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!

Hyperventilating in the Thrift Store

Normally I am not the type to get outwardly excited about anything, especially shopping. Calm, cool, and collected, that's me. But today I had one of those experiences in the thrift store that got me all sweaty, weak and shaky.

What could have done that to me?

Oh yeah.....a yellow New Dot on the thrift store shelf.

Good thing I was already down on my knees digging through the lowest shelf, because I got so shaky I might have fallen over. It seemed like slow motion as I reached over and grabbed it. And of course from that moment on I never let it go. I think I had a hand cramp from holding on to it.

As I carried it up to the register and I passed a lady carrying the Old Towne butter dish I had debated buying and put down (too expensive at $9.50). I imagined her jealous looks as I paid my $4 for my new prize. (Don't ask me about the crazy thrift store pricing; I'm not arguing one bit!)

So it made it home safe and sound, just needed a little BKF and magic eraser to clean up the scratches. It came out beautifully and now I just have to find a place of honor for it!

Dave Brubeck, 1920-2012

I've been meaning to write a post for a long time about that "other" 1950s musical idiom, jazz. For me, Rockabilly is OK, and I enjoy it to a point, but my real interest in music is the jazz of the decade. I suppose since we just lost one of the icons of the genre, and a musician I had the utmost respect and admiration for, Mr. Dave Brubeck, yesterday, this is a good time to do it.

I think many of us lose interest in jazz once we get past big band swing. The whole notion of bebop and progressive jazz is kind of stuck in an intellectual fog; most people believe they have to really know something about it to enjoy it. Not so. Jazz is probably America's greatest contribution to world culture; the idea that creative energy can flow unrestricted is the very essence of freedom. Just go into it with an open mind, and I bet you will find something to enjoy. After that, like any other form of music, you go deeper from there.

Bebop jazz in the 1950s was the language of the Beat generation. The Jack Kerouac crowd was drawn to it for its free form and spontaneous emotion, much like the literature they produced. Many of the artists knew each other and fed off one another. Milestone recordings from the era, probably must-haves for any serious music listener would be Charlie Parker with Strings (1950), Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (1959), Clifford Brown's Study in Brown, 1955 (my personal fave), and Chet Baker and Strings (1953). All of these are eminently accessible, many feature recordings of standards which you will probably recognize, and you will enjoy them if you check them out.

Probably one of the most notable recordings of that time, and of any time, is Brubeck's Time Out. Brubeck was such an solid musician; he sought out ways to be different and innovative, beyond just virtuosity on the piano and improvisation. Time Out, recorded in 1959, was devoted to making music in different, and rather unusual (for jazz) time signatures. Tunes in 5/4, 3/4, 9/8 make up the bulk of the album. However, that said, it is simply good music, and the fact that the time signature is a little different has really nothing to do with the accessibility of the music. It was the first jazz album to sell a million copies and is probably still selling in record numbers. Do yourself a favor and buy it- I guarantee you will like it, and probably you have already heard some of the tunes, you just didn't know it.

I was fortunate to be able to see Dave Brubeck and his Quartet live back in 1993, and meet him in person. It was a highlight of my concert-going existence and I treasure that memory.

Turkey Day at the PIT!

Hi all, Happy Thanksgiving! I'm a bit late to the party, I know, but hey, it's still November! (Until it's actually December, we won't even mention that other holiday my kids are strangely obsessing about :)

If you've been around the blog a long time, you know that I am a total foodie. And also that we believe very strongly in sourcing our own proteins, through hunting and fishing. And what would Thanksgiving be without turkey? Wild turkey, that would be, just like the first Thanksgiving.

Yours truly, with Eagle Eye and a wild turkey, destined for the dinner table. (I know my attire is so fashionable, isn't it? But it was warm!)

Wild turkeys all cleaned up for dinner. They look just like a big chicken or domestic turkey, but without the giant over-sized breast. The drumsticks are a bit tougher and gamier than domestic, but the white meat is virtually indistinguishable. These turkeys spent their whole lives roaming the woods and foraging for food- no hormones, antibiotics or industrial farms. They can run and fly and I always give thanks for the opportunity to take one of these birds for the table. It is not a simple thing to harvest one, in any sense of the word,  but it is the best way to eat a turkey, IMHO.

My mom taking the stuffing out of the bird (in a vintage apron!) She was getting ready to make the gravy. I do everything else for the meal, but no one makes better gravy than Mom. Sometimes it's best to just leave that to the professionals! As I type this post, I have the turkey carcass simmering in a stock pot for soup.

I set the table with the best dishes, crystal and silver; it's just about the only time I ever use that stuff. I also used my "new" autumn tablecloth. It's not the greatest picture of me, but I wore a salmon-colored knit set. Plenty of stretch in that fabric for turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, Cope's corn, broccoli, cranberries, pumpkin and apple pie!

Happy Holidays from the gang at Chez QT!

SusieQT collects: Printed Glassware

Don't you just hate those bloggers who seem like they drop off the face of the earth all of a sudden?  Oh wait... :)

Well, anyway, things have been really busy around here and I seem to be a week behind on everything because of being displaced due to Hurricane Sandy for a while. But just in time for Thanksgiving I have a post about one of my very favorite things to collect, printed glassware!

Printed glassware was produced from the 40s-70s as a promotional item for consumer brands. In many cases, they were sold filled with things like peanut butter and sour cream. This encouraged the shopper to patronize a certain brand until she had accumulated a set of similar glasses. Popular themes were flowers, outdoor scenes and holiday motifs. Some glassware companies, like Libby, also produced sets complete with carriers and matching drink pitchers. I believe these might have also been promo items in grocery stores (i.e. free with a $20 purchase) or purchased with things like Green Stamps.

I've been collecting them for years, but they are getting harder to find at decent prices. I try to limit myself to sets of at least 2 glasses or those with pitchers or carriers now, which makes it much harder!

This is probably my favorite set, and the only set I currently have on display in my kitchen. I bought this set of 8 glasses with the carrier about 15 years ago for $15- now, I wouldn't be able to touch them for that price.

I love the red, yellow and green color scheme of these- matches my kitchen perfectly. I hope I can find another 4 of this pattern and maybe a pitcher someday to complete the set. (I've been looking for years!)

Juice glasses are so dainty- these are probably 2-4 oz size. It reminds you that years ago, if you wanted orange juice, you had to squeeze an orange (or five)! I found the matching pitcher for the orange juice glasses at a yard sale years after I bought the 3 (used to be 4, whoops!) glasses.

 Not every pattern was feminine and frilly. My guess is these were meant to be used as bar ware. If I had a couple more of these, I'd put them on my Thanksgiving table.

These holiday glasses are very common. It's a great starter set- you can probably find them in just about any thrift store if you're patient. I have a dozen of them and pass them up all them time anymore because I can't even use all the ones I've got! But they are so perfect for a Christmas tablescape set with a printed holiday tablecloth.

Back with a Vengeance

Hi all- things are starting to return to normal around here. Our power was out for a week after Sandy hit, and   then we left for a weeklong vacation the day after it came back on. So, I am slowly getting back into the regular routine. But just because things were a little difficult around here doesn't mean that I didn't do any thrifting or things to blog about- on the contrary! I found a little bit of thrift store therapy went a long way toward restoring my peace of mind.

I'm being much more selective now than I ever was- just because something is a good deal doesn't mean I need to buy it. I almost always consider the resale value of an item, and am really trying hard not to buy things to keep for myself. Or, at the very least, if I buy something to keep, something else has to go.

So here are two of my best scores of the last few weeks!

This set of Libby Carousel glasses is in mint condition. I paid $7.50 for the set of 8, so that's less than $1 a piece. While they are cute and very collectible, they're headed to the antique booth; I need another set of printed glasses like I need a hole in the head.

This is one of my all-time faves. It originally was going to go to the Etsy store, but once I tried it on...well, I have other jackets that I can get rid of!

It's an original issue A2 bomber jacket, not a knock-off. It's goatskin, so soft and luxurious. I haven't yet figured out how to read the government label (there's a date code hidden in there) but it's not old, probably recent issue. But the style is identical to WWII issue and so iconic, it doesn't matter to me. And I think I have the correct patch that goes on the velcro spot left over from my days at our local air base.

The price was $40, which is probably the highest I've ever spent on a single item at a thrift store. I carried it around for a while before I figured I could at least double or triple my money if I tried to sell it. But for now it's staying with me, and I wore it yesterday as a salute for Veteran's Day. 

I'm still alive...

Just a brief note to let you all know we're still here. Been without power since 8:22 Monday- no word yet when we'll get it back. Probably will not have internet/phone until much later. Stay tuned, and I'll get back to posting when I can!