Writer's Workshop: You can have your shopping malls and designer boutiques. Take me to the thrift store!

If you've read my blog for a while, then you know how I love to hit thrift and junk stores for various discarded treasures. I try to make it a point to do this weekly, and since I generally only purchase vintage dishes and handbags in need of a good scrubbing, it's a pastime that even I can afford on my very limited budget.

In the past, I have found restoration and repurposing projects, and numerous gorgeous things for my home as well as unique gifts for special people, or can be with a little help. This week was no exception: among the racks of outdated small electrics, I got a little peek at the most perfect shade of 50s mint green. Upon further inspection, this delicious color was attached to a General Electric hand mixer which looked just like this one:


Image Source: © Gwen's Flickr Photostream and issued under Flickr Creative Commons

.....well, mine has a gray bottom instead of white. (No, this lovely photo is not mine. Why, you ask? Well, my camera died. And now my backup camera, my phone, has recently died, so I had no way to take a photo of my own.) /explanation.

I gravitated to it instantly. Even though it was covered with quite a bit of grime, I could see that it was clearly a diamond in the rough. Perfect 50s mint green, with what was probably once shiny gold details. It had metal detailing on the front and back which reminded me of the grill of a 1950s Thunderbird:

Source: etsy.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Image Source: © The 1957 Retro Store

I held it in my hands, and the weight and shape of it just felt "right." Unlike many recent model hand mixers, this one is not as lightweight. It's not heavy by any means, but it is quite sturdy and durable and had definitely stood the test of time, as I had the cashier plug it in for me just to make sure it still worked on all speeds. It did, and I just HAD to have it! (With budget and space limits, I refuse to buy anything that I will not use, so if this didn't work, I'd have had to leave it behind.)

So I bought myself a vintage hand mixer. I took it home and scrubbed the filth off. It looks loved now, instead of simply put to good use. This is such a recent purchase that I haven't even had the opportunity to use it myself just yet, but now I can't wait to and I'm even looking for other attachments to go on it.

Best part? I bought it for $3.20.

What is YOUR most recent "happy" purchase?

{This entry is part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. For more from the workshop, head over here.}