Goodwill, Badwill, Questionable-will — Bridal Shoes, Vesty Goodness & Clown Expectorant

by Katy on February 20, 2014 · 19 comments

My friend Lise is working on a project that involves photographing hard liquor in the state of Washington. Seriously. So she roped me into going with her by promising me some tasty Washington state thrifting.

First we had to look at booze. And yes, that is a $41.99 jar of moonshine soaked maraschino cherries in the background. (Who are these marketed to? Hillbillies with a hankering’ for a sundae?!)

Boozy cherries

Although I bought hardly anything, I did see spy a few thrifty goodies. I really enjoyed this vintage ceramic garlic holder. It’s hard to see in this photo, but his cap reads “Garlic.”

I also kind of liked this “Nobody’s Perfect” needlepoint piece. Although I do feel it was a lost opportunity for an old fashioned “Pobody’s Nerfect.”

So much funnier.

Our next stop was the Value Village across town.

The two of walked in and immediately spotted this entire rack of nylon patchwork denim printed vests. We both shed our outer lays and posed for multiple photos. Not sure how many people were staring at us, but it was worth any potential embarrassment as these vests were ah-mazing!

This photo is making me laugh really hard.

I was tempted by this $9.99 midcentury nightstand, but the wood was super dried out, and not the highest of quality.  I still have a number of Goodwill items that have yet to sell, so I’m holding off from buying for resell until I unload what I already have.

However, with comments like “You left it?!?”  and  “Go back!”  my Instagram followers felt that I made the wrong decision on this one.

Screen Shot 2014-02-20 at 8.23.26 PM

The one purchase that required zero deliberation was this $6.99 pair of size-8 Badgley Mischka peep toe satin and rhinestone bridal pumps. Since these sell on Zappos for $225, this was a no brainer. I will put these up on eBay for some lucky bride. I am partial to Birkenstocks, Danskos and Keens, but then again . . . I’m an girlie outlier.

And no trip to Goodwill would be complete without obligatory florist-marble-glued-onto-stuff. I beg of you, pleeeeeaase stop creating this craft. It is ugly, it has always been ugly and it will always be ugly.

Ugggggllllly!

These horrible flattened marbles are clown expectorate. Think of it as a splatter pattern from a clown sneeze.

florist marble crap

No!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.
Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.
Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Pinterest.

{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

Lisa February 21, 2014 at 4:06 am

“These horrible flattened marbles are clown expectorate. Think of it as a splatter pattern from a clown sneeze.”

OMG, I laughed so hard at the visual this created! I love your posts Katy. What would be really funny is to have a contest of weirdest/ugliest picture from a thrift shop where your followers submit the pictures and then we all get to vote on them with the winner getting the ugly thing! lol

Reply

Siggie February 21, 2014 at 4:13 am

Ha, so funny! I thoroughly enjoyed that!
~Siggie

Reply

miranda schubert February 21, 2014 at 6:03 am

Love that needlepoint! A collection of those on the wall or on the sofa is right up my alley.

The marble plate crafts are too funny. Crafts from the 90’s I guess.

Reply

jill February 21, 2014 at 6:31 am

The moonshine is actually a “thing” in Tennessee now – you visit wineries in Cali, craft breweries in Oregon and moonshine distilleries in Tennessee. I have had a few girlfriends head to Pigeon Forge for girlfriend/distillery visiting weekends at the Ole Smokey Moonshine Holler. It’s only 4 hours from me so I may have to go just to experience it!

Reply

Katy February 21, 2014 at 8:56 am

Really? Wow.

Reply

Kasey February 21, 2014 at 5:51 pm

The moonshine cherries are gooooood. We went to Tennessee this summer for vacation and did the taste testing at the Ole Smokey Mountain Moonshine Holler. You can try all the flavors, including the cherries and they’re delicious. But I wish they came in smaller jars because I just wouldn’t know what to do with all of those highly potent cherries! (And they’re cheaper if you buy them at the distillery)

Reply

Lisa February 21, 2014 at 6:52 am

We have a jar of peach moonshine sitting in our fridge right now, a gift from a friend from South Carolina. Not sure how we are going to use it unless we need something to help start the grill this summer 😎

Reply

Jane February 21, 2014 at 10:51 am

Love the nightstand! The vests are hilarious and the shoes are an amazing fine. I found a pair of Birkenstocks last week at Salvation Army for $3.99. I am vegan so I don’t wear leather either so the are going on ebay too.

Reply

Trish February 21, 2014 at 2:47 pm

how in the world did you know that those shoes were valuable? I am so OUT of it!

Reply

Trish February 21, 2014 at 2:50 pm

and I occasionally watch ‘the real housewives of some city or other’. the way others might watch a National Geographic show about meerkats, the lives of those women are so foreign to me.

Reply

Sue February 21, 2014 at 3:20 pm

What??? No Mrs. Butterworth in all her finery?? I can see what an awesome outfit the vest and shoes would make. (The shoes were a great find!)

Reply

Megyn February 21, 2014 at 3:33 pm

AH! I can’t believe you passed up that nightstand! In Austin that would have easily sold for $100+ on CL…and would’ve been like $40+ in our Goodwills (they are outrageously priced out here…and they take all the good stuff to auction off now rather than putting it in store).

Reply

Heather February 21, 2014 at 4:12 pm

Flattened marbles: When I see items with those glued on I think of 4-H craft projects (about 8 years old doing it). The sad part is someone posted a newly created one on the local Facebook Craft page. So far it hasn’t sold, but they want $5.00 for it!

Reply

WilliamB February 21, 2014 at 5:51 pm

The bottle of moonshine-soaked cherries was very popular at the office Yankee Swap / White Elephant / Gift Steal this year.

Reply

Cheri S February 21, 2014 at 6:10 pm

We’ve come up with the perfect use for those florist marble (tho I think they will always be clown expectorant for me now). Toss em outside!

No really. My husband spent a couple weeks breaking up our crappy front walk that was made out of asphalt onto tiny little chunks. This was our no cost cost solution rather than pay the $1500 the local paving companies wanted to redo the thing.

A friend came by and saw the big canning jar of clown expectorant I had stuck in a window by the front door and suggested we should mix them with the broken up walkway. We proceeded to do just that and it looks amazing!

Everyone that comes up our walk – friends, Girl Scouts selling cookies, the mailman – notices how the walkway twinkles in the sunlight. Now if I can just find some glow in the clown expectorant…

Reply

Jane F February 22, 2014 at 8:26 am

That sounds really pretty! I wish I could see it!

I’m curious how breaking ASPHALT went!? I’m not at all handy but that sounds like slow back breaking labor. I’m impressed and a little scared 😉

Reply

Laura February 22, 2014 at 5:20 pm

We’re also finding that furniture is moving slowly on Craigslist right now in Portland. It’s strange – we have a few items up and zero response, not even anything from the scammers. We’ve never experienced it being so dead, but will stay patient and hope for the best.

Reply

Kristen February 24, 2014 at 4:41 am

Yay for the shoes! Did you sell ’em yet? So curious how much they’ll go for.

Reply

Katy February 24, 2014 at 9:21 am

I plan on photographing them today to start on eBay this evening.

Katy

Reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: