Bag Lady

Don't you just love bedraggled plastic shopping bags caught in trees?

Or having a cart overflowing with the things - usually with one or two items per bag?

The statistics on the use of plastic shopping bags are staggering:

Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide.
That's over one million plastic bags used per minute.

planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/plastic-bag-facts.html

According to the Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World report.
Some 4 to 5 trillion plastic bags—including large trash bags, thick shopping bags,
and thin grocery bags—were produced globally in 2002.
Roughly 80 percent of those bags were used in North America and Western Europe.
Every year, Americans reportedly throw away 100 billion plastic grocery bags.
www.worldwatch.org/node/5565

The average American family takes home almost 1,500 plastic shopping bags a year...
NRDC www.nrdc.org/media/2008/080109.asp

Americans use and dispose of 100 billion plastic shopping bags each year
and at least 12 million barrels of oil are used per year in the
manufacture of those plastic grocery bags.
The Wall Street Journal

Less than 5 percent of plastic grocery bags are recycled in the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.

There is now six times more plastic debris in parts of the North Pacific Ocean
than zooplankton.

www.acfnewsource.org/environment/plastic_plankton.html

I kicked the plastic bag habit a few years ago.  I'd much rather have two or three full bags than twenty partially filled plastic ones.  Not sure why clerks think the dang things can only hold two items, but seems to be a universal packing strategy.

It takes a while to get used to a change in habits, but before long using your own bags just becomes part of shopping.   I keep several bags in the car and a few by the kitchen door and rarely get caught without a shopping bag.  

I think it helps to have nice bags that you like to use.  You know, the whole "add a little beauty wherever you can" approach.   Here are some of my favorites:

My Trader Joe's collection.

Honestly, I've had the purple bag for at least thirty years.  It came from the now-defunct Bumble Bee company that used to do home parties. We've used it as a beach bag,and to haul stuff for college moves as well as a grocery bag.   Love the colors of the Hannaford one.

This one's a thrift store find.  A woman stopped me in Trader Joe's to tell me that a friend had brought a bag like this home from Ireland.   So my bag has some world travel creed.

OK, I've been known to splurge on a bag that calls my name.  Postage stapes, cancellations - of course I had to have this one.  Check out the double handles - one set for shoulder-carrying, the other for hands only.

Plus there is a sweet little inside pocket.

Luckily there are lots of low-cost options for bags ; most grocery stores carry them and sometimes you can snag one with panache at a thrift store.  

See, being a Bag Lady can be a good thing. 

  

Thrifted Goodies

It's been a while since I shared some second-hand treasures.   I am an equal-opportunity thrifter - estate sales, yard  sales thrift stores - I shop them all.

First up, some art supplies.  I love finding these bargains.  

Blank cards, doilies, metal word tags, storage boxes, and graph paper - great stuff.

This custom  map puzzle was the find of the day.  Look at those fantastic little map bits!

I've already used this stamp cube several times - great for backgrounds.

I have no idea what I'll use this for but for 99 cents why would I leave it behind?

I found this sweet little bench at a yard sale.  Added bonus- the seat lifts for storage!   I'll be refinishing this  - stay tuned!

I'm always on the look out for things for Siobhan - love these embroidered linen pants.  Dug around and found a cute top that matches.

Finding nice tops for little girls is a challenge, so I was happy to snag this one.

What would a retail event be without shoes?   These are really yellow, not the lime green they appear to be.  Yes, I do buy thrifted shoes, but remember, we draw the line here:

Thrifting for a Cause

 

 

I went to a great used clothing sale yesterday, sponsored by Clothes for Hope, a charity founded in 2011 by then- teenage Lauren Sundrstom to raise money for schools in Ghana.   Last year's clothes sale raised $23,000 for Ghanaian schools.  Clothes that weren't sold were donated to local shelters and organizations, benefiting local North Shore communities.

 

This was a serious second- hand (or as Clothes for Hope advertises ,"gently worn clothing") shopping, not for the faint of heart or those who prefer not to navigate crowds of shoppers with their arms full of loot.  No, it was police directing traffic, parking at a premium, and crowds of shoppers in a large warehouse full of great clothes and accessories.  All the clothes were in excellent condition,great brand names,  no tacky nothing - it WAS in Newburyport, after all!  Prices were really reasonable - most kids clothes were between $2 - $6 and adults $8-10.

 

 

The long line at the check out moved quickly and the volunteers were clearly having a good time, commenting on all the  lucky scores!  Interesting organizational strategy - all purchases were bagged into large shopping totes donated by Marshall's, (no one was allowed to use their own bags), so the volunteers at the door knew you had paid as long as your stuff was in the Marshall's bag.

 

And now to my finds:

 

 

 

 



A sweet Mini Boden dress, sparkly play shoes, and a sundress for Montana granddaughter.

 

 

A spring purple shirt for The Captain

 

 

A fun necklace.  My girls wear really big necklaces, so I'm trying to keep get with it.

 

 

A tie-front Ann Taylor sweater

 

 

A fuzzy pic of an LL Bean pea coat

 

 

 

And, the piece de resistance, this Cole Haan bag. This continues my luck with pricey bags at thrift store prices! It is actually more turquoise than it looks in this picture.  I love turquoise, but it's not a color I'd feel comfortable wearing much, so this bag is the perfect punch of color for me.

 

 

 

Pristine inside, with a phone pocket and a clip for keys - whooee.  Is it possible I won't be scrounging around the bottom of this bag for my keys?

 

 

 

The sale runs again today - I'm trying to convince myself I don't need to go again - or do I??



Thrifted Goodies

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I haven't shared thrifted goodies in awhile.  What with Christmas and company, not much serious thrifting going on.  Then last week I hit the jackpot with this Kate Spade bag:

 

 



 

Pristine interior

 

Flipped picture can't hide the $8.99 price tag, but wait, it was 50% off day, so my bag cost $4.50.  This is why thrift store shopping is so addictive.

 

The price on this bag is an example of the wildly inconsistent pricing at thrift stores.  There were  handbags of "100%  man-made materials" - a fancy way to say plastic-  for three times as much as my Kate Spade bag.  Same thing for all categories - it seems that the pricing is up to the whim of the individual doing the pricing.  Some things are wildly overpriced, as in the Gap sweater that was $25.00 at The Goodwill.  I saw the same sweater on clearance at a Gap store for $19.99.  And then there's my bag and my set of silverware for $2.99.  Go figure.

 

Some more sweet finds:

 

 

 

Tianello shirt that retails for $110.  I had to pay full price - $6.99 for this fitted tencel beauty.

 

And a few finds for Montana granddaughter:

 

 

 

A brandie new Lands' End sweater, an embroidered jacket and a fun twirly skirt.

 

 

 

Two summer dresses - an April Cornell and a Hartstrings.

 

Now, about thrift store unpderpants - who buys them?  Even I draw the line at used underpants!  Seems weird that there's a law prohibiting the sale of used mattresses, but previously-worn unders are OK.

Frame Make-Over



I found these great frames at a tag sale for $2.00 each.  The label says "Danielson Designs" and it looks like they sell for around $25.00 each.  Score!  I like the frames as they are, but I needed three matching - or at least, coordinating frames , so bye-bye brightly colored frames.

The frames need to be white and it took some serious sanding to remove most of the color, plus a couple of coats of primer and a couple of coats of white paint.  I used white house paint from my supply, mixed with Floetrol to help eliminate  the brush strokes I always leave behind.

Then I hot-glued on some twine to add texture and brushed on some diluted white paint to tone down the brown a bit.

 

 

I'm in love with fabric flowers and made a few using some fabric scraps. 



 







 

Here are my new frames- perfect for my white and blue color scheme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I brushed some of the diluted white paint on the flowers to tone the color down a little.  And added some tulle leaves.

 

 

 

 

I used a large stamp as a pattern for this burlap flower.

 

These frames will be finding a new home in our family room, AKA the  dormitory when we have lots of company!  More restful than all that color and pattern.

Thrifted Things

I've been scoring with some thrifted finds lately.  I also made a great discovery at the Salvation Army - more on that later.

 

I love finding art supplies on the cheap - card stencils, fibers and ink jet transparencies. A new Lands' End belt that will be cut down to make a belt for best-ever-granddaughter, plus a sweet little dress.

The shoes are a find - brandie-new Lands end flats.  I have a green pair just like these and they are so comfy.

 

 

A thrift store lesson that we've all heard - check everything that you like, regardless of the size on the label.  These brand-new with tags Ann Taylor pants are clearly mislabeled.  I've been moving down the size range, but not this far!  They looked they'd fit and they did .  I think sometimes things end up at thrift stores because of incorrect labeling, so lesson learned - if it looks like it fits, try it on.  Of course, this is most rewarding when the number is LOWER than what you'd  usually wear! Otherwise, we'd have to cut that pesky size tag right out.

 

 

More art supplies - canvas boards, watercolor book for play and fun Mary Englebreit stamps.'

 

 

And  a sideways shot  (thank you, Blogger!) of paints, chipboard shapes and more drawing stuff .  During my collage class, I was bemoaning my lack of drawing skill and Claudine was very emphatic: "EVERYONE  can draw"!  She knows a lot; not sure she's right on this one, but I'm exploring.

 

 

Brand new Vintage Studio skirt and Chico's tank.  Here's my discovery - the folks at the Salvation Army don't understand Chico's sizing, 0-4.  Apparently they think it's like 1X,2X, etc., so this nice size 1 tank was in the large-size section.  You're welcome.  This probably explains why I've never found any Chico pants at the SA - now I know where they're hiding.

 

 

 

 Another Chico find - a linen top good for fall.   I'll wear it as a jacket with something white underneath.  Boston Daughter thinks it would work open and belted - I may give that I whirl.

 

 

And finally, a NWT (new with tags, in eBay-speak) Ralph Lauren V-neck and a NWT Banana Republic skirt.  This outfit at a real store is about $100 - mine for $11.00.

 

Happy thrifting!