~ Goodwill Goodies ~

Good day, lovlies!

After hearing all of your stories about the great finds you've uncovered at your local thrift stores, 

you inspired me.

I decided that I had to make a visit to the Goodwill store that is located about 15 minutes from my home.

I really didn't know what to expect. 

I had never been to one before.

But I tell you - the parking lot sure was full.

What I found delighted me

and I nearly danced out of there, squealing and grasping my treasures -

to the sideway glances and mutterings of 

"That girl is one cookie short....."

from the people in line behind me.

But back to when I first entered the store.

My radar was set on 'High' as my eyes scanned the entire building.
Front to back.
Side to side.

People were scurrying around pushing carts brimming with goodies.

"Ok, Self.  Time to dive in!"

After cruising around the entire store and feeling disappointed that I had not one thing clutched in my anxiously sweaty mitt, I found myself standing in front of a large wall covered with framed pictures.

Pictures and paintings of flowers so ugly that no one would want them in their garden much less on their wall,

(ick),

 of bunnies hopping merrily down a road

(a road? really??),

some strange alien-looking place on another planet painted on velvet,

(Elvis would not be happy),

and an abstract of two people facing each other 

who obviously had had too much to drink

(can you spell "u-g-l-y"?).

I really didn't want anyone to know I was actually contemplating purchasing one of those incredibly ugly incredible works of art,

as I casually pretended that I was not looking at them at all.

I plucked the ugly picture I wanted off the wall

and tried to hide it under my coat without looking like I was stealing it.

As I rounded the corner,

my eyes landed on some white treasures neatly stacked on a shelf. 

Be still my heart! 

I swiped them off the shelf, and balancing them precariously on my hidden picture, 

ran awkwardly gracefully to the check out gal.

As I pulled the ugly picture out from inside my coat and laid it face down on the counter,
she casually mentioned that a woman had purchased a very very ugly painting there a week ago.

When she got home, she peeled away the backing,

and discovered a $2,000 savings bond.

Now....
if you must know,
at that point I actually contemplated going back and grabbing all of the ugly pictures off the ugly wall.....
but common sense stopped me.

This is what I took home off the ugly wall for a mere $2.99.

Cute, huh?  Not!

After an afternoon of this ~

it morphed into this.

(...with a little love....)

...and a little chippy-ness...

A vintage looking chalkboard.

(Please forgive the weird looking photo!)

(I haven't a clue why the frame didn't show up in these photos..!)

A nice place to leave sweet notes to my hubby.

Oh, and the great white find that caught my attention?

How does a gravy boat for .99 cents

and a stack of eight little saucer bowls for $1.99

strike your fancy?

Yup.  It did me, too!

I'm so grateful for Goodwill stores!  

Happy White Wednesday to you ~

and may you all  
have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

{ Holiday hugs }

~ laurie