Best Thrifting Scores Ever

Today I found out that there is a blog devoted only to thrift stores in the Puget Sound.

Did you hear me?


I SAID THERE IS A BLOG DEVOTED ONLY TO THRIFT STORES IN THE PUGET SOUND. 

No, I'm sorry to yell, I just didn't think you seemed excited enough so I figured you probably didn't hear me.

The blog is called Thrift Shopper and it profiles the different thrift shops in the area and announces when they are having sales. Um. Thank you. Seriously. This is awesome.

I found out today that a new Value Village opened in Crown Hill and that they were having a 50% off sale. Guess where I made my husband go today? Yep, Value Village in Crown Hill is correct.

We got all kinds of cool stuff: games with alphabet tiles in them so we can make more Shower Art, 4 pairs of jeans, I got a blazer and a pile of pillowcases because I'm obsessed with embroidery right now. But let's forget about that for now.

Let's focus on a couple of really special items.

Like this coffee mug, for example.

You can see that it has the words "old fart" across the front. How wonderful is that? Could you pass that up for $1.99? Could you pass up the opportunity to drink coffee out of that mug on a regular basis? No, I submit that you could not. Neither could I.

The mug is great and all, but now I have to introduce you to Under Cover Cat:

Yeah, that is an Under Cover Cat. Let's get a close up because you may miss a few of the details: 

There we go. Now, do you see the GUN sitting in front of the cat? Yes, the Under Cover Cat has a GUN. He does. Plus, that beige fabric behind him is a TRENCH COAT. Yes, yes it is. 

Now, you may still be kind of unclear as to what exactly this is. Let me try to explain using phrases I find on the box: 

"Read the story. Assemble the secret puzzle. Solve the mystery"

So it must be like one of those super dumb murder mystery party games. But with a cat. A cat who has a GUN. 

"Story by John Lutz" -- and you open the box to find a biography of John Lutz: 

"John Lutz has written many short stories and novels including the novel on which the movie "Single White Female" was based" 

Wow. So he had to have written Under Cover Cat AFTER his gig with Single White Female. Which means things are not going well for John Lutz.

It goes on to say: 

"He has won numerous awards, among them the distinguishes Edgar Award."

Um....yeah, I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that he didn't win the distinguished Edgar Award for "Under Cover Cat." Are you with me?

Elsewhere on the box we get this description: "A knuckle gripping story...." Let me just stop you there. What the heck is "knuckle gripping?" That is not a thing. That is so totally not a thing, I don't even know what to say to you.

So, let's go over this again: It's a mystery. There is a cat with a GUN. It was written by the guy who wrote "Single White Female" after his life took a turn of some kind. It is knuckle gripping. And it is also a jigsaw puzzle. 

WTF.

If you would like to own Under Cover Cat, leave a comment on my blog, Facebook or Twitter explaining why you deserve Under Cover Cat and I will choose a winner. There is only one rule: you must read the story, do the puzzle, and report back later with your review of Under Cover Cat. 

It's like you'll be on assignment. Really, really dumb assignment.

Out of Line

I've been staring at this grey dress by Out Of Line for about a million years. Yesterday, some money I wasn't expecting landed in my lap.

So I finally bought it.

Here's a closeup of the stitching at the neckline: 

I can't wait to get it in the mail! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeee

The Wonderful-ness of Crafty Wonderland

On May 1st and 2nd Mr. Gale and I traveled to Portland, OR to sell Shower Art at Crafty Wonderland. This is the first year that they have done a Spring Show and to my knowledge - the first time they have done a two-day show.

The Pros: Lots of people came out to the show. It was obviously well advertised. There was a great variety of vendors -- and many of them. It was well organized and the communication with the organizers was clear and easy to understand. Lots of people took our cards and said things like, "Everyone I know is getting one of these for Christmas." Awesome!

The Cons: We didn't sell as much as we had anticipated. Lots of people were at the show, but they didn't seem to be spending lots of money. Comparing it to the holiday show is unfair though as there isn't a holiday of that magnitude that people are preparing for in May -- but it was still less than my devious, little mind allowed me to hope for.

In my opinion, the ideal situation for Crafty Wonderland would be to do a two-day show in December for the holidays and a one-day show in the spring.

Now, the fun part -- the awesome stuffs!:

Stuff Out of Things: 
I berated poor Brian about not being able to accept credit cards and he bent to my will and signed up for a service after the first day. Then, I bought these mugs. I love, love, love his stuff. I was tempted to buy a coffee mug that had the leg of an (by his estimation) 8 month old child attached. I would bring it to work and sip from it as though there was nothing strange at all about drinking coffee from a mug with a child's leg growing out of it. I would have too -- if the coffee at my work wasn't such swill. I can't bear to drink it out of anything. Check out Brian's Etsy Shop: ThingsOutOfStuff.

Bella Sisters: 
I didn't find a jacket that was perfect for me on this trip (which is really okay since I already have two) but Mr. Gale did. It has deer antlers on it. He's not here right now for me to take a picture...plus he hates it when I talk about him on the Internets. But seriously - these jackets are just about the best thing I've ever put on my body. You WILL agree.

Flying Bird Botanicals: 
Vanilla Rose flavored hot cacao mix? Really? How could I NOT buy that? Am I a zombie? No. No, I am not. It is delicious.

Whale Mountain: 
I saw these paintings/embroidery pieces last year during the holiday show and felt bad that I didn't get one then -- so I was thrilled that Whale Mountain was back for the spring. I am also glad I waited because now they have a series of pieces that are yoga themed and I've been re-committing to Bikram yoga over the past few months. It will be a great reminder what my priorities should be...once I make time to hang it up.

So, in short -- Crafty Wonderland totally worth the trip just for the craft show. BUT -- we got an extra added bonus because we got to stay with friends Merritt and Tim who took us to Slappy Cakes where they give you a squeeze bottle of pancake batter and let you go to town making pancakes at your table. Did I mention that the table is also a griddle? It's pretty much the best place I've ever been in my life.

Did you vend at Crafty Wonderland's Spring Show? Did you shop there? What awesome stuff did you buy?