Thrift Tales Thursday : More fabulous recent finds!

 Hello again everyone!  I have set a goal for myself.  To create and stick to an efficient blog schedule.  While I think that it will be easy for me to keep on top of it during winter break from college, I only hope that I have the time to maintain it through the spring semester as well.  I won't know for sure though until I try.  Therefore, consider this day 1. 

 

I am still working on catching up from the backlog of finds I didn't photograph and blog about from the end of summer and early fall.  These are amongst some of my favorites.  I found 3 vintage printed table cloths - two from the thrifts and one from a yard sale.  All were wonderful bargains under $3 each.  Also at the same yard sale I found the Kromex grease jar, salt, and pepper shaker.  I was incredibly tickled about this given I had already found the canister set!  The jadeite plate and little Pyrex delphite refrigerator dish also came from the same sale.  The wearever ice bag in it's original box and Pyrex Empire Scroll casserole complete with lid and cradle came from the local goodwill.  The grid folding board and Waring chrome blendor were both a wonderful purchase at the local thrift benefiting an animal shelter.  As a confession... this is my third Waring blendor. 

 

 

Well that is all for now folks! I am off to tackle the Christmas presents yet to be wrapped.  Hopefully I can finish them up today.  Happy Thrifting!

 

Question(s) of the Day: Any tips for sticking to a blog schedule? ...and how many blendors are too many?

 

 

A Little Something to Ring in the Season

Hello again everyone! I am happy to say that I have finally finished (the seemingly never-ever-ever ending) first semester of my senior year in college.  This also means I have survived the toughest bulk of my coursework.  So I can finally relax.  And fold my laundry.  And blog. 

 

Today I had some time to run some errands, mail all my Christmas cards, and I happened to stop off at the local antique mall.  What can I say?  It was on the way.  How can you not stop?

 

I found this lovely Christmas tablecloth that I think is adorable with all the bows.  I also can't argue with the timing with Christmas right around the corner.  I also picked up these two books.  The "Home Folks" one is a school geography book from the 30's with some amazing photos with project potential (given the destroyed spine on the book). 

 

 

The other is an accounting textbook dated 1878.  Have I mentioned before that I am an accounting major?  I have a "thing" for collecting vintage items related to this profession. 

 

 

The rest of this post is sort of a highlight reel of the some of the items I had found recently and photographed.  Sadly, there were many other amazing finds that I failed to photograph.  This is at least a little bit of them though. 

 

I had found the Pyrex chip and dip set in the box at a goodwill along with the opal bread pan and Fire King jadeite mixing bowl.  Jadeite at a thrift store! I was super tickled about that one. 

 

 

I also found the complete Daisy bakeware set!  This was quite exciting for me since this is my first lasagna pan. 

 

 

I also had some great luck with finding linens including this amazing dish towel. 

 

I also found a couple other towels as well as two floral themed tablecloths. 

 

 

I had picked up this Pyrex twin serving piece at a flea market in late summer. 

 

 

Finally...last but certainly not least, at the same flea market I found the two casseroles needed to complete my Pyrex Pink Amish Butterprint set!

 

As always, thank you for reading everyone!  Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things and start updating on some of my other recent finds.  Happy thrifting everyone!

Time to Share!

Hello all! Things have been quite busy in the thrifting/flea marketing/yard saleing department around here.  Which means I should have posted far more within the past couple months than I have.  Now I have a pretty massive backlog to catch y'all up on.  So perhaps I shall take this one post at a time.  And this is the first step. 

 

I picked up this large painting at Goodwill because I thought it was rather pretty.  I also really liked it because it was done by a local woman in the 1970's. 

 

 

Now it's time for the bulk of it!..for round one that is.

 

 

The boyfriend and I hit up some pretty fantastic yard sales a while back where I scored the cooler (for a dollar!), the paper product holder, and the partial Pyrex percolator.  The vintage egg crate was a Goodwill deal. 

 

The other wood crate was also from Goodwill in addition to the spatula and the one dish rack (with original tag!).  The other dish rack, blue mason jar, carafe, and Nesbitt's soda bottle came from various yard sales.   

 

It amazes me that the tag remained on for that long!

 

 

For the Pyrex goodies, I found the badly dishwasher damaged pink scroll space saver which also happened to be covered in wax at a yard sale.  But it was a dollar...and I felt bad for it... so I brought it home.  The barbed wire divided dish came from goodwill. 

 

 

Dad also picked me up the Dandelion Duet Divided Dish with cradle, unused candles, and box for an absolute steal at the flea market!

 

 

I also found a ton of miscellaneous books, pamphlets, maps, etc at the yard sales.  I was excited to talk with an older fella selling some of it.  He was so thrilled with the history of it and explaining to me what it was and how he had acquired it.  You could tell he appreciated that someone younger was so interested in his old "junk". 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least, we have a vintage Candy Land game that is complete (although without box). 

 

 

 

Well that is all for now folks, hopefully I can get some more catch up posts out there... I certainly have a lot to share! It amazes me what all I have found in the past couple months.  Happy thrifting everyone!

A Well Rounded Haul and Some Special Presents!

Hello again everyone!  I had some pretty spectacular thrifting and flea marketing this past week.  Which means I have plenty of new goodies to share! I'm a little too excited to offer anymore of an introduction, so without further delay, we begin with the Pyrex!

 

The little casserole from the buffet twins, 2 Friendship mixing bowls, 4 quart Homestead casserole, small green striped mug, and 2 sets of Pyrex compatibles napkin rings all came from the local Goodwills.  Yeah, when I saw them, especially the friendship, I maybe squealed a bit and took off at warp speed to grab them.  The Americana 4 quart bowl was something my Dad picked up at a yard sale for a dollar.  The two Amish Blue Butterprint fridgies were part of my birthday gift from him (along with a jar of pickles).  

 

 

 

From the same yard sale as the Americana, my dad also got the entire box of vintage Christmas bulbs for a dollar. I picked up the Sunbeam Mixmaster, little metal percolator, Amish themed disposable souvenir coasters from Dutch Haven in Lancaster PA, red and silver platter, and autumn cake plate from thrift stores.  I love the cake plate!  The  knob on top is an acorn and there is a design around it featuring leaves and more acorns!



 

 

The Famous Artist Painting Series books from 1953 are absolutely intriguing to me! Also I found the 1929 dictionary and promotional tongs at the same store.  Finally, the welcome mat is new, but I think it is adorable and for a couple bucks at the thrift shop, I had to grab it. 

 

 

Close up of the promotional tongs from "Jim's Keystone Service"

 

 

Here are some interior photos of the art instruction books. 

 

 

And finally (although I am sorry for the less than fabulous photo), we have the golden acorn casserole that my boyfriend found for me.  I was so tickled when he turned up with this! Most twenty-some year old guys don't even care to figure out what "Vintage Pyrex" is...let alone keep their eye out for it! :) 

 

Also pictured is the small white hostess style Pyrex dish my dad found for me at the Flea Market.  Although I have seen some debate as to whether these are "real", in my opinion this can definitely not be a dishwashed red or yellow as some people suggest.  It is as shiny as can be and there is not a single speck anywhere on it.  It may have been that although Pyrex did not intentionally make a white Hostess set, some "left the factory" in their white state. 

 

 

Well that is all for now folks!  Wishing everyone happy thrifting and hoping you find some goodies to share as well!

 

Linking up over at:

Thriftasaurus

 

How to... Recover A Chair Seat (The Late Night Version)

I have a confession.  I am a project addict; the type of person who always has to have something "in the works" to occupy my mind and focus on.  So the other night...at approximately 11:30 PM..I got the urge to recover my desk chair seat...and I didn't find this to be odd. 

 

1) We start with the chair.

 

 

2) The chair gets flipped over and the seat is removed.  On this chair, this is done by removing screws in the corner brackets.  

 

 The seat cushion is free!  3) Remove the old fabric cover by prying up the staples.  Depending upon the condition of the cushion beneath the fabric, you must either decide to keep the existing foam/batting/etc or replace it with new.  In this case, the old will still suffice. 

 

The chair stands alone.  The chair stands alone.  Hi-ho-the-dairy-oh the chair stands alone.  Yes, it is late at night and I am getting quite tired.  

 

 

Now to break out the new fabric, caffeine, and staple gun.  This is where the focus is necessary 4) I usually start by stapling one corner in place, then moving to the opposite corner, then the other two corners.  Then I staple one side before moving to the opposite side...and so on and so forth.  Note: Be aware of where your screw holes are to put the cushion back on the chair while you are stapling.  Another note: Pull the fabric tight enough to avoid wrinkles and leave the seat smooth, but not too tight. 

 



 

5)  Any excess fabric can then be trimmed off... just don't trim too close to the staples. 

 

6) And the seat cushion can be screwed back on.  



 

 

The transformation is complete. 

 

I have a big ole thrifting post in the works that I will hopefully get up soon...it was a very nice week at the thrifts, flea markets, and antique stores for me.   

 

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!

I'd love to hear your opinion!

As many of you may have noticed, lately I have been playing around a bit with my blog layout and look.  I think I have finally found something that is exactly the type of mood and spunk I was hoping to convey!  But now I am curious.  What do you think of it?  Please take a moment to answer the cute little poll located in the right sidebar so I can hear your opinion!  Care to comment on the new look further?  Looking to offer up a suggestion? Comment away on this post!

Thank You!
 ~Cal :)

Strawberry Cupcakes!

It had been awhile since I baked.  Like several months type of awhile.  So...when the opportunity to pop on my polka dot apron and try out this strawberry cupcake recipe arose (as I had promised cupcakes to a few people), I was tickled.  And they really didn't turn out too bad.  I will say that they were quite a bit like a muffin with icing...which is odd.  But the strawberry flavor was quite amazing.  

 

 

And okay...I thought that they turned out really cute as an added bonus.  

 

Although I was rather nervous about sharing this rather interesting creation with others, many people complimented them so, although odd, they must not have been too bad. 

 

 

Looking to give them a try?

Strawberry Cupcake Recipe at Better Homes and Gardens

A Trunk of Goodies

Lately I have been having the type of luck that you don't even want to talk about because you are afraid of jinxing yourself.  To be safe, I knock on wood as I share this.  All these finds are from about 2 weeks ago...and I have plenty more from this week that still need photographed. I have been a bad, bad blogger getting so far behind.

 

 To begin with...I introduce the Pyrex. The Golden Scroll Cinderella from the chip and dip set was found at Salvation Army.  My Dad was absolutely fantastic and picked up the 2 Amish Blue Butterprint casseroles, the snowflake blue casserole, the pink gooseberry 444, the small town and country bowl, and promotional casserole in cradle at the flea market while I was at work. You see how this works right?  I go make money while he simultaneously spends the money doing the shopping I wish I could...but at least I get to live through his adventures. The yellow fridgie and flamingo plate were from Goodwill while the lime pie plate and Daisy casserole were my flea market finds.  Also found at the flea market were the 4 jadeite saucers and 3 small cookbooks.  The trunk was an awesome yard sale score.  Oh how I have longed for a trunk and for $5 I finally have one! Last, I found the Treasure Hunt board game from the 1940's at Goodwill.  Thankfully it seems to have all the pieces and just generally seems pretty nifty. 

 

 

In addition to all these adventures, putting my time in with the daily grind, and spending some fantastic time with my boyfriend...I have also undertook a large project: Organizing my storage area. I think the best way to summarize this endeavor is that I discovered I have over a hundred of the small booklet style cook books(such as pictured above).  Oh My.   

 

Happy Thrifting everyone and I hope to have updates on my new finds soon! 

 

Linking up at:

Thriftasaurus

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A Jaunt across the state!

Hello again all!  Well as I mentioned in my past post, this past week was a rather large flea market about an hour away from home that I had went to last year.  So last Friday, my family, boyfriend, and I all loaded up into the truck and headed east!  It was a beautiful day with lots of awesome (although sometimes overpriced) goodies up for grabs.  I found several things though that fall into the "worth it" or "fantastic deal" category. And I even had someone special who didn't mind helping me carry stuffs. 

 

Hmmm...where to start with this pic...  Lets go from left to right.  My dad grabbed me the snowflake casserole for $3 while I found the bluebird for $5.  The Snowflake blue casserole in the cradle (although I don't believe it is original, any one have any input?) was only $5 while the daisy casserole (see pic below) was $8.50...but I didn't have many Daisy pieces.  The mug was my first find of the day for $1 and the pastry roller was my last for $4.  My dad also picked me up the Pyrex measuring cup.  The other items pictured were found outside the flea market.  The complete percolator ($3), crate ($3), and paper product dispenser ($2) were found a yard sales.  Last, the juice carafe was picked up at a goodwill on the way home for $1.99.  Also at this Goodwill was a truly sad #444...a pink one...I could not stop staring at it...completely dishwashed almost to the point of being white. 




 

 

Close up of the Daisy lid.  

 

 

 

I was so very excited to find this blue square baking dish...although a little pricey for my general budget at $12, I had never saw one before and it was blue.  Now the question is, does anyone have any information on this dish?  I can't seem to find any others online that look exactly like it.  

 

Different angle.

 

 

 

More Pyrex!  I found the small red mixing bowl, in awesome condition, for a whopping $2! My dad also picked me up the red large Cinderella mixing bowl for $10.  The Acorn divided casserole was another yard sale find for $5 and the turquoise salt and pepper shakers were $3 back at the flea market.  

 

 

Last, on the way home we stopped at a small antique store having a sale type thing outside where I grabbed all these nifty Halloween cut outs (right around 2 dozen of them) all for $1.  Does anyone know any approximate dates on these?  Oh, and my boyfriend also found a war lighter for $4 he was rather tickled with (unpictured).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well that's all for now folks! Hopefully you can help me out on a few of my questions.  Happy thrifting, yard saleing, and the like!  I hope summer is treating you wonderfully! 

She's Back.

 It has been far far too long.  Luckily my life is starting to settle into the lazy summer lull that I love.  I just finished up my junior year of college -and landed on the Dean's List.  Recently I started a new relationship with a guy who happens to love flea markets. Work has also been pretty nice to me as of late with getting time off.  And last but not least, next weekend is my 21st birthday.  So I suppose you could say that life is good. 

 

Therefore, it is time to update you on what I had found the month of May.  I think I was pretty productive considering how little time I had.  I picked up the pair of vintage camp stools for only $2 a piece. The mixing bowls in blue, red, green, orange, and Brittany blue were all around $4-6 each. The blue primary frigie is the older style for $6 in mint condition.  Now for my favorites... I spy with my little eye...

 

 

 

...SOMETHING PINK!  My first pink mixing bowl in fact.  And let me just say, I am impressed with how good of condition it is! I owe this one to my dad, picking it up at the flea market (while I worked) for only $8!

 

 

 

Also a "Dad find" were these small red dishes for the hostess set.  The great thing about it is that these three were found for $8 total...and I had one from before....

 

 

 

...So now I have a nice even 4 of them.  

 

 

 

These wire file trays were a pretty neat find for $1 a piece...so I grabbed 6.  

 

 

 

Finally we have "the can".  My dad makes fun of me for purchasing this rusty old Hy-mo cake shortening can.  But it was only $4.  And I think it's awesome.  Also pictured are 2 vintage Pyrex measuring cups for $2 each, a vintage table cloth for $2.50, a cute little pair of metal scissors for $.50 and 2 old and partially fallen apart cook books for free.  

 

 

 

Well that's all for now folks, tomorrow I will be heading to a flea market that was quite impressive last year so who knows what I shall return with...oh, and the flea market loving boyfriend will be joining me so I will cross my fingers for a good day!  Happy thrifting, flea marketing, yard saleing and the like! Enjoy the sunshine! 

 

Linking up over at Thriftasaurus!