A Jewelry Store? A Bookstore? An Art Gallery? Yes to all!

It's no secret that I love to read! I've mentioned many times in previous posts that I like to go to a special Goodwill Store that we have close by that has books, books and more books! The best thing is that most of them are 80 cents! You can't go wrong with that! Even buying online books at 99 cents can't beat my bookstore. I've also mentioned many times that someday I was going to take pictures of this store and write a post about it. Today is that day!

A little background...the reason for my title to this post is this bookstore has many faces. It's a bookstore, true, but it's also a nick-knack store, a jewelry store, an art gallery and much, much more! 

Here you see books! What I love is that the employees that work here have this store super organized. They have signs posted above each section that says whether it's Fiction, Non-Fiction, Education, Health, Parenting, Religious, Cooking, etc, etc...you get the idea, right? The books are all alphabetized by author in each section!

And in little nooks and crannies, like on the shelf at the bottom of this photo, they tuck little treasures, like dolls, candle sticks, looks like there is even a Santa Claus cookie jar down there! Darn, wish I had seen that!

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Here's the front entrance and they have a bookcase there facing the outside with some of their newer inventory of books. I usually grab about three or four books the second I come in!

And I forgot to put in my title that this is also a Hallmark Store!! Well not really, but see that nice, neat little section of different greeting cards? Nothing goes to waste once donated to Goodwill!

Also look carefully and you will see lots of other goodies, see some purses hanging on the wall behind the cashier? They also have some vintage jewelry back there too!

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Another shot of books and they also sell boxes. I've bought some of these boxes many times to move and sometimes just to store some of the books I've bought and read and need to return to Goodwill so someone else can benefit from them!

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I could spend hours in this place, which is why it's nice that they have created such a nice little reading area. All of this is donated stuff and almost all of it is for sale, but these tables and the little couch and a few chairs on the other side are not for sale but for customers to just sit and relax and look at books. 

The store has regular customers that come in and sit on weekends and just pass the time, just like a Barnes and Noble Bookstore...except without a Starbucks. 

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Another shot of books! As you can see there is a never-ending supply of books coming into this store constantly! Can you also see those posters and pictures set alongside? There are treasures to be seen everywhere!

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Another shot of books! When you read as much as I do it's really a nice option to be able to have such a huge selection for such a great price...plus, when I finish I donate them back so the Goodwill continues to profit from the books and someone else gets the pleasure of reading these books over and over again! Win-Win!

I thought this was an interesting little corner to share because this is all their vintage books. I've been looking for a first edition copy of the book, The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney. It was a book I read over and over as a child until it fell apart. I always check out this section and hope that one day I will come upon it. That will be a happy-happy, joy-joy day!

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And say you come with someone that is not into books...well they won't be bored, just tell them to stroll over to the Art Gallery! I love this section!!!

Here's a shot from the entrance, this room is located at the back of the store and there's lots of natural light which is perfect to show off all this cool artwork you can buy. It's all for sale! Someone that really loved ballet must have recently donated!

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More artwork! Isn't this fabulous? And all hung and displayed so nicely. And the store is so clean!!! 

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Can you see why I love this place and constantly rave about it and devoted a whole post to it? And I'm still not done!!! Yes...there is more to see!

I probably should have started with this photo as this is the front of the store. 

Where to start! Ok, so on the shelves to the left you see magazines. Yes, they even salvage magazines, lots of Oprah's and Southern Living and others. More artwork of course, probably their newest arrivals! And lots of little nick-knacks on the shelves and even on the floor! You can see in the background what appears to be jewelry, it is!

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This is a very cute section too. They don't sell the little bookshelf itself, trust me I've asked because I love it, but it is always filled with lots of cute little treasures!

And because I was so busy taking photos I wasn't really paying much attention to what was on the shelf and now I see that little angel blowing a kiss!! Love it! Shoulda bought it!

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And now...my favorite section in the whole store...oh c'mon....who am I kidding, the whole store is my favorite. But you know how you save the best for last? Well I always save looking at the jewelry for last because it is my favorite part.

I have found tons of cute bracelets and necklaces here for great prices! And the great thing is the pieces I find here are unique one of a kind items that no one else has!

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And I didn't leave empty handed. Along with all these great pictures, look what's in my shopping cart?

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I think that book in the front is one my mom or sister threw into my cart because I just looked around here at home and I don't have that book and I know it's not a book I would have been interested in. But the low-carb cookbook and the Atkins book behind it I will love going through.

So this is why I don't own a Kindle. Owning a kindle would keep me from the pleasure of visiting this great place filled with books and treasures and jewels and artwork and would probably put Goodwill out of business considering that I visit this place almost every weekend...but wouldn't you if you had it in your home town?


 

A Great Way to End the Year!

I've had many good trips and fun times in 2012.

Some of them I blogged about, some of them I never got around to blogging about.

About two weeks before Christmas my sister and I took a drive to Santa Clarita to get some Christmas shopping done. Santa Clarita is about two hours south of Bakersfield. When we got there we happened to notice on the way out of town that there was a huge Goodwill Store right there on Lyons Avenue and we both said, "Look, Goodwill! We need to bring mom!"

My mom loves thrift stores and I've learned to love them as well through her. My sister Lisa...not so much. So today, we had nothing to do other than the normal grocery shopping, vacuuming, mopping, dusting, laundry, you know...all the normal stuff that we do on the weekends to get ready for the next week...so we took mom to Santa Clarita instead.

That in itself is not such a big deal, the big deal was driving the Grapevine. The Grapevine is notorious for having bad weather during the winter months and earlier in the week the California Highway Patrol had to escort traffic through the mountainous area.

When we left it was a bit overcast here in Bakersfield, but we convinced my mom that the weather wouldn't be bad and that once we got over the mountain the sun would be shining. I guess maybe we should have checked The Weather Channel before we left.

We hit snow! Not bad snow, but snow none the less! I was driving and I have never driven in snow. Well I've driven in snow after it's on the ground, but not during a snow storm. Well this wasn't really a snow storm, mostly a lightly falling snow. But you can see the snow from earlier on the side of the road.

You know a weird thing that I never knew about snow? That when it falls it doesn't stick to and wet your car's windshield like rain does. I didn't even need my wipers. Now it may be that when it falls heavier that it does, but this one didn't.



Picture taken by my sister from the rear window of the car.

Needless to say...my mom was not a happy camper! She doesn't like to go outside during the winter and doesn't even like to look outside. So to be in the backseat of a car at 5000 elevation with snow falling around her was sheer torture! We tried to tell her it wasn't that bad and this is a great adventure and something we will remember forever, but she wasn't buying it!

A couple of times I contemplated turning around and going back home because many times people get to the other side of the Grapevine and then it snows so much that the CHP closes the pass and you can't get back. You can go around but that adds hours to your trip. But I'm nothing if not stubborn. I figured the driving wasn't so bad. Everyone was going at a decent speed and I wasn't scared, so why not continue on and if we had to get a hotel room and spend the night in Santa Clarita, well then we would. This was an adventure after all!

I'm happy to say that we made it over the Grapevine. And it was sunny, a bit cold but sunny. We had a yummy lunch at Coco's and then took my mom to Goodwill. The Goodwill in Santa Clarita was a tad more expensive than our local Goodwills, but my mom still had a good time. I found an awesome cookbook, 1,000 Classic Recipes from Around the World! The sticker price on the front said $17.89 but I got it for $5.00. This book is like four inches thick and filled with pictures and super heavy! I can't wait to look at it and try some of the recipes!

I've also been collecting Jodi Picoult books, trying to get them all and I found another one today that I didn't have in my collection. Haven't read this one yet, have no idea what it's about, but I love Jodi Picoult books and can't wait to read it! And the sticker on the front says $8.43 but I got it for $1.99!

And my favorite thing I found was a silverware caddy. I had been looking for one for quite a few months now and hadn't found anything I really liked. My cousin Stella has a perfect one that I believe she got a Ikea or Pier 1 Imports, but I haven't been able to find one exactly like hers. This one is great because it has touches of green, my favorite color and the color of my kitchen curtains and it has butterflies, which I love and have several of all over my house.

I already got it all washed up and placed the silverware in it. Not sure this is going to work for me because the utensils tend to slip out of the bottom. I put some cupcake pan liners in there for now but I'm hoping to find some acrylic containers that might fit in there. See the butterflies and the ivy leaves? So cute!

So my sister, mom and I had a great day! I wish I had thought to take a photo, but let me share one of the three of us making Biscochos for Christmas this year.

From L to R...my sister Lisa, my mom Tomasa and me!

Yep...a great way to end the year!

Thrift Shop Treasures

Whew! I just barely made it.
For what you ask?
Well of course for Rhoda's final "Today's Thrifty Treasures" event!

She's going to be taking a break now that fall is here and yard sale season is almost a distant memory.

I barely made it because I just got off a train and raced like a bat out of "H E, double toothpicks" to my computer to write my post to link up to Rhoda.

I just got back from visiting my daughter in Turlock. My mom and I rode the Amtrak! That was the first time for either of us and I'll post stories and pictures later, but let me tell you...I found lots of treasures. The ones below though are from last weekend.

Hey...Happy Easter! I know, I know...it's almost time for Halloween, not Easter, but I just couldn't pass on this! Isn't it adorable! I can't wait for Easter now!


And I finally found a real cloche. This one is pretty small, you could probably fit a cupcake into it. I still want to find a beautiful, ornate stand for it. But it was a great buy and they are hard to find in our area!

And I found this gorgeous bird cage. Still don't know what I am going to do with it. Any ideas? For now I moved the Russian Nesting Dolls and my daughter Tea Cup from the upside down hurricane/cloche and displayed them in the bird cage so the photo would have more than just an empty cage.

I found another beautiful birdcage today at a Thrift Shop in Modesto, but unfortunately because we were on the Amtrak I couldn't bring it with me as I already had my suitcase full and it wouldn't have fit anyway.

So that's it for today. I found lots of goodies this weekend as well; including many pumpkins and fall display items, but unfortunately I've had no time to clean them up and get them photographed and posted. I'm going to have to find another wonderful hostess like Rhoda to get me through the winter months. Anyone?

Be sure to go see what treasures everyone else found. Just click on the button below.

Fondue'ing it Up!

"There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate." - Linda Grayson

Yesterday my daughter, April came for the day to visit. She lives about 4 hours away so she had quite a drive before getting here. She, my mom and I first did a little bit of thrift store shopping where we found some treasures...as usual; but I will post about that later.

April had invited her friend Mary to come and have a barbecue with us. But it was actually 102 degrees yesterday, so we opted for hamburgers made inside and potato salad. It was still super hot in the kitchen, but well...we had to eat.

Mary brought her sister Amy and we had a great time with them. They were super nice people and I'm glad my daughter has such good friends. After dinner April had a special dessert planned.

It started out with this electric Fondue Pot, 5 bars of milk chocolate, milk, whipping cream and marshmallows, plus a LOT of stirring~


Mmmm, melting marshmallows ~



Almost done, just a few stubborn marshmallow bits. This was soooooooo sinfully delicious.

And what would melted chocolate be good for if you didn't have something to dip into it? Actually, I could have just used my fingers at that point, but well...we did have company so we used all these delicious things. Fresh strawberries, raspberries, bananas, pound cake, salted pretzels and marshmallows!

(The little pink serving tray above was purchased for me by my mom at a Goodwill for about $2.25. Isn't it beautiful?)

This beautiful Mikasa serving plate was a gift from my mom that she purchased many years ago at a Mikasa outlet store. This is actually the first time I've used it for anything other than decorative purposes. It's just as beautiful as the fruit it held.

Well we had a really great time, even though it was so hot. If you've never tried Chocolate Fondue, you really should. It's amazingly delicious and a great way to share food, time and stories.

Thrift Shop Treasures

Found some great things this week. Hit quite a few yard sales and 2 Goodwill's. Once you see all my goodies, be sure to head over to Rhoda's "Southern Hospitality", gracious host of Today's Thrifty Treasures blogging party. Like Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ, click your heels together...and hit the Today's Thrifty Treasures button below to be transported to a magical land of thrifty treasures!

So as luck would have it I had a yard sale right across the street from my house. It was about 8:30 by the time I had showered and done my hair and make-up. I asked my mom if she had gone and she said no and now it was probably too late because all the good stuff was gone. But I convinced her to go with me and good thing I did because we found some great things.

My mom found a really nice purse for $1.00 to use to put her church book, missal and water bottle in when she attends daily mass. She also found a stack of dishtowels. There were about 15 and they were $1.25 for the stack! I found a really nice nick-knack shelf. It was pink and I didn't really know where to put it until I remembered my bathroom is pink and blue...it's perfect.



Now I just have to find butterfly items to display.

That yard sale put us in the mood to hit some thrift stores. On our way to Goodwill we hit a few yard sales where my mom scored a pair of PJ's and these handy little condiment/prep cups.

We are a Salsa and chips loving family...but we aren't too thrilled with double dippers into the salsa bowl. So we've gotten into the habit of each person getting their own little individual salsa cup, like these and that way there are no double dippers into the main salsa bowl. I know, how OCD are we?

They look black, but they're actually a really pretty blue.

At Goodwill. I found the LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE signs you see pictured in the shelf above. I debated getting them, but there have been too many times I don't buy something and regret it later. I'm glad I bought these at only 75cents each. They were brand new.





I love the bright happy colors! Not sure where they will finally end up, or if I will paint them, but for now they seem happy where they are.

That was about it for nick-knacks but it was really my day for PJ's which is good as I needed some.

I bought all of the below, plus two gray t-shirts, one blouse for me and 3 books and the LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE signs for $20.00. The fun day and memories I made with my mom were included for FREE!

Love the ruffle detailing on the bottom of this one.

Love Pink!

Kind of a night shirt style.
These I found for my daughter. They have such a cute little sheep pattern, for those nights where you need to count sheep to get to sleep!

Here's a close up...aren't they adorable?

Can't get PJ pants for my daughter and not get some for my son. Not as cute as the little sheep, but very manly don't you think?

Bought a cute little ruffled top for myself.


And that was it for my day. Now I have to go and launder all my goodies! Be sure to head over to Rhoda's to see what else everyone else found. . .and don't forget to add yourself as a follower.

Happy Labor Day!