Now that Christmas is near, are you giving any thrifted gifts?

[superiorgirl]

With much tugging of the heart strings, I've decided to give DD the Ralph Lauren bed ensemble that was my SCORE! a few weeks ago. It will look awesome in her guest room, the colors and style are perfect. I will tell her where it came from and she will appreciate the fact that it was thrifted. My sister's present has a cardinal theme and I found some pretty cardinal coasters at a ts to add to the package. My niece will get a bowling ball made over into a gazing globe - she was drooling over mine this summer. I think that's about it for my ts Christmas list. What have you thrifted to gift?

[valleythriftshopper]

I was lucky to find the perfect presents for just about everyone I buy for at the thrifts.  I hardly spent anytime shopping at all & also little money too!  I also had to part with something I originally was planning to keep when I found out it would make the perfect gift for someone.  I found some Fiestaware pieces a while back for super cheap .49 cents to .99 cents a piece.  They were all in the periwinkle color, which is now retired.  I thought they would be good to mix in with my Lu Ray pieces (a set I thrifted for $5.00).  I found out my sister, who collects Fiestaware did not have a butterdish.  One of the pieces I got was a butterdish.  Her S& P shakers are periwinkle too, so the dish will go to her.  I guess that is what Christmas is all about anyway!  Hopefully someday I will find a Lu Ray dish.

[Other People s Junk]

My 5 year old is getting a turtle bank- it was on his wish list and I looked everywhere and couldn't find one and then there it was at the Goodwill!  My 8 year old is getting a whole box full of Hardy Boys books... again from the Goodwill.  They will both love the items, for what they are, and won't care where they came from.  Actually, they will probably think them extra neat that they came from the thrift store!!   

[SecondhandSophisticate]

I found a beautiful Stone Mountain handbag for my mom in mint condition for 2.50 and also a lion clamper-style bracelet in goldtone--good costume. For my SF and an aunt, we got thrifted books from the library on American history.

I will be the recipient of a secondhand gift from DH, and I can't wait!

[SecondhandSophisticate]

OTJ, aren't kids great that way?  I see more and more moms in thrifts now, and the kids are thrilled with their finds--kids of all ages, I might add.

The day before Thanksgiving, I ran into a former coworker with daughters at a thrift.  One of her girls is a "fashionista" and mom said, "Fine. You want to be stylin' let's go to the thrifts. Her daughters were having a GREAT time!

[foutchie]

Lu Ray?!   I LOVE Lu Ray - have never seen any thrifting though here!

[Other People s Junk]

OTJ, aren't kids great that way?  I see more and more moms in thrifts now, and the kids are thrilled with their finds--kids of all ages, I might add.

Yes, it is great!  I like that mine, at least, have figured out that thrift stores can be neat, as you never know what sort of treasure you may find.  Plus they are starting more to realize the value of a $1... and that it goes a lot further at a thrift store.

[valleythriftshopper]

Lu Ray?!   I LOVE Lu Ray - have never seen any thrifting though here!

I got very lucky at the one little independant thrift store in the area (Salvation Army reigns supreme here for the most part).  It supports a Food Bank, but the director usually puts all the collectible/valuable stuff up on Ebay rather than in the store.  This set slipped by & I picked it up for $5.00.  No coveted pieces just the dishes.  I found the Fiesta shakers for .50 so I am using those for now.  I had a Fiesta butter dish as mentioned above, but now am giving that away.  Maybe when I get my tax refund I will splurge on a butter dish & a few extra pieces.  I am going to make some placemats with pastel colred feedcloth sack fabric I have so I post more pics when I get a real setting going!  I can't figure out how to inset pictures into these posts, so if someone can tell me I'll put up what I have now.

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

Fiesta is excellent-- great look and really cheery. I've thrifted a few pieces myself.

Re: putting photos in the posts, I have a free Photobucket account and use (can't remember which it is) either the IMG code or the HTML code they provide to add pics to the posts. It ends up being pretty easy.

[Femme1]

My favorite thrift store in the world (Opportunity House in Bloomington, Indiana) had a 1/2 price sale going on all this week. I've already been there twice and bought tons of stuff. Went a little overboard actually. But yesterday, for Xmas presents I found:

• a gold leather handbag in perfect condition for my mom (she's 81 and still loves the glitz) for $2,

• an ugly Xmas sweater for my daughter's girlfriend for $1.50,

• a really pretty and tasteful Xmas vest for mom for $1,

• Hollywood Babylon, a hardcover book about 1920's through 1950's Hollywood scandals by Kenneth Anger, which may become an Xmas gift for me but I'm not sure, for 50 cents,

• an almost brand new Eddie Bauer plaid shirt for my husband for $1.50,

• a little "noel" wooden Xmas train candle holder with a santa mouse conductor (it's so cute) for my daughter for $1,

and

• a vintage cool 70s cowboy shirt with pearl snaps for my son who is 6'5" and hard to find clothes for, for $1.50.

I'm feelin' oh so thrifty! Except that in this past week, I've spent more at the Opp House than any previous week ever (just can't resist the 1/2 price).

[foutchie]

You really did well!   I was out yesterday, but no great finds like you!

[genuineimitation]

i've thrifted lots of clothes for the kids for this year's gifts, especially this outrageous gold watch i got for the 70's diva teenager - it's about 2 " around (it's HUGE!) and has rhinestones that move with you encased around the watch face. it's hysterical. i also got a brand new vest made from silk kimono fabrics. beautiful. the best buy was by my son - he got a thrifted book, and cut it up to make a "secret bookcase safe" for his dad. it turned out really nicely. i can't wait to see my husband's face when he sees this book - it's something he'd never read. it's going to be like getting the proverbial aftershave... he'll really love the joke! and, my son is pretty proud of himself as well.

[LadyinRed]

got a thrifted book, and cut it up to make a "secret bookcase safe" for his dad

Genuine, that's awesome!  I would love to see how it turned out.  What a super fun gift!


I gave several thrifted gifts this christmas.  This year our cousins' gift exchange is themed "Brown and Round".  (In the past we've had themes like "Red" gifts, "Game" gifts (like you play, not wild animals), etc.)  So I've been having a blast for the past couple of months finding brown and round things at the thrifts.  I ended up putting together a "warm cozy sunday morning" gift pack for each one of them.  It included brown coffee mugs ($0.49 cents each), brown cookie plates ($.25-$.75), various wrought iron candle holders ($0.25-$1.00) and brown candles.

I supplemented with homemade biscotti (yes, I know, doesn't really fit into the round catagory, while regular cookies would have...but biscotti are just so tasty and they seem more special, too) and thrifted ball jars ($3.00 for a dozen) filled with coffee beans and chocolate chip cookie mix.  Hubby got a special gift, a beautiful hand glazed tea pot.  Picked it up for $2.99, not a chip on it, and a nice high spout.

So far all the cousins have been delighted with their "cozy" packages.  I had so much fun putting it all together and it was delightfully thrifty!  Yay.

[ChrisMiss]

I found a beautiful Stone Mountain handbag for my mom in mint condition for 2.50

I had never heard of Stone Mountain purses before this season.  I've run across several at the thrift stores here.  I picked up one for myself.  They seem to be good quality purses.

[ChrisMiss]

Oh I forgot to list what I've found as thrifted presents this season.  For #1 daughter I finally found the book by Diana Gabaldon that I've been searching for for over 2 years.  I also picked her up a cute sweatshirt (she may think it's ugly though!), and a pajama set.  I found for the granddaughters blouses/shirts, a bathing suit (still with tags), shorts, and slacks.  I picked up my MIL several beautiful ladies hankies that she'll love.

Hubby and I don't exchange gifts anymore.  We had quit doing that several years ago when we were tight on money.  We've continued not exchanging gifts ever since.  We usually buy a present for us as a couple, this year was a TV.