Add Some Fun to Tea Time Studio Designworks 'Rhapsody'

We've decided that stuff usually looks even better when someone else has it in their hands or their shopping cart! Did you ever have an item that you weren't sure about so you put it down only to see someone else snap it up? Didn't you want the item back?? It happens all the time for us. In this case we didn't put these great pieces of pottery down but another shopper kept walking by us looking into our cart. We had found a lot of goodies so we were making our decisions on what would make the cut.....she must have sensed her opportunity so she made a third pass by us this time stopping and exclaiming "What a wonderful fun Creamer set....it reminds me of Picasso!" You could tell she wanted it....bad! But it had already made our cut. It is a great set by Studio Designworks who are known for their funky, arty pottery pieces. This music themed pattern 'Rhapsody' will surely brighten the table of any music lover.

see more details in our ebay store

Cool Find of the Week....Sting Ray Skin Wallet

Kellie found this little gem in a pile of kid's purses. At first she thought it was just little fake jewels but it was heavy and felt very strange. When she opened it she discovered the tag still inside and a marking in the leather. It is made of genuine Sting Ray Skin leather! Did you ever feel a sting ray? It it such a strange surface....looks bumpy but it is really smooth. This wallet is a beautiful shade of burgundy and has a zippered coin section as well. What a unique accessory! I did some research and found out that sting ray leather is the latest rage....it doesn't get ruined when it gets wet which makes sense since it is from an underwater creature!

Look here in our store for more details

Costumes for Halloween....It's Just around the Corner!

We remember how much fun it was to shop for Halloween Costumes when the kids were small. It still is fun to look through all of the great costumes you can find now. We got lucky this week and found some great Halloween costumes. This little Lady Bug Vest in a size 2T is just one. We have a great plush Giraffe and a Tigger costume from the Disney Store. How about a Hannah Montana wig or a grass hula skirt for a toddler? Makes us wish our kids were still small so we could dress them up! Check out the Lady Bug Here!

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch.....vintage cowboy shirt

For the horse lover....we found this great cast iron door knocker with railroad spike. If I had a country home I would love to put this on my door. A great conversation piece!

My friend and I were recently looking for western wear for a trip we were taking to Wyoming so when I saw this vintage western shirt I grabbed it. We looked for weeks for chaps and fringed vests and hats with no luck. We decided that certain shops are trying to be more upscale and are only putting out the fashionable clothes. This shirt was an exception. It is made by H Bar C of California Ranchwear and the lable dates it to the 70's. It has a great bandana print with pearl snap buttons. It would be a wonderful shirt for a square dancer or a retro cowboy!

visit our store for more details

Holy Cow! What a Great Folk Art Papier Mache Cow

I love cows. The other day I found a Cow Identification book that I gave to my friend because she loves cows too. So I was excited to stumble upon this great Papier Mache Cow. I actually found several cow collectibles in this shop. Someone must have given up their cow collection. Their loss is a cow lover's gain! Let me tell you a little bit about this cow. She is BIG! She stands about 10 inches tall and is 18 inches long. She is hand painted and signed by the artist. I have never seen anything like it but research shows that a similar papier mache cow was used for advertising and one a bit larger sold on ebay for $200. She looks great in my studio but would be a wonderful addition to someone's cow collection.

See our ebay store listing here

It's Wine Time! Wine Holder Appetizer Plates

How could we resist these great wine plates? How many times have you been at a party or an event and had to juggle your wine glass and plate of appetizers? If you have your glass in one hand and plate in the other, how do you eat? Here is the answer....wine plates. The top photo shows a set of 6 wood appetizer plates with wine glass holder built right in. They are made by Napa Style. No more juggling!

Here is our store listing for these plates.

The bottom photo shows our latest wine plate find. These porcelain plates have a cut out for your wine glass and a nice area for food. So no more passing up the goodies! We are all for making wine time easy! These plates are made by a company called Wine Valley Classics which unfortunately is no longer in business making these plates hard to find.

Have a look at our store listing here.

Welcome to our Blog!

We are the Recycle Sisters, Karen Margulis and Kellie Sloat. By day Karen is a full time artist and Kellie is a Mobile Dog Groomer. When our work is done the fun begins....we shop! We love getting lost in second hand shops and estate sales. For years we would only buy for ourselves but so often we would come across an item that we couldn't use but that we just knew someone would love. So we began to buy stuff that we just thought was cool. We figured someone would need to have it! Now we are able to share our treasures with the world in our Ebay store. So our mission is to recycle and find new homes for some great stuff! This blog is dedicated to our passion for thrifting. We want to share some of our stories with you. We have fun and hope you enjoy our adventures.

Do You Like my Hat?

We had so much fun with this find! All I could think of was the line from one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. "Do you like my hat?" "No I do not like you hat." In this case we loved the hats! We know nothing about vintage clothing but we are learning with each piece we find. We are not sure of the age of the hats (more research is needed) but they are marked inside. Both are man-made fur. The gold hat is by Mystere and features a cool gold rhinestone pin. The blue hat is by Mr. John Classic. We went back to the same store a week later and found another vintage fur hat with rhinestones. We now have the start of a collection!

For a closer look at the hats, here is a link to our ebay store listing.

What is a KIKOY?

We learn something new every time we go out on a treasure hunt. I came across these colorful cloths last week. They were woven cotton with cool twisted fringes. What were they? They weren't big enough for a table cloth and they were too big for a scarf. One had a tag that said'The Kikoy Co' with a website. Ah I can research this one! So I bought them because I like the colors. Turns out they are Kikoys which are really just wraps or sarongs from Africa. They are a traditional clothing item but many use them for beach cover-ups, wraps or even picnic and beach blankets. They are actually quite versitile. According to the website, they get softer and more comfortable with wear and washing. I found it interesting that people have their favorite Kikoy that they bring with them everywhere. I'm glad I picked them up. They are quite beautiful!

Have a look at our Kikoy in our ebay store

Chicken Mugs!

We come across some things that just make us smile. These chicken / rooster mugs and thermos made us laugh! Kellie found the mugs first and I just laughed at her. These mugs are great! So we bought them. We could just see them in someones country kitchen or a whimsical touch to a modern kitchen. But here is the best part.....we found the thermos the next day in another shop! Now we had a whole set. This set is perfect for your coffee or maybe some tea or hot chocolate on a chilly day. We hope they find the perfect home!

Have a look at our ebay listing to see the details

Great Shoes of the Week

Ok I admit it.....I have a shoe fetish. My closet is overflowing with shoes. I love shoes. The funny thing is I only wear one or two pairs. My favorite comfy shoes are my Calistoga sandals by Keen. I have 2 pairs and they are my everyday shoes. But I still can't resist a great pair of shoes so the bottom of my closet is just a pile of shoes. On our shopping trips Kellie and I always see some great shoes that just don't fit. We hate to pass them up because surely someone else NEEDS them! Here is our Pair of the Week. These are girls Cole Haan in a zebra print. They are real hair either calf or pony, with suede trim and fleece lining. I want a pair in my size! Hopefully some lucky little girl will get to wear these great shoes this Fall.

Have a look at our listing here

How to Wear a Skinny Belt SOLD

Do you remember Skinny Belts? Sometimes I think I spend too much time in the studio in t-shirts and shorts. I sometimes feel out of touch with the latest fashions. When my 19 year old daughter came home with a skinny belt the other day it brought back some fashion flashbacks! We come across some very nice vintage skinny belts all of the time. Take this pretty little patent leather belt by Morgan Taylor. It is a size small so won't fit me darn it! It is about 1/2 inch wide and has a great gold buckle. If you want to read more about the skinny belt trend and how to spice up your wardrobe with a skinny belt check out this article on e-how.com
To see our ebay listing for this belt have a look here. We'll be listing more belts including a really nice black Ralph Lauren belt.....maybe...that one fits me!

We hit the Mother Lode! Vintage Jewelry!

Last month we hit the mother lode of jewelry at an estate sale. We got bags and bags of all kinds of jewelry....vintage, costume, even some real jewelry. The problem was it came in many bags and nothing matched. Were we ripped off? Was there any earring that had a match? We sure had fun finding out. We took all of our loot up to the lake where Kellie has a houseboat and we spent the weekend going through the pile. What a blast! We worked for two days straight into the evenings. Kellie lit oil lanterns at night so we could see. It looked like pirate treasure with all the glitter. In the end, we discovered quite a few matches and we still haven't finished. It will be a slow process listing all of the jewelry but we will showcase a piece of jewelry here on the blog every week. Let us know if you are looking for something special....we just may have it in our stash!

Cool Earrings of the Week...Glass Fish

I think these are my favorite earrings so far. They are glass fish with gold painted details. The glass is a beautiful shade of turquoise bluish green. I'm sure someone who collects fish would love these earrings. Check out the ebay listing for more information.

Love those Poppies!

I love anything 'poppy'. It is one of my favorite flowers to paint. In fact, one of my poppy paintings will be a part of the Pastel Society of America's 38th annual exhibition in New York City this Fall. I thought I would share one of the poppy paintings I have available on ebay. I sell my paintings through four galleries and online through my blog and www.dailypainters.com, but I will put some paintings in our ebay store occasionally. Here is a link to the poppy painting.

The Poppy bowl is a piece I just found. It is a hand made bowl signed on the bottom. It has a great shiny glaze and the flowers are very delicate and well done. I see a lot of hand made pottery pieces in the second hand shops. A lot of it are pieces done by beginners. This piece really stood out to me and I just had to have it!