Happy Birthday to This Thrifter Sister!

Thanks to my wonderful Sister, you all know that my birthday was last Friday.  In case any of you are wondering, I turned 37.  I've mentioned before that I tend to overlook my birthday because I also have two June babies, so of course it's more their birth month than mine.  But Sister always likes to make me feel special on my day and this year was no exception.  Not only did she make the 4 hour drive to come visit me, she also brought with her a pink suitcase full of amazing and thoughtful gifts!

 
Here is the aforementioned pink suitcase.  This may look familiar to all of you since it has served as a display in lots of Sisters' posts.  She decided that since it was pink, it was time for it to be mine. I personally think that she was doing one of her household purges and was giving her castoffs to me!  That's ok because I do the same thing with her.

 

 
Hanna always makes sure to include a cute card for me.  This one in particular includes an inside joke between us regarding "Sprayin".  Believe me, you don't want to know.

Shockingly enough, I had not yet bought myself the Pyrex printed kitchen towels off of Etsy.  Good thing Sister takes a mental inventory of my kitchen when she comes to visit.  The seller included these cute Eyes printed notecards too.  How nice of Hanna to include them with the towels.  Now me, I may not have been so generous.

Sorry that this pic is blurry.  My amazing photography skills are in full effect here.  I got a phone call from Hanna a few weeks ago asking me if Metlox was a brand of vintage pottery.  I love how she uses my somewhat limited knowledge to decide whether or not she should buy something for ME!  This aqua beauty is actually a bowl but I have it sitting outside with my McCoy flower pots.

I tried to steal the blue and white Hazel Atlas tumbler the last time I visited Astoria.  Lucky for me, it was a victim of Sister's household purge!  So funny story about the pink Pyrex shakers. Hanna bought them off of eBay and outbid me for them!  Can you believe we unknowingly were having a bidding war against each other?

Who doesn't need a pink donkey planter?  Eagle Eye Sisterita spotted this at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago.  She was so excited to find it for me that she tried to tell me about it right away.  I almost had to hang up on her.  But I resorted to yelling "La la la....I can't hear you!" into the phone.

Now, are you all ready for the biggest surprise ever?  I am pretty sure that we all have certain vintage items that we covet but are unwilling to pay the retail price for, believing that someday we will find it on a yard sale table for fifty cents.

Oh Sister, how much I love you!  She bought me the #1 non-Pyrex vintage item on my wishlist.....the Hazel Atlas pink elephant cocktail shaker!!!  I know she paid a mint for it because I watch them on eBay all the time.  She was so excited not only to give it to me but to actually use it for my birthday festivities, the crazy girl!  No way is this baby ever being used for anything other than eye candy.  She also found the perfect accent piece with the pink elephant recipe box. 

Not sure if I have mentioned this before but I am pretty sure that I have the BEST SISTER EVER!!

I also got something amazing from Brian and the kids but that deserves a post of it's own.

Linking up with:

Thrifty Things Friday
Rednesday (even though I have no red but we will pretend all the pink is just faded red)

Until next time...

Erica

Farm Chicks Part 2-The Last of It

Hey All~

What a long but fun filled weekend we had here at the Rogers house.  Hanna and Matt were here to visit along with our dear friend, Dan.  Our dad passed away 3 years ago and he and Dan had been best friends since they were 6 years old.  He lives in Rockford, Illinois but travels to Portland for work from time to time.  Having him here is the closest thing we have to having our dad. 

Thanks everyone for your birthday wishes.  I tend to overlook my birthday because I have two June babies.  Maddie's birthday is today and Alex's is the 21st.  I have so much to show you all.  Hanna did AMAZING with her birthday gifts for me this year plus we attended our first ever auction yesterday. But before I can show all of you that stuff, I need to finish up with my Farm Chicks finds!

Rachel and I headed back to Farm Chicks on Sunday before we hit the road home.  Laurie had told us that the dealers restock so we both felt we needed to go back and see what else we could find.  The crowds were much more manageable and I found a lot more treasures.  The old garbage can will eventually be a planter.  It is so perfectly chippy and rusty.  And you know me, I can't ever seem to pass up reasonably priced tins.

I got each of these bread boxes from different booths.  The top one will be, you guessed it, a planter!!

I loved this old Tom's store display shelf and knew I would find some use for it at home.

It now displays my vintage souvenir glass collection.  Great upcycling, huh?

So did you all see the photo that the sneaky Magpie Ethel took of me pillaging through a pile of vintage linens?  This booth was by far the most crowded at any given time.  But I did manage to grab this pile of perfection

Sigh......isn't this a lovely photo?  My favorite would have to be the gray with the red Morning Glory's.  It will be perfect for Halloween.  Once I wash it, I will get a better photo to show all of you.

I'm loving the pink and blue feedsack pockets on this laundry bag. It looks so cute in my laundry room!

I was glad to find this pile of children's hangers shortly after the laundry bag purchase.  The hanger it came with was an ugly white plastic one. 

I picked up this pair of Fire King white swirl bowls in the smallest size.  I gave one to Sister and completed another set for myself.

These were the only other pieces of Pyrex that I got at the show.  I'm one bowl away from completing my second set of the pink mixing bowls.  The yellow 231 is the second I have found in this size.  I also have the lime green one.  Wonder how hard it will be to find the turquoise and pink?

Brian loves vintage advertising.  This light up sign wasn't at Farm Chicks on the first day.  The lady gave me an amazing deal on it and said it was part of a pair that came out of an old hardware store in the 1940's.  She even showed me how to date it by using the codes on the back. When we went back to pick it up, she had put the second on out and priced it for double what I paid for mine!  She told us she wasn't really wanting to get rid of it but if someone wanted it, they would have to pay for it.

I had the absolute best time at Farm Chicks.  I told Alex that when I am 80, he will have to push me through in my wheelchair.  I will never miss this show if I can help it!  The prices were great, the booth displays were spectacular, and there was so much happy energy buzzing throughout.  Definitely put it on your bucket list!!

Linking up over at:

The Thrifty Groove
Sir Thrift-A-Lot
A Living Space
The Cottage Market

Until next time.....

Erica

It's a Very Special Day!

Happy Birthday to my amazing, loving, and beautiful Sisterita!  I'm headed down to Springfield this afternoon to spend a few days with Erica since school is out!  It should be a fun trip full of vintage treasures and delicious cocktails!

Talk to you soon!
Hanna

Farm Chicks 2013 Part 1

Hi Everyone!

Well, I made it back from Farm Chicks but let me tell you, it was so hard to leave knowing that I wouldn't get to experience it again for a whole year.  But believe me when I tell you I will be counting down the months until then.

Rachel and I left bright and early Friday morning so that we could make it to Spokane by 5 in order to get our tickets for the next day.  We had about a 7 hour drive and we wanted to give ourselves time to stop and do a little thrifting along the way.  We made it to the Spokane Fairgrounds with about 20 minutes to spare!  The drive didn't seem that long though.  If you have ever spent any time around Rachel and I, then you know there isn't a moment that we aren't gabbing which definitely made the drive seem pretty quick.  Plus, I had to call Hanna about every 5 minutes to update her since she couldn't be there.  Oh Sister, how we missed you!

After getting our tickets, we checked into our motel room and did a little exploring around Spokane.  I love exploring new areas and seeing what different cities have to offer.  Then it was time to decide where to go for dinner and there was zero hesitation on Rachel's part when I suggested Chaps, which came highly recommended by my pal Laurie over at Magpie Ethel.  If you have never been there, you MUST add it to your must visit list.  We had dinner and drinks there Friday night and then breakfast Sunday morning.  The atmosphere is incredible and the food is to die for.  Plus, the owner Celeste is just about the sweetest lady I have ever met in my life.  I'm only halfway kidding when I say that I would consider taking the drive to Spokane just to go there again.  Be sure and check out the website!

Saturday morning finally arrived and it was time to head to the fairgrounds and get in line.  What are the odds that we pulled into the parking lot at the EXACT same time as Laurie?  As she mentioned in her Farm Chicks post, we ran into each other a lot during the course of the weekend.  Not only did we bump into each other several times at the event (which is crazy because of the INSANE amount of people there), we also saw each other at Chaps and a farm stand two hours from Spokane!  The last time I saw her, I joked that she must have planted a GPS device on me.  She even managed to take a photo of me happily digging through the massive table of linens.  I didn't even know she was there until I saw the photo on her blog.  Rachel and I had so much fun visiting with Laurie and her mom, Jan, while we waited in line.  It definitely made the 2 hour wait go by quickly! 

Here is where I tell you all what a horrible blogger I am.  I was so blissfully overwhelmed by everything inside the venue, that I didn't take one single picture.  There was no time!!  I didn't want to miss anything!  So if you want to see what the excitement and hype is all about, head over and visit Magpie Ethel.  Laurie took some great pictures plus she has a whole section of her blog dedicated to her past visits.

Now onto the goods!!

When you first walk inside, the middle room is dedicated to premier sellers so it was pretty crowded right away.  Rachel and I headed to the far room on the right and had about 15 minutes that we were actually able to maneuver our carts and not bump into people.  I knew that this was going to be a good show when I just about took Rachel out to get to these beauties

Yes folks, you  are looking at the Chip & Dip set of Pyrex Eyes.  I told myself a long time ago that if I ever came across these in person, they would be mine, no matter the price.  Imagine the euphoria I felt when I saw the price and found that the were only $30 for the set.  This purchase totally set the mood!

When I first saw this double sided turquoise enamel sink, I envisioned it as a hanging planter.  Up until yesterday, that was the plan.  Then I realized that I could use it as my laundry room sink.  Oh the joy!!

Hey, you gotta grab your souvenirs too!  I got the Sweet coffee mugs from Chaps.  They are the perfect shade of aqua and are heavy duty restaurant ware.  Plus, they are made in the USA.  And you can't leave Farm Chicks without some cute pink tractor stuff!  I bought a t-shirt and a tote bag too but Maddie claimed those and took off with them before I could take a picture.

I have been on the hunt for a new hamper for my laundry room for quite a while.  This pink beauty fits the bill perfectly.

I got Maddie this old blue jar of buttons.  I was super excited to find the donkey planter.  It's always fun to find things to add to your collections!

I love picking up little things like the faucet handles here and there.  You never know when a re purposing inspiration may strike.  I officially have 3 of the old sprinklers now.  Woo hoo!  An official collection!

 

There was a booth that had lots of chenille blankets.  If you have been keeping up on our blog, you know how much I love old chenille bed spreads.  But what I was drawn to in this booth was this gorgeous feedsack quilt.  I was told it was from the 1940's and if that is true, it has held up amazingly well.  It must have been very lovingly cared for.  Sarah over at Makin' Projicks gave me some great tips on how to properly clean it.  I just have to get brave enough.

My last find of the day came by way of this pretty chenille bath mat.  My cart was full and it was getting really, super crowded so Rachel and I decided to call it quits for the day.  I actually bumped into the table that this was on so I'm pretty sure it was fate that brought us together.  Laurie just so happened to be walking by at the same time and I was so excited I yelled out "Look what I found!".  She must think I'm crazy.

I will post the rest of my finds later on this week.  Thanks for listening to my rambling on but hey, I did reward you with some pretty great photos of finds, didn't I?

Linking up over at:

Sir Thrift-A-Lot
Apron Thrift Girl
A Living Space
Knick of Time
Coastal Charm
The Cottage Market

See you all there!

Erica

What My Weekend Really Was

Hi guys, Hanna here.  Well I will tell you what my weekend wasn't.  It wasn't going to Seattle with my husband and using the Kenny Chesney tickets I won on the radio in January.  And it wasn't Farm Chicks with Sister, which I wasn't attending because of the concert.  Nope, this is what my weekend really was.

No that is not a racing horse.  That is Piper after 4 of us held her down at the vet for over an hour.  Her favorite puppy sitter took her to play hockey on a tennis court.  Not sure why or how because she has done this with him before, but this time she tore off not 1, but all 4 of her paw pads.  I got home from work and she wouldn't come out of her kennel.  I carried her in the house and when I started investigating.  It was bad.  We canceled our trip, headed to the vet, and now this pup will have antibiotics, pain killers, and wrapped paws for at least 2 weeks.  Poor thing.  I did get to do a few things this weekend in the thrifting world though, so here are my finds.

 I found this wrapping paper and stationary at a very stinky estate sale.  The smell was torture, but it was worth it.

At another estate sale I found these vintage Mikasa plates.  I ended up with 8 of them.  This is exactly the type of pattern I've been looking for.  For a whopping $1.50, these had to come home with me.

 This is the tiniest deer I've ever found.  I actually picked him up at a Goodwill when I made a run to the valley this week.  I found some other goodies, but they are for Erica and Maddie's b-days, so no sharing, sorry!

My little friend feels right at home with his other buddies.

So the same sale I got the plates there was a retro dinette set.  I loved it, but it was $50 (which I still thought was really reasonable.)  The lady running the sale saw me admiring it and told me she could do $25.  I told her I would go talk to my husband.  Of course he said no.  The reality is, I don't need it.  I told him I thought I could re-sell it.  Still, no.  I stewed all day and finally when he was distracted watching hockey I drove back.  She gave it to me for $20.  The husband says it has to be out in a week.  I set it up in my driveway and read a book at it and drank wine.  My neighbors must have thought I was nuts.  I was just wishing I could be with Erica at Farm Chicks and now he was going to make me give up my new dinette!?!  I listed it online today, I hope there isn't any interest.  I think it was meant for me.

Isn't the canary yellow awesome?  We will see what happens, but I have a feeling it may stay with me.

Lastly, I got to go to an antique store in my area that is never open when I drive by.  It is called Yankee Trader and is on hwy 101 between Seaside and Gearhart.  I was so excited to go inside and so happy I did.  The prices were awesome, the set up was amazing, and I got 2 new things.

When I picked these shakers up my husband immediately told me they were creepy and to put them back.  I didn't.  They sit in my living room at the perfect angle that they look at him if he is watching TV.  I think they are awesome.

The Pyrex green dot-squares.  I've eyed this beauty for a long time online, but have never seen it in person.  I paid $12, which I didn't think was too bad. 

So, my weekend was not what I expected but I found some cool stuff, got to hang out with the husband, and take care of my pup.  I can't complain. 

 I'm headed over to Sir-Thrift-a-Lots's Thriftasaurus.  Lets send some love his way, his pup is in worse shape then mine.

Until Next Time!

Hanna

Some Finds, A Souvenir, & A Surprise Gift

Hi, Everyone!

Less than 24 hours to go and I will be on the road to Farm Chicks.  I know, you are all probably getting pretty sick of me mentioning it (or a little jealous, maybe?) but who else can I share my excitement with but my vintage loving blog friends?

As I mentioned in my previous post, last weekend was a little slow sale wise but I did manage to scrounge up a few things to get my vintage fix.

One of my stops yielded a pretty good stash of vintage wrapping paper, some still in the packaging!

 

So cute and only a quarter per package!

 

 

At the same sale, I picked up this cute little tin set and Maddie found a Rand McNally Elf Book for her collection.

 

We thought that we were done for the day when on the way to St. Vincent's, we saw a sign for a garage sale in an older neighborhood.  The houses in this particular area were built in the late 1940's and early 1950's.  I figured it wouldn't hurt to do a drive by.

 

 

I spotted all this pottery from my car and couldn't get parked fast enough (even though we were the only ones there).  AMAZING prices!  The yellow USA and pink McCoy were 50 cents apiece and the taller USA turquoise piece was a dollar.  They are all in perfect condition.

 

 

 

 
The lady also had a table full of vintage linens.  Most of them were lace and crocheted but I did manage to find three printed tablecloths.  It's a good garage sale-ing day for me when I find either Pyrex or vintage tablecloths!  I didn't see this particular sale on Craigslist or in the classifieds (I double checked when I got home) so these finds were definitely unexpected!

Then it was off to St. Vincent's for a little thrifting.  There are several St. Vinny's in our area but the one I like the most takes all of their vintage items and puts them in a little vignette in one area of the store.  It's so nice to not have to hunt the things that I love down in different departments.

The Foley sifter is a little too worn to be used for it's original purpose so I am going to have Brian plant some flowers in it.  I cannot ever seem to have enough old jars.  This one even has it's original "Delicious Strawberry Jam" label on it.  Maddie found the molds and wants to try to do some of her own little Magpie Ethel-ish projects with them this Summer. 

 

I went back and forth over whether or not I should buy this old plunger.  Maddie convinced me I needed it because of the pink handle.  It definitely looks like it has been repainted from the original finish because it's just too perfect.  I plan on roughing it up a bit and making it a little less shiny.

Brian and I went to Las Vegas the weekend before last to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary.  We were married in Vegas so we always like to go back around our anniversary each year. I picked myself up a little souvenir.

You all know how much I love these Cat Studio souvenir glasses.  They are not considered a vintage collectible but they will be someday!  Now I have Las Vegas to go along with Arizona, Austin, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, & Florida!  I have a ways to go.

Speaking of souvenir glasses...

The lovely Jill from A Little Bit of Everything knows just how much I adore vintage souvenir glasses and surprised me with this one that she found at a yard sale.  It's from the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan.  This glass is the same style and size as my Blakely Arizona Cactus glasses.  I love it!  Thanks, Jill :-)

That's all for now, blog friends.  Wish me luck at Farm Chicks this weekend!  Even if I don't bring home tons of stuff, I'm sure the experience will be worth it.

Linking up over at:

The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday & Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson for Share Your Cup Thursday

Have a great weekend,

Erica

 







3 Days & Counting!

3 days and counting to what, you may ask?

FARM CHICKS!  This will be the first time that I have attended this show and I am so excited I can hardly stand it.  Sister won't be able to make it this year so I enlisted my BFF Rachel to go with me. When I texted her about it a couple of months ago, she said yes before she even knew what it was!  She saw the words "Farm Chicks" and knew it had to be something fun so she was in. 

With it being a holiday last weekend, Maddie & I didn't go to too many sales but we did manage to find some stuff that made our early, rainy morning worth it.

Our first stop was an annual church sale that I had some Pyrex luck at last year.  Well, no Pyrex this year but I did find Maddie these cute little Made in Japan furry skunk figurines for her collection.

I also found some little plastic deer for crafting

Along with some bottle brush trees & wreaths

A box of red and blue ornaments for the 4th of July wreath I plan on making.  Holy moly!  I'd better get a move on.  Sister, maybe this could be our project when you are here for my birthday?

I also found this nice, bright tablecloth with surprisingly no stains.  I love this particular church sale.  The prices are very good and they don't have a specific "Antique" section like some other church sales I've attended.  I got all of this great stuff for $3.50!  I'd say I scored pretty well.

I also got pretty lucky at the thrifts this week.  I'll share the rest later but for now I couldn't wait to show you the Americana Blue 401 and old pie bird I found at SVDP.  I cackled to myself when I saw this pie bird on the shelf because this is the same SVDP that thinks everything that is vintage should be put in a display case and marked up a thousand percent.  Guess their "vintage expert" was off that day because I found this bird in the figurine aisle for $2. 

But my real excitement came from the Pyrex bowl. Want to know why?

Because it completed my Americana Blue set & just in time for the patriotic holiday season!  It's been a while since I've shared over at The Pyrex Collective 2 so I will be heading over there next with the full story.

I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend.  What should have been a long, quiet weekend for me turned into playing house mom to 6 teenage boys.  Oh well, someday they will all grow up and I will miss these times, right?

Linking up over at:

Sir Thrift-A-Lot
Apron Thrift Girl
A Living Space
Knick of Time
Coastal Charm

And did you know that Lil over at Cottage Sweet Cottage is hosting Rednesday now?  I will be heading over there too.

Until next time,

Erica