A long time coming- thrift scores!

Well, long time no post! I have been pretty busy and haven't had much time to blog or read other blogs, but I wanted to touch base and show you some of my recent thrift finds. In general, the thrift stores haven't been great lately, but over the last couple of weeks I have found some good stuff. I actually took a whole day off on Friday and went to some thrift stores farther away that I hardly ever have time to get to. And boy, was it worth it!

We have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore near us, but it is only open Wed-Sat. It's kind of tough to get over there on those days, and I've been meaning to go there for months. I really went hoping to find Pyrex; I've found some there in the past, and this time I had high hopes. But this time it didn't pan out as I had hoped. I did find some other things (more on that in a sec), but the only Pyrex in the place was this lone Butterfly Gold mug. This is not a pattern I collect, but I love Pyrex mugs, and I was desperate, so I bought it.

(The other Pyrex pieces in the background will figure in to this story a bit later.)

This is a refrigerator dish made by Hall China and is marked on the bottom "Coldspot Refrigerator Dish". It was pretty neat, and only $2. It's actually part of a 3 piece set.

These I bought after learning about Pyrex delphite (blue milk glass). I knew they weren't Pyrex, but I have never seen delphite in person before, so they had to come home with me. I collect jadeite, and really never even heard about delphite until I started collecting Pyrex. They are so pretty, I hope to find more! If anyone knows about the pattern or maker of these, I'd love to hear it, because in the little research I've been able to do, I've come up empty (they are not Jeannette Cherry Blossom- that I do know). They are unmarked on the bottom, except for the numbers 1,2, and 3 (presumably for the pieces in the set.)

I also bought this Otagiri Japan mug for a quarter- cute but not my style- definitely going to my Etsy shop.

Same with this Avon milk glass soap dish- really cute, and I am tempted to keep it...

This bunny planter is definitely a keeper and was only $1. I think he is Napco- there were many more Easter  things in the store and they were all crappy and more expensive than this one, go figure! I guess I have to start getting the Easter stuff out.

Haha, yes I bought this record. I put myself on a record-buying freeze about 3 years ago and have been pretty good about it (I have thousands of records- might even have this already- I have no idea) but fell off the wagon a bit this week. Besides this LP I also bought 4 45s, and one of those was "Karma Chameleon". Well, hey, it was my childhood...you can't put a price on memories...except they were only 99 cents.

Now I saved this one for last- I walked by it and didn't recognize what it was. But on my way back I caught a glimpse of some of the fabric, 

And hey, isn't that barkcloth....

Mint, in the package, never opened. 

Set of four panels...

$10......

Oh yeah....I just found new drapes for my living room! I promise I will do a post on that in the near future. Stay tuned...

More Camp Blankets!

One of the things I love to look for when I thrift/yard sale/etc. is camp blankets. These are brightly colored blankets made in the 1930s-50s, mainly of cotton. Most often they have southwestern/American Indian style prints or are plaid. They were made to be used while camping (duh) or for picnics, as car throws, or as bed spreads. They are quite durable and machine washable (yay!) and very collectible.

For that reason, I suppose, it's hard to find them for a decent price. I have been looking for years and only come across a couple. I blogged about the first one I found here, and then have since found three more. Of course, they are readily available on Ebay and Etsy (search "camp blanket" or "Beacon Blanket") if you want to pay the price. And you know that I don't want to, so I stick to searching on the cheap!

The first one I found was blue and tan, in an ombre pattern, a hallmark of the Beacon Blanket Co. (They only ever had paper tags, so there is almost never a tag to be found.) It went straight to my son's bed, and serves as a coverlet in summer and an extra layer in winter. I then found a pink and blue baby blanket, which is currently living in my antique booth, since my babies are well past that stage!

I picked another one up over the summer at a pound store for 99 cents. It wasn't in the best of condition, but I think a little age on these is charming. It is a tan check with a blue southwestern border, and probably one of the earlier examples of these, I would say dating to the 30s. At one time it had a fringe or whip stitching around the edge, but that is long gone. After a nice hot trip through the washer, it went on the back of our sofa, and my kids snuggle under it every day. (It's in the photo above.)

Since finding one for my son, I have been looking for one for my daughter. I even looked on Etsy trying to find one that was a bit girly (yes, she's in love with pink and purple- she's 4 and a half) and reasonably priced. It's surprising how many pinks and purples are out there; it's the 'affordable' part that is the kicker. But yesterday while thrifting, I scored one for my daughter, and I thought I'd share it:

I love the colors- pink and brown go so well together. And it's got a little floral motif- perfect for a little girl! The best part is that it was only $16.50, and I didn't have to pay to ship it (these can be heavy!) So now I guess I have a bit of a collection going on- these two plus this one:

They are so addicting- aren't they fun to look at? :)

Linking up (a bit late) to Thriftasaurus and Sir Thrift-a-lot!

2012 Resolutions

Have I mentioned before how much I dislike the idea of making resolutions? Nothing like starting a brand new year by setting yourself up for failure! That said, I am a big believer in self-improvement, and I do have some lifestyle changes I try to implement throughout the year (every year). I suppose this is like a New Year's resolution in the fact that I reflect on things I can do better, but I specifically refrain from setting objectives to be reached. After all, if I resolve to lose 20 pounds and only lose 5, I have failed to reach my objective. Let's call it a goal to make healthier choices and perhaps that will be easier to stick to.

And I always seem to make the same "resolutions": to dress better, and to get rid of clutter, year after year. Well, I am happy to report that I have made great strides toward the latter, mainly by opening my Etsy store. I have sold some things I don't need, and at least the rest of it is inventoried and packed safely away, waiting for its buyer to come along. I am also thinking about opening a stall in a local antiques mall, which would allow me to unload some of the larger items I've accumulated.

After all, even if I couldn't resist these MCM lamps for $3 at an estate sale this summer, I can call it inventory, not hoarding!

As far as dressing better, I think my occasional Sunday outfit posts helped, and I do wear a lot of vintage dresses in warm weather, but during the colder months there is a lot of room for improvement! And for someone who claims to be a dealer in vintage clothing, that's an area I desperately need to improve!

I also checked a couple of items off my long-term "to-do" list. I finally acquired my vintage stove, a 1950 Westinghouse double oven range. As I write this, my husband is downstairs re-wiring the burners. I had started that job, but he soon took it over after watching my slow progress for a couple of weeks- it's great of him to take it on! I hope to have it up and running again in the next few months. (A new post on that to come soon!)

Obviously this is not my kitchen....

I also finished some wood working projects which had been waiting for years. I finally re-finished my dad's old coffee table and gave it an MCM makeover with hairpin legs. 

And I finished my TV-quarium (TM), a project I had been thinking of for at least 7 years. I was very pleased with how these projects turned out and it helped me get back in touch with my "handy" side, something I had all but given over to my husband years ago.

I also started a sister site, the1930sproject, as a serious study in living a Depression-era lifestyle. Hop on over and check it out!

So here's to 2012, may it bring us happiness!

The 1930s Project

I've been kicking around an idea here for a couple of years, and perhaps by making an official announcement  on this blog I can jump start it. Please join me for the adventure!

I have always been fascinated by the 1930s. Ever since I discovered big band swing in 7th grade I have been enthralled by the Art Deco era. All of it- the history, politics, and economics as well as the lighter side of entertainment, fashion and culture. Seriously studying the 1930s has been my avocation since I was in college. Even as an undergrad music major, I spent far more time with Paul Hindemith and Weimar Germany than I did with many of my friends. As a graduate student, I focused on early 20th Century material culture- the artifacts of technology, transportation and manufacturing from the period. And while I may know a lot of facts, I have always felt that I was missing the experience portion of the equation.

I have always wanted to know what it would have been like to truly live during the 1930s. I would like to do an  experiment in which I put aside most of our modern conveniences and live as a Depression-era housewife. Of course, I do have a family and their needs will have to be accounted for, but I will try to do my best to accomplish all of this in as authentic a way as possible.

Perhaps some of you have had similar thoughts. For some reason I haven't talked about it a whole lot on this blog, partly because most of my readers are into the 1950s. And while I like that time period, I have never really felt the pull to live it like I have with the 1930s-early 40s era. I am also aware that there are other people who do this as a lifestyle (some of whom are my good friends) and have been doing so for years. I admire that and I am by no means considering myself an expert on this- I just want to see if I can do it for myself!

So I am announcing the start of this project in which I live as a 1930s housewife for two weeks in August of 2012. The adventure will start with background posts leading up to it at my other blog:

http://the1930sproject.wordpress.com/

Or you can join me facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The1930sproject/


See you later, gator!