Treasure Box Wednesday: Hull Haul

There wasn't a ton of time for thrifting this past week, but I was able to grab a happy thrifty moment prior to a hair appointment on Saturday, where logistics sent me straight into the Salvation Army Superstore out by Century III Mall in West Mifflin.

It was there, just as I was leaving, I happened to spy two pink-and-blue beauties I recognized immediately: a pair of matching Hull Pottery 8 1/2 inch Magnolia pattern vases.

Now, Hull can get incredibly expensive, and while I like many of the pieces, I simply can't justify buying them... unless they show up at a thrift store with shining beams of light on them. I had found a few unusually inexpensive Hull vases at thrift stores and antique malls-- only by sheer luck in the past. And it was sheer luck once again that found me with this lovely haul of Hull. You can see my Hull pieces here (though I think one pink piece is hiding behind the second new vase).

 Anyway, one vase is absolutely perfect, no chips, cracks or anything. The other one does have a chip at the top, but I couldn't leave it there when it's companion was going to be a guest at my house.

Amusingly, when I was at the register paying for it, the cashier commented she'd figured no one would ever want to buy those vases.

I guess they are entirely too pastel and frou-frou for many of today's modern tastes. But I personally love the soft matte finish to them, and the gentle spring colors.

Ah, there's something for everyone at the thrift store! You just have to take the time to treasure hunt.

Hope you all are finding yourselves more comfortable this week after our steamy summer so far.

Snickers and Surprises

Before we get talking about my most recent thrifty find, I wanted to direct your attention to a post my fellow cat-lover readers might enjoy... a little tale (or tail?) on my humor blog Of Cabbages and Kings called, um, "UnderWHERE?!" You can access that here if you need a little Friday chuckle.

Okay, now on to business! I've largely just been either prepping my humorous space fantasy for printing, or have been writing on the second book in the series. Admittedly, the tasks mean I'm spending less money, but it also means I spend most of the weekend with my laptop.

However, I did enjoy a trip to Jeannette, PA recently, and at Junk for Joy, I picked up this nifty little Atkinson Fox art deco print, featuring one of his "Enchanted Girls."

The frame was a bit dusty, so I'd removed the print only to tidy it up a bit. And I thought it was interesting what the backing was... An old cigar ad!
Judging by the style of the lettering, and the pricing of the box of 10 cigars, I'd say the ad was pretty close to the same age as the print.

As I always say, when searching for secondhand treasure, you just really never do know what you're going to find.

I hope you all find yourselves having a terrific weekend!

Delightful, De-wallpapered and Decorated

I mentioned a couple of weeks back that I would be lending a hand to my friend Scoobie to remove wallpaper from her livingroom and diningroom. Regular readers may remember that Scoobie's the one who is writing a Western and loves the look of the Arts and Crafts period mixed with Western kistch.

Well, the wallpaper she had (and still has in the diningroom) was a bit twee for her tastes-- ovals of peach flowers with aqua stems. All very late 80s, early 90s...
You can see in this rather blurry (sorry!) photo what the room looked like before we started work on removing the paper...
And here, the wallpaper is going buh-bye...It didn't just peel off, but with a little soapy water, it was a lot easier to scrape away.
She and I spent two days of a weekend working on it, and then Scoobie finished it up herself in evenings during the week. Then it got painted a soft, robin's egg blue, which really makes her brown accessories pop!

The color was actually chosen to match the sky in the painting she already had over the mantle. She's already settled a lot of her thrifted and antique malled goodies into place there...

An arts and crafts cabinet helps hold other beloved treasures, while her resident cowboy and horse (courtesy of TJ Maxx) wait for their next round-up.

The arts and crafts lamps look just right against the inviting blue walls...
And she's found a place for some of those kitschy Western themed bourbon bottles she's found at flea markets and thrift stores over the years...
Thanks to Scoobie for letting me share photos of her home with you today! I guess her dining room will be the next decorative undertaking-- helping to liberate it from a garden of different large peach flowers, and peach draperies.

Take care, folks. Until next post!