ANIMAL PARADE

Going into the holidays, most of us have people of all sizes on our lists, and sometimes
it takes seeing how great something*can be* to be on the lookout. This week in toys, I
found some awesome characters who might look familiar to you, but what won’t be
familiar are the prices…

Do you remember the insanity of the Tickle Me Elmo holiday season? How parents were
literally trampling each other in a psychotic rush to get their hands on this toy? It’s still
listed at Toy Stores for $29.99, and I found this practically new Tickle Me Elmo at the
Carmichael CA store for $5.99, and his Henson buddy Kermit for a little less.

I’ll admit, the Tickle Me Elmo caught my eye first, but then I noticed Kermit, and these two! All of them were like new and under $6! That’s crazy.

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My love for thrift came from my mom, who bought most of my awesome clothes
and toys as a kid from Thrift Town. One beloved little friend was VERY loved by me
for years growing up and I recently found it in a bag “for when I have kids” (funny
how far away that seemed when I packed it away as a pre-teen…).

She had been on many adventures and honestly at this point had seen much
better days. In sorting what I really wanted to keep for my daughter, I
decided this girl deserved a new lease on life with my girl.

She was a bit flat from the stuffing compacting over the years, her fur was
matted, and she no longer had many facial features to speak of. I ‘ll be honest,
I felt a little like Doc McStuffins….

• Stuffing: I cut up a bunch of my daughter’s (originally thrifted) socks she’d outgrown, opened the back of he bear’s neck and plumped her up, making sure to add plenty of filling to the face/head, then hand-sewed shut.
• Then I brushed the fur & trimmed the fur around the eyes and face
• I then got a piece of pink fabric and cut it to make a cute little nose, then sewed it on with pink thread.
• Time to get dressed! Thrifted romper my girl had outgrown + a ribbon barette and TA-DA: What a cute bear!

I’m a sucker for makeovers, bears or otherwise. I think this one is pretty drastic.

Given her pick of all the animals before, my daughter would pass right by this Bear, but when I presented her with the updated version, she squealed, hugged and kissed her and now brings her everywhere with her. Second(third)hand win!!

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Kari Shipman is thrifty, eco-conscious, and knows the importance
of supporting local charities. She has been our featured blogger
since we started the blog in 2010, and has a serious passion for
fashion. Kari owns her own Fashion Consulting Business, Juniper
James and lives out her passions in Northern California with her
wonderful husband Charles, and their little girl Olive.

- See more at: https://thethrifttown.com/2015/11/04/diy-6-steps-for-a-mini-surprise-party-on-a-budget/#sthash.PkYP957a.dpuf