Thrifty Mish-Mash — Hand Crafted Chair and Miss Piggy’s Coin Slot

by Katy on November 29, 2012 · 19 comments

My mother and I went adventuring today, and Portland’s thrift stores did not fail to deliver.

There was a Miss Piggy bank with a rather unfortunate coin slot. 

A combination pipe/bull dog/Sherlock Homes that was still filled with aftershave!

A figurine of a woman who I think was 47 weeks pregnant with triplets.

She had scary zombie X-ray eyes.

And of course, there were obligatory florist-marbles-glued-onto-knick-knacks. (People, I beg of you. Stop gluing these horrible flat marbles onto stuff! It’s ugly. It’s always ugly. It will always be ugly.)

But then I came across a real bi-plane aeroplane. Sure, the propellor needed replacing, but with a bit of elbow grease, I could totally see my entire family flying on it to Japan! 

What, it’s “for decorative use only?!”

Goddamned, sh*t to hell!

Oops . . . pardon my French. Good thing I came across a swear jar. I might just be able to fund my sons’ college educations with this single jar.

In all seriousness though, I did buy one thing though, which was this incredible hand-crafted chair. Kind of a cross between an primitive Adirondack chair and a Morris chair. It’s beautiful, and was marked at only $29.99. However, subtract the 10% for senior discount day and 5% for using the Goodwill Club card, and this puppy went down to $24.50. Yes, it will need a cushion, but the chair and associated work will to be this year’s Christmas gift from my sewing-capable mother.

Me likey very much.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

Poor to Rich a Day at a Time November 29, 2012 at 5:17 am

That chair is just beautiful! I always love these posts of yours, it is like window shopping online lol. Allows me to look at all the cool stuff without spending and you always find such whimsical neat things to chair.

That chair though is really gorgeous! I love handcrafted furtniture!

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Holly November 29, 2012 at 6:53 am

LOVE the chair!! My favorite chair is a 1940s tufted high-back “princess” style chair I got for $16.99. The worn 1970s bright yellow polyester upholstery needs to be replaced, but it is the most comfortable chair I’ve ever sat in — a perfect fit. I love older furniture!

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Roberta November 29, 2012 at 7:12 am

As for the zombie woman — when I was that pregnant, I’m pretty sure I had zombie eyes, too.

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Pollyanna November 29, 2012 at 7:41 am

Is that unfortunate coin slot on Miss Piggy intended to appear as her cleavage?? !! Ha ha

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barbara November 29, 2012 at 8:01 am

Katy,
Like the chair too, but curious – how do you identify that the chair is handcrafted. I don’t really have the skills to recognize quality when I see it.

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Su Mama November 29, 2012 at 9:59 am

Barbara, if you look at the picture closely, you can see it basically consists of peeled STICKS! There may well have been a factory setting in which it was built, but there must have been a lot of hand-construction. My suspicion is that it came out of a small workshop. The maker’s mark is burned into the underside, but so far Katy and I haven’t been able to make out the words.

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lisa November 29, 2012 at 9:16 am

Love the chair, but I gotta know how you got a senior discount.

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Elaine in Ark November 29, 2012 at 10:59 am

I was going to ask that question, but then I re-read the post. She went with her mom.

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Jen November 29, 2012 at 9:41 am

I think you could have a little more sympathy for Miss Piggy since she’s obviosly just had open-heart surgery. But the zombie pregnant woman is truly scary!!

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Dianna November 29, 2012 at 12:32 pm

Me likey the chair too! Great find!

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ShannonCC November 29, 2012 at 2:06 pm

Hey, I have that Miss Piggy! I got her as a kid in the 70’s. She still holds most of my foreign coin collection 🙂

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AnnW November 29, 2012 at 4:15 pm

Fabulous chair! I’ve never seen one like that. It is really nice the natural color, but it would also be nice painted black. Can you think of Any good use for those marble encrusted wine glasses? Any? Little bird feeders?, crushed up in a cement garden walk?

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Lois Field November 29, 2012 at 4:39 pm

I love that chair, and that’s a good deal on it. As for the other items I wouldn’t have even noticed them had I been in the store. Oh and the flat marble things ugly!!

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rosarugosa November 29, 2012 at 5:20 pm

The chair is wonderful, but I might have bad dreams about the pregnant zombie-woman!

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AFS November 29, 2012 at 5:54 pm

I’m all for DIY projects and saving money, but there are limits. The marble incrusted wine glasses call to mind something I saw while at Goodwill on Monday, about a dozen pink “vases”. They were made from a random assortment of bottles spray-painted pink and then robed in a layer of pink tulle. The tulle was gathered at the neck and tied with assorted brown and pink ribbon bows. I may be making a grossly inaccurate assumption but I can visualize them as centerpieces at someone’s wedding reception- Tacky!
If there had been more marble encrusted wine glasses I would have made the same assumption but since you only saw three maybe they made three and realized just how tacky they were and didn’t continue.

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AFS November 29, 2012 at 5:55 pm

Oh, and the chair is great. I can’t wait to see it with a cushion.

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Sharon November 29, 2012 at 9:11 pm

I am afraid I would have had to bring Miss Piggy home with me!

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Kim December 1, 2012 at 11:44 am

My belly still hurts from laughing at your imprompto cursing.

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Katy December 1, 2012 at 1:25 pm

Thanks. I may have lost a reader or two, but I just couldn’t help myself.

Katy

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