i usually go to the thrift store alone, or at most, with the kids if i’m feeling particularly brave. bulls have nothing on kids in the china section of a thrift store. mythbusters actually did an experiment on the old “bull in a china shop” adage by releasing an actual bull into a china shop of sorts; surprisingly, the bull caused very little damage. it was even a little nimble, i’d say.

but the other day, i convinced mr.MadeItSo to come shopping with me.  i’ll share what we picked out.  i always find it interesting to see what people gravitate towards in stores of any kind. it’s a peek into their personality, their likes and dislikes, and even their value system. the worth of something often goes beyond the price tag or name brand, and this is especially true in a thrift store.

here are a couple of examples of what we found…

her find:

a modern stainless steel salad serving spoon and fork, with wood handles, new and seemingly unused…

so sleek and well designed, they stack neatly on top of each other for storage. i’m a sucker for good design (and i’m so used to bad design that i will destroy a package trying to open it, until i turn it over and notice the “easy open flap”).

gorgeous.

his find:

hehe. this was made right around the time when star wars was blowing young minds with all its awesomeness.

and i will be using it this weekend for a little birthday boy. i’ve made a character cake or two in the past…

i’ll probably donate the pan back again once i’m done though. i mean, i can’t see myself making this more than once, and the cost of the pan was less than the rental i usually pay at the bulk food store.  the truth is, it’s a big pan and i don’t want to store it. clutter makes me twitch, more on that later…but it’s gonna be one cool cake.

her find:

i wrote previously about my figgjo turi design casserole dish.

my collection, if you can call it that, started years ago when i came across this plate…

and i was recently able to add to it with this sugar and creamer set, in perfect condition:

i love the details (Love with a capital L, if patty is reading this; do people you’ve never met ever get into your subconscious thoughts?)…

and her little smirk makes me smile…

his find:

exquisite find. if he wishes to explain or defend this purchase, well, he can get his own blog ;-)

but as the title of this post says, “chacun à son goût”… a phrase i learned in highschool french class which i’ve been trying desperately to use in context over all these years. it basically means “to each their own taste.”  monsieur l’acorn agrees with that philosophy.

i’ll leave you with one last story.

our find:

in the early 1990s, there was a little band trying to make their big break. they put out a demo tape, in limited numbers, and kept on doing what they loved: playing music.

from wiki…

the full band’s first release of note was the 1991 Yellow Tape. It was a demo tape originally created for the band’s performance at South by Southwest and was the first recording to feature all five members.^[3] They spent between $2000 and $3000 on it, and sent a copy to all the labels in Canada; they were refused by all of them.^[6] The band turned to selling them off the stage, and wound up selling a lot of them. Word of mouth spread, and people began asking for the tape in local stores. The stores began asking the band for copies of the tape, and the demo tape became a commercial release.^[6] Sales began to snowball based simply on word of mouth and their live shows, and the tape became the first indie release by any band to achieve platinum status (100,000 copies) in Canada.^[2]

i was given that tape as a gift way back when, from someone dear to me. and i cherished that tape. years went by, and mr.MadeItSo and i went off in different directions to pursue our studies. he had borrowed that tape from me and kept it in his collection in the car. one night, his car got broken into, and that beloved tape was stolen, amongst a few other items…mr. was a bit insulted that they didn’t steal his les miz soundtrack… no taste, some people!

the other night, we came across this at the thrift store…

the long lost tape! which includes such hits as… [cue conway twitty song]

your eyes don’t deceive you. the barenaked ladies’ demo tape did indeed include a cover recording of public enemy‘s “fight the power” (i just put that there to give this blog some street cred)… and “page publications”? steven page, no doubt.

so many memories, right there.

i really try not to hold sentimental value in *things*. i really do. i honestly feel that ideas, actions, people and relationships are what is important. but the more i fight this notion, the more it seems to get a hold of me. i love that tape!

but maybe that’s because it reminds me of people and relationships in my life. (c’mon, i’m convinced, aren’t you?)…

what’s your take on “stuff”? are you a minimalist? a pack rat? a follower of one-in, one-out?

i saw a play at the stratford theatre when i was just a newly married gal, and the title of the play has stuck with me over the years. a quiet voice, a gentle reminder in the back of my mind, said with a knowing smirk: “you can’t take it with you…”

~*~

i’m sharing this with rhoda at southern hospitality and selena at apron thrift girl. thanks for the chance to share!