fun thrifting finds

 It's been awhile, but I went thrifting again. Here's what came home with me:

I love the colors in this handmade blanket. It's also the perfect size to cover just my lap and part of my legs; it's not over-sized. Since our evenings are still cold, I use it when I'm reading or watching TV.

Blue and white dishes are my favorites and I happened to need some more smaller plates. I usually buy plates made in England or Germany (I won't eat off of plates that are made in China) as I prefer that style, but I was drawn to the flowers on these Japanese plates. I also like how they have a "lip" on the plate edge. A lot of times, I just eat a small meal or a snack consisting of fruit and raw nuts, so these smaller plates are a perfect size.

Another scarf (I know it needs ironing) to add to my collection.

Two small Limoges teacups. My grandma loved Limoges, too. 

A kitty sun catcher.

Brass Gregorian candlesticks.

A green and white lampshade...

An organizer that still had the original price sticker from HomeGoods on it. My price was 50 cents. :-)

Lastly, I found this collection of vintage quilted hearts when I was treasure hunting with Mom a few days ago.

Have a fantastic weekend!

a little bit of everything

 In my last post, I was telling you about how my friend introduced me to a vintage shop...that was the place where I showed you all the outdoor succulents. Well, I also found a couple of lovely treasures there. I came across this stack of Fire King dishes and thought that by the tag, they were either $6 each or perhaps that rather large period after the 6 was a 0, so that the stack of plates (11 of them) was $60. Wrong on both counts. This entire stack of beautiful dishes was only $6!! The owner of the shop told me that this consignee was an elderly woman who simply wanted to get rid of some of her things; she wasn't looking to make money. This is the Primrose pattern which was made from 1960-1962.

I'm keeping them stacked in my kitchen china cabinet ~ so easy to grab a plate at mealtime. I haven't used paper plates in many years. I try to be environmentally friendly, plus it's a cost savings. Not to mention, even just a salad or sandwich looks more inviting on a pretty plate.

 I also found this small vintage print for $3. I was drawn to the little girl with her braid sticking out of her scarf, the bird in the tree, and the worn frame. This print is now part of my gallery wall that I've been working on in the hallway.

Isn't it fun to receive packages in the mail? This pretty rose tureen recently arrived for me from Cathy at My 1929 Charmer. I won it in her blog anniversary giveaway. Thank you, Cathy! If you're not familiar with her blog, go pay Cathy a visit. She has the most beautiful gardens and has a ton of talent with her decorating and vignettes. You will see why her house is called "The Charmer". :-)

 After a very rainy and cool June, the sun finally came out yesterday afternoon and it warmed up a bit, so I was out in the yard for a few hours pulling weeds, trimming neighbor's overhanging trees, sweeping the porch and patio, and watering and moving potted plants. I found this forgotten chair in the garage and decided to use it as garden art.

 Nothing new here. Just thought this area by the patio was looking so pretty with the tiger lilies in full bloom. I sure wish they'd stay that way the entire summer.

 Brought more houseplants outside and put them on the table on my front porch...

 I normally have a bouquet of fresh flowers on my kitchen table and if they don't come from my yard or the roadside, they're from Trader Joes. I usually stick with alstroemeria since they're only $3.99 per bunch. I keep my table simple since it's small and right there in the kitchen. I don't have a formal dining room.

 I moved the bouquet of flowers to the living room for a change of pace...

 and then added this basket with bottles and blooms instead to the kitchen table. The hydrangea and lamb's ear are from my yard.

 I played switcheroo with the vintage utility cart and the red chair. This is the "after" photo. I like this arrangement much better than the "before". Looks more balanced.

 This was the "before"...

 And since I was playing in the kitchen, I also whipped up a batch of my homemade granola:

MEL'S GRANOLA

4 cups old-fashioned oats

1-1/2 cups mixed nuts & seeds (your choice...cashews, almonds, pecans,

 walnuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas)

1/8 cup each chia seeds, flaxseed meal, & hemp hearts

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1 tsp each salt and cinnamon

1/3 cup olive or coconut oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup (don't even think of using the fake crap!)

Mix oats - cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk together the olive or coconut oil and maple syrup, then pour over oat mixture. Stir until oats are thoroughly coated. Bake in 300F oven for 1/2 hour, stirring halfway through. Let cool on cooling rack and then store in an airtight container. You can add any kind of dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricots, apples, figs, dates, bananas) to the mixture when it's cool, if you'd like. I prefer it as is in the summer...I like it on top of plain Greek yogurt and then topped with fresh blueberries or strawberries.

Brian's had a few vacation days and the lucky guy has been painting our bedroom. After a lot of deliberation, we decided on this light gray - Lattice by Sherwin Williams. So much better than the baby blue it once was! Here's a sneak peek. The room is getting a complete makeover: hardwood flooring, new mattress and headboard, blinds, curtains, furniture, lamps. Will probably take awhile knowing us, but stay tuned.

For those of you in the US, please have a safe and fun Fourth of July weekend!

goodwill finds and a new chandelier

 I've calmed down since my last post. I'm not freaking out or tweaking about

Tim getting things done anymore. I decided to let it go...whatever will be, will be

and all that jazz. I can only control so much, right? Lovely Balisha from the blog,

 Never Enough Time had left a comment that "kids always seem to put off things until 

the very end...I know mine always did. They do seem to come through with flying

 colors. I read somewhere just this week... that if we worry too much about how our

 kids handle things...it shows that we don't have confidence in their ablility to work

 things out on their own." Such wise words! So I guess you won't be surprised to hear 

that Tim's done a lot of packing. And picked up his drum set today. Still working on

his car though. Let it go...

When I was at Goodwill the other day, I found two great black tops for fall, a pair
of dark-washed Levis that  fit me perfectly (which is pretty darn amazing -  I have a
 very hard time find jeans that fit me well), and some pretties for my home.

Love these green and blue glass candlesticks - the colors are perfect for the

living room - but I'm not going to keep them on this window ledge. I've been playing

around with placement and new vignettes.

I have a fondness for pretty teapots even though I'm more of a coffee drinker.

This one's a Marjolein Bastin teapot. I believe they used to sell these at Hallmark.

Now you can find them on eBay and etsy. I only paid $3 for mine though. And that

first Sarah Jio book you see - Morning Glory - that's the author's newest book that

isn't going to be out until November 26th. This is an Advanced Reader's Copy, but

that doesn't matter to me, especially for 89 cents!

I love white dishes, especially white plates. And I won't eat off any dishes made

in China, so I was thrilled to find these Johnson Brothers (England) ironstone plates. 

They were marked at $1.99 each, but when I got up to the cash register, the employee

noticed that one of the stickers on the plates was green. And it happened to be "50% off

green sticker day". She said that she'd then ring all the plates up at 50% off. Woo-hoo!

It gets even better...I also had a 25% off coupon for my birthday. So I got the plates

for 75 cents each! Such a deal, I'm telling you.

I don't collect pigs or creamers, but this vintage creamer was so cute, I just 

couldn't pass it up.

 I know this isn't exactly a chandelier in the crystals-hanging-from-it type, so what

would you call it? Whatever it is, I like it. My mom bought it years ago from a little

shop on one of our outings, but eventually got tired of it and gave it to me. It's

been sitting in my basement for a few years and I finally got Brian to hang it in

my office/Phil's old room. 

This room has been - and still is - a work in progress. I know I need art

work for the walls. Heck, I don't even know if I'll keep this furniture arranged

as it is now. But, at least I got the chandelier hung! Do you think it needs to

be a little bit lower?

Speaking of (slow) progress on this room, we finally got blinds for the windows.

Next up: curtains. We take baby steps.

Tim and his friend are out in the garage, working on the car. I can't tell you how

many hundreds of times they've been in and out of the house today; the door

constantly slamming. Do you think I'll miss that?

thrifting treasures ~ part two

This is a picture-heavy post ~ you've been forewarned!

I've really been on a thrifting roll lately.

And I like to sometimes show not only what I found, but where I'm using those finds, too.

So settle in with your feet up and your beverage of choice - I'm drinking Yogi Green Tea Kambucha - my new favorite.

It was hard to photograph this glass bird - he looks more like a penguin

in the photo! He's much more handsome in person.

 He now nests happily on a shelf in my office, along with that pretty 

little floral oil painting I found the other day ~ which was featured here: 

hit the thrifting jackpot - part one

Thought this was a cute box...it now holds an assortment of teas on the kitchen counter.

 

 Even the side of the box is cute...

Another pretty little painting...

 

 which I used in grouping on the kitchen wall. And instead of putting more nail holes in the

wall, I used those trusty 3M Command strips.

When I stand back and look at the wall, it seems to me that it now needs some kind of

horizontal something-or-other to top off the grouping. Maybe a white ornamental piece?

 

I was thrilled when I found these sterling silver candlesticks!

Only $4.99 each. They'll be so pretty and shiny when I remove the tarnish.

 

 Here's the original price!

 I bought a set of six of these gorgeous Lefton dishes.

They're for my mom. Not sure whether she's going to keep them or try to sell them on eBay.

If I had a dining room (I only have an eat-in kitchen), I'd be keeping these lovelies.

The sterling silver coyote earrings are for a friend of mine, as she loves

jewelry like this. The funky pin is not for me to wear, but I could picture her on

a bulletin/inspiration board or pinned somewhere fun...

like on this vintage fan.

 

When I came home with this big basket and set it on the kitchen counter,

Monkey immediately jumped into it and had to investigate!

When I was carrying this basket out from Goodwill to my car, two women

in the parking lot commented on it. "Ooh, I want that basket!" And, "Someone found a great basket!" 

Household stuff...a two-slice toaster (which will make my son happy - we only had a four-slice

toaster which was too big to keep on the counter, so every time he wanted toast or waffles, he'd

have to drag the toaster out from storage, which wasn't exactly convenient); a Chef'n salad Emulstir (I make our own salad dressing and just kept it in a jar, but we'd have to shake the jar or mix

the dressing with a spoon every time we'd use it, which got messy); an onion chopper (was so happy

to find this, as my mini food processor broke a little while ago); and kind of out of place here...a lime green vase to go in my living room.

 

So here's the lime green vase - on the hanging window ledge display. I like how it picks

up the green in the picture above it.

Aren't these Swedish candlesticks beautiful? Found them for 99 cents each and the

candles for 49 cents. 

 

 Tchotchkes...loving the vintage bud vase (guessing that's what it is; I was drawn to the hand);

a little trinket box with lid; and the cutest little dish with a cat on it. I know I've seen this dish

online before and I'm thinking it was from Anthropologie, but I can't find it online now.

Anyone recognize it?

 Speaking of that little trinket box with lid, I am hoping someone can help me with this.

What exactly IS this thing? It has a slot in the side. I'm wondering why.

The bottom is marked Stowell.

 

Woo-hoo, another stack of books!

 

Oops, more books! Yarn Harlot is for my same friend that is getting the 

coyote earrings, as she's a knitter - and a reader.

 

Cute 99 cent bracelets for a friend's little girl, and a couple of $1.99 necklaces.

Not too sure about the beaded one on the right - it's not like anything I normally wear.

I'll try it when I'm wearing a plain black or blue shirt and if I don't like it, one of

my aunts who likes bold jewelry will be getting a little prezzie.

 

Pretty pink and silver bracelet. Just needs a little cleaning.

 

14k gold hummingbird earrings for a friend who adores hummingbirds and delicate earrings...

 

 Whew, that does it for now! I also found a few shirts for myself and a red Tommy Hilfiger sweater for my husband, but I didn't take pictures of those things.

 I would tell you that I'm going to stay away from

thrift stores for awhile, but a friend of mine asked me to go to Goodwill and

Savers with her next Monday. Do you think I said no? ;-)