The Elegant Thrifter

The Object of My Desire: A Bell for All Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite Christmas memories involves my childhood next-door neighbor Mrs. Barr. She was an independent, working-gal widow who liked a little nip in the evening and went all out to decorate for Christmas.

Her home was packed with antiques, an endless collection of pewter, and a fireplace that always had a roaring fire inside when the outside temperature dropped. When Dad mowed our yard in the summer, part of my sister's and my task was to gather the pine cones under the tree so they weren't propelled into the air like supersonic missiles. We saved them in bushel baskets and gave them to Mrs. Barr who loved the snapping and popping they made when she tossed them into her fire. They also added a delicious subtle pine scent to her warm and glowing den.

Mrs. Barr always invited my sister and me to help her decorate her tree. (We loved visiting Mrs. Barr, so much so that Mom limited our time with her so as not to annoy. To keep on schedule, Mrs. Barr set her oven timer so when it buzzed, it was time for us to head back home) Before the decorating began in earnest, we first had to choose a theme for the tree, which she had divided into many boxes. Would it be an all-white dove theme, or what about simple red ribbons? And for her fantastic mantle, she removed all the everyday antiques and replaced them with caroling figurines and characters from Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol," all lovingly wrapped in fragrant pine branches.

Mrs. Barr gave my sister and me each a porcelain bell back in 1975, and I have mine with me in New York. Every time I pick it up from the kitchen shelf where I keep it all year long and hear its fairy tale ring, I'm reminded of being home for Christmas.

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

Saturday Surprise! Psssst....Another Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:46:00 +0000

As I (barely, possibly, yet hopefully) make my way to Kansas City (via Cleveland, thanks to a cancelled flight), I wanted to tell you about a fabulous giveaway that the incredibly talented and generous Amy over at WhisperWood Cottage is offering.

Since much of the country is about to be blanketed in cold, wet stuff today, it's the perfect moment to stay inside where its warm and pay a little visit to Amy here and sign up for the chance to win a copy of The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details, which will be personalized by yours truly!

You'll love her site as you peruse through charming examples of witty creativity and elegant repurposing created by Amy and her hubby. Tell her The Elegant Thrifter sent you!

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous (and hopefully in Kansas City by the time you read this!)

The Elegant Thrifter

The Gift of Thrift: Fresh from the Laundry

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

As you know may know, LeAnn Stephenson, The Vintage Laundress, and I are like kindred spirits. When we get together not often enough, it's like we're long-lost kin playing a fast-and-furious catch-up. That was the case when I...ahem...worked in her booth during the Texas Round Top market this fall promoting my book The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details. While I was helping her tidy up her booth (with a glass of blush wine in hand....it was hard work, I promise!), I pulled together a mix-and-match collection of Christmas napkins and stashed them under the table.

During all of our sweat-inducing hard labor (ie. finding a bottle opener, gossiping about shoppers, eating mounds of Tex-Mex, popping open Diet Dr Peppers), I must forgot to take my special stash with me back to New York.

So when my birthday rolled around in October, what should arrive at my door but a pretty pink box wrapped in an innocent, white satin ribbon. I savored every moment of revealing this gift, for coming from LeAnn, you know it's sure to be packed with many a layer of surprise. Once the paper was removed, I inspected the mysterious box. Oh My Goodness! It was a solid, white container once holding a pair of silicone implants that her father-in-law had reserved for a patient by the name of Jena H, and her name was there in Magic Market right there on the box!

I shook the mystery package for safety and heard nothing but subtle shifting inside. I couldn't imagine what was inside! A boob? A bra? Or was the box a gift in and of itself? I was stumped. I slowly raised the lid and carefully peeled back the tissue only to be absolutely delighted by the holiday napkins that I left in LeAnn's booth.

I've waited until now to show off my fabulous holiday napkins that are the perfect, perky lift for celebrating the holidays!

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

Reuse & Repurpose: Shiver Me Timbers!

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Nothing gives me the happy holiday shivers more than spying Christmas trees fashioned out of re-purposed objects. Such was the case the other day as I was walking down Broadway in a downpour and gasped on viewing this book tree in the window of Brooklyn Industries, a retailer that sells cool clothes and always features vintage displays on its sales floor.

Crafted out of colorful old books, this holiday fantasy is built around a frame of re-purposed wood. Each tome is attached to the frame by a screw driven through each book's back jacket. The whole festive creation sits on top of an old air conditioner just in case you need an instant arctic blast.

If that weren't enough, while perusing one of my favorite blogs, Frippery, Pam Kern, the creative genious over there, stunned me off my chair with her fabulous tree decorated with vintage, souvenir ashtrays. What's more, she tempted me with one from the Show-Me-State of Missouri, which happens to be where I'm from and will spend Christmas.

Pam's ashtrays reminded me of buying these little souvenirs on family vacations even though nobody in our family smoked. Her collection strung on a tree adds a subtle shiny patina that on closer inspection tells a state-side story.

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous (and still trying to figure out what to do with my tree!)

The Elegant Thrifter

Fabulous & Fun: A Texas Getaway

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Looking for a nostalgic Texas getaway next summer? Well I think I might have found one at a retro-riffic cabin on Lake Diversion, Texas, crafted by the extremely talented college student Mickey Jordan over at Everyone Goes to Mick's.

At the age of 14, going on 15, Mickey says he purchased the cabin for a total of $310 and received the deed on Easter Sunday, 2005. Now you do the math.

What was once a dump of a two-and-a-half room cabin with no electricity, a porch that had its screen painted moth-pink and a window that was completely painted over has been transformed into the "Casablanca Hotel & Resort," complete with its own drive-in theater! Thanks to Mickey's loving touch, hard work and a dedication to bringing back injecting a 1950s charm into the derelict abode, it is now a heartwarming sight to behold.

While Casablanca is now closed for the season, Mickey made a slideshow so you can go visit it right now.

Be sure to make your reservation for next year!

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

The Find: A Reappearance!

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Thrift karma is magical, and just like I've noted this type of occurrence in The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects and Vintage Details, finding a partner of something discovered in my hometown of Independence, Missouri, at a flea market half-way around the world shouldn't be as much of a surprise to me as it was.

You might recall a pause in the video I showed you last and maybe a photo I showed you in August of a thrifty gift my dad boxed up and sent from home that included a batch of Rice Krispie Treats and a box of multi-colored "Small Forks" from the 1960s and made in Japan.

Well, its all-white version appeared at the Zagreb flea market in Croatia, reminding me of the package my dad sent me from home. The vendor said that it came from the estate of a family that had lived in Canada, and she wanted something like $10 for it. While I snapped a photo to remember these little treasures, the price was a little steep for my budget, so I decided to leave these tiny picks for another in desperate need of the perfect canape accessory.

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

The Object of My Desire: La Tour de Toothpicks

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Now why would I be surprised to learn that a woman who just might own a pair of doors belonging to Marie Antoinette would also have a piece of French history in the back of her shop....made entirely out of toothpicks!

While I was in West Palm Beach last month for a fabulous event at Gardenhouse, I strolled into Emilie-Marie's charming shop and was wowed by the the magical doors, but then Emilie parted a curtain and showed me this whimsical Eiffel Tower perched high upon a shelf.

Emilie's elegant eye spotted the tower at the Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts where she was lured by this 4-foot tower that has a working elevator that rises from its center with the pull of a string.

Not only did Emilie find a divine wooden object, but she she also uncovered a bit of history, recounted in a yellowed and tattered copy of the Worcester Sunday Telegram from October 25, 1942. A certain Thomas D. Flint meticulously constructed this scale model out of 18,000 picks "and the finest quality waterproof cement."

But the following comment delivered a chill: "Mr Flint's four-foot toothpick model of the Eiffel Tower, the original of which was built in 1889 and is now reported to have been torn down by the Germans for the salvage of metal...."

Today, if a beloved structure like the Eiffel Tower disappeared from the planet, we would be notified in seconds by the media. But I was reminded that back in 1942, daily newspapers and radio broadcasts were how most people received their news. Happily, the real Eiffel Tower still glows above Paris, and another Eiffel Tower commemorates a time when its fate was unbelievably in peril.

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous

The Elegant Thrifter

Sublime Sundays: A Country Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:23:00 +0000

Today, I'm sharing with you a page from a very special scrapbook Mom made for my birthday a few years ago. It's filled with images from Christmas of 1972 at my Grandma Churchill's house way out in the country near Mansfield, Missouri. Those Christmases were filled with fun, family and lots of good food. This was the year that I received a super-groovy, homemade fringed vest made out of vinyl. The photos on the top are of me opening my highly anticipated hippie gear, with my dad surveying the scene from the background. On the bottom left is me with Mom in Grandma's warm dining room, where I'm most certainly awaiting lunch, which featurd a huge pan of cornbread dressing and chicken. On the right is my sister, Cheryl, and me with Grandma and my cousin Gayle. Don't you love the handmade, fringed poncho that Cheryl is sporting? And it probably comes as no surprise to you to see that even then, I was a big ham for the camera.

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

The Gift of Thrift: A Bill and a Bow in a Box

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago when my pal Marino Krstačić-Furić was in town from Rijeka, Croatia, he mentioned his futile search for the fabled $2 bill, a paper denomination so rare these days that Marino asked me if, in fact, it actually existed. Had he been told some Croatian/American urban myth?

I assured him that the rarely-seen bill did, in fact, show its Thomas Jefferson face on occasion even though I haven't had one in my possession for years. That was about to change in a couple of weeks when I made a purchase at a Walgreen's in Fort Lauderdale and the clerk gave me a $1 coin and a $1 bill as part of my change. When I turned my nose up at the $1 coin, she said that she didn't have any more paper dollars in her till, and all she had was a $2 bill. "I want it!" I almost shouted.

I had just been passed the perfect gift to offer Marino on my own trip to Croatia just a few weeks later. I packaged the bill with a vintage bow tie in its original box that I paid 50 cents for at a synagogue rummage sale in Queens. It originally came from the old Klein's department store in New York and has "Made in the USA" stamped in red in the right-hand corner of its original box.

I always find it frustrating to find gifts for friends outside of The United States because hardly anything that I can afford or that strikes my fancy is made in this country. So I was especially pleased to offer this vintage, state-side goodie that cost me a grand total of $2.50!

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

Reuse & Repurpose: A Cooking Quandry

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Tired of cooking, but love your pots and pans? Why not take them along with your tea kettles, your funnels, your oil pitchers and your ladles and turn them into wall décor like they did at a restaurant called Alla Rampa near the Spanish Steps in Rome?

I was transfixed by this marvelous, metal wonder -- all tied together by similar shapes and variable sizes in a coppery finish for a subtle shine. But then I started to imagine attempting this with my own (might I also add....not-so-pretty) pots and pans in my Manhattan apartment. There would be singed bundt cake pans lining the living room, pitiful skillets and cookie sheets hanging out in the hallway, and blackened espresso pots and a dented teakettle mounted in the bathroom.

Yikes!

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous! (and always looking for more space to hide my sad cookware!)

The Elegant Thrifter

Fabulous & Frugal Fun: A Croatian Flea

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

I've traveled to Croatia several times, and always seem to miss the flea market that take place every Sunday in Britanski trg (British Square) of Zagreb, the country's capital city.

Just more than a year ago when I attempted to take in this flea, I came down with fast and furious case of food poisoning that dashed my hopes of discovery, but this time I was fit as a fiddle as I ventured out on a cold November morning to leisurely stroll through tables heaped with home goods, chandeliers dangling from poles, unusual antiques, and oh yes, postcards.

What I realized about flea markets in Croatia is that while the assortment is somewhat different, there's always something familiar about maneuvering through jostling bodies looking for a good deal and the excitement of stumbling upon a true find -- even if it is nothing more than a handful of printed plates from a tome of traditional costumes or a few, ahem, postcards!

But as you know, I go more for the opportunity to see unusual items that I don't get to see everyday. The experience is like a virtual postcard of memories -- one that I can call up anytime I like.

Why, in Zagreb, I felt right at home.

Here's a little video of my adventure.

Živjeli!

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

The Find: One Tile at a Time

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Words can be enchanting and encouraging, often helpful and sometimes hurtful. Maybe that's why a random mix of letters like those found on the tiles in a Scrabble board seem to provoke thought and inspire creativity wherever they are gathered.

I featured this photograph by Jim Franco in The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Store Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details because I was charmed by the way Yasmine McGrane from Maison Rêve carefully sorted vowels and consonants to offer welcoming words to a visitor or randomly grouped them in a vintage apothecary jar.

(Recently, though, one critic of The Find noted that bonne nuit wasn't correctly spelled in French. That is true in this picture, but anyone who's ever played Scrabble knows that you can only have seven tiles on your rack, and that there's probably an open ne just waiting for the bon moment!)

Deb over at Proper Prim had no trouble finding the right letters in a set of children's building blocks to set a joyful laundry theme that she displayed in front of a jar teeming with scrambled letters and a jumble of wooden clothes pins.

She perfectly placed the right letters together to turn the idea of a daily chore into a whimsical task full of colors that will never run.

The Los Angeles Times recently printed some funny words about me in its holiday survival guide. Read about how to handle drunk party guests and decline a holiday party right here!

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

The Object of My Desire: Winners Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:33:00 +0000

When I found the Rain-Runner in a Fort Lauderdale thrift store -- the grand prize for my Mystery Giveaway that'll be sent along with a personalized copy of The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details -- it evoked many memories of small-town ladies keeping their hair-dos from wilting in a Spring mist or from shriveling under a full-on downpour.

Of course, my Grandma Williams who lived in Mulberry,

Arkansas, came to mind. She was not a fashion plate, and I can't recall her ever wearing makeup, but oh-my-my goodness, her pride and joy was her hair. Being a preacher's wife, she got her hair done every Saturday so she always looked her Sunday's best. I always think of that funny Southern saying, "The higher the hair; the closer to God." Now I wouldn't go so far as to say she had a super-big bouffant, but it was thick, white and wavy, meticulously coiffed, and never moved an inch even when met head-on with a mighty gust of wind. Toward the end of her life, even though the occasion for her to go out in public dwindled, her hair did not, as she always made it to the beauty parlor to have her hair puffed back to perfection.

So before I get all sappy over a rain bonnet, let me reveal the winners of my first Mystery Giveaway. Since I'm the one doing the giveaway, there are now three prizes.

FIRST PRIZE

Someone who follows me anoymously by the name of "Lurky" guessed that the mystery gift was "one of those plastic hair caps that my mother always had in her purse in case a raindrop fell" with the second clue on December 1 at 10:41 PM.

Now "Lurky," you have a choice. You may select the Rain-Runner from Fort Lauderdale OR the red ILGWU rain cap featured below that I purchased for 10 cents at a rummage sale in Independence, Missouri. It'll come along with your personalized copy of The Find. I promise not to reveal your identity, so just email me your shipping and personalization instructions at theelegantthrifter@gmail.com. (I'll give you a week to respond, but then I'll need to pass the choice of bonnets off to the second prize winner.)

SECOND PRIZE

LuLu Kellogg at Coastal Sisters chimed in a mere hour-and-a-half later guessing a vintage rain bonnet. Once "Lurky" decides which bonnet he or she wants, then I'll send you the other piece of fabulous headgear along with a personalized copy of The Find. Email me at theelegantthrifter@gmail.com with your shipping and personalization instructions and I'll have your goodies in the mail as soon as I hear what "Lurky" has selected.

THIRD PRIZE

Shara at the Monkey Box guessed on December 3 at 11:25 that the mystery gift was in fact a rain bonnet "folded just right so you can never get it back correctly." I'm going to send Shara a personalized copy of The Find as well. So Shara, just like the others who have a rain-bonnet second sense, send me instructions to theelegantthrifter@gmail.com and I'll have it out to you in no time.

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous....come rain or shine

The Elegant Thrifter

Saturday Surprise! Bok! from Zagreb

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:59:00 +0000

Since I have only had dribs and drabs of Internet access in Zagreb, Croatia, I've been moderating all of your patient comments from afar on my cranky BlackBerry. I return to New York filled with inspiration and ideas that I'll be sharing with you during the rest of the year. I met the Martha Stewart of weddings here in Zagreb, and just to tease you with the emerging in this charming city, here's a photo of an elegant lady made of silk roses and candle wax posing in a fabulous window in a brand new parfumerie.

And yes...I made a video...flea marketing in Zagreb that I'll post next week after announcing the winner of my first give-away. I'm brewing up some consolation prizes, so I'll announce those as well.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Elegant Thrifter

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

Mystery Giveaway: Let It Pour!

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

With a vintage flourish and a bit of thrifty fanfare, the mystery gift is revealed: The Rain-Runner rain bonnet made by André Fantasies Originals right here in Fort Lauderdale! While I can't identify the exact era of this lovely mesh nylon mass of protection, being that its style name is the Bouffant, "perfect for any hairstyle," tells me it must have been from the 1960s or 1970s.

Furthermore, the copy on the packaging rings true to that used in the Mad Men decade: "Let it rain! Let it Pour! Your Rain-Runner keeps your coif in perfect shape!" Or maybe this promise: "Your Hairdo Stays Bone-Dry in A Driving Rain!"

Visit me on Monday, December 7 to congratulate the new owner of the fabulous Rain-Runner and a personalized copy of The Find: The Housing Works Boo of Decorating With Thrift Shop Decorating, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details.

Now I would never wish anyone to have bone-dry hair, but a perfectly shaped coif? Why not?

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

Mystery Giveaway: Clue Number Four

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:37:00 +0000

What a major clue to divining the identity of the thrift-store mystery gift I'm revealing tomorrow! Why, I'm practically handing its identity to you on a vintage, toll-painted tray. If that's not enough, let me add this: the little Morton Salt girl might not need such a gigantic umbrella if she had my mystery gift.

Have you got it? Do you need more clues? Go look at the past three day posts, and I bet you can figure it out by now. I'll reveal the mystery gift tomorrow and announce the winner on Monday, December 7.

Remember, to sweeten the deal I''ll also be sending the winner of this contest a personalized copy of my book The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details.

Today's clue is a little late, since it didn't post as scheduled, and I had to go to a local coffee shop in Zagreb, Croatia to find Internet service. There may be more than two winners because someone or something may have already guessed it. Hmmmmmm. and I might be throwing in some consolation prizes once I study the results on return to New York.

Get your thinking cap on!

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

Mystery Giveaway: Clue Number Three

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

To nudge you along toward guessing the mystery gift I'm offering in my first giveaway ever, I thought I'd show you a few pictures of the kinds of gals who would go giddy-a-gaga over it.

Kate and Cindy from the B-52's would most certainly party out of bounds if they had one of my little mystery gifts. (There's only one, so if they win, they'll have to share!)

Marge Simpson would always look especially alluring for Homer if she had my mystery gift.

Amy Winehouse might not have needed re-hab had she had my mystery gift handy.

Dolly Parton would flip her wig for my mystery gift. (But I bet she has thousands!)

Are you scratching your head in confusion yet? Or do you have a clue? If you need more hints, go back and look at the two previous posts this week for a few more hints. Leave me a comment, and the first one who guesses it wins. The mystery gift will be revealed on December 4, and the winner on December 6.

Oh....and since this is such a silly gift, I've decided to add a personalized copy of The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details.

The Elegant Thrifter

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

Mystery Giveaway: Clue Number Two

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Now this glamour gal most certainly would have appreciated the mystery gift I'm offering to the first person who guesses it correctly. While Mom wore makeup sparingly, during warm weather instead of stockings she applied leg makeup for a summer sheen and prayed that it wouldn't rain. I'm most certain Mom also had a version of this lovely, lady mystery gift.

If you're new to this game, take a peek at yesterday's post for Clue Number One. Leave a comment and give me your best guess. The mystery prize will be revealed on Friday, November 27, and the winner announced on December 7.

The Elegant Thrifter

Always Frugal, Always Fabu-lash...I mean...Fabulous!

Mystery Giveaway: Clue Number One

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Since it was just Thanksgiving, and just to show how thankful I am for all of my blogger friends who have supported me in my pursuit of all things thrifty, I'm presenting my very first giveaway.

The rules are very simple. Each day I will give you a clue to help get your creative juices flowing. The first person who leaves a comment with the correct answer will be the winner, but the prize will not be revealed until December 4.

The prize is not a grand object, but something I found to be funny, and does provoke many memories from my childhood.

Keep in mind that I won't be able to announce the winner until December 7. By the time you read this, I will be in Croatia, just having left Rome for a few days. But I didn't want you to think I had forgotten about you, since I never do, so let's start with Clue Number One.

While in Fort Lauderdale, I visited Faith Farm Thrift Store, a crazy thrift-o-rama the likes I've never experienced. As soon as I walked inside the main building and went up the stairs, I experienced the thrift trance when I spied six cardboard boxes overflowing with party goods and other odd objects marked half-off. I dug through Christmas name cards, party horns and bundles of paper streamers until the mystery item appeared and took my breath away. I whisked it away with a huge roll if pink ribbon for a grand total of 75 cents.

Oh, and it's right here, inside this plastic bag.

Any wild guesses?

The Elegant Thrifter

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Gift of Thrift: Train an Old Bag New Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Here's another oldie from the past, but with gift-giving time coming up, I thought this might give you some ideas.

As you may know, I make Hooch Bags that make a perfect little something for that saucy, someone special in your life. Basically, they're vintage bags filled with funny money, a nip of booze, a vintage surprise and candy cigarettes making for a naughty-but-nice gift. It's like a party in a handbag -- all concealed in pretty wrappings

This is one of the first bags I made last year out of a 1960s satin, beaded clutch in perfect condition that I ran across at a Housing Works thrift shop. And since my best gal pal Bevy Smith's birthday was coming up, it seemed predestined for her.

About the same time as finding the bag, I was dumfounded to discover a heap of vintage shopping bags in the recycling pile. I gasped when I spied among them a Bonwit Teller bag from the famous department store that closed its doors in 1990. Now this bag held special significance for me, since it reminded me of the stories Bevy shared with me about her parents purchasing school clothes for her and her siblings at Bonwit Teller and the warm memories she holds for a department store that only lives in memory.

From there, everything started to fall magically into place. I took the beaded bag and filled it with miniature bottles of rum and vodka and nestled them among bills of faux dough. Bevy's own Hooch Bag had finally started to materialize! Enough money in the world couldn’t buy Bevy the jewels she deserves, so I settled instead on the gloriously photographed book, Alchemy: A Passion for Jewels by Temple St. Clair, the inimitable jewelry designer, and wrapped it up in lavender tissue. The crowning moment came when I propped a vintage fan from the 1960s honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. and Bobby Kennedy inside a bed of silk violets that I bought in Manhattan’s floral district, all peering out of the top of the shopping bag.

If you'd like me to make a Hooch Bag for a special occasion or even a holiday gift, email me at theelegantthrifter@gmail.com and I'll give you all the details.

And remember, on Monday, November 30th, my first ever mystery giveaway begins. I'll be giving clues all week long, reveal the prize on Friday, December 4, and finally announce the winner on December 7. I hope your Thanksgiving was a wonderful moment shared with family and friends!

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

Reuse & Repurpose: Hanging Around

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

ET Note: Since I'm in Rome today as you are reading this post, I decided to bring back an old piece about a friend in Croatia (whom I'll see in a few days!) who is a master of reuse and repurpose. Oldies are still goodies, right?

Who says you can’t hang a chandelier in the bathroom?

Definitely not Marino Krstacic-Furic, my Croatian friend in whose apartment I stayed on a recent trip to Croatia. Marino saved this shimmering wonder from an apartment that was being re-decorated after being left in a time warp for nearly 50 years.

To help his thrift find ease its way into its future home -- a black-and-white themed bathroom, with the mysterious dark hue on the walls and hand-drawn designs on the windows -- he applied a coat of black spray paint over the old light fixture that was once a tacky gold tone bejeweled with clear glass drops. Marino’s re-do is a real attention-getter, keeping watch from a birds-eye view above your head.

You see its mysterious, regal reflection as you brush our teeth in front of the bathroom mirror or marvel at it as you towel off after a quick shower. What was once most certainly destined for the local garbage heap now resides in a place of honor, thanks to Marino’s expansive imagination and a can of black spray paint.

Just so you know that I'm still thinking of you this Thanksgiving while I'm away, my first giveaway starts on Monday, November 30. Nothing too grand, but a little something I found amusing in Fort Lauderdale, and I hope you will, too! All my best to you and yours....and know how thankful I am for all your visits to The Elegant Thrifter.

The Elegant Thrifter

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

Fabulous & Frugal Fun: Sweet Treats

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Even though I baked these goodies for a birthday party back in October, I would make the cake again for a festive, fall gathering like Thanksgiving. I found inspiration in the October issue of Southern Living where they made mini pumpkin cakes out of specially shaped tins, drizzled them with a rum glaze and then topped them off with leaves and tendrils fashioned out of pressed out caramel.

Of course, everywhere I went was sold out of the pumpkin-shaped tins, so I bought two smaller bundt pans and used the same recipe to make a big pumpkin. It needed to cook about 20 minutes longer than the recipe suggests. But let me tell you, this pumpkin-y delight is so delicious and easy to make that I've already made it twice. And since I'm not one to leave well enough alone, I paired it with a plate of chocolate cupcakes with coordinating icing!

I'd love to send you a sampling, but instead, why not start visiting me on Monday, November 30, when I start my very first mystery gift giveaway. I can assure that this silly little item I'm offering will travel much better than a slice of cake and I don't recommend that you attempt to eat it.

The Elegant Thrifter

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Find: A Desk to Remember

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

The other day while thrifting in Fort Lauderdale at the Faith Farm Thrift Store, I saw a desk that reminded me of the one that I've shared with you in my author photo that appears in The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details. I'll show it again since after shaving the 'stache I now look like I did when I perched on the desk from my college thrifting years for the photo taken by Bob Greenspan in my sister's back yard.

The desk I'm sitting on was found in the early 1980s for $10 at a Goodwill in Independence, Mo. I used it when I was in journalism school and wrote many term papers banged out on my dad's old Smith Corona manual typewriter. It had dings and scratches abound, but my dad lovingly refinished it and it now lives in my sister's home office.

The desk I spied in Fort Lauderdale reminded me of the one in Independence, even though it is twice the size of the one my dad restored. I fantasized about purchasing it for the $19 asking price, but if I had, not only would I have had to ship it, but in my Manhattan apartment it would have had to serve as a work space a dining table, a dresser, a craft table and a credenza!

Be sure to visit visit my space next week for my very first giveaway. I'll start giving clues to the mystery gift on Monday, December 30. I will give you a tiny clue right now. It came from the same place I saw this desk, but I can assure you that it will fit cozily in your mailbox.

The Elegant Thrifter

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Object of My Desire: Behind the Queen's Doors

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

A treasure can be almost anything that has a soul -- something that has lived a life full of memories and brings to the present its regal provenance or scintillating story. Or this glorified object might just be so inspiring in its presence that whatever history woven around it-- imagined or real -- is fulfilling solely for its charm and inspiration.

That's the kind of object I stumbled upon when I met the enchanting Emilie-Marie who runs a jewel of a vintage and antiques shop in West Palm Beach Florida just down the road from Gardenhouse where we celebrated The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift. You'll want to visit her, too, at her new blog emiliemarieliving.blogspot.com.

I could tell that Emilie was genuinely intriguing, especially when I saw this door leaning against the wall behind her sales counter. (Never mind the fire extinguisher in the photo. I was so fixated on the door when I shot this image that I didn't even notice it hanging there!)

I gasped as I laid my gaping eyes on a logo that appeared to be those of Marie-Antoinette, and could barely contain my excitement as Emilie told me the story of how she found four doors in France that called her name. She explained that since everything at Versailles had been

destroyed on the fabled queen's demise, it's almost impossible to authenticate them as much as she has tried.

While the signature details -- the intertwined initials and the flourishes that surround them, are spot-on for identifying them, no sketches of them exist, nor is there any historical data that places them 100 percent in the royal residence. Whether they are actually Marie-Antoinette's doors is up in the air, but she has been able to date them back to the same era as the queen, and either way they conjure up dreamy imagery of the royal court of Versailles.

Marie still has two of the doors from her original discovery and at times has advertised them for sale, but she really doesn't seem to want to part with them, and nor would I!

Get ready for my first giveaway that starts next Monday, November 30. I'll give you hints each day as to the thrifty item I procured. It's far from anything as grand as these doors, but it conjured up so many funny memories of my childhood that I had to have it....maybe just for you!

The Elegant Thrifter

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

Sublime Sundays: Buona Fortuna!

noreply@blogger.com (The Elegant Thrifter) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:19:00 +0000

I tossed an 50-cent Euro coin (that's just more than $1!) into the Trevi Fountain in Rome last night, hoping that the low dollar exchange rate will bring me -- and you -- much luck in the coming week!

The Elegant Thrifter

(Mostly)Always Frugal (in the U.S. and not used to tossing more than a dollar into the water), Always Fabulous!