I laugh when people say they’re envious of my thrifting luck. Here in the suburbs of Chicago the thrifting is sparse and crappy. You have to cast a wide net (garage sales, church sales, kids clothing/toy sales, thrift stores) and really dig. And dig some more. Dig until the child or spouse or unlucky friend you dragged with you is dying of boredom and desperate to be free. The only saving grace is that out here in burbage lots of what I think is cute the other moms think is crap so while they’re battling it out over gymboree and gap I can sneak in and grab the garanimals. After exhausting 3 clothing/toy sales this weekend and a library book sale I made away with a few things.
a few books
this one, Wolfie by Janet Chenery, is a really cute story
some more betsy books for our collection
a few dresses for Phoebe. the red one is far too frilly but I couldn’t resist that embroidered collar.
I’ll have to snap a pic of Oscar in that garanimals shirt later today, it’s pretty cute.
Oh my gosh! We had that Wolfie book when I was a kid (over 30 years ago!). Nice score!
oh I love vintage books! Great finds!
Great scores! I too had some excellent Estate Sale luck this weekend. We have a LOT of garage sales in my area but you typically find Pottery Barn and West Elm which are NOT what I’m looking for and the sales tend to be waaay overpriced. It’s the same for me that most of the moms and I are not looking for the same treaures. Love the books 🙂
I loved Betsy, Tacy and Tib when I was little! I was Tacy, and my friend was Betsy and we had rotating Tibs. When my friend got married I found a copy of Betsy’s wedding for her – who knew they were collectors items?! (there is also an official fan club, based in the MN town where they take place, I never actually joined, it seemed a little too much!)
Man, I missed the library book sale again? I was just there yesterday! Yes you are right about the good finds thing. But good thing most people don’t like wool sweaters or old vintage sheets. Unless they are me of course.
Sounds like I just need to look a bit harder around here! Our thrift stores are very suburban-junky.
Recently, I’ve been feeling like I need to cut back on thrifting a bit. It’s obessive when you really get into it, and sometimes if a find a particularly nice score, my chest starts to race and I fear I might have a heart attack right then and there. Is there such a thing as thrift addiction?
Love the MHL… ahhhh the memories 🙂 Great finds… wish I had the gumption for thrifting!
Oh my, you’ve found garanimals! I haven’t seen those since I could fit in them myself.
I *need* to see that pic. 😉
I love the Betsy-Tacy-Tib books–some of my all-time favorites!
If you ever get out farther west, there is a great thrift store in downtown Geneva, Hi Hat House. I hear there are some great ones in Aurora, but that is a little far for me.
Oh my hat! I LOVED Wolfie when I was kid I’m 40*mumblesomethingobscured* now, but I completely forgot about that book! I also loved Ferdinand and Harold’s Purple Crayon and The Story of Ping – wow – you’ve sent me on a trip down memory lane!
Your thrifting story reminded me, however, of all my thrifting adventures I’ve dragged people along on. Although my Beloved Spouse(BSP) is very tolerant in general, I’ve been amused to find that they’re getting into thrifting for fabric with a will – diving into dark and murky or sometimes smelly corners and coming out with some treasure for me covered in spiderwebs with a triumphant smile. So was the darth vader fabric now washed and folded in my stash acquired. 🙂
If those BetsyTacy books came from the WPL, then look for my chocolate-smudge-prints from 25+ years ago in the pages! I loved those books.
These are really cute. We want that picture soon.
I love the Betsy Tacy books. I stumbled upon a full set of the books a few years back, all without slipcovers, however. So, I’m envious of that. Good work. I AM always impressed with your thrifty finds.
Betsy books are the best! I wonder what you have in your collection. I’m a Betsy and have recently started collecting the vintage versions of my childhood paperback collection. I’d love to see what you have!
You really hit the jackpot with these books. Wolfie was one of my younger brother’s all time favorites. I recognized the cover without even reading the title, and I’m almost 50! My all time favorites are the Betsy-Tacy books! I’ve read them countless times and, now, I get to share them with my students.
I’d never heard of Betsy-Tacy till recently – it’s not a Kiwi thing – but my girls and I are now completely in love with them!
I used to take good thrift shopping for granted when I lived in Chicago. I could easily come home with 15 Vera scarves and bags of cute linens on an average trip. Here in Minneapolis it’s a bit more of a challenge…The pickins are slim and the prices high…I have much better luck at estate sales. Still higher prices, but good stuff. This weekend I found a vintage Fisher Price popcorn ball toy and xylophone for my wee one for $3.00 each.
oh! And vintagekidsbooks…you are so right! I get high anxiety before heading out on estate sale or thrifting expeditions. And I want to literally kill when I see someone walking around the store/house with something I want. I always feel as if someone else is going to get all the good stuff when my back is turned! I don’t think it’s very healthy, but I can’t stop, I’m addicted as well!
sweet finds! no better fix than finding treasures at a yard sale or thrift store.
Oh well done you. You deserve it after all your hard work.
I just bought a book called Betsy with a B! I wonder if it is the same author! I love old children’s books! You found some great stuff!
the dress reminds me of Annie which was one of my favorite dolls/movies when i was little. 🙂
Oh, chop those sleeves off and make a cute sundress out of that red one!
It’s true about the thrifting. But your theory about getting what other moms aren’t into? I use that for my TJ Maxx excursions. I’ll seek out one in a town that thinks sparkly jeans are hot. Bound to be a few boring and simple things left for me there!
All day today, my every other thought was, “Gotta go to a flea market. Boy today would be perfect for a flea market.”
it’s true, all the thrifted items you show us are pretty darn cute!
maybe for the red dress you could make the sleeves short with elastic openings and then remove the lace from the collar? i’m sure whatever you do phoebe will look adorable!
that collar really is spiffy. reminds me of those vintage sweaters with embroidered roses on them. (w/a bullion stitch? or something like that.)
What great finds! I love to browse flea markets and thrift stores!
Tell me about it! I wish that there
was better junking here in the suburbs
of Chicago! I too feel like if I find
something good I have won the lottery!
I have also noticed that there is little
to not interest in vintage anything!
So if I find it it is not a big deal
to the other buyers or the seller!
So funny! I wish there was better
shopping here! Oh well!
Love your finds!
Rane
~~~~*~~~~
I am so jealous of your Betsy Tacy and Tib books. I think about those books sometimes, just think about them I loved them so much.
SCORE!!! Lucky you! Hope you had a fun St. Patty’s Day!~Smiles~Tam!
Oh, I love Betsy!
I was excited a couple of years ago when they were reprinted, but the new illustrations are yuck: lack the detailed charm that drew me in from the cover.
and you have them.
lucky. I mean: well earned by all the digging!
I look at posts like these – or amazing finds in general and I think I NEED to start thrifting too — maybe this spring/summer!
thanks for sharing — these look great!! 🙂 LOVED books are such great finds 🙂
Just a suggestion, I was reading The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real to my eight year old and she was telling me how much she enjoyed the story. I felt the same and was looking online for a bunny pattern so I could make one and didn’t find any that fit the description in the book where his hind legs were kind of flat. I would love to make one so if you are looking for a pattern to create, it would be a great one. I know it would also be perfect if you created it. 🙂
You just need go N friend. I don’t miss living in N. Chicago during the winters, but I do miss thrift store shopping in Kenosha and Racine, WI. Man, I found some great stuff there.
I too loved that story wolfie and had forgotten all about it- sweet.
i loved the betsey books when i was a young girl but our library only had two. i’ll have to search and see if i can still find some. so sweet and innocent!
I’m soooo jealous! I’ve been searching for Betsy-Tacy books for years and have only managed to score two!
Did any of you hear about the lead ink scare in older books? My SIL brought this up over lunch yesterday and I thought she was joking. As if I would throw out my precious old books because of something like this!! My husband asked her if she seriously thinks this could have affected them growing up and she said, “Yes, I believe you never reached your full potential.” From reading too many books as a kid?! Give me a break!! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090317/ap_on_re_us/lead_in_books
Sorry didn’t mean to rant but thought other collectors of old books might sympathize. At least I’ll be able to inherit her kids books if she decides to get rid of them!
It’s kinda cool that they are selling Garanimals again at Walmart (though I know the current offering is nothing like the vintage line).
I worked in the children’s department at a department store in high school and wondered at the time who would buy the “so not cool” Healthtex clothes. Now I find that is the brand I am scouring the thrift store for! Funny how our tastes change.
I don’t know, throw a black belt and some prairie boots with knee socks and that dress is going to look pretty cute!