My Latest Goodwill Finds

It never fails, every time we come home from vacation something happens.  We have dealt with our basement flooding, our cat using the bathtub as a liter box and now our fridge decided to call it quits. We were unable to make repairs, so we spent Monday evening moving everything from the kitchen refrigerator to the garage one.  There's nothing like a broken fridge to make you realize how much of a food hoarder you are.  I can't believe I had 3 jars of opened pickles, 2 jars of opened cherries, 7 bags of shredded cheese and lord knows how many condiments and expired food, gross.  We're hoping it can be fixed, but in the meantime, I'll be getting a workout whenever I'm making lunches or cooking dinner.  I definitely took for granted having the fridge in the kitchen.

As promised, the vacation talk is over and now it's back to DIY and decorating.  It's no surprise that I LOVE shopping at Goodwill and love the thrill of a good hunt.  I stop in a few times a month, but lately I've been trying to limit what I buy in an effort to reduce the unnecessary crap (for a lack of better word) that I bring into our home.  After all, I'm trying to get ride of stuff not accumulate more.  With that being said, there are certain times when I come across a great find that I just can't pass up.

My most recent and absolute favorite find so far are these vintage metal card catalogs.

I was waiting in line when I glanced over and saw them sitting on top another piece of furniture.  I hopped out of line and bolted over as fast as I could while trying to remain calm.  Our Goodwill tends to be a bit pricey on particular items, so I was shocked (or should I say "pee my pants excited") to see that they were only $3.00 a piece, $3.00!!!

 Do you know how much these would have been in a vintage shop?  Not $3.00, that's for sure.

You can tell they had been painted before, but that's nothing I can't fix.  I already have a place for them, but I'm not 100% sure what color I want to paint them.  I'm thinking maybe dark gray with gold pulls or maybe even navy or emerald green.

The next item I bought was a $3.00 framed wood sign.

I wear a shirt to bed many nights that says, "Big Mistake." It has a cartoonish picture of a man and women getting married.  My husband makes a comment almost every time I wear it.  It's now a running joke between the two of us and I try to wear it as much as possible just to annoy him.  Ha, don't I sound like such a good wife?

I told my husband I was going to hang the sign in my office.

Of course I was joking and already have a few ideas of how to make it fit into our homes decor.

Speaking of signs,  I also bought this longer "Welcome" sign that is just a bit too country for my taste.  Don't worry, it won't look this way for long!

The next item I bought was a little pink bowl that was only a $1.00.  I loved the lines and thought it would be perfect for office supplies or little odds and ends.  I'm pretty sure it was originally clear glass that someone tried to spray paint.

 Clearly, they didn't do the best job.

 I'll be painting it another color, which of course I haven't figured out yet.

My next find are these little stainless metal cups that were just a $1.00 a piece.

Look how perfect they are for office supplies?

 I was leaning towards spray painting them gold, but I kind of like them the way they are.

I normally try to stay away from baskets since I have way too many already, but the $.50 price tag on this guy was just too good to pass up.  I bought it with the intention of turning it into a pumpkin, but I ended up just throwing a plant in it and calling it a day.

I still may give it an update, but for now it will stay as is.

Do you see a trend with these items?  Can you tell what room I'm working on next?  I'm not giving away anymore clues, so you'll just have to wait and see.

I would LOVE to hear about your Goodwill finds!  I am always amazed at what people are able to score just by taking the time to dig through the aisles and keep an open mind.