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!

Flea Market Friday: Upstate Estate sale!

The last couple of weekends we've been busy at our cabin upstate. Fortunately, I had a little time on Saturday to visit a local rummage sale and estate sale nearby.

This place is really in a rural area, so vintage aficionados are few and far between. Thankfully for me, that means great deals and lots of them!

The rummage sale is held at a nearby church and was Friday and Saturday until noon. Saturday is usually bag day- they give you a large trash bag when you walk in and you can fill it for -better sit down- 50 cents!

I had forgotten the sale ended at noon (I was thinking it was 2 pm) so I ran in at about 11:40 with my two kids just as they were packing up. They wanted some "new" toys, to I just told them to grab anything they wanted and put it in the bag and we'd take a close look at things later. It was so crazy, it was like we were on a TV shopping spree. I literally didn't know where to turn first. Anyway, I grabbed whatever I could and just stuffed it in my bag.

Yes, 50 cents for all!

I knew I wouldn't have much competition for the vintage clothing. I only wish I had more time to look through the men's stuff! I got these six 1960s dresses, all must have been from the same lady because they are all plus size. The 2nd and 6th from the left are really neat especially- a little too big for me at size 18-20 or I would keep them. Watch for them in the shop or send me an email if anyone is interested in purchasing. 

I also got a sweater, a shirt, two scarves and a set of the most incredible pinch pleat drapes ever:

These are in virtually mint condition. I have found several sets of drapes lately, but all in solid colors. I love these and thought hard about redesigning my living room to match them, but that's too much work. They'll be in the shop soon.

I also grabbed this old bail-top mason jar. It had been filled with potpourri (which met its demise immediately.) I have a collection of rustic farmhouse decor in the backgound (OK, except for the martini glass!) which eventually got put on a barnwood shelf later that day (another post on that coming).

After our whirlwind shopping spree was over and I paid my 50 cents, we stopped at an estate sale just outside the little town nearby. They, too were also winding down, and I wonder what I could have found if I had gotten there earlier.

Everything there was priced at $1 or less. The blue bowl is a marbled melamine (5 cents) the white milk glass bowl was 10 cents, the iron (working- they tested it there for me!) was 25 cents, the cute plastic S&P shakers were 10 cents, and the 60s lamp was 50 cents.

These are overhead light fixtures- $1 for both. I was actually looking for something cottage-y to replace the cheesy brass fixture above the sink up there and these fit the bill perfectly. I don't even have to bring something up from down home!

These plastic vacuum servers were 25 cents each. I love this style, but they don't go with 'farmhouse rustic', so they are coming home to reside in my brother's MCM bachelor pad. 

These books were the most expensive items of the day, at $3 for all. Since we don't have TV or internet up there, I'm sure I'll get to read them soon. They're all 1940s romance novels in their original dust jackets. I could have bought many more- the lady had hundreds of books- apparently she didn't have TV or internet either, LOL. The "Nature Crafts" book might also come in handy because it has all sorts of, well, nature crafts, to do with the kids. (Note to Eartha Kitsch- there is a section on making animals out of walnut shells.)

So if you're doing the math at home, I got all these things for $6 and change. Not a bad day! Now I just have to list them all in the shop and make my $50 in gas money back!

Rummage Sale Goodness Pt. 1

Today was the big rummage sale at our local church. They have one twice a year, and I always get really good stuff. Today was no exception.

I'm going to break this up over 2 posts because it's kind of photo-heavy. Which means I got a ton of stuff! 

This year's theme was blue, apparently. 

I found another Hoosier jar! With a blue lid, a color I've never seen before. It was $6, which was highway robbery for a rummage sale, but try buying one cheaper anywhere else. And I always have a use for them. Same with the blue mason jars, which were 25 cents each (that's more like it!) The tablecloth was $1.50 and is not a size I can use, but I might take it to the cabin or sell it in my Etsy store. 

Someone must have had an old Hotpoint refrigerator. Guess what, so do I! 

I think the basket (which says "Left-Overs"- love that) will fit in mine also. How cool is that, to find accessories for your 1940 Hotpoint at a rummage sale. Each piece was 25 cents.

I actually went back later in the day for this aquarium. I thought about it all morning and realized it would be perfect for a terrarium. Thankfully it was still there. It's older than I thought it was- the bottom is slate! The bell was an impulse buy (25 cents) that I may live to regret. Those of you with young kids will know what I mean!

That's it for now- I'll be back after tomorrow's rummage sale with pt. 2!