There's something very wrong with me... and I'm not sure that it can be fixed.
Today I walked into an Op Shop...
You know... a Second-Hand Store, a Thrift Store, a Charity Store... whatever you like to call it...
Anyway,
It's a while since I've really been Op Shopping... and when I walked in today, I cause myself pausing in the doorway.... taking a BIG DEEP BREATHE in through my nose...
I wanted to savour the aroma... it seeemed so familiar, and comforting, and friendly
I was thinking to myself, ahhh I love that smell...
And then I suddenly realised that the SMELL which felt so wonderfully comforting to me, was a blend of mothballs and musty old upholstery.
Oops...
I don't think that our Op Shops here smell as bad as some that I hear about... but really... one isn't supposed to ENJOY the smell of them!
So I shopped and shopped and shopped...
And then I shopped a little more.
Four Op Shops later, I was loaded up with goodies... and wondering where I was going to store all my new-found treasure!
I won't overload you with all my finds in this post, but I did come across this beautiful bracelet.
The elastic is starting to deteriorate in it, it's yellowed and becoming brittle... so I was thinking that I would re-string it...
But then when I took it apart, I decided that it would be much more fun to make earrings with the pieces.
So I'm off to play with my jewellery making tools...
I'll show you some more photos when I am done.
Oh... and looking at that last photo, I need to moisturise my hands, too!!!
Don't Worry, I do the same thing, I go into a thrift store and love every minute of it! :)
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, I do the same thing at book stores, or really to any printed publication that comes into my hands. I take the book, magazine, brochure, pamphlet...any thing printed.... and open it to the middle and put my nose deep into the center and inhale deeply. I can be talking to someone and just do it automatically. They just stop talking and look at me like I'm crazy and then I realize what I am doing. Seriously, I do it automatically. Old books and high gloss magazines have the bet smell!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have these shops in my part of the world but after reading this, I wish we had :)
ReplyDeleteThat's not the smell of mothballs and old upholstery. It's the smell of POTENTIAL!! Gotta love oppies, they are one of my favourite places to go.
ReplyDeleteHi! What a wonderful find and so many possibilities! I live on an island and we don't have any shops like that. As a matter of fact, we don't even have anywhere to buy things like yarn, hooks, needles, paint - any crafty type items. I love to return to Florida and be set free in stores to find all the wonderful things that I can use to create with once I return to Guanaja (which is off the coast of Honduras). I am glad I stumbled onto your blog as it is filled with lots of fun ideas that I can dream about and make note of so when I go to a "civilized" place where they have these wonderful shops to explore!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Sharon
Mary's got it right - that's the "smell of potential"! You just never know what you're going to find. Like having a present and the wonderful suspense before you open it!
ReplyDeleteI am manager at a local thrift store. For several years I worked as the volunteer coor and event planner. I wanted to come back to my store where I had started out. It wasn't that I wasn't good at those things, I was. The thrift store is my place and I love it, my customers, my staff and the program people that come here from our mission to work.
ReplyDeleteWe have 3 goals we work toward as a thrift store: 1. We strive to be the friendliest and most helpful, 2. The cleanest thrift store in town and 3. to be the best organized. We do not smell like many thrift stores but there is always that familiar aroma that I love as well, that some people just don't understand. Thank you for putting it so well.
pjrich