A Couple of Quick Stops

Hello, Blog Friends!

We are on the first day of a 5 day weekend here at the Rogers house.  I had thoughts of drinking my coffee while leisurely browsing the Internet.  I planned on working out then getting ready to head out the door with Maddie to do a little thrifting.  Notice how I said "thoughts" and "planned"?

Fast forward to the actual morning where I had not one but five teenage boys (including my own) spread about various couches and floors throughout my house.  Evidently, after attending the midnight showing of "The Hangover 3", they all decided to head back here for an all night video game fest. Being the nice mom that I am, I didn't want to wake them so Maddie & I hurried out the door and started our day a little earlier than planned.

There aren't usually too many sales on Thursdays around here.  But I guess with Memorial Day Weekend approaching, some people were wanting to get an early start.  We went to 3 sales near my house.  The ads didn't seem promising. None of them promised "antiques" or "collectibles" but since we were out and about, I figured it didn't hurt to check them out.

I found the Fire King 7 1/2" Tulip bowl at the first sale.  I am working hard on getting a full set of these!

This Dr Pepper crate was full of rusty old junk (not the good kind).  When I asked the guy if it was for sale, he told me that I could have it for 2 bucks but I had to empty the "crap" out of it myself.  Awesome customer service, huh?

I love dresser scarves and use them quite a bit.  I got these for a quarter apiece.  The lady running the sale made them herself and had tons to choose from.  She could have asked for more money for sure!  The pot holder was in the free box.  Always check the free box!

I have a nice little collection of vintage evening bags so I was happy to add these two to it.  Maybe someday I will get to use them!

I actually found this pink ball pitcher at a Thursday sale a few weeks ago.  This has been on my wish list forever.  This particular sale was a pop-up type of sale.  The couple hosting it decided that very morning to have a sale because the weather was so nice.  Needless to say, it wasn't very organized and nothing was priced.  The guy told me to make an offer.  I offered $3.  He said ok!  There was a dealer there and he told me that I scored  Doesn't he think I know that?!

I picked up this snowman blow mold a couple of weeks ago.  It's HUGE!  I had to take a picture of Maddie next to it just so you could see how big he really is.

Normally I pass up Butterfly Gold Pyrex.  It's just not a pattern I collect and it's pretty common around here. But I have been having zero luck in the Pyrex department while thrifting lately so I guess I got a little desperate. Plus these look to have never been used and they were $2 for the pair.  What was I supposed to do? 

On a side note, that photo in the background is of my grandparents.  It was taken right after my grandpa got home from the navy and my grandma thought she would be cute and sassy and put his hat on.

I adore this picture.

Tomorrow is another no school day & Maddie has informed me that I better not leave for sales without her!  Wish us luck:-)

Linking up at:

The Thrifty Groove
Coloradolady
Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Until next time...

Erica

I'm Back!

Hi Everyone!

I've been away from our little blog for the past week now.  Brian and I went to Vegas on Friday and didn't get back until late last night.  So the week leading up to our trip was of course filled with cleaning, getting caught up on paperwork, grocery shopping, etc..  So once again, the blog and thrifting had to take a backseat to life.  But I'm back now so all is good!

We didn't fly out to Vegas until Friday night so I had time to head to some sales, IF THERE WERE ANY!  The weather was cold and drizzly, not ideal for treasure hunting.  But I do have a few things that I haven't shown you from my last couple of weekends. 

I was pretty excited to find this set of 3 Fire King swirl bowls from a garage sale, especially because I needed the two smallest to complete my set.

A while back, I posted here about finding some of these Made in Japan fruit cups at SVDP.  Imagine my surprise when I found 4 more at a new Goodwill last week!

I was at SVDP the other day and this quilt caught my eye from across the way.  My room is decorated in a shabby chic style so I was thrilled to find out that this quilt was a king sized.  Plus, it's 100% cotton!  I hate polyester fill on quilts.  This quilt is in perfect condition and appears to have never been used.  It's made by Laura Ashley and when I looked online at other bedding by this brand, I was shocked to see that my quilt goes for $400.00 brand new!  I paid twenty bucks.  I'd say I got a steal, wouldn't you?

There is a family run farm up the road from my house.  Every year, they have a multi-family sale.  This year, they advertised chenille bedspreads so I knew I had to take a look.  I got this twin size pink striped one from a lady who collected them but was downsizing.  Well lucky for her, I also collect them but AM NOT DOWNSIZING!  She was also selling off a ton of her vintage fabrics. 

 

 

 

Aren't the prints on these amazing?

I also picked up these little bundles.  Does anybody know if they are feed sack material?  They appear to be but I am no expert.

There was no way that I was leaving this bag of vintage tablecloth scraps behind.  Sister & I have got to be able to come up with something to do with them!

I don't know if I have mentioned this before but I cannot sew.  Well, maybe I can but I have never given it a shot.  This fabric haul definitely has inspired me to!

I'll be heading over to the following parties:

Thriftasaurus
The Nifty Thrifty
Knick of Time Tuesday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Junkin' Joe

Have A Great Week!

Erica

Just A Few Sales....

There weren't too many sales on Friday for me to head to, but I couldn't stay home!  I was craving a major junk fix so I had to find something!

The first couple of sales were total duds.  They had some pretty decent stuff but most of it was marked retail.  I found this Lincoln Beautyware paper towel/foil/Saran Wrap/wax paper holder at the 4th sale I hit.  Woo-hoo!  The first find of the day!  I am definitely going to repaint it but haven't decided what color yet.

I picked up these old metal frames at the same sale.  These will be painted too and possibly turned into trays or chalkboards.

The second to last sale I went to was advertised as a "Vintage Sale".  The lady had really cute decorated signs and the house was in an established neighborhood where most of the houses were built in the late 1950's.  She had three tables.  Full of overpriced CRAP!  She was frantically running around changing prices on things because she said her mom had overpriced everything.  Well, she wasn't doing a much better job.  I saw the absolute worst condition Pyrex refrigerator dishes that I had ever seen.  One was a 502 blue from the Primary set.  The only way I know this is that there was a tiny bit of blue left around the rim.  It was so badly dishwashered that it was more white.  There was also a red 501 in the same condition.  I contemplated buying them (before I saw the prices) just for their lids but those too where horribly chipped.  SHE WAS ASKING $10 FOR THE BLUE AND $8 FOR THE RED!!!!  I'm pretty sure I bought the only reasonably priced thing there.  She wanted $5 for this old mailbox but I got her down to $3.  I think it will make the cutest planter.

My last stop of the day was an estate sale that started about 20 minutes before I got to it.  This company is notorious for overwriting their ads plus they never post pictures.  Going to their sales is definitely a gamble.  But I needed some junk!  When I walked up the driveway, I scanned the hold piles and saw that someone had grabbed all the Pyrex.  I wasn't dismayed because A) I either already had the piece or B) It wasn't a pattern I collected.  Whew!

I went right into the kitchen and grabbed these two cookbooks and this adorable little tin.

 It's been awhile since I have found any vintage sheets so I was pretty pleased with this.

My name is Erica & I hoard vintage pillowcases.  HA!!

So it never ceases to amaze me when I head into a sale that has either just started or started hours ago and there are still vintage tablecloths.

I just don't understand some people.  This sale was swarming with dealers.  The lady who bought up all the Pyrex has a booth in a local mall that mainly just carries vintage kitchen.  You would think she would have snatched these up!

Before I headed home, I stopped and met my BFF Rachel for lunch.  We needed to exchange birthday gifts.  Rachel is in nursing school so I haven't got to see her a whole heck of a lot so these gifts were from last years birthdays!

Can you believe that she bought me the turquoise Chip & Dip set?  There is a reason this girl has been my best friend for over 15 years!  Plus I am pretty sure we share the same brain.  I bought her the large yellow Hostess bowl with lid plus the Butterprint 402 mixing bowl.  How funny that we both gave each other Pyrex :-)

I'm heading over to the following parties today:

Thriftasaurus with Sir Thrift-A-Lot
The Nifty Thrifty with A Living Space
Knick of Time Tuesday with A Knick of Time
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday with Coastal Charm

Talk to you all soon!

Erica

A Little Mother's Day Crafting

Happy Mother's Day everybody!  I wont be seeing my Mom or even my Mother in Law today since a 8 hour round trip drive isn't really reasonable for a Sunday, but that's okay, we have plans to celebrate later this month and when school gets out.  The thrifting world has been cruel around here, which has given me time to get a little crafting done and lead to my project for Mom this Mother's day.  I figured since there aren't any thrifty finds to share I would show you what I made.

 I decided to create her a flip book of 50 memories I had with her.  It was really fun to sit down and decide what to put in here.

It was definitely harder than I thought to create this because of all the emotions I had as I thought through all the memories.

I tried to put some not so serious ones.  I know my nephew Alex will totally agree with #2.

And then I chose some specific memories from my childhood that just make me smile.

It's been a really long time since I've gotten to spend Mother's day with my Mom and my Sister and I really hope that life changes some time soon so I can be closer to both of them.  I was browsing though photos this morning and I thought I would share this one of the three of us and my husband on my wedding day.  I love these woman and know I wouldn't be who I am without them.  I hope all of you enjoy your day of reflecting on the important woman in your life.

Happy Mothers Day!
Hanna

Dogs & Flowers

We have lived in our house on two acres for the past 5 years.  When we first bought the property, I would daydream and make lists of all of the beautiful flowers and bushes I wanted to plant.  So the first Spring we were here, we started in on the list. 

It was a disaster.

It seems that Bailey, our Golden Retriever, has some sort of vitamin deficiency that makes her crave greenery of all kinds (don't worry, I did my research beforehand and planted non-poisonous to animals plants).  So we decided to forgo the Hydrangeas and Rhododendrons that I had envisioned for a few years and just stick with hanging baskets.  As far as I knew, Bailey couldn't fly or scale buildings.

After a couple of years, we decided to try again thinking that maybe she had outgrown it.  We were wrong.  Dead wrong. By this time, not only did we have Bailey to deal with, but we also had Brewski, our German Shepherd puppy. Let me tell you, Bailey had quite the time teaching him all the fun it was to tear plants out of the ground and pluck flowers out of pots.  Yum!

Don't get me wrong...I love hanging baskets.  We don't just buy them ready planted from the store and hang them.  Oh no.  Brian plants them himself and then he and his mom have a competition to see who has the best ones by the end of the Summer.  But really, how many hanging baskets can one house have?

So we decided to try again.  The weekend before last, we bought some cheap color spots and planted them in pots out front just to test the dogs.  Bullet, our newest puppy, had never been around flowers before (well, unless you count the Daffodils he ate at Sisters house the last time we visited), so we needed to see how he would react.  Well, you know what happened?  A whole week went by and there was not one plant fatality.  We couldn't believe it.  Want to know what happened next?  I went a little crazy at the nursery and decided that I was going to make up for lost time.

Old galvanized bucket re purposed into a hanging planter

 

Metal wash bin I found at a garage sale a few years ago

 

My grandparents old Maytag washing machine

 

Chippy plant stand from a garage sale last Summer

 

I got this idea off of Pinterest

 

This one too

 

I spotted this grass seed spreader leaning up against a tree in our backyard and thought it would make an amazing planter!

 

A couple more chippy plant stands I found last Summer

 

 

Pretty pink flowers in McCoy pots

 

My flea market finds from last weekend.  Don't you think they make the perfect plant stands?

 

So far so good.  The dogs have shown zero interest in any of these beauties.  I think this weekend we are going to do some more flower planting.  I have a few more things I would like to re purpose into planters.  If all goes well, we may even try to plant some things in the ground!  I think I need to mention that all of this planting has definitely been a team mission.  I am the brains behind the operation and Brian is definitely the muscle.  A green thumb I do not have.  I'm not even allowed to water them!

 

Linking up with:

 

Share Your Cup Thursday with Jann

Vintage Thingie Thursday with Suzanne

Thrifty Things Friday with Diann

 

Until next time....

 

Erica

 

Flea Market Sunday

I'm happy to say that I had a pretty good day at the flea market on Sunday.  Our flea market takes the Summer off (strange, I know) so there are only 3 markets left.  I am going to have to miss the next two but don't feel sorry for me! One weekend I will be in Las Vegas and the other I will be at Farm Chicks!  So last Sunday's finds are going to have to hold me over for a while.

These two chippy children's chairs were purchased within the first minute I was in the door.  I only wanted one since the other was broken.  I have bought from this guy before and he is so nice.  Want to know how nice?  He threw in the broken one for free!  A little wood glue, and it's all fixed.  Wait till you see what I did with them.

I picked up some decals from a booth where all the ephemera was 50% off.

It's pretty customary for me to barter on prices.  When I asked the lady who had this vintage tablecloth if she would take a dollar less than what she was asking, she audibly gasped and said "Oh, no.  I can't do that.  It's vintage".  When I told her it had some stains on it she said, "Well, I'm sure you can get those out".  Something about the way she was talking to me made me put the tablecloth down and start to walk away.  I don't always expect people to want to barter with me but just say something along the lines of "I'd really like to get full price for it" in a nice tone of voice.  Don't try and make excuses.  Believe me, I know what vintage means.  Anyway, she said "Well, if you really want it, fine I will do that price."  Well why didn't you say so in the first place?!

I got this old fruit crate label and sprinkler out of a $2 grab bag.  I love grab bags!  One more of these sprinklers and I will officially have a collection.

I'm sure by now you all know that I collect old syrup dispensers.  This is the third small one I have found.  I also picked up these two old measuring scoops for my sugar and flour canisters.

I didn't buy this book for Maddie's collection.  I bought it for my Easter decorations.  Vintage Easter is pretty hard to come buy so I always try to pick up Spring/Easter related stuff when I can.

Look how cute those illustrations are.  This book is a larger softcover book with scalloped edging.  It's copyright date is from 1941 and was published by Whitman Publishing Company.

How perfect are these for my 4th of July displays?  I am going to have to start decorating as soon as I get back from Farm Chicks!  I have a feeling I have acquired quite a bit that I don't remember.

I got Maddie a June angel for her collection and picked up this pair of Japan salt & pepper shakers for 2 bucks.

There is a lady who goes around to all the sales buying up all the jewelry.  She is really not liked too well by the people who are also after jewelry.  Luckily, that doesn't include me.  She then takes it all and literally dumps it in a big pile on her tables and prices each piece $2.00, no matter if it is a cheap Dollar Tree necklace or a vintage broach.  You just have to want to take the time to dig.  Well this turquoise and sterling necklace was peaking out of the middle of the mess and waiting for me so I didn't have to dig too hard.  Lucky me!

Not a bad haul, huh?  I'm glad that since I am going to miss the next couple of markets that I was able to find some good stuff.  But the bad side to that is now I am going to wonder what all I am going to miss!

Linking up with:

Sir Thrift-A-Lot
A Living Space
Hey What's For Dinner Mom?

Have a great day!

Erica