Treasure Box Wednesday: Lucky and Unlucky Breaks

I have some pastel pretties to share with you this week, but first, I wanted to mention I'm doing a giveaway on my humor blog, Of Cabbages and Kings, where participants have a chance to receive one of two free copies of my new humorous space fantasy novel, There Goes the Galaxy. I know that kind of reading isn't everybody's bag here, but I also know it is for a few of my readers. Plus, it's free. We all like free. It doesn't get more thrifty than free. So I figured I'd mention it. You can check out the There Goes the Galaxy giveaway fun by clicking here.

Okay, that said, back to the order of business! I wanted to show you photos of the little mantle decor I've been working on. The newest acquisitions here are the two green and pink vintage lamps, which I got at the Salvation Army Superstore a few weeks ago...

They needed rewiring and shades, and oddly I found a pair of perfect shades at TJ Maxx the day after I bought them. They match my mint-green Victorian fire tiles perfectly.

The second item that's new is the blue Hull vase in the center of the display. I got this at an antique mall not far from the Greater Pittsburgh Renaissance Faire. The Hull vases on the ends, if you remember back, were also from the Salvation Army Superstore.
Above, you can see the blue Hull tulip vase just a bit better.

And lastly, when trying to rewire a different old lamp I had an experience I've never had before in all the lamps I've redone...
THAT is the metal base which was apparently totally cracked and missing much of itself, and it was replaced at one time by some cork panels. As I was working with it, it simply began to crumble apart. I know spelter is a soft metal, but WOW. Sooooo, I will be searching for a boring vintage lamp with a similar base I can take apart and put on the vase of this one.

This lamp vase is gorgeous-- pale green with handpainted roses, so it's entirely worth the effort. I just figured you all would find it interesting to see when these projects take unexpected turns.

And at THIS turn, we must end this week's Treasure Box post. Wishing you happy days as we make our journey quickly into October.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Hull Haul

There wasn't a ton of time for thrifting this past week, but I was able to grab a happy thrifty moment prior to a hair appointment on Saturday, where logistics sent me straight into the Salvation Army Superstore out by Century III Mall in West Mifflin.

It was there, just as I was leaving, I happened to spy two pink-and-blue beauties I recognized immediately: a pair of matching Hull Pottery 8 1/2 inch Magnolia pattern vases.

Now, Hull can get incredibly expensive, and while I like many of the pieces, I simply can't justify buying them... unless they show up at a thrift store with shining beams of light on them. I had found a few unusually inexpensive Hull vases at thrift stores and antique malls-- only by sheer luck in the past. And it was sheer luck once again that found me with this lovely haul of Hull. You can see my Hull pieces here (though I think one pink piece is hiding behind the second new vase).

 Anyway, one vase is absolutely perfect, no chips, cracks or anything. The other one does have a chip at the top, but I couldn't leave it there when it's companion was going to be a guest at my house.

Amusingly, when I was at the register paying for it, the cashier commented she'd figured no one would ever want to buy those vases.

I guess they are entirely too pastel and frou-frou for many of today's modern tastes. But I personally love the soft matte finish to them, and the gentle spring colors.

Ah, there's something for everyone at the thrift store! You just have to take the time to treasure hunt.

Hope you all are finding yourselves more comfortable this week after our steamy summer so far.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Porcelain, Pottery, and Personality

In the world of secondhand treasure hunting, it's funny how things go in cycles. You can spend years looking for a certain type of thing, and then in a short span of time you will find that style of item everywhere-- and all for amazing prices.

Recent readers of The Thrift Shop Romantic will probably notice I've been in that cycle of luck with portrait plates and bowls lately. And my thrifting buddy Scoobie has been having a similar sort of good fortune with the Western-themed goodies she collects.

This elaborate unmarked bowl was a find from the Riverfront Antique Mall in New Philadelphia, Ohio...

With its extensive detail and deep aqua color, it was a quick decision for me to bring it home. You can see a close-up on the French lady transfer portrait here.

I also found this little Austrian portrait bowl at the same antique mall. It was in a booth that had mostly hardware and lamp parts, and it seemed real luck to me I stumbled upon it. And at $8, it was very affordable.
Lastly, at the Red, White and Blue thrift store in Bellevue, I got this cheerful little pottery teapot planter...
(No, it's not a real teapot. You'd be boiling up dirt residue from its insides, if you used it that way!). What I liked about it was how much personality it seemed to have. There's something vaguely like Disney animation about it to me... like if it took off dancing to a musical number you wouldn't really be that surprised.

Anyway, that puts a lid on this Treasure Box Wednesday. I hope to get back into doing some humorous recipe and general collectibles posts soon, but I've been spending some time trying to get an agent for the novel I wrote, so my energies are temporarily elsewhere.

Happy Hunting!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Portrait of Happy Hunting

The skies may have been black and the winds, they did bluster to the point they broke the door at the North Versailles Goodwill, but the treasure hunting this last Saturday... it was a blast!

I journeyed down Route 30 with my buddy Scoobie and her brother, and as a collective we came away with so many goodies we had to use the back seat to help hold them all. I realize looking at my photos, I didn't even take photos of all my finds. So I will save those for a future Treasure Box.

My favorite finds of the day were two early 1900s portrait vases which drew me in instantly. This one is from Austria...

The rich color and a great price meant I could not leave it there in the cabinet of the Fleatique II in Ligonier, PA. It seems very happy with the other pieces I've accumulated from the same time period.

Then at the L&L Fleatique in Adamsburg, I snagged this pink portrait beauty...

This is an American Whiteware piece from the Owen Pottery Company of Minerva, Ohio. It's now sitting happily displayed on top of my china cabinet along with some pastel Hull pieces.

You can see a better closeup of the lady on it here...

At the Fleatique in Ligonier I also got four of these nice blue (they don't look so blue here, but are) carnival glass styled plates...
I imagine they're from the 60s or early 70s, but I usually see carnival dinnerware in marigold or amber instead of blue. So this was a nice change, and the price was right, too.

I got this little aqua sandcastle at a thrift store-- which one, I don't recall anymore as we went so many different places it started to be a blur!
And just because I forgot to include it a week or so ago, I'd picked up this nice tole 1940s-styled waste basket at an antique store in Bellevue, PA. I think I'll use it for my upstairs office.
So that pretty much bins this Treasure Box Wednesday. Hope you're able to turn trash into treasure where ever this week takes you.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Thrifting Christmas

Last weekend my buddy Scoobie and I finally had a chance to enjoy a make-shift post-Christmas Christmas, as our schedules aligned, the general holiday hubbub had died down, and we were recovering from eggnog coma and whatnot.

This meant Christmas gift exchange, and Scoobie kindly allowed me to share with you some photos of a few thrifted gifts I gave her.

She's not adverse to pre-owned items, particularly when it's in her Western kitschy theme...

A few items included a flour canister with a Native American transfer on it.... (She says she'll use this in her kitchen)...

A number of souvenir foil-inserted coasters from Arizona, featuring colorful mesas...

And a painted cactus napkin holder. You can see the last two items a little better here, in my pre-gifting glamor shot. :)
She also let me share with you a thoughtful gift my friend (and more recently, Scoobie's mutual friend) Josette sent her. Josette has this eerily wonderful knack for paying close attention to what folks collect and gifting the perfectly dead-on item...
This Remington cowboy themed decanter will be great in Scoobie's Western bottle collection.

Can I get a "Yeee-haw"?

Galloping off into the New Year...
--Jenn

Treasure Box Wednesday: The Vase with No Name

"I've been through the thrift store for a vase with no name
It was good to get out of the rain
In the thrift store, you'll be glad that ya came
'Cause there ain't but one vase, yup, no two's the same"

--With huge apologies to the band America's "Horse with No Name"

Yesssir, on Treasure Box Wednesday here at the Thrift Shop Romantic, you not only get to see thrifted goodies, you get really bad takeoffs on popular 70s music, too!

Aren't you glad you stopped by? :)

Actually, I was really glad I stopped by the Salvation Army Superstore in West Mifflin over the weekend-- a brief trip between errands-- because I came across this pretty, old, art nouveau influenced pottery vase...

(The one on the left.)

With its celadon color and matte finish, I had a sneaking suspicion it was unmarked McCoy...

And a check of my McCoy collecting book proved that was true! A piece from around 1935.

While I was taking photos this morning, I thought I'd also show you the other side of the top of that same tall, built-in cabinet. Two more McCoy styled pieces live there. The red one on the left is also unmarked, and it came originally from the Goodwill in Irwin, PA. The green piece on right is marked McCoy, and it came from the L&L Fleatique just down the road from Irwin, in Adamsburg...
I didn't get them at the same time, though. :)

Anyway, it just goes to show, if you like something and it's at the right price, you don't necessarily have to worry about the manufacturer... Make sure you have the right resource books and consider taking a chance.

You might just find you have an even bigger treasure than you expected!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Demonic Decorating with the Winchester Mystery House

Welcome to Wednesday, my thrifty, nifty friends! While the thrifting this week was slim, never let it be said that The Thrift Shop Romantic lets its online buddies go eye-candyless on Treasure Box day.

So as Halloween approaches, I thought we would celebrate this spooky season in a way that combines both design and diabolic fun through this History Channel tour of the Winchester Mystery House.

Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester rifle fortune, believed she was cursed by the souls of the people the Winchester guns had killed. Her penance? To design and build a home that was never, ever finished.

The result became a startling mix of traditional Victorian decor with architectural madness-- staircases to nowhere, doors that open to nothing, winding hallways and mystery around every corner.

I think you'll enjoy this Weird U.S. video. Kinda makes our homes' own little quirks seem mild by comparison...

I mean, in my area just getting a contractor is difficult enough! :)

Treasure Box Wednesday: What's in YOUR Treasure Box?

I went antiquing over the weekend with my buddy Scoobie, and unfortunately, I have nothing really I can share with you right now because what I bought was a gift for someone.

Rather than totally ruin the surprise for the recipient, who probably would prefer to see her gift in a box at her birthday rather than spread all over the pages of this blog, I'll wait to share with you folks later.

Anyway, lately, I've been in the mode where I'm happy with my decor and so I really don't feel I NEED much myself. But there are a couple of things I look for when I go out thrifting just the same...

Y'know, those Holy Grail items that would be great to find, if I happened to run across them. Like unusual Victorian postcards... or more pieces of my Anchor Hocking moonstone dishes... or an enticing example of McCoy or Hull... well, that would be a pot of a different color.

I already had one such moment a few months ago when I found my red velvet sofa at the Salvation Army Superstore in West Mifflin.

So I open it up to you good folks...

If you could find your dream item at a thrift store, yard sale, flea market or whathaveyou... what would it be?

(Note: Treasure Boxes Filled with Unclaimed Cash are a given, and therefore not worth mentioning. :) )

Oh, and while I remember, if you didn't get to see Sunday's post where a 1960s photo shoot for fabric takes an odd turn around the bases at the ballpark, well, you can click here.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Out With the Old, In with the Also Kinda Old

Thanks to the beauty of thrift stores, I feel lucky that I don't really need anything. Oh, sure, I might keep my eye out for certain items I enjoy collecting, but I've also been going through old stuff that's truly surplus to requirement and donating it back.

It's the Circle of Thrift.

Though I suppose, this week, these are technically the circles of thrift...
I'd been keeping my eye out for some glass spheres to put in a bowl. The print behind them is Waterhouse's "The Crystal Ball," where a medieval maiden peers into a glass sphere to see, presumably, the future.

I'd been picturing the bowl filled with glass spheres in my mind for a while, as a nice decorative tie-in. But you'd be surprised how expensive these things can get!

As workarounds, I'd considered using fishing floats and Christmas ornaments, but didn't spy any that would work at the right price. Until I found someone's paperweight collection at the Red, White & Blue on Route 51 this weekend.

And all nice and plain and not engraved with, say, the name of a tourist location. You'd be surprised how many of those are out there, too. I just don't think the medieval maiden would peer into a ball with a dolphin etched into it reading "Fort Lauderdale," do you? :)

I also uncovered this nice little unmarked mint green pottery flowerpot...

I really like the shape. I don't think it's unmarked McCoy, but it looks nice with McCoy and Hull pieces.

And lastly, at the Goodwill in Indiana, PA, I uncovered a beautiful rose-printed luster bowl...
It actually had a good layer of dirt on it when I picked it up. But knew a moment or two with some suds would do wonders!...
So today, I have two big bags of donations I must remember to give back to the thrifts. I'm working to organize some closet space, and I'd like to send the unused items to the one place I know they'll be appreciated.

Hope you all had an enjoyable Fourth of July. For today, I guess it's time now for me to roll on out of here.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Luster, Shine and Glitter

Welcome, Treasure Box Wednesday friends! How's the week been treating you so far?

It was a treat for my inner-magpie this week, when a visit to the Red, White & Blue thrift store in Bellevue, PA uncovered a trio of interesting lusterware plates!
It's been some time since I've thrifted any unique lusterware, and this stack, just sitting among the glassware, was easy to take a shine to. Given the color and style of the pieces, it got me pondering those nifty thrifty questions for which I'm unlikely to ever have the answers...

Like, were these a part of a single person's collection? What did their house look like? Were they loved and displayed? And what happened that meant these beauties made their way to the thrift store?

Then I had another pleasant surprise this week, of the non-thrifting variety, that I wanted to share with you.

One of my favorite decorating magazines is Romantic Country. While it's sometimes just a tad heavy on the floral patterns for me (I'm more of a paint instead of wallpaper gal), it's always chock full of vintage goodies and soft colors. I just wish it came out more than four times a year...
So as I was leafing through it yesterday, enjoying a morning cup of coffee, I was shocked to see someone very familiar!... The internet's Good Lady o' Glitter, Rosemary Olson...

Now, I met Rosemary online some years ago when we both discovered the same decorating and crafts forums. She's a sweet lady with a terrific eye for creating magical, whimsical-style gift and decorative items, like tiaras, wedding favors and seasonal boxes.

So I just wanted to take a moment to say, "Congratulations on the lovely magazine spread, Rosemary!" I'm so happy to see you getting the recognition you well-deserve!

Shine on! (And don't forget to wash the glitter and glue off your hands before you try to frame that great photo spread. You'll stick.) :)

You can check out Rosemary's blog-- Rose's Petite Maison-- here.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Treasured Vintage China

It was a slow time for thrifting this past week. So while I don't have any new treasures to share with you, I do have some goodies I've enjoyed for many years.

Perhaps some of you long-time readers of The Thrift Shop Romantic might recall me picking up a few of these individual pieces over the years. But I think items take on a whole new life when you see them displayed together, in their element.

I have been picking up lusterware plates and cups at thrift stores for at least a decade. Same goes for chintz teacups and sandwich dishes I'd carefully chosen from places like TJ Maxx and the now-long-gone Royal Albert outlet at Grove City.

But it was only recently, I finally got the right place to display them: a turn-of-the-century oak china cabinet...
So it was with great joy-- and some really tough decision-making-- that I chose the pieces from my collection I would ultimately keep and display...

It was a little like choosing from favorite children. But, seeing it all together, I was struck by common themes...
Bright aquas and juicy greens... Deep red and pink roses.... Delicate lavenders... And lots of shine...
Teacups were mostly thrift store discoveries, and I'm struck with how cheerful a collection can be, though amassed for just a small amount of money.
I made a home for favorite 1900s whiteware transfer plates, and hand-painted saucers I thrifted for $1...
And I tried to group colors together that went together. Layering chintz and lusterware as if in sets, with only the color palette to really tie them.

Last, I had to include the only real heirloom in the lot, my great-aunt's depression era china, in a pattern called Aquitania...
(Not to mention a stray Fenton carnival glass bowl I "Fleatiqued.")

The china cabinet is my real, and consistent Treasure Box... My glass garden... Something I pass each day and enjoy at different times in new ways, as the daylight in my diningroom changes and transforms it.

I hope the rest of your week is filled with little treasures, too!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Never Too Chicken for Thrifty Adventure!

Saturday the rain came down in buckets at times, but the lure of a day out adventuring for this chick was just too strong to deny. And as a result I came up with what I consider pretty nifty, thrifty fortune...

I had popped by Construction Junction just to see what was junkin', and didn't get very far in the store before I spied an unframed 24 inch by 40 inch antique stained glass window with a crest on it...
...For $25.

Let me just write that again: $25.

It's the panel above in the lower center. You can see how it coordinates with the crest windows I already had hanging. So, well, I had that baby in my hands in about three seconds flat and didn't even look around the rest of the store before I was heading to the register.

And it's probably just as well, too, as the window continued to cause a little stir on its way out the store. Folks in line pondered its history, marveled at its price and one lady even called her friend over to see it.

Talk about timing! And with a quick assemble-it-yourself frame I pieced together from Michaels' to sturdy it up, it's very happy in its new home.

Another favorite item of recent finds was this colorful vintage print of a cherubic little girl, chicks and her beloved St. Bernard in a farmyard...

The print was just so incredibly cheerful, I was unable to resist. It's hanging in my hallway now, so I can enjoy the scene as I pass through daily.

And lastly, I uncovered this cool old playbill from a performance of Richard III...
Long-time readers might remember I have Edwin Austin Abbey and Millais prints in my livingroom related to the Richard III tale, so I thought this play information, in its very medieval-looking frame, would be a nice addition. It's a bit worse for wear, but then Richard III didn't exactly have a cakewalk reign, either.

Anyway, that puts the lid back on today's Treasure Box. If you missed Sunday's post on eccentric knitwear modeling in "The Spinnerin Wives" click here.

Otherwise, perhaps I'll see you for our next post. Just as an FYI, I may move it to Monday, as I have a friend visiting this weekend and I doubt there's going to be a whole lot of blogging time. But I'll see you soon!