Showing posts with label dishes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dishes. Show all posts

Treasure Box Wednesday: The Circle of Thrift

Summertime, and the thrifting is measly...

At least at the moment, anyway. But truth be told, if anything, I need to apply myself more wholeheartedly to getting rid of unnecessary things, instead of acquiring more.

I made a good dent in that this week, by going through old clothing and coming up with three jigunda Hefty garbage bags of donations for Goodwill and the Salvation Army.

And it felt so GOOD. Watching those three-bags-full, to borrow from the nursery rhyme, head on their way to brand new homes, where someone else will really enjoy them....

It made me realize how many of my personal belongings come full circle... From thrift to home to thrift again. There's almost something poetic about that.
Or dizzying.

Other items, I am debating between putting on Ebay or Etsy (I'd love to hear from folks who have inside knowledge on the processes, in favor of one venue versus the other). I believe I mentioned this last fall, and never got around to it due to the craziness of the holidays. But I have a number of items that I think would make fun and lovely vintage gift baskets once they're put together. I also have a lot of mismatched china that's surplus to requirement. So this summer, I plan to develop my game-plan and finally take the time to place these items.


For those who joined my mailing list, to be notified when these items are listed, I've kept your information safe, and will still notify you when I start selling. If anyone additional would like to join that list, just let me know. My email address can be found through my Blogger profile...

And please, no spammers.

That said, I did go thrifting a little this week. I mean, when you drop off donations to the Goodwill and Salvation Army and you're right there anyway, it only makes SENSE to stop inside the store. You know, to be truly ironic.

But, while I saw some interesting things, I just didn't need any of it. Then on Saturday, in between a friend's wedding ceremony and reception I had a few hours to kill. And what did I happen to be near? Why, the Red White and Blue thrift store. And there, that's when I got this lovely embroidered tablecloth...


And this Victorian style shower curtain...


Only at a thrift store can you arrive with very little cash and still come out with some goodies, and change to spare.

Well, I'm afraid that's really all I have in the Treasure Box for this week....


Here's hoping you're staying cool and comfortable in all the heat and humidity. Drink plenty of iced tea, lemonade or any other refreshing beverage of your choice-- preferably overlooking a tranquil landscape. And maybe I'll see you Sunday? If not, have a wonderful rest of your week.

Dish and Dish-Honesty


My china cupboard must be part clown-car.

It has all the size and shape of a normal china cupboard…

But as I went to reorganize and thin out some things, I suddenly had enough dishes sitting on my floor to fill the entire Homer Laughlin factory…

(Plus, you know, there were all those rubber noses and floppy shoes to contend with.)


So HOW did this happen?

Well… (hangs head in abject shame)… I KNOW how this happened.

This happened because my place has become the Home for Wayward Tablesettings. I am a Housewares Softie. I feel bad when I see pretty china and glass sitting unloved and unappreciated in the thrift stores. It is cheap and beautiful and needs someone who will adore it and take care of it. I pick it up, and pet it, and inevitably… it follows me to my car.
Some people collect cats. I amass vintage dishware.

And having too much of either can be a little unhealthy.

I mean, OKAY, so it’s not like my neighbors are calling the Board of Health about the sickening smell of dishwashing liquid emanating from my house.

It’s not like I’m tripping over compotes as I descend the stairs. Or sleeping with thirty gravy-boats at the foot of my bed.

But do I really NEED SEVEN 1950s floral whiteware platters? Am I ever really going to have enough people to tea that 27 mixed ROSE-PRINTED TEACUPS will be the ticket to good hostessing?

Unlikely.

So it’s time to be honest with myself: I am not a Jane Austen character. I don’t have twenty of my closest friends to sit around the parlor every day and sip tea, nibble scones and chat about our lives and our hobbies…

Well, actually, I DO, but they’re online. They bring their own cups.

So this last week the floor between my living room and dining rooms looked like a rummage sale. And I forced myself to make some very tough decisions. Yes indeedy, it was like my own personal variation on that old Clash tune: “Should It Stay or Should It Go?”…

Except, you know, with more pink than punk.

Admittedly, I had a few moments where I MIGHT have gone a little too far over to the minimalist side. There were beloved pieces that spent a brief, miserable time in the discard pile before I realized that I am not actually, say, DYING…

Or moving into a nursing facility…. Or, oh, transferring to the Australian Outback…

And so I probably CAN KEEP a couple of my favorite Royal Doulton chintz pieces if otherwise it would make me sob into my salad plate.

But mostly I remained strong. So it looks like I’m going to try selling on Ebay for the first time. Not as a regular vendor, mind you. Just to clear out the extras and reduce my unhealthy teacup/meat platter quantities and other items to normal, non-Housewares Softie levels.

I WOULD sell them at a garage sale, for a quick and painless separation. But I’ve heard stories about that. Stories where strangers peer blank-faced into your windows in the dim of the morning, well before the sale starts. Surrounding the place, tapping at the glass, mumbling, drooling… It’s Dawn of the Dead for bargains.

Well, me, I put in over 45 hours a week, plus commute. And I am SO unprepared to fight off the zombie hoards at 5am on a Saturday…
At least not before coffee.

So Ebay it will be! I promise to you folks, this site will remain entirely free of info related to sales. I have no plans to turn The Thrift Shop Romantic site into any sort of vending medium.

However, if anyone does want to be notified by email regarding the Ebay items that go up for sale, I’d be happy to put you on a mailing list. Just click the Say Hi button and send me a note.

I look now in my reorganized china cabinet and feel a little more at peace.

I glance at the china destined to leave Waterhouse and I swallow the lump in my throat as I reaffirm my decisions. Yes, they are orphans now, lost children looking for a path. But they will find new homes. New homes where people will love them. Surely someone, SOMEONE must need a 27 mixed rose teacups …

Ah, Jane Austen, sweetie, you would have LOVED Ebay.
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PS-- This is the LAST WEEK for anyone entering the Nifty Thrifty Gifty Giveaway here. Please help me get more vintage china and other goodies safely OUT of my house by being a part of this fun little event. Click here for the details. The results will be revealed next week.
PPS--I was tagged by Debbie over at the CozyCottage blog, so if you’re dying to know seven obscure details about yours truly (I know, the curiosity has just been killing you), you can read those by clicking here.