Countdown to Halloween #19 : Goodwill shopping for costume pieces and other finds!

We went shopping at the Goodwill for costume parts.  This year, my son has decided that he wants to be Two Face from Batman.  We originally were going to try to find clothing similar in design that we could cut apart and sew back together to get the two toned look.

The clothing selection was light at all of the stores in our area.  So we are trying something different.
The few pieces that we did find, we have decided that we would give fabric spray paint a try.    We found a white jacket that we should be able to tape off and spray one side black.   We will see how it works out.  I will post pictures of it later in the week, hopefully.


While we were there, we found some great finds!    I found 2 Ever After High Dolls.  Say what?!  I am guessing that these were sent by Target.   As you can see in the picture,  one of the boxes is jacked up.  The other box has a little damage, but it isn't terrible.

I am trying not to collect these dolls.  I really have enough with the Monster High dolls.  We already got Raven and Apple for our daughter.   Thankfully, she isn't as into these as she is the monsters. So, I may end up trading these.   They were $8 each and I said sold! considering one doll is $20.

The book selection was also particularly good this weekend.  But, I will save my book finds for another day.

Some odds and ends: Cereal toys, gumball machine rings, and more

My favorite Goodwill store is going through some sort of summer time drought.   It has been close to 3 months with nothing.   You would think that with all of the yard sales that pop up during the summer, some good left overs would magically appear there.

But thanks to a good friend, I recently got an odd assortment of, well...,  I am not exactly sure what to call it.   She just handed me a little box of stuff and said, "here, I think you will appreciate some of these items".   I picked just a few items to quickly blog about.

The first item is a 1980's Kellogg's Starbot cereal toy.   I guess the cereal companies wanted to cash in on the Transformer/Go-bot market.   These Starbots must be made of sturdy stuff to have survived so long.   This just seems like something that would have been the first to meet a firecracker or been on the losing end as a chew toy for the dog.

I don't really remember these being in cereal as a kid.  Of course, my parents limited us to stuff Cheerios and Raisin Brand.  So, I don't have  memories of  those magically delicious marshmallow fueled sugar buzzes.  





The next are a couple of gumball machine rings.  Or at least that is my guess for their origin.  If anyone can help me identify them, I would appreciate it. Both of the rings are adjustable for size.

The large ring is supposed to be a Phillies World Champion ring.  In the P is 4 rhinestones and it has a date of 1980 on the side of the ring.    It is big and surprisingly heavy for a gumball ring.

The second ring is rather plain and has a rhinestone set in the middle.   It is kind of a brass or bronze color, which doesn't really show well in the picture.

The third item is this badly beaten Star Wars Burger King card.   I will admit, it took me a second to realize what this was.

The back of the card says:
  " There are 36 different trading cards in the Everybody Wins Game, so you can save them or trade them with your friends.    
 Play Everybody Wins the next time you visit BURGER KING.  Game ends July 31, 1981 or when trading card supplies run out."

I put it in a card protector so I could display it with my other vintage Star Wars items.    I have more items to share from the little box of goodies, so stay tuned for more to come.




This last item I just need some help with.  I am looking for a head for this Mr. Freeze.   So if anyone has any spare Batman  parts, I am willing to trade.    Please leave a comment or send me an email.

Thrift Finds of the Week: Batman Return's Batwing and an Insecticon

       I only made 2 quick trips in this week to the Goodwill, both during my lunch hours. Well, like I mentioned last week, my Goodwill has gotten lazy.   They keep cranking out these crappy, overpriced box lots.    Each box was $12.   While some of the items are better suited for a box lot, there actually were some interesting figures, but you couldn't see them clearly and I wasn't going to spend the money  just to get a peek at them.

Since the weather this week has been mostly rainy and perfectly suited to curling up for a good nap.

  I had to snap a picture of this dude.   He got a good 30 minute nap while I was there.   I am not dissing on him because I appreciate the values of a good nap.   That couch must have been awfully comfortable.  

I passed on this. This one is dedicated to  all you hardcore Hulkamaniacs out there.  

The Hulk Hogan Rock 'n' Wrestling VHS it was only $1.   I thought it was a great item.  But not something I would add to my collection.  

The best find of the week was the Batman Return's Turbojet Batwing still with its original box and instruction sheet.  As an added bonus, the instruction sheet for the Wayne Manor/Bat Cave playset was also in the box.    For $2.50, I thought it was a worthy purchase.  

Being that I grew up in the late 70s and 80s, I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that toys from the 90s are 20 years old.  The box has seen some better days.  There is lots of wear and tape.  The original Walmart price tag is still on the box, as well as about 20 Goodwill price tags.



The bags of fun were plentiful this week and actually, surprisingly good.  I picked up a few My Little Ponys which my girls have enjoyed playing with.  But, the best find out of a bag is the G1 Insecticon,  Kickback.    There is some play wear on the wings and stickers.  But overall, it is in great shape.    The G1s were built to last.   I can't say that for the newer Transformers.  They are garbage.   I saw several languishing  in bags, but I have learned my lesson and passed on them.   My Transformer tribe is growing and now I need like 2 or 3 shelves for them.  

This has been one of the best weeks in a long time.  

Thrift Find Preview

Just a quick preview of what's coming......

Flea Market Find- Harry Potter, Disney lunchbox, and the batmobile

I thought I would share a few of my recent flea market finds.  I picked these up 2 weekends ago at a flea market up in NC.

The first is a vintage 1976  Disney World metal lunch box.  It is in well used condition.  But I just absolutely fell in love with it.  I should take some more pictures of it. The back has this great graphic of the Country Bears.  The sides depict different rides and dattractions at Disney World.   I paid $8 for it.  I think it will make a great display/storage piece.

The next item I picked up was the  Wizard's Sweets Harry Potter doll.  It is from 2001.  I didn't really start collecting anything Harry Potter related until about 2 years ago.  I picked up a Hagrid and a few other action figure from the first movie at the flea market.    I paid $2 for this Harry.  I love it because he comes with a chocolate frog package and a little frog bracelet that sadly no longer smells like chocolate.   I would love to find the matching Hermione doll.

Lastly, is the Batmobile!   I picked this up at Walmart.  I love Batman and yes, this chick does dig the car.   I recently started picking up the Hot Wheels that are from movies and tv.   I also have the A-Team van and Ecto 1.   I am currently looking for the other versions of the Batmobile and Kitt from Knight Rider.

DIY- Comic Book Dresser

With all of the recent super hero movies, my 8 yr old son has become a huge fan.    I decided that we would  decoupage his dresser with old comic books.

The dresser was very plain and an unfinished piece.  It was actually left behind at my husband's work.  It was in perfect condition and I am happy it was left behind.

Now, I am the worst with taking before and after pictures.   I was half way through the project before I decided to take any pictures.   But you can see here, the original look and the new decoupaged look.





I purchased 12 comic books with various different super heros at the flea market.   I tried to get a mix of old and newer comics, so I would have a contrast of graphics.

I covered  the drawer fronts, sides, and top of the dresser.  For this project, I used 1 bottle of Mod Poge.   I did not use to whole bottle for my project, so I do have some left for another project.




 My plan is also to take out all of the drawers and paint the front black.  I think that it will really make the drawers pop out more.  It will also give a comic book panel look.


My next step is to covert these kid's meal toys into drawer pulls.   I need 12 total, 2 for each drawer.  I am still searching for a few more to use.  I had picked these up at the flea market.   My plan is to drill holes into them and using screws and washers to create new drawer pulls.

It is still a work in progress and I can't wait to get these finished.  I will post an update on how I am making the drawer pulls and the finished project.





This project has been rather inexpensive for me to create. Here is the breakdown.

Dresser-  FREE
Mod Poge-   reg. $7.99  (I used a Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon)   price after coupon w/tax  $5.87
Comic Books-     $6  I was able to get comic books 2 for $1.
Toys-  so far, I have spent $2 on the dresser pulls.   I figure, I will spend about $6 total on these once I find everything I need.