Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Yay Coupons!


Yay Coupons!

Here at the ShinyGoLucky house we are always on the lookout for a good bargain. When we raid a Michael’s craft store, you can be sure that we check our receipt for a coupon!

We waited until we got an excellent one, and then it was time to go shopping!

We purchased this nifty set of jewelry-making tools. They come in a case, and the underside of the container is full of little dividers. We’ve organized a lot of our beads in it (and our living room table is grateful!).
Here’s the best part:
Fifty.
Percent.
Off.
Woohoo! It’s hard to find something more fun than jewelry-related goodies, but half priced jewelry-related goodies are even better!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

That Quarter-Machine Feeling


One of my earliest memories of jewelry is the surge of excitement I’d feel when a parent gave me a quarter in the supermarket – I could try my luck with a quarter machine and maybe take home a treasure!
I would stare into the machines, scanning the little plastic containers for what they actually contained (as opposed to the cool stuff always displayed in front). I carefully made my machine selection, put in my quarter, turned the crank, held my breath, and waited for the metallic “clink” that meant my new item, whatever it might be, was ready and waiting. The moment before I checked was the most magical one of all. I might find almost anything inside!

Sometimes it was a cheap friendship bracelet. I remember getting gaudy plastic rings with huge stones. Every now and then, I would get something wonderful.

It’s been years since those days, and now it takes a bit more to catch my eye. Still, I love chasing down that feeling: a treasure might be waiting.

Estate sales, second-hand stores, and beyond are the new places where that sense of victory waits (and the let-down of a “wasted” afternoon from time to time, it’s not a perfect system). The thrill of the hunt, I guess!

When you set out to search for treasures, what catches your eye?
Big Sis