Thrifty bunnie

I have thriftiness in my blood, but it seems to be watered down by something else. My gramma (heck, many of the women on my dad's side of the family) is the second-hand queen, and she has the goods to prove it. I was always amazed by how much stuff she could fit in her little one-bedroom apartment, and now that she has a house, much of the decor has come from garage sale finds and second hand shops. She is also adept at finding exactly what she's looking for when she does go out, so no time wasted. I never really was that great at it, but I have had the occasion to run into a garage sale and pick up some great kids' stuff. Heck, I wouldn't buy anything Little Tikes or the like on sale brand new...too durn pricey. But with the well-to-do communities around here, someone is always selling them at a garage sale for a deep discount.

While I have done garage-sale-ing, I have never done thrift-store-shopping. After reading all of SouleMama's finds (oh...and does she find amazing stuff!! I'm just in awe of her in general), and being pea-green with envy, and needing some things and having to be tight on the budget, I thought I'd check it out. There are several very nice stores all within a 10-minute drive to my house.

I actually had the afternoon to myself (little guy at Grandma's while I got my hair cut, big guy at a play date with a bud, hubby at work), I decided to give it a go today. Oh. My. Gosh. It was so much fun!! I really wish I'd had someone to go with me (like a girlfriend, which I'm short on these days, or my mom), but regardless, I still really enjoyed myself. I can see how it can be addictive! I need some tank dresses and loose comfy clothes for summer, oh, and dishes, and you can bet I'll be going back again.

Summer is on it's way, and Liam will need an entire wardrobe, since he's pretty well outgrown the 6s he was in last summer. He also needed a few long-sleeved Ts to get him through until the weather gets warm enough to wear short sleeves to school. Two stuck out as perfect for my big guy:


The Cavs are Liam's team. The boy LOVES him some Cavs. TGF Lebron, otherwise the boy might not have any hope. We are actually planning to go see them play in April for a school fundraiser, and he can hardly wait. Green is the boy's favorite color, and he loves anything soccer, too, so that was a must have. At 1.50 each, they were a steal.

As I was getting ready to check out, I spied these:

Now, I normally wouldn't just pick up stuffed animals for the heck of it. We have an entire laundry basket puking full in the kids' closet that never get played with unless company comes, but these...well...I had to have them (They were $1 each!!). They're not for me though...really...I thought they'd make great gifts for the boys for Easter.

I have always loved bunnies (believe it or not, the nickname has nothing to do with my love of bunnies), and every year at easter, we got some kind of stuffed bunny in the basket. My favorite bunny, though, was one that my gramma (same thrifty one as above, who also had killer sewing skills...the woman is amazing...more on her another time) made for me. She had a beautiful antique-looking dress, ribbons around her ears, rouged cheeks, and button eyes. I loved her. Still have her, though she's seen better days and is now naked. I need to make her some clothes and give her a bath.

Before Liam was born (or was it after? Can't remember exactly when), I fell in love with a wool fabric bunny wearing real antique fabrics and jewelry at a Christmas Bazaar and bought her, though she was $80 (which I thought was expensive at the time, but now I know is really a fair price). My mother-in-law saw how much I loved that bunny and bought me her mate in secret and gave him to me as a gift. I love these bunnies, and they sit atop my bookshelf in my front room (I need to take a photo of them for you).

The bunnies from the thrift store look just like the bunny my gramma gave me, (and similar to the bunnies from the bazaar) and I could tell from first glance that they were made with love. The clothes for the pair are of coordinating fabrics, like they belong together. Just out of curiosity, I wanted to see if there were any identifying marks on these bunnies, so I took a peek under their clothes. The backs were sewn closed with tiny perfect stitches. The boy's shirt has perfect snaps the whole length of the shirt. Sure enough:

You would never know by looking at these bunnies that they are 13 years old. Their clothes are pristine, and both are clean as a whistle. So my one question is, how did they end up at a thrift store?

Another curiosity...they are each numbered. Girl Bunnie is #2, Boy Bunnie is #3. Hmm....what about #1? There was one other bunny there this afternoon, but it was dressed in Christmas colors, so I assumed it was by a different creator. I may go back tomorrow and peek under her dress when no one is looking. Bunny peeper...

So now I'm really wanting to know....who is EBHP? Who did she make these bunnies for? How many bunnies are there? How will I ever find this information!!!! Stay tuned!