Friday Finds of a Concrete Kind

Every week we wonder if this is the week when we don’t find one bad thing.  The answer is a resounding “No” this week.  Seriously, I think the chances of finding nothing ugly at a thrift store are about the same as winning the lottery–astronomical.

I stumbled upon this lovely concrete and glass furniture at a Habitat thrift store:

I’m pretty sure it’s concrete because of its weight, but it could have been made of rough plaster.  What there isn’t much doubt about is that it’s ugly.  You haven’t even see the coffee table yet:

A giant slice of concrete decor.  I don’t know if this could ever be good, but at least a different color would be an improvement.  I’m trying to imagine the decor this furniture would match–the commandant’s office in a prison?  Nah, that wouldn’t work–the glass would certainly be a no-no.  I wouldn’t want to stub my toe on the base while walking through the living room.  The one place that it might be practical (not pretty) is outside on your patio.  It certainly isn’t cheap; it would cost you $200 for all three pieces, even at a thrift store!

Next up, are a couple of quilts gone terribly awry:

The worst thing about these two quilts are that they are polyester double knit.  So, not only are they ugly, they feel awful too!  The quilt on the left could be used for hypnosis, with all those patterns together.  The quilt on the right is tied so tight it looks like it’s made of eyelash fabric–you know the stuff that looks fringed.  I think it would look much better with a shave and a haircut, don’t you?

This next item could be used as an instrument of torture:

Seriously, a music box in an outhouse?  Really???  As if that whole concept weren’t enough, the music box plays Those Were the Days.  Again, I must say “Really, are you insane?”  I  have spent time in a house without indoor plumbing, and have NO nostalgic longing for an outhouse–especially in the winter.  So, wind that puppy up, play the tinny music.  I’ll confess to anything you like.

This next thing isn’t bad at all; it’s sad:

Although it’s hard to tell from our blog, we are sentimental softies inside.  Whenever we see baby pictures, or cute kid pictures, like this one, at a thrift store, we feel sad.  There is no one left who knows about these kids, or cares.   :- (    Often we adopt them and take them home with us; I have a whole box of them, and I’m sure Kathy does too.  We’re not crazy though, we wait until they are marked half off.  ;- )

While we were checking out, we couldn’t help but notice this cart in the next lane.  I kind of like the wicker table, but that pink bedspread had better be going into a little girl’s room!

As if all of this weren’t enough, we have another submission by a loyal reader:

This is a gigantic, purple, fake lizard skin purse!   Connie saw it while out shopping last week–I won’t reveal where, as that might shame the guilty.  She only had her cell phone to take pictures.  In a desperate attempt at self-preservation, the phone only took one clear picture.  Wise move on the phone’s part; (I didn’t know Connie had a “smart phone”) focusing on really ugly things can make you blind, or so we’ve heard.  Connie reports that there was an orange and black fake lizard skin purse, with three black flowers, if you could imagine such a thing.  The evidence of its existence looks like those pictures of UFOs–too blurry to be sure.  I prefer to think that no one would make a purse that ugly, but you be the judge:

That’s all for this week.  Keep sending us pictures of the atrocities that you come upon–we know we aren’t the only ones noticing this stuff!