Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Thrifty Finds

Good Tuesday morning to you!  I was EXtry (that's how my Nana says it) tired last night, and was all tucked in and sawing logs by 9:00 PM!  So by 5:30 this morning I was wide awake.  By 6:30 this morning, there were already two weather warning break ins over the the telly.  Here is our morning sky.

 Last Friday after dropping Noah off I popped into my favorite Vintage & Thrift and the owner, and my friend Teri immediately told me to leave! She said, go straight to see the fantastic Estate Sale she had spent two hours at early that morning.  She said it was a "Pickers Paradise."  So off I went.  It was something to see indeed!  However, by the time I got there, the best was long gone.  This poor lady that had passed away, was a hoarder.  A company was hired to come in and hold this estate sale.  It was sad really.  Every square inch of this home was packed.  In one of the bedrooms, underneath a table, I spotted something that interested me.  I have been looking on ebay and in antique stores for vintage fisher price little people sets for several years.  I could kick myself for having given away all of the ones we had when our kids were little. We had them all.  The farm and silo.  The play house.  The zoo, the house boat...all of them.  And they were so well made.  With sturdy pieces, and the little people were those darling little pegs, each with their own cute features.  Well, turns out.....these are highly collectible.  And quite costly too.  So I am looking for the bargains.  And a bargain I found!    I saw this dirty old bus, with a few little people inside, as well as a ziplock baggie full of little people.  I bought the entire lot for 8 dollars.
 The first thing I did was fill a sink with hot soapy water, and scrub them clean.  When Noah got home he had so much fun playing with these!  And he has been playing with them since.  I got on Ebay and looked up some of these items to see how much they were worth.  Turns out, I have about 150 dollars worth of fisher price little people!  Half of the little people are wood.  These are the oldest ones.  Pan Head Boy...my favorite, is worth 25.00.  As is the doggy.  And Mad Face Boy with cap on is worth 20.  Or at least there was one listed on Ebay auction for that amount.  The bus was listed at 60 dollars! 
Here is Noah playing with the toys with Geeps.

Yesterday I popped into Goodwill.  I got two fru fru little lamps for a 4.00 ea.
I love these little lamps to cast soft light on areas of my house.

My best find yesterday was this.  Do you know what it is?
Yep, a TRUE BLUE Hummel from Germany!   Guess how much I paid for it?
3.99!  Yes I did!  Greg's parents used to travel quite a bit, and they had brought me back a Hummel from Germany, and a Lladro from Spain.  Our Drew went through a sword wielding stage when he was around 4 yrs old, and back then, I didn't have a safe place to display things like that.  In fact, those were probably the two most valuable collectibles I owned.  Well, he broke my Hummel and Lladro, along with a cherished Beatrix Potter music box from my Dad, with one fell swoop of his plastic sword.  I was able to salvage the Lladro.  She has a broken arm, sadly, but I still have it.  The Hummel, not so much.  The Beatrix Potter music box was too far gone to save as well.  I am always on the lookout for Hummels.  I love the muted colors used in these, and the childrens faces are always so sweet.  I was thrilled to find this.
I am looking for something in particular, and have not yet found it.  So the hunt is on.  That is the fun part!  I don't usually spend more than 10 dollars when I go, unless it is something I really like or want.
In other news.....remember the salad from Wendy's that I was raving about?  Well, it is gone!  Summer is over, and so is that delicious salad.  BUT....they have a new one in it's place, and it is pretty darn good too. The chicken, with apples and candied pecans.  Oh my.....yummy!
Oh, and I found the red twist cotton yarn in Walmart.  And a dollar cheaper.  1.99 a skein. 
Oh, and before I leave for today, Ducey wanted to say hi.
Have a GREAT day!!!

24 comments:

Unknown said...

You are up early. Wow, we are two hours ahead and I'm just getting started. Must be a full moon thing, as I didn't close my eye till late in the wee hours.

But, your sky this morning is wonderful. Great pictures.

What lovely finds your found my pretty. A Hummel too. Good job, ATVing.

I have the anwser to your question. KINDERGARDEN.... when does that start?

Can't wait to see that Candy Cane yarn put to good use.

Dawn said...

My favorites are the bus and little people. I had that set growing up. Ah, memories:)

Sy and Shaunna said...

oh heavens, i had all the little people stuff growing up. my favorite was the tent trailer and jeep, because that is what we had and i just loved it. great find!

Heather - The Good Life said...

You have such great luck thrifting! My brother used to have the school bus and wood figures when he was little. I'm sure they are long gone by now. Take care. :-)

Unknown said...

That is just the cutest...wish I had saved my son's as well. I do have the little wooden dog. It means a lot to me as my son is gone.

You had wonderful luck thrifting...great catch on the Hummel!

I use that fun color of Sugar and Cream all the time...my fav.

Kerri said...

Oh, those little people bring back such memories! I never understood the pan head kid though. What a great bargain you found!
My mother in law collects the hummel figures and found one the other day for 1.00...she was pretty excited.
Ducey looks like how I feel today...tired!

Bethany said...

Ducey and Charlie must be related :)
We must have a small fortune in Little People in the attic - the school, the farm, houses... I don't care much for the new sets they sell nowadays. My mom has hummels too - they really are quite sweet! My cousin collects them and she used to tell her kids that if they broke one, whatever they broke on that she would break on them. Well, her son broke the head off of one and when she came in the room to see what that noise was he ran upstairs covering his head :)

Holly said...

I'm so excited to see Ducey. Love the bus, you got a great deal there. I remember the barn the most, it moo'd when the barn door opened.

Nicolle said...

I love those vintage Little People. I have so many memories of playing with them! The lamps are very cute and I love small lamps all over my house too. When someone turns a bright, overhead light on, I scream to turn it off. I love the mood lighting the most. You got those lamps for a steal!

I had the summer salad at Wendy's and really liked it, but my chicken was not that great. I will try it again. This new one looks really yummy.

ps.
your post the other day made me crave bratwurst. We made them over the weekend! :)

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

You found some wonderful bargains, Kris! I saved all of my kid's Fisher Price toys in a crate in my garage and I recently washed them all off for my grandchildren to paly with when they visit. I'll have to check out what they are worth on E-bay! lol! I have lots of "Little People"!

NanaNor's said...

Girl, I know we'd have such fun going on a treasure hunt together. Wonderful finds, especially the Hummel. Have a great day.
Hugs,Noreen

Whosyergurl said...

Congrats on your finds! That salad looks yummy.
I am wearing an outfit today from my friend's rummage sale- a skirt and top for a dollar, each. Doesn't look like she ever wore them at all. :-)
Love it.
xo, Cheryl

Lauri said...

Your sleep pattern sounds exactly like mine. I too went to bed at 9:00 last night and was awake by 5:30.

I had no idea that the Fisher Price things were so valuable. That is one of the few toys I saved (that and the legos). I have the airport, playhouse, and parking garage. Some of the people look a little chewed up...not sure which of the kiddos did that. Katie's boys love playing with them when they visit so I'm glad I still have them.

I can't believe you found a Hummel. Someone didn't know how valuable they are. What a good find!

Sy and Shaunna said...

hey kris! here's the link for the fisher price camper set, it was exact match to what we had growing up. so much fun!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73686480/vintage-fisher-price-little-people

Linda said...

Oh my!! I have been collecting Hummels since I was in my teens...that is an incredible price!!I had all the Fisher Price stuff too when the boys were small...at least I kept all the Legos...thsoe are also worth big bucks!

Genn said...

I had no idea those little people are such collectibles either! That's so crazy. I will be on the lookout for more too.

I also took pics of the pretty sky yesterday morning! It's been so pretty.

Vittle me this... said...

Love those lamps!

Stacey said...

Wow! Those little Fisher Price toys are pricey little buggers.. That's great you found them for cheap.. My Mom collects Lladros too.. And those little Hummel things.. Back when Precious Moments were popular, she had 100's of them.. She was obsessed.. haha.. Those lamps are too cute too.. I'm loving the RED!!

Debbie said...

Good morning! I had NO idea those Fisher Price little people were soo hard to find and collectibles as well! We too had them all...the bus was one of my kids favorites. I remember pan head and all those little people too. Such fun memories this brings back. Whatever did I do with all of ours? haha Love the lamps! Have a good day Kris!

Debbiedoos said...

Seriously a pickers paradise it right. My setep father collects those hummels, well I should say years ago he did. He would die if he saw what you paid! Love the fisher price toy, those were my favs too! In reference to the pizza oven Kris, I would NOT recommend this job. Unless your husband is a skilled mason, then YES, go for it. Took us three long days to get all the stone on. It is gorgeous though. We have it going now to try out our first pizza!

Debbiedoos said...

OK sorry for the typo, I meant STEP father LOL.

deb said...

you are killin me...I need to go thrifting with you one day...I went today to try to find some wood candlesticks...no luck:( I use them for my crows and pumpkins....didnt even find anything good at all:(
maybe tomorrow....

Cathy said...

Hi Kris - You really hit the jackpot with those cute little Fisher-Price toys. And a Hummel for $3.99!!!! I think those estate sales are kind of sad. I wouldn't wish that on my kids and am trying to get closets and drawers cleaned out as I go along. Stuff sure does accumulate.

Pam said...

I loved playing with the little people when I was younger. My kids had the terrible plastic stuff that has no character. Great find! Nicely done on paying 3.99 for the Hummel - what a steal! Love the fru fru lamps too.