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Sunday, January 29, 2012

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!

Friday, January 27, 2012

I Think I'll Head South

While talking to Sister yesterday afternoon she convinced me!  If I don't go thrifting this weekend, withdrawals may set in.  So, Saturday morning the Husband and I are going to head South down the coast to check out some uncharted territory.  I hope it is a little more productive than last weekend so I have some shares on Sunday.  Stay tuned!
*Hanna*

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Not Too Exciting.....

I recently read somewhere that Tuesday was the best day for thrifting.  The shelves are re-stocked from the weekend and most working people don't have Tuesdays off.  Unfortunately for me, that wasn't entirely the case yesterday.  I did find a few goodies though
I found this Pyrex Honeysuckle dish at St. Vincents.  It was SO dirty that I was convinced I'd never get it clean but at the $2.50 price tag, it was worth a shot.  After lots of scrubbing and soaking, it is almost perfect.  Now if I could just find a lid (945 C25 if you happen to come across one, Sister).
I also picked up the Early American and Compass snack servers.  These were also 50% off yellow tag and I got both of them for 6 bucks.  AAAAAAGH!  Two more snack server lids to add to my "Need" list.  Why or why are these lids so hard to find?
I bought this Town & Country 4-quart Cinderella bowl at Goodwill for 50% off and was really excited that I had found the large bowl to the set I am trying to complete.  Then I got home and saw that I needed the 4-quart regular mixing bowl.  Oh well, now I have a new set to try to put together.
Yes, another nut chopper!  This time in orange.  Sister, if you are really nice to me, I might let you have this one.  I also got this pink glass cake stand.  It is in absolutely perfect condition.  It's unmarked so I am going to have to do a little research to see if it is depression glass.  If it's not old, I don't care.  It's so pretty & I love it!

Sister, I know that you really want to go to the casino this weekend, but you need to save your pennies!  We go to Vegas in 5 weeks! 

Monday, January 23, 2012

Last Week's Treasures

Before meeting up with Sister for the "Country's Largest Antique Fair" I did a little Pre-Thrifting about 45 minutes North of my house.  Unfortunately, 3 out of 4 of the thrift stores were out of business and Goodwill was blah so I headed to the local antique mall.  This antique mall was awesome if mostly overpriced.  But I was able to weed out a few reasonably priced treasures

As you can see, this Pyrex pink #442 bowl was pretty scratched up which is why I guess the seller had it marked $5.00.  But after a little Barkeepers Friend and Mr. Clean Sponge, it looked beautiful.  I read in my Pyrex book that the pink mixing bowls are really hard to find so I was pretty excited to find this!

I've been looking for a tin to hold my cooking untensils and I found this cute turquoise one.

I was driving out of town and I came upon this little antique store that was going out of business and the whole store was 50% off.  There wasn't too much left but I was able to snag this McCoy Abraham Lincoln planter for 7 bucks.  I can't find it in my McCoy book or online anywhere except for a white one.  Does anybody have any info on this that they can share?  From the signature I am able to determine that these were manufactured between 1939-1960.

At the same store, I got this cute Hazel Atlas blue bubble depression glass set with a tea cup, saucer and salad plate for $5.00.  The two retro shot glasses were .$25 each and the snack tray was $2.00.  I am using that as a jewelry catchall on my dresser.  The Gemco nut chopper I got at Goodwill.
Saturday it was off to the Antique Fair.  Such fun stuff to look at but mostly way overpriced.  I was able to get ahold of this Pyrex Bluebird casserole with lid that I have been coveting FOREVER.  I also got this Gooseberry #441 cinderella bowl.  I'm one step closure to completing another set!
When we got home from the fair on Saturday,  I found this super cute vintage Hamilton Beach stand mixer on my counter.  My mother in law picked it up for me from a client of hers.  It still works and came with a Sunbeam mixer recipe book (I know, kind of strange).  It had the large original Pyrex bowl it came with and I just so happened to have the smaller one with the spout.  So now I have the complete set!  Sister, aren't you so jealous?
On Sunday, I went to the Picadilly Flea Market and got these two cute old tin recipe boxes and these fun little coffee cups.
I also got these two large Pyrex refrigerator dishes and the Designs 1-1/2 quart bowl.  The clear glass Pyrex Flameware covered dish was nothing that I had ever seen before so I got that too.  I am not sure if it is meant to be a casserole dish or a refrigerator dish.  Any ideas?  All of these pieces are in mint condition.  I got them all from the same seller for $12.00.  Not too bad.  Also, the yellow dish just so happened to be the second one with a lid that I found this week thrifting.  Crazy.
Yes, it's another Royal China Jeannette pie plate.  Why am I such a sucker for these?  Along with the pizza one that I got last week, I now have a total of 6.  Maybe I should use them?
And as promised last week, here is the cute little shabby yellow shelf I got.  It now holds some of my pottery collection.  Now I am going to drive myself crazy trying to find that one last piece to fill the shelf.  Keep your eyes out, Sister!


Well Sister, I know that we were kind of dissapointed with the whole antique fair, but at least we got to see eachother and our thrifting finds for the week weren't too bad were they?  Next time I say we leave your brother at home but not my brother.  I know he secretly loves thrifting as much as we do.


Sunday, January 22, 2012

Antique Fair Summary

So, Sister and I didn't have as successful of an adventure at the antique fair as we had hoped.  We both picked up a few cute things, but I think we were both hoping to come home with more.  I also think that we are ruined for antique fairs because everything just feels over priced when you know on a lucky day you could find some of the same items at a thrift store.  None the less, here are a few things I picked up.

As I've said before, I am a sucker for anything bird themed.  I got this twin sized chenille bed spread for $22, which I though was really reasonable.  Sister has multiple beautiful chenille bed spreads in her home, but this is my first.  Why is it Sister, that once you start collecting something, I need it too?  I think it's your good taste :)
Continuing with the bird theme, I pointed this  martini shaker out to my husband and he bought it for me.  It looks really cute with all the bird glasses I picked up last weekend.

Lastly I bought both the above Pyrex for $20.  I finally have a cradle for my oval casseroles!  I have only seen the Tulip pattern in the Pyrex Unauthorized Guide so I was happy to buy it and I really like the size of this Gold Leaf Pan.


Well, Sister and I attempted to do a little thrifting after the show and both found a few things.  I bought a couple items to paint and antique, which I hope to get to next weekend, so stay tuned.  Sister, why don't you share that real special Pyrex you found at the Antique Show?

Friday, January 20, 2012

Playing Catch-Up

So Sister and I are meeting up in Washington tomorrow to go to the big antique show and if all goes right, we will have lots of stuff to post here!  So I figured that I'd better get caught up with some of my other thrifting finds from last week.
I love cute, vintage milk glass coffee cups.  Especially ones that are heavy duty.  They keep your coffee much warmer than any of the new ones you can buy.  I found these Federal Glass picnic print mugs along with these

I love the colors and texture of the Fire King stacking mugs and the kitchy Mickey Mouse and souvenier Reno cups were just too cute to pass up.  Alas, these will be going into my Etsy store or on eBay once I get the time.  There are just so many cute mugs out there that before you know it, you are using your counter space for storage!
My husband, Brian, brought this home for me last week to add to my collection.  I'm pretty sure that it was an apology gift for having to miss our son's basketball game.  Apologizing with gifts of vintage kitchenware?  Works for me!
All of this pottery in one week?  I am pretty sure I have a sickness.  Why oh why couldn't they have made vintage pottery in ugly colors like avacado green or mustard yellow?  Then Sister would have an addiction!
I found this Pyrex Verde lid and divided dish set at St. Vincent's the other day.   This is the St. Vincent's that I NEVER find anything at.  They have really weird things like empty liquor bottles that they sell for $4.99 and I'm not talking antique liquor bottles.  Really, who wants to pay $4.99 for an empty Burnetts Strawberry Vodka bottle?  Some weirdo I guess. 

Be sure and check back to find out how Sister and I did at the antique show.  Hopefully the husbands will let us hit up some thrift stores too!

Headed to America's Largest Antique Show Tomorrow

Well our thrifting trip is still postponed, but Sister and I are meeting up in Washington tomorrow for America's Largest Antique Show at the Clark County Fairgrounds.  You can find more information at:


http://palmerwirfs.com/


Hopefully we find some great deals, but I'm more excited to see my Sister (and Brother too!)



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Rain Rain, Go Away!

The horrific Oregon rain has put a major damper on mine and Sister's thrifting adventures.  Oh well, it gives me a chance to get the blog caught up on last weeks finds...
I've been looking for a vintage wastebasket for a while now.  Found this one in an antique store in the "Antique District" in our area.  I never buy anything there because it is so ridiculously expensive, but I love to browse.  This can was holding "antique" yardsticks for $15 apiece.  No price on it so I'm not sure if it was even for sale.  The lady running the store gave it to me for 10 bucks.  Not too shabby.

I love vintage drinking glasses.  My rule of thumb is that if its cute, in perfect condition, and under 4 bucks, I have to take it home.  I also found this Fire-King turquoise and gold snack server.  Snack servers are normally Sister's department but come on, it's turquoise!
I've had my eye on this chenille bedspread for quite a while but couldn't bring myself to give into the $60.00 pricetag.  Lucky for me, the owner of the booth put it at 50% off!  Miss Maddy said she has "too many" chenille bedspreads.  That's okay.  I don't!
Stay tuned for what I am going to do with this shabby little yellow shelf with original paint.

If you read our blog last week, you saw that I got the Libbey gold leaf drinking glasses at a garage sale.  I found the matching champagne/sherbert glasses and matching decanter at a new thrift store I found.  Hmmmmm.  Wonder what we can drink out of these, Sister?  I couldn't bring myself to put the decanter away with the glasses in the cupboard so it now proudly holds my Crater Lake Vodka and sits on the counter.  How useful!

Super cute Federal Glass bowls.  I love anything with a print but these are destined for Etsy.  I don't have the room right now to collect anything that isn't Pyrex and there is ALWAYS room for Pyrex.  And speaking of Pyrex....
These are just some of my Pyrex thrifts from last week.  Like Sister, I can't pass up anything promotional hence the Heinz promotional casserole in front.  The Brides casserole with lid was an unbelievable 4 bucks and PERFECT.  The Snowflake was a repeat gift from Husband (he bought me the same one around Thanksgiving).  The fridgies were a neccesity.  Hello?  Pink, Turquoise?  And the Spring Blossom was Miss Maddy's find at Goodwill and only $1 and of course she had to pay for it herself (with my money no doubt).

Heading North tomorrow for some much needed rainy day thrifting therapy.  Sister, do you think Brian will let me take the boat?

So Awesome I Had To Post It Twice!

Just wanted to share this with those of you who are following our blog but not the Pyrex Collective 2.  For those of you have already seen this, sorry for the repost.

Here It Is!

Since our posting last weekend, we have received a few comments from people wanting to see the Pyrex lighted sign we found in action. Well here she is!

Proudly displayed on the planter shelf above my kitchen pantry. I LOVE IT!! Luckily the outlet up there is on a wall switch. Otherwise that would be a lot of climbing up and down the ladder to turn it on everyday. But for the sake of Pyrex, I would do it.