JuNkIn' At HuNT & GaThEr

I am always on the search for junky antiques. That's what I like...I'm not interested in fine European Antiques....give me old signs and rusty cans I am in heaven. Someone told me about Hunt and Gather and when we decided to go visit family in Minnesota, I knew we had to stop by. In hindsight, I should have told Joe and his mom to drop me off and come back in a few hours. To say that I loved this place is an understatement. It is easily the best store I have ever been in and I am already planning to go back soon. Enough talking...here are the pictures.

Hunt and Gather is in Edina, Minnesota. They were celebrating their 10th anniversary so they have number 10's everywhere.

The store was filled with old maps, game pieces, signs, globes....I was in awe...and a little overwhelmed. 

 LOTS of vintage maps

This was a bin full of game pieces...letters and numbers...each piece was 25 cents!!!

A stack of vintage yard sticks...

Old letters and numbers 

pieces of old license plates

Old letters from movie theatre signs

stacks of old flash cards

Look who was practicing her walking outside!! 

I got several letters to spell some things...I'll show you soon. If you are ever in the Twin Cities area, please check this store out...AMAZING!!!

An IKEA Shopping Trip

We just got back from Minnesota. The first thing that we always do when we get there is go to IKEA. It's right by the airport and I usually get in before Joe, so Joe's mom always takes me there :) Here is our trip to IKEA in pictures. I was loving everything....they had a lot of cute stuff!!

We stopped to play for a few minutes...Sally had so much fun!

Here is what I bought....I had to limit myself since I had to get it all in my suitcase. I feel an IKEA Atlanta trip coming soon...anyone want to join me??!!

I got 6 white dish towels with red stripes (I have seen these used as cloth napkins for dinner and they are so cute in person), a galvanized metal watering can, plastic popsicle molds, a white towel (secret project coming up), and a little pot/pan set for Sally (Christmas gift!). 

Thoughtful Thursday

I'm Out!

I thought that being an official stay at home mom would allow me to blog more...epic fail!! Oh well....we are headed to Minnesota for the week. I am excited because we have some super fun things planned!

a Minnesota Twins game

 a trip to IKEA

shopping on Grand Avenue

Summit Brewery Tour

Antiquing at some really fun shops

Minnesota is just beautiful in the summer!

Do you have any suggestions of fun places to go?

Consignment Sale Tips

It's Consignment Sale season here in the Memphis area. As a mom of a little one, I have realized that its silly to pay full price for most clothes. Yes, I will splurge for the occasional Facebook auction item or smocked dress, but for the most part, you cannot beat the prices at consignment sales. If you are a seasoned consignment sale shopper or if you are new at this, here are a few tips that I have put together to make the process easy and worth your while.

1. Take inventory of what you need and make a list.
Figure out what size clothes and shoes you need for each of your children. I make a list of each article of clothing I am looking for. So I remember and can check it off. If I know I am looking for a size 18 month black sweater and a Christmas dress you bet I will write it down so I don’t get overwhelmed and forget. Also take inventory of what you already have.

2. Go with a Friend or Family Member-
I have a good friend who I have shopped a few sales with and it is so fun to go our separate ways and shop then come back together and show off our finds and figure out together if it is a good deal or not. It is also good to have a second set of eyes out there if you are looking for something in particular. It is all about divide and conquer one person goes to toys while the other goes to strollers or whatever.

3. Bring a Basket-
Some people have a rolling cart that I they take. But a laundry basket or giant bag would do the trick too. Something to hold all your finds in that allows you to have your arms and hands free.

4. Leave the Kids at Home-
Enlist Dad, get a sitter or drop the kids off with a friend who is not shopping. With some of the bigger sales crowds are an issue and you really will not get much shopping done with them in tow. Plus I shop for my kids I don’t want them to see all the toys I buy them. Because oftentimes it is for Christmas and Birthdays. You will be more focused and score some deals if they are not with you.

5. Shop Early-
For the big sales I always shop presale. You get the best selection and lines and crowds are not as bad. So I always either consign or volunteer at the sale to shop early. Even if you don’t consign at a sale you can almost always volunteer to work the sale. Side note-Enlist your hubby, friend, mother in law etc. to work for you so you can shop early. I have a friend who volunteers with her hubby...hello date night :) together and then she gets to shop even earlier with those combined hours.

6.Figure out a good price-
Do your homework to know what a good price on an item is. I check out eBay or craigslist for that. This helps figure out what the average price is and then you can try and figure out if the consignment price is good or not.

7. Half Price Day–
I always love going to half price day. It is the last day of the sale and you often times can still find decent stuff. The first day you shop is when you buy what you need and half-price day is when you get the items you want or like. It is also a good time to buy ahead for the next year if they are a decent price.

Search for your local consignment sales here.