guessing they are vintage since the backs are not for pierced ears and are screw-backs.  I have a thing for vintage jewelry and have bought quite a few pairs of earrings on Ebay.  I’m not sure these would have been high on my list, but they were only $1.99, so I couldn’t pass them up!

So, back to the whole yard sale thing…our neighborhood had a huge yard sale earlier this week.  My daughters and I drove down to one of the developments and spent two hours walking around.  The development is strangely laid out, and we found a table in an alleyway with tons of jewelry.  My kids spent about $10 on different necklaces and bracelets.  Only later, when we were in line at the post office and they were modeling their finds for me, did I look closely.  Everything was stamped .925 meaning it all was real silver.  Amazing!  I don’t know the going rate on precious metals, but I’m sure the necklaces are worth more than the $10 we paid for them all.  I wish we had bought more!

I’m hoping to share some of my thrift store finds on Fridays, hence the name Friday Find.  I love to see things my friend Donna at Donna’s Lavender Nest finds when she goes thrifting.  I haven’t seen anything quilting related at the Salvation Army yet, but I’m hoping for the day when I find a box full of feedsacks!