Back Again!

Happy Monday, Everyone!

I made it back from my long weekend in San Francisco.  Brian and I were trying to uphold our self-proclaimed title of Parents of the Year by taking Alex and two of his best friends to see Justin Timberlake & Jay Z at Candlestick Park.  18 total hours in a car with three teenage boys?  I think I deserve the title just for that!

Before we left, I was able to hit one pretty good estate sale that started on Wednesday night.  Weird, huh?  But it was given by a reputable company so I figured that I didn't have anything to lose.  Plus, I knew I wasn't going to get in any thrifting while in San Fran so I needed to try and get some sort of fix before leaving town.  I wasn't disappointed.

They had us go through the garage to enter the house so on my way to the kitchen, I grabbed this Squirt crate.  It's my first Squirt one.  The Pyrex Pixies were my only Pyrex buy.  There was a whole set of Homestead Cinderella bowls for $5 bucks but I hate Homestead and wouldn't feel right about trying to pawn them off on someone else.  Maddie just had to have the Golden book.  Can you guess why?

I never set out to collect Thermos' but how in the world do you expect me to walk away from such great graphics?  And I can't ever have enough donkeys, especially pink ones!  The Hazel Atlas shot glass is the first souvenir shot glass I have found.  Uh oh....another collection may be brewing.

One of the cashiers is the sweetest little old man.  I believe he is the father of the owner of the estate sale company.  He was so concerned about getting paper to wrap these deer in.  He told me that his wife had them years ago and he remembered that the antlers could snap off pretty easily.

The Lefton bell girl is missing her bell thingie so I need to try and fix that.  The Japan Santa will be right at home with all of his Santa friends at Christmas.  The bulbs now bring my total to three which I believe means a collection :-)

So not a bad little haul for a random Wednesday evening estate sale.  I even managed to get it all put away before I left town!

Linking up with:

Thriftasaurus
The Nifty Thrifty

Have a great week!

~Erica

Welcome to the Griswold's Redmond Family Vacation

I'm back!  Matt and I just spent a week in Eastern Oregon with his family.  Imagine the Griswolds and that will give you a pretty good idea of what my vacation was like with the in-laws.  We drove separately, but they came in an Explorer with 5 adults and an adult dog that sat across their laps.  I would die.  One day we went rafting on the Deschutes river out of Maupin, Oregon.  I am terrified of water but wanted to show everyone that I could do it.  Well, I didn't realize how intense the rafting was going to be.  At one point our guide had us practice paddling and then diving into the boat  right before a rapid.  I thought I was going to die, literally.  Lets just say I dove into the boat before I was supposed to and was not always paddling when I was told to (because I was holding on with a death grip.)  This particular rapid we dropped 6 feet.  To give you an idea of the trip, here are a few photos.

This is the oblivious me, you can tell because I'm still smiling.  I'm in the middle on the left.

This was the remainder of the trip.  Me gripping for dear life, while everyone else paddled.  I can say I did it and it was fun, but that one class 4 rapid was terrifying.  I'm happy my hobby of thrifting is a little less risky.

I was definitely out of my element, so my in-laws decided maybe a little antiquing in Redmond, Oregon would cure me.  Here are some of the fun things I saw, but didn't buy.

 I did not picture this well, but there was an entire room of quilts 25% off.  I know nothing about quilts except they are pretty and EXPENSIVE!  Every one I picked up was at least $125.

So pretty though!

The one thing I really wanted was this metal deer on the right, it was a bank!  But at $65, I would have nothing to put into it!  The other smaller deers were metal too, I really need a metal deer.

You know you're in Eastern Oregon if there is a deer antler ink well.  So strange.

I've been on a huge exercising kick.  This is week 5 of my running for weight loss.  I've only gained weight.  Maybe I need this exercise shaker?

I knew I was getting to the good stuff when I entered this booth.  You know what goes really well with vintage cowboy boots?

Pyrex!  More importantly, English Pyrex.  I stood there for a while, and even said to Matt, "Is that a funny color to you?"  This is the only thing I bought from the antique malls, and just for $6.

And yes, it was a funny color!  This is my one and only piece of JAJ Pyrex.  It is such a pretty color, almost a salmon.

The only other item I really wanted was this donkey on wheels.

I told Sister since our stubborn husbands wont let us have really mini donkeys yet that this may be a perfect substitute.

The next day I snuck away to the thrift stores for some alone time.  Who knew family vacations could be so over stimulating?  I went to a total of 5 thrifts in Redmond and only bought a few things.

We have been on a serious Mad Men kick in this household.  Matt has decided he needed a Don Draper decanter and for $1.99 this was perfect.  I love this souvenir tray from the Bahamas, it is a great reminder of our honeymoon.

And as I sit here writing this I'm enjoying one of my Johnny Cash albums.  They aren't perfect, but I wasn't leaving Johnny Cash vinyl behind.

I'm happy to be home, but had a really fun vacation.  Whenever I travel with my in laws I'm reminded of how wild mine and Sister's family is.  We are just a bunch of party animals!  But, its always nice to have a change of pace.

Here is to some good thrifting this week!
Until Next Time!
Hanna

Small Town Estate Sale

Hi Everyone!
 
Remember my last post where I showed you all the great vintage glassware from the small town Goodwill?  Well, there was a reason we were in that small town.  There was a pretty promising sounding estate sale and with the boys out of town on a fishing trip, we didn't have anything holding us back on Saturday morning.  So off we went....
 

 
When we pulled up, there were about 15 of these old aluminum lawn chairs sitting in the yard.  Call me crazy, but I have been coveting these for a couple of years.  Sure, I have come across them at sales but never in great colors like these turquoise beauties!  All the others were 70's brown and avocado green so these shone like a diamond in the rough.  And with the $2.00 price tag for both you can't really have expected me to leave them behind, right?
 

 
Maddie picked out some old school library books for her collection.  I claimed the red one for my patriotic decorations for next year.  On a side note, I still haven't taken down my 4th of July decorations.  Who says you can only be patriotic for one day?!  That's my excuse but the real reason is I'm just being lazy.

I found the clear refrigerator dishes, Pyrex platter, and old shaker in the workshop.  It's crazy where some people think to put things for an estate sale.  Does anybody have any helpful hints as to how I can get the rest of that decal off of the shaker?

As I was getting ready to check out, I noticed a random pile of what looked to be empty boxes sitting in the middle of the yard.  I did a little investigating and found they were full of Christmas stuff.  Unfortunately, these were the only older ornaments I found.  But they are all marked Made in USA so that makes me happy!

The sellers had a lot of succulents that were in little green plastic pots for sale but Maddie managed to find this cutie off all by itself.  Is it wrong of me to feel guilty for wanting to keep it and not pass it on to my deer loving Sisterita?

A couple of weeks ago, I got a surprise package in the mail from my blog friend Stacey from The Gluten Free Pastor's Wife.  I have always been a teeny bit jealous of her super cute and talented grandma.  She sews the cutest kitchen towels!

 

 

 

Yippeee!  Now I don't have to be jealous anymore.  Thanks Stacey!  Give that sweet grandma a hug from me too:-) 

So far, the sales aren't looking too promising for this weekend.  I'm hoping that will all change.  I'm itching for some good junk!

Linking up over at:

Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday
Jann Olson's for Share Your Cup Thursday
The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday

~Erica

Jackpot!

About 25 minutes south of where I live is the town where I was born. The population is approximately 10,000 and it has a true small town vibe.  Any time I find myself there, I always have to stop at the Goodwill.  I love visiting thrift stores in small towns.  It seems like they haven't caught on yet to the how the bigger cities are jacking up the prices on things. You can really get actual thrift store prices.  Plus, since they are a little farther out of the way, they don't seem to get hit by the dealers and other collectors as much as the ones closer to home.

Case in point....

Someone evidently cleaned out their cupboards and donated some pretty amazing glassware. Or maybe it was more than one person.  Whatever the case, I seriously scored.

Yay!  Two souvenir glasses for my collection.  The Illinois is Hazel Atlas.  The Oregon Anniversary Celebration is the second one that I have found.  My other one is clear, not frosted.

I love the colors in the tumbler!  I missed out on a Texas Jigger glass at the sale a few weeks ago where I found the pink Pyrex bowls so I was happy to find another one.  And can you see what is on the shot glass?  A donkey!!

I don't think these glasses that say Bottoms Up are old but the graphics are so dang cute there was no way I was leaving them behind.  They are going to be our special glasses, Sister.

My everyday dishes are Fiestaware.  This coffee cup is the first piece of it I have ever found in the thrift stores.  Believe me, I tore the place up looking for more!  The Alaska milk glass coffee cup will be right at home in my souvenir coffee cup collection.  I just wish they had made them a little bigger!

The Hazel Atlas fired on turquoise mug is the third one I've thrifted.  The Pyrex mug also had to come home with me.  It's not often that I find Pyrex restaurant ware.

Can you believe that all came from one store in one trip?  Those small town thrifts are the best!

Have a great week!

~Erica

I Guess It's Better Than Nothing

Want to hear something so sad?  It's the middle of July and the sale season still hasn't picked up in my little corner of the world.  What the heck is up with that?  My husband even mentioned it to me yesterday.  He reminded me that last year at this time, we were having to tag team sales because there were so many good ones that started at the same time.  Uh, like I needed that reminder.  Now, there are a lot of sales each and every weekend but they are either A) your typical sale full of Dollar Store castoffs and kid's stuff or B) given by someone who should probably just have a booth at an antique mall with the prices they are charging.  And although my favorite estate sale companies still have sales every weekend, not one has promised the vintage hauls like last year.

But you know what readers?  It's hard to keep a good treasure hunter down.  I may have to hit up way more sales than I normally would and dig a little harder but I do manage to bring some things home.  Maddie & I went out Thursday, Friday, and yesterday and had some pretty decent luck. 

This picnic basket was marked $10.00 which isn't a bad price at all.  But evidently Maddie thought she could get it for cheaper so she marched up and offered five bucks.  The lady smiled and didn't even hesitate.  I wish I could lend her out to some of you guys!

I have had the little pitcher on the right for a couple of years.  I didn't realize that it also came in a bigger size and was happy to find it.  The guy told me he had the matching glasses for it too and promised to call me if he found them. 

What better time of year to find a picnic tablecloth than Summer?

When I was in 6th grade, our music class performed South Pacific for the Spring program.  I remember watching this movie with my Grandma Gloria who absolutely loved every musical there ever was.  Singing In The Rain was her favorite.  I don't have a record player so I am going to have Sister bring hers down the next time she visits.  I wonder if I still remember the words to "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair?".  God help us all if I do.

I already have this Kitchen Glassware book so I am passing it on to Hanna.  The little tin is marked Germany and was in the Free Box.  Those Gurley Candles are reproductions but dang if they don't look EXACTLY like the originals.  They will be perfect for wreath making.

Want to see my lone Pyrex find of the week?  This came courtesy of my favorite antique mall and was only 3 bucks! 

Normally I would be pretty bummed to only find one piece of Pyrex for the week.

But this little beauty completed a set for me!  Woo-hoo!!  So funny story about this set.  The first three pieces I bought as a set from the exact same seller that I got the orange 501 from.  What's up with that?  Why didn't she have them all together at the same time?  Oh well. Doesn't matter.  They are all reunited and displayed with my other completed sets in my Laundry Room. Yes, I did say Laundry Room. You gotta come up with some pretty creative ways if you want to display your Pyrex!

There's more but I will save it for next time.

Linking up with:

Sir Thrift-A-Lot & Junkin' Joe

Happy Sunday!

Erica

It's a Miracle!

Well, it finally happened.  I finally got myself up and to an estate sale early this morning.  I know, a miracle.  I think Erica threatening to call me at 5 am was enough push.  Or the fact that there are rarely estate sales around here, let alone ones that sound half way decent.  I got there an hour and 45 minutes early and was #2.  I also made today the day I made friends with my competition.  It was fun to chat with people that have hoarding problems such as mine :)

I kept saying, "I hope this was worth the wait!."  I got inside and wasn't really finding anything.  I headed upstairs to a tiny little closet and squeezed in next to an older man and started digging.  I'm happy I did, these are my favorite finds.

Erica and I have Tik Tok of Oz from our father, so I was excited to find these 2 books.

 The birds paint by number and the other little book below were in the free box.  The Burgess Bird book is in a little rough shape, but it obviously had to come home with me.

A few other books I picked up.  I wish people would stop putting tape on books and paper items at sales!  The True Dog Stories book is so cute, but the cover got ruined.  I found one single Valentine stashed away in the closet so it came home with me too.

I also grabbed some animal friends.  The little deer aren't anything special but they needed to join me for Christmas.  I finally found my first Easter egg, which was exciting.  The Favor Ware bird is a little chippy in the paint but I love it anyway.

When I was checking out I got a little distracted because of what I saw.  I battled with myself for a few minutes, trying to decide if it was too creepy or not.  Finally I gave in.  The box is a little rough, but I decided it was meant to be.

 Spooky.  I know.  Once again, estate sale people, stop taping boxes!  This would have been perfect.  If anyone has a trick of getting tape off of paper, please tell me.  I was VERY careful.  My husband is going to freak out when he comes home and sees this on the coffee table.  Maddie says I shouldn't use it, I probably wont.  But, the shock factor of my husband will be priceless.

 I picked these books up at a sale last Friday, but thats all I found.  Sales have been few and far between out here on the coast.

And my Goodwill has been brutal.  A opal 401 and these bird hooks is all I've found over the last 2 weeks.  I wish my thrifts were better but I feel lucky that I had an okay estate sale.  The Oz books were totally worth it and it was fun to get out to a sale and bring something creepy home for my husband.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.  I'm headed off on a trip for the week with my in-laws.  Hopefully it will be full of fun thrifting finds!

Until Next Time!

Hanna

Summertime Thrift Finds

Happy Tuesday!

During the Summer, I don't go to the thrifts as often as I do during any other time of year.  For one thing, I usually can get my fix from the numerous sales that I go to every weekend.  I also spend a huge amount of time outside catching up on my reading list and just being lazy.  Hey, they don't call it the lazy days of Summer for nothing, right?  But for some reason, the sales have been pretty blah this year.  Nothing compared to last year, that's for sure.  So I took some time to head out to the thrifts today to see what I could find and hopefully scratch that little itch that's been bothering me.

I love to browse through decorating books to get ideas.  I already had the Shabby Chic book so this one will go to Sister.

I picked up this atomic era coffee pot and warmer for really cheap.  Like cheap enough to make it worth my while to try and sell it. 

These glasses and turquoise pottery cup were in the cart of things waiting to be shelved.  The glasses aren't old but they are a really good size for ice tea and I won't freak out if I take them outside and they get broken.

 

I hit the jackpot on vintage pillowcases at two different thrifts.  It's been a while since I've found any.

Mod Kitchen is one of Hanna's favorite patterns of Pyrex and now thanks to a recent donation to my local Goodwill by someone who is obviously unaware of how collectible Pyrex can be, I now have my own piece!

Now for a late find that also fits in with today's finds. 

A few weeks ago, on my birthday to be exact, I found this beauty at St. Vinnie's

An Embroidery 443 Promotional Cinderella Bowl!  I was super excited to find this even though I already had one that I found last year.

Then today, at a completely different St. Vinnie's, I stumbled upon this

No readers, you are not seeing double.  And just in case you think I might be trying to pull a fast one on you

Two Embroidery bowls found within weeks of each other at two entirely different SVDP's.  What are the odds of that?

Hmmmmm, I may have to get my butt out of the lounge chair on the patio and hit up the thrifts a little more this Summer.  What do you think?

I'm going to head to the following parties.  Hope to see you there!

Sir-Thrift-A-Lot for Thriftasaurus
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Sunny Simple Life for Sunny Simple Monday
Knick of Time for Knick of Time Tuesday

~Erica