Pyrex Karma

OK, now that the kiddos are back in school, mom gets to do a little shopping once in a while. And for some reason, the thrifting right now is great! After a few months of the doldrums, I have been finding goodies by the armful whenever I go out. I'm ashamed to admit it, but my basement is starting to look like a hoarder's. Must...get...listing...aargh...

I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I guess I have the magic touch or good karma or whatever right now. Check out my Pyrex haul from just the last week:

Yes, you're seeing all that Friendship correctly! I went to two different stores on Saturday (not usually the best day to thrift, either) and all I found was Friendship everywhere! The divided dish ($5), as well as the Snowflake Garland lid came from one Goodwill. Then I went down the road to another thrift and found all the 470 casseroles. The 471 (without lid) was $2.50, and the 472 and 473 with opal lids were $3.50 each. I thought I was going to pass out trying to get all those in my cart! I now have quite the collection of Friendship, all this plus the 444, 443 and 442 Cinderella bowls, and it was all thrifted. Which is great because I can't afford to buy it online, LOL.

Last week I went to a thrift store I haven't been to in a long time (why, I don't really know, because it is a great store) and bought the woodland 043 and Spring Blossom 473 for just a few bucks each. They are not my favorites, but are near mint, so I will be putting them in my booth.

Then last night I was on my way to work and had to stop in to a little thrift on the way- Bingo! The lime 232 was there waiting for me for $4.50. I am really loving the lime and flamingo bakewear right now. I will have to do some re-arranging of my shelves to display it better. But not today; I've got Mr. Limey in the oven baking up a peach cobbler right now!

And finally today, I just got a good Pyrex vibe after I dropped my daughter off at school and had to run into my closest local thrift. I found the Butterprint 503 with lid for $3.50 and the Golden Tulip for $3.99, as well as the Flamewear saucepan for $5. That's about as much Pyrex as I've ever gotten at this store in one shot, so my spidey sense was definitely working!

I found a ton of other stuff too, but I will save that for next time.

Pyrex Success! Fridgie set completed

I had a very good day thrifting yesterday! It didn't start out very well, though- I actually left the first two stores empty handed. And my daughter, who's almost 5, had a meltdown in the third store. But not until after I had found my first ever piece of pink daisy!

 

Normally I am not a big fan of the divided dishes. I have 4 of them now and they are a pain to display since they don't nest. As a matter of fact, I don't have any of them on display at all right now. But no way was I going to leave this one behind! It is in mint condition- not a scratch or chip anywhere- probably never been used. This is also the first divided dish I have found with a lid. You can bet I will find a place to put this one on the shelf with all my pinks!

So even though my daughter was throwing a fit in the store, I was as happy as a clam.

At the next stop, we got her calmed down (she really wanted me to buy her a certain stuffed polar bear, and there is no way I'm bringing used stuffed animals into my house) and I happened to find something I have been needing for a long time now:

Yes, a simple little red 501, with no lid and quite a bit of wear (although no DWD) for $2. This might have made me happier than the pink daisy...

Because I have now completed my primary fridgie set!!!! This is the first set of any pattern that I have completed (I'm really close on a couple of others, too.) I started this set with a single red 501 at least 8 years  ago, and got everything in the wild, nothing online. I'm kinda proud of that and happy that I waited, because I think the whole thing cost me less than $20.

Now I have a bit of a space problem, but that's not a bad problem to have. These are my finds from the last couple of weeks, and I haven't yet figured out how to get them all in the cupboard! :)

Pyrex in Drips and Drops

Usually the late winter/early spring season is the best for thrifting around here. People are de-cluttering for their New Years resolutions plus getting started with their Spring cleaning.  I have been going out to my favorite stores regularly with high hopes for vintage goodies in general (mostly to stock my Etsy Store) and Pyrex in particular. And I have to say that I am less than impressed.

I went to two stores last week, both of which have been good to me recently in the Pyrex department. And I found some, but not what I have been hoping for. At the first store, I found a mismatched casserole, (bottom was plain Horizon blue and top appeared to be a very faded gold scroll design) but didn't buy it for $6. I also saw a ton of Glassbake and FireKing divided dishes and casseroles- maybe I need to start collecting those since Pyrex is getting scarce, LOL.

I did come away with what I thought were two Pyrex restaurant ware dishes and a Fire King mug for 50 cents each. I love Fire King mugs, and this one is such a beautiful buttery yellow. It almost matches the Pyrex primary yellow, but is a shade lighter, and in perfect condition. It makes me so happy to use these for my morning coffee. I wonder why Pyrex didn't make more of their patterns in mugs; I mean, wouldn't it be great to have a Butterprint mug or maybe a New Dots?

The restaurantware dishes I thought were the Bluegrass pattern, and I bet those of you who know your Pyrex would think the same thing. Unfortunately, the thrift store had a huge price sticker all across the bottom and it wasn't until I got home that I realized it was very slightly different and made by Anchor Hocking. I imagine a lot of designs were virtually copied by all the major glass firms so they would be almost interchangeable when a restaurant needed to order more. It's OK, though, I'm not a label whore and have already used the dishes a couple times.

At the second thrift I usually find good Pyrex, albeit expensive Pyrex. This time was no exception. I saw quite a bit of FireKing and Glassbake again- that dang green flower pattern is everywhere!!- and a few pieces of the good stuff. I left a Spring Blossom casserole on the shelf (don't collect that pattern) and it hurt, but I had to walk away from a Snowflake Garland loaf pan. At $9.00 I don't need it that bad. If it was a casserole or a fridgie, I probably would have sucked it up and bought it. 

The only other pieces of (not clear) Pyrex on the shelf did come home with me, though. Two yellow hostess dishes for $2 each are more in line with what I'm looking for. They weren't in the best of shape, but aren't too bad and are a size I use a lot. 

So, small potatoes in the Pyrex department. But it's better than nothing, and I will keep hoping that next time I go I'll find the Pyrex score of my dreams...

Pink and Butterprint Pyrex all at once!

Today is a beautiful day here in the Northeast, and after dropping off my daughter at preschool this afternoon, it seemed a shame to head right home. So I thought I'd do a little thrifting- I was hoping to cash in on some after-Christmas clearances at my favorite store close to home.

Well, I had some good luck there with holiday stuff last week, but I guess by this week it was all gone or all packed up for next year. I poked around the nicknacks a bit and then headed back to the housewares. The shelves were pretty crowded but I spotted some pink under it all. A flamingo lasagna pan!

I was pretty excited about this because 1) I collect pink Pyrex (who doesn't?), 2) I have never found a colored pan this size, and 3) I use my clear Pyrex lasagna pans all the time. Woohoo!

So, the trip was already a success.

Then I headed back to the section where they keep the nicer antiques- and don't you hate when a thrift store has a separate section for "antiques"? I have seen some Pyrex there before and it was all overpriced and crappy. Not good.

But today was a good day- three Butterprint fridgies! Two of the large 503s (only one with lid) and one 502 with lid. I scooped them all up and headed to the register. (Even though I already had a 503 at home- these are absolutely mint, and my other one is not.) Once I got them home and washed, they are beautiful- I only need one more 502 to complete the set.

I also found a state glass for 50 cents. It was a great day- so glad I went! And the total for all was $22.00- not too bad for these pieces I think.

Recent Bakelite finds

I was just lamenting the lack of Bakelite in the thrift stores back in the summer. Then I had a few finds and my luck has changed! Good thing, because there is nothing I like finding more in a thrift store than Bakelite (yes, even Pyrex, although that is a really close second!) I don't know about you all, but I can't afford internet prices on Bakelite, so I have to get mine the old fashioned way.

And this first one was really done the old-fashioned way- digging through stuff at the pound store!

This cute red scotty was actually a zipper pull on a kids' outfit. The outfit looks to me to be from the late 60s/70s- it's double knit polyester with a scotty motif. In and of itself, the outfit is cute enough that I bought it to resell, but the bakelite zipper pull will be far more valuable. It's pretty large- 1.75 inches from nose to tail- so I think I will make it into a necklace or pin at some point. Just goes to show you that sometimes bakelite can be found in the most unlikely of places.

These earrings I found at a thrift store, and they are what is called "end-of-day" Bakelite, meaning that any leftover single colors were mixed together. They are kind of mustard with bluish-green striations (there's your SAT word for today) and are clip-ons. When I went to pay for them, the lady at the counter looked at me and said- "Oh, these are Bakelite, they're probably worth more than the $5 price tag..."

Really? You don't say...I had no idea.... Gee, and here I was just buying them because I needed a pair of mustard-colored earrings! :)

This bangle I just found today- had a few extra minutes and stopped into a thrift store on the way to pick up my daughter from school. It's a really heavy ivory bakelite. Surprisingly, I don't have any bangles this color (lots of red, yellow and orange, though) so I suspect it will get a lot of wear. It's also a bit oval in shape- I have never seen that before- $2.

This last is a single butter knife. I was really fortunate to find this because the thrift store I was shopping in usually prices their Bakelite utensils through the roof. (I guess it's because every time you open MS Living or Country Living in the recipe sections you see photos staged with these old bakelite-handled utensils- ever noticed that?) Anyway, I always buy them if I can get them cheap, and this was- 25 cents. Must have slipped through the cracks!

And I don't care if it matches anything else, because this is how I display them:

Just fun to look at next to the stove!

Stove Update #3

I've had a few people ask me about my stove project lately, so I thought it was due for an update! For those of you new to the blog, last summer (about a year ago) my modern oven door just fell off and shattered in the middle of the night. Long story short, I took advantage of the opportunity to fulfill my long-held desire to acquire a vintage stove.

My stove as it sat in the seller's basement.

I bought a 1950 Westinghouse double oven off of Craigslist. (For you I Love Lucy fans, this is the same stove she has on the show. Why? Because Westinghouse sponsored the Lucy show.) It worked and was in good shape, but once we got it home it was clear that the wiring needed to be totally replaced. 

 I started that project last fall and as the weather got colder we moved the stove from the garage to the basement and my husband took it over.

Ever try carrying a 300 lb. steel and porcelain appliance down a flight of stairs? :) But the good part about that was that we could set it up near our electric panel to test it before moving it upstairs.

Once the re-wire job was complete, my brother, an electrician, came over and drew a 220 V line directly from our electric panel and hooked it to the stove. See the 4 wires coming off the panel? Best to leave that job to the professionals!

It's alive! All four burners, both ovens and broilers live again.

Even the 120 V circuits for the lighting and outlets work. 

The funny thing was, all this was happening around dinner time and I had to cook dinner. I had some summer squash and tomatoes and onions to saute and went about my usual prep work and put the pan on my existing stove (which still works, it just doesn't look pretty). I turned on the burner and went about starting something else- it took me about five minutes before I realized the veggies weren't cooking! 

Apparently, my brother had taken the existing 220 line from our working stove and jumped it onto the project stove right about then. I had no power at all to the modern stove. So I promptly took my pan down the basement and plopped it on the project stove to "test" the burners. I don't think our basement ever smelled so good!

My husband makes his first appearance on the blog showing off his wiring and cooking skillz...

My next step is to take the chrome pieces to be re-chromed. (We were waiting to make sure it worked before embarking on that considerable expense.) Then we will need to cut our countertops out in the kitchen to make room for the wider stove- will probably have to get new countertops as a result. I can't wait to show you the finished project- we're getting there!

Make it from Scratch Monday: Rhubarb Jam

I have an abundance of rhubarb this year- every couple of weeks I cut about 10 pounds of it from our established patch at the cabin, plus I have a young plant here at the house that is producing a bit this year. I have used it fresh, frozen it, canned it- you name it, I have done it this year.

The one thing I did want to try was making rhubarb jam. I haven't bought supermarket jam in years; it is so easy to make your own. If you have never done any canning, this is probably the easiest way to start. Last summer I made peach jam and a bushel of peaches made close to a dozen pints, so I knew I would get plenty out of the rhubarb. Here's a tutorial on raspberry jam as well.

I was hoping to find a recipe that was a little different than straight rhubarb jam, so I looked to one of my fave food bloggers and found this one: http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/04/april-can-jam-rosemary-rhubarb-jam/ with rosemary and lemon zest. I love rosemary and always have some fresh on hand, so that sounded good to me.

Her yield was 3 half pints from 4 cups chopped rhubarb. Since my 10 pounds would yield substantially more than 4 cups, I had to increase the proportions. This can be very problematic with jams and jellies, because the larger the batch, the more difficult it is to get a good set. I was originally hoping to find a recipe without added pectin, but once I saw the proportions I figured I should add some to make sure.

I ended up with close to 12 cups chopped rhubarb, so added about 7 cups sugar (just thinking about it makes my teeth hurt, but rhubarb always needs a lot of sugar) one lemon's worth of zest, and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Chop the rhubarb. Make sure you use only the stems, as the leaves of the plant are poisonous. 

Put the rhubarb in a stock pot with the sugar. Allow it to sit (without turning it on) for about half an hour until the sugar starts to liquefy.

Add rosemary sprigs and any other seasoning (I also threw in some whole coriander). 

Cook for 30-45 mins until the mixture begins to look like jam, but not real thick.

Add one envelope of pectin and stir while boiling for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon zest.

Fill clean warm jars, leaving about a half inch of headspace. I removed the large sprigs of rosemary, but didn't go to any great lengths to remove the smaller bits. (My family will no doubt complain about "pine needles" in the jam, LOL)

Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Remove from the water and listen for the seals to set. My yield was 5 pints, plus two smaller jars for gift giving.

I spread it on some fresh rosemary-olive oil sourdough bread I made the same day. I was really busy in the kitchen that day, but it was so worth it! The jam came out really well- the rosemary flavor is very subtle and the lemon zest very bright. If I make this again, I might use only half the lemon zest. Rhubarb has a very citrus-y flavor as it is, so I'm not sure it's even necessary to add the lemon.

Thrifted Thursday: Time for a Picnic!

School's out and it's time for picnics in the park!

I found this great old biscuit tin while out thrifting last week. It's plenty big for sandwiches and snacks for four. In fact, I already used it to take to WWII weekend Saturday. It was only $3 and in great shape, except for some wear on the lid. But no rust!

The Skotch Jug cooler is one of my favorites. I thrifted it years ago and it has been on every picnic since! It's the old style with the glass lining so it doesn't absorb any odors. (Remember how your Thermos used to smell back in elementary school? Yeah, me too- like it was yesterday. ;)

Make it from Scratch Monday: Homemade Butter

Ever wanted to try making your own butter? I did and now I can say that it is so easy anyone can do it.

Just buy a pint of heavy cream, and pour it into a clean mason jar with a lid. Shake it until it becomes whipped cream. (Take some of that out and eat it with fresh strawberries- yum!) Keep shaking and eventually it will separate into a ball of yellow butter and a milky liquid- buttermilk. Drain off the buttermilk to use in your pancakes and rinse the butterball under fresh cold water until it runs clear. Mix in a tiny bit of salt or some herbs and roasted garlic if you desire. 

Eat some immediately (with homemade English Muffins) and save the rest in a 501 Fridgie (Butterprint, of course!)

For more information, head over to my other blog about self-sufficiency and Depression-era living: http://the1930sproject.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/how-to-be-a-butter-and-egg-man/

Thrifted Thursday: Red and white and pink all over

I know I haven't done a Thrifted Thursday post for a while. It's not that I haven't been thrifting (boy, have I!) it's just that I haven't bought much that wasn't clothing for the store. You can see (and purchase!) all those goodies here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/practiceintime .

And since my birthday was last week, my son and I went on my third annual Thrift Crawl last Saturday. 'Cept it wasn't really a thrift crawl; I went to a bunch of local antique stores. Usually I prefer thrift store prices, but I've been to almost all of my favorite places recently, and we got a late start (went to see Max Raabe Friday night! Love!). So it was strictly neighborhood shopping.

Jayson is such a good shopping buddy, has a great eye, and loves a bargain just as much as I do. We had a blast- hit 3 antique stores, ate lunch and had a milkshake at the counter at Sine's 5&10 (his idea!) and each got some treasures.

First I found a really neat cheese grater. Actually, it's a potato ricer (made in Germany, pre-war) but will work for cheese. I've scraped my knuckles way too many times with my box grater (nothing like a little blood with your cheese!), and this is easier for kids to work as well. Red and white, for my kitchen. It was $8, which wasn't a bad deal, considering that I saw a couple more in worse shape for $50+. I also picked up this adorable 1930s/40s canister set. It's in really great shape- barely any scratches or wear to the decals- for $12. I loved it in the store and now that I have it home, I don't think I'm going to be able to send them up to the cabin (which I initially purchased them for). They just fit so perfectly into my kitchen decor. 

 Jayson found this cool wall plaque.

 He has quite a collection of these vintage nature scenes (16 and counting). He bargained the dealer down to $10, which was a decent deal, and I'm glad we bought it because it is one of the nicer ones in his collection.

I also bought these off of ebay last week. I've been wanting some chalkware fish for our bathroom for a while now and when these came up I had to have them. They are Miller Studio, mint in the box. They actually still have the googly eyes on them. Pink and black- perfect for our bathroom, and a good deal at $9 for the pair.


I think they like their new habitat:

Make it from scratch Monday: Sourdough Starter

I have to say, this is one of my more unusual recipes! And it's one of my prouder moments as a from-scratch cook. (Haha, apparently, it doesn't take much! :P )

But in my continuing quest to be more self-reliant and self sufficient I really wanted to try starting sourdough. I have been baking my own bread now for a while and one thing I can't do without is yeast. Sure, I can go to the grocery store and buy a jar of it, but what if I couldn't do that? Like a good Depression-era housewife, I need to be prepared for the possibility that I can't just go to the store and buy something. And jar yeast is something that has an expiration date; you can't buy it in bulk and store it very well.

So I decided I wanted to get some sourdough starter and give it a go. I don't know anyone nearby that had some started that they could give me, so I turned to the internet. Of course, there are lots of places that want to sell you some starter, but, cheapskate that I am, I'd rather find it for free. There are also ways to gather wild yeast from the air, but that can be hit-or-miss.

Sourdough bread is also one of those iconic foodstuffs of the American West, and since I love history I found the perfect match- a free starter kept from an 150-year old yeast that traveled the Oregon Trail (bonus points for anyone that remembers that game from elementary school!). It's available here: http://carlsfriends.net/ . All you need to do is send them a self-addressed stamped envelope and they send you about a tsp. of dried sourdough starter.

It took me about 2-3 weeks to get mine and of course I started it right away. But it was a good thing I only used half of it, because the first try didn't start. I think I must've used too hot water and burned it, or it was too cold and things never really got to fermenting. But the second time turned out to be the charm, and I have a lovely quart jar of sourdough yeast bubbling away on my countertop right now.

It even smells like sourdough! I can't wait until this weekend when I make sourdough hotcakes and biscuits!

Make it from scratch Monday: Beef and Rice casserole (in Pyrex!)

I have a very large collection of vintage cookbooks. I just can't resist them, especially ones from Better Homes and Gardens from the 1950s and 60s. While they may not exactly be current and hip for the foodie in me, I love the basic ingredients and easy preparations. And usually, for a weeknight meal, that's all I want in a recipe!

It doesn't hurt that some of the recipes are just fun/weird to look at and imagine- many of these books were the source for James Lilek's Gallery of Regrettable Food. But there are definitely gems in there if you can get past the aspic. This recipe is from BH&G's Hamburger and Ground Meats Cookbook.

Of course, just about everyone has ground beef (in our case, ground venison) in their freezer and rice in their pantry, so I found this recipe that uses those ingredients. It was OK- came together quickly, didn't require anything fancy- but if I make it again, I will alter it slightly to add some more depth of flavor.

And since I will be sharing this blog post with the folks over at the Pyrex Collective III, I thought it was a good opportunity to break out some of the Pyrex casserole dishes! Everything tastes better in Pyrex!

Cheesy Beef-Rice Bake


1 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. uncooked rice
2 T. butter
3 c. water
1 c. shredded carrot
2 t. beef bouillion
1 t. parsley (dried or fresh, chopped)
1/2 t. onion flakes or powder
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 c. shredded cheese

In large skillet, brown ground beef. Drain fat (not necessary if you are using super-lean ground venison!). Remove from pan and set aside.

In same skillet, melt butter and brown uncooked rice, stirring frequently until golden brown. As an aside, this is one of my favorite preparations, and a big reason I chose this recipe- the rice gets a nice nutty flavor before cooking.

Stir in water, bouillion, carrot and spices. 

I do not like dried bouillion cubes, so I used concentrated stock. You could also use 2 c. regular liquid beef stock or broth, just eliminate an equal amount of water. At this point, to improve the flavor, I would also add a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles and eliminate another 2/3 cup water.

Bring to boiling, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.

 Stir in browned meat.

Get your Pyrex ready! 

The recipe specifically calls for a 1 1/2 qt. casserole, so I thought that my 1 1/2 qt. Butterprint  fridgie would be perfect. Wrong. I filled it with about 1/3 of the mixture still left in the pan, so I had to get out a second casserole dish. My 2 qt. turquoise Starburst promo dish was begging for the job, and probably would have been big enough for the whole lot, but I divided it between the two dishes so no one's feelings were hurt.

Cover and bake in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese (I used a mixture of jack and cheddar) and bake, uncovered, about 5 more minutes.

The verdict- everything tastes better in Pyrex, and even more so in a rarely used promotional piece! Thank goodness, because this dish was bland, bland, bland. I was kind of hoping it would be more like a cheeseburger casserole, but it wasn't. I would definitely add a can of diced tomatoes/green chiles to the mix to give it a bit more zing. I think with that addition it would be pretty good. But it was easy and required only the one frying pan, so that wasn't bad!

Trash Picked Tuesday: Pyrex!

I'm thrilled to be a member of the new Pyrex Collective III- here is a post I wrote for that site yesterday. Hop on over when you're done here and check it out!

I have been using Pyrex all my life, of course, but mostly the clear stuff. And as much as I love the colors and patterns... well, we all know they can't go through the dishwasher. And as a stay-at-home entrpreneur ;) with two small kids, I am all about the dishwasher.

So while I collect Pyrex to display and use (carefully) I often find myself relying on those pieces that are clear or just plain white for everyday use, and dishwashing!

And since I am also all about frugal living, I try to buy my pieces as cheap as possible. I prowl the thrifts, the yard sales, the flea markets, etc. for Pyrex.

There is nothing I like better than finding cheap Pyrex, except, of course, finding free Pyrex!

I nabbed these two cuties outside of one of my favorite thrifts, on the "Free" pile! I don't know how or why they got there, but heck, I'm not complaining! I will get lots of use out of the divided dish- I have a primary yellow one in which I usually bake a chicken leg or two on one side with the stuffing on the other. I also make my own bread every week, so the loaf pan will sure come in handy. It has the old style scalloped handles. The loaf pan has a few chips around the rim, but nothing that makes it completely unusable, while the divided dish is pristine. Not bad for being free!

                                                                                                            

Thrifted Thursday: Tons of stuff!!!

As I mentioned before, I have been doing a lot of thrifting lately. For pure tonnage in the thrifts, January and February are probably the best time to shop- a lot of people are decluttering for the New Year! I also have the added incentive of having to outfit a new kitchen at our cabin. I've been buying the usual clothing for the shop and also have been shopping for kitchenware for the first time in years.

Since it's been about 10 years since I really had to buy kitchenware, I have the opportunity to establish a new vintage look. And since this is a cabin, I'm going for a rustic, Adirondack style with lots of enamelware and cast iron. I love, love, love enamelware as it is, so the opportunity to buy more and to put it to use is really exciting to me.

I'm going to try to do the whole place without buying anything new or plastic (save the odd piece of jadeite green Tupperware). I think the entire contents of the wire basket cost me about $10. I bought the crinkle wire basket from an Etsy seller, and that was probably the mot expensive thing I've bought so far at about $20.

I got a pair of these sheets for $1 each, and I am thinking about turning them into curtains. Or I might move them into the store...they are really pretty.

This suit I originally bought for the store as well, but after I brought it home, I realized it would fit me. It's brown nubby wool with flecks of red and purple, in mint condition (and only $10!). It's so classic I am having trouble dating it (I'm thinking 1980s does 40s?). I love the cutouts on the collar and the placement of the buttons. It fits me like it was custom tailored, and I have already worn it once!

I found my first pieces of confetti lucite also- these two bracelets and the earrings below. Too bad they don't match- they were found at 2 different stores. The bracelets were $5 each and the earrings were $2.

These boots are about as close as I can come to Uggs, which I refuse to wear. They were brand new, still with the $60 Kohl's tag on them. I paid a little more than I usually do ($15) but they are suede and I needed something like this. They are really warm!

This last one is probably my biggest score. I needed a tea kettle for the cabin, and was looking for one of those old, classic aluminum ones. But then I saw this enamelware one for $6 and was sold.  It had never been used. Not until I was in line at the register (and realized how freakin' heavy it was!) did I notice what was on the bottom...

Score!