The yard sales have been weak this year. In fact, last Friday looked like it was going to be another sad day, but near the end of our rounds we found an estate sale where I found this great Cathrineholm bowl and platter set in a lovely pale turquoise blue and these awesome Swedish mid-century modern trivets made of stainless steel by Gense. While the prices were more than I wanted to pay, Maddie talked me into getting them and I'm glad I did.
Pyrex -- three bowl sets all at one yard sale. (And I won't tell you the price because you might hate me. Let's just say that it was a *really* good deal.)
Not the best photo, but here are the things I picked up at yard sales over the weekend.
I spent a total of $4, and $3 of it was for this green Hull planter. I love these old planters and am always on the lookout for a few to add to my collection. This one was a good buy as the piece was in perfect condition and is a pretty good size.
This unmarked planter was not in perfect shape, but I couldn't resist the amazing decorations (or the 25¢ price).
The other items include a little FireKing sugar bowl minus the lid, a cute tomato glass which I'm assuming was a jelly jar, and a nice measuring cup. I collect measuring cups and this was the second one I found already this year.
So, I'm still hitting the sales, but the boxes of Pyrex and FireKing in the attic mean it's time I got started on filling my Etsy shop -- especially if I want to have room for new things!
So, Pete found out that our local auctioneer was having a multi-estate auction in an air-conditioned space today and we decided to check it out. While there were a few items and lots that I wanted to bid on, there was one in particular that I knew I had to have. It was an unassuming box full of pretty nasty, beat up pots and pans, but hidden in one corner was this beautiful Cathrineholm pot.
Now if you know me, you know that I absolutely love the color orange! I also love Danish Modern -- so I really wanted this. If anyone else at the auction knew anything about Cathrineholm, I figured I wouldn't get it since I've seen these same pots listed on etsy for over $100. Luck must have been on my side because I got the box for $12.50! (I'll be selling the other things in the lot at our yard sale, so I might almost break even.)
I was worried because the previous owner had written her initials on the pan and lid with a black marker, but a light cleaning with BonAmi (love the stuff!) took it right off.
Yeah!
I thought Friday was going to be a total loss. I was coming off a week of flu-like ick and I was pretty wiped out, but Maddie loves going to the garage sales, so we went. After only a couple of hours, I had found pretty much nothing and was ready to head home. On one of the last stops I found the pretty Town & Country Pyrex Casserole with lid. Love it! The mug is FireKing -- an Esso promo Tiger mug.
Over the weekend we didn't do a whole lot of anything as Pete came home after work with a nasty cold. Jurrasic Park was on TV Friday night and Maddie hadn't seen it, so we watched that. Then we rented Star Wars -- the original 1977 film -- since Maddie had never seen it either. There was also a brief trip to the library and a short trip to the park on Sunday...
Pete wore himself out and ended up napping when we came home, but it was nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful end of summer (yeah!) weather.
More vintage finds over at Thrift Share Monday!
I love pink Pyrex! Finally, after a rather long summer with very few vintage finds, I had a great thrifting day. First I found the two lovely, pink Gooseberry Pyrex bowls -- at only $3 for the set. This was a steal. I've seen a single bowl go for $20 and a set (of 4) go for $100, so I am very pleased. Not long after that, I found the cute, pink Daisy baking dish (for only 25¢!)
After that, anything was going to be icing on the cake. While I didn't find any more glass, I did grab these Tupperware trays in some amazing 70's colors. Then, near the end of the day, I found a beautiful marble pastry board. These can be pretty pricey so I was happy to find this one for $5 -- plus the lady I bought it from threw in a copy of Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin for free!
The marble slab was a super find because I just checked a book out from the library called Sugar Baby: Confections, Candies, Cakes & Other Delicious Recipes for Cooking with Sugar which is so awesome, that I am going to buy a copy for my cookbook library. In it, she recommends a marble board for use in making many of the candies in the book. Great timing!
Join in sharing your finds at Her Library Adventure!
This weekend I found some pretty sweet items while out thrifting -- the first being this Fiesta Metrokane Juicer. I knew nothing about it when I found it, but we juice a lot of lemons and limes in this house, and while my little vintage glass juicer works great, it is not very efficient. So when I saw this seriously heavy duty juicer -- that said Fiesta on the handle, no less -- I knew I wanted it. It was marked $5 and I asked if the price was firm. It was, but I bought it anyway.
When I got home and did a search, I found one this same color that sold on eBay for $130! I also discovered that you can still buy a Metrokane juicer -- although not in Fieata Ware colors -- for about $60.
Best of all, this thing looked like it had never once been used. I used it the same day I bought it and it worked like a charm, juicing a bunch of limes in no time at all.
This amazing framed poster also came home with me (for only $10) and I've already found a place for it. This is a poster issued by the Art Institute of Chicago which is a reproduction of the submission by Richard Yoshijiro Mine for the Chicago Tribune Tower competition in 1922.
I was an Architectural History minor in college and studied the competition, so I was happy to find this poster which is huge! (about 4 1/2" tall!) It does need new glass -- which will cost a small fortune due to the size -- but for $10, I think it's a steal.
As an aside -- Pete's cousin wrote a book on the Trib Tower Competition. Very cool!
More thrifty finds at Thrift Share Monday.
I love vintage FireKing and collect jadeite, but I love the milky white color they produced also. It may be difficult to see from this photo, but the glass is thin enough that the light shines through it beautifully, making the bowl glow.
So beautiful even after what was probably decades of use. I found this at an estate sale over the weekend for $5 and gladly brought it home with me.
See everyones finds over at Thrift Share Monday.
... is hot. Like ridiculous hot. Summer hot. 92º and climbing. (The heat and I are not friends.)
... I ate my first garden grown strawberry of 2011. Really, try growing them. They are *so* easy to grow and garden strawberries are like 1000 times more delicious than grocery store strawberries. I kid you not.
... the peonies are blooming and I am enjoying them while I can. In this heat they won't last long.
... Pete and Maddie stopped by a church rummage sale and brought home this little gem. I love Dala horses, and this is a sweet little piece. (Sverige means Sweden in Swedish.)
... I plan to have a cool drink and relax so I can (finally) get over this head cold.
This is only a (very) small selection of the things laying around the house that need to be sold. I'm going to shoot for 10 listings a day (be they Amazon, Etsy or eBay).
Wish me luck!
With the kitchen remodel, I've been unable to do much thrifting -- having to wait around for various workers to arrive, packages to be delivered, and such has left me with little free time to get out of the house. However, on Saturday, my husband came home from his early morning dentist appointment and mentioned that there was an estate sale literally a block from our house! I grabbed my coat, a little cash and flew out the door.
The sale was a bit weak, but I did find these odd little pieces of pottery. The one clearly looks like a creamer, but the other has a handle as if it were a mug, although I am assuming it is a sugar bowl without a lid. I picked them up because they were only 50¢ for the pair and they said Homer Laughlin on the bottom.
Homer Laughlin China Co., which is still in business, is probably best know for its Fiesta Dinnerware, which has been on my mind because I've been thinking about getting Fiestaware for the new kitchen.
I have no idea what pattern these little items could be even though I have searched quite a bit. Does anyone out there know anything about this pattern?
With all the noise and such around here, we've been trying to get out of the house now and then in order to remain sane. So on Friday Maddie and I headed out to Oswego for an estate sale. Although I found a couple things that I would have bought if the prices were a bit lower, I came home empty handed. However, Maddie, my thrifter in training, found something she could not leave behind -- an old Brunswick bowling pin.
I personally don't know anything about bowling collectibles, which was a good thing. As soon as she got home, she was on the internet doing research, just like I do when I bring treasures home. And regardless of how much it is worth, she really loves it -- which I think is the best judge of a vintage item's value.
Checkout out more treasures at Thrift Share Monday!
I'm joining ATG's Reseller's Listing Challenge for February. Sure, I'm in the middle of a major kitchen renovation and the house is a disaster, but there's no time like the present. Besides, I unearthed a lot of vintage kitchen goodness that needs to be photographed and listed when I was preparing for the house craziness. My Etsy shop is bare right now, but I'm hoping that will change in the next week before I have to check in with my progress report. This is just the motivation I need!
So Friday we pack up bright and early for a trip a few towns over where an estate sale is happening. I saw a Norwegian Strommen Bruk Hammar sewing cabinet in a photo they published to advertise the sale, so I was psyched! We got there an hour early, but there was no one around and no sign up sheet -- so off to grab coffee and then back to the sale. By that time they had a sign up sheet and I was like #10. At 9am they let people in -- randomly, not according to the sign up sheet, which is frustrating. We got in and I went on the hunt. To my dismay, I could not find the sewing cabinet anywhere. I asked some people working there and the woman who was running the sale claimed that she never advertised things for sale and then sold them beforehand. Another person working there said some neighbors were let in early and apparently one of them bought it. Grrrrrr.
So, on the way back home we stopped at a thrift shop, hoping the day wouldn't be a total loss, and I found this lovely little Frankoma teapot. Since it was only a couple bucks, I thought it was a great deal and it came home with me. I collect Frankoma, so this will most likely not be for resale, but it did feel like a consolation prize of sorts.
Check out Thrift Share Monday to see what other people found last week!
Despite the approaching winter -- which means no garage sales -- and a total lack of local estate sales last weekend, I was able to do a bit of thrifting. Maddie and I felt the need to get out of the house Friday, so we hit the local thrift stores, and once again had some luck at Goodwill. This gorgeous Pyrex piece in an oh so danish modern pattern -- called either "Square Flower" or "Verde" -- was 25% off, and in perfect condition, so it had to come home with me.
And I guess my love of vintage glass is rubbing off on the kid, because she purchased this set of milky teacups with her own money! I haven't been able to identify the maker or pattern, so if you have any ideas, please let me know!
The weather is getting colder, and the yard sales are few and far between. I hadn't been to the thrift shops lately, having had little luck at them over the summer, but I figured it was worth a shot. Goodwill actually had some things I wanted, and the prices were right. These Azurite cups are beautiful in person, but difficult to photograph -- a ghostly, pale blue that is almost translucent.
And then I found a Le Creuset enameled cast iron skillet for $3!! It's a little one, but would probably be about $80 new. How do I know it is Le Creuset?
Why, it has the Le Creuset symbol on the bottom!
And if you thrift too, you can share your finds at Apron Thrift Girl or Southern Hospitality!
Thrifting was pretty much limited to a local estate sale this past weekend. First of all it rained and was quite windy, which really cut down on the number of garage sales in the area. And secondly, we had to visit the hospital, as Maddie needed some tests. (We'll get the results this week hopefully. Fingers crossed.)
I did find a big bag full of old valentines. The newer ones are actually dated on the back -- 1952 & 1953 -- but the older ones are unmarked. I'm thinking they are from the 40's, but may date back to the 30's too. I have so many, that I'm sure some will end up in the etsy shop when I find time to get it set up.
I also found a Glasbake Lipton soup mug (which I haven't yet cleaned or photographed), and I'm really sorry they didn't have the whole set, since it seems that a complete set of 6 mugs can go for over $100! Will have to add these to my treasure hunting list.
And if you thrift too, you can share your finds at Apron Thrift Girl or Southern Hospitality!
I love this chair.
Just over a week ago, we were at an estate sale and I saw a mid century modern chair priced at $85. Not a bad price considering what they go for retail or on eBay. However, I wasn't willing to pay that much, so I put in a 1/2 price bid and waited to see if I would get the call. I didn't.
Fast forward one week. Maddie and I head out for our weekly thrifting adventure and at one of the first stops, I see this chair. Mid century modern & in decent shape -- no price. I walk up to the guy I think is running the sale and ask, waiting to hear $40 or $50 and trying to decide what I'm willing to offer. Then he yells over to his wife and she says... wait for it... $2! Yes. $2.
The guy was so nice and even helped me shove it into the back of the Fit. Now it is mine and I love it.
We also found a Nintendo N64 for $2 that day. Maddie was excited because she has started collecting vintage video games and gaming systems. (Ask her about her extensive Nintendo GameBoy collection!) We've passed these systems up at anywhere from $20 - $50. It pays to be patient!
And if you thrift too, you can share your finds at Apron Thrift Girl or Southern Hospitality!
The sales are starting to get thin around here, so we headed off to an estate sale this weekend and I found some pink pyrex. I bought this great set of Pink Pyrex refrigerator dishes for $12 which is more than I would usually pay, but they are for my collection, not resale, so I splurged. I'm kicking myself for leaving behind the set of three Pink Pyrex bowls, but at $20 they were a touch too pricey for me. We also left behind a Mid Century Modern chair -- apparently we were outbid as we did leave an offer, but never heard back.
And I forgot to post these photos of the Cathrineholm I found a few weeks ago. This baking dish is in pretty good condition.
The bowl is definitely in used condition, but I'm hoping it will clean up well. These will be for re-sale in the near future! I'm working on getting things cleaned, photographed and listed over on etsy and possibly eBay.
In fact, I've already started listing books over at Amazon and have had three sell in a short period of time. I'm so happy with how that is going, that I'm starting to think this whole "vintage reseller" thing might just work! Wish me luck!
And if you thrift too, you can share your finds at Apron Thrift Girl or Southern Hospitality!
Another weak thrifting weekend, but there were some treasures to be found. I think the best find was this Vintage Kodak Hawkeye Brownie camera -- complete in the box which was in pristine condition. Pete was going to walk away from it, but I knew he wanted it, so I bought it for him.
For myself, I got my first Giswold cast iron -- a No. 8 Tite Top Dutch Oven complete with lid and bale. It was a steal at $10 and I can't wait to use it.
We are recovering from a lack of A/C (now fixed), a funeral (now past) and a summer cold (which I haven't gotten yet -- fingers crossed, but Pete is hopefully almost done with), not to mention the ceiling repairs -- which are going well but leaving the house a bit discombobulated.
I am *so* looking forward to September and longing to put August behind me.
Finally! Thrifting this summer has been a little slow for me -- a good find here and there, but I have to go to *so many* sales to find those rare gems. Today everything clicked though, and right from the start I was finding things I loved.
Here's what I found: flamingo pink and lime green Pyrex cake pans, Pyrex turquoise snowflake baking dish with lid, two Fiesta mini pitchers, a Haeger planter, a Hawkeye picnic basket with riser, the 1965 Betty Crocker New Cook Book in ridiculously good condition, a Wagnerware cast iron "Bacon and Eggs" breakfast pan and a pretty glass pitcher of unknown origin that I plan to fill with margaritas at some point this weekend.
And best of all -- I think all of this totaled about $12.
Maddie actually had a much better thrifting day than me -- there was Pokemon everywhere we went! She got cards, action figures, old Pokemon guide books and even a Pokemon DS game (for $2.50, which is such a steal!) In addition to all that, she found the last two Judy Blume books in the series she has been reading. And yes, she pays for all the things she gets with her own money. We do give her a $2 a week allowance since she is very good about helping around the house. Sine she has very limited funds, she is a fierce haggler -- often asking for a 2 for 1 deal or some such thing. I love it!
I found this cute Pyrex cream and sugar -- with the lid which is awfully rare to find -- for a whopping 50¢. The books and Martha Stewart special holiday issue were a late in the day find. I always liked Susan Branch's illustrated cookbooks, so I couldn't pass up the lot at $2.50.
I suppose I need to start selling some of my Pyrex at some point, but I don't feel like I've maxed out my collection quite yet. I may start listing a few things though, as my cupboards are filling up and there are some sets that I use all the time (love my yellow princess bowl set!) and some that sit in the cabinets.
Do you resell things you find thrifting? If so, is eBay still the way to go? I'm very curious to hear some opinions.
Maddie and I hit the garage sales, as we like to do each Friday morning. I found this excellent blue polka dot Pyrex bowl for only 50¢ and Maddie found a couple books and a Pokemon game of some sort. I passed on a Wagner cast iron corn bread pan, but I may have to go back tomorrow and try to make a deal (if it is still there!)
Then home and out into the crazy heat to harvest some goodies from the garden. The green beans have been ripening like mad, the strawberries are hanging in there and I could have picked twice as many peppers. The jalapenos are plump and fragrant this year and my kitchen smells quite peppery.
I also bought a half dozen ears of corn from the local farmstand, so I'm thinking stuffed jalapenos, boiled sweet corn and a side of green beans with a fresh made margarita on the side, perhaps? Now if I could just get my tomatoes to ripen...
Where to start? This past weekend was filled with activities -- celebrating our 11 year wedding anniversary, attending an auction, doing lots of yard work, visiting the farmers market and making jam.
The auction we attended was quite unusual. Instead of an estate auction, it was a charity auction to raise funds for the Cathedral Area Preservation Association (which is the neighborhood in which we live), and as such was a collection of donated items. One woman had donated a huge portion of her dollhouse collection -- there had to be about 50 dollhouses plus many boxes of dollhouse furniture. Maddie fell in love with this little cutie and it was a steal at only $6! Some of the houses were going for over $100, so I believe we were lucky.
We also ended up bidding on some furniture, which was grouped with a second box and went for $6. So now she has more than enough to furnish both of her dollhouses and many extras, which will be sold at our yard sale this summer.
Don't aks me how, but I ended up bringing home a box which included 4 place settings of Dansk Maribo dishes. They were going for $1.00 for the entire box! Is that insane, or what? The box also included a butter tray (which it turns out might be pricey) and a sugar and creamer set in the Lenox Chinastone For the Blue Pinstripe pattern. I'm thinking I may resell these.
And while we didn't win the box lot that included this gem (it was boxed with an air mattress and pump), we were able to purchase it from the winner for a buck. Yes, an old fashioned pencil sharpener. I had been looking for one of these for a while and this one was brand new in the original box.
More on jam making and book reading soon!
Every Friday in the summer, Maddie & I hit the streets and scour the yard sales for goodies. I can't tell you how many books we've gotten for 25¢ or 50¢, and occasionally we find unexpected treasures. Today I found this great little Harrisville LapLoom for 10¢ (It's $20 new), as well as some old, Japanese oil pastels...
...which the elderly gentleman wanted to give me for free. (I also bought an activity book for Maddie and made him take 50¢ for the lot.) Such deals!
At another sale I found a pink pyrex pie plate for 50¢ and a great big bowl for $1. I actually already have one of these huge aluminum bowls which I got from my MIL, but my Mom was eyeing it, so when I saw this one at the sale I had to get it for her.
Lots of fun treasure hunting and some useful purchases, all while spending time with Maddie. This is a tradition I'm glad we started.
(BTW, Maddie got 5 books, two Pokemon figures and a seashell -- all with her own money.)
Last Friday on our weekly thrifting trip, I found this big electric roaster marked $8 at a garage sale. I found 2 books at this sale too and offered $5 for all three, so I'm calling this a $4 roaster. As you can see, I brought it home, pulled out the dye stock solutions that I haven't used in years and found a hunk of fiber.
As I mentioned, the dye solutions were quite old and I didn't expect them to work very well, hence the pale fiber. In addition, a bit of dye came off on my hands when I spun it. Despite that issue, the roaster worked like a charm and I love dyeing outside because there are no fumes to contend with.
Photos of the spun up yarn soon.
Each year as the garage/yard sale season starts, I try to decide what I will hunt for that season. Last year was the year of Pyrex & Shiny Brite ornaments. I'm starting out this year looking for Jadeite and weaving items.
Last Friday I stumbled upon a garage sale being thrown by a couple of collectors -- and it was awesome. Never before have I been to a yard sale like this one, I tell ya! I found some gorgeous Fire King Jadeite -- a big-ish spouted mixing bowl as well as a bunch of bowls that will be perfect for cereal, ice cream or snacks.
And while I normally collect Frankoma with the green glaze, I couldn't pass up these mugs and plates with the yellow glaze (at only $2 for the lot!) We've already used the plates and Pete has been drinking his Americanos using the mugs. Pretty and useful -- my favorite type of collectible.
And how could I resist this nice piece of Pyrex with a lid and in perfect condition. I'm always looking for lidded Pyrex because I can't stand keeping leftovers in plastic containers. Another functional piece.
If this is what one of the first weekends of thrifting for this year holds, I can't wait for the rest of the season!
So a while back -- maybe 6 months or more -- I became obsessed with flower looms. I hunt for them at yard sales and estate sales and watch them on eBay. And I finally did find that little loom on the left -- a Studio Twelve Flower Loom -- at a yard sale for $1. Then I discovered the Hanaami Flower loom from that most awesome of crafting gadget makers -- Clover. I finally broke down and purchased one through eBay and I have to say it's a fun little toy.
It's like all the old 70's flower looms rolled into one. There are 6 different shapes that you can snap in and use together or separately -- nifty!
You can use yarn, ribbon or whatever (wire? pipe cleaners? hmmm. . .) but it's awfully fun to use vintage ribbon straw and I scored a bag full of tons of colors from Cathy of California's etsy shop. Speaking of her shop -- here are some links to get you started with making flowers of your own!
Tutorials & Info on flower looms:
Have other flower loom sources? Please leave them in the comments -- I'd love to check them out!
Garage Sale season is coming to an end, so Maddie and I took advantage of the absolutely gorgeous weather today and hit the road. It was a pretty successful day really. I left with $16 in my pocket and came home with $10.
Since my photo is pretty bad, I'll tell you what I found. First up was that set of blue pressed glass, footed glasses. They were pretty and cheap, and I have a weakness for pressed glass, so they came home with me. Then there was the Lodge cast iron pan -- at only $3, I couldn't resist. New it would be $30 (plus a fortune in shipping charges I'm sure since this thing weighs a TON!) At another sale I picked up the Polaroid camera on a whim as Maddie hasn't ever seen one. I hear that Polaroid isn't going to make the film anymore, but Amazon has some in stock
Speaking of Pyrex. . . I may have a bit of a problem. This is a picture of my Pyrex haul from the last couple weeks. Yikes!
I'm thinking the answer to that question is -- no. However, Pete mentioned that I have such a knack for finding it that maybe I should start selling it. Is this a hint? Hmmmm. . .
At any rate, I bought a box full of pyrex at an estate auction this morning. And that Fire King in the back -- well I got it for free! I lost a lot that included the Fire King piece and some old cookie cutters (along with other junk) and this other woman -- who had outbid me on several lots -- ran after me to ask what I wanted in the lot as she only wanted the cookie cutters. Wasn't that nice?!
I also won this pink metal cart ($8!) which is in excellent condition. Bambi -- an older lady who lived next door to us growing up and was, for all intents and purposes, our adopted grandma -- had a cart like this in her kitchen. I couldn't resist it and it does fit nicely in the corner of the office. Although I'm thinking it looks a bit cramped. I'll keep it there for a while and see how I feel in a couple days.
And I couldn't resist a box of Christmas stuff -- mostly glass ornaments. I did find these little cardboard houses -- Putz is what they are calling them on eBay. I know nothing about such things, but decided to list them on eBay in case anyone loves them and will give them a good home. Starting bid is only $.99. If they are your type of thing, the listing is here.
We went to an estate auction this weekend -- not very far from where we live actually. It was so much fun to look at all of the lots and easy to get caught up in the excitement and bid on crazy stuff (none of which I won -- thankfully!). However, I did get to bring home these great buttons. There are definitely some bakelite and other early plastics in there. I pulled out some of my favorites on left.
And here's one of the other green things I mentioned. I actually won 2 of these for the bargain price of $5 -- for both! I moved all the drawers filled with nails and screws and other crazy stuff into one cabinet and gave it to Pete and kept this one for myself. I figured it would be perfect for little crafty things and it's quite sturdy, being made of enameled metal.
More green tomorrow!
Garage Sale Friday was not bad. The weather here was cooler than it has been recently and I found some pyrex -- which always makes me happy! This time it was the Green Crazy Daisy nesting Bowls and a glass pitcher to match.
After a morning of thrifting, Maddie & I stopped at the farmer's market and I picked up some nice veggies, including pickling cucumbers. (Which resulted in much craziness involving buying more canning jars and such.) Then I made up some dill pickles! I'm looking forward to trying them in a day or two as they are refrigerator pickles and should be ready fairly soon.
More green form today (a trip to an auction and one of my "crazy projects") but no photos yet, so more on that in a day or two. And if the pickles turn out well, I'll post the recipe.
Maddie and I hit the garage sales this morning and I had more luck than I've had in quite some time -- well, besides last week, but that included an estate sale which is a whole different thing. Today was just garage sales, but some pretty good ones for a change.
That Danish Handcraft Guild Christmas book (ISBN 0684159759) is in excellent condition and includes some nice Scandinavian designs and at about $.15 it was a steal, as was the charted folk designs booklet.
And I couldn't resist these Hull and McCoy planters at $8.00 for the lot. I especially like the olive colored one in back. . .
which, as you can see here, has a pretty embossed floral design. It says Hull F79 on the bottom, but I can't find any info on this design online.
There was also a little Hazel Atlas glass measuring cup -- glass measuring cups being one of my obsessions this year -- and more glass ornaments. Did I mention that I already bought a *huge* box of Shiny Brites earlier this year? Well, here are even more -- some Shiny Brites and some unmarked. Now I have to try to clean them up which I hear is near impossible. I found some info on cleaning them here and here. Wish me luck!
Thrifting went much better this weekend than it has in ages. I got a pyrex bowl for 25 cents -- like this one but without a lid. That was on Friday -- the day that Maddie and I like to hit the garage sales. Then on Saturday we took Pete along for more garage sale-ing and I spotted this punch bowl set all boxed up. This is actually the second time I found a set all boxed up. The first being the set of ice cream dishes I found last summer. While I located some information on those, I haven't been able to find out anything about this punch bowl.
Sunday was supposed to include more treasure hunting via a trip to the Sandwich Antique Fair, but Maddie got some blisters on her feet from her new shoes and we knew there would be no walking happening today. So instead, despite the beautiful weather, we decided to go see a movie -- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It was so good! Harrison is still looking hot and the movie was full of excitement. Nothing deep -- just a good old fashioned movie.
***UPDATE***
It turns out that the punch bowl set is by Jeanette Glass and is the "Feather" pattern. It looks like it would cost $208 to replace the set, so I think I got a pretty good deal having paid only $5!
Last weekend I found some time to stitch together the strips for my coins quilt -- paying special attention to the seam allowances. Despite my best efforts and the use of a 1/2 in. foot on my machine, my final strips are 1 in. too long! Each step along the way I measured and adjusted and re-measured. A little math explains the difference -- there are 26 pieces in each strip for a total of 25 seams. So each seam is off by only .04 inches. I suppose no matter how well I measured, this small difference was bound to go undetected. And I can't really determine if the difference was in the cutting or the sewing.
At least I can take solace in the fact that all of the three strips are the same size. So I'll just have to cut the middle strips and side borders one inch longer.
Here's my question to all experienced quilters out there. Is this acceptable? Or should I be worried about this 1 inch difference? In the end, I guess the simple fact is that I really did try to get the seams exact and I was still off, so I probably have to live with it.
In other news, thrifting season has begun! While there haven't been too many garage sales yet, the church rummage sales are in full swing and today I picked up these sweaters for $1 each. Two are cashmere and the other is 100% wool. Combined with some thrifted sweaters I got last summer and the bag of colorful scraps I purchased from Betz, I'm ready to try out some projects from Warm Fuzzies
There are a few more sales tomorrow, so we'll see what they bring. Last weekend I missed out on 2 looms at a church sale -- and we arrived only shortly after the sale began. Tomorrow we're getting up bright and early!
On Friday Pete took the day off of work because we were driving down to Champaign for the U of I game, so he was able to join Maddie and I on our weekly garage sale expedition. Every Friday we get up, head out the door and hit the yard sales, stopping for junk food and coffee as needed. Maddie loves it and always looks forward to Fridays.
This week was pretty good. I got this great, vintage Hawkeye picnic basket (made in Burlington, Iowa) for only $4. What a bargain! It still has it's hanging shelf inside and is big enough to hold a whole bunch of things.
As you can see, the cats had to get in on the photo shoot. First Spike walked in. . . then Mud had to see what all the excitement was about. They don't prefer hanging out with each other all that much though, so Mud made a swift exit.
Leaving the adorable, yet constantly befuddled Spiker to pose with the basket.
I also picked up a little "Weave Easy Hand Loom" for only 25 cents. It was complete with the original box and directions, so I'll have to try it out and report back.
Last week I washed a bunch of my buttons. I picked up a huge bag of them a couple weekends ago while we were out antiquing and they were pretty filthy, so I figured it was a good time to collect the buttons I had stashed here and there and give them a bath. I filled a shallow container with warm water and a dot of dish soap and let them sit for a while, then I scrubbed them a bit with an old toothbrush and laid them out to dry. The water was very dingy, so I think the bath was a good idea.
Last weekend we went to my favorite antique show -- Sandwich -- and I picked up a few more old canning jars. I love the ones with the glass lids. And now I have a pretty way to organize my buttons. I'm all about organization because this week I'm moving out of my office so that the remodel can begin -- forget that I have no workers lined up, no cabinets picked out and nothing in the works. Once I'm all moved out and shoved in the spare bedroom with all kinds of things, I'm sure the fire will be lit underneath me and things will get rolling! Wish me luck!
Well, the drought has ended. It seem like the last month was just terrible for garage sale-ing. Rain, storms, lack of sales -- you name it. Maddie picked up a few books, but that was the extent of it. Today it all changed! I stumbled across all this Frankoma at one sale. The woman who was selling it was a Frankoma collector and said she had picked up pieces here and there -- mostly at thrift stores. She was selling each piece for only $1. So $5 got me this great haul -- a canister (without lid, but not a problem since I want it to hold craft tools in my office), two different creamers and a couple of mugs. Sadly, one mug has a crack, but I still love them.
At the same house we found this little demitasse set -- Maddie had to have it and at $3 it was a pretty good deal. They had it marked $5, but I could tell it wasn't old because of the box and they were willing to bargain (I love that).
Now this may be the deal of the day -- a big stack of old postcards and greeting cards for $2. Quite a few of the postcards were actually mailed, so I have postmarks to date them by -- 1909, 1910, 1916! It looks like whomever owned these was a collector because prices are written in pencil on the back of about 1/2 of them. Considering they were purchased for for anywhere between $.25 and $3.50 each, I would say paying $2 for the stack was great luck!
Not too bad for one morning. I'm so glad things are improving, I was starting to lose hope!
Okay, before I tell you about my great weekend thrifting/antiquing I have to tell you about my little accident. Last night I was obviously not thinking clearly. Pete was in the spare room and had a new dress shirt in his hands. I asked him what he was doing and he started to say something about ironing. I figured he had just gone in the room and the iron WAS NOT ON YET -- and I grabbed it. See there is all this muck on it from my crafting and I wanted to let him know we should try to clean it or scrape it off before he ironed his new shirt. At any rate, my thumb hit full force on the bottom of the VERY HOT iron -- I immediately dropped it (thankfully not hurting anyone else, or hurting myself even more) -- and I spent the rest of the night with my hand in a bowl of ice water and then held above my head (if I lowered it it burned and throbbed). Today it is much better -- luckily it was the inside (palm side?) of the thumb where the skin is thicker.
Man, I feel stupid.
Okay, on to the thrifting!! Maddie and I go to garage sales every Friday morning. It's a fun new ritual that has yielded quite a few treasures. We can always find her a book or two for some change -- which makes her happy -- and I usually find something fun before the day is out. This Friday I found a complete set of Jeanette Glass ice cream dishes! There are 4 milkshake/soda glasses, 4 banana split dishes and 4 footed sundae cups. (The sundae cups have been getting a major workout since I made homemade ice cream earlier this week so they are all in the dishwasher right now and not in the photo.) And the cool thing is that all 12 dishes were purchased for only $4!! I love garage sales!
Then Saturday was Sandwich Antique Fair -- and as any thrifter/antiquer in the Chicago area will tell you, this is a great place! We try to get there at least twice a year. You can find everything from furniture to dishes and just about anything else you can think of (or not even imagine!) Many dealers specialize which is also nice. There are some vendors that we go back to again and again.
I found a couple of bargains. First was the basket full of wooden spools -- I snapped it up for $10. Besides little thread spools, there are larger bobbins and itty bitty silk spools. I'm going to have fun putting my trims on some of these and doing something crafty with the rest. I also got that nice pile of fabric for only $2. I couldn't resist the folk-ish print at the top, or the nice green/red/gold print below it -- plus there are lots of other pieces and scraps too.
Other than that, I'm trying to finish Book 6 and I'm getting close! By this weekend I might be able to start on the final book. The rest of my time has been taken up with the work -- the new Fall & Winter rubber stamps are already coming out -- and the charity golf outing in my Dad's name. July is always crazy busy!
I've been looking for one of these for awhile now. No luck at garage sales and eBay prices were a bit too much -- especially after you calculate shipping . So this weekend when we made a trek out to Sandwich, IL for the Sandwich Antiques Market, I had it in the back of my mind to keep a sharp lookout. Lo and behold near the end of the day I found one (maybe Pete spotted it first -- although he didn't quite know what it was before this, so I'm not sure.) The price was *so* right -- and Pete didn't mind hauling it all the way back to the car -- so now it's mine!! I *love* it!
Here's what I know about it -- it is a Stommen Bruk Hamar sewing cabinet made in Norway. Here's the sticker inside the lid:
And here's what it looks like opened:
I don't know that much about these sewing cabinets, but the seller thought it was probably from the 50's. She got it at an estate sale. The web is surprisingly devoid of information about these cabinets. If anyone knows anything about them or the company that made them, I'd love to know more!
Right now Pete is between jobs (although not for long -- yeah!!) and we've been trying to enjoy his "time off". One thing that we've been having fun with is garage sale-ing. For the last two Friday mornings we have hopped in the car as early as we can get ourselves out of bed, stopped for some coffee and gone off to the sales. There have been quite a few in the area and some treasures have come home with us.
Up first is a really nice enamel box (that is until I dropped it on our tile countertop and chipped the enamel off one corner -- c'est la vie -- at least it was only 50 cents.) And this Pyrex dish had to come home with me for only $1.00. Maddie also got an old toy phone at this stop -- they gave it to her for free -- sorry no photo.
At another yard sale I picked up this fabric. I love the cursive writing one! They had big bins of fabric and were selling each piece for only 25 cents. Great deal!
Today this trio of cross stitched gingham aprons had to come home with me. I can hardly ever resist aprons at garage sales -- they are always so inexpensive! Here is the detail on my favorite of the three:
You can see the hand stitching on the backside of the apron -- I think almost the whole thing was made by hand.
Some books were also purchased at 25 cents each (Night
Even with the $15 camera, I don't think we spent over $20 all together. Not bad for two full mornings of fun! We're very happy that Pete has a new job, but sad that our short-lived Friday morning ritual is coming to an end.
So, after Pete & Maddie had seen about as many sheep and bits of yarn and fiber as they could handle, we headed out to see what Allegan, MI had to offer in the way of antique shops. The first shop we entered left me happy as a clam as there was a booth filled with all kinds of buttons. I ended up spending much more than I thought I would on buttons that day, but getting what I think was a *very* good deal on an instant bakelite button collection. I even got an added bonus of three little bags of my favorites -- colorful floral plastics.
There's something about the bakelite that is hard to resist -- I think it's the patina. And my absolute favorite of the bunch? This one:
And another picture, to try and give you a better idea of the color:
So now I fancy myself a button collector. Pete is happy -- buttons are after all, quite small! I've got these books on order at the library:
Do any button collectors out there know of any other button books I should read? Or any button collecting websites?
What a busy weekend! On Friday, Maddie & I headed out early and went to the Joliet Farmer's Market to pick up some fresh fruit. I got some lovely peaches and blueberries -- fresh from Michigan. Then we hit Starbucks and any yard sale we could find on the way back home. All we found was an old copy of Richard Scarry's Going Places for only 25 cents which Maddie thought was a very funny book! Friday night I pulled out my King Arthur Baking Book and made a peach cobbler, which was really yummy! So far that book hasn't let me down.
Saturday morning found Theresa, Bonne Marie & I at Stitches Midwest. I think one of my favorite booths was Habu, where I picked up this orange, slubby 100% silk. They only had 4 cute little balls/bails -- whatever you want to call them. I love them because they are neat little center pull balls and they have a nice piece of tissue in the middle that you pull to get the starting thread out. How clever!
But I digress. . . So they had 4 balls in this perfect orange color and I decided that I'd just make a shrug. So far I swatched and the texture is quite nice due to the slubs. Hmmm. . .
My other favorite booth was the ribbon & button booth -- Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods in RI -- where I got this super-cute linen ribbon. It's a japanese import and it cost way too much, but I had to have a yard of it. She also had lots of vintage buttons that were not matching but went well together and were carded together. Not sure I'm explaining this well at all, but they were so wonderful! I could have just spent the day in this booth.
And since I was thinking of buttons, I took a picture of the buttons I got from Goodwill a few weeks ago for 99 cents. They were all taped up in a bag and you couldn't see what was inside, but I figured I couldn't go wrong for that price!
Sunday was spent at the river for my sister's birthday. The water was wild! We took my mom's boat up the river to a restaurant and just had a nice afternoon, but everyone was exhausted from their various weekend activities so we weren't a very lively bunch.
This week is for organizing. My office is a mess and it's time to take control!
On Sunday we went to the Sandwich Antiques Market and had a really lovely day. It was sunny and pretty warm, although a bit windy. The only complaint I have is that I woke up with a sore throat (no surprise since I went to bed with a sore throat). I *really* wanted to get out and go to Sandwich though, so I pretended that I wasn't really sick. (I was.)
Sandwich runs monthly starting in April and ending in October and it's our favorite show in the area. We have a favorite furniture guy who is always there ( Mike's Antique's) and there are always quality things -- mostly at reasonable prices. The dealers will almost always come down a little on price, so you feel like you've gotten a deal. And there is a pita vendor, so you don't have to eat greasy carnival fare. (Maddie also loves the "mother/daughter potty" -- yes, a stall with a regular and mini potty.)
So anyway, armed with a packet of tissues and a real hand squeezed lemonade we searched the booths. I found the lovely Frankoma leaf dish (pictured above) in my favorite glaze. This is my second piece of Frankoma, so I almost feel like I'm becoming a bit of a collector at this point. (Here's the first Frankoma piece I bought.)
I also had the great luck to find some cute plastic buttons -- the one thing I actually set out to look for. I wish I had a better picture, but it's cloudy here and to tell you the truth, I'm sick, so I really can't be bothered to make the effort to get out the tripod and find decent lighting and all that at the present time.
I saw so many quilts at the show Sunday! Quilts in all states of disrepair and quilt tops, gorgeous, well-preserved quilts and quilt squares that were never assembled. It was a gold mine! I behaved myself though. There was one quilt I would have loved to photograph, but I was camera-less. It was an "Eagle Quilt" from the late 1900's -- something that I had never heard of. Apparently they are quite rare. This dealer was friendly and willing to chat a bit about the quilt. She said that this was the first one she had ever acquired in her many years of quilt dealing. I couldn't really find much info on the web about the Eagle Quilts. There is a picture of one at the top of this site that will give you an idea. The dealer held the quilt up to the light so I could see the cotton inside the quilt which was not run through a cotton gin! You could still see the seeds and bits of VM -- cool! (This quilt, btw, was priced at over $1,200. Quite rare indeed!)
So, I had a good day despite the cold, but once I stopped moving I collapsed and I've been feeling pretty crummy since. The hot tea has been doing wonders though. And better to get sick now then a few days before MS&W, right?
Must go lie down. Writing this post wore me out. . .
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