Odd Thrift Store Finds

The Goodwill yielded some interesting finds this Friday. I only took home a 1940s era book and an orange planter shaped like a vintage phone, but these large "Greek Urns" were very interesting.

I can't be sure if this was official merchandise or not, perhaps promotional. The images are from Disney's version of Hercules, both print outs glued to foam board. I don't remember the exact price but each were in the $2.50-$5.00 range. The corners were peeling, there were nicks and tears. I can't imagine either being worth anything, so I simply took a picture and moved on.

Retail is so boring once you become addicted to rummaging and thrifting.

Jacksonville- Go to Aroma Corner, NOW!

Aroma Corner is on the corner of Baymeadows and Old Kings
5111 Baymeadows Road, Suite 12
Jacksonville, Florida 32217
(904) 737-BOBA (2622)



I happened upon "Aroma Corner" on a whim while exploring Mandarin last night. Their menu is extensive and includes a huge selection of high quality tea, the ubiquitous Boba teas in a rainbow of flavors, Japanese-style shaved Ice, Frappes, and an array of Hot Drinks. The cakes are beautiful and affordable- they even have a Lunch and Breakfast menu.



I like how the back wall has a collection of Chinese clay tea pots, and I like a shadow box of miniature clay tea pots beside the menu.



WiFi is available, the service is impressive, and so is the selection.



I fear I'll fill my Customer Reward Card quickly.

The New Project: Meet My Brown Chair

My quarry, sitting, waiting- just for me.

I hesitated at first, but 5 minutes before closing time last night I purchased two chairs from "The Thrift Center". They'll need some cleaning up, but I think I love them already.

Can anyone discern what era these chairs are from? And at $12.99 each, did I pay too much for them? I think I'll try this method from "Digs Magazine" to repair the ripped vinyl. I'll do some research and let you know how this project turns out.

***

Contest Winner: I used a random number generator which spit out #4, The commenter who posted as "Anonymous". I'll ship her book tomorrow.

For those who didn't win the book, I'll go over some of the most inspirational pages next week.

Make Your Own Twitter Beer Koozie

Social Network nerds rejoice, now you can protect your hands from the condensation of a cold beer while being reminded of the Glory of Twitter. Cut up those old, itchy sweaters and make a Twitter Beer Koozie.



1. Print the pattern above. I quickly drew a bird with a ball point pen, I'm sure you can feign something better than that with little effort.

2. Pin the pattern to your fabric of choice, cut out your bird.

3. Cut a strip of sweater to the desired width (perhaps using a beer bottle for measurement) and sew the ends to close it.

4. Glue or sew your bird to the fabric.



5. If you have small dogs, force them to wear the Koozie. Cut two holes in the side and you have a dog sweater on the cheap.

Take that, itchy sweaters! I hate you and your kind!

If you'd like me to make you a fancy Beer Koozie engraved with Twitter's image or even your initials, I'll make one and send it out to your for $7- just don't tell Twitter because they could be the litigious types and I live on a writer's salary.

Special Thanks for the Koozie idea goes to Emily- the Queen of Crafty. She had the Koozie idea, I just sewed a bird to it.

Thrifty Yet Healthy Eating: It's Soup Season

Soup and comics to cure the common cold.

Many of us are struck with congestion and sniffles as the weather shifts. No matter how healthy you are, sometimes a bit of a cold is inevitable. I fought my bit of congestion last night with a faux-Japanese soup! I know this isn't the best method for making soup, I just had to use what I had on hand. Get Creative!

Ingredients:

-Udon Noodles

-Bonito Flakes (If you can't find it, don't worry about it)

-Teriyaki Sause

-Soy Sause

-2 pinches of salt

- Sliced Celery & Green Onions

I just used what I had in the cabinet. Zucchini, Bok Choy, Carrots, and mixed leafy greens would also yield a delicious soup.

Directions:

Boil 3 Cups of Water. Once water is boiling, add 1/2 cup of Soy Sauce, 1/2 Cup of Teriyaki Sauce, A handful of Bonito Flakes, and 2 pinches of salt. You can adjust this ingredients to taste. Next, add you vegetables until they are slightly tender. Add your udon noodles last and cook for 4 minutes or until al dente.

I put wakame and an egg on top of my serving, but I liked the soup better without the additions.

For Jacksonville residents: all ingredients can be found (for cheap) at Jax Oriental Market. Open 7 days a week from 10AM-8PM. (Closes 6PM on Sundays)

Tel: (904)288-8288 Fax: (904)288-8806

10584-2 Old St. Augustine Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32257

As far as I can tell, this shop had the best selection in town. I saw more Japanese food items here than at Circle Japan on Beach Blvd!

Many people complain that Japanese ingredients are hard to come by in their city. I'm lucky I can find basic things like miso, nori, and bonito flakes, but sometimes I can't find every single ingredient I need. Hopefully this guide to Japanese Grocery Stores in the United States & Territories can help you. You can also order a few staples online.

BETTER Recipes:

My favorite Japanese food blog is Just Hungry and its sister site, Just Bento.

I hope to attempt something like a hearty Oden soon.

Does anyone have any interesting yet simple soup recipes to share?

"Home Cheap Home" Book Giveaway!

I admit to the guilty pleasure of flipping through interior design books. Though I'll look though the kind with genuine Etruscan lamps and hand crafted Colonial American braided rugs utilized for design on occasion (shouldn't this stuff be in a museum?) I like the ones that utilize every day objects to create unique, artistic spaces.



My favorite interior Design book is "Home Cheap Home" by Budget Living Magazine (now defunct). I flipped through my old copy until it fell apart. My favorite home in the book is a Victorian house an artist couple painted jet black and transformed into a horror-themed house named "Hell House" . As a horror fan, that's my dream abode. The book features the homes of all sorts of artsy types with eclectic, interesting collections and displays.

I wanted others with eclectic style to receive the same inspiration I have from my favorite design book, so I'm giving away a copy! Keep reading for details.

Book Give Away Rules:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post AND furnish a link to something that inspires you with a brief reason why.

I'll choose the winner at random this Friday, and send the book and a couple of other prizes to the winner the next day.

Things that Inspire Me...

An un-sunny wrap around porch. The best one I've ever seen.

While walking through neighborhoods in St. Augustine I spotted this Victorian style house painted artistically in a similar manner that the house I admire in the book I'm giving away. So inspiring!

I love everything about this house.

A man was in an "observatory" on the rooftop playing guitar and singing. I'll definitely be back to that street to gaze at the home's beauty. Take a good look at the artistic door!

I'll conclude with my view precariously balanced on the walls of Fort Mantanzas this weekend.



I watched the sunset turn boats neon orange.



And the palm trees become silhouettes against a rainbow sky. Very inspirational.

I look forward to looking at your inspirations! Please help take this inspirational book off my hands. I can't use two copies!

A page from the book, The "Pop" art is a lucky Estate Sale find.

A thrifted horse collection from the pages of "Home Cheap Home."

Thrify Magic City: St. Augustine the Twilight Town

Approximately 41.1 miles south of my home is a little piece of ancient Europe. (The nation's oldest city.) St. Augustine is my playground, and a rather thrifty destination for weekend fun and exploration.

The Lightner Museum, St. Augustine. Wonderful Destination for Thrifters & Crafters, various collections of buttons & yarn within, among other things...

St. Augustine reminds me of my childhood in Naples, Italy. I really miss Italy, European design, street artists, texture, and culture. St. Augustine fills the void.

This Saturday was the perfect day to enjoy some of the last warm days of the year at St. Augustine's Vilano Beach (lots of 50s beach attractions fading in the scorching Florida sun) and the St. Augustine outlet mall.

A quick shot of the view above me while sitting on a fountain and admiring the sunset at the mall.

After snacks and a quick walk through the mall we sat outside and simply enjoyed a Twilight's Magic Hour that seemed suspended it time, it just continued for what felt like hours.

Twilight Town of Kingdom Hearts II.

Being the game geek that I am, I couldn't help but think about Kingdom Hearts II and Twilight Town. The town's music has a metered, relaxing, lullaby quality. (Listen to it on YouTube, it's beautiful.) The city is quaint and warm with European design elements. It's named Twilight Town because the city is frozen at Twilight, or more accurately, right at the Magic/Golden Hour. It's a city bathed in a golden glow.

Another shot from this Saturday.

And really, doesn't St. Augustine look a lot like Twilight Town?

Now when I visit St. Augustine enjoy it a little more with the realization that this is the closest I'll get to visiting a magical video game world.

Twilight Town, the "Old City" lined with shops in St. Augustine truly resembles this video game still.

I'll certainly have to do a post on "St. Augustine on a budget", The city is rife with fish/nautical/pirate themed shops, and various other little stores and boutiques with Spaniard and European themed items. There's also a couple of thrift stores with real antiques and ancient treasures. If you want to spend a weekend at St. Augustine, I highly recommend reading this article which has some amazing suggestions for touring the city, I'll have to try some of those soon.



Seen you again this weekend, St. Augustine.