{Thrift Shop Temptations} Have I Told You About Alex's Roller Skates?

Do you ever go to the thrift shops looking for something impossibly specific? I've been on that kind of quest ever since I saw Paula Vaughan's Quilts for All Seasons on someone's Instagram feed.

Before you tell me that's ridiculous, you've got to hear about the roller skates. Years and years ago, we were headed up to the thrift shops in Portland and my daughter told me she wanted to find a pair of roller skates in pink wheels. Guess what she found in perfect condition, at a great price, and exactly in her size. She has that kind of luck. Did I mention that it was at the first store we visited that day?

Quilts for All Seasons took me a couple of weeks and a bunch of different stores to find, but look what was lying there in a pile of office supplies...

The price was more than I think thrift shops should be charging for second hand cross-stitch patterns, but it's out of print and I wasn't going to pass it up.

I saw the floor stand from across the store and was almost afraid to look at its price, but it turned out to be $4.99.  I did have one at one point and it might be up in the sewing room and might still have all of its pieces, but this one is definitely nicer than the old one was.

The more tole paintings I come across, the more I'm convinced that my mother was the best at it.
But this anonymous artist gets definite credit for using the back of a cabinet door.

This vintage kit was tempting, but I'm not even sure what technique it uses and what looks like an important part of the pattern is in pieces and it was really expensive. So I left it for someone who knows what to do with it.

Of course you know what wasn't the only thrift store we've visited in the past couple of weeks. There are another three in the video.