Thankful to the thrift store gods

After several weeks of abysmal estate sales and dead end thrift store visits, I have been blessed with a haul of treasures. A booty of vintage. Arg.


Yesterday, being Wednesday, I set off at 8AM for 99 cent clothing day at the Salvation Army. Every Wednesday every item of clothing from coats to cocktail frocks is a mere 99 cents regardless of original stated price. That is not to say Wednesdays mean easy pickins' for all. Hardly. You must get there early and then you must be ready to fend off tiny grandmothers who become as strong and aggressive as football players. Also, there are the stylish young mothers with toddlers it toe. They wouldn't be difficult, I hear you say, Not with children they need to look after. You must remember these "children", though cute and innocent looking enough are crafty distractions very capable of blocking your path to designer jeans. You maneuver around them, careful not to step on tiny toes, look up and realize those DKNYs are long gone.

I don't have super luck at 99 cent clothing day. I usually can find some scrubs for work, maybe a cute little top. Which is fine. I'm not as much into thrift store clothes as I am thrift store knick-knacks, bric-a-brac and miscellaneous. And this, friends, is where I struck gold. Arg.





First off, the lovely sea green vintage aluminum tray. This was 45 cents. A good price. I had a pink one similar to it once that I put in the dishwasher. NEVER PUT THESE IN THE DISHWASHER!!!!! All the paint will peel off and you will be sad, sad, sad. I realize after I took the picture there is a beverage ring in one corner. I can take this off with a plastic scrubby and dish soap. Easy sleazy.

Look at my ancient vase:







Found in the rubbles of Pompeii? Made by an ancient Greek craftsman? Nope. Written in the base, it proudly announced it was made in Japan. That doesn't stop my cat, Emma, from admiring it -


and who can blame her? A few cheery mums or daises would be right at home in here. And at $1.50, it was just right.

Small bowl and saucer. These were each 45 cents.






I usually only buy one dish with a certain pattern but I just fell in love with these. The back says Steubenville IVORY. I love the thick yellowed glaze. I like to have small plates and bowls. I can never have too many. They are so useful for condiments or as spoon rests or dainty reciprocals for tea bags or pistachio shells.

And finally, my true love:





This tile was pulled from a wall somewhere, I think. Look at the back:




It still has plaster on it! I love the sweet little cottage scene. The glaze is cloudy white, like the icing on oatmeal cookies. It reminds me of Van Briggle.

Have I spoke of Van Briggle before? Oh! Van Briggle! I never heard of it until I moved to Colorado. It's like McCoy or Roseville. The glazes are creamy and the hues illuminated pastel blues and pinks that blend with yellows and oranges like mini sunsets. They're still in business and still make lovely pieces. I can't really justify buying anything from them right now. The pieces I really love command at least a hundred dollars. Someday, though...

No one understands my VanBriggle love. I took Mom C to their studio when she was in town once and, while she said the building was cool, the pieces in the showroom illicit ed a simple shrug of the shoulders and a wandering to the bathroom. My husband is the same way. After looking at my new tile, turning it over in his hands a few times as if looking for a switch or knob on it that would turn it in to something cool, he issued his verdict: "This looks like that dull Briggle stuff you like. I don't get it. It's not even that shiny."

No, it isn't shiny. Nor bright colored, nor glittery, which is the theme to much of my home decor. I can't explain my attraction. But someday I hope to have a wall of these tiles.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. We are off to M&Ls. D is making special cheesy dips he found in a vintage cookbook. The cover has a artful display of deviled eggs and celery sticks stuffed with cream cheese and topped with a couple black olive slices. "Why don't we make those?," I asked, pointing to the celery. He shook is head and took the book away. I guess I do not understand his vintage appetizer love anymore that he understands my Van Briggle love. That's okay.

Plate Picnic in the Garden!

I feel like it's been ages since my last post! I've been busy, busy, busy lately but my days off this week were full of housekeeping and crafting. It was so relaxing! I don't think I've used my little craft room more than twice since we moved here but this week I actually embroidered for hours in there watching TV. It was wonderful.

This "I Love Pink and Aqua" swap I'm doing requires participants to make an item for their partner so I spent a few hours going through my treasures. When we moved in, I organized as best I could and actually labeled all my tins and boxes as to what was inside. Wow, what a help. I used to think "What do I need labels for? I can remember where I put my buttons and where the rick-rack is." I realize now I was lying to myself. In the jungle that is the craft room, there is no rhyme or reason one can follow. And there is certainly no remembering the contents of one tiny sewing basket to the next. I am now a labeler. And I encourage you to be one, too.

Enough digression, on with the post!



This above photo is of my garden. I always wanted/never had a garden of my own. When we were looking for a house, I pretty much let David pick it. As long as I could have a garden, I was happy. Our second day here, I planted. Since we don't own this house, I felt I shouldn't remove the landscaping rocks and whatnot. I'm sure my landlord would've said I could. They are very nice and gardeners themselves, but I felt like just experimenting this year and using a lot of containers.



These containers I found at the Dollar Tree. They're cute and look like metal but are really made of thin,cheap plastic. I poked a few holes at the bottom and planted lettuce and spinach, which have shallow roots. I also have pots of Rainbow Swiss Chard, Rainbow Carrots and kale.

I did most planting about a week ago, but it's an ongoing process. Basically, whenever a yard sale or thrift shop has a pot for pretty cheap I buy it and then immediately plant something in it. I just got about 10 pots for $3.00 from a neighbors moving sale. D helped me bring them home and said something like "Well that'll do it, right? I mean, if you find a vintage, cool looking pot that's okay. But we're pretty much done planting stuff, right?" Hmmmmmm...maybe.....

But then I see this:



And I feel like there's so much more I can plant!!

I recently had my first harvest:



The apron in this pic I'm wearing is gorgeous, by the way. A birthday gift from my siblings-in-law who are both awesome. When I first opened the box I thought "What a gorgeous apron! What in the world am I going to do with it? It's too nice to wear while I'm working!" I've had these thoughts before about aprons I own but I've never had such a nice one as this. First of all, it covers your whole front. Second, it has deep pockets. Third, it's well made. So after having it draped decoratively over a chair for a week or so, I said "What the heck, aprons were meant for work so I'm going to use it!" I slipped it over my head, tied it in the back and cleaned my house. Then I weeded the garden and picked my cuke.

My conclusion? Aprons are great. They keep you clothes clean and give your extra pockets for supplies and what nots.They SHOULD be used and used thoroughly. When ratty and in need of a new one, make or buy a new one. I don't see the point in buying vintage aprons or any cute aprons and just looking at them. Especially when it is an item that really helps one complete domestic chores efficiently. After using my birthday apron religiously this week, I must say I am pro-apron. Thanks, sibs!

On with the show. Having such a great time in the garden, I decided to bring out my stash of newly acquired plates and have a plate picnic. This idea was seconded by my cat:



Who never seems to want to go inside anymore. I hope she's not turning feral. Well, she's already a wee bit feral if you ask me.



Let's start with this one that D found:



And the back, of course:



D found this for $1.00 at an estate sale. It looks like it has never been used. The flowers are so fresh and glossy. I tried looking up the pattern, which is called "Linda" with no results. At the same sale, I found this:






And D for some reason LOVED it. I only got it after looking at the back and seeing that the pattern was called "Arctic Night." I like that name. It makes those plain blue daisies intriguing. Like they're covered in ice and very far away and used eskimo weddings and only bloom at night so they're hard to spot...

I digress. Next plate!





Not much to say about that plate. I got it for cheap at the Goodwill. It's okay. If it breaks, it won't be the end of the world. If someone emails me that they think it's the most beautiful plate in the world and gives them heart palpitations just looking at it, I'll gladly send it to them. We can swap. You send me a cool vintage plant pot (with drainage holes) and you get the plate. Deal?

These last 2 I got by myself exploring a Salvation Army off the highway I had never been to but always wanted to visit. They were 45 cents each!










When I got home, D was on the couch doing his teacher-homework. I told him I went to a new thrift and he wanted to see the goods. I gave him the two plates. "Cool" he said and immediately turned them over to examine the backs. "Very cool. Did you look up these patterns yet?"

And this is why I love my husband. If you're going to get married, marry your true love. If you can't find your true love, keep looking. I'm telling you, it's worth it. Turning over plates to inspect the backs, always being up for a trip to the ice cream shop, driving miles to surprise me with a festival or carnival or whatever...these are just a few reasons I love my husband. Maybe it's the newlywed in me talking (it's only been 2 years), but hot dog do I love that man!

I'll end this post with a chair update. I finished sanding and ended up with this:




Next time, I'll post what it looks like after a coat of dark walnut stain.

Until then, keep rummaging for those treasures!