VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

Nothing makes my day more, than finding a new secondhand store to shop!  And the new shop I found last week, Variety on a budget, secondhand clothing & more in Fairview Heights, was a delight!  It's down Lincoln Trail in the plaza next to Bert's Chuckwagon.  Ooooh, Bert's Chuckwagon, now I'm jonesing for some tacos and a cherry coke zero, but I digress.  Variety's address is 10220 Lincoln Trail, Suite A.

Their name accurately describes them.  There's a little of this and a little of that.  All of it, very well organized and clean.  And the staff is very helpful and nice.  They even allow returns!  That's unusual for a secondhand store but they aim to please I tell you.

So what did I find?  ALOT!  But I didn't bring it all home.  Since I'm trying to clean out my own house I'm trying (really I am) to limit myself and keep the "stuff" small.  I brought home 5 sweet little critters!

They're vintage little wooden planters in the shapes of an owl, fish, turtle (2) and a duck!  Each one was only 50 cents.  I don't usually play favorites but I have to say, I'm enamored with the owl.

I'm planning on planting succulents in them but that's a blog for another day.  

I also scored a little vintage watercolor painting (for the bedroom at the cabin) for $1.75.And last but not least, a bag of silverware for $3, some of which is old silverplate.  I'm going to research some of them to see if they have any value but I mostly bought them for these cute little forks I saw in the mix.

Leafing through a magazine (maybe Country Living) I came across a photo in which they were using forks to hold markers for plants in a vegetable or herb garden and so that's what I plan to do with those.  I'll try to remember to take a picture of them in my herb garden to share with you later.


So spice up your life, stop and take a look for yourself.  You can check their hours and get any other information you might need by calling them at 618-204-3170 or email them at vb82211@gmail.com.  Happy shopping!

OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL SHOP!

Exterior of Fabulous Finds

Wow, sorry, its been awhile since I posted.  I've just been so busy shopping and working on the Big Barn Bonanza (shameless plug for my own sale set for Sat. 10/29 and Sun. 10/30, see prior and upcoming posts for details) I haven't sat down long enough to write!  But I'll try to update you now with my adventures of the past couple weeks.

A couple weeks ago I FOUND FABULOUS FINDS.  Its the cutest little new shop in Columbia.  Mary Fitzgerald is the owner, she was also the original owner of the old Curtain Call in O'Fallon and worked some for Elements Off Main in the past.  Her new show Fabulous Finds is located at 315 North Main in Columbia.  The shops phone number is 281-1954.  She's peddling fashion, food, furniture and other "finds" including repurposed items, gently used items and seasonal merchandise.  She's carrying brands such as Wind & Willow, Country Home Creations, Copper Leaf and Rabbit Creek.  Her hours are Tues., Wed., and Fri. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  I LOVED her selection of jewelry and accessories, and sooooo reasonably priced!

Inside Fabulous Finds

Speaking of shops, another great find was Consign and Design in O'Fallon IL.  The shop is located at 1727 West Highway 50 and they can be reached at 622-9443.  Its a wonderful home decor and furniture consignment shop.  They have just beautiful gently used furniture and decor to spruce up your home with.  Baubles for inside and outside your home.  And their prices were very reasonable.  I took home a sweet little rag rug for the cabin for just $5.  The friend I was shopping with bought a few Longaberger baskets with liners and protectors at great prices and a couple other pieces to decorate her new log home with.  The owner, Bernie, is super nice and great to chat with.  We had so much fun shopping that day!  I can't wait to have an excuse and the time to go back up there and shop.  The merchandise turns over frequently with such a great selection and super prices.

Check back in the next few days, I've got a post coming on the Maeystown Oktoberfest and the Wentzville Flea Market.  And of course more photos and info on the BIG BARN BONANZA!

Buy, Buy!

Shop till you drop - tomorrow!  The Big 3 and Kohl's are all having fabulous sales tomorrow.  Dillard's is taking an additional 40% off the marked down price, the only way it gets better is when they do an additional 50% off, but that only happens once or twice a year.  You have to be a credit cardholder to get the additional discount tomorrow, for non credit cardholders the sale begins Thursday.  If you're a Penney's credit cardholder, you should have gotten a sale catalog in the mail this week with a surprise discount of 10, 20 or 30%.  I got a 30% discount in mine, so I'll be heading there too tomorrow.  Kohl's also has a similar discount offer to credit cardholders and I, again, received a 30% off discount there tomorrow through October 5th.  In addition you get $10 Kohl's cash for every $50 you spend.  While I don't have the details, I know Macy's is also having large sale tomorrow.  It's a great time to shop one last time the summer clearance and put your finds away till next spring and to shop the new fall looks and get them on a discount.  If I have any luck, I'll post my finds in the next couple days!  And if you don't have time to make it into the store in person, try shopping online.  The discounts are good on their websites as well as in person and some stores are also offering specials on shipping.  I know Kohl's is currently offering 99 cent shipping per item and Macy's offers free shipping on purchases that total $99 or more, otherwise, shipping still only costs a flat-fee $8 per order.  I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight, I'm going to have visions of bargains dancing in my head!  I'll be shopping in Fairview Heights tomorrow morning as soon as the stores open so look for me.  Where will you be shopping?  If you make it out and snag a great buy, remember to share with me here!

She's Baaaack (Well Almost)

Bear with me. I'm trying to get back in the blogging game. I may be slow getting started but I'm hoping you'll see my first new blog within the week! I'm planning to expand my horizons a little bit which might precipitate a change in blog names, but time will tell. In the meantime, I will still blog about found bargains but I will also be including some ideas for decorating with "found" objects or how to reincarnate found objects, some observations on our weekend cabin life, some other observations on dealing with aging parents or on grown children moving back in after college and some ideas on what to cook for dinner, that one was a request from a friend. I'd appreciate your input on what you'd like to see. So, stay tuned!

COLUMBIA IS BOOMING WITH FUN SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES

It just keeps getting better! There is actually more than one place for a gal to go shopping in Columbia, and I'm not talkin groceries! Got a few hours for shopping? Here's where to head:

Start on North Main at Curtis Jewelers, just off Route 3. There you'll find great jewelry from fine jewelry like gold and diamonds to a great selection of sterling silver jewelry with semi precious stones. Next head south on North Main to the Distillery Building and check out Elements Off Main home decor and furnishings consignment shop. In addition to the home decor you'll find an unbelievable selection of handmade, sterling silver and vintage jewelry. They also sell a line of handbags, wallets, scarfs, hair accessories, candles, gourmet foods and a whole lot more. Just down 2 doors in the Distillery Building is Agnes Ross, a great boutique carrying the k. hall line of moisturizers, oils, diffusers, candles and more. You'll also find great loomed rugs, pajamas, bed linens and more. Just a block away is Memory Lane Gifts & Florals. Pam, the proprietor, carries a great little line of giftables and silk floral arrangements along with a large array of fresh floral options. Continuing south on Main head next to the boutique at Vida Verde Spa. They carry a great line of women's clothes at not so "boutiquey" prices along with handmade jewelry, handbags, accessories and even original artwork. If you're looking for antiques, Evalina's is the place. They also carry coffee and sweets. Looking for a great bottle of wine? Stop in and see Andrew Traughber at Bon Vivant Wine Shop, voted by the RFT as the best wine shop in the St. Louis Metro area. At the other end of Main is the new shop Chic Junktique. The shop carries consigned items from home decor to jewelry and handbags to original works of art.

Have extra time? Maybe get a manicure or massage at Mist Day Spa or Vida Verde, both located along Main Street. And if you work up a hunger there's also plenty of places to put the feedbag on. Just off Main on Rapp is Our House Cafe. On Main you have your choice from Boccardi's, Thai House, Tiny's, Gruchala's and The Lantern. Or drive over to Marketplace Shopping Centre and eat at Mokka Kaffeehaus, well worth the short drive. Also in the plaza is Bully's and Tequilla's. So, did you ever dream you'd be able to spend an entire day enjoying Main Street in Columbia?

ITS HOT AT COLDWATER CREEK

Wow! I ran in to a great sale at Coldwater Creek in Fairview Heights today! First off, they had reversible sweater/wraps/shawls for just $10.99 each. I bought two! One that reversed from black to gray and one that reversed from chocolate brown to tan. Then I got an awesome purple jacket/blazer with stand up collar and great black buttons for just $14.99. With those great buys I was able to splurge on a great long-sleeved paisley tee with sheer sleeves for $28.99. I got all four pieces for under $70, less than the regular price of one of them! SCORE!! They just had a LOT on sale already for this time in the season. This was FALL clothes girls, not summer clearance. Check it out if you get a chance, but hurry, sizes are limited but wide ranging from petites to plus sizes!

WANT AD

I have a friend and reader that is looking for some used golf club sets for her two boys. They are both right-handed. They are 13 years old and about 5'1" in height. If you have used clubs to get rid of that might work for them, let me know. I'll connect you with the potential buyer. Anybody else looking for anything or have something to get rid? Let me know and I'll post it here.

SAVING SITES

I found these cost saving tidbits in an issue of Oprah magazine:

Check out fatwallet.com, an online community for bargain hunters, features coupons, savings alerts and rebate information. Dealhunting.com, couponcabin.com and naughtycodes.com have codes to enter at checkout for discounts on purchases or free shipping.

Bring your toner cartridge back to Staples and receive $3 off the purchase of anything in the store or online.

Use free open source software, downloadable via the Internet. For instance, GIMP, an image-producing, photo retouching program similar to Photoshop, is available at no charge at gimp.org. Find other sources of free software at sourceforge.net. And of course Google offers a variety of free options to manage documents, calendars, spreadsheets and photos.

Into Twitter? Then check out CheapTweet.com and coupontweet.com, they scan Twitter for bargains so you don't have to spend the time yourself looking for savings. There's also a site localtweeps.com that's a website designed to help users find local people and businesses that are using Twitter. Those businesses then can offer specials to those following their "tweets."

You got any good sites or deals to share? Please leave a comment or send me an email.

A LITTLE EDITORIAL ON HAREM PANTS

Ok, I don't make a habit of using my shopping blog to provide commentary on today's fashion trends. But this one, I just couldn't let go by. JUST SAY NO! Harem pants, remember those scary bottoms from the 80's? Supposedly they're BACK! I was perusing the pages of a Lucky Magazine and InStyle magazine a couple weeks ago and both magazines had a feature on Harem Pants return. Oh yeah, they showed them on skinny, tall models and while an argument might be made that they didn't look hideous on them (come on, nothing really looks hideous on a skinny, tall model) they did look RIDICULOUS! Now just imagine them on you or me - now that crosses over to HIDEOUS and RIDICULOUS (at least on me). So, if you find yourself thinking you'd welcome such a blast from the past, remember my wise words "JUST SAY NO". Hey, let me know what you think of harem pants and what other trends just shouldn't make a return!

SHOPPING IN WATERLOO

A Retirement Celebration Sale is currently going on through August 1^st at Back on the Rack in Waterloo.  Christine is retiring and thanking her customers with a 50% off sale.

A World of Difference, A Healthy Food Store, in Waterloo has new summer hours.  They are currently open Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 9:00 to 6:00 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Take advantage of this great barbecuing weather and head to Schneider’s Quality Meats in Waterloo to pick up some of their award-winning Brats for the grill.  They make a large selection of specialty brats, the best brats you’ll ever eat!

Immanuel Lutheran Church is hosting a Rummage Sale this Saturday, August 1^st from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  All proceeds go to Immanuel’s School.  Currently, the school has openings in the 4 year-old preschool class for the 2009-2010 school year.  Immanuel also plans to begin a Christian kindergarten in the fall of 2010.  Please contact Immanuel’s church office at 939-6480 for more information about the Rummage Sale or the School.

TEA TIME

Echoes of the Past and Mill Street Treasures in Waterloo are holding a Mother's Day Tea Event Thursday, May 7th from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. Echoes of the Past will have a drawing for a $25.00 gift certificate and Mill Street Treasures will have a drawing for a set of pearl earrings, a $25 gift certificate and a stylish new purse.

GET OUT

Ok, its a BIG weekend folks, lots going on!  

Saturday is the village wide yard sale in Millstadt scheduled for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. but I'm sure if you're an early bird you'll find some yard sales open before 8:00.

Bon Vivant Wine Shop in Columbia is holding a wine tasting this Saturday with 4 wines from Jorge Ordonez Imports:

Eguren Protocolo Blanco VdlT Castilla, Spain 2008 $7.50 (2007 vintage on sale $6.49) 

Fournier Urban Uco Torrontes Cafayate - Salta, Argentina $8.75

Muga Rioja Rosado, Spain 2008 $12

Muga Rioja Reserva, Spain 2005 $24

Also on Saturday, Raven Moon will be performing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Columbia branch of newly opened First National Bank of St. Louis for their customer appreciation day.  There'll be free barbecue brats and hamburgers and more.  Bring a lawn chair.

And if you miss that performance don't forget to catch the Raven Moon concert at the Espenschied Chapel in Mascoutah this Sunday at 2 p.m.

Rock on with local band Morland Drive at the Valmeyer Corner Pub this Sat. night from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Maeystown Freuhlingfest is Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Shop for antiques and plants for your garden while enjoying entertainment, food and a wine garden.  If you don't et your fill of shopping there you can head across the river to Lindbergh High School's Flea Market (on Lindbergh in South County).

The Monroe County's Farmer's Market has opened for the season.  You'll find it open in Waterloo on Saturday mornings on Mill Street next to the Courthouse and on Thursday afternoons in Columbia on the Ace Hardware parking lot on Main Street.

Fourth Street Bar & Grill is having a benefit poker run for Erica Sanders on Sunday, May 3rd.  Erica is a local girl that was involved in a very bad car accident and she has a 12 year old son that she needs to take care of.  The run will start at Bobecks in Waterloo and leave there by 12:00 p.m. and end at Fourth Street Bar & Grill in Waterloo where food will be served.

I'm hoping to hit the yard sales and Maeystown and just maybe the Lindbergh Flea Market.  Get out there and enjoy SPRING!  (It will be gone before we know it!)

FINDS/SCORE

At the Shelter Shop in Belleville earlier this week I found some great buys. A friend I was with unearthed this beautiful lace studded with rhinestones long vest with scarf, for just $8. I found a summer Izod purse that looks very "Lilly Pulitzer"ish in a hot pink and lime green tropical print with white leather accents and a vintage summer straw zippered clutch, both were only $2.25 each, and I'm ready for summer!

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE

I had some birthday money to burn through and I've been wanting to freshen up my spice rack.  We've been remodeling our kitchen a bit and part of the remodel included a spice cabinet.  In the process of moving my spices to the new cabinet I realized that some (ok most) of my spices were probably, shutter, OLD, like 5 to 10 years old!  So I edited what spices I want and need, made a list and took it over to Penzey's spices in Maplewood.  They are located at 7338 Manchester just east of Big Bend by about 3 blocks.

If you're not familiar with them you can check them out online at http://www.penzeys.com.  Their prices are really competitive to what you find in the grocery store but I believe their spices are a bit better.  The staff there is knowledgeable and helpful and you can pick up recipes and ideas while you are there.  They also come in a variety of sizes and because I don't seem to use them up very fast, most of mine are the smaller size, about half the size of a regular spice jar.  They also have come up with an interesting selection of blends so you can "shake" one jar instead of having to mix a bunch of them yourself.  If you sign up for their email list you'll occasionally get coupons, I got a free jar of cloves and we purchased a copy of the current issue of their magazine and it had a coupon for a free jar of basil so we got that too.

Bonus!  So I got them home and filled my spice cabinet and I have the added benefit that they look very nice in my open shelved spice, cabinet in my remodeled (well not quite done yet but getting there) kitchen.

HEAD'S UP

We've experienced some spring-like weather and now its back into the deep freeze. But that taste of spring got me thinking of the upcoming shopping season. The season of flea markets, festivals, rummage and yard sales. So I thought I'd provide with a list of a few that I know are coming up.

Kicking off the season is St. Paul Lutheran's annual rummage sale in Columbia on Sat. 3/21. The sale usually gets under way around 7 a.m. Sometimes they have an "early bird" entry at 6:00 a.m. for a $5 charge. I've contacted a friend of mine that goes there for details but I haven't heard back from her yet. Maybe this will be her reminder since she's a reader too. I'll try to remember to make a mention of it next week too (and have more details by then).

In May, Bloomington, IL starts their monthly flea markets back up for the season and they run through November. They are held the 3rd Sunday of the month. Parking is free but admission is $5.00 and while I don't usually like admission charges to go buy things from people this is one place where I say "go ahead and pay", it's well worth the price of admission. The sale runs from 8:00 to 4:00. I believe they have an early bird but its like $20 or $25 and I have never felt it was worth that amount of money. Some vendors are still trying to get set up at the regular start time.

Also in May is Maeystown's annual Fruhlingfest. It is the 1st Sunday of the month. It's a garden and antique festival and one of my favorite "close to home" shows to attend. Great food, great shopping in a great setting.

At the end of the May is one of the greater St. Louis area markets, The Gypsy Caravan. It is held on Memorial Day. I'm not sure of this year's location but I'll be getting back to you with that and other details. Its moved around over the years and the last time we went it was on the campus of UMSL.

The last one I have on my radar for spring/early summer is The Lafayette House Tour and Antique Fair to be held Sat. 6/6 and Sun. 6/7. This makes a great outing for the day to the Lafayette Square area in St. Louis. I have been numerous times. For $15 to $20 a person you can take in the house (and garden) tour of about 8 homes. You can catch brunch, lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants in the neighborhood. Then stroll around the park and check out the antique offerings. There's also sometimes carriage rides and an old time baseball game to watch in the park. Again, I'll have more details closer to the date.

Let me know if you know of any happenings, festivals and shopping events coming up this spring and summer and I'll pass them along.

Mark your calendars and start planning your outings.

Boutique Shopping

Has anyone been to the new boutique in Columbia at Vida Verde Spa and Salon?  I haven't been able to make it in there yet.  But I did see that they are taking 30% off everything in the shop through March 5th (that's the boutique not the salon).  They are located at 127 N. Main and their phone number is 281.6767.

SALE ALERT

My sister called me at 7:50 a.m. this morning:  "Dillard's is taking an additional 40% off the marked down price on just about everything (if not everything) in the store!"  The sale started today and I believe runs at least through Saturday or Sunday.  I made a quick run over to South County this morning to check it out!  In just over an hour I walked out with 3 pair of shoes for under $40 total, 2 belts for under $15 total (both leather, one a Fossil brand that was orig. $48) and 3 tops for about $30 total (one Ralph Lauren, one Nygard and one store brand).  I called a friend in O'Fallon about the sale, she ran to St. Clair Mall and came out with 3 pair of shoes for her husband (Cole Haan and Johnston & Murphey) and 6 pairs for herself (a fair and equitable share, it was her time afterall :)  NOW GO SHOP!!!

INS AND OUTS OF BUSINEESS

I made two new discoveries yesterday.  I found out from one friend and reader that it appears. Groomingdale's in Columbia is going out of business.  I don't know why, she was just called by someone with Groomingdales and told that her dog's appointment for Tuesday was being cancelled because they are closing.

Another friend called me as soon as she discovered a new shop on Main Street in downtown Columbia.  Evalina's opened on Saturday.  They will be selling Antiques, Gifts, Crafts and Coffee, Tea and Treats.  They are located at 124A South Main, across the street from Bon Vivant Wines.  Well, of course I had to hurry down there and check it out.  They're still loading the store so they opened but haven't advertised and they'll be holding a grand opening at a later date.  What they had out so far was mostly the antiques and it's looking good.  Barbara Ratz is the owner and she hasn't decided on exact hours yet but she does plan to be opened on Sundays too.  The phone number on her business card is 618.520.0569 so you might want to call and make sure they're open before making a special trip down there.  She had some vintage jewelry and I found 3 things I decided I couldn't live without.  A beautiful unique vintage purple rhinestone brooch, a silver and rhinestone accented enamel dragonfly brooch/pendant and a gold coin long necklace.  I saw a beautiful chandelier, some great framed artwork and some fine wood antique furniture.  Let her know Debbie (with the blog and newsletter) sent you!

GET OUT

Take your pick this weekend, there's a lot going on.  It's Mardi Gras baby!  Head down to Soulard, I've always wanted to go but this is one event I have never been to.  If you have, let me know your experience.  Did you get any beads?  How'd you get them???  They're celebrating Mardi Gras here in Columbia too, with a dinner dance at Turner Hall with Second Generation Swing providing the music to dance to.  Doors open at 5 p.m., Dinner at 6:30, dance at 8:30. Tickets are $20 per person and includes fried chicken, black beans and rice and King Cake with a cash bar.  The evening is being sponsored by the Celebration 2009 Committee of Columbia, celebrating their 150th anniversary this year.  Advance tickets can be purchased at Ron's Pharmacy, Conrad Press and Conrad Travel.  There's also a Chicken & Beer Dance at the Hecker Community Center Sat. night from 8 to midnight.  Music by Freefall (We went to this dance last year and had a great time and the band rocked).  Tickets are $12.50 in advance and $15 at the door.  For tickets call 61-473-2970.  Price includes music, free chicken, "draft" beer and "draft" soda.

Tomorrow Night the Van Dells are performing at The Falls, doors open at 6:00 p..m.  The Van-Dells is touted as the nation's #1 Rock and roll Review.  Cost is $55 per person and includes dinner, open bar and show.  Advance tickets are required so call 888-538-7778 to reserve yours.

There's also some shopping opportunities this weekend.  The Belleville Flea Market is Sat. and Sun. from 9 to 4 each day at The Belle Clair Fairgrounds in Belleville.  Free parking and free admission.  Asselmeier & May is holding a major Antique Estate Auction on Saturday at 9:30 a.m., previewing starts at 8:00 am.  The sale is held at the VFW Hall on Rt. 158 in Millstadt. For more info check out their website at www.amantiqueauctions.com.   Voss Brothers Action Auction will be holding a sale at noon Sunday, Feb. 22 at 5874 B Road in Valmeyer.  Sale includes tools, collectibles, household and other misc. items.

Have an Eventful Weekend!

SHOP, EAT, REPEAT

Shopping, eating out, I've been doing a little bit of both this week.  Yesterday I headed down to Waterloo.  I had dropped some items at the new resale clothing shop, Hi-Style Boutique, there in the plaza in front of Wal Mart.  I had a large lawn and leaf bag full of clothes that I was emptying out of my closet and some of them were still in good condition.  They were headed to a resale shop to be donated but I thought I'd stop there and see if they were interested in any of them.  Out of the bag, they accepted half to 3/4 of them and gave me a check for $37 for them.  I can't tell you how much they gave me for each individual item because I didn't ask them to.  I was happy to be paid on the spot for items that were just going to be donated and that I didn't have to sit at a yard sale and sell.  If you're going to give them a try its best to go Tues. through Thurs. and call first and see if the owner, Lisa Kueper, is going to be in.

After that, I headed to the Western Egyptian Resale shop to donate the leftovers and while I was there I thought I better just take a peek.  I came out with 3 great necklaces for a total of $2.50.

Later that afternoon I headed with a friend over to The Closet Exchange and Sweet Charity (both resale shops), on Gravois near the intersection with Sappington in South County.  I bought a Lilly Pulitzer hot pink polo top for spring, brand new with the tags still on it for $20 something (reg. price on the tag was $75) at The Closet Exchange.  And at Sweet Charity I bought an Emmanual Ungaro black jacket for spring and a Ralph Lauren black and white stripe blazer (also for spring) both for $8 each and a Jones New York spring pink with navy polka dots blouse for $7.  There's also a home furnishings resale shop in the same plaza as Sweet Charity but I didn't catch the name of it and they seemed to still be setting up and getting ready to close for the day, so I'll have to check them out further another time.

Tonight I'm headed out to eat with my husband and another couple to Lucas Park Grille downtown St. Louis.  Of course I'll let you know how it is.

I'm hoping to find somewhere to shop tomorrow.  And yes, I'll let you know if I do and what I find.