What a long, strange trip it's been!

Hello Friends, it's good to have you here!

Well, summer is flying by and I realize I haven't been around here a whole lot, so we have some catching up to do! I spent the last week thrifting some spots I don't normally get to, so I have a lot to share.

My kids were at a day camp down in the area I grew up in, so after dropping them off at 9 am I got to check out all my old favorite shops. So I got myself a plan and made sure to hit the biggest stores first and then the smaller stores later on. (Camp pickup was 3 pm) Most of my good finds at the larger stores were Monday and Tuesday morning. After that, meh... it amazes me how some of these stores can be so huge (one must be close to 20,000 sq.ft- a former big box store) and have so little quality merchandise. Or perhaps that is just the age we are living in and the good stuff is getting harder to find (I know it!)

Anyway, on with the show!

This is my haul from that first big store on Monday and Tuesday mornings. As you might have guessed, it's mostly Pyrex. But I am super stoked about the blue Fire King Kimberly mug- I have a collection of one of each of these in every color and this was the last one I needed. It's taken me a couple of years to find one in the wild, and I almost resorted to Etsy a few times. 

The black Pyrex mug was one of about eight in the store- I only bought one, just to have (again) one in every color, but now I am wishing I had bought them all. They look amazing with my cinnamon colored ones and would be great for Halloween displays. Speaking of Halloween, the cat thingy is a flashlight but it is missing its innards. It's not very old either, but definitely has that vintage look, and for a buck, it cam home with me. The Terra bowls are part of my 'leave no Pyrex behind' strategy and will probably go to my booth. The Verde 443 is the start of a new collection- I just figured out that I have all the Verde fridgies, so now I must collect the bowls...sigh...

These were from my next stop. The opal hostess bowls were probably yellow at one time, but I can't find any trace of color. I'll hang onto them to mix into other displays- I have found that even though opal (aka plain white) Pyrex really doesn't do much for me, it looks great mixed into displays. The milk glass tumblers depict Jack and Jill tumbling down the hill. They are actually made by Hazel Atlas and were part of a children's dinnerware set. I can't really imagine the thought process that went into designing these for children. I know my kids would be wondering what the heck happened to Jack and Jill here...someone online referred to them as 'CSI cups' :)... but the sheer oddity of them was enough for me to add them to my collection.  

At the same store later in the week I found this awesome camp blanket. It is a really strange size- twin width but XXtra long. It came in handy already when we went to a chilly outdoor movie on Friday- we could wrap it completely around the three of with room to spare. I love finding camp blankets because they are beautiful and useful at the same time. I think I have close to 10 now, the only problem being they take up quite a bit of storage space, so I just keep piling them up on the beds. Who needs comforters?

These are my finds from one of my all-time favorite church thrifts. They get good stuff and they price it well. No $19 Pyrex here! The enamel bucket is so amazing, I have already adopted it as my housecleaning bucket. I feel like a Depression-era housewife... cool stuff like this just makes ordinary housework a little easier! (See my ironing post on this topic here) I also found an incredible vintage dress from about the same era in the store. I always wonder if things like this were donated by the same person.

This little child's tea set is so cute and perfect condition. Each cup/saucer set was just 75 cents! (Did I mention that I love this store?) The primary blue fridgie was $2.50 also. And yes, that is a Vera tablecloth! Once it gets a good Oxyclean soak to remove some yellowing, it's headed to the Etsy store.

I think I might be the only person of my generation (except maybe Mick from Everyone Goes to Micks!) who knows what that weird metal thingy is. I'll keep you in suspense about that until later! Lately I have been finding a lot of Ekco Eterna/American Tempo flatware, which is fine with me because it's easy to sell in my Etsy shop. The milk glass mugs are Fire King and Federal and are headed over to my booth. The beaker is my only Pyrex lab ware purchase- I will use it as a vase I guess.

 

On my way home from that store I stopped at a yard sale and picked up these pieces of Pyrex. The large yellow was the last piece I needed to complete another Primary set, since I sold the one I had in my booth last month. Last month's sales were amazing, so I am feeling really good about that part of my endeavors. I just found a snowflake 043 for my personal collection in my last post, so this one will go to the booth as well.

So, did you guess what the mystery item was? 

It's a UHF TV antenna from the early days of broadcasting!

 Of course, we don't need them anymore, but I have a place for it on my TV-quarium!

Recent Thrift Finds

Hello friends! I thought I'd do a quick post on some of my recent thrift finds. I've been having pretty good luck lately. And it seems like I have more time to shop than to blog about it, so I'll try not to overload you with stuff (even though my house is bursting at the seams while I get it all ready for my Etsy store and my booth!)

First off are these printed pitchers. I mentioned before that I collect printed glassware, and am always on the lookout for the pitchers that go to the sets. Seems like they are always hard to find! So I was stoked to find the one on the right, especially, because it matches a set of glasses I have, and I have been looking for this one a long time. 

The little ball pitcher on the left has a funny story to go with it. It was so cute, I couldn't leave it behind at the thrift...but unfortunately I did. I actually took it up to the register and paid for it, and then the ladies running the counter forgot to put it in my bag. (I am certain it was an honest mistake.) It wasn't until a couple days later that I realized I didn't have it. So I called up and described the situation and the manager said I was welcome to come in and get my money back (they couldn't find the pitcher). I got to the store and found the thing back on the shelf! I still had my reciept, so of course I got to take it home with me this time. I don't have the matching glasses for this one, though, so it's going to the booth. Of course I will probably find them as soon as I sell it...

I found all these mugs on one epic thrifting day. I took my daughter to a birthday party, and while she was there, my son (aka "Eagle Eye") and I hit up a few thrifts we don't normally get to. The bluish on in front is Fire King Delphite, which I have never seen in person before. The Santa mugs behind it actually have rhinestones in the open eye (the other is winking shut), which is kind of creepy to me, but these sell well in the booth. The item on the far right is a set of teabag holders in their original stand. Eagle Eye spotted those, because I have a set at home which I bought off of Zootsuitmama's Etsy shop. He recognized them and so for 65 cents, thought it would be something he could buy to resell. He's always trying to make some money! 

And as always, I am on the lookout for two things when I thrift- Pyrex and camp blankets. And I found both just the other day!

 

I hit up my usual Tuesday thrift stop and just got a "Pyrex vibe" as soon as I walked in. And when I got to the housewares, there was nothing! For once, I doubted my instincts. Big mistake! Because when I got to the dishware aisle I found a box of Turquoise Gold Band 4-pc place settings, plus the sugar and creamer (with lid!). There is 4 total settings, each including dinner plate, salad plate, cup and saucer. A couple of the dinner plates have some scratches, but the rest is pristine. It was a total of 19 pieces for $12. They are so pretty, I may just have to collect the rest of the set- and I already have the vegetable bowl.

These pieces of Pyrex also happened on the epic thrift trip with Eagle Eye. The 024s on the left were so cheap I couldn't leave them behind (49 and 99 cents) and are a size I use frequently, even though I'm not fond of the colors. They are in great shape, too, except for some wear to the gold band. The opal gold band 024 and the opal promo 023 with cradle I found last time mean that I only have to find the plain opal 024 and I will have the whole set of that style. 

The Golden Honeysuckle on the right was something of a reclamation project. I have seen this pattern before and passed it up (not big on the gold designs) and it is an unusual shape (i.e. doesn't stack!), so I had no reason to collect it. But I have never seen one with the optional walnut stand, and it was a neat piece with the lid and stand. Unfortunately, the dish itself was completely covered in silvery metal marks, like someone had scrubbed it with steel wool. It was only $5, though, so I thought I could at least salvage the stand and lid if not the dish. But a little BKF worked wonders on it and it is nearly as good as new! I couldn't believe it. And I have found myself using it quite a bit since I got it- it is the perfect size for my favorite winter dish, roasted brussel sprouts and the stand makes serving easy. Now I understand why so much Pyrex came with cradles or stands- they are really versatile!

And lastly, after the Pyrex aisle, I always cruise through the linens looking for camp blankets. I found this really neat one the other day. I have never seen one with such a bold pattern- it really reminds me of vintage Scandinavian textiles. Like all camp blankets it reverses to the opposite color scheme (what is red is white, and white, red, when you flip it over). But unlike most camp blankets,which are usually cotton (and machine washable), this one apparently had a high wool content, which wasn't really obvious until I threw it in the wash. Fortunately the blanket didn't shrink much (it was a single/twin to start with) but everything else in that load got covered in fuzz, and my lint trap was so loaded with red lint I was worried I might have a fire. But at least the blanket is clean! And super warm, which is good because it's really getting cold around here- perfect for snuggling up in a vintage blanket with a cup of tea in a Pyrex mug!

Thrifted Thursday: Luck O' The Irish

OK, well, I'm not even the slightest bit Irish, but they say everyone is a little Irish on St. Patty's day! I certainly had some good luck yesterday.

I found the most amazing jackets and you all will die when I tell you how much they were.

I'm getting my Annie Oakley on in this one- this three-tone fringed buckskin jacket is definitely old, but not that old! I'm leaning toward 40s, but it may be 50s. It is still really soft and supple, though and just an amazing piece. The best part is that it fits me like a glove- like it was made for me back in 1947. I absolutely love it and plan to wear it quite a bit- it's just got a great vintage look that will still pair well with modern. 

This Hudson Bay Point Blanket Coat is something I recently read about on the Tea with the Vintage Baroness blog. I really liked the different styles of them and was shocked that I found one today in the pound store! It's made in Canada from real blankets. It's super heavy and warm and fits me as well. It's tempting to keep it but I think it will go to the shop.

Now for the best part- both coats were 99 cents! Even the manager of the pound store said he had no idea why they were there and that they were really nice coats regardless of price.

This didn't come from the pound store, but it was only $2. I have always loved American Indian beadwork (used to do some as a hobby) and thought this belt was pretty neat. It's much bigger than it appears in the photo- it ties around my waist.

I love this football themed planter- when was the last time you ever saw a masculine planter? It was $1.25.

I bought these milk glass pieces at the pound store as well. I've been buying a lot of custard cups recently, for no real reason other than that they are cute (the back one is a really old FireKing and the front one is "Pyr-O-Rey"). The large milk glass crock is gigantic! I have no idea what it is from, since it is unmarked. It is like the size of a big crock pot crock- perhaps it was from some early version of that. It was only 99 cents though and since I would like to try my hand at making sauerkraut someday, this will be perfect. Or it might end up as a planter- how cool would that be?

Now, you didn't think I would get all that without finding some Pyrex, did you? I almost didn't get any- there was a young couple in there buying up everything Pyrex. I mean they bought everything- 8 beige mugs, 3 autumn harvest red mugs, a bunch of Old Orchard casseroles, things I wasn't really interested in, and thought was overpriced (like $3 a mug). I don't know what it was about me, but I made eye contact with them one time and then heard the guy say to the girl- "We better go back and get the rest of that Pyrex" (off the shelf). How did they know I was looking for Pyrex??? :)  But since I found some green Pyrex on Tuesday, I figured my luck would hold and I found this green (Verde) 404 off on another shelf. 

Here's hoping you have some good luck as well thrifting this week!

Thrift Crawl 2013: "This is F#$@&%'n Awesome"

Well, not really that awesome... I don't know if it's that song, or the economy or what, but I remembered why I don't like to go thrifting on Saturdays. The stores were packed and pretty picked over.

It wasn't all bad though- hitting 7 stores in 6 hours over 65 miles is never going to be a total bust. :)

For those of you new to the PIT, every year around my birthday (March 1) I take a whole day and do nothing but shop thrift stores. I try to go to ones I don't normally get to, so it's kind of an event. In general,  don't need any more "stuff"/gifts (though I did get a neat-o espresso machine from my parents, which I love) so all I ask for is a day "off" from being a mom and go out on the road for the whole day. I call it my annual Thrift Crawl, and try to get to as many stores in a day as I can.

This year, I had a few things on my want list- Pyrex, which is my latest obsession, vintage clothing, camp blankets, and anything vintage/industrial. I was successful in almost all the categories, except the vintage clothing. The stores I went to seem to have an incredibly high turnover- there was a lot of empty space on the racks/shelves, so I imagine anything vintage gets snapped up immediately. That's OK, though, I have tons of it in storage- I probably have less than half of my current inventory listed in my Etsy shop. (And, as always, I will remind blog readers that you are all eligible for 20% off your purchase with coupon code PIT20OFF.)

I was a bit disappointed in the Pyrex selection- collecting it must be getting really popular, because I hardly even saw any. Most of my haul came from a single store- apparently the others were picked over before I got there. I did see a fair amount of Fire King (even some Peach Lustre and Gay Fad, which were really tempting, but the condition wasn't perfect so I passed) and the ubiquitous Glasbake.

I didn't see any Pyrex (with the exception of a badly dishwashered red 501 fridgie) until my fourth stop. It took some digging, but I unearthed this Federal Eagle mug. The condition isn't perfect, but I love mugs and have never seen this one before, so it came home with me.

Finally at my 6th stop I found some good stuff. A Butterfly Gold butter dish for $2.50- mint condition. I initially thought I might sell or trade it, but now I'm thinking I might try to collect all the butter dishes. I knew that I would find a butter dish after I went out and bought one (Butterprint) on eBay a couple weeks ago! Well, I'm not complaining- only wishing I had bought the Old Towne butter dish I passed up a couple months ago.

I also found these cute red casseroles- they are so tiny- 10 oz! I posed them next to the butter dish, because they are almost the same size. They'll be perfect for individual servings of broiled seafood and the like, if I can bring myself to use them- except for a few scratches from storage they look like they've never been used.

These footed bowls are Fire King. I wouldn't have bought them individually, but as a group I really like the colors. For only 50 cents each, they are mine. I'm guessing there was at least one more, probably red or brown, at one time to make the set.

This is the first Tiki mug I've found in a couple of years. I have a decent size collection, but acquired most of them a while ago. This rum barrel is from the Kona Kai, Philadelphia's only Tiki bar of note. Check out the following photo- wish I had could have gone there!

This is an old tin from the 30s. Judging by the label on the bottom and the great sports-theme graphics, I think it was for deodorant. I hesitated because the price was $1.50, and for something like this it seemed high. But I'm glad I got it just for the graphics, and I think it will be the perfect size for hair pins on my dresser- definitely an upgrade from the old mug they live in now.

This is quickly becoming my favorite find. It's a ceramic owl TV lamp. You can see how the light comes through the holes in the body, and the eyes also glow. It was only priced at $3.50, which is really low for the store I was in, and for TV lamps in general. When I took it up to the register the girl there said she had just put it out- right time, right place for me!

Not shown are another camp blanket- a newer, mostly acryilc version of the pink one I picked up a while back, and an industrial office in/out letter rack, which is pretty cool looking and I will have to take a photo of  another time. All in all, it was a fun day!

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!