Blue and White and cut glass

On our recent foray, I found lots of stuff I "couldn't live without"!  I am a fan of blue and white. Especially transferware.  When I saw the mismatched pair of blue and white salt and peppers, I could not resist.  The salt is Currier and Ives, and the pepper is Blue Onion.  I love that they are not meant to go together, but match perfectly! And nearby was the matching creamer!  yay! And 2 ashtrays from a fancy hotel in San Francisco.  Though we don't smoke, it's nice to have them for guests, especially, friends of Bill W., who tend to be smokers...

I also found some pretty salt cellars at a yard sale.  I have no need for them, but have always liked the pretty, tiny things.  Maybe because I have a hobnail cellar from my grandmother...  But I saw these and thought "instant collection!" They cleaned up nicely.  The closest two might even purple up a bit, so I'll put them on the windowsill.

I got a few more things, a couple of books, a set of those plastic drawers ($5!) and some more wooden shoes, but they are not as photo-worthy as the pretties above! Had a fun day with Ellen, and that is better than any treasure I could ever buy.  

Spring is Sprung!

Spring is in the air and we're ready to  catch up on our thriftin'.  Robin and I checked out a couple of local stores and also found one humongous yard sale.  Robin was doing all the shopping until we arrived at St Thomas' Thrift Store.  Here are some of the treasures I found...  

 

 
The little truck is perfect for holding a houseplant, the tray is for "someone" who needs one when we have tea on her patio (sssh!!!) and the wine box may be re-purposed, with a shelf added (I'll need some help from hubby), into a hanging shelf for my glass jars holding my button collection.  All these items were half price and the sales lady told us they had just been put out on the floor!  It certainly pays to shop often if you're looking for bargains as 'new' items arrive every day.

Oldies but goodies.

These aren't anything I've thrifted recently, but are a favorite find of mine.  I use these every year when I decorate for Christmas.  I got them at the Mennonite thrift store near the old house.  I think I paid $1 a box.  I love the age patina on the silvery ones and the cracky/peely surface on the aqua ones.

I even love the old boxes.  The Shiny Brite brand box is in worse shape, but it's not terrible.  I saw an old Shiny Brite ornament box used for a sweet little Christmas diorama once.  It gives a girl ideas!

I didn't pay much more than the original purchaser, who brought these beauties home from Ole's for 75¢.  I wish I knew what year they were purchased.  I'm glad someone way back when had my same love for nontraditional colors on the tree.

So crackled and fun!  I couldn't love these more if they were prefect and brand new.

 The silver is quite hazy and antique-looking, too.  I use these all over the house to up the "vintage Christmas" look.

Thanks for indulging my penchant for shiny things!  We need to get out and thrift soon, ladies!  New year?  New treasures to find!  Let's go get 'em!

Just Like Nana's

Not exactly thrifted,  but while Mandy and Violet were out and about in Escondido recently Violet noticed some china “just like Nana’s” at  Deborah’s Next-to-New consignment store. They gave me a quick call and after a few exchanged photos and a check on line Mandy kindly made the purchase for me.

I’ve always loved blue and white china and I’ve had a basic set of Blue Danube for many years.  I never did buy all the various serving pieces, mainly because they are so expensive.  Over the years a few of my pieces have been broken so I’m thrilled with these lovely additions.  I checked on line and  the replacement for the serving platter alone is listed at $99.99 - that’s half what we paid for all these dishes!  Thanks Mandy and Violet, you certainly know a bargain when you see one! 

A little shopping in Beaumont

Martin had an errand to run in Beaumont, so we decided to make it an outing.  There is main street that has lots of antique shops with the little booths which all belong to different people.  There's gotta be a name for those, but I don't know it...  Anyway, Sarah helped me pick a couple of things. She seemed very determined that we would take these things home.  Who am I to argue?  She has great taste.

We found a child-sized rolling pin and a sweet goat bell.  I love the bright yellow paint and wee little scale of the rolling pin.  The bell is metal, and although it looks like it would be loud, it makes a nice little *ting ting* when rung.

From the top of the bell, you can still see the brassy/coppery color of the original metal.  I can almost hear it down in the meadow!  After shopping, we had the best Thai food!  What a lovely day! Thanks, Martin!

Fun stuff!

I find some of my best stuff when I go into a thrift store to make a donation.  Maybe I should just drop and run!  Anyway, I found some enamelware coffee pots and a pair of tiny wooden shoes at a shop in Sun City.

Kinda fun!  I'm thinking about mosaic-ing (is that a word?) the clogs, which are souvenirs from Holland.  I think they'll be adorable in the garden.  Not sure about the camp coffee pots yet, but that never stops me!  I have some ideas, I just have to narrow them down!

Martin and I went to a show with lots of vintage vendors and found more stuff.  The first thing was a silver over copper pot of some sort with a screw cap (lined with cork) on the end of a short spout. When we asked the vendor what it was, she said she'd tried to research it but still had no idea.

We got it for a steal and when I researched it, I found out it is a fancy-schmancy martini pitcher.  Of course, that is the last thing we need, but I will find a way to re-purpose it.  It was just too cute to leave behind.  We also got a few ridiculously charming old drawer pulls shaped like cherries.

I'm not sure why, but these remind me of my childhood.  They ring a vague, far-off bell, but I can't place where I might have seen them.  I love the hand-painted finish and the chippy, used patina.  So sweet!  Again, no concrete plans for these, I just knew I'd be sorry if I passed them by.

Well, that's all the "stuff" for this time.  I think I got pretty lucky with this latest batch!  What do you think, ladies?

Some beautiful finds

 Some really wonderful finds lately. Mostly pieces of art/home decor type things. I come across them and they're just so beautiful I can't pass them up! This beautiful hand created wood jewelry box was made by "Rich". I looked for it online and came across these, which are made in the UK. Not sure if that's where it's from but definitely inspired by it. I put some orange oil on it and it looks so lovely. The boxes are lined with a soft felt. I only paid $15 for it at the American Cancer Society Discovery Thrift shop in Rancho Bernardo. Love that place, so many beautiful things there and it goes to a good cause.

This beautiful and unique little metal hand painted peruvian looking horse I found at the local St Vincent de Paul's thrift shop. They don't have a store specific website (this shows all their stores, though), but here is their Yelp page. Never mind the bad ratings, I think it's a great store. I've always had nice, helpful volunteers helping me there and there's a wonderful selection, the store is clean, and nice product, also, nicely organized. Don't miss out back where they have patio furniture and other outdoor stuff. There's some other stores in the area, but I like this one best. Lots of great books, usually listed at 50% off. Their collector's books are quite pricey.
**correction, just remembered I got the horse at Deborah's Next o New consignment shop, more about that shop in another post

I think I found the above Kokopelli hand crafted & signed plate at Sally's. (Salvation Army Thrift shop) in Escondido. They've recently been having numerous 50% off sales as they tried to liquidate much of their stock before a remodel. They even had a 75% off, but I didn't make it down there. I recently also saw a Living Social coupon for the SA stores, so keep your eyes peeled, they're always having great deals!!!

This beautiful, hand carved walking stick I found when I was out and about with my mom in Murrieta. Found this at the Angel View Thrift shop out there. It's a wall decoration (has a hook on the back) but I rather like it as a walking and talking stick. We've been using it at our family meetings!  If you look close it has an alligator on it!

As you can see, I really love earthy, multi-cultural, colorful earthtone kind of pieces. Sometimes I get more practical things, like clothes or kitchen ware. But I love when I find unique artsy, craftsy type home decor items that I otherwise wouldn't spend the big bucks on.

Have a great weekend!!!


Mandy