thrift storror

One of my favorite things to do on a rainy day is to go to antique malls and wander the aisles. I don't necessarily go for the valuable, pretty antiques. The fun thing about antique malls and thrift stores is that you never know what you're going to see. Whimsical, retro, silly, junky.... and lots of CREEPY. Here are some of the more nightmare-inducing sights I have seen from my last few trips to antique malls...


Dolls are often scary. homemade dolls even more so.



Alligator purse. I thought the marble eyes were creepy.... then I opened it up and saw that it was made from an actual alligator... like, the whole thing, legs, arms, tail, CLAWS. Yeek.



Little girls and guns. The first is a painting. The second picture required no staging by me. That's exactly how I found them.


Why?!?


Acrobatic monkey. He's got Skis for hands. Holy shit.


Old surgical equipment. God I love technology. And drugs.


Jolly elf? Doesn't make me feel too jolly.


Blue eyes. BLUE EYES.


I'm sure the model was much prettier...


Painted with love?


Ghost dog.


Someone roofied her and replaced her hands with mops. Merry Christmas!



Babies, un-cutesified.



Sailor on the Sea of Bad Dreams.


Suffocating doughboy.


Suffocating clown.


Suffocating angel.


Suffocating frog.



GO AWAY, PUPPET!!!


Not funny.


Nuthead. jesus.


There is no shortage of scary dollies. it's the eyes.


Quick, everybody check your chimneys for creepers!


A baby and a bunny should should not terrify me.

I saved the scariest for last.

MAKE THEM STOP!!!

found

Years and years ago, my co-worker Jim brought in this photo he had found on the ground behind his library. There were actually 2 of them of the same girls, different scenes. He gave one to me and one to my friend /co-worker April, because he knew we had a love for found items.

Well, we sent scans of the photos to FOUND magazine with the title "Put your poo hats on it's going to rain!" and they featured it as a "Find of the Day!" We were so thrilled, being huge fans of the FOUND magazine and website.

Here are some of my all-time favorite finds, which I keep all together in a drawer:


A simple, short grocery list. There is nothing spectacular about it, but it makes me smile, what with the 4 basic items and the serene seagull scene. Grocery lists are one of the most common items I find. Fellow St. Louisan Bill Keaggy made a whole website of found grocery lists, and it is wildly popular. It even got made into a book! The Book is called Milk Eggs Vodka. Here is a neato trailer for it. I love how he made a story using only found grocery lists....


This magic book was stuck inside another book I got at a garage sale. What a fun bonus! Love the graphics!


Here's a sample of the inside of the magic book.


A random library book... receipt? The little wax bag makes me feel warm and fuzzy. No, I don't know why.


A very detailed shopping list. Brand names, sizes, etc. I'm guessing this person was shopping with coupons? Or was she really that loyal to her products? My favorite part of this list is the back...


It looks like it says "Oil of Olay Fatal Effects." Some people are way too serious about preserving their youth.


This might be my favorite find ever. Found by the mailboxes at my first apartment. If I ever have a band, it will be called "Juanita. She's a Stick!"


The back of the Juanita artwork is a list. I think my band's first album will be titled "Garbage Stuff and Toilet Things."


A nice lady with pink pants and a new Saturn. Found on a walk, laying on the sidewalk.


So you can find protein bars at Sam's or Wal-mart. Where does one buy "Good Lovin'?"


Karen faxed this to my work, where there are no doctors. Whoops! Hope the good doctor forgave her.


Potty Chair!

The world is filled with treasures. Be aware of your surroundings, and you may find delight!