I’m a big fan of thrift stores, because you just never know what you’re going to find. I love finding ugly things and giving them new homes. A year or so ago, I showed you some of the marvelous things I’ve found. Today, I’m going to show you some more.

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My great-aunt had a glass paperweight that fascinated me as a kid. Hers had blue twisted through the center. My mom has it now. When I saw this one for all of $3, it reminded me of my great-aunt, so I had to get it.

It’s not like I really need a paperweight with all the imaginary wind in my room, but it holds down my new dental card! (And a Planned Parenthood donation thing I should take care of soon).

The yellow cloud behind it is a $1.99 Ikea napkin holder that I use as a mail sorter.

Who needs a ceramic pig made of orange slices? I do!! How freakin’ adorable is this pig? How could I not?

The ugly clay rooster below was handmade by someone somewhere sometime. Then, as things do, he ended up in a thrift store where I bought him for a dollar.

The star finder came from a wedding and the FLARP! was given to me by a friend since it’s one of the nonsensical words I say a lot. He was amazed that it was actually a product you could buy. So am I. Someone out there is as good at nonsense words as me.

I bought this oddly shaped white pony because it reminded me of my cat. Really, the only differences between this pony and my cat are that my cat is brown and furry, and he also has a more traditional cat-shaped head.

The Alice in Wonderland Zippo lighter was given to me by a friend who is now deceased and the shell came all the way from Ireland or Scotland–I forget which. I picked it up from the beach myself and smuggled it abroad.

I love this angular owl. He looks like origami and he’s also the exact color of my walls, though a shade or two lighter. I seem to have picked up a lot of owls lately. Anyway, the owl sits atop a stack of books that I also got at thrift stores. I suppose I should really take the price tags off of them.

I feel ripped off that my Hello Kitty metal Chinese food takeaway box did not come with lucky candy stars. It was empty when I bought it for 50 cents. Although, I wouldn’t have eaten second-hand candy from the thrift store anyway, so I suppose it’s for the best. I use it to store small binder clips.

Yet another owl, but also, a fish! These two live in my bathroom. The fish is actually a squirter. You can take it in the tub with you and squirt water. What fun! Not that I’ve done that.

Two random frogs. I didn’t buy these together. I bought them separately. I already had the little one when I bought the big one.

The owl in the flower is a signed and numbered original art print that my sister got me at Comic-Con last summer. It’s adorable.

The penguin is actually a reusable shopping bag that folds up into the penguin you see there. I wish I could find more of these, because I love it.

And of course, every household needs a lucky cat. I got this one because its fat/squatness reminded me of my cat like fat pony above.

And even more frogs… yay? The knit one came from a thrift store and you may recognize the framed frog as one I drew myself. You can get your own here. The print, that is, not the knit one. I can’t knit.

The next picture heavily features my own owl since I was trying to take pictures of my prints for Etsy. I’m such an awful photographer though that this was one of the few usable pictures of my framed prints.

Anyway, to the right of my framed owl, you’ll see a little ceramic own that I couldn’t help buying. He’s got feathers of green glitter! What’s not to love? You can see the side of this owl in the orange pig pic above.

And finally, Marshmallow Man! That’s a pouch made of some sort of plasticized material. I use it to store reusable shopping bags just like these:

I find it easier to keep them all together in one large pouch otherwise they get lost.

It’s hard to make out in the picture, but there’s a little marshmallow dog-like thing in the lower left saying “Oh No!” while a marshmallow with an eye patch that’s already been skewered say, “Yes!” in the top left. Every time I use the pouch, I instinctively say “Oh No!” and “Yes!”

The little lunchbox is empty and bereft of purpose, because I haven’t quite figured out what to use it for, but it’s so adorable that I couldn’t resist. I’ll find a purpose for it someday.

And that’s enough nonsense for one day. All told, I paid less than $20 for all the thrift store things that you see here. It was totally worth it, because they make my home a colorful, bright place and they make me smile.

“Oh No!”

“Yes!”

What’s lurking on your shelves at home?