thrifty finds and safe cell phone use


Hello and happy Friday to you all.  I thought I'd share a quick post about my incredible luck in finding some really cool thrifty things lately.  Since I've been working on that side project I've found myself at the Goodwill and yard sales quite a bit over the last couple of months.  I've shared them on Instagram but I don't want you to be left out.:)  Top picture is of a little $1 gem I found at a yardsale. The work that went into this little pillow is amazing and I feel so lucky to now own it.





Early last year Eshakti sent me this maxi skirt and I just never got around to wearing it until now. They are still doing such a great job with their semi-custom clothing.  I also still adore those Who What Wear linen tees available here at Target.  The little yellow necklace was also a $1 find.



This trunk on the porch was free as it was sitting in my neighbors trash can.  It's old and sturdy and had nothing wrong with it.  I wonder why they didn't donate it to the Goodwill instead of sending to the landfill.  No worries, I saved it.




I found this darling chow table at the Habitat for Humanity Restore for just $5.  It's so well made and just needed a fresh coat of black paint.  Perfect for my side project.




M found 8 of these Haviland dessert plates at a yard sale and gave them to me.  The Greek key border is so perfection.

The moral of this post is that you can find ANYTHING second hand if you are patient.  It astounds me every single time.

In other news, the detoxing is still going on here.  I mean I have it all sorted out as far as household and personal products but I'm signed up with the EWG consumer guides for emails and just got this one talking about the research study on cell phone use.  Here are 5 tips for safer cell phone use.  I think we've all kinda joked about cell phones and cancer but it's a real concern and what is more disconcerting is that little kids now use cell phones too.  Changes need to be made people.

Talk soon and have a most lovely weekend. xo


34 comments

  1. I wish I'd gotten bitten by the bug of secondhand goods earlier in my life. I'd be living with things of greater quality, with history...and more unique. And maybe I'd have a fatter bank account. Yes, I'm often floored with what people put out with the trash. A neighbor was moving and had a beautiful (full) set of ceramic canisters (flour,coffee, etc.), a black-iron/scrollwork etagere and an amazing vintage decor item of a Cloisonne enamel mama duck with six ducklings (brass & copper, with gorgeous blue color). Yes, I took all three items but there was a lot of other stuff. I thought the same thing...landfill; really? It wasn't even freecycle. This stuff was actually put out for the garbage truck.

    Thanks for the info about cell phones. I can't go back...but, for too many years to count, I thought it was so important to have the cell phone very near me while I slept in case of emergency...a call from my ill/elderly parents (more than once, I did get that call when they needed our help, most often from the Lifeline service); earthquake; a break-in. Right on the headboard shelf of the bed, mere inches from my brain. Or, when my husband would travel so much and I was alone, I'd clip the cell phone (don't laugh) into the 'pocket' of my bra...in case for some reason I needed to call for help if I fell in the yard or something, and nobody was around to know if I was alive or dead. God knows my exposure...if I allow myself to think about it, I go nuts. And, yeah, I'm a cancer survivor, three years and counting. I've had scary, invasive cancer which included major surgery and four days in the hospital; I'm in remission but I'm still checked out every 90 days; fingers crossed. So, who knows. Who knows what causes what. Vulnerable! We often find out info we needed to know, too late. In the 70s, there was a big scare about hand-held hair dryers with asbestos linings; I can remember being incensed, writing to the manufacturers, because I'd been using a hair dryer like that since my teens. I'm just waiting for them to finally come out with the real skinny on BPA in canned food while it's hashed back and forth that, yes, it's harmful; no, it's not harmful.

    I love the yellow midi. Yellow is such a hot color in fashion this Spring/Summer'16!! It's on all the red carpets and I think the designers are having fun with it.

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    1. thank you for your comment vicki, as always so full of info! i'm really happy that i got the 2nd hand bug early. it's no wonder my kids have it too.:) i too keep my cell phone on my nightstand but i'm starting to rethink that idea too. i think i'll leave it on the kitchen table. it's only a few steps away but i think that distance would be better. i worry for my grandchildren's future with all these toxins we are exposed to that until recently i didn't even think about. i pray for your continued health and clear check ups.
      i'm loving bright colors lately, i don't know what's gotten into me but i'm happy i've been bitten by that bug. take care. xo

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    2. Yellow suits you so well! The skirt is a lovely eyecatcher.

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  2. I have to tell how I love your blog♡ I treat it as a wonderful magazine or a favorite book filled with so many good things. You have inspired, encouraged and taught me through the last few years. My husband had a heart attack and surgery about 8 years ago..that started a new beginning for us after we could no longer keep up our business. Life goes on..im happy and thankful for all I have a new starts. I have a small wardrobe..which i love..simple meaningful decor...eating healthier as ive taken many recipes from your blog. I enjoy my garden now and lifes beautiful landscape. I even love olive oil for a wonderful moisturizer♡ You truly inspire in so many ways and I thank you♡

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    1. nancy what a lovely comment and thank you for all the sweet things you've said. i'm so happy you've gotten something from this blog. that really astounds me...really! i'm glad you are enjoying your garden and you and your husband have what sounds like a new lease on life. take care. xo

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  3. That pretty yellow skirt will keep you cool in summer, Janet. And your porch looks so pretty. Great finds too! X.

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    1. thank you pp sweetie. it is quite hot here in the summer but everywhere you go it's heavily air conditioned so you are either v hot or v cold. the maxi is perfect for this weather! xo

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  4. Janet we live in precarious times....I Try to be better because you inspire me, be mindful of what I buy ,
    and use in our home and especially what I use on my body...
    Bon Ami and vinegar are the two top performers!
    Thank you for raising our awareness......
    XO

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    1. you are so right leslie. i know you are a grandmother too and it's frightening thinking our babies are being exposed to so many harmful things that seem to be necessities nowadays. heaven help us all! and thank you...xo

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  5. Scared of my cellphone now! The skirt is lovely and your thrifty finds are great. I'm a big fan of garage sales and just this morning I found my favorite Waterhouse painting in a lovely frame for $10. Happy!

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    1. i know lostroses! i am scared too. at work it's always in my apron pocket so i'll have to start leaving it in my handbag. it seems to have become such an essential part of my life and i need to question that. plus my wrists already take a beating ea day so why add to it with the phone right?! congrats on your find, isn't it exciting?! xo

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    2. This is so funny Janet, like you I resisted getting a cell phone for the longest time. (I remember when you mentioned that in a couple posts years back) And now I can't imagine not having one. But my husband and I have yet to get an iPhone or any kind of smart phone. I know we will some day but for now we are holding out.

      L

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  6. You inspire me! Need I say more? I love coming to your blog--I always leave feeling a little bit more in the loop! :)

    Jane

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    1. why thank you jane, so sweet of you to say. it's hard staying in the loop not to mention scary at times! xo

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  7. Love your gorgeous skirt and amazing thrifty finds..you set a wonderful example to your fans.

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  8. Hi Janet,

    You certainly did well on your garage sale and Goodwill finds! I especially love that trunk. (I found a very nice pillow cover for 50 cents recently)

    I find it frustrating when people just put perfectly good things out in the trash. On a few occasions we have had some large items (a ceiling fan, a basketball hoop) and put them by our driveway with a "free" sign. They were picked up within hours. I was looking at someone's instagram recently where they had scored a very large and beautiful fiddle leaf fig...their neighbors were moving and just set it out with the trash!

    Great skirt too! :)

    Linda
    xo

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    1. i shudder to think what our landfills are going to be like in 20 years. something has to change. the zero waste people will lead the way i'm sure. instead of paying for trash service i think we will be penalized heavily either by weight or size. i'm sure it will come to something like that. yay on the .50 pillow cover. take care my friend. xo

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  9. You look gorgeous in that yellow skirt! I love the tapestry cushion, I'd be sewing it on the back of a denim waistcoat, it seems a crime not to wear it.
    How could anyone chuck out a trunk like that or at least not donate it to charity? Beggars belief. Glad you rescued it. xxx

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    1. wow vix, that is such a good idea re the needlepoint. that would be one special jacket! thanks! xo

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  10. couldnt agree more about keeping diligent and patient when thrifting. The exact, perfect thing will always come around at the price you want to pay if you wait for it. But I also believe in the karma of thrifting and donating. I know that makes me sound like a douche but I think that it's good to keep the energy flow of not just scouring the store for good deals but donating good stuff one could also perhaps sell. I think with Goodwill particularly one seems to be rewarded for feeding both sides. Last summer I had a giant dinner and needed more bread plates but was already like twelve million dollars over what I wanted to spend. so I went into Goodwill hoping to find something similar to Wedgwood Nantucket. First thing I saw when I walked in was a stack of 24 Wedgwood Nantucket bread plates at $1 each. But then on the back I saw that they had been marked down to $.5 each! I actually just donated them back a few weeks ago because I hadn't used them since. Had the same thing happen with a faux bamboo desk, brass candelabras, a 36" round table with pedestal leg, and a magenta 80s prom dress.
    Luckily I pretty much refuse to talk on the phone so hopefully I'll be okay.

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    1. This comment plunged me into thought about the honorable aspect of recycling/thrifting-donating. Energy flow; perfectly stated. I love going to the thrift stores now but they do indeed need the help; sometimes their shelves and tables are pretty darn bare. I've been mega-decluttering for the past two years (inherited 'way too much stuff from too many relatives) and really reluctant to let a lot of it go that I know I can get good money on...but it slows you down, trying to price everything, finding a place to stash it while you're sorting/doing; and my husband cannot STAND having yard sales. So, I've pondered a lot about the freedom of just letting go. We've put so much stuff out for freecycle and craigslist-for-free (bigger items) and, man, they disappear like hotcakes! I put out some really nice sofa end-tables (again, for free) and a delivery person who happened to be in the neighborhood and was driving by put them in his truck; had a great idea of how he wanted to refinish them as a surprise for his wife; made me happy. Somebody else's trash is clearly somebody else's treasure, of course. Yes, there's real heart and value in the donating cycle. And I'm trying to spread it around because I know of, besides Goodwill, a local thrift store that benefits an animal rescue group where my cousin volunteers; Salvation Army has actually helped people with whom I've been acquainted but in my locale, they're just not near me nor will they pick up; and I'm also donating to a rescue mission which helps displaced people, i.e. having lost a home, like due to a fire; homeless for all kinds of reasons. More and more, propelled now by your post, too, I'm seeing merit in doing it this way rather than trying to make some small profit on my own (which just feels 'not worth it' in terms of time and trouble when you're trying to go full-speed ahead in the 'cleaning out' which we're making another big push toward this month when my husband is off work for a few weeks; then, I think I'm about done, finally). It's so liberating to live life with manageable belongings, as Janet has been gently guiding us toward for so long...her beautiful and calm home as living proof.

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    2. oh i believe in that too SA. just last weekend we took a car full of donations to the GW and while unloading it all i saw a beautiful faux orchid that was in a box of donations. i asked the gentleman working if i could purchase it and he said it would be a heck of a lot easier on him if i just took it. so i did. lol such a great story about the wedgewood. i totally believe it bc that's just how it works most of the time thrifting. but what i'm dying to know about is the magenta prom dress. xo

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    3. and vicki, i'm with you on donating, it's good karma and also such a hassle to do garage sales. x

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    4. Wow! Such good point Stephen. I often drop off donations and think to myself, okay maybe I will find something fab next time, because I just made a good donation. But, I never thought about it on the good karma level you speak about, and the donating circle of life. My perception has certainly shifted!

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  11. Your porch looks great. I love the floor painted in black and white stripes.
    My brother is a prodigious thrifter. He's recently been downsizing and gave me
    a too cool sixties lamp. I brought it in the house, put it in my kitchen, and I swear
    the skies opened and the angels started to sing. It was decorator heaven. Instant perfection.
    I could not have found a better item anywhere. So much of the fun of thrifting is you get
    unique pieces you just can't buy anywhere else.
    Bernadette

    Bernadette

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  12. I think YOU are BETTER then I AM at FINDING TREASURE!I adore that YELLOW SKIRT on YOU!
    I SAW MEYERS at my hardware store was that the BRAND of cleaning products you spoke of?MY MEMORY Is ZIP lately...................KEEP HUNTING!

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  13. Hi Janet. I agree with everyone. I've fonated tons of stuff over the years always trying to find worthy charities. The current one is a wonderful kill-free shelter for all kinds of animals. The other is a charity for children. I recently donated an old electric piano and my older guitar to a music program for disadvantaged children who have talent and desire but cannot afford an instrument. It feels so great to benefit these causes. And I've purchased some wonderful items as you have from these and other charities. Your blog is so beautiful and inspiring. You show how one can have a life full of beauty without adding to landfills and toxins and waste. Thank you, Janet, for Shari g YOU with all of us. Janice Collins, Washington DC

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  14. Hopefully my post won't show up twice, it disappeared when I went to post it. I love the maxi skirt on you, I wish I was tall enough to wear one.

    And your pantry is on the Kitchn/Apartment Therapy website! I think it's the prettiest one. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/organization-orgasms-21-well-designed-pantries-youd-love-to-have-in-your-kitchen-231535?amp=&utm_campaign=xpostJUNE&utm_medium=web&utm_source=tk

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    1. thank you wendy for the apt therapy link. it appears most of the commenters don't like the pantries. lol

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  15. Gorgeous finds. Particularly that table. Well chosen!

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  16. I love seeing your finds Janet! I think you said it best, it takes patience. And, I fell I find more when I really get myself out there on a regular basis, but it is fun to have that random lucky day, even if you are not a regular thrifter! Thanks for the cell phone link.

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  17. Hi Janet, would you do a post on going vegan and how you dealt with the challenges (assuming you had some)? I find I come home from work exhausted and it's so easy to just get crappy takeout rather than try to cook healthfully. Any advice? Was it an easy transition for you? What did you eat in the beginning? I've read all the popular Dr. sites and books like Dr. Fuhrman, Dr McDougall, Dr. Barnard, etc, but would really like to hear about the transition from someone who does it so well (I've seen your recipes and meals!).
    Thank you, Rachel

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    1. hi rachel. yes i will do another post on that. i'm sorry but i'm super busy right now and it will prob not be right away. i do have a post up here called why i am vegan that might be helpful to you in the meantime. i know being vegan does take more work b/c to be a healthy vegan requires a lot of prep in the kitchen. that is key. i have to think about my meals in advance or else i'm sunk! xo

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kindness is never out of style.

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