Thrifty Thursday

I can hardly contain my excitement as I type up this week's Thrifty Thursday!  Yesterday I decided to visit 2 of my favorite shops in a nearby town ~ one is a consignment store and the other is a home decor store that carries a few antiques now and then.  Wait until you see what I found!

First stop ~ the consignment store.  What do I see as I step in the door ~

It was marked $4.00!  This will find it's home in the kids' bathroom. 

I continue to browse the store and am not having any more luck, when I notice that the stop owner has opened up another room in the store.  I make my way back and there I find these ~

The spice box was $3.00 and the cabinet was $4.00!  I can't help but think to myself, "Why would anyone get rid of these treasures?!" ~ but am I glad they did.  On to the next store I go.

I rarely purchase anything at the next store as it is a bit pricey for my budget, but I LOVE TO LOOK!  The shop owner knows how to decorate!  The last time I visited, I noticed that she had a small corner of antiques and wanted to see what may have been added.  I made my way around the store and up to the loft to check out the corner  ~ it wasn't there anymore :(

So, I decide to take one more look around the loft and then head home with my bargain treasures ~ when I notice something hiding behind one of the chair displays.  As I head over to see what it is, I can tell it's old.  With each step closer, my excitement starts to build.  By the time I reach the chair, I'm hoping that what I think I'm seeing really is what is hiding there.  I move the chair and there it is ~ an antique dough board!!  All I could do is stand and stare.  Finally, I pick it up ~ there is a tag describing what it is and stating that it is around 120 years old!  So now I really want it.  I have seen all these great looking displays on everyone's blogs using dough boards and was going to see if my dad could make me one, because I know the real thing is hard to find and probably costs an arm and a leg.  But here I am holding a real one and it's huge!

Then I have a sinking feeling in my stomach ~ I can only imagine (knowing what the prices on the other items in the store are) what the price for this beauty is.  With a deep breath, I turn the tag over, read the price, and almost drop the dough board.  I can't believe what it says!  Are you ready ~ I mean are you sitting down, well of course you're sitting down ~ it was $30!  I seriously couldn't take it to the register fast enough!  The shop owner says that it hadn't been in the store very long and asked what was I going to do with it.  Well, I was almost hyperventilating by this time and could barely answer her ~ plus I was worried that she would take a look at the price and say it was a mistake, but she didn't.

Here is a photo of the beauty ~

Photos just don't do it justice.  It is one big piece of wood ~ not 2 pieces glued together.  The cut marks are fantastic and I love the shape.  It measures 1 inch thick, 20.5 inches wide, and 28.25 inches long.  It's hard to tell if the nails on the ends are square heads are not.  DH says that it is indeed an antique and not a reproduction ~ the aging of the wood, the aging of the nails, and the fact that it is 1 piece of wood are good indicators.  I can tell that the cut marks and wear are genuine and not added for looks.

Can you see why I'm excited!  Now I just have to decide how to decorate the top ~ I was thinking about trying my hand at making a pantry cake and adding a shoo fly cover.  Can anyone tell me how the pantry cakes are made or provide me with a recipe?

Come back tomorrow and see this week's makeover result!