A Few Thrifty Finds

Ok, anyone still out there? I have been MIA for only 2 months or so! If you are still reading this, thank you!

I was cleaning/sorting my vintage and thrifty junk finds, and I was struck with the need to capture photos a few of my recent treasures.

I found this sweet little set of 4 pink glass dessert plates for $2.00. The cutie-pie grapefruit pincushion is an etsy find from a year or two ago. The store is SeaPinks and it has the most adorable offerings for handmade felt pin cushions.

This little wall hanging I found so sweet. It has 2 to 4 layers to create a dimensional effect. Even the little bee and flowers have an extra layer. 

This was intended to show the details, but it was difficult to get closer without reflecting off the glass. I also have a thing for velvety ribbon, so this little piece totally charmed me.

This find was at a random stop for an estate sale sign. The ladies running the sale were making great deals on everything because the sale was thrown together very last minute by the homeowners. And, sadly, the house smelled like cats had been living there without people. Yuck! There were lots of diamonds in the rough, but nothing worth bringing home with that smell.

I did pick up a pewter water  pitcher and the ladies through this book in for free when I picked it up (it does not smell, thank goodness - except for that old book smell). It may not look like much to anyone else - other than a vintage children's book. But to me it is a childhood memory. My grandparents had us over every Sunday for dinner. They had remnants of toys and books from my mom and her siblings. Not a lot, but back then we made due with our imaginations and the front yard.

In the old books my grandparents kept was a set of Peanuts books from the early 60's, this one included. The books had very retro covers with bright bold pages inside. In this one, each new page started with "Happiness is...". Similar to our imaginations, the list was all very simple things, like a warm puppy, a thumb and a blanket, and playing with friends. So simple, and so true.

And my last item of the day~ I almost fell over when I saw this beauty. It was working perfectly as a display stand for some vintage gloves, jewelry and odds and ends. A four-tiered silver-plated server. I assumed that it was NFS, but was so pleasantly surprised that it had a price tag - a very reasonable price tag. It could use a good cleaning, but I love it just the way I found it, too, with all its patina. I need to decide what to use it for first. Wouldn't this be great to hold craft supplies on a desk?

I hope to be posting more frequently! But life as a momma bear can be pretty darn unpredictable.

Until then... Happy junking treasure hunting!

Camera Crazy

I may have mentioned before that one of my ever growing list of items I collect is vintage cameras. I like to find cameras that have great old typography and design. Giant flash bulbs are a sure bet with me, too. :)

And every once and a while an item comes along that just stuns you. That happened to me on Saturday. I know that cameras are just things. And I shouldn't be coveting things. I should be treasuring moments. But I think one of my reasons for loving and collecting cameras is the treasured memories that they capture.

In these digital days, we take photos and delete the unpleasant ones. Back in the day, there was no delete. And it was always a surprise what would come back from the film. The few photos that our grandparents had of their parents, family and their childhoods were rare and treasured keepsakes.

Blah, blah, blah... On to my point! I found an antique Kodak camera that floored me. Honestly, I think my jaw hit the floor when I opened up this gem packed away in a tattered black box.

It even included the instruction booklet! Squeal! 

And thank goodness it did. I was able to open the back (the film opening) and see the accordion-style camera lens, but couldn't open the front. No matter, I decided. I would figure it out. The instruction book showed me exactly how to open it and slide out the lens.

I love it! It is open and being displayed with my family photos, like all my other vintage cameras.

Did I mention how much I loved the typography and lines? :)

I like to imagine what photos this camera captured. Oh, and look at that - yes, I could clean it, but that is just my favorite color!

How about you? Have you found any special additions to your collections lately? I'd love to know!

Happy Monday!

Sometimes I link up with the following fabulous linky parties: The 36th Avenue, A Ruffled Nest, At the Picket Fence, Atkinson Drive, Be Different Act Normal,Between Naps on the Porch, Beyond the Picket Fence, Blissful & Domestic, Bowdabra Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, The Chicken Chick, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, The Cottage Market, Country Momma Cooks, Crystal & Co (The Mommy Club), The Dedicated House, DIY Show Off, Do Small Things With Love, Elizabeth & Co., Embracing Change, Faded Charm, Family Every After, The Farmhouse Porch, Finding Fabulous, Fine Craft Guild, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Free Pretty Things!, French Country Cottage, Fresh Eggs Daily, Ginger Snap Crafts, Happy Hour Projects, High Heels and Grills, Home stories AtoZ, House of Hepworths, Hubby Made Me, I Heart Naptime, Lil' Luna, Ladybird Ln, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Little Becky Homecky, Mandatory Mooch, Milk & Cuddles, Mod Vintage Life, My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Nap Time Crafters, Nifty Thrifty Things, Not Just a Housewife, One More Time, Project Inspire, Primp Your Stuff, Redoux, Rooted in Thyme, Savvy Southern Style, Shabby Art Boutique, Simple Home Life, Six Sisters' Stuff, Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Stuff and Nonsense, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, Timewashed, Tip Junkie, Twigg Studios, Uncommon Designs, Under the Table & Dreaming, The Vintage Farmhouse, Western Warmth, ...

Thrifty Find: Royal Kent China

I just found a gorgeous set of Royal Kent china at Goodwill this week. I couldn't pass up such beautiful and classic china for the price. I got 54 pieces for $28.00! I just think it is crazy the amount of quality that can be found for so little money. 

It inspired me to start getting ready for hosting Thanksgiving dinner. This is an old bookcase that I use for extra surface in my dining room when we host a lot of people. It's one of those pieces that you've had forever and you don't LOVE it, but it's practical. 

{Please excuse the photos, the weather has been overcast around here all week. And I do not like using flash at all. So, I did my best with natural light and brightened them up a touch in photoshop.}

Told you it was dark outside (this was mid-day, too!) I threw in a few pumpkins for color. I adore white pumpkins, but unfortunately, our local farmers did not have a plentiful crop this year. The handful I picked up have mostly rotted by now, with the exception of the two shown here.

Normally, I am not a very gold kind of girl. Silver, preferably antique, is my thing. But the gold rim was so pretty on this set. Not heavy or overpowering.

Is it just me, or do these photos with the pumpkins look like something from a 1980's Better Homes & Garden magazine shoot? 

Not for their styling or expert photography - hee hee - but for their coloring {soft and washed out}. 

A few pieces from the set were missing, which doesn't bother me a bit. But there were 8 berry bowls. I love berry bowls! These would be perfect for holding jewelry on a vanity. Very shabby chic.

I didn't find the cream and sugar pieces for the set, so I added some mismatched ironstone to the display. I prefer my ironstone as mix and match actually. 

I used a small collection of vintage doilies as a makeshift runner. I'm still not feeling 100% yet, so this is as far as I have gotten with my inspiration I mentioned in my last post about decorating with doilies. :)

The set I found included 8 demitasse cups and saucers. I love teacups, but demitasse teacups are so stinkin' precious! This pattern is so dainty, that the diminutive size makes it so much more pronounced.

This photo is much larger than actual size, but it shows more detail of the pretty raised scrolls. Whether you prefer tea or coffee, this cup requires pinkies in the air. Wouldn't you agree?

Funny thing - I realized after I set it all up and snapped a few quick photos, that I was less concerned about my 3 year old breaking anything - and more concerned about the dog licking the plates on the lower shelves! Agh! So, they are now stacked on the top until turkey day arrives.

Further inspiring my doily obsession was this beautiful glass platter I also found at Goodwill. Look at that intricate white doily pattern! And the gold trim works perfectly with my new-old china! As I was paying, the clerk at Goodwill said to me, "Wow, you came in on the right day!"

Yes, ma'am. Yes, I did. :)

Have you had any great thrifty finds lately? Or a new inspiration to get you started on your holiday decorating?

Sometimes I link up with the following fabulous linky parties: The 36th Avenue, A Ruffled Nest, At the Picket Fence, Atkinson Drive, Be Different Act Normal, Between Naps of the Porch, Beyond the Picket Fence, Blissful & Domestic, Bowdabra Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, Country Momma Cooks, Crystal & Co (The Mommy Club), The Dedicated House, DIY Show Off, Elizabeth & Co., Embracing Change, Faded Charm, Family Every After, The Farmhouse Porch, Finding Fabulous, Fine Craft Guild, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Free Pretty Things!, French Country Cottage, Ginger Snap Crafts, High Heels and Grills, Home stories AtoZ, House of Hepworths, I Heart Naptime, Lil' Luna, Ladybird Ln, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Little Becky Homecky, Mandatory Mooch, Milk & Cuddles, Mod Vintage Life, My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Nap Time Crafters, The Nature of Grace, Nifty Thrifty Things, Not Just a Housewife, One More Time, Primp Your Stuff, Redoux, Savvy Southern Style, Shabby Art Boutique, Simple Home Life, Six Sisters' Stuff, Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Stone Gable, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, Timewashed, Tip Junkie, Twigg Studios, Uncommon Designs, Under the Table & Dreaming, The Vintage Farmhouse, ...

My Favorite Finds: Garage Sales

Along with several Hot Wheels and random trinkets my kids picked up over the summer, I found a great variety of treasures at garage / yard sales this summer.

I picked up lots of vintage dictionaries this summer. Including My First Picture Dictionary above. It is filled with illustrations that are so charming. Some of the pages are loose from the binding, so I may use them to decorate the kids' playroom.

This massive, unabridged Webster's dictionary published in 1950 was a huge hit with my son.

Yes, I am aware that this is not completely normal. :)

But look at this baby - can you blame him?

It is in very good shape for it's age. 

No missing pages, as far as I can tell. 

But it has 2006 pages of definitions alone, that doesn't include all the amazing book plates and over three hundred pages in the appendix.

 The illustrations of all the states and continents is really cool. They would look great framed, but I don't want to tear this guy apart for the sake of wall art. Only if it was falling apart on its own.

This heavily painted ladder was bought for $1.00 at the garage sale of an elderly man (90+ years). He was a carpenter and built this himself. He had all sorts of fabulous treasures. The ladder has at least 3 more colors of paint under this green. 

These drawers (presumably from a sewing machine?) were used in his workshop out back to store hardware and odds and ends. I couldn't pass them up. I think these would look great cleaned up and painted.

I found more drawers from his workshop with makeshift dividers. I actually got all 6 - each one has at least one divider added. These are much bulkier than the petite drawers above. I love their paint color as it is, a sort of blue-green grey.

This sweet reindeer was found with 4 others. It is about 30" tall. The others each have wooden stakes attached. The gentleman cut them out himself and his wife painted them. When he saw that I wanted the lot, he went to the back of his workshop and dug out his pattern - the original cut out piece of wood - and gave it all to me for free. {Not that I didn't try to pay him.} 

The turquoise Smith-Corona with case shown at the top of this post and here was found under a coffee table on the last day of a sale. It was closed up and I don't think anyone had noticed it was there. I got it for a steal! It's in great shape and the ribbon still works.

This mini bundt pan had a great patina. I got it for 50 cents. I plan on using it to store bits and pieces in my craft room. I don't think I want to scrape off all it's character, so I will probably line it with paper cups or doilies.

My keyplates from in this previous post were all found at one garage sale. I was picking and choosing which ones I wanted to pay for when the man said he'd make me a deal if I took them all. Um, OK! :)

One of my absolute favorite finds of the summer was the Replogle Globe. I found this one at the same garage sale as the ladder. The coloring is in a gorgeous pale palette. I used it in my Back to School vignette. It is currently on top of my bookcases in the family room for all to see. 

This post is getting pretty long - I may have too many favorites. I think I'll split them up into 2 posts.

Until then... tell me

Do you like shopping at garage sales? Admittedly, many are more gar(B)age sales than hidden treasures. But every now and then, finding the diamond in the rough is so fun! 

What's your favorite garage/yard sale find? I'd love to know!

Sometimes I link up with the following fabulous linky parties: The 36th Avenue, A Ruffled Nest, At the Picket Fence, Be Different Act Normal,Between Naps on the Porch, Beyond the Picket Fence, Blissful & Domestic, Bowdabra Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, The Chicken Chick, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, Country Momma Cooks, Crystal & Co (The Mommy Club), The Dedicated House, DIY Show Off, Elizabeth & Co., Embracing Change, Faded Charm, Family Every After, The Farmhouse Porch, Finding Fabulous, Fine Craft Guild, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Free Pretty Things!, French Country Cottage, Fresh Eggs Daily, Ginger Snap Crafts, Happy Hour Projects, High Heels and Grills, Home stories AtoZ, House of Hepworths, Hubby Made Me, I Heart Naptime, Lil' Luna, Ladybird Ln, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Little Becky Homecky, Mandatory Mooch, Milk & Cuddles, Mod Vintage Life, My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Nap Time Crafters, Nifty Thrifty Things, Not Just a Housewife, One More Time, Project Inspire, Primp Your Stuff, Redoux, Rooted in Thyme, Savvy Southern Style, Shabby Art Boutique, Simple Home Life, Six Sisters' Stuff, Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Stuff and Nonsense, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, Tip Junkie, Twigg Studios, Uncommon Designs, Under the Table & Dreaming, The Vintage Farmhouse, Western Warmth ...

Thrifty Repurposing: Ribbon Spool Holder

If you are visiting this post, it is most likely because we share a similar problem: thrifting.

To some people that is a dirty word. Like, literally, everything is dirty and dusty in a thrift store. 

photo via ebay

But I think it is pretty fabulous. I love when things do not go to waste. I also love coming up with creative ways to repurpose items.

A few weeks ago, I found a Tassimo coffee pod holder. The photo to the right is the same kind I found. With the sideways teardrop topper.

I bought it for $1.99. I knew immediately what I would use it for at home.

Ribbons! You see, one of my issues {yes, there are many} is that I like to collect things. Ribbons, fabric scraps and paper ephemera happen to be included in a much too long list.

So, in order to not look too much like the hoarder that I really am, I need to organize it so it all looks pretty and practical - like I really NEED those 200 spools of coral colored ribbon. :)

I took off the top logo piece. {Had it been a circle, I would have put a cute adornment on it, but being a strange sideways teardrop was not appealing to work into the reuse of this item.}

I added an old wooden bead that I colored silver with a Sharpie. I had to drill the hole larger to fit the thread of the existing screw on top. Then I hot-glued an aqua diamond shaped bead to the tippy-top.

And, Voilà! A ribbon holder was born! Isn't she pretty? And oh so practical - no?

Somtimes I link up with the following fabulous linky parties: The 36th Avenue, At the Picket Fence, Be Different Act Normal,Beyond the Picket Fence, Blissful & Domestic, Bowdabra Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, Common Ground, Country Momma Cooks, Crystal & Co (The Mommy Club), The Dedicated House, DIY Show Off, Faded Charm, Family Every After, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Free Pretty Things!, French Country Cottage, Ginger Snap Crafts, Home stories AtoZ, House of Hepworths, I Heart Naptime, Lil' Luna, Ladybird Ln, Mandatory Mooch, Milk & Cuddles, Nap Time Crafters, Nifty Thrifty Things, Not Just a Housewife, One More Time, Primp Your Stuff, Redoux, Simple Home Life, Six Sisters' Stuff, Someday Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Tatertots and Jello, Uncommon Designs, Under the Table & Dreaming, The Vintage Farmhouse, ...