(Post-A-Day Challenge, Day 27)

[Almost there…stay on target….]

This evening, my friend Rivka and I decided to go out and engage in a little low-budget retail therapy.  We headed over to the ARC thrift store.

I love shopping at thrift stores.  It fascinates me to see the things people get rid of, and that the people running the store think people will actually pay money for.  Sometimes it astounds me how much they think they can ask for some of this junk.  And sometimes we make amazing finds and sneak out with a real steal.

Not to mention that it can be a lot of fun thinking up stories about what some of the items are and how they came to be there.  And about the other customers.

There were no earth shattering finds, other than a soap dish I may have to go back for on Saturday, when they’re having a half-price sale.  (I took a picture, but the pic is on my phone and my phone is downstairs, and I’m being lazy.  So I’ll have to post it later.)  Suffice it to say, it was a great soap dish, with a cupid and a dolphin, and it was raspberry pink and out there.  But neither of us had $8 to spend on a soap dish tonight.  If it’s still there on half-price Saturday, though…it’s mine.

Saw a lot of things that I would have liked to scoop up and use for steampunk and other craft projects, but again, the prices seemed high, so the stuff stayed there.

A few things did come home with me, though.  My favorites are two potential steampunk projects:  First, a rocking cool belt buckle (the belt isn’t much, but it looks like it would be easy enough to move it to a better belt):

There, doesn’t that look like it belongs on a steampunk outfit?  I thought it did.

And second was a really great hat (it’s the picture that’s obviously NOT a belt buckle (below).

This hat will probably get gussied up with some conchos (even cooler if I could find some gear-shaped ones!) and become part of my western steampunk outfit.  That outfit has been needing a really good hat, and I think this is it.

While we were there, we encountered a number of other folks who were in the shop looking for Halloween costumes and ideas (well, it is that time of year).

There was also a man buying large numbers of artificial flowers, and a couple of large vases to go with them.  I’m intrigued.  I wish I knew why he was buying so many flowers, and such large vases.  There’s gotta be a great story behind it, I just know it.

What’s an off-the-wall place you go to in order to shop for ideas?