Trash to Treasure

Thrift stores are somewhat of a weakness for me, as I never know what I’ll find. Having had plenty of good luck throughout the years, I delight in roaming up and down the aisles looking for the next great thing I couldn’t possibly live without.  I love a good bargain, and I also love hunting for a hidden treasure.  Well, today I got both when I paid a visit to a local Goodwill store.

M E E T   L I N G U I N I….

….named for the young kitchen worker of a famed restaurant in Paris, from the movie Ratatouille. Loved that movie! Anyway, I found him lying on the very top shelf, but when I took him down to have a better look, sadly he was missing the chalkboard that would have been held by his left hand and tucked into a slit in his upper body. I must admit I was a bit disappointed because he was in such good shape! No chips or missing hands or ears, and his delicate mustache was still in one piece! Feeling defeated, I placed him back on the shelf and continued on to the next few aisles. Now, as luck would have it, as I was perusing down the second aisle, glancing through the overstocked shelves of nick-nacks and what-nots, my eyes fell on a little black chalkboard sitting atop a stack of plates.  Woo Hoo!  I grabbed it, and quickly retraced my steps. Can you believe it fit??? Needless to say I promptly paraded my new treasure to the front of the store to checkout. However, on my way up to the front, a lady stopped me and exclaimed…“Oh, you found his missing chalkboard?” She went on to say that she too had seen him, but since he was missing such a custom piece, she had decided it was a lost cause and moved on. It seems I never would have seen him had he had all his pieces. So, my new kitchen chef stands 20-inches tall from the base of his shoes to the tip of his poofy hat.  The chalkboard was also in great condition, and his sing-song facial expression is just so darn cute. I feel like today was my lucky day, because I have wanted one of these French chefs for such a long time, but have never had any luck finding one I truly liked….until now.

It seems that the old saying of “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” is absolutely right.  I do wonder why he was donated, as most things seem to be missing one thing or another, and this guy was in near perfect condition. Well, whatever the reason, I am thrilled he found his way to my house!