WiseArts

Kimono modeled by my very patient and loving husband...

My husband and I went to one of our favorite thrift stores after work on a Tuesday (25% off day!), as we are prone to doing from time to time. Usually, one of the first things I do is check out the glass cases where they keep “the good stuff”. I was bent over the glass counter, not finding anything exciting that day, and as I stood up, something caught my eye! Long sleeves and a flash of red. NO WAY! A furisode kimono. Even better, it is beautifully embroidered, with cranes! A vintage wedding kimono! Even better, it had a tag on it for $39.95! And it was %25 off day! SCORE! This thing should be like $200! I almost freaked out, and had a lady behind the counter pull it down off the wall for me immediately.

It has a few small spots and one little hole at the bottom, but it’s in quite good shape. So pretty.

As with most things I buy second-hand, I wonder how it came to be sold. I always make up a little story in my head. For some reason, this one calls up a sad story. In my mind, it seems strange that someone would give something like this away to charity. But hopefully this lovely kimono has brought long life and happiness to whomever wore it before it came into my hands.

EDIT - 1/18/09: Jane, a talented artist in traditional Japanese embroidery, commented that she thought this design to be phoenix in pines, and I am certain she’s right! It didn’t quite look like the crane to me, but I just could not find the right bird to tag it with… Thanks Jane.

I bought this coloring book at the thrift store on half-off day. Thus, it was only 20 cents! I love cats and cat-related junk of all sorts, so the cute cover illustration of this book caught my eye straight away. The book is a bit yellowed by age and has 2 little scribbles in it, but I still love it. Gotta love that retro style. Here are a few choice pages. My favorite is the mama cat saying, “You naughty kittens! You shall have no pie.” Love the raised paw and that stern cat look on her face. No pie for you!

Click, print and color!

So last month, I bought three of these old mason jars at a antique boutique for only $2.50 with the intention of putting my buttons in them… I quickly discovered that I did not have nearly enough to contain all the buttons! It was serendipitous that a friend at work had six more jars that needed a good home and I was the lucky recipient! (Thanks!) A few days later, I found the three sweet little pint-size jars a the thrift store on half-off day, and they were only 60 cents each! No lids, unfortunately, but I still love them. The blue glass is so appealing to me.

The huge amount of white buttons was purchased from a thrift store in three old crusty tupperware containers, and they were the start of this collection. “Look at all the white buttons!!” I shrieked to my husband as I snatched up the containers. He rolled his eyes. Visions immediately popped into my head of a collage of buttons in every shade of white stitched onto linen. I can imagine them bound together for charming necklaces and bracelets. They would be cute sewn onto handmade purses and accessories. So many buttons, so little time! haha

After the white buttons, I later encountered a gallon-sized Ziploc bag full of mixed vintage buttons at an antique fair for $5.00! I sorted those out by color. There were many black and white buttons in there, lots of colored ones, and some neat leather and wooden buttons too. And THEN, after that find, I found ANOTHER huge bag of mixed buttons at the thrift store for $2.50! I better start making things with buttons…