Turkey Tray Wednesday: TSR's Thanks, Tips and Travel Humor

Since the Treasure Box for this week isn't full of any thrifted goodies-- what with there being no time for thriftin' fun-- I thought I would leave you this Thanksgiving holiday with a great big helping of holiday humor from my humor blog Of Cabbages and Kings.

Savor 'em one at a time, or devour 'em in one big bite. But just keep a few antacids on hand, because even the most savory Cabbage can do a number on ya if you chew too fast.

• Giving Thanks, Cabbages-Style. I've put together a very special list of the things that I've been grateful for in the past year which are actually 100% unrelated to things like turkeys, family, or parades where giant Snoopys stomp Manhattan like beagle-shaped Godzillas. Perhaps you might even join me in a few of them! Click here.

• Tips to Liven Up Thanksgiving. At every family get-together, there's always that one person who makes a real statement. Like Uncle Joey who brings a case of beer he drinks himself all before half-time and then begins to regale everyone with the history of the combustion engine. Or Aunt Clara who isn't speaking to Aunt Betty since the Chestnut Stuffing Schism of 1987. But this year, why not make that memorable party guest... you? Click here.

• How Not to Annoy Airport Security. Making your life easier with helpful tips for getting through airport security without annoying them-- and molesting you. (Amusingly, I wrote this two years before this year's Dave Barry groping incident.) Click here.

And while I have you all here, I'd like to wish my American readers a very happy Thanksgiving, filled with all good things. I appreciate each and every one of you for stopping by this year.

(And to paraphrase Arlo Guthrie in Alice's Restaurant, I hope you have a Thanksgiving dinner-- or two-- that couldn't be beat!)

Blogging at Over 10,000 Feet

Well, this is a Thrift Shop Romantic first, I must say. This would be my premiere post composed at over 10,000 feet in the air!

Yes, I'm heading home to Pittsburgh from Thanksgiving and being the thrifty gal that I am, I couldn't resist taking advantage of the free holiday WiFi on the plane.

It's this WiFi, that allows me to efficiently bring some photos of the Florida Keys to you all today. Then Wednesday I'll be back to our normal treasure-hunting and decorating with a new Treasure Box post.

Here we have some feathered friends hunkered down in the strong breeze following a stormy day...
This is in Islamorada outside the Whale Harbor Inn, a seafood buffet where my father and I enjoyed entirely too much Thanksgiving feast.

Did you know the pelicans in Florida are required by the State Waterbird Aquatic Traffic Bureau to swim in "V" formations?...
Yes, they get licensed to make sure they know the rules of the surf, and they have to have it renewed every five years. They are, of course, billed for this service. :)

Right now you can just hear the trio above saying, "Okay, Peter, Penny, you take flank. I'll take point. Let's triangulate!"

Funny that with so much wind earlier in the day, the water could be so glassy...
And this, this just made me laugh. Originally, I had only wanted a shot of the sign because of "Captain Ron." (Anyone familiar with the film of the same name starring Kurt Russell will know why it's funny.)...All around are largish fishing vessels, which tourists can charter for a day of fishing adventure. However, Dad and I soon realized, Captain Ron's boat for hire was perhaps just a little bit, um, more budget-oriented than the ones around it...Okay, maybe a lot more budget-oriented. It's not easy being a swashbuckling pirate when you're also a little dinghy...Anyway, what trip to the tropics would be complete without a few shots of Mother Nature in all her beachly glory?...
And with this, we dock yet another holiday for the year...
If you missed last Wednesday's post, with some humorous looks at vintage Thanksgiving, click here.

This Wednesday, we'll dive into some Florida thrifting and yard saling. Hope to see you then!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Turkey Temptations

There was something in the Treasure Box this week-- only I can't show it to you yet!

Yes, the power of Christmas gifting thrifting means the items I bought are for a buddy who happens to read the blog. She's getting a little nifty thrifted basket o' fun for the Christmas season, and I will entirely spoil the surprise by sharing the finds with you.

I promise to do so once the gift's been sent her way.

That said, I certainly don't want to leave you good folks-- who've come all the way over here-- empty-handed today. So since I have so many new readers this year, who probably have not perused past pages of the publication... I offer you two previous T-day posts-- both of which might give you a good holiday chuckle.

• The first was last year's entirely made-up tour of my yearly Thanksgiving setting-- the Florida Everglades-- all of it told through vintage postcards and cheerful fibs. Yes, see how I would celebrate the holiday if I actually hung out with Seminole Indians and narrowly avoided being chomped by alligators... and in Technicolor, too! Click here.

• The second contains cards from my Victorian Thanksgiving postcard collection. I love the images they used back then, and I believe you will, too. Click here for that.

Oh, and for those who didn't get a chance to check out my somewhat early Christmas decorating so far, you can view that post here.

That said, I will see you all Sunday with a post inspired by my holiday adventures-- where ever they may take me.

Pace yourselves on the turkey, American readers. :) And to folks outside the U.S., I hope you have yourselves a great rest of the week.

The Thrift Shop Romantic's Thanksgiving Vacation

Travel is all about learning. Sometimes it involves becoming immersed in a foreign language or culture...

And sometimes it involves critical life lessons. Like new insights into how, when the breeze is particularly strong, dining outside in a tropical setting can make one unexpectedly vulnerable to...

Well, let's just say it:

Pelican poo.

Pelican poo AND scampi butter blown onto the front of one's shirt.

Travel is about leaving a restaurant trying to be casual with your purse strategically cradled over your torso.


So learning. Travel is about learning.

And I learned a great deal about a great many things on my trip to Florida over Thanksgiving-- only a fraction of it, thankfully, related to wind currents and the digestive habits of local waterfowl.

I learned that when prepping for a trip, you can get some great paperbacks at the thrift store to take along with you. I bought these at my local Goodwill and together they still didn't cost what one of them would have cost new.


Perfect to keep a person occupied in between disrobing for airport security!

I learned a lot about the kinds of vintage items available in the Sunshine State, too. I can see now, for instance, why the Florida members of TheThriftshopper.com forum are so crazy about mid-century modern decor-- in Florida, this architecture is all around them.

Here in Pittsburgh, we have old homes. You pretty much can’t swing a Terrible Towel without hitting a house that’s seen the tail end of the Victorian era.

But in Florida, aside from ol’ Ponce deLeon’s early tourism, many of Florida’s communities weren’t built until the 50s. And streamlined design abounds.

This meant that while I was unlikely to uncover much from Queen Vickie’s time, I did find some fun vintage things.

Like this hankie bag. I admit, I’d never seen one of these before, and if it hadn’t been cleverly printed with its function, I wouldn’t have recognized it for what it was.


I got this at the “Antique Mall Y’All” (I never tire of saying that name. Okay, say it with me, folks... “Antique Mall Y’All”... Hahahaha....)

Ahem.

I also scored big in finding some entertaining retro cookbooks.


I hope to share the culinary... er, creativity... of these with you in a future blog post, but at just a buck or two, suffice it to say the humor value makes them well worth their price.

And you know me: if it makes me laugh, it’s likely to come home with me...

I’ll be in real trouble if a stand-up comedian convention ever comes to town. :-)

Anyway, I learned during my travels a few other neat tidbits. Like my aqua vase pictured here also came in pink.


(I didn’t buy the pink ones-- at $30, this cheap chick simply would not lay down the dough!)

I learned that I’m not QUITE so far gone in my glassware addiction that a good deal on jadeite leads me to try to transport an entire dish set in my carry-on bag...

(It was close for a moment or two, but once I overcame the fever and my hands stopped trembling, I rallied.)

I DID, however, snap up this little creamer which matches my thrifted carnival glass set. I’ve never seen a matching creamer in my area, so this was manageable to wrap-up and stow in my luggage.


And lastly I learned-- well, no, it can’t hardly be called LEARNING...

Rather, I was REMINDED that my dad likes to buy things particularly if he has no idea what they are. He showed me this item which he thrifted recently...


Do YOU folks have any idea what this thing is used for? It’s not a paper towel holder... It’s too big to hold rubber stamps... Ideas?? Guesses?? Help?

So that about wraps it up for my Thanksgiving adventures. I need to head off to do some cleaning and Christmas decorating. I apologize this post is a little short this week-- but I must set sail.


See you next week, when we talk Christmas decor! Take care.

Thanks to You and Some Giving, Too!: Victorian Thanksgiving Postcards

Pull up a chair to the table and help yourself to some of that beautifully-roasted bird up there. This postcard is a Raphael Tuck card postmarked 1909. Yup, almost a century ago, and the setting is as appropriate for so many Americans today as it was then!..

Well, okay, so maybe not appropriate for MY family; I spend the holiday in the Florida Keys with my dad, who is retired, and my Thanksgiving feast involves beloved traditions like fresh steamed shrimp and crab legs dripping with butter and lemon ...

...I’m aware most folks don’t share happy memories of the annual Thanksgiving Crustacean.
That said, I thought I’d share with YOU some favorite Victorian Thanksgiving postcards from my collection-- which are 100% shellfish-free. And at the end of today’s post, there will be a little downloadable surprise for you as my way of saying thanks for visiting The Thrift Shop Romantic blog this year.

Turkey. The late Victorians were virtually unable to talk Thanksgiving without talking Turkey. And if you look carefully, you begin to suspect the scenarios they depict would not have been QUITE so idyllic as they portray.

For instance, one of my cherished cards here:


Awwww.... the baby has just learned to walk! Only now there’s simply no stopping him. So far he’s gone after the cat, the dog, the rooster, and now the turkey is being chased as part of a special holiday aerobics program.

Except anyone who knows the general disposition of turkeys knows that turkeys all have some attitude. So what self-respecting turkey is going to put up with a lengthy slow-speed barnyard chase scene instigated by a cherub-cheeked child in a ruff?

No good can come of this.

Now THIS poor girl is under the impression that she can make friends with the turkey through bribery...


You have to wonder who sent the child outside, not with loose grain, but with a corn cob to hand-feed the turkey? It’s probably that one goofy relative everyone has.

You know the one: that crazy Cousin Lou or weird Uncle Jimmy who, when you were five, thought it was HILARIOUS to play keep-away with your favorite stuffed toy? Or let it slip accidentally-on-purpose that your old dog Blue wasn’t sent to a farm to live after all?

Yep, he’s probably watching at the window of the house right now, waiting to see just what happens. He and cousin Eustace might even be making bets on the action...

At least it passes the time until college football starts.

Now THIS little girl has more of the right idea...


Look at the trepidation on her face. She is saying to herself, “Those birds are monstrous big and they’re beginning to circle. I’d try to pet one but I may need all my fingers for kindergarten next year. Perhaps I should think of some better pastimes than standing outside in the November cold without a coat.”

In contrast, there’s THIS kid...


He’s been desensitized a LONG time ago by “Old Yeller” and “The Yearling” and “Call of the Wild” and “Charlotte’s Web” and all those tearful classics we had to read. He’s made good friends with our friend trusting Tom Turkey, sure, so his smiling contemplation as he holds that axe is just a little unnerving...

And look at the turkey. Now there’s a turkey who not only feels betrayal but knows his goose is cooked...

Especially if he’s seen the little culinary equivalent of the Jolly Roger symbol there to the side of the card as we zoom in here...


Ah, but the Victorian era was not only about the eternal struggle between Child and Turkey. Here are just a few other cards from the same era, these depicting the serenity and beauty of the Thanksgiving autumn season...



Oh, and somehow still sorta about turkeys, though. Notice the number of them employed in even their most subtle designs. The Victorians clearly had their priorities when it came to Thanksgiving! (Here’s a rather beautifully-colored one which is entirely void of turkeys, believe it or not...)


I hope that YOUR Thanksgiving offers you some pleasant times with family and friends-- no matter what your dinner entails.

As a special treat, I leave you with this; I’ve placed scans of three of the cards you’ve seen today into a PDF document which you can download, print out and use for your own crafting/decoupage projects! Just click the file name below to begin downloading:

Thanksgiving.pdf

And next week? We’ll have “What in the Macrame Is It?” a humorous look at some very 70s crafts. Hope to see you then!

Thrifting Away in Margaritaville

Ah, Thanksgiving. Where we all gather round the table, the peel-and-eat shrimp piled high on ice before us, cocktail sauce trickling down the front of our shirts, stuffing ourselves with cracked crab until we have to loosen the drawstring on our Hawaiian-print shorts, while Jimmy Buffett plays over the loudspeaker and...

What?

Oh, right. That's just MY Thanksgiving. My dad lives in the Florida Keys.

But hey, we all have our traditions. And one of Dad's and my traditions-- in addition to a little seafood-- is thrift shopping.

I believe I've mentioned it before: Dad likes stuff. Dad likes stuff, if possible, even more than I do. More than ANYBODY, really.

And Dad especially likes stuff if he isn't quite sure just what it is. Then it's really excellent. If it's got fine craftsmanship, is made of interesting carved wood or metal or stone, and he can't for the life of him figure out what it's supposed to be used for? He's ALL OVER IT...

Like once, at a flea market, I had to stop him from unknowingly buying an artistically-designed bong.

This also means that at Christmas time, I receive some rather... UNUSUAL... gifts. I hesitate to even include this here because, while Dad is a very good sport about his penchant for the Strange and Unusual, I also suspect public discussion will only encourage him. But the item here is a reasonable example of the sort of things Dad revels in finding and passing along.

(And Dad, I'm TOTALLY good on Creepy-Owl-Dragon-Satanic Mirrors for now, thanks.)

Is it Asian? Does it have Egyptian Influence? Does anyone KNOW? O please tell me. Before I accidentally open up an inter-dimensional portal with it to somewhere unpleasant.

Anyway. Dad likes stuff. So, naturally, when we think "Thanksgiving," we think: thrift shopping and antiquing in the Keys and lower Miami.

Thrifting in this area always feels a bit different than it does around Pittsburgh. Many of the donations have a tropical look to them-- from donated papasan chairs to reggae CDs to palm tree prints. Because many of the communities themselves aren't terribly old, vintage items are typically from the 60s or 70s, though it is possible to stumble on some older merchandise. It also appears there are a lot more consignment shops than there are up my way. And as you can see here, many take advantage of the tropical theme in their marketing and signage.

Name-wise, the establishment below is one of my favorites. The "Antique Mall Y'All." Great antique mall: entertaining name. If this were a Pittsburgh business, it would translated into, "Hey Yinz Guys. Old Stuff n'At."


And what did we come away with after a happy day of thrift-shopping and antiquing?

Well, I discovered an Express lined velvet jacket for $9 at the Goodwill, in perfect condition. (Can't beat going to a warm place to pick up hardly used winter weather coats!)

Then antiquing brought me some nice examples of the 1900s whiteware plates I collect (ironically one of which is from East Liverpool, Ohio), as well as a very sleepy little metal cherub, who managed to snooze his way home in my carry-on luggage.

And Dad... Ah, Dad is not one to disappoint. Yes, in a store packed to the rafters with stuff, Dad's keen eye immediately was drawn to this.

What is it? Um, yeah, we don't know either. But it's brass. And it was only a few dollars. And the amount of enjoyment Dad has had already. just trying to figure out what the heck kind of animal it is (cat? monkey? You tell me) and what it might have been offering on the half-shell, well, that pretty much made it priceless. Dad also found an electronic Starship Enterprise, a couple of field guides to fossils and minerals, and this clock which is also a lamp, which is also an anchor, which is also a ship's steering wheel...

It also makes smoothies. (Kidding.)

Nonetheless, fun was had by all. But now-- now I must say goodbye, and apologetically so, with no pithy sum-up or clever turn-of-phrase. The Thrift Shop Romantic is a very tired gal this week-- what with all the travel... And the MRIs to get through airport security... And the stress about whether my liquid lipstick could threaten the safety of my fellow-passengers (Cinnabar, I'll have you know, is a specifically non-terrorist color)...

So for those reasons, I'll just ride off into the sunset.

Thankful Thrifting

Once again it’s that time of year we turn our thoughts to the things for which we’re grateful. Because:

1.) In this hustle-bustle world, it’s so important to take stock of the meaningful things in our lives…

And:

2.) We have a day off for it.

And while I try to be appreciative o’ the good stuff all year round, sorta as it comes in, there’s no better time than now to share my top ten reasons I’m thankful for thrifting…

Okay, here goes.

I’m thankful for thrifting because:

1. I’m able to support worthy causes, shop and participate in the circle of recycling, all at the same time. (It’s good to multi-task.)
2. Thrifting leads to the kinds of craft projects that keep me safely and merrily occupied. So I’m not, you know, off embarking on a life of crime. Or sucked into watching all five seasons of “24” straight through, without ever leaving the house.
3. At thrift stores, the vintage look is always ‘in.’
4. I get to experience quirky fellow thrifters, like Grouchy-Man-Who-Wears-All-Over-Denim. Or Incessantly-Humming-Goodwill-Cashier. Writers need to encounter unique personalities, and thrift shopping presents a wealth of them. I bet that’s how Wes Anderson got his start.
5. If it weren’t for thrift stores, I would have had no clothes at all in high school; and I doubt it would have increased my popularity.
6. I can satiate my vintage lamp addiction 100% guilt-free. (“It’s $6! It has to come home with me for $6! So what if there’s already enough light in the dining room to bring in small planes for landing? This one is $6!”)
7. I get to snicker when guests ask me if something is a family heirloom.
8. I can buy velvet all year round.
9. How many other places can you shop with such serendipity?
10. Otherwise, I would be sitting on the floor with my keyboard as I wrote this. (Thrift store desk and chair!)

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Talk to you next week.