Lady Luck and the Secondhand Score

So, been fishing for any secondhand goodies lately? Was there one that got away? :)

Me, I've been cranking away on my second book, the sequel to my humorous science fiction book, There Goes the Galaxy (and if you know a sci-fi buff looking for a fun read, I'd really appreciate it if you'd pass the word along!-- folks can see it on Amazon here.) 

But in spite of all the good hard work, I've also left some time for treasure hunting. And some of the items I found were happy-making. 

Like the tinted little boy photo up there who reminds me of Tom Sawyer. I got him at an antique mall in Canonsburg, PA. I imagine he's from the early part of the 1900s.

More recently, there was this $10 vintage lamp from Rossi's Pop Up Flea Market.

When I asked about it, the seller told me the price and that he would also sell me the table it was sitting on for an additional $10. My answer was no, I didn't need the table, but I needed the lamp because I have Lamp Addiction.

Now, I've said this a million times on here, so I didn't think anything of it. My Lamp Addiction is fact. But for whatever reason it struck him so funny, he completely cracked up, patted me on the arm, and I heard him chuckling well after I was headed on to other booths.

See? Lamps are great-- they bring everybody together. :)

Across Route 30 from the flea market, I hit the Goodwill Outlet. That place never ceases to amaze me. It's such a bizarre experience rooting through those bins for goodies. And the things you'll find! In the pile of textiles below there's a vintage handkerchief, an apron, some doilies, and a number of pieces from Croscill (which is normally so expensive)-- like a table cloth, some pillow shams and a valance. The material alone is worth that.

I'd gone in there and hadn't gotten a cart, because I normally only end up choosing a handful of things. But then I found brand new items that were going to work perfectly in my Alice in Wonderland themed kitchen. Like these snack dishes in a card theme... And new in the box!...

Suddenly things were getting heavy. Then I found the matching glasses..

Also in the box...

I was juggling these items, just about ready to go, when a pleasant fellow shopper I'd been talking to earlier came over with a cart saying to me, "I've never seen anybody do such a thing," or something to that effect. I admit, I was grateful for the cart!

So, that's me showing you my hand for this game!... Hope you all have good luck in your weekend adventures and you get some good... (here comes the bad pun, brace for it)... deals.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Queenly Treasures at the Regent Square Neighborhood Yardsale

I do believe I have the weather to thank. Because this past Saturday was the first one in many years I can think of where the day of the Regent Square Neighborhood yard sale had no threat of rain.

As a result, everyone thinking about selling their unneeded items, and making a few bucks, DID. And everyone looking for goodies-- and there were a ton of us-- were walking around the sun-dappled streets carrying armfuls of treasures.

Seriously-- every person I saw walking down the street appeared to be carrying bags of purchases. And I find it amazing because I, too, found so many good things at great prices it seems impossible there was enough to go around.

One of my favorite items was this ten inch tall McCoy butterfly pattern vase. I had seen it in my McCoy book a while back and I loved the shape. It was one I definitely thought if I ran across, I would be interested in having. And there it was, unpriced, on a long table.

 I enquired, imagining it would be at least $20, considering its size and great shape. And do you know what the response was?

"Oh... a dollar."

ACK! I had my money out in a flash.

At another house, I found this (somewhat blurry, sorry) pink swan McCoy vase. It was at a somewhat pricier (snicker) $3.

 And at yet another stop, I got this cute USA pottery wallpocket for $3, as well.

I got two stained glass heart suncatchers I want to use in my kitchen windows... Here's the purple one...

 And the red, blue and purple...

 I snagged this tapestry of the Tower of London for $3, too. I think it might make a nice pillow.

 I nabbed this Victorian transferware bowl with nymphs on it in a far corner of the sale area. They actually seemed surprised I even wanted it...

 I got this pretty vintage floral tablecloth for $1, and aside from being wrinkled, it's in great condition...

 This vintage teacup with gold leafing was fifty cents. It was the lady's grandmother's, she said.

 And I couldn't go to a sale like this without coming away with a weird vintage lamp. This one is in harlequin colors that look terrific in my sort of bohemian bedroom. It works and has all its crystals. I paid $5 for it.

So that's what I got up to this past weekend. I don't know how many miles I walked in total. Someday I'll have to do the sale while wearing a pedometer and find out for sure. The legs certainly knew it had shopped for distance the next day, but with treasures like these, it felt all worthwhile.

Hope you all have a bountiful, joyous Memorial Day weekend.

Thrifting Using the Buddy System

Recent resale adventures proved that, while garage saling and thrifting with a buddy is always more enjoyable, if you have a savvy friend, it can also be more effective for finding the stuff you're looking for.

At the recent annual Regent Square neighborhood yard sale, two sets of eyes were definitely better than one, for both myself and my friend Scoobie!

Oh, I did okay on my own to begin with; it wasn't long into our yard saling journey, for instance, that I spied-- and subsequently nabbed-- this table with fun legs...

No, really... Table with "fun legs"...

But later on that block, my eyes were not quite so keen as to spy this nifty Alice in Wonderland tea towel...
"Um, don't you want that?" asked Scoobie, knowing well my Alice-themed kitchen. Also, the tea towel was $0.50!

I had my money out so fast! The towel seems to be a souvenir from "Alice's Shop" at Oxford University.

Scoobie was also indispensable when we encountered these pink Fiestaware sandwich plates...

I was distracted by other goodies, while these were apparently right under my nose.

Like the tea towel, they were in my hands quickly, because the price turned out to be seven for $5!

Now I came across a few of these other goodies on my own, such as this cute bag of four pewter Mad Hatter chess pieces...

(There were no other pieces to the set, just these. They remind me of those Easter Island heads all lined up like this.)

A pair of suncatchers were just $0.50 a piece...
And the Mifflin Church Rummage sale rustled up two pretty vintage tablecloths in grey, purple and green.But I think my favorite part of our day-- other than getting to sit down after walking about 20 miles o'er hill and dale-- was that I got a chance to return the favor to Scoobie for her keen goodie-spotting.

I knew from previous shopping endeavors that she'd wanted one of those pottery Christmas trees that plug in and are covered with little bulb ornaments. Her great-grandmother had had one and they are a fond memory to her.

Well, on about our last leg of the journey (and literally, our own last legs), I saw one sitting on a table on an elevated yard. "Didn't you want a tree?"

Turns out, the tree and all of its ornaments was just $3. The price was right, and good shopping karma was with her.

So lesson learned. Take friends with you. Make a day of it. And don't forget to let them know what you're looking for. Because you never know-- four eyeballs may prove far better than two.

____________________

One last order of business today, speaking of buddies...

My friend Claire has opened up her own business of drawing cheerful customized "doodle" artwork for special occasions, gifts, etc.

I thought you all might enjoy checking out her site-- The Doodologist.

Have a great weekend!

In the Pink for a Post-Holiday Vintage Tablescape

This past weekend's bitter and snowy weather found me inside tackling all those little things I had been putting off: taking down the tree, packing up all the garland and cardboard village homes, and encouraging my very zealous kitten, Harry-- who wanted to be a part of it all-- to find himself some other more kitten-appropriate hobbies. 

I even spackled some long-lingering cracks in my diningroom walls. It's almost embarrassing when I think about how long this project had gone undone! 

But my favorite activity of the weekend was definitely transforming the diningroom decor from Christmas Lite to springy pink good cheer.
The pink, burgundy, blue and green tablecloth was a long-ago thrift store find, as was the marble and crystal candelabra which I'd painted a pearl pink.

The pinkish purple goblets were purchased years ago from either TJ Maxx or Marshalls. And as you can see I'm using the beautiful opalescent "American Sweetheart" pattern depression glass plates I got via a friend and thrifting...

On the mantle, I coordinated with a rose-printed lace mantle scarf and some of my favorite lusterware plates.

I think these all came from the Red White and Blue Thrift Store, though not necessarily at the same time.

In particular, I love the shape and pattern on this one...

This little pink luster plate is one of my most recent finds.
And I figured I'd add in this nice luster bowl I'd gotten at the Goodwill in Indiana, PA a while back. It had been so dirty when I got it, you really couldn't appreciate its pattern and shine...
A little color goes a long way to soothe the winter blues-- particularly if it's got some winter pinks and winter greens along with it!

Do you folks do any decorating post-winter-holidays, or are you pretty well sick to death of the thought of decor after all the Fa-La-La-ing Festivities?

Closeted Creativity

I've never been the most organized person in the world. Sure, when it comes to meeting deadlines, following through on what I promise, and planning things out, I'm pretty on-the-ball. But if it involves sorting, folding and filing-- it just doesn't come naturally to me. I struggle.

But what I've learned over the years is that even I, Miss Toss-It-In-a-Pile or Hide-It-Under-the-Bed can get life organized into easy-to-use systems-- the key is in taking the time and having the right tools!
This last week, I've been working to get my closets in order. When you thrift as often as I do, it's important for me to have a good clear-out now and then, to really take stock of what I love, what I need, and what I no longer use (and what I can pass along to someone who will truly appreciate it!).

So my linens have seen a good purge, and all extra sheets, table runners, curtains and fabric whatnots that are surplus to requirement are right now sitting bagged and prepped to head on back to the thrifts.

In their place, a couple of assemble-it-yourself shelving units have been set up, and a few packs of hangers have helped to make this closet work so much better....
I love seeing all the pretty colors and patterns on my vintage tablecloths, and choosing what I want when I want it is now so easy!(I admit, I left the door open for a while so I could stare at the Joy of Surprising Organization.)

Plus, the lightly flocked hangers really work well-- they're pleasant to the touch, but linens don't slide off.

Now, too, I can see all of these nicely embroidered tablerunners together.
And fresh vintage sheets are always available for when company comes...
Inspired by the progress, I also tackled the hall closet, where I store dress clothes and my winter shoes/boots...
A build-it-yourself shoe rack from Target fit the bill (or rather the boot) here.

I liked it so much, I got one for the the coat closet in my entry way, where casual shoes now live for easy access...What's nice is, I not only now can see everything I have, I won't again fall into the rut of having four pairs of black flats all in about the same style.

Consistency of taste is nice, but it also takes up a lot of space with redundant footwear! (Imelda Marcos might beg to differ, but then she probably didn't have to organize her own closets.)

Anyway, that got me wondering-- what's your favorite organizational tool? Are you organizationally-challenged like me? Or does everything always have its place?

Take care, and I'll talk to you next on Wednesday... If I'm not too busy still staring into my newly-tidied closets. :)

Treasure Box Wednesday: Teapots and Other Temptations

While I spent most of Memorial Day weekend with my fingers tap-tap-tapping over my word processor, eyes roving over the ol' novel manuscript, I did take time Saturday for a bit of thrifting. And so while this Treasure Box Wednesday is a short one, it's also rather sweet.

Sweet, perhaps, like this cute Humpty Dumpty teapot I found at the Salvation Army thrift store...


Regular readers know my fondness for Alice in Wonderland, and somehow this just seemed right. He looks a bit more mild-mannered that Alice's eggman, who if you'll recall had a certain attitude. But it still makes me smile.

At the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store I uncovered this tablecloth...


Pinks, greens, burgundies and grey-blue morning glories make it perfect for my diningroom.

At the same St. Vincent de Paul, I also uncovered this cute Depression-glass-green goblet covered in flowers...


And this nifty shell pink milk glass candy dish...

And while I remember, and since we have fewer thrifted goodies this week, I thought you all would appreciate seeing the little bit of decor I'd found in the Giant Eagle grocery store of all places!

Around St. Paddy's Day, we'd had some decorative holiday items there in the "Iggle." Not needing anything immediately, I waited until the items went on sale and nabbed my faves...

Like this cute tea canister...


And this framed print...

What I liked about it in particular was how much it looked like the images on my Victorian postcards for the holiday...


Well, that about puts the lid on this Treasure Box Wednesday!

• If you didn't get a chance to check out the fun interview I got to do over on Home Decorating Room-by-Room, click here.

• And if you'd missed Sunday's post on Tales from the Thrift Store Aisles, click here.

Have a thrifty, nifty week, my friends!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Portrait of a Happy Thrifter

Just when I think I've seen everything at the thrift shop, I turn around and am awed once more. Some of my forum friends online have already shared in my joy in this, but I believe some of you still haven't seen this yet. This was my find of last Wednesday-- a Victorian portrait vase with the beehive mark of Royal Vienna.

Now, I do know a number of companies of the era ended up using this beehive mark, who were not actually Royal Vienna. But judging by the quality of the vase, the handpainted details on the decal and the overall feel of it, it's a real possibility.

Either way, it was wonderful to me. I'd been having kind of a rough day at work when I'd determined to take myself on a thrifting respite at lunch... And that's when I came across this.

And also this...


...A 50s aluminum tea canister. I was happy enough with this for $0.99, but then the vase came along and my day was absolutely made.

Then over the weekend at the Goodwill in Monroeville, I came across these pink Depression glass plates...


I haven't been able to find the pattern name in my Depression glass books, but at $0.50 a piece, they were a good buy.

Lastly, I got this vintage tablecloth for $1.50 at the St. Vincent DePaul in Monroeville...



They were having a half-off sale, so that was an extra special surprise. And WOW, you should have seen the people there. It was amazing to witness the sort of things people were discovering.

I'm afraid that closes the Treasure Box for this week. If you'd like to take a peek at Sunday's post on Fourth of July postcards-- and a special postcard download for you-- click here.

I'd mentioned earlier, I have one of my friends paying her annual Fourth of July visit this weekend-- yay!- so I might be a little delayed with the Sunday post. But I promise, I'll get to it. I might just be a little slower in posting.

Happy Fourth of July, folkses!!