Treasure Box Wednesday: A Million Happy Finds on Route 30

Okay, maybe a million happy finds is a SLIGHT exaggeration. But a trip down Route 30, with my thrifting buddy Scoobie and her awesome brother Jose, well, between the three of us, there was one overflowing trunk of treasure by the end of our travels!

It all started at the Goodwill Outlet Store in North Versailles and on to the Good Samaritan thrift store across the highway. Between the two places I came away with these fun finds...

The bag at left is for the 50th anniversary of Maurice Sendak/Where the Wild Things Are. He died quite recently, so it was surprising to find this useful tote celebrating his work.

Also at the Goodwill,  I got this adorable Disney Alice in Wonderland photo frame. Regular readers know my fondness for the book, and that I have a quietly Alice-themed kitchen. So I was quite excited about this find...

At the Good Samaritan, I couldn't resist this large old photo of a boy and girl by the seaside. Very dramatic and delightfully sappy... It's in an old frame already-- though not it's original one-- so I think instead of the weird matting that doesn't fit well around it, I'll just mount it on a decorative acid-free paper backing in the frame it came in. (Apologies the photo is blurry. My regular camera has died and I'm using my phone camera.)

At the Goodwill in Irwin, I was reunited with an old friend. I knew this fellow as "Zippy Monkey," and he's a toy like one my aunt had. I think he's from the '60s-- I still need to look him up. I have fond memories, though, of cuddling up this monkey when visiting at my grandmother's house as a wee lass. And at a price of $5, I couldn't part with the cheerful chimp. 

At that same Goodwill, I got the tiny purple teacup shown center below, and I figure I'll also show you the porcelain lady figurine (she's actually a box) that I'd found at the Monroeville Goodwill a couple of weeks ago. I thought she was a nice addition to my curio cabinet.

At Graham's Antique Mall, I happened upon this Swift Peanut Butter glass of the Cowardly Lion. You might recall I've found a few different ones of this series recently, but didn't have the Lion.

And then would you believe on the way back, the very, very last stop on our journey, a Salvation Army thrift store we almost didn't stop at because we were all so tired, I uncovered the remaining treasures of the post. 

My favorite being this beautiful Hull vase in pastels for just $9.99-- with no cracks, chips or anything!

I snagged this pretty lusterware bowl with violets transfered on it...

This purple luster teacup (I love stuff in this style...)

And lastly, two transferware plates dating from the early 1900s (these will hang on my wall)...

So it was a huge, huge day in the world of thrifty finds last Saturday. I admit, I needed Sunday to recover from the thrill of it all!

Sending you all good vibes for fun finds this week, if that's what you're into. And I will talk to you next week, depending on what excitement the next few days hold. Take care!

--Jenn

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PS- I just learned the monkey's real name is "Mr. Bim." "Zippy" was apparently a very similar monkey in red overalls, based on a live monkey who had his own TV show. I'm now not sure whether my aunt had a real Zippy, or a Mr. Bim who everyone just called Zippy. 

This monkey business has gotten complex! :) You can see both on the page of this vintage toy shop: http://www.timewarptoys.com/toptoys.htm

Roses, Pinks and Prying Paws

This past week was an unexpectedly productive thrifting week, and I wasn't even trying. Needing a break at work one day, I happened to the Salvation Army thrift store at lunch and came upon my favorite items of the week-- some lady's hand-painted and transferware plate collection.

As you can see above, I chose three which never left their original plate hangers and got hung on my own wall in record time.

Here's a close up of one of my favorites. I love the soft gradated background...

This one reminds me of a plate I have displayed in my china cabinet. The greens and pinks are perfect for my diningroom...

And lastly, this little gold rimmed number appears to have some hand-painted details...

There must have been about 20 different plates there of various styles-- some in jewel tones, some in less dynamic rose prints. I've been wondering whether these two chocolate/coffee cups might not have been from the same home...

And last, I found a giant pink-lidded Tupperware storage container to help keep prying paws out of the kibble. (You can see one perpetrator there.) Earlier in the week I had MELTED most of my pink Tupperware in an accident so dumb, I had to write a humor piece about it. You can share in my horror by clicking here.

And that's it from me for now! Take care, friends, and I hope you have a great rest of your week.

Thrifty Decorating Identified

This week The Thrift Shop Romantic has the number of thrifty decorating-- literally! It all came about as I was enjoying a cup o' that magical coffee bean concoction one morning in my blue sitting room. And as my eyes began to finally open, and I started enjoying the view, I realized that even though the room has an OldWorld/French/Paris Apartment sort of vibe, virtually everything in the darned place either came from a thrift store, a craft store or was an inexpensive gem at an antique mall.

Have you ever looked at a decorating magazine and fallen in love with a particular rug, wallpaper or piece of furniture? Then have you done a little research and proven that item is definitely, absolutely not easily-accessible, or even remotely in your price range? (Y'know, without having to promise to sell your first born child to get it.) Ah, the disappointment!

So I decided it might be a fun and educational little exercise for us to do this on a more budget-conscious scale. I'll try to add prices where I remember what I paid. (Some of these things I bought a long time ago and put away for future use.)

Anyway, here we go!...

1. Courting Couple Vintage Tapestry Chair, Jeannette Antique Mall-- on sale for $35
2. Blue fringed shade bought on Ebay specifically for thrifted lamp
3. Cherub lamp- thrifted! Salvation Army Thrift Store for, if I remember correctly, $6
4. Tole side table- Linens n Things
5. Needlepoint footstool- thrifted! St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store. $4.
6. Blue French style drapes. TJ Maxx. $16 per pair.

7. Etched Italian-style mirror. Lowes Home Center.
8. Framed Italian tapestry picture- thrifted! Salvation Army Thrift Store.
9. Set of two vintage prints of French sitting room-- thrifted. Probably around $6 for the two of them.
10. Pink and white cherub lamp- TJ Maxx.
11. Pink velvet loveseat cover (two pieces)- thrifted! Red White & Blue Thrift Store
12. Pastel courting couple printed comforter- thrifted! Salvation Army Thrift Store
13. Courting Couple Tapestry Pillow- Linens N Things Going Out of Business Sale

14. Art nouveau painting of maiden and cherub- Ebay
15. Candlesticks and bowl, originally from Target, but candlesticks bought at the Goodwill- $6
16. Fake dried-looking roses- Michaels

17. Two blue frosted art deco boudoir lamps- L&L Fleatique- $32 for pair
18. Beaded and be-crystalled candlesticks, Michaels Craft Store, 30% off
19. White Shabby Chic style Mantle Mirror- Ebay
20. Rose garland- Michaels Craft Store, 30% off
21. Wooden mantle- bought in separate pieces at Lowes and assembled, tile also from Lowes.
22. Metal fire surround- Construction Junction Architectural Salvage
23. Torchiere candle holders (2), Michaels Craft Store sale christmas decor
24. Faux dried flowers, Michaels Craft Store
25. Plaster Victorian-styled garden container, Linens N Things (had this thing forever, too!)

26. Tapestry wall hanging- thrifted! St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, about $12
27. Pink fringed lampshade- thrifted! Red White and Blue, about $2
28. Bisque antique cherub lamp, many cherubs playing instruments- Construction Junction Architectural Salvage- $20
29. Pink lace table runner- thrifted! Red White and Blue thrift store- came with two others and might have been about $4 total
30. Gold Music Cabinet- thrifted! Goodwill, about $15

This next wall below I'm still working on. I think I would prefer one large artwork on the wall (or another hanging tapestry) instead of the multiple smaller items, but we'll see what I uncover in my adventures Anyway, here's how it stands...
31. Crystal beaded wall sconces- TJ Maxx
32. Antique mirror which needed some TLC- Junk for Joy in Jeannette, about $5
33. Still life and landscape art- thrifted! Don't remember where exactly.
34. Art nouveau plaster bust, handpainted- Pottery City Antique Mall, $8-10
35. Roses still life painting, L&L Fleatique, $20 (was half off that day!)
36. Blue frosted glass hurricane lamp- Salvation Army Thrift Store, half price table, $2
37. Blue English marked dry sink pitcher- thrifted! Had this for ages, no longer remember which thrift store
38. Shabby Chic bookcase- Target online (it was just the size I wanted, too!)
39. Courting couple writing desk- thrifted! St. Vincent de Paul thrift store

39. Here's that writing desk again from above
40. Needlepoint vintage French chair- thrifted! Salvation Army thrift store. Probably about $40. I had a heckuva time fitting it in my car, but it was worth it!

42. Tole style candleholder. Got it at Linens N Things at the same time as I did the little table in the first pic. It was a sad day that store closed. Many goodies were found there, cheap.
43. Lyre coffeetable with brass feet. Meadows Flea Market (also no longer with us!). $10

44. Looks like I accidentally relisted that TJ Maxx pink lamp. But it's a good one, so it probably deserves that second listing.
45. You can see the thrifted velvet just a bit closer here. The sofa underneath is a black couch that I got from Ikea about 15 years ago and is getting a new life under cover!
47. Lyre endtable-- thrifted! This looks like it came with the coffeetable, but actually came from the Goodwill, along with a twin brother. I think it was about $12 for the two of them.

So there you have it! Lessons learned?

• Large pieces of romantic-style vintage furniture can actually be thrifted, as can decorative tapestries and art.
  
• For specialty items like fringed shades, you might be able to find one at the thrifts now and then, but Ebay comes through for specific needs (note, these are not cheap-- so it's good to shop around).
  
• Check antique malls for sales, and for more common items, don't forget to price compare between vendors in the same mall.
• And don't forget craft stores for decorative items. Often, these stores put out half-off coupons, so you can pace yourself to maximize your discounts!

Hope you enjoyed today's thrifty decorative history, and each and every one of you has a nifty, thrifty week!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Heavenly Finds

And a-one, and a-two, and everybody sing...

Er, no, better not. Let's just talk about our friend the conducting cherub here, and the other found items for this Treasure Box Wednesday.

The elaborate winged fellows are a lamp discovered at Construction Junction architectural salvage. This has already made it's way into my blue room. I would say it probably was the land-speed record for lamp placement in America.

How the lamp managed to survive in that store amid the big chunks of heavy marble mantles, thick wood planks, and masonry, I can't imagine. It does have some issues, certainly. A chipped wing here, a missing bit there...

And this fellow is completely sans-arm. But I think some clever patching will make it less obvious, and just add to the character. Too much was brilliantly intact for me to care very much...
Sometimes I think it's the imperfections in well-made old pieces like this that make them even more worth rescuing to me. Like I have to save them from further damage!

At the Salvation Army yesterday, there was absolutely nothing wrong with this pink hobnail vase...
I've seen this in white milkglass a bazillion times over the years-- in fact my mother had one-- but never, ever in pink! This was quite a surprise to me. I believe I recall it being an Anchor Hocking piece, but don't hold me to that.

I had also picked up this green Depression glass platter...

Funny, I'd been in line, saying to the friend I was shopping with how there were just a few small chips on the bottom, but how no one would see those. And the woman in front of me in line sniffed, "Well, I can tell you're not an antique dealer, then!"

Er, yes. I probably wouldn't expect people to buy from me something that had chips. But given it was for my own use? Well, you all know how I feel about that. Again, it's another pretty item whose beauty isn't ruined by the little flaws.

And my last second-hand venture of the weekend was attending a flea market at a local synagogue. It was set up almost identically to the church rummage sale I went to just a week or two ago. And there, I set my eyes on this great sandwich-glass and lightly-lustered amethyst dish...
(Here you can see an aerial view)...

And this excellent large, old mirror for a whole $2...

So it's been a pretty heavenly week for fun finds! And a nice respite from working on that fireplace.

• Folks who've not yet seen the whole fireplace installation extravaganza can check that out here.

It's going well, by the way. I installed the rest of the trim last night. It still needs a few coats of paint, and then I have some other touches to add. Oh-- and the mantle shelf. But the mantle shelf issue is one I'll share with you later. I think you'll laugh.

Take care, and I hope you'll pop back on Sunday for our next post!