Treasure Box Wednesday: Thrifting that Packs a Punch

So the Great Milk Glass Gift Basket o' 2008 has found its piece de resistance... The excellent punch bowl set as shown above. There are 12 cups total (just two pictured above) and it came with all of the cup clips, as well. I found this at the Good Samaritan Thrift Store in North Versailles.

I do believe this is going to be a HUGE hit with the lady who will be receiving it, because she missed out on one such punch bowl not long ago-- and was kicking herself for not acting sooner. So I think this'll be big... BIG!

(Boy, do I LOVE gifting!!)

I also found one other gift: two Charlie Brown Welch's jelly glasses for my friend's brother who collects them.


He loves Snoopy-- I mean, it's hard NOT to like that multi-faceted beagle-- and I know he doesn't have these, so I feel I'm batting two-for-two this week in terms of gift thrifting.

Now for me, I found two pieces of McCoy-style pottery...

THIS one, this is perfect. Not a nick, a scratch, anything on it. It came from the Salvation Army thrift store. I love the streamlined art deco-nouveau feel to it...


And I also found this Haeger vase, reminiscent of a smooth seashell. It came from the Good Samaritan...


Lastly in the Treasure Box this week, we have a couple of pretty hankies...


And a really thoughtful bunch of goodies from England, which were sent to me by the owners of TheThriftShopper, Bud and Cookie, who know my appreciation of things from the U.K.. Thanks a bunch, dear people!

• So if you missed Sunday's post on the fun that was the Regent Square Neighborhood Yard Sale, click here.

• And for those in the Western Pennsylvania area, I've updated my Antique Shops list with new information for LeMix-- They've now opened their basement level. Click here for that.

Have a great rest of your week, friends, and I will see you in the general Sunday viscinity!

Treasure Box Wednesday: The Stuff Fairy Tales Are Made Of

While the Treasure Box doesn't exactly overflow this Wednesday, there were a few Goodwill finds that were too marvelous to pass up, and I'd like to share with you today. Mainly, this week's stash includes three fairy tale books from the "My Book House" series, published in the 1930s...


The covers, a bit worn, are still magical and vivid. (I only wish the Goodwill employee hadn't put the price sticker right on the paper illustration on the cover... It became impossible to remove them without damaging the picture, despite my careful attentions.) There were a good ten books there, but due to individual pricing, I chose three of my favorites. The volumes I selected were "The Magic Garden," "Through Fairy Halls," and "Up One Pair of Stairs."





The stories themselves are grouped by topic... For instance, "Through Fairy Halls" follows the fairy theme through Russian folktakes, Shakespeare, Romantic poetry, Grimm's and Hans Christian Andersen's works, and other pieces. I thought you all might appreciate some of the delicate little colored illustrations inside. Like this marvelous Children of Lir...


Not to mention the dancing maidens...


Flocks of fairies...


And illuminated verse...


Aside from the books, in the Treasure Box this week was.... yup, one more grape patterned piece of milkglass for the largest milkglass gift basket in the world. (Or at least it seems that way!) And also a cool hobnail bottle with stopper because I just thought it had style...



Apologies to you all for a bit of a short post this Wednesday. I haven't gotten out thrifting much on the weekends-- my whole city, it seems, is under construction! :) To paraphrase that old Stealers Wheels song, there are closings to the East of me, detours in the north, here I am, stuck in the middle with you'. :)

• HOWEVER-- for those who missed last Sunday's post, you can enter a world of stage, silent screen and one seriously intriguing postcard correspondence by clicking here.

Otherwise, I hope to see you in the general Sunday-ish timeframe where we'll, weather permitting, journey through the Regent Square Neighborhood Yardsale!

Treasure Box Wednesday: In the Pink with Pottery, Pyrex and Plates

Ah, the graceful lines of vintage pottery in soothing creams and pinks... what could be more timeless... more elegant... more... five dollars?

Yes, the McCoy cornicopia was a whopping five smackeroos at the L&L Fleatique in Adamsburg. The "As Is" marked there was because of a minor crack at the top of the piece, causing the vase to lose so much its resale value-- and really none of its looks, as far as I'm concerned. I intend to put it, and its pottery cousins, on my mantle as part of a post-Easter display...

The unmarked cream vase in the middle was from the Salvation Army in Greensburg, and that was $1.99. But one expects to pay more for McCoy, you know. (Hysterical laughter here.)

The deco dinner plates below were finds from the U.F.O. in Greensburg. At $1.00 a piece, I couldn't resist, and not only will their sherbety good looks work well with the pottery vases as a part of a diningroom do-up, they'll coordinate with the jadeite I already have. After doing a bit of research, it appears they're Hazel Atlas Moderntone pieces, from the Pastels collection, and were made in the 40s and 50s.


The Pyrex pink gooseberry bowl below has been on my wish-list for a long while. My mother had a set of these, which is surprising because she was not a pink girl by any means. But she was a fabulous cook and used her pink Pyrex for mixing a wondrous array of delectables-- from cookie dough to Italian meatballs...

I see this pattern and think how many amazing dinners I'd enjoyed, due to my mother's remarkable culinary skills. And those past flavors somehow seem more tangible when represented by that lovely pink Pyrex bowl. Yes, this bowl is a metaphor now, for meatbally memories. So at less than $3 at the U.F.O., I cheerfully recaptured it.

This Lefton bunny planter from the Good Samaritan thrift store is sadly out-numbered by the sheep...


That must be why he looks a little nervous, he's worried about being mugged by those roving flocks of wooly marauders! (Er, or maybe because I keep referring to it as "he" and he has a pink bow in his hair... Oops-- sorry, fellah.)

The table cloth below was also from the Good Samaritan. I already have my table set the way I'd like for this Easter, but for next year, this will be a really nice addition.

And what thrifting weekend would be complete without adding to the milkglass gift basket I want to give my family friend for Christmas? Two saucers and a goblet are a nice way to expand the collection. And at $1 each, with an additional 20% off, it's hard to go wrong.


So what's coming up next time on The Thrift Shop Romantic? Hmmmm, I think I'll unveil a couple more retro recipe books and we'll see just why using whole vegetables as candle holders for a romantic dinner might not set quite the tone one hopes for.

For those who missed Sunday's post, where Marshmallow Peeps became entwined in vintage-style carousel crafting, click here.

Otherwise, wishing you a day filled with the little joys that make life interesting, and keep you in the pink!