Cheers to the Weekend

This weekend was rather productive in general.  Laundry? Check.  Cleaning? Check.  Thrifting? Double-Check!

The first flea market of the year started yesterday so of course I braved the chill to check it out.  Also, I was able to check out three thrift stores in addition to the aforementioned chores and starting a new job.  Woohoo for me! hahaha

Isn't it all beautiful!  The back left is a plain white corning platter (more on it later). Beside it is a lid for the Pyrex Cosmopolitan casserole dish.  Now i just really hope I can find the dish to go with it.  The piece of flameware is an older style teapot sans lid that I happen to adore.  Beneath it is the smaller version of the Pyrex Brittany Blue tart pan that could double as a lid for the casserole dishes.  Beneath it is two plain Jane pie plates.  Up front is an older style casserole dish topped by a rather unique custard cup.  It's sides aren't nearly as steep as most I have ever seen and the glass is rather thin.  Have you ever seen any of these custard cups?

This was the stamp on the back of the Corning platter.  I had never seen it prior to finding it on the back of the plate from a few posts back.  Problem:  Still no information on it.  So have you ever seen this stamp or have any information on it?

Finally was this Butterfly Gold divided casserole.  The most interesting thing about this dish was that the lid and the casserole were actually found two different places.  The lid was found early in the day at the flea market for a dollar and the bottom was found at a SA a half hour before they closed for $3.  Now that is what I call fate.

My small cookbook collection also expanded over the weekend.  This was another one of the first things I got into collecting.  I loved that they were affordable and the neat graphics they tended to have.  Proof:  All eight of these were $2 at GW and look at the cuteness on the front of the Jell-o one.

Almost Apron

Yesterday, at a rather late hour, I was struck with an idea.  I quickly gathered my supplies.  Baby blankie randomly bought at Goodwill for 29 cents?  Check.  White fabric remnant?  Check.  Scissors?  Check. 

Somehow...I intend to turn all this stuff into an apron.  I'm using my favorite Jessie Steele apron as a rough pattern to hopefully get something that looks similar.  The only thing bad about my JS one is that I love it so much I hate to get it ucky.  Hopefully this newly made one will be my more standard everyday apron.  So far I have it all cut and pinned together and it is looking good. Now I just need to get sewing...by hand due to a lack of sewing machine.  Wish me luck that I can successfully do so without pricking my fingers multiple times. 

I'm just on pins and needles waiting to see how it turns out :)

Fifty-Seven Years

Even through the somewhat eccentric weather we're having in my neck of the woods, I was able to squeeze in some thrifting in addition to my baking endeavors this past weekend.  Although there was not much in terms of quantity, I still deem it a successful trip...of course to be honest, anytime Pyrex is involved it is a success in my book. 

"Hello there Butterfly Gold 443 :)  It's nice to meet you."  This is actually my first piece of butterfly gold aside from a butterdish.  Although it's not my favorite pattern, it was in really nice shape and was only $2.  Last night it even got it's first use for salad.

I also found this salad size Corning plate.  It was intriguing to me because it had crown logo.  At first I though it may have been from foreign lands, but after I got the sticker off I found that it said made in USA.  Has anyone else ever seen this logo combination?

I was also rather tickled to find this "Homemakers Day - 1955" glass.  Now if only I could find out any information about this event.  My curiousity is really amplified with this piece.  What exactly did Homemakers Day consist of?  Who was the woman who attended it?  Hmmm...does anyone else ever wonder about the history of their thrifted finds like this?

Hello Cupcake!

Yesterday I got on one of my experimental baking kicks.  I had eyed up the recipe for Root Beer Float Cupcakes for some time so I finally tried it out.  Meet Mr. RBF...

 

They have root beer and root beer concentrate in the cupcake themselves and the icing has a ice cream base. They taste absolutely amazing...to give you an idea, in a house of 4, 8 are already gone since last night.  I deviated from the recipe slightly and added some extra root beer concentrate based on user reviews.   The only issue I had with them was that because of the ice cream, the icing changed consistancy as time went on.  

Of course they were made in pyrex with love (this time my mom's).  Also pictured is my aqua and cream polka dot Jessie Steele apron.  Why?  Well...just because I have a bizarre apron obsession. 

Want to give the root beer float cupcakes a whirl?  Here's the recipe: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/layer-cakes/root-beer-float-cupcakes/

One to Check Off the List

This past weekend was thrilling in the thrifting world.  I had multiple moments of procrastination which led to a quartet of stores and in addition to that got some assistance from my dad, mom, and step-mom.  Cue the Pyrex on the runway, all others on deck...

I was so tickled to find this much.  The four quart spring blossom Cinderella mixing bowl was a find courtesy of my step mother.  The funny looking glass thing in the lower left corner is actually a flameware lid (my apologies for only featuring thirty percent of it in the photo).  I believe it is for a two quart saucepan.  The white cup came from my mom with three others.  They're the back up if I'm unable to find the turquoise banded teacups for my growing dinnerware set.  The smaller glass bowl in the back right was also a gift from my mom.  It's a rather small (10 oz.) casserole or refrigerator dish I had never saw before.  Ironically later that day I found one at GW and picked it up as well. 

The remaining two pieces in the photo (also featured above) were definitely my favorites though.  I found the teardrop shaped Pyrex mixing bowl for less than $2 at GW.  It's got measurements on the one side up to 2 quarts and measurements up to 8 cups on the other. It was originally sold in 1961 as part of a three piece set with two smaller bowls.  The smallest is only one cup. The final, and perhaps best, of the Pyrex was fully due to my Dad.  A 1953 Heinz promotional in awesome condition!  This was one of the pieces on my wish list, I love the size and color of it.  I almost fainted when he said he found it for only $3...but quickly recovered and gave him multiple hugs while grinning from ear to ear.  

Last but not least, I found an older Revere Ware saucepan.  It is one of the smallest sizes.  Also found randomly were the two juice glasses.  Although they aren't anything spectacular by themselves (even with the cute graphics) I had actually found a juice pitcher before with the exact same design.  So now I have an accidental set.  I can't argue with that.  

It's almost time!

The countdown is about to begin.  In approximately three weeks it is officially the summer thrift season.  This means flea markets, yard sales, and an increase of new items at the thrift and antique stores.  As you can guess, my excitement is near the boiling point.  I cannot wait to stroll down the aisles between the vendors in my local flea market.  I cannot wait to see what new goodies everyone had found over the winter.  I cannot wait to dig my paws into the piles at the first rummage sale.  Last year, one of my first finds of the season was a set of Rogers silverplate flatware in Luffberry.

Although not a complete set, I fell in love with it's simplicity and price tag.  Now I sit hoping and dreaming of this year's first finds *sigh*

Once Upon a Time

I'm always interested in seeing what got people started.  I wonder what their first find was that sparked a thrifting or antiquing obsession passion.  I wonder if it developed quickly as a compassion to continue or was a slow progression over time.  I wonder if they saw it spawning to this magnitude from the very beginning. 

For me, it all began with Halloween noisemakers.  I found them at a yard sale over two years ago; a group of three were sitting together amongst the other items on the table.  Always a conservative spender, my step-mother was shocked into oblivion when I coughed up the $15 for the set.  I wasn't sure why I felt so compelled to take a chance on them that day, all I knew was that I had never seen anything like them before.  When I got home, I started researching.  I looked up the companies, the designs, the time period they were made in...I looked up everything I could think too.  When I finally turned my sights to eBay to determine whether I had flushed my $15 down the toilet, I was shocked and pleased at what I found.  Bottom line, they were definitely worth it and definitely not overly common.

From there it just kind of spiraled.  Soon I was looking for noisemakers, Halloween memorabilia, post cards, old books, vintage kitchen items, cookbooks, and more.  Pyrex eventually topped the list starting with a medium woodland refrigerator dish.  Now it's something of an addiction.  

My Noisemakers - including the three Halloween which started it all

Hopefully I'll get an opportunity to work on some new projects soon.  I've got a pillowcase and a table calling out for some love.     

With a Little Assistance

Although I was only able to hit up a single thrift store this weekend, I was able to get some pretty awesome finds thanks to some help from my dad.  Yes ladies and gentlemen, he fully supports my bizarre Pyrex addiction (even though some is currently stored in his garage hehe).  The best part about it?  He's gotten quite good at picking it out. 

First and foremost, I bought the apron...with the pickle dancing on the can of tuna.  Honestly, I'm not completely sure why, but it was kind of appealing to me.  It did have a date of 1990 on it though...and I am a fan of pickles. 

Also in my single store stop last night I was able to find the Pyrex regency green bread plate and the little clear souffle dish hiding underneath the mixing bowl.  Those three things and a piece of fabric were totaled to $2.90.  It was a splurge day.  

All the other things are credited to Dad. I love the size of the clear casserole dish in the back and they are even better when they include a lid.  The opal divided dish front and sort-of-center is my second of this size and color.  I can't wait to put it to work.  Although I'm not usually a big fan of the spring blossom/crazy daisy pattern on the little mixing bowl, this one has really grown on me.  It's just got that "cute" look to it...like the one with kitties and puppies...except it's Pyrex.  The Pyrex flameware skillet is definitely a favorite of mine though.  I absolutely love the flameware line in general, but especially these older blue tinted items.   

It was so nice seeing my new little skillet meet with it's bigger saucepan brother.  Now all I need is one more for the set.  Well, that and the clip on handle.  Those handles sure seem elusive around here.  I will not get discouraged though. 

This isn't a fry cutter...

It all started with a vintage Presto fry cutter...more accuratly the lack of Presto fry cutter in my paws after leaving the thrift store.  For some reason or another, I over thought that little thing and put it back on the shelf.  Well, three days later, I came to regret not purchasing it.  What else is a gal to do but go back and hope by some miracle it was still there?

The bad news: no Presto fry cutter to behold.  The good news: found something much better. 

As you can see, I had a good day thrifting.  The Pyrex Town and County casserole is my first dish of this shape in the 1.5 Qt size.  Also found was the Pyrex Horizon Blue lid - sans dish - but for 79 cents and in excellent condition, it was in my buggy.  Hopefully one day I will find it's other half.  The Pyrex lime cake pan was oddly paired with a lid that fit, although it did not originally come with it.  I do have plenty of casseroles which it is supposed to go with though, so no arguements here.  The measuring cup is actually Fire King.  It intrigued me because it had the black writing (although slightly worn).  I'm sure it will fit in well enough with it's Pyrex buddies. 

I'm not certain, but I think that in terms of unidentified first glance "gunk" stuck to Pyrex, this cake pan took the...well...cake hehe.  I'm still not certain what caused this stuff since it was almost a mettalic color, but thankfully, it came off easy peasy with the help of a magic eraser.

More standard "gunk" was stuck under the handles of this casserole.  Once again though, I was able to fully remove it.  Thank goodness :)

Doesn't it always amaze you the power a little elbow grease has?