Awesome Thrift Store Finds

I heart thrift stores.  It's thrilling to find something of value for a bargain, especially when it can't be bought anywhere else because it's no longer made or it's one of a kind.  It's also satisfying to know that each purchase serves as a good deed in the form of a donation to charities, such s Goodwill and the Salvation Army.  I'm fortunate to have a nearby, local store to support.  Martha’s Outfitters is the community thrift store in the U Street area, which works in hand with Martha's Table to combat poverty in the short term with food and clothing programs and in the long term with education and family strengthening programs.  Super awesome, right?  Well, here are some of the fun finds I've gotten at Martha's.

Iron planter with blue and white checkered tiles.  I'm obsessed.  This is one of my super favorite pieces in our garden now.  There's some chipping on the tiles, but it adds to the charm.  $8. 

What appears to be a pretty glass lamp with an inverted hole on the bottom functions as a bug catcher.  There might be a more formal term, but that's what I call it.  The logic is that the bugs can easily fly in from underneath and once inside, they're unable to escape. 

The bottom is filled with sugar water, fruit, or anything that bugs would be attracted to.  I used water and pieces of apple as my bait.  It's a little gross to see, but I wanted to show that it really works!  And how adorable is that cute glass bug topper! This is probably the most elegant way to catch bugs, and for $3, it's a steal.

Check out these fabulous plates!  They're from Williams Sonoma, the Fleur De Lys Dijon collection, discontinued in 2007.  I found that replacements can still be ordered online for $15/plate.  I got these puppies for 50 cents each, thank you very much!

On the very same trip, just as I was walking out the store thinking of what I should serve on my fun, new plates, I saw this dragon on the windowsill.  It was love at first sight.  He's colorful, has beautiful eyes, and lo and behold, he's also a creamer! I knew I had to take him home with me so I paid the $2 price tag, although I would have paid more.  After shaking his head at my ridiculous infatuation, Hubs agreed that the dragon would actually go well with his new favorite menacing morning mug, also a recent thrift store purchase for 75 cents.  After several rounds of vetoing names for our new residents, we finally narrowed it down.  The runner ups were Mean Mug and Vladimir.  Hubs and I agreed that knighthood was part of a dragon's natural posture, but he insists that, in this case, the both of them should have the title Agent for maximum impact.  We compromised; I'm pleased (along with Talula) to introduce our beloved Sir Smoulder and Agent Skully.