Thrifty Finds: St Paul's Annual Rummage Sale

Sometimes, even when you're looking forward to something it can seem like a chore. That's how I felt on the morning of the Rummage. I look forward to this event. Starting in June, I'll count down the days until the Rummage. I always take off that day from work and I clear my calendar. Usually, I go to sleep the night before with visions of tee shirts and cheap clothes dancing in my mind.

However, like I said earlier I've been having a rough time of it lately, and part of it is my mood. Sometimes I just get in funks and I can't get out. And the whole ordeal came to a head on Thursday when I thought I broke my serger. Again. Luckily, I have the best boyfriend ever, and he worked hard to get it mostly working while I was at work on Friday. But after a crappy week and thinking I was broke my serger, and just general meh-ness, I didn't really want to go to the Rummage on Saturday morning. I lost my excitement for it. And maybe, since I didn't have a great time, I should have skipped it and just rested. BUT I didn't. I went. So here I am, sharing my thrifty finds with you!

Small portion of the tees I got.

One of my favorite aspects of the Rummage sale is that they have a huge box of free tee shirts, so that is mostly what I went for. I took like, thirty free tee shirts to reconstruct and spent most of my afternoon pinning them into pretty drapey tees. So that made me happy.

While scouring the tees, me and this guy got to chatting (because we realized we were pretty much looking for the same things. He asked what my "score of the day" was as far as tees went. I got to thinking, what was my score of the day? Because as far as tees go, these were mostly going to be back-up pieces to already acquired cool tees. They weren't scores yet, they were supplies.

So here are the three things I was happiest about just as is:

I am in love with these earrings, but I'm even more in love with this necklace. I always manage to score one necklace from the Rummage that I wear all the time. That locket I have with my old kitty's face in it was from the Rummage one year. The wooden star is at least two inches wide- it's huge. I love it.

AAAAAAND I'm in love with this owl! I'm so in love with him, I'm thinking of making this photo into a stencil for a tee shirt. My boyfriend thinks he's scary. Yeah, scary adorable!

All in all, I'm happy with what I scored. I got three silky scarves, two messenger bags, two owl figures (one pictured above), and three cardigans that are ready to wear. I got a score of tee shirts that I'd already ripped into, so I'm really please with the outcome. For the most part the people were really nice (there were a few snippy volunteers, but the nice ones made up for it). It wasn't too terribly crowded, although it's always hot.

Yet, somehow, I'm over it.

I don't know if I'll be going again next year. I still love the Punk Rock Flea Market, and I can't wait to hit that up at Christmas, but I don't know if I'll be as ecstatic for St Paul's next year.

I guess it comes with my latest wardrobe revelation where I'm trying to only make things that I will honestly and truly wear and love. You know, things that I really adore. Wearable Art. And this rummage sale for the last two years has just been kind of meh. I get more excited about the things I get (albeit more expensive) from Buffalo Exchange, Philly Aids Thrift or the Salvation Army. Sure, I don't buy as much, but that's not the point. The point is to have things I'll love for a long time. And I think that's what sets the Punk Rock Flea in a class apart from this Rummage sale- at PRF I will find true, honest treasures. The tee shirts I buy there don't come free, but they are always awesome vintage wolf shirts or band shirts that I can make into something cool.

Anyway, enough of my maudlin crap. I did get a few things that I adore, and I got a few things that I need (messenger bag and cardigans) and I got some tees to keep me busy. So it was a good day. I just think I might be over this particular event.