This weekend -- Project Angel Food

[Magpie18]

OK, not a thrift store but related -- donations, shopping & charity.

My brother had two tickets to the Project Angel Food shopping charity event.
THe charity provides a kind of meals on wheels program for people suffering from AIDs.
It was held in the now closed RobinsonMay dept store located on Wilshire in Beverly Hills.

The admission fee allowed you entrance to this charity shopping event. Stores & manufacturers donated new ( but probably clearance, last season etc. ) merchandise to the charity for this shopping event.  Friday night, I believe everything was as priced. Saturday, discount 25% ... by the time I was shopping on Sunday, the discount was 80% (Sunday was the last day).  The labels tended to be the stuff you see in the expensive fashion magazines.
Well, I have a limited budget but I did snag a lovely DIane von Furstenburg  wrap dress ( Julien style) for 80% off the $395 retail price.  Just wonderful.

I kind of think this shopping event was like a temporary thrift store LOL

[ChrisMiss]

Wow, sounds like a lot of fun and bargains to be had.

[valleythriftshopper]

Those Holiday Charity fundraisers/fairs can be a welcome change of pace this time of year when the thrift stores don't seem to have much to offer.  I went to several Chruch Holiday fairs Saturday.  I only spent $11.00 but got the following:
Near Mint 6 cup vintage Pyrex coffee percolator pot, bag of antique skeleton keys (I love anything cast iron & Victorian), vintage Royal Derby tea cup & saucer, mid-century modern sterling bluebird brooch & a box of vintage glass Christmas ornaments.  I had been finding nothing lately at the thrift store & yard sales are done in New England until the spring so I was thrilled! 

[foutchie]

I would love to find a bag of skeleton keys - have some ideas about neat necklaces, etc. from them - I'll keep looking!

[valleythriftshopper]

Many people use them for "altered art".  I see people selling it on Ebay.  They use old photos, tea dyed papers, old or reproduction labels, buttons, etc for collage journals, scrapbooks, gift tags, cards etc.  They are nice.  I would never get around to doing that.  I don't know how people find the energy to do all that crafting.  I do a project every once in a while.  An easy way to display old keys is to use a side of an old wood crate, put hooks in it & hang the keys.  You can mount it on a wall or just lean it up against the wall on a tabletop, that is more my speed.

[Cookie]

We have an article about altered art coming up in the next issue of the magazine, which GB should be putting up soon.  I agree that it takes a lot of energy (and time!) to be so consistently creative with things.  When there are so many possibilities with materials, deciding what to do with stuff becomes the hardest part for me.

Here is a link to James Lileks site (author of Interior Desecrations) and his commentary on a vintage decorating book idea for displaying skeleton keys.  This struck me so funny the first time I read it that I think of it now whenever someone mentions skeleton keys.

http://lileks.com/institute/interiors/71book/4.html

[foutchie]

I saw that - he is so so funny!   laughed all evening over his comments!

[Cookie]

I think it would be great if someone made an artistic skeleton out of skeleton keys.  Don't ask me how, though...

[Cookie]

Sorry we hijacked your post, Magpie18!  Great score on your dress.  How much was the entrace fee and was it all going to the charity as well?  I'm always happy to see charities do things like this since there are people who do turn their noses up at thrift stores but would otherwise like to help out in a way that's beneficial to both themselves and a charity.

[Magpie18]

I like skeleton keys

The event actually has a name:  Divine Design

http://www.divinedesign.org/

General admission was $25 per person.  The VIP tickets were $150 & evidently there was an opening night preview gala at $450.

One of those celebrity type things.

One thing I have learned here in LA -- someone who would NEVER set foot in a thrift store will still wear a vintage item presented by a professional stylist ( who picked it up at a thrift store LOL)  or from a high end vintage couture shop that actually pays people who scour thrift shops.