Treasure Box Wednesday: Sales and Surprises

This past Sunday, my dad had some errands to run, so we decided to wrap them around a short trip to one of his favorite antiquing places, the L&L Fleatique in Adamsburg. He's found some "guy stuff" goodies there in the past, so there was no reason not to give it a whirl.

It turns out, a number of their vendors were having sales, up to half-off. So this pink French salad bowl-- part of a Depression glass-style set I have from the 1970s-- ended up being 50% off...
And this cute cast iron doorstop featuring kittens with strange noses was also on discount!
On the way back, that's when we noticed the Goodwill Outlet Center in North Versailles was open. "Do you want to go?" asked Dad with a bit of a glimmer in his eye.

Oh yes. Yes, I did. :) And that's where I found this lusterware teacup...
And this pretty tin, printed with scenes illustrating the four seasons which my cat Alice is kindly showcasing for you all...
All in all, a very fun, successful thrifting week!

So, that about puts a lid on this Treasure Box. And as always, thanks for joining me on my thrifting journeys. I appreciate you stopping by and being a part of it!

Treasure Box Wednesday: For the Love of a Desk

I had no sooner set foot in the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in Monroeville, when my eyes fell upon the desk of my dreams. Not that I'd actually been dreaming about it, per se... I mean, I didn't know something quite so weird and wonderful would have existed...

But this carved ladies writing desk, with storage inside, was too unusual to pass up... I notified the cashier right away that it would be coming home with me, before any interlopers put a crimp in my future desk adoration.

As you can probably see, it's got some issues. Scratches and gouges to the finish, and some loose legs indicate a good suring-up and possibly a finish job in its near future. I'm debating painting it cream and using it in my blue room, where the courting couple designs would be wonderfully at home...

But it's a tough call. I think given its life hardships, I probably wouldn't be devaluing anything important by doing so. But neither do I want to slap paint on something I really shouldn't.

In terms of date, I'm thinking it may be from the Depression era. The lady pictured here in the center appears, if I'm not mistaken, to be wearing a 20s/30s sort of hat, along with bob hair...
I love the almost art-nouveau fluidity of the lines around the top.

Anyway, while it may seem anticlimactic after the desk, I also found some vintage tins this week. There were quite a few of them at the Goodwill on Carson Street in the Southside, and stylistically, they all seemed to be of one person's collection. I relieved them of three in the aqua and pink color palette...
Anyway, they'll be nice for gifting. Pretty on the outside, and containing goodies therein! (Also, I won't have to wrap things... which is a gift in itself because I'm lousy at it, and avoid wrapping at all costs.)

So that's today's Treasure Box Wednesday.

• If you missed Sunday's post on funny knitwear photos, click here.

And I hope to see you this coming Sunday for more nifty thrifty fun!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Missing Pieces, McCoy, and One Embarrassing Broken Promise

You know, I wasn't even going to go thrifting today.

Really, I wasn't. It was cold, windy... the kind of day when it's easier to just sit at my desk for lunch.

But then I realized the needle on the gasoline meter was heading toward the danger-of-breaking-down zone. And, hey, what's right near the gas station but my favorite Salvation Army?

So I hopped in my car cruising on fumes, and boy-- was I rewarded!

See this lovely little flowerpot?...


One look at that ornate beaded pottery, and I had a good feeling about what it might be. I popped it off the shelf, turned it over and...

Voila! The real McCoy! I had that in my shopping basket pretty fast.

I got a good laugh from the following notepad...


Fans of The Office will know which character this little "While You Were Out" pad is supposed to belong to. Do you think Corporate should be made aware that Ryan is either reselling or outright donating Dunder Mifflin corporate merchandise? :)

I got these Araroc pink cups and saucers-- still with the stickers on, for half price!...


I have a number of pieces to this set already, but it's always nice to find different ones. And while they're not actually Depression glass, the pink is the same shade and they do work well with real Depression pieces. I was pretty excited. Especially at $0.50 a piece.

I also got recently a cheerful tin which will be perfect for wrapping gifts in for friends who also like vintage...


Oh... and this is the part of the post where I have to confess to you all an ugly, ugly truth.

(Deep breath...)

You know how I'd promised to you all at the end of 2008 that I was going to try not to buy any more vintage lamps?...


Well... um... did any of you actually believe me?...

I'm so embarrassed. (Well, maybe only a little because, y'know, I still really like the lamp.)

And with that, my head hanging in red-faced humiliation, I must take my leave of you today. I know, now none of you will trust me on anything ever again, because of my shameful lamp indiscretions...

But I hope you can see your way past it to forgive me... perhaps in time.

• If you missed Sunday's posts, on toys and other children's items vanishing from Goodwill thrift stores, click here.

Otherwise, I hope you can manage to get over the breach of trust enough to check out The Thrift Shop Romantic again on Sunday. Cheers, everybody!

Sweet on Decorative Tins

I believe in decorative tins. At one time, they held English toffees, nuts, cookies or maybe even Aunt Mildred’s fruitcake. But these now-empty containers-- available at virtually any thrift shop-- can be a gift-giver’s dream.

I’m particularly grateful for them because, when it comes to wrapping presents, I am completely tape-and-scissors impaired. Too much paper, too little paper, bunched paper, over-taped paper… Most of the time, my finished packages look like they’ve been cobbled together by Dr. Frankenstein. And reanimation of the dead just doesn’t say “Gifting” to me.

But a nice tin looks good all by it’s little ol' self. And with a wide array of colors and patterns to choose from, the right tin can actually enhance a gift.

As for usefulness, once the gift is opened or used, the packaging is also ideal for storing loose change, paperclips, pencils, what-have-you. It’s a gift that keeps on giving, really.

So I try to pick up interesting-looking tins all year round. I look for different sizes and shapes-- you never know what size you’re going to need someday. And I won’t hesitate to buy a pretty Christmas tin in mid-July if I think I might be able to use it.

One particular brand of tins I find regularly is Daher. This was a Long Island New York company that manufactured tins in both England and Holland. They’re usually very colorful, often floral, and have an authentically vintage or retro look to them. The picture here is pretty representative of the later Daher tins.

When buying tins, make sure you open them up before you buy them, to verify that they’re in good condition. Some vintage tins may have been exposed to moisture over the years, and that moisture can corrode the metal. If you open the tin and discover significant rust, I would recommend avoiding that tin. It might be possible to treat it with a rust-preventing paint, but you run the risk of exposing your gift to rust, and given that most tins run in the fifty-cent to one dollar range, it may not be worth the effort.