Quick Post Before BRAD PAISLEY!!

As sister and I get ready for our 5th Brad Paisley concert, I am going to take a few minutes to post just some of my finds for the week. 

We had a little bit of time before Maddy's orthodontist appointment the other day so of course I had to run into the Goodwill next to the ortho's office (although I had been there the day before).  I found the Kromex grease jar with strainer mixed in with the Pyrex, the aluminum flour shaker with the measuring cups and the lone West Bend shaker mixed in with all the metal candle holders and sconces.  Note to all thrifters: Search aisles you would never normally visit.  You never know what you may find!

I also found this 1 cup Fire King glass measuring cup and this heavy duty Gemco sugar dispenser.  Funny thing is that the hubs found the exact same two things at a different Goodwill last week.

So earlier in the week, my husband saw this Pyrex Snowflake Snack Server/Divided Dish with the two part lid at St. Vincents for $10.00.  I told him to hold off on getting it only because they would be changing their color tags in a few days and it would most likely be 50% off.  I already have 3 of these otherwise I would have told him to snatch it up at the $10.00 price tag.  He told me he hid it really well (obviously not too well because I saw it the next day back on the Pyrex shelf) and that he would go back for it on Tuesday.  Well I got there before him on Tuesday and there it was WITHOUT THE LID!  I searched high and low but no lid was to be found.  The rubber band that holds the two together was still attached and so was the 2/$9.99 price tag.  I took it up front and the checker gave it to me for $2.50 so it all worked out ok.  I just REALLY wanted the lid!  There must have been some tag switching going on because the lid also had the 2/$9.99 sticker on it and what ethical checker would allow just one part of a two part set to be sold? 



I picked up this JAS English Pyrex gravy boat and drip tray in Autumn Glory and this cute little turquoise flower platter and a random thrift shop that is closed more than it is opened.  The gravy boat was $1.50 and the plate was $.25.  Not bad.

Hello, my name is Erica and I am addicted to Royal China Jeannette pie plates.  Enough said.  There has got to be some sort of program to help me out, right Sister?

That's all for now.  I will definitely have more to post later on this weekend.  I have a rubbermaid container full of other treasures I have picked up this week plus the hubby just called and said he bought so much stuff at Goodwill, they had to give him a box.

Sister, hopefully we won't be moving too slow tomorrow morning to hold up our quick thrifting adventure!! 

Not a Bad Sunday

I usually don't have very good luck thrifting on Sundays.  Everything is pretty picked over and it is usually very crowded.  But I figured that the best way to nurse my (slight) hangover from too many Grayhounds on Saturday night would be a little thrifting therapy.  So it was off to the Picadilly Flea Market (sans makeup which for me is really rare).  Oh how I hoped I didn't run into anybody I knew!

There was a table there about 12 feet long full of Pyrex and this lone Fire King white swirl bowl.  Unfortunately, the Pyrex wasn't anything I couldn't live without.  It was kind of overpriced for the condition it was in but the Fire King bowl was only 6 bucks.  I just won the matching Jadeite one on eBay and hopefully it gets here in one piece.  They will look so cute together.

Starbucks coffee mugs are highly collectible for reasons I can't quite comprehend.  But I guess to each his own.  I'm pretty sure that not everybody would understand my Pyrex collection.  Ok, lets get real here.  Who wouldn't understand the beautiful, vintage yumminess of Pyrex?  You'd have to be crazy to look away.  Anyways, back to the mugs.  I have had some pretty good luck recently selling these and for $1.00 apiece, I should be able to at least double my money ;-)

This vintage jelly jar glass was too cute to pass up.  Sister, if you look closely you will see that that is your's and Brewski's favorite animal. 

After walking through Picadilly twice, I had the intentions of heading home.  But I thought I would check the Goodwill by my house since they change the color of tags on Sundays.

I have enough Snack Servers/Divided Dishes to last me a lifetime and the Early American is not my favorite pattern.  But it had a yellow tag (our local color of the week for 50% off) and was marked $4.99.  So for $2.50, I bought it for the lid pretty much since they are so hard to come by on their own.

I also found this Snowflake Space Saver without the lid.  I wonder how hard it will be for me to find one?  Sister, keep your eyes peeled!  Lid #550-C.

I try not to collect Fire King because there is no way possible that my house can hold both my out of control modest collection of Pyrex and Fire King too.  But I love this Candleglow pattern and the shape of this utility dish is perfect for brownies.  I think there still might be some room under my bed.

Miss Maddy is always begging me to buy these when she see's them in antique stores, but the cheapest I have seen them is $15.00 so no way.  I did find these on the odds and ends shelf at Goodwill marked $1.99 apiece.  Who buys just one salt and pepper shaker?  The clerk agreed with me and gave them to me both for $1.99.  Maddy was so excited!

I did so good at Goodwill that I thought I'd try the St. Vincents down the road.  They don't change their tags until Tuesday but I was feeling lucky.  I'm glad I stopped.

I spotted this 1.5 quart oval Pink Daisy casserole with lid before the doors even closed behind me.  I felt like I was training for the Olympic Trials trying to get to it.  This is the St. Vincent's that I hardly ever find anything at so I was skeptical as to the condition and price.  She's perfect!  Not a scratch on her and with a lid!  I slowly turned her over and braced myself for the price.  I swear the angel's started singing when I saw the $3.99 price tag.  Yipee!!

As I was walking to the checkout, I stopped in the glasswares aisle and found all these cuties.  $.49 apiece.  Not bad.

I am pretty excited for all my finds today.  I guess this was a lucky weekend for both of us, huh Sister?  Oh yeah.  Here are two things I got at my aunts shop on Friday.

You're probably thinking "another pitcher".  Well yeah.  How often do you find these when the ice lip isn't chipped?  And Maddy picked out a cute little baby lamb planter for her collection.  I also got the coolest vintage men's Wrangler western shirt.  I don't think it was ever worn and it's from the 1940's.  No picture, Sister.  You will have to wait to see it on Friday at Brad Paisley.  Have an awsome week!

Finally a Successful Thrifting Day

The husband and I got out to a few new spots near our home over the weekend and man are we happy we did! 

 First we visited a swap meet that is a once a month thing in Astoria.  We got there right at 9 am and I finally got a little bit of a Pyrex fix.  I found this Sandalwood casserole with a lid for $3, a Spring Blossom casserole with a lid for $3, and Matt found this Shenandoah bowl for $2:

I don't think I will be keeping any of these pieces, but would really like to.  I am just running out of room!


I made a quick stop at Goodwill and finally found a Far Side mug, which Sister told me to keep an eye out for.  I also found a Spring Blossom Butter dish, so I was happy I stopped.


Next, we headed across the river to meet up with a few friends.  We stopped at a random thrift shop on the way and I found this cradle:

It came with a clear casserole in the cradle without a lid, but I have 3 different casseroles that fit in it, so I was really excited to find this, and it was only $3.  I also picked up 3 more Federal Glass bird cups to add to Matt's ever growing collection.


Finally we met up with some friends, visited Jake the Alligator Man, had an early happy hour (which is never good when I am going shopping,) and then went to the antique mall that Sister and I visited a while back.  I picked up a few pieces of Pyrex, but my most exciting find was this owl pitcher that was 40% off.  I love it and can't wait to use it for greyhounds when Sister visits!

Sister, how was Picc-a-Dilly this morning?  I'm off to serve some treats in my Pyrex for the Super Bowl, so look for pictures in the near future.  Happy Thrifting!

Sloooooow TWO Weeks!

Some may be wondering, where has the other Sister been?  What happened when she headed South?  I apologize for my absence.  With a new quarter starting and not a lot planned, I had to step up to the teacher plate and put together a great 3rd quarter for my Middle Schoolers.  I have been thrifting a bit here and there, but as Sister has noted, it has been a slow time in our thrifting world.  You have to realize that I only have 4 thrift stores in my vicinity, so thrifting life can be challenging.  I find myself craving Pyrex so badly that I make poor decisions.  Thank goodness Goodwill has an exchange policy!  


There have been some great decisions though, and here are a few highlights of the last 2 weeks:

I've obviously been on a coffee cup kick.  All of these besides the little brown one will be going online soon.  I was really excited about the black Federal Glass Zodiac Mug, but it wasn't Virgo, so it must go.  The Kimberly Fire King Mugs are not my thing, but they seem popular.  I also picked up a few Glasbake mugs, a very old Old Spice shaving cup, and a comics mug that I've heard can go for a pretty penny online.  The brown mug is milk glass, heavy, and unmarked.  Any ideas on the maker?

I've been looking for these Libbey juice glasses for a long time and already have the pitcher, so I will definitely be selling them as a set now.  These little rooster cups are super cute, and they may be going to my mother-in-law for her birthday (she collects chickens.)  Last is this strange little pitcher, Sister, do you know what it is or who makes it?

Finally, a little Pyrex!  This Old Orchard Casserole I really like and I know now that this is the one Sister bought with a cradle because it was a promotional a while back.  When I finally realized what it was I went back for the lid that had a little chip in it and someone had already snatched it up!  Man, was that frustrating, but I will find its lid and hopefully cradle some day!  These other two Woodland casseroles with lids I got at this huge red barn flea market for a great price.  Alas, I don't need them and the husband says I must sell.

Speaking of the husband, here is his pick from the red barn.  He has developed a liking for Wild Turkey, which was Sister and my Dad's favorite.  So in honor of Dad he somehow drinks the stuff.  This is a side off an old crate that now sits with all his bird glasses on the liquor cabinet.  I love it and it makes me think of Dad, along with every other thing in my house!  Sister, what do you think Dad would say about all this?  You're sick maybe?  Miss you Sister, what have you been up to?

Sloooooooooow Week

I don't know about you, but here in the Great Northwest we are experiencing quite a thrifting drought.  Sister and I have not been having the exciting luck that we started out with when we began this adventure.  But being the seasoned shopper that I am, I have been able to scrounge up a few goodies this week

The first couple of things I am going to show you were actually thrifted by my husband.  But since this is my blog, it counts as something I thrifted, right? He found these cute little Pyrex Oil & Vinegar dispensers at St. Vincents.  I never knew I needed these until he brought them home.

I like this pattern of Fire King but I see it absolutely everywhere.  I am more into the harder to come across patterns in retro kitchenware.  But the hubs is still learning.  Just because it says's Fire King doesn't make it rare, vintage, and worth a lot of money. 

Funny story about this Anchor Hocking Serva Snack Set.  I saw this at a Teen Challenge Thrift store a few months ago when I very first caught the thrifting bug.  It was only 10 bucks and I thought I had found something really exciting since it was still in the original box.  While at the store, I googled it and found about 40 of them on eBay & Etsy.  Not as rare a find as I originally thought, so I walked away.  The other day, my husband called me and the conversation went something like this:

Husband: I just found a pretty big score
Me: What?
Husband: I was at the Teen Challenge Thrift Store and they had a in the b...
Me: Snack server set?
Husband: Yes!  How did you know?  It's still in the original box.  It's got to be worth something?
Me: Yeah, about the $10 you paid for it.

How funny is that?  So after three months, I still ended up with it.  But there is a silver lining to this snack server cloud:  after the colored tag markdown, he only ended up paying $3.50 for it.  Plus, it actually is pretty cute so I think I am gonna keep it. 

Maddy collects vintage figurines and I found her this cute little unmarked dog planter at Goodwill for $1.00.  She has got quite the collection.  I will have to show you all sometime.

I have seen this Anchor Hocking juice pitcher at a few antique stores.  I love old pitchers but I didn't love this one enough to pay what they were asking.  Lucky for me, St. Vincent's had this one for $2.50.  I don't think it has ever been used and I'm not even sure if it is old.  But with two kids who always seem to be thirsty and can't ever have the same thing, you can't ever have enough pitchers.  I also found these cute drinking glasses at the same St. Vincents.  The two with the wheat remind me of the Golden Wheat Pyrex pattern.  Wonder if they are?  As I am writing this blog, I just got a phone call from the husband.  Seems that he just picked up another one of the Anchor Hocking pitchers at another St. Vincents.  Sister, I'm pretty sure you might need one.

I went to an estate sale earlier this week and met this couple who collect vintage housewares.  They saw me rummaging through the kitchen for Pyrex (check out what I found on the Pyrex Collective 2), and struck up a conversation with me about what all I like to collect.  Long story short, they used to sell stuff at the flea markets in California and for a while had a booth at an antique mall locally.  Now they just have TONS of stuff that they want to get rid of.  They invited me out to "Pick" in their shed and these are a few of the things I found.  I love vintage clocks and this Westclox kitchen wall clock with Bakelite trim was in pretty good working condition.  I also found this Pyrex percolator with all the "guts" and this cute set of light yellow canisters.  I literally only got through about 10% of the shed since it was SO packed and didn't even get a chance to look in the attic.  They are going to have an estate sale this summer so I gave them my phone number and told them to give me a call and that I would love to help them get their sale set up.  They were the nicest people and laughed off my obviously alterior motives. 

No school again tomorrow so Maddy and I are going to head into town and hit up a couple of places we haven't been to in a while, one of them being my aunt's vintage shop.  She always gives me the "family discount" even though I would gladly pay full price.  I will keep you all posted.  Sister, I MISS U!  Can't wait till Brad Paisley next weekend!! 

This May Be Getting A Little Ridiculous

Ok, so you know that my thrifting has gotten a little bit out of hand when I spend the ENTIRE day Sunday unwrapping, peeling price stickers, washing, taking pictures, and putting things away.  But whats a girl who loves to shop to do?  It used to be $200 jeans and expensive handbags that made me swoon.  Now it's finding a cute little coffee cup at Goodwill and seeing that it has the half off color of tag that puts me on cloud 9.  Now I am going to have to start selling off those jeans and bags to pay for this thrifing addiction hobby.  What started off as a slow week only got better as the week wore on.  Bear with the long post, folks.  It's been a fun last couple of days.

We had about an hour between dropping our son off at his basketball game and the actual start of the game so I conned the husband into going to St. Vincents and Goodwill.  I headed off to housewares and he went over to the books with Miss Maddy.  As I was walking to the checkout, I noticed he was intrigued by these Hans Christian Andersen books.  I was a little taken aback my the fact that he was actually looking at a book.  Seriously, the only thing my husband reads is the DirecTV guide.  But he was convinced that these were worth more that the $7.00 they were asking for the set so we bought them with the hopes of someday turning a profit.  If not, they are really cute and in awesome condition so I wouldn't mind hanging on to them. 

The only other thing I found at St. Vincents was this cute little Fire King single serve casserole dish.  I couldn't find the lid for it but for $.99, it's perfect to put on Maddy's dresser to keep her little treasures in.



So I have a new method when it comes to thrifting.  Sister, I'm not sure if I have told you about this.  Picture what the item will look like in your home, not on the metal shelves of Goodwill.  I wasn't totally in love with these cute little Anchor Hocking tulip coffee mugs when I saw them in the store, but after thinking about how fun it would be to drink my afternoon coffee out of them, I was sold.  Once I got them home and put them with the rest of my mismatched but beloved mugs, I knew I had made the right choice.

It must have just been my day for coffee cups.  I also found these Pyrex mugs at Goodwill.  But I have another thrifiting rule that I have to follow otherwise I will thrift myself out of room in my house.  If I love the mug, I will only keep it if I have an uneven number of them.  Even number sets are so much more appealing to buyers.  But the only stipulation to this rule is that if there are only two mugs (like the Tulip mugs above) the rule doesn't apply.  (It's my blog.  I can change the rules to benefit me at my will).  Bummer, there were four of these.  Alas, they are destined for the sell pile.  Then it was off to the basketball game.  The Thurston Colts won 54-48.  My son had 20 points.  Way to go, Colts!

The kids didn't have school on Friday, so Miss Maddy and I went to our two favorite antique malls while we waited for Alex to get out of basketball practice.  I don't collect plates, but these were all between a quarter and 50 cents apiece in a booth that had everything under $10 50% off.  Awesome.  I think I have just started a new collection.

I have seen these penquin hot and cold servers on a few of the blogs that I read and had decided that I needed one.  Without even questioning it, I knew that the lady who has a booth at one of the antique malls would have it.  I LOVE HER STUFF!  She always has tons of Pyrex in pristing condition at unbelievably fair prices.  She isn't looking to make a ton money.  She just wants to share her love of vintage kitchen stuff with others.  Well, I wasn't dissapointed.  There was one sitting right on one of her shelves waiting for me.  This one has the Bakelite handles and was only $12.95.  I can't wait to use it.  I am pretty sure that it will be time for her to re-stock soon.  I can't ever visit her booth without buying something.

I knew it would drive me crazy trying to find that one last piece of pottery to fill my shelf.   I was losing sleep over it at night.  Ok, I may be exaggerating but not really.  I found the turquoise planter on the far left of the second shelf and it was a perfect fit.  Now I just need to find another shelf and let the vicious cycle begin again.

And of course we can't let a week go by without yet another Royal Chine Jeannette pie plate, this time in Pumpkin.  This was a gift from the hubs so I can't be held totally accountable for my hoarding of these plates.



On the way to the next store, we drove by a thrift shop that I don't normally frequent in a sketchy part of town.  Maybe it's the bars on the windows that turns me off but what kind of thrifter would I be if I drove right on by when there was a sign out front that said 50% off?  It was a red spray painted sign on a piece of plywood, but intriguing nonetheless.  Boy am I happy I stopped.  I got the 1.5 quart oval Pyrex casserole with matching opal lid in the Blue Snowflake for $5 and the 2.5 quart Butterfly Gold with matching opal lid for $7.  They are both in PERFECT condition.  I am starting to collect more of the Blue Snowflake and although the Butterfly Gold isn't a pattern I usually lean toward, it is HUGE and perfect for a roasted chicken.  Moral of this story is never judge a thrift store by the bars on the window.  They had some really great things and the little old lady who was running it was just about the sweetest thing I have ever met.  She was half my size and offered to carry my items to my car.  Priceless.

At the last stop of the day, I came across this.  I thought, "Oh cute, a wastebasket with a handle".  I was wrong.

It's an old vintage portable sewing tin.  The blue insert holds spindles of thread and the lid comes apart into two pieces to form an embroidery hoop.  Genious!  I am still going to use it as a wastebasket though.  Hows that for re-purposing, Sister?

Ok, so maybe I should never call someplace "my last stop" beacause you just never know what may happen.  On the way to pick up Alex, I stopped in at one last more place that I have only been into one other time.  I found this Fire-King server for $2.00.  My husband said its ugly and that I should sell it.  I like the idea of putting cheese and crackers on it and serving it along with some wine.  Or maybe I just like the wine idea.

I picked up this fired on turquoise bowl and was genuinly shocked that it wasn't Pyrex.  It looked and felt just like Pyrex to me but had no markings on it whatsoever.  A few shelves down, was an identical bowl in white.  This one had Hazel Atlas markings.  They are the perfect size for cereal bowls.  And at $1 for both, how crazy would I have to be to pass these up?  Leaving these beauties behind are the kind of things that give me nightmares.  I know.  I have issues.

After plying the hubs with a few drinks on Friday night, I was able to convince him that it would be a good idea to drive to the casino an hour away from our house on Saturday.  He could gamble, I could thrift.  I found quite a few Pyrex pieces but at the risk of this being the longest single thrifting blog post in history, I will be posting those finds on the Pyrex Collective 2 in the next couple of days.  Have a great week!