The Importance of Thrift Store Shopping

We're going to take a quick break from the usual stuff to discuss something that's been on my mind recently. It seems to me that all of these fads, crafting included, go in cycles. This is perfectly alright and natural, because there's nothing new under the sun. Sure, there may be a different interpretation of the original idea, but I'm sure Homo erectus pretty much got the entirety of the world down pat as far as story telling, clothing...not sciences, of course, since the world used to be flat.

I'm rambling.

The point is, there are so many resources available to our generation. We're becomming adults in a world that's losing its dependence on fossil fuels, we can travel into space as tourists, and everyday there seems to be some giant improvement to the world.

This is all wonderful, but does that mean that we should disregard anything that's a little aged? The thrift stores in my area are always filled with books on crafting, huge bolts of fabric, odds and ends for every hobby, and they're great resources. It's discouraging and very sad to hear people my age dismiss thrift stores because they sell 'old' or 'dated' merchandise.

So, stop by your local Salvation Army and see what you find.

List of things I've found in a thrift/second hand store:

- Pierre Cardin yellow leather jacket
- Black Valentino cocktail dress
- 3 costumes
- A bonsai pot
- My patio furniture
- More books than I can count, including ones by contemporary authors

Carry Boo

Getting back to handmade cuteness, I recently stumbled upon CarryBOO!, a store that specializes in animal-shaped toys, accessories, pouches...and so on.

Run by Mary Bajika, CarryBOO! is one of those stores that you find and wish that you had found when you were looking to buy a new cover for your cellphone.

My personal favorite is the banana hammock (and by that I mean a banana-shaped pouch that you carry bananas in).

Look for another update tomorrow. I have some time between classes and I mean to make up for today's scrawny post.