The Scrap Exchange

It's been a while since I have been out exploring. The ol' hubs and I decided to make the journey out to Durham to check out The Scrap Exchange. WOW! This place has tons and tons of items -- it's almost a bit overwhelming. The inventory changes often based on the donations they receive. We noticed a lot of medical supplies -- but that's not too surprising given the medical community in Durham.


On today's trip we saw fabric scraps and wallpaper, test tubes and pipettes, wrapping paper and ribbon, metallic sticker paper (I limited myself to 5 sheets), magazines and postcards, wine corks, baskets and tins, wood scraps and glass, old electronics, and soooooo much more. You can also grab a bag and fill it full ($7.50 for a small bag or $15 for a large bag) of items they stash in huge blue barrels.


While meandering, we happened upon a little girl's birthday party being held at the store. The Exchange hosts "make and take" parties. It was fun to watch the kids scour the store and search for things to be a part of their creations. How cool is that? Also cool, this wall made of old VHS tapes ...


And if you think you can handle more awesomeness, be sure to check out the The Scrap Exchange's blog. They post creative ideas for how to reuse some of the items you can find at the store -- worth a look for some sweet upcycling projects. If you can't make the trek to the store, they have an eBay store where they sell some of their wares. See, I told you ... AWESOME!!

Pusherman Part Two: Antique stores in Raleigh

Woo Hoo! Time to get back to the Tour de' Raleigh!

This weekend lead me out towards two of my favorite local antique stores. Quickly though, let's refer back to my original posting, and remember what to expect from an "antique store" -- lots of *lovely* items, therefore slightly higher prices. Also, many antique stores are stocked by numerous vendors, hopefully ensuring a wide range of goods. The vendor will rent a small space to sell their belongings, and the store will collect a portion of the vendor's profits. So, now that we know what to expect, let's start the tour.


My first stop was at Thieves Market. Thieves Market is located right off the beltline on New Bern Ave. This antique mall holds over 200+ booths! I'm pretty sure you can find just about anything you are looking for. The staff here are always helpful and very friendly.

This is also a great place to search for furniture. Every time I have been, I have noticed an abundance of fantastic furniture pieces. I will say this store tends to lean more towards 30's/40's/50's shabby chic. It's not exploding with many mid-century pieces or funky knickknacks, but do not let that dissuade you from exploring. I'm almost positive you won't walk out empty-handed!

Enjoy a few snippets from my visit ...

My next stop was at Gresham Lake Antiques. This little gem is located in North Raleigh, off of Capital Boulevard. Gresham Lake is another very large antique mall with 80+ booths. I adore the staff here -- these ladies always give me a good laugh and are super helpful.

I feel like this antique mall has a wider variety of dealers -- 30's/40's ephemera, 60's/70's kitsch, and even one dealer with a vast array of salt and pepper shakers. Gresham tends to be a bit lean on larger furniture, but they do have pieces sprinkled throughout the store.

A quick glance of some various booths ...




So, if you find yourself with some free time on a weekend afternoon, first, tell me how you managed to score some free time, and then make your way out to one of these antique malls. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Estate Sale? Check.

First, my apologies for such a long break in posting. I've been sick for about 2 1/2 weeks now. My doctor said I had a viral infection that gave way to a bacterial infection. Basically it adds up to feeling like crapola for the last two weeks. But ...

All thanks to a little encouragement from Vintage Rescue Squad, I decided to embark on my first ever estate sale. I skimmed craigslist to find a local sale. Bingo! There was one not too far from the house, in a pretty nice neighborhood, and it had a billiards lamp for sale.

This was the first thing I saw on Saturday morning. What the hell-o am I thinking? But, onward and upward (even if in the dark), with my loving and supportive husband in tow.

We arrived about ten minutes after the sale began, and there were people already leaving the sale! Geesh -- some people are serious. I immediately made a beeline for the "playroom" and spotted the pool table (with a price) and the billiards lamp (without a price). I inquired about the lamp. A nice older gentleman went to ask someone, who asked someone else, who asked someone else -- the lamp was not for sale. DRAT.

Oh well, we had trucked all this way and we were going to make the most of it. We turned around to begin exploring the rest of the room and we both laid eyes on this -- a pristine music cabinet housing a turntable, 8-track player, and stereo.

Price? 20-freaking-dollars. Yes, please. Jeff snagged the ticket and we made our way through the rest of the house. (BTW -- we now possess the ability to play any form of music media. Records, tapes, 8-tracks, cds, ipods -- BRING IT ON!)

The house ended up being in a very nice neighborhood. All the items in the house were in good/great condition -- some of the pieces were unbelievably GORGEOUS!! This made for a mix of prices. Some of the items were very high -- like the full-size headboard for $550. Some of the items were very modestly priced -- as in, all the items I picked up. Here's a snapshot of our bounty.

Mirror tray (I have been looking for one of these), set of 10 glass coasters, plant stand, framed flower pressing, a hand stitched throw pillow, and a nut chopper for my husband.

All in all, I would say this was a great experience and I am definitely motivated to do it again. Although, I'm not so sure my honey will be joining me again ... he doesn't do mornings.

Happy creating everyone!

I'm your Pusherman -- A guide to some Raleigh thrift spots

My apologies for leaving you for a bit. Work has been a bit busier and my parents came for a lovely visit. So, without further adieu ...

I decided to take you all on a "tour" of Raleigh thrift/antique stores. Today, we'll be taking a trip to three local thrift stores -- Cause for Paws, American Thrift, and Hidden Treasures.

First though, let me take a minute to discuss the difference between "antique stores" and "thrift stores." Antique stores are normally filled with various vendors who scour local yard sales, dumpster dive, refurnish pieces, etc. This all adds up to walking into an antique store and being inundated with lovely and delightful goodies, but with prices that reflect the work that has gone into bringing them into their current state of being. Your typical thrift store is often filled with donations, castaways, odds and ends, pairs missing their mates, pieces that could use a fresh coat of paint, etc. Therefore, wading through a sea of crap things to find those diamonds in the rough (some rougher than others) is an essential part to the thrift store experience. So my dears, please keep this information in mind when embarking on your next excursion.

Now, on with the show ...

Cause for PAWS was "created with a mission of helping non-profit organizations that promote animal welfare, especially no-kill organizations." Check out their website for more information or to learn how to donate. Since their beginning, they have grown to establish three stores located in downtown Raleigh, north-east(ish) Raleigh, and Zebulon.

I frequent both the Raleigh locations, but have not been to the Zebulon location. You can find a WIDE variety of items at Cause for PAWS -- furniture, clothing, knickknacks, rugs, exercise equipment, etc. They often run "sales" through out the week. Depending on the day, you could get 20% for being a lady, because you're buying furniture, or it's the first day of the month! Here's a sample of my last visit...





Directly across the street from Cause for Paws' Crabtree St. location, you'll find American Way Thrift. This thrift store donates their proceeds to the NC Children's Hospital. Seriously, who doesn't want to help out little sick children?? It's almost like your civic duty to shop here at some point. They have local stores in Raleigh and Garner, but are also located in Durham and Fayetteville. Check out their website for more information or to donate!

Here's a quick snippet from my last visit (where I also scored two totally sweet side chairs that I've since refinished -- pictures to come) ....






The final store on this tour is a new kid on the block (yes, they are back). Hidden Treasures is located in north(ish) Raleigh. I found my way to their little secluded cove by way of craigslist. They had posted an *amazing* wood-carved (I believe teak) lamp with a red velvet shade. Hotness? Yes please. So, I called my neighbor, a fellow thrifter-in-crime, and we made the five minute journey on over to Hidden Treasures. We were both delighted to see quality goods, reasonable prices, and friendly staff. I walked away with a bevy of booty that included a library card catalog. Oh Dewey Decimal, how I miss you!

Here's a quick peek at some of their wares (see if you can spot the killer lamp I was telling you about) ...



PHEW! My goodness, what a tour. I'm wiped out for now. I promise this will not be the last guide tour of the local thrift/antique scene. Stay tuned for more editions and of course happy creating everyone ...

Recycle, recycle don't throw it away -- The best of Restore

We made the trek out to Restore's "new" diggs. Restore was created by Habitat for Humanity to provide funding for their programs by selling new and used building materials to the public at discounted prices. Most the goods are donated from people remodeling their homes or large home improvement stores. It's a great GREEN way to support an important local cause and find new ways to spruce up your own home.

Today was rainy and dreary, but my spirits were revived once we walked inside! This place has just about any and everything you might be looking for in regards to home improvement; doors, sinks, cabinets, furniture, paint, blinds, tile, lights fixtures, wallpaper, etc.









Here's a look a some of my favorites lurking inside ...

These chairs were my first object of lust. Black "leather" with clean lines and they were only $5 a piece!!



My next obsession was this GLORIOUS light. Decorative wrought iron work with beautiful brownish stained "glass." It was just ridiculous.



I carried it around the store like a baby. After much debate, I finally decided that it would not fit the front of our house (our roof hangs too low) and I left it there. I had to ask Jeff to put it back because I couldn't bring myself to part with it.

All in all, we spent less than $50 and left with some great old light fixtures and an old metal cabinet. Promise to post some pictures once these items find their final places in the house.

Have a great a weekend. Oh and here are directions to Restore if you want to stop by (and you should).