The Bins

There's been lots of talk lately about "the bins." These are the Goodwill stores that are basically a room full of bins that are filled with miscellaneous items that didn't sell elsewhere, or just ended up there for whatever reason. Some larger cities have two or more of these, but in OKC we have only one. Most things are sold by the pound, so you can get some great bargains. 

I had been once a couple of years ago, but the bins were on racks around the walls and many of them were out of my reach. The DH and I were on a shopping errand yesterday and were in the area so stopped by. I was happy to see that the bins had been moved to tables so they were easily accessible. Here's what I brought home.

These buttons were all loose in a bin underneath other things. Nothing overly exciting, but I was happy to find them.

The American Girl doll patterns are unused and will go to Etsy, along with the darning egg. The tape measure is a Singer and 110 inches long, so that will be useful. Just one piece of ribbon and one piece of lace, but that's better than none, right? And the aqua doily is being added to my newest collection.

This cutie is a Napco piece. Unfortunately his wings had been broken, but someone did a very neat job of gluing them back in place.

These salt and pepper shakers are cute and in great condition. 

I couldn't leave these stitched pieces behind. I'll paint the frames to see how they look but if they don't turn out well, I'll make little pillows or just reframe the pieces. Sadly, there was a larger sampler-style piece that somehow jumped out of my cart before I got to the cashier. I'm not sure if someone took it while I wasn't looking, or if I laid it down somewhere while I was rearranging my purchases. Probably the latter. I'll be more careful the next time!

And lastly, a few craft supplies and a sweet Silvestri cross still in the package.

If you've never visited the bins, you should give it a try. It can be a bit off putting as you never know what you might grab, so bring wipes for afterward. I encountered several battery operated holiday decorations that began making noise as soon as I stuck my hand in to dig around. Eeek! The DH refused to go in on this second visit, but I had a wonderful time digging. As one man said to me, "Sometimes you find a real treasure. Sometimes."