Hull and Hobnail Happiness

Forrest Gump had that line about life and chocolates. But I think life's more like a thrift store. You have a wider range of serendipity. A little humor. A little "what the heck is that?" And junk or treasure, it's all in how you look at it.

Anyway, this week's Treasure Hunting took me and my shopping bud, Scoobie, around Pittsburgh's South Hills. I had had my eye on a type of Depression glass from the 40s by Anchor Hocking called "Moonstone" and this was the weekend I managed to snag a few pieces at a good price...
I'd like it noted that this was from the very same antique mall where I showed you the, um, unique example of Big-Eyed Portraiture on Sunday. Proving, I think, the truth of that adapted Forrest Gump adage I was just talking about. :)

And underlining the bit about serendipity, at the Salvation Army Superstore in West Mifflin, I came across my very first thrifted Hull vase...
Scoobie and I both spotted it at the same time and gasped, knowing full-well how expensive Hull is in any of the antique malls.

Now, I'm not going to kid you-- it does have two chips. You can see one of them on the right hand side. But honestly, sitting up on top of my china cabinet, its soft matte-finish pastels look just right in my dining room. I looked it up and the pattern's called Wildflower. I figure no one visiting will be inclined to pluck the vase from its spot and "tsk-tsk" over the chips...

And if they do-- heh-- I probably should invite them over less.

Lastly, I snagged two bright green Depression glass candlesticks at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in Castle Shannon. They don't look quite as intensely green in this pic as they are in real life...
They came out to be $5 for the pair.

Now, before I forget-- one of the Thrift Shop Romantic's regular readers, Debbie of Debbie-Dabble, had asked to see a closeup of a table in my spare room, based on a previous post. So Debbie, my friend, here is more of that sewing stand...
It's from the 70s, a Singer cabinet, which I two-toned with some of the same cottage white paint I've used elsewhere in that room. Its top wasn't great, so after I painted it, I put a Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic placemat over the top and glass over that to keep it tidy...
Here you can see the Colonial knobs were exchanged for glass knobs, and I'd added some wooden appliques to fancy it up.
Thrift stores often have old sewing tables without the sewing machines in them, and the tables still make great sidetables, with a little bit of work.

Anyway, that's it for this Treasure Box Wednesday. I hope to see you again on Sunday for our next post-- and have yourselves a chocolate-box-worthy remainder of this 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: Ya Gotta Start Somewhere

Given the only item I thrifted this last week, and why, I figured you all might enjoy seeing the Before, and then getting a glimpse of the Future. Cryptic, I know. But it'll all make sense shortly, trust me!

Here's the little hall table I found at St. Vincent de Paul thrift store...

I'd seen it two days before I bought it, and hadn't been thinking outside the box enough to realize that it would be perfect as a printer stand.

So I went back to the store with hope in my heart. Would it still be there, waiting?

But when I roamed around the furniture section of the store, I thought my fears were justified. My little table was nowhere to be seen. And then...

Over by the clothing, as a part of an elaborate Christmas display, there it was. And it still had a price tag!

I told the nice lady at the cash register I was interested in buying it, and that's when she said the words that thrill the bargain-hunter's heart:

"You know, this table's been here for a week now. Let's see if we can get you some money off of it."

A week didn't seem like a long time to me. But in thrifting terms it must translate into Dog Years. Anyway, the table came home with me. And after some hefting efforts that left bruises on my bruises, it, my desk chair and my computer desk all moved to the unfinished third floor of my house.

The area has only been used for storage these last years-- by me and by all the people who previously owned my house. There are two dirty but usable rooms, with aged wallpaper, ancient painted pine floors, and blinds that seem to have seen the Great Depression.

I'm going to work in the one room, while I finish the first one. Eventually, I'll have book storage...

The stained and yellowed wallpaper will go and be replaced by something subtle and off-white, to help brighten the rooms. The nifty old light switches, however, will stay...

The dirty, holey roller-blinds will be replaced with fresh curtains... maybe sheers...

And the pine floors and molding, which were painted a dark brown, will get a few coats of something light and bright, too. Maybe a cream floor and a pale colored (aqua or green?) trim.

You can see what I'm up against here, though. A patterned layer of wallpaper shines through from under the yellowed, more plain paper...

And here's part of the room that's already been relieved of its wallpaper. The walls need to be washed down again and then the cracks, plastered.
I was taking a look at potential wallpaper patterns and having small heart attacks over the cost per roll. $40? Seriously?! I need to do some more digging, because ya shouldn't have to mortgage the house in order to paper it!

Yep-- ya gotta start somewhere. And so, post-Christmas, the new project begins! I'll keep you folks up-to-date on any improvements.

• If you missed Sunday's post on the last of the Christmas decorating, click here.

Otherwise, I'll see you perhaps this coming Sunday for some new fun.