Second Hand Rose {Thrifting}

Question: How do you turn a boring, nothing-to-do type of day into a fun, full-of-exploration type of day?

Answer: Your best friend calls you and asks you to go shopping with her!

Even BETTER Answer: She asks you to go to "this cute little thrift store I found." 

(EEEEKKKK!!!) Can you say "I'LL BE DRESSED IN 5 MINUTES!"...?? =)

Well, this is what happened to me a few days ago! My best friend Jessica called me and said she needed my help to find a cute outfit for Christmas at Kohl's, but also wanted me to go to this thrift store she found. And she had the NERVE to ask me "Do you wanna go...if you're not doing anything?"

IF I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING?? Didn't she know that I had been sitting at the house allllll day...doing absolutely NOTHING? *scoffs* My dear Jessica...I do love her, with her sweet self. =) Anyway. I don't think I could have jumped up any faster to get ready! =) 

We headed straight to Second Hand Rose, an ADORABLE little thrift shop, that USED to be a barn. The front of the building is a wide open space, with LOTS of furniture piled high! I was in L-O-V-E! So as soon as we pulled up, I was in between that pile of wood before Jessica could even lock the doors! =) And what do I find as SOON as I get in there? Only the ONE piece of furniture I've been coveting since I moved out on my own (in 2007!) and haven't had the money to buy, but DESPERATELY need: a CHINA CABINET! Annnnddddd....it MATCHES the new color of my kitchen cabinets!

Isn't it beautiful?? I wanted to buy it soooo bad. But this was NOT in my budget (simply because it was NOT free!) =\

I also found this little beauty hiding in a corner...I wouldn't have minded taking him home with me either!

(I showed this to my granny later on and she was ooohhhing & aaahhhing over it too!)

And then there was this neat little corner shelf...I would have loved having this for my goddaughter's bedroom! =\

 THEN...I found this cute little bread box sitting on top of another table & my jaw dropped! My MOM used to have one of these a while back. DON'T ask me what happened to it, but we did have one. I almost bought it simply for nostalgic reasons!! (NOT the best reason to buy something. The word "hoarder" comes to mind...)

So, excuse this AWFUL photo...try your best to look past all of the weird stuffed animals & dolls. What I was taking a picture of was this AWESOME chair! I've been wanting a very vintage, antique, kinda torn up chair to use in my portrait sessions. Do you know how hard it is to find one that you aren't afraid to sit in around here?

Well, this was the one I would have been GLAD to sit in. But once again, the price tag didn't say FREE. So I had to keep moving....

So on to the indoor area Jessica and I ventured...and stopped at just about EVERY corner! =) One of the first items I saw when I walked in was something my granny would LOVE to have:

This cool wagon wheel has mirrors in between the spokes and in the middle circle...VERY cool. I know a certain someone at House of Smiths who would have LOVED the distressed look this piece had NATURALLY!

Anyway...on to showing you some of the cool things we found inside:

(A "chef" cookie jar, because this is what my kitchen is decorated in; cheese spreaders with corks for handles- simply because my uncle in California made me a tray with his OWN wine corks that would match perfectly; an old aftershave bottle, which I've been told was sold by Avon; a train station that lights up, which goes with all these little houses my granny has to match!)

 (A salt & pepper shaker holder, which has the chef once again; another after shave bottle sold by Avon...this one still had the liquid in it & was shaped like a golf cart, hence the golf bags on the back!)

(This cute little snowman had 3 just like it & they're stocking hooks...2 things I love AND need! This shelf has a story behind it: my neighbor has one VERY similar to it that used to belong to her grandfather and that neighbor just happens to be Jessica's mom! Needless to say, we were both pretty amused at the resemblance!)

Soooo...wanna know what we DID buy? Because with such a VERY LONG list of wants, it would have been completely DEPRESSING to walk out of there with NOTHING! Welllll....

Jessica and I both found this ADORABLE little bird cage! She saw it when we first walked inside, but I saw it when we were turning around to head upstairs (which is the loft of the barn). She never told me she saw it the first time though. But from the first glance, all I could think was "Oh, Jessica...." =) You see, we've been friends for about 13 years...so I KNOW that pretty girl like the back of my hand! And sure enough, she says "Oh yeah, I saw that when we came in!" hahaha

And of course, I HAD to talk her into buying that pretty little thing! And the price? ONLY TEN BUCKS!!!! Yeah...there was NO WAY I was letting her walk out of there without buying it! =) We decided she could get some fake moss from the craft store & put cute little knick knacks in it or use it in her kitchen for her spices! Super cute idea, right? I know! =)

So then, what does my BEST friend do? She finds something only I could love, for the BEST price you could possibly get it for without feeling too guilty:

...a vintage camera bag! Yes, only I, ELYSSA, would go into a thrift shop and find something like this to swoon over (well, out of all my friends, anyway!). So, it's a little weird, because (unfortunately) I don't have a film camera (in my possession anyway...I have an uncle in Orlando who has his old film camera from when he was in college & wants me to have it, but I have yet to acquire it due to the lengthy road trip it will take for me to get it)....ANYWAY, I digress! I use a DSLR (or a "big camera" as my friends & family like to call it) for my portraits and recreational photography...but how cool would it be to use this vintage camera bag for my DSLR?? VERY cool!!! (just agree with me, ok?)

And then, I remembered I had told Jessica about the House of Smiths blog and told her about how Shelley has a vinyl company. Wellll....wouldn't it just be AWESOME to get some neat vinyl with the name of my portrait business (Legacy Portraiture by EBaity) to put on there? I also find a really adorable little vinyl quote ready to print on the Wonderfully Wordy website, seeing as how Shelley isn't taking any customized orders at the time, that I wouldn't mind having as well.

Anyhow...it was a GREAT day shopping with Jessica at the thrift store (and then later at Kohl's). We PROMISED the lady at the register we would be back...AND with more people! =) Because that's how we roll! (wow...too much, huh?) hehehe Well, if you're ever in the area, stop by Second Hand Rose on SOUTH Combee Road in Lakeland, FL (between Tampa & Orlando, in Polk County). Make sure you tell them Elyssa and Jessica sent you! =)

Second Hand Rose Antiques

600 S Combee Rd # 1Lakeland, FL 33801

(863) 665-0755

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