This week's thrift store bargains

Went by there one morning after work. Since gas is so high, I'm trying to combine trips. Only spent $7.50 total. The books were 50 cents each. There is one more, a low carb cookbook, that missed the photo op. The rabbit was $1 and is really heavy, filled with gravel or beans? Looks hand-crafted, but not sure. I may redo it or just take the head, arms, and legs off for my own creation. The material it's clothes are made of is really 80's looking to me. I bought the little snail figurine for $1 to possibly use in some kind of decorative vignette. I've been seeing some on flickr that are really cute done on top of painted/collaged boxes. The material on the bottom is some kind of triangle-shaped beach coverup and was also just a buck. Loved the colors and design and got it for the fabric. There is also a Limited camisole which was only $1 which will be good for wearing under lowcut tops, etc. On the right is a really grossly dirty wooden wall organizer purchased for $1. Also on flickr I saw one of these painted white with the fronts decorated with scrapbook paper, ribbons, flowers, and trims and it was so pretty! So I wanted to show this before so if I ever get around to the after you can see the difference. It is going to be sanitized first I promise.

The purple flowers are some I have planted in a small flower/herb bed behind the house. Everything planted there does really well because it's on the south side of the house and protected in the winter. Also it's close to my water spigot so it gets watered when I run water for the birds. I planted rosemary there and it's an ideal spot for it. I planted these flowers, but don't remember what they are. Was hoping some one out there would be able to tell me.

Yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby after work. I have been really good and not bought anything from there in a couple of months at least. Mom gave me some money for my birthday so that's where I headed to spend it. At Crazy Art Girl's Musing, I'd seen the Bind-it-All system recommended as a good, relatively inexpensive binding system. (BTW, she has a really cool blog, so check it out while you're there) It was in my mind to order one from the place she mentions using my birthday money, since there was free shipping. But while in Hobby Lobby, I found one for $59.99. I used my 40% coupon and so I got it for $36 plus tax. I've been wanting something like this for making up my own journals from the scads of ephemera I've got, using stuff like National Geographic pages, old advertising brochures, envelopes, just whatever paper stuff put together to journal on later. Here is an example of what I'm talking about kind of at L.K. Ludwig's blog (another one I visit often for inspiration). There are also several pages from chunky page swaps I have that have never been bound. Been planning on just punching holes and using rings, but now I can use this. Guess where they make the most money from you is when you have to go back and buy the O wires, but they are not too badly expensive.