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?

 

 

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

 

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!

Carried Away

The other day, taking full advantage of my Saturday off work, my dad and I took off towards a new antique mall we heard about.  It was like antique heaven.  And the prices were actually within the affordable range.  So I found some goodies...okay, a lot of goodies to bring home.

Lets just say I may have blown my budget on this one. 

I found my dream canister set though!  That makes it worth it right?  I've always coveted these Kromex canisters (especially in turquoise), so I was pretty tickled to finally find a set in person.  And I was even more tickled to see that all the white lettering was in good shape.  In fact, the only imperfection is a small dent on the flour canister, easy enough to hide by placing it in the back. 
At $20, I think I got a pretty good deal. 

 

 

Of all my purchases, this is the only one I sort of regret.  This vintage Kenmore mixer was only $5 and works, but is otherwise in pretty bad shape.  I've never came across a Kenmore before in this area though, so I suppose I could always use it as a display piece, it does have a nice look.  

 

 

 

Other miscellaneous pieces I picked up include the salt and pepper for only 50 cents, the teal handled strainer for $4, and the pink Ecko slotted spoon for $4.  This is my second pink Ecko utensil, the first being a cake spatula.  

 

 

 

Now it's time for my favorite part, and the part I'm sure you have been anticipating actually, Pyrex!  I finally found more of the turquoise pie plates!  This makes four total for me.  Each of these set me back $8.  The Turquoise round casserole was only $5 and the blue wheat was an awesome price at $2.50 although minorly worn from the dish washer.   

 

 

 

I almost missed this Pyrex glass funnel when I was shopping... You see, it was sitting on this marvelous huge vintage sink mounted on turquoise metal cabinets.  I loved it.  Sadly, dad said no to the whole helping me get large sink home process.  He was okay with my $4 funnel though, so I guess that works. 

 

 

This Terra Cotta Rose casserole was a bit of a splurge for me at $12.  It is one of the patterns I have never even saw in person though and I think it will be fabulous for using in autumn.  And since autumn is my favorite season, in an odd way, I can reason my way to justifying the purchase.  The grey band sugar bowl and individual red dish for the hostess set were each $4.  Now I just need to find more of those elusive little red buggers.  The Thermos actually came from a goodwill on the way home, I think it looks pretty neat.  

 

 

 

I was thrilled to find this gooseberry mixing bowl for an awesome $6.  Why you may ask?  Because I've been incredibly tempted to purchase the same bowl for $12 lately.  I've never had much luck with finding gooseberry, so I'm happy to have this in my collection.  Even more thrilling was this large golden grapes bowl from the chip and dip sets!  A chip and dip set is the number one item on my wish list, so I will take what I can get on this front.  At only $8, it gives me some wiggle room to hopefully find the small bowl and bracket. 



 

 

Finally, we have this blue promotional divided casserole.  I am in love with the pattern and amazingly it was the first item I picked up for the day.  Literally, when you walked in the door, there it was.  At $8.50, even though I really didn't need any more divided casseroles, I still bought it.  If I'm being completely honest with myself, I probably don't need any more mixing bowls, casseroles, or refrigerator dishes either.  But it won't stop me.  And I'm okay with this.  

 

 

Well that's all for now folks!  What do you think?  An antique mall worth returning to?

Happy thrifting! 

A Simple Joy: Letters

While I grew up in the technological generation born in the 1990's, I have many fond memories as a child of writing to my grandparents.  I still have a few of these letters, especially the ones which included my grandfather sitting down with his old typewriter.   

A few years back, I also dated a fella in the military and went through the process of writing him throughout basic training and so forth.  Although this relationship ended badly, I still regard this as a transformational time in my life and has led me to believe that every gal should at one time or another receive a love letter. 

I still continue writing my grandmother to this day, although not with the frequency I would like.  I get a far greater joy finding a letter in cute stationary from my grandma in the post office then I will ever be able to achieve from receiving an email...or an IM...or a text message...or...well you get the idea. 

I've spent some time over the years trying to figure out why this is. 

For one, it seems to be far more personal.  The entire process does in fact take more time and because of that gives the impression that the person receiving is worth more time.  With this also comes a sense of truth that I do not receive in other way of correspondence. 

It forces me to slow down a bit and actually go through the process of writing each letter in each word.  Frankly, enough things in day to day life are rushed, therefore this is refreshing. 

In addition, the saved letters make valuable keepsakes...something that I can never picture an email being. 

I personally also find it to be more fun.  I certainly can't write an email on "Frog on a Bicycle" stationary. 

So what are your opinions on letters?  Things of the past or glorious undervalued pieces of the present?  Why do you love them or dislike them?

Tip-Top and to the Thrift Shop!

The thrifts have been slow around here.  Very Slow.  Alas, I have thankfully not become discouraged and continue to check frequently, so I have found a few small goodies to share.  I've also been hitting the antique stores more frequently.  Last week during some mother daughter bonding time, I got to hit up four Goodwill stores as well as two antique stores... normally this would mean a full car...but sadly the quantity wasn't up to par...luckily, I found a few awesome pieces on my wish list.

 

I finally found a complete canister set without any cracks in it, hallelujah!  Okay, so it isn't the most beautiful at the moment, but I'm betting a magic eraser and a silver paint pen will really improve them.  And if not?  Well, the full set was only a dollar so it was worth the gamble.  At the same store, I also picked up the Pyrex shaker as well as the turquoise Hamilton Beach Mix Master.  The milkshake maker is missing a beater...but luckily i have the exact same one in cream.  I've always prefered the turquoise one though, so I figure I'll switch the beater over to it and re-donate the cream one.  I picked up the fantastic vintage metal apple trash can at an antique store for $5... I think it's adorable and is already being put to work in my room.  

 

 But what are those tubey thingys?

 

 

 

 

At the same antique store, I found these glass Pyrex Lab Ware test tubes.  I don't know what to do with them, but they're the first I've seen and they hold a certain appeal.  Any suggestions?

 

 

 

 



We have a continuation of the junking experience in my mom's garage before their big move: a vintage metal sign for Tip-Top bread.  I love the colors on it and think it will be perfect in my future kitchen.  Thanks Mom!

 



 

Over the weekend, I got to go out for some father-daughter time and talked my dad into hitting an antique store.  I was pretty tickled with the few items I had found.  I picked up the metal bread box for $8.  Although it is missing the handle, it should be easy enough to fix up.  As for the chippy spots?  I love them!  The blue mason jar and "Merry Christmas!" Shiny Brite ornament also came from the same store.  The Pyrex See-and-Store canister, two salt dips, and odd green plastic and glass Corning pitcher like creation were gifts from my mom.  Does anyone have any additional information on the pitcher?





 

 

 

An alternative view of the bread box.

 

 

Well that's all for now folks, hopefully next week brings some more fruitful thrifting...my wallet can't take the antique stores forever.  Hopefully y'all are having some better luck. 

Linking up at Thriftasaurus, The Nifty Thrifty, Rednesday, and Apron Thrift Girl!