Fab Finds Friday: That Magical Place, Goodwill

I frequently experience a visceral yearning to shop. It hits at least once a week, and I do my best to suppress it, but eventually I succumb. I turn to Ryan and plead "I just really need to run to Ross," or "I'm going to nip into TJ Maxx, real quickly," or "Goodwill?" Usually he just looks at me like I'm bananas or sighs or says "Only if you bring home ice cream" (our Ross is next door to a Coldstone). He knows better than to reason with me when I have that itch.

But lately...I've been trying to NOT scratch that itch, and do the whole only buy what you need thing. You know, like a responsible, normal adult. Some people are just naturally more thrifty/practical than I am (like my sister!) and they can rationally turn away from things they like but don't actually need...but I've always had a problem with that. I'm a major impulse buyer. So to curb those impulses, I've banned myself from Ross, TJ Maxx, Target, and Goodwill until after my birthday (April 11). Then I'll buy myself a b-day/you-did-it! present IF it's something I love and have a spot for. I've already been on my no-shop plan for two weeks (that's a loooong time for me) and it's hard, but I shall press on!

But Brittany, you're saying to yourself. How can there be a Fab Finds Friday if you haven't shopped in two weeks? And to you I say this: before my self-imposed shopping moratorium, I went shopping a lot, and I saved some of my Goodwill finds to blog about today.

I spent $14 smackaroos and came away with a ton of loot!

I found this cutie cork bottle (which you may have spied in this post) for $0.99. It's a long-lost cousin of my other spice jars, which I snatched up at an antique mall this summer, $10 for the pair. Um, hello Goodwill and your cheapy prices. Love.

He fits right in with the others and holds our sea salt. I love the easy access for cooking!

I grabbed this fun floral tin for $1.99--only when I got home did I realize that there was a bonus tin inside! Sweet! The bonus tin will likely get a spray paint facelift, but I like the floral one as is.

I also got some silver candlesticks. I plan to pair the floral tin, candlesticks, and two vintage tins I got from two antique malls earlier this year and recreate this desk organizer:

{via}

Kinda like this, but with the 2 antique tins I own subbed in:

I also got a collection of glassware, ranging from $0.49 (the smaller jars) to $1.99 (the carafe). If you've ever gone thrifting or antiquing with me (or read about my antiquing finds) you'll see a pattern emerge: I'm always drawn to the glass.

The large carafe matches a smaller one I'd found at an antique store in Kansas City, seen here:

I'm on a milk glass kick lately. I don't like anything too ornate, but I do like the vases. I used this one to hold one of my pinwheel bouquets at the baby shower last weekend!

I grabbed the three small canning jars to use as votive holders:

One of them was still labeled. In 1980 it held Diet Gooseberry Jelly....mmmm.

I got the small amber jar to use as another candleholder or perhaps as a reed diffuser base. The candy jar is part of a DIY birthday gift I have planned, but probably won't get to until this summer since my Silhouette machine is back in Missouri.

This pair of pumpkins found their way into my cart as well...even though fall's a season away, I couldn't resist their woven look. I was contemplating spraypainting them white, but I think they might stay brown. What do you think?

Man, now I'm itching to go to Goodwill again. I've always had good luck at the one here, but my Missouri one isn't as good. Anyone else noticed that? Do people in Montana just have better taste? (Or worse because they get rid of cute/cool things?)