Special Trip: Washburn, Wi Part II

OMG! GUESS WHO HAS BEEN DRINKING A BUNCH OF VINO AND WATCHING AWAY WE GO? Oh, that might or might not be me.

Which makes this rather difficult to write (lots of backspacing) but hey, I realized that I haven't shared the REST of my trip to Washburn, and the rest of it is totally the best part of the whole thing. So, it is time for that. And as Chris says, "is this whole movie going to be Jack Johnson songs?" (to which I responded "This is not Jack Johnson" (though he just insisted that he "hates Jack Johnson" to which I responded "THIS IS NOT JACK JOHNSON")).

But! Wait! You are here for the DEALS! And deals I will share!

The most amazing, magical thing happened as Mary and I were leaving the ABC Thrift shop that weekend back in Washburn. We were traveling out of town, intent on hitting up the thrifting in Ashland, WI (which has always been a miss for me, and even more appropriate, was a total miss that day—by the time we got to the town at 2:30 the one thrift shop that doesn't totally suck was closed and the consignment-ish shop that Mary has had some luck at was closed for a "family emergency"), I saw this and pulled the car over as fast as I could maneuver.



What we had here was a building, right before the "We are sick of Walker's lies!" sign (complete with a vomiting (not so) smiley face), that a woman had rented out to sell the remains of her mother's estate. I am assuming that some other would-be profiters were in the mix, however, as I can't imagine that this woman's now-deceased mother would have all these goods at her disposal.

And by "all these goods," I am referring to the bountiful supply of pharmacitual-type products like the Listerine fresh strips I got for 75¢ (FOR THREE!) and a travel tube of Tom's toothpaste. (I am sure you want to see the photographic evidence of this, but unfortunately, I did not take the time to do so).

The most amazing things about this strange pop-up shop thrift store/rummage sale? The wicked awesome jewelry and FIFTY CENT purses!

As we have explored in the past, finding good thrifted jewelry is difficult. "Good" can refer to many things, but for me, it concerns quality and uniqueness. While the jewels I picked up were definitely the most expensive items I purchased at this sale (ranging in price from $1.50-$3.50), I am absolutely thrilled with what I came out with:



I love colors in jewelry, but I usually find that costume pieces are cheesy/a dime a dozen. This blue and gold piece blew my mind. LOVE IT.



Kudos to this more simplistic green, white and gold necklace. I love how it is in the same vein as the necklaces I usually spot thrifting, but is a bit unique.



Mary and I kept talking about how this necklace is like a pair of balls. There isn't really a better way to describe it. It may or may not be fitting that Mary still insisted that it was "one of her favorites."



This faux pearl necklace is a keeper for any of my (many) fancy parties.



I am so completely bummed that this bone and stone beaded necklace (which Mary kept insisting was "her [actual] favorite") broke upon arrival to my sweet abode, but I think I can fix it.



I can't believe I almost forgot about this piece, because it is probably my favorite. I absolutely love the arrangement of the beading (I want to say "smocking" but I know next to nothing about jewelry terminology) and the colors. Totally badass.

As previously mentioned, they were selling purses for 50¢. As the nice lady told me, her mother "loved purses." So do I, and I bought seven. Here are my favorites.



Deep blue eel skin with a chain (forgettaboutit).



A faux Chanel-ish quilted black leather purse with chain. This purse has apparently seen a lot of love, and I realized the last time I used it that I need to find an appropriate key chain to take the place of the current key ring that is attached to the zipper. I am thinking something super flashy like a rabbit's foot or an explosion of sparkles.




I also came away with a few totally shwide t-shirts that I had to get if only because they were priced at 25-50¢.



And how could I forget the amazing mugs I picked up for 10¢? (the woman selling her dead mother's things was really embarrassed by the "bitch, bitch, bitch," mug, which I thought was genius (I love snarky coffee mugs), and got really awkward, saying "that was just in a box somewhere," which then made me feel really awkward, so I blamed my purchasing of it on Chris).



And...for good measure, the forest green Basic Edition slip-ons I got on the way back from our fabulous trip for $2 (Laurie got me hooked on these cheap slip-ons about six years ago, because her grandma gave her a bunch. I get about a pair a year, usually from Kmart and they last me the summer. Last summer I splurged on a pair of Toms, feeling all good about myself, only to find them fall apart within months. No thanks. I will go with my thrifted Basic Editions, thank you very much. ).

I think I achieved a drunk post! YES!