Last Dollar on a Dish

Pottery Finds

2010-03-04T23:01:00.000-05:00

Recently I have been more "attracted" to pottery planters. I have a few of the green shallow rectangle ones, but the pattern and shiny cream finish on this one caught my eye.

Until two weeks ago, I didn't own any figural planters. I saw a ton of them on my shopping trip to the mountains, but only bought one. This will be a slow collection in the making, as my favorites are Shawnee and more than I like to pay for one item! Thrift shopping has ruined me for antique mall shopping- you all know what I mean!

The one I bought- American Bisque for $4. It was in one of the 50% off booths. He does look lonely, though. Maybe I can do a little shopping this weekend....

Finds From the Thrifting/Antique Trip

2010-03-02T17:06:00.001-05:00

Finally, I have some pictures of a few of the things I found on my trip. It's snowing here again today, so the light wasn't good for photos.

My favorite item- this spring green metal Happy Easter sign. I almost didn't get it, but Mom talked me into it, and now I'm really glad she did. Found the teacups yesterday, and I picked up the other Easter stuff here and there in the last month or so.

I've been on a bird kick lately, and last weekend it turned toward owls. This one has a notepad and pencil. It's marked Miller Collection 1970.

These are also marked Miller Collection- but are from 1977. They are so cute. I need to find a good place in the kitchen to hang these.

I'll post the pottery pieces I bought later this week.

The Basement Floor is Covered in Green

2010-02-25T23:16:00.001-05:00

I have been lax in posting pictures of my finds from last weekend's shopping trip, or fiasco, if you read my last post. The reason being.....

My real "job"- as a Greenhouse Grower/Organic Vegetable Farmer. My little hands have been busy transplanting almost 800 plants this week. Trying to get everything ready for the greenhouse next month. Tomatoes started from seed last month are huge already!

This is one of the azaleas I propogated from my Grandmother's yard in July 2008. It is now in bloom in our basement! That shine on the leaves is from an enormous grow light. You almost need sunglasses to go down there.

Petunias, verbena, fuschia, coleus, begonia, I've seen them all this week!

Mother Daughter Thrifting Field Trip- Day One

2010-02-22T11:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, I said I would keep you updated from the road, but there were several incidents along the way! First, I forgot my camera, so the only trip photos I have were taken with my iphone.

Second, halfway through the first day, I lost my keys in an antique mall. A very large antique mall! So after an hour of looking for them, with the store staff and several very helpful strangers assisting, I made the call. My husband was supposed to be enjoying a few days to himself, but I really messed that up for him. I called and told him my dilemma. Saturday afternoon = no Nissan dealership open in the area; and our hotel reservation an hour farther. So, an hour and ten minutes later, he arrived with another car key. Poor man. I really hated to have him drive almost two and a half hours, but there was no other option. I'll probably never live that one down!

By the time we got back on the road, it was 4:30. My goofy self had wasted over two hours of shopping time, so I headed straight for the hotel, since everything we wanted to see closed at 5. Here are a few pics of some good stuff I saw.

Cute Dennison Easter Egg embellishments

The chalkware mafia. This is the scariest group of chalkware I've ever seen at one time!

The only two pleasant chalkware mafia members. Although the one on the left looks like he's being disciplined!

As soon as I take some pics of the things I bought, I will post them. I did get some cute stuff.

Thrifting Trip This Weekend!

2010-02-19T00:10:00.001-05:00

So I'm heading out for a short trip this weekend in search of fabulous thrifts and antique malls. Haven't shopped this region before, so it should be interesting! I will keep you posted from the road. Have a great weekend everyone!

Blog Giveaway Winner!

2010-02-17T22:46:00.000-05:00

My new blog friend Linda at A LA CARTE reached some milestones last month. On her 50th post, with over 50 followers, she posted The Big 50 giveaway. I entered and ended up being the lucky runner up. She sent me an amazing box full of good stuff!

Bright bird notecards to get me in the Spring spirit,

A set of blue and white Asian print cloth napkins, a pretty silver frame and Victorian calendar,

A blue and white Asian print plate, and a set of wood handled cheese forks!

She also tucked in a pretty blue and pink apron. I couldn't get the right lighting on it to show the print very well, so I'll have to try again when there is more sun.

Thank you, thank you Linda! You are a thoughtful lady and I love reading your posts!

Vintage Valentine Card Party

2010-02-13T22:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Joan at Anything Goes Here is hosting a Vintage Valentine Card Party. Click over to see her list of participants. There you will find many bloggers displaying beautiful vintage Valentine cards and decorations.

My vintage Valentine collection is all from my Grandmom. She saved everything, and I am happy to share some of her memories with you.

This is the first Valentine card my Grandmom gave to my Grandfather in 1946. It's hard to see in the picture, but the center is sort of a puffy satin pillow.

The inside of the card. "All my love belongs to you" Wow. You go Grandmom!!

A page from Grandmom's scrapbook. She even kept a napkin from a Valentine dinner, and the label from the hairbrush Grandad gave her as part of her Valentine gift.

My Mom's first Valentine card

A card to my Great Grandmother from my Mom- 1948

Lovebirds

2010-02-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

Recently I have been on a "bird" kick. It seems every thrift store I hit has some kind of bird item that I am instantly attracted to. A few weeks ago I found a couple of lovebirds that came home with me.

The small birds were with some craft supplies I bought in a grab bag. The porcelain birds are a Fitz and Floyd salt and pepper set.

I love their little lovebird nest!

First Crafty Cake Circle Attempt

2010-02-04T21:27:00.000-05:00

This is what I do now after my husband and son have gone to bed. In the quiet of the living room with our chocolate lab Casey asleep at my feet, I watch old movies that I recorded from TCM. The DVR is a wonderful thing. I never get to watch what I want to during prime time (except American Idol), but that's okay, I know later I will have my ALONE TIME! I enjoyed watching "South Pacific" and "A Letter to Three Wives" while I worked on this Valentine project.

Back in the summer when I started really getting into reading vintage and crafty blogs, I came across a project using cardboard cake circles and decorating them in collage style. I cannot remember the blogger featuring this project, if you know who it might be, please let me know so I can link and give her credit.

The circles are easy to find. The ones I used were the smaller 8 inch Wilton cake circles. They were $4.50 for a pack of 10 at WalMart, I think. That was the only "new" item used. After printing a vintage Valentine I found online, I created what I hope Grandmom will like for Valentine's Day. I thought the tea theme was so sweet. Anything anthropomorphic is cute in my book!

Attached to the back is a ring of ruffled crepe paper that I sewed on the machine. That was my first try at that too! I used some of the crepe paper I got in my thrifting haul last week. Also from last week, the hot pink chenille stems (NOS) are glued to the edge. I added some flowers and leaves that I got in a thrifted grab bag a few months ago. The sheet music is from a box lot I bought at an auction. I turned it a little so it's not centered. I just liked how that looked. Stuff like that drives my Mom crazy, but I just think it makes things more interesting!

It was fun to make, and I'm working on another vintage Valentine creation now.

More From Last Week's Thrift Haul

2010-02-03T21:20:00.000-05:00

Some more things I found on my thrifting adventure last week.

Last week I told you about my new thrifting grounds, and how excited I was to find new stores! I noticed when I started unwrapping everything that I had a little yellow theme going, so I decided to group those together to show you. The sunlight was almost gone when I took this picture- sorry for the poor quality.

A Pyrex lemonade decanter with a perfect plastic lid. I have the larger orange juice one already, but the lid has seen better days.

A little duck planter for spring and Easter decorating.

Two red/yellow umbrella mugs. I also found a pink/orange set. I love these Made in Japan stacking mugs. I have two sets of Christmas mugs already....maybe this is the beginning of a collection.

My favorite has to be the ceramic trolley car. It looks like maybe it was a part of something else at one point, possibly mounted on a musical base?

I love the detail on the passengers. Makes me want to go to San Fransisco!

Crafty Thrift Finds

2010-01-27T23:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I found a new town to thrift in. Three glorious, bigger than I'm used to stores. Just twenty short miles to a fresh wonderland of vintage stuff. My heart almost stopped in each of the three stores I visited when faced with something I'd never seen before, and just HAD to have. Usually I don't find many craft supplies, but yesterday I got lucky. They were mostly vintage, some new, but all made me happy. Here are just a few of the finds that warmed my heart.

Four crepe rolls in spring colors, new old stock box of corsage pins, two boxes of NOS chenille stems, two rolls of ribbon, and my favorite:

Two vintage plastic flower candle rings. I don't know what it is about these, but I adore the colors, the textures, the possibilities... and the price was completely painless- both for a quarter.

Close up of one of the ribbon rolls, also new old stock. The pattern name on the spool is "Chickadee". Love it.

Little Girl Vintage

2010-01-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

I recently found some things that any little girl (with old fashioned taste) would like to have in her room. Since my little one is a boy, ALL boy, I can't use these little treasures, so off to Etsy they went.

This poem is titled "If" by J. P. McEvoy and was written in 1924. It has a great self esteem message for girls:

If you can hear the whispering about you,

And never yield to deal in whispers, too;

If you can bravely smile when loved ones doubt you,
And never doubt, in turn, what loved ones do;

If you can keep a sweet and gentle spirit
In spite of fame or fortune, rank or place,
And though you win your goal or only near it,
Can win with poise and lose with equal grace;

If you can meet with Unbelief, believing,
And hallow in your heart a simple Creed,
If you can meet Deception, undeceiving,
And learn to look to God for all you need;

If you can be what girls should be to mothers:
Chums in joy and comrades in distress,
And be unto others as you'd have the others
Be unto you - No more, and yet no less;

If you can keep within your heart the power
To say that firm, unconquerable "No";
If you can brave a present shadowed hour,
Rather than yield to build a future woe;

If you can love, yet not let loving master,
But keep yourself within your own self's clasp,
And not let dreaming lead you to disaster,
Nor pity's fascination loose your grasp;

If you can lock your heart on confidences,
Nor ever needlessly in turn confide;
If you can put behind you all pretenses
Of mock humility or foolosh pride:

If you can keep the simple, homely virtue
Of walking right with God - then have no fear
That anything in all the world can hurt you-
And - which is more - you'll be a Woman, dear.

This little Holly Hobbie friendship plate is so cute, just four inches across.

I loved Holly Hobbie when I was a little girl. I had a metal lunchbox with her on each side in two different designs. The edge was blue and white gingham. I wish I knew where it was!

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Upcoming Vintage Valentine Card Party

2010-01-13T20:07:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is only a month away, and Joan at Anything Goes Here is looking for fantastic bloggers to participate in her Vintage Valentine Card Party on Sunday, February 14. Joan is absolutely the best Hostess for vintage parties- her Vintage Christmas Monday party was awesome. Click on the button at the top right to visit her blog and get the details. Or, just make a note to visit Anything Goes Here on Valentine's Day to see wonderful vintage Valentine cards and read the great stories that go with them!

Vintage Kitchen

2010-01-11T12:05:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of things that I rescued from my Great Aunt's farmhouse in southern Georgia. On my last trip my Mom and I found some interesting little kitchen items.

The first thing I found was a card with mending patches on it. The brand name is "E-Z-MEND-RS" and the purpose was to patch holes in metal enamel pots and pans. The little wrench was missing, but there were three "patches" still attached to the card.

The patent date of Nov. 12, 1938 is printed on the back.

The next item was my favorite. The Gadget-Master Spiral Slicer from Popeil Bros. in Chicago. It's basically a blade with a hole for your finger and a screw to attach to the fruit or vegetable you want sliced.

The instructions read "When vegetable is completely sliced, attach both ends to gather with a toothpick for a rosette effect."

Can't you just see a cucumber ring garnishing a platter at a bridal shower in 1942? I haven't tried it yet, but I'll post the results when I do!

Thinking Warm

2010-01-08T14:17:00.000-05:00

Today in my little piece of NC, the high temperature is 31 degrees. Ouch! So in keeping with the travel theme that launched when I found some souvenirs from Paris and New Orleans, we're headed south to sunny Florida! At least when I look at my fun Florida souvenirs on the sideboard, I can think about being warm.

The milk glass platter holds my Pyrex juice decanter, some yummy blood oranges, and an owl salt shaker I thrifted a few months ago. Owls don't necessarily have anything to do with Florida, I just love the combination of turquoise and orange.

My Grandparents bought the Florida plate when they were living in Tampa. The glass belonged to my husband's Grandma Sue.

I love these vintage postcards and thankfully Grandmom was a saver. Here's hoping my sunny display brought you some temporary warmth.

Happy Friday!

C'est Si Bon

2010-01-05T15:11:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

It's been so cold here the past few days with no signs of letting up. Of course this is NC cold, so I know I'm a wimp by most of your standards! Since I haven't seen much sun lately, I thought I would brighten up things in my living room- my private, girly living room. My boys have their own space. After packing up all the Christmas stuff, I came across a set of coasters I bought in Paris when I was in high school. Our French Club took a two week tour of England and France, and it what great! Of course, that was in 1988, so some of the details are a tad fuzzy. Either way, these coasters always make me happy, so I thought I would do a little travel theme decorating focused on Paris and New Orleans.

My Great Grandmother's trunk and lamp- two of my favorite possessions.

The New Orleans souvenir cup and saucer came from a trip my Grandparents took to visit friends there.

One of the coasters on a plate I packed up from Grandmom's china cabinet. I don't know the pattern name, but thought it was pretty.

The little bird was some new old stock stuff that I found this summer. He's perched in one of Grandmom's many Anchor Hocking Medallion dishes.

It's Been a Busy Year

2009-12-31T23:28:00.000-05:00

2009 was a busy year for our family. We constructed our greenhouse, planted our small (almost an acre) organic vegetable garden, sweated our way through the summer battling squash bugs and blight, worked our first farmer's market season, and battled the freezing temperatures feeding wood into the greenhouse stove. We definitely learned a lot, and hopefully that knowledge will lead us to more success this coming year.

In my first few months of blogging, I have really enjoyed reading many wonderful posts from all of you. It's amazing how much you can learn from others, and how much you can have in common with a perfect stranger living 2000 miles away! My hope is for all of you to have a safe, healthy, and fun 2010.

Goodnight and Happy New Year!

Vintage Christmas Monday

2009-12-20T19:03:00.000-05:00

For my first VCM post, I shared a Christmas shadowbox that my Mom made when I was little. I didn't have a shadowbox, so I improvised. I made a two tiered shelf by stacking two antique sewing machine drawers. These are from my Great Grandmother's Singer. I filled the shelves with little Christmas trinkets I've collected over the years- and a few vintage finds that I've recently picked up. The picture flanked by the two flocked reindeer is of me and my parents Christmas 1971.

The card I found in my Grandmom's scrapbook. My Grandparents were married on December 8, 1945 in Kenansville, North Carolina. Their honeymoon was a train trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming where my Grandfather was to be stationed. This card was their first piece of mail received at their new home in Cheyenne. My Grandmom, ever the "labeler", has 1ST MAIL written at the top! So cute.

The Santa was a gift from family friends when I was about four or five years old. He makes a jingling sound when you shake him. I always had this in my room during Christmas. Now he decorates my son's room. I had to take him out of there to photograph though- dear son is not a room cleaner! The little tree next to Santa I made by hot gluing wood beads from an old garland and the tips of poinsettia party picks to a bottle brush tree. The picks are new "old stock" and the plastic was so brittle, the pick part just snapped off when I bent them!

Swing by to see Joan, the hostess of Vintage Christmas Monday at her blog, Anything Goes Here . On the right hand side she will have all the participants listed. She will keep the list up until December 31st to give everyone a chance to catch up in case they missed some posts. Thank you Joan for your time and energy to organize this fun event! I have really enjoyed looking at all the wonderful memories fellow bloggers have shared. There are some amazingly sweet and creative people out there in blogland.

I Heard the Glittered, Plastic Bells....

2009-12-17T12:11:00.000-05:00

Two of my finds this summer at my favorite thrift were kitschy gold glittered bells. The first one is hanging over my kitchen sink and has little bit of that plastic mistletoe I love so much. It reminds me of my Grandmom's white plastic bell garland (that seems to have disappeared) that she would hang over the doorway of her kitchen at Christmastime.

The other find is a door hanging decoration that found a place on an interior door to the living room. I like the plastic candy cane in the middle.

I hope you all are having a great week!

Paige

Vintage Christmas Monday - "Softlines"

2009-12-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

This week I'm sharing the softer side of my vintage Christmas decor- fabric and soft flocked plastic. I have really been lucky with thrifting some great Christmas stuff this year. One of my favorite finds was this printed flannel tree skirt for a dollar. The graphics are great and it's hard to tell with my non-photography skills and equipment, but there is a slight metallic gold sheen on some of the printing. There was some yellowing and a stain on the Merry Christmas part, but an overnight soak in a little Oxy Clean helped a lot. Even though this is a small skirt, I think it looks okay as an "overlay" to my plain red tree skirt. At least it gives it some vintage character!

In this blog that I have recently begun, I mostly talk about things that I have from my Grandmom (maternal Grandmother). I don't have a lot of things from my Grandmother on my Dad's side, so this tablecloth is really special to me. My Grandmother died a month before I graduated from high school, and my Dad had a lot of her things packed up in the attic for almost 20 years. We were going through some things this summer, and in one of the boxes we found the tablecloth. I can remember this on her dining room table every Christmas Day for lunch. As soon as I saw it, I was transported back. I could smell the delicious food, and almost hear the sound of her electric knife slicing the turkey and ham. Being in storage so long, it was yellowed and stained, so Oxy Clean to the rescue again. It was a little too small for my dining room table, so I draped it on the top of my china cabinet. I think she would approve.

This little inflatable reindeer was part of a pair- I have no idea where the other one is, but at least I still have one. My Grandad was always taking pictures, and I think this was a Fujifilm premium. Maybe like one of those deals where you send off proof of purchase "points" to get a freebie. I think I first had them when I was about four or five, so definitely a vintage item! It's soft plastic flocked with green. It squeaks when squeezed, so I have to keep our dog Casey away from it!

So that's my contribution this week. Please go check out all the amazing collections of vintage Christmas items featured on Joan's blog, Anything Goes Here. She is the amazing hostess of Vintage Christmas Monday!

Vintage Christmas Monday

2009-12-06T19:16:00.000-05:00

This week I wanted to share another piece of Christmas from my childhood. I thought this humble set of "Made in Japan" mugs always had cool graphics. Both of my Grandmothers had a set exactly alike. Many mugs of hot chocolate and chocolate milk were slurped from these!

The kneehugger is one of two I found this year. He's perched on one of my red Pyrex refrigerator dishes. My plan is to finish decorating the dining room and show you a little of that next Monday.

Hope you all have a wonderful week and be sure to stop by to see Joan, the hostess of Vintage Christmas Monday. There you will find a list of participants on the right side of her blog, Anything Goes Here. It has been so much fun to see all the creative Vintage Christmas displays.

Thursday's Christmas Happiness

2009-12-03T20:54:00.000-05:00

Two little treasures made my day. Found in an antiques/collectibles shop each with a thrift store price.

They're not Dennison, but vintage, Christmas, and gummed seals all the same. And so cute. The ribbon I almost overlooked in a jumbled box of cards and half broken ornaments. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the design almost looks hand glittered.

Doesn't take much to entertain me on a Thursday.

In a One Horse Open Sleigh

2009-12-01T21:20:00.000-05:00

I'm still trying to decorate for Christmas. If I can do one table or section of a room at a time, it's fine.....but I'll see something and think about putting it in my son's room, or maybe that would look better on the china cabinet, etc. Distracted is a gentle way to put it! Slowly but surely I'll get it done. I did finish the piano last night. For some reason, sleighs have been abundant at my favorite thrifts, so of course at the right price - cheap- they come home with me. Here are a few of the ones I've scored lately.

My little kneehugger from the thrift last week is sitting in a wooden fold up sleigh from Habitat Restore.

Some vintage flocked reindeer from a thrifted grab bag stand beside a plastic reindeer that has an upcoming date with some glitter. He needs a little sprucing up.

Hope you all are having a great week so far. Thanks again to all my followers! When I finally finish decorating, I can sit in my finished Christmas room and catch up on all your blogs.

Vintage Christmas Monday: My Christmas Past

2009-11-29T19:47:00.000-05:00

I have recently acquired a lot of vintage Christmas items, but I thought I would start off by showing some of my favorite Christmas decorations from my childhood.

My favorite Christmas item has to be the little rickrack trimmed shadowbox my Mom made when I was probably three. She made one for my Grandmom, my Great Aunt, and one for our house. My aunt has been gone for over ten years, so I now display hers in my home. I was always impressed with the little details in each "cubby". I'm sure she took her time making these, so she could have some down time after chasing me around all day!

This little basket topped with an ornament Santa was in my Grandmom's house. Nothing like a little plastic misteltoe to take you back to the seventies!

Be sure to check out all the cool vintage Christmas items at Anything Goes Here - Vintage Christmas Mondays! I'm looking forward to seeing all the neat things people use in their Vintage Christmas homes.

Vintage Christmas Monday Blog Party

2009-11-25T17:59:00.000-05:00

Joan at Anything Goes Here is hosting a Vintage Christmas blog party every Monday until Christmas. Be sure to check out all the nifty holiday treasures the participants (including myself) will be sharing. It is amazing to see all the awesome Christmas goods people have saved from family members, and lovingly displayed year after year. I know that I have a few items from childhood that are my favorites! It's also amazing to me to see how creative folks can be in combining Christmas trinkets into completely new decorations and display items. So, put on your favorite Christmas music and swing by Monday to see a piece of Vintage Christmas Wonderland!

Setting Up Shop

2009-11-20T15:05:00.000-05:00

I've been working on adding vintage holiday stuff to my Etsy shop. A bunch of new "old stock" ornaments and supplies. Hope to have it all updated by tomorrow!

Christmas Mushrooms! Groovy!

Poinsettia Picks

70's Ornaments

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Bea West-- Is That Like Mae West?

2009-11-17T23:04:00.000-05:00

If you knew my husband, you would understand that title. He has a witty comment for everything. When I showed him my favorite vintage Christmas treasure from today, he focused on the brand of the felt gift trims- "Bea West". When I saw these, I almost ran to the other side of the table to grab them before anyone else could.

These are so cute- even if someone had already cut out the "tag" part.

Two Gurley candles- well loved is a gentle way to describe them- but they're Gurley candles just the same! I now have three in my fledgling collection. I'll try the hairdryer trick to straighten them a bit. Maybe some soap and water would help too.

I love the fact that the labels are intact- and that I paid only 25 cents each for them.

These two little jewels were in the bottom of a basket jumbled with homemade ornaments and unfinished craft projects. The pink circus car one is made by Doubl-Glo and has a little reindeer inside. Perfect holiday kitsch! The other is a miniature metal store that I thought was interesting.

Last but not least is a diecut Santa garland. I now have three of these, all bought from the same store but on different days. Hardly ever find the exact same thing at a thrift store, but I'm glad I keep spotting these.

Send Me An Angel

2009-11-11T22:44:00.000-05:00

Another auction treasure was this set of kissing angels. The boy angel has a music box on the bottom.

After reading so many inspiring vintage Christmas blogs, I'm getting in the spirit myself!

Auction Scores and RAOK

2009-11-06T14:13:00.000-05:00

As our home begins its third month of updating and remodeling, I am slowly unpacking and rediscovering things that I put away for safekeeping during the addition to the house. About a month ago, I took my Mom to a "Gigantic Glassware Auction". With a title like that, how could I resist? Last night I unpacked a few of the things I won.

My favorite item has to be this little chimney sweep bank. It was in a box lot with some other ceramic things, mostly duds, but I did find a few gems toward the bottom. I haven't decided yet if I can part with it to list it on Etsy.

In the same box lot was this planter/vase that I thought was interesting. Maybe what drew me to it was the marking on the bottom: "To Roberta, Christmas 1971". My first name is Roberta and my first Christmas was in 1971. Maybe that's why I'm attached to it!

In another box lot of linens was this really pretty tablecloth. I haven't washed it yet, but it seems to have never been used. There is no wear and the colors are really bright.

The best part of the day had to be the RAOK (Random Act of Kindness) that I witnessed at the auction. In a lot I won were five or six vases and then a couple of odd pieces thrown in. One of the odd pieces was a clear refrigerator dish lid with vegetables on it. Sitting in front of us was a lady completely surrounded by all kinds of glassware. My Mom noticed that in one of her piles was a clear refrigerator dish with no lid. She said "that must be where the lid belongs". I looked, and she was right. I walked up to her and offered her the lid, explaining that I bid on the box for the vases, and didn't have a use for the lid. She was so surprised, she said "why don't you take the dish so you can have the set together?" I thanked her and happily joined my lid with her dish. At the cashier table toward the end of the day I thanked her again.

Auction Karma!

Thrifted Finds

2009-11-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

Last week I found a few cute things at the thrift. My favorite has to be the retro bamboo print tray. We are using it on our new ottoman to double as a coffee table. While sorting through some "grab bags" they had there, I scored some really pretty floral trims and lace. Not all are shown in this pic.

Also found a peach lustre Fire King casserole and an Asian print paper fan.

In another set of grab bags, there were some wooden domino boxes that I'm sure I can find a use for, and a little brush with a wooden doll head handle. Not sure what this is exactly, but I love the handle. Maybe a vintage lint brush?

Lots of things going on lately. A trip to Georgia last week to pick up dining room furniture that was my Great Aunt's. She had linens galore. Aprons, tablecloths, pillowcases, runners, doilies. I'm still trying to wade through everything. And if that wasn't enough, we are putting my Grandmother's condo on the market. She is now in an assisted living center, so my Mom and I have made several trips already to pack, sort, and clean. If only it wasn't three hours away! Busy, busy. When I can get my mess together, I'll post some pics. We have found some amazing stuff!

Hope everyone has a great week!

The Exent of my Halloween Decor

2009-10-28T20:04:00.000-04:00

After admiring so many gorgeous, creative fall decorations in the blogs I follow, I have come to accept that my fall display is what it is. The pieces mean something to me, and while not on a grand scale, I like them. Christmas however, will be a different story. I already have tons of ideas of how I want certain things, my family treasures mixed in with (new to me) thrifted items to be be grouped and displayed.

On top of the piano is my Carnival Glass Harvest Compote, a recently thrifted ghost tealight holder, a ceramic witch that I had as a child, the black cat metal candle holder that was my mom's when she was little, and a few pieces of orange and gold California Pottery. The little IKEA spice jar on the right was my son's touch- it's filled with orange Cheez It crackers. Take a last look at that lovely Carolina blue paint. My husband is a die hard Tarheel fan, and I never got around to changing it. It is now "Divine White". I've been busy painting for the last three days.

My mom's Independence Ironstone in the Old Orchard pattern creamer with Swedish Ivy and Boxwood topped with a seventies era scarecrow pick.

So that's it so far with the fall decor, except for a few pumpkins on the front porch on a mini haybale wrapped in grapevine. It's been rainy and the whole porch is covered with soggy pecan leaves, so I'll spare you that lovely sight.

Four Hours of Thrifting

2009-10-24T23:22:00.000-04:00

Today I spent four hours in pure happiness searching for treasures at two stores I don't visit often. That may change. I usually travel south instead of north for some reason, even though the two towns are both about 20 minutes from my house. I'm glad I took my road less traveled. It paid off. Content is how I would describe how I felt today, having the alone time I rarely get.

The first store was full of new "old stock" Christmas decorations from the late sixties and seventies. Flocked reindeer, miniatures galore, floral picks with holly leaves and poinsettas. Love them! I'll have pictures posted later this week after I sort through everything. They had tons of little picks too. Cardinals, bumblebees, ladybugs, even peacocks. Here is a sampling of the non-holiday craft supplies I brought home.

I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with all these nifty things, but I'll think of something. I love the chenille googly eyed bees!

The second store had a Christmas section that would rival that "W" store. Candles, tins, vintage tree skirts, vintage aprons, ornaments- and I found a red wicker sleigh that needs an overhaul. Another project for another day. The best part was the manager was bringing out stuff by the crate full, and said there was tons more in the back! Sounds like a return trip (or two or three) to me. Hopefully I'll be able to contain myself and not go back for at least a few days!

Before and After

2009-09-15T09:32:00.000-04:00

A little background on our house. My husband's grandfather built this house in 1955, with the help of his son, my father-in-law. After my husband's grandparents died, he moved in. The house has stayed in the family which I think is really neat. There were three bedrooms and only one bath, so when we got married, we renovated a bedroom into a walk in closet and my "dream" bathroom. Lots of changes were made to the kitchen too. New appliances, granite countertops, and an island were installed. I told my husband the deal breaker was the dishwasher- I had to have one. So now, two years later, we are getting some much needed extra space.

These are pictures of the new addition to our house. Construction began on August 25. These guys waste no time!

Before- our sad little carport

After- it only took them 3 hours to do this!

Concrete removal

Foundation

Taking shape

French doors- yay! Sept. 14

I Heart Pyrex

2009-09-04T14:03:00.000-04:00

I did a little cleaning yesterday. I want to have things semi-organized before the new addition to the house is finished. The Pyrex cabinet needed dusting, so I took everything off of it and washed it. Still working on how to arrange it back on the shelves. Even Pyrex needs a change once in a while.

My love affair with Pyrex started last year at the Metrolina Fairgrounds Antique Market. I have always thought Pyrex was fun and practical, but never really started collecting it. That changed last fall when everywhere I looked I saw Primary Refrigerator Sets, Gooseberry Mixing Bowls, Snowflake Casseroles, etc. I started with a humble blue Butterprint refrigerator dish. Of course at that time, I didn't know what I was looking at until I found the go-to, all inclusive super Pyrex resource- http://www.pyrexlove.com/. Amazing pictures, descriptions, pattern names, even directions on how to safely clean it. The folks there have amazing collections and wonderful displays featured on the related flickr account. Love looking at everyone's favorite pieces and reading stories on how they found them.

It's easy to find Pyrex at the market or antique store, but to "happen upon it", at the thrift store or yard sale, that's just pure joy! My first by accident Pyrex piece was found at the local Salvation Army for $2. I had no idea what the pattern name was, so of course I bought it and went straight home to find the pattern name at Pyrex Love. I was happy to find that the piece I had was from a 1959 promotion. The name- Dandelion Duet. Who knew a $2 purchase could make me this happy? When my husband got home, I showed him the piece, explained the name, blah, blah, blah. He just gave me that blank stare as if to say----and? He didn't get it. He's learned now to feign interest in my Pyrex or whatever glass lovely I bring home, just so I'll be done talking about it and he can turn his attention back to Sportscenter.

As soon as my cold/allergy/whatever evil I am suffering with eases up, I hope to go happen upon a few more pieces. Pyrex therapy. It does a body good.

New Beginnings

2009-09-02T23:41:00.000-04:00

I'm looking forward to the next few months for lots of reasons. One, Fall is my favorite season; two, we will be diving deeper into our greenhouse business; and three, we are building on to our house.

I have really enjoyed the past few days of cooler temperatures. I just feel better when it's cooler if that makes sense! The best sleep is when you can have the windows open. It's almost as good as camping. Even though it's been unusally cool this week, it will be short lived. We always have temps in the 80s and 90s here usually through the end of September. But it will seem like winter is coming quickly as we attempt for the first time to winterize and heat the greenhouse for the early spring vegetables and flowers.

Building on to the house is a much needed project around here. My son's room is really too small, as is the entire house. With the new addition, he will have a new bedroom with plenty of space to store his PS3 stuff, and I will no longer have to dodge Rock Band 2 drum sets and guitars as I try to navigate the tiny living room. My husband will have his big den, and the best part is I will finally have my own living area.

MY OWN SPACE!! With my stuff (an enormous term, we'll get to that later), my furniture and it's all mine. My room will even be off limits to the dog. I love her dearly, but I want one hair free, slobber free room. Is that too much to ask? The washer and dryer which now occupy the kitchen, are being relocated to the office- my son's current room. That means my Pyrex cabinet can go in the kitchen and I'll have room in the dining room for a real, grown up dining room set. Yes, I've made it all these many years without one. Now I can showcase china from both of my Grandmothers in a genuine china cabinet. Amazing isn't it? I only had to wait 38 years!

I'll be posting pics of our progress, with some before and afters of the inside. I will probably even ask for opinions on color options and how I should arrange the furniture.