Richmond Thrift & Moonglow!

Dan and I found a new Goodwill outlet in Richmond and we headed out early Saturday morning to check it out.  It's bigger than ours and the housewares are organized far better.  The bins are shallow and there's lots of them so it's easy to shift dishes and other breakables to look around without breaking something else - Thank Goodness! - it causes me great anxiety to dig and hear all the crunching and cracking!  I found some really wonderful Christmas decorations.  Check this out:

I really like this Old World Santa!  He has such a kind face - guess Santa should, right!?  There are no labels or other markings to help me  identify where this may have come from.  It is very well made and I'm pretty sure the trim on his sleeves and hem is real fur!  He stands at 18" from the top of his head to the bottom of the wood base and his head and hands are ceramic (porcelain?).  He is missing something out of his right hand but all that's left is a glue.  I'm sure I'll be able to find something he can carry (bells maybe).  Other than that, there is nothing wrong with this decoration.  It was just laying in a bin.  I saw the fur edge first and have to admit, I was a little creeped out for a second because I wasn't sure if a varmit was lurking about - but no, it was just a fancy discarded Santa - LOL!  The clothing is very clean; there are no tears or pulls in the cape or tapestry fabric.  The wood base is a bit scratched but I figure it's from trying to survive the bins.  Here's a closer look at his face:

See - kind eyes and great beard!  Ok, in the bin next to Santa, I found this little darling:

Look at that sweet little face!  The label says "Hansa" and although I couldn't find his particular style number (9820) the newer ones retail for $45.  Good golly!  The pickin' was HOT!  Look at this --

1960s Josef Originals Christmas angel in perfect condition --even the identifying stickers are still firmly attached :)  When I fish something like this out of a bin, I feel like doing a touchdown, victory dance!  She's so darn cute.

So, now I've got a theme going here - Santa, toys, Christmas angel with figgy pudding -- and now, it's time to decorate the tree:

36 fancy ornament hooks and three delectable mercury glass cupcakes...or possibly ice cream cones? The tag  says "sugar plums."  Which reminds me of the "Night Before Christmas," when "not a creature was stirring, not even a ...

... vintage (1960s) blow mold flocked big-eared mouse.  Hee hee!  There is a little wear right around the edges of his ears but it just adds to his character.  So, to conclude the Christmas theme here - let's not forget the reason for the season:

I'm guessing this was a kit?  I can't find anything like it -- well, that's not accurate, I can find ceramic lighted churches but this one has an iridescent glaze and "stained glass" windows!  Try as I might to capture it's shimmery pearly gorgeousness, it just kept coming out white :(  Again, it's in perfect condition - zero chips, cracks, or otherwise.  This will absolutely be displayed in my dining room at Christmas because it will match my BEAUTIFUL new (to me!) table settings.  These didn't come from the outlet.  I bought them from eBay and Etsy and the plates just arrived today!  Look at these BEAUTIES:

I am in HEAVEN!  They are Federal Glass Company Moonglow dinner plates (early 70s).  The dessert cups are also Federal Glass Company but they are from the 1930s and are Depression glass fluted sherbet dishes <3  I did NOT fish these out of the bins at the outlet either - I found them in a fantastic little thrift and antique shop called "Class & Trash" in Ashland, Virginia.  We stopped in on our way home from Richmond (...and it's going to be on the agenda every trip to Richmond!).  They were very reasonably priced ($6 each) and are perfect!

I'm linking up with:

Her Library Adventures, Flea Market Finds
Coastal Charm, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday #112
Hey What's for Dinner Mom, Penny Worthy Project #27
From My Front Porch to Yours, Treasure Hunt Thursday #54
A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words, 2nd Time Around
Finding Fabulous, It's Frugalicious Friday!
Boogieboard Cottage, Masterpiece Monday #70!
Kathe With an E, You're Gonna Love It Tuesday #2

Have a wonderful week!

Thrifty Finds!

There are so many things I need to do.  The garage needs to be cleaned out, the study needs painting, the floor in the sun room needs a good scrubbing...I even have some crafty things to finish and post.  But, instead of doing any of those things, I hauled out my light box and photographed my lovely thrift finds.  Oh boy.   Nope, I'm not even going to try justify it, I'm just going to show you what I'd rather spend time with today rather than house duties or past hobbies!  My last thrifting adventure led me to a beautiful crystal lamp made in Holland (THIS POST) and I bought it even though it had no shade.  Then I saw this:

... and look at sitting on the lamp:

It's a winner!  I love it :)  A few weeks ago, our kitten Sushi broke the dainty pink Teleflora vase I picked up for $1.  (You can read about both in this post!) On Saturday, I found the same light pink but this vase has the word "LOVE" etched on it ($1).  Another win!  The sweet crystal bell I believe is by Hofbauer and it was priced at a mere $1.25.   The same thrift store also had these treasures:

BLACK milk glass!  CARAMEL milk glass! and a white milk glass vase thrown in for good measure!  What a find!  I have read about the other colors of milk glass but hadn't seen any so at first I wasn't sure if these were.  The black glass was $2 and it was $1 for both vases - blows my mind that it would be priced so cheap!  I bought the crocheted doily also for .50.   I had "Fenton silver crest" on my milk glass bucket list and LOOK!

Isn't that a sweet candlestick holder?  Fenton silver crest --at Goodwill --$2.  AWESOME :)  The footed dish is Brody milk glass ($1).

Let's get retro for a minute, shall we:

Vintage Pyrex Spring Green glass napkin rings ($1) and plastic salt & pepper shakers --wait, check that --INSPIRATIONAL salt & pepper shakers - the pair for $1.25!  But wait, the vintage doesn't stop here...

I *love* finding dishes my mom has.  This was $3 - three BUCKS!  It makes me actually want to cook.  Comfort foods like tuna casserole...and stuffed green peppers...and camper's special :)  Vintage rocks but new is cool too:


PINK Tupperware - $2!  These are too cute.  I am so taking my lunch to work next week! ;)  Speaking of work, I found a super-cute note holder for my desk (and a few of his friends):

The faux tortoise shell note clip was $1 but the pottery owls were cheaper than that because they came from the GW outlet (59 cents/pound!).  These also came from there:

A ceramic bell in the shape of a cow and cow bell...well, I think it's a cow bell.  It's not something I would have gone out in search of but having found it, I like it.  I have a little cow thing going on:

This is one of the four corners of the island in the kitchen.  Each has three shelves and a different theme ( I do so love themes!).  This one happens to be cows.  (oh and chickens - ha!)  Everything here was thrifted including the 1950 (dated!) milk bottle and Otagiri rooster butter dish.  I may have to relocate the rooster to accommodate the cow stuff because, I also found a china plate with cows on it.  The plate is a Homer Laughlin china plate but has anyone ever seen one like this?  I think someone crafty added the cow decal?  It's a mystery but due to my cow thing, I decided I would go with it.  It's cute!

The final find of the day was this thermos set.  How cute is this!?  The set was $3 and I was excited to find it in excellent condition.  Only one of the thermoses had been used (although I cleaned both thoroughly).    Perfect for packing up and hitting the thrift trail!

I'm linking up to:

Her Library Adventures
Cap Creations, Thrifty Love (Link Party #25)
Me and My Shadow, Magpie Monday
From My Front Porch to Yours, Treasure Hunt Thursday #53
Hey What's for Dinner Mom, The Penny Worthy Project
Kathe with an E, You're Gonna Love it Tuesday #1!

What did you find this weekend!?

Birthday Thrift-O-rama! (Part II)

Dan and I went on a Birthday super-duper thrift trip last weekend and the haul was so awesome, I needed two posts to share all the finds.  Without further adieu, welcome to part deux (see what I did there? LOL!)

Well hello darling vintage Serva Snack set by Anchor Hocking!  $7 - for 4 punch cups with matching trays.  The box has the name "Mrs. Knox" written inside the lid.  Thank you Mrs. Knox for keeping your wonderful snack set in such pristine condition and please know it has come to a home where it will be loved! :)
Lookie at this cool thing -

Can't you picture this baby in black....say, like, a glossy "witchy" black??  It looks like a witch's boot to me and one I saw used in an Halloween vignette.  It was painted black and looked so cool and elegant, but try as I might, I couldn't anything like it.  Now here it is!  Yeah, it does have a crack but I'm hoping that once it's painted either you won't see it or maybe it will look like creased, old leather.  Probably wishful thinking but after searching for one a couple years ago, and to no avail, there was no way I could walk away from it.

Now, to avoid a third post for the thrift trip---even though it was a marathon thrift!---I'm going to show the rest of the haul in this next pic:

Wm. Rogers shell silver plate platter, poppy trivet, International Silver silver plate bread plate and candy dish, hobnail milk glass creamer, milk glass with fish scale pattern (and vintage glass Christmas ornaments inside), milk glass trinket basket, egg shell candles, hand-carved wooden cow, German "1/2" cup coffee mug, Home Interiors porcelain dove, vintage (1950s or earlier) Murano Summerso "drip" amber glass vase, antique milk glass cross, hobnail milk glass tumblers, swirled pattern milk glass bowl, mini milk glass candle holders, Avon milk glass vanity jar, Avon milk glass candle holder, English hobnail milk glass ball vase, milk glass urn, Westmoreland quilt patterned footed candy dish, crystal lamp made in Holland, milk glass lamp. 

 The silver plate trays are going to be used in a wall collage (like this one HERE).   The milk glass is a mix of a little of everything, hobnail, English hobnail,  scalloped, quilt - I cannot get enough of it :)  The cross is antique --it's also broken as it was a candle holder --but still it was a $1 and unlike anything I have so it came home with me.  Both lamps work - woohoo! - and the crystal lamp was made in Holland.  I have to find a lamp shade (?) for it but again, the fact is was only $2 landed it in my basket.  Here's another look at the lamps:

The pink glass alone made me want this :)  The metal on the hobnail lamp was gold at one point but it had flaked off in areas and looked pretty messed up.  Dan took the lamp apart for me so I could spray-paint these parts (I used Rustoleum ORB with primer).  100% improvement!  The milk glass lamp is going on the nightstand in one of the guest bedrooms and the crystal lamp will be put in the foyer.  

My final find for the day which makes it possible for me to present my Finale Find - LOL - AND for me, it's quite a doozy!  I have been looking for something like this and there, in the final GW we hit before wrapping it up for the day were these little beauties:

1950's Indiana Glass orange blossom 10 pc. snack set - $20!  Happy Birthday to ME.  Seriously, I couldn't believe my eyes; I saw them from across the room (ok, rack) and it was love at first sight.  Look at those delicate, sweet little blossoms!

Happy Thrifting! <3 Lisa

Birthday Thrift-O-rama! (Part I)

Dan and I both have April birthdays so we decided to do a big thrift trip...and it was such a thrift-a-palooza, I will need two posts to share all the awesome!  We had full intentions of checking out an architecture salvage store in Richmond but wanted to start the day with a stop at the GW Outlet.  As it turned out, we ended up deciding to drive out to Orange and hit a couple thrifts.  The day was beautiful and the weather perfect for a scenic ride through the countryside.  Here's how the pickin' went, starting with the outlet finds:

Pricing at the outlet is .59/lb for housewares so all of this was under $2.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I uncovered the 4 milk glass tumblers and 6 spice jars.  They are in perfect condition - no chips or cracks --and this always amazes me considering the housewares stuff is not placed on shelves like at the retail GW.  It is stacked in big cardboard boxes --big as in 5' X 5' and sitting on pallets so they are nearly as tall as me.  There is glass and other stuff all mixed in and you've got to sort through it.  Sometimes stuff is stacked in large carts lined along the wall - either way, you gotta do some digging.  Finding the glassware and extracting it out of the tangle without it chipping, cracking, or breaking is an accomplishment...maybe even a skill?  It's like playing Jenga - ha!

The glass candy ornaments were stowed in the tin (16 total).  Their extraction was a piece of cake as was the the little paper jointed bear (he was just crowd surfing the box so I knew he was a keeper - LOL!)  The glass star, vintage lace, acrylic bottle stopper with "J" monogram, yellow chickie bucket, beaded egg, and mercury glass snowman are fun little scores *but* the salt and pepper boy and girl are a personal fave.  They were huddled in a lidless plastic container and buried under horribly chipped ceramic plates.  They aren't in the best condition but they are 56 years old!  I decided right then and there they were coming home with me.  I'm going to try and fix the letters they're holding.   

Here's a closer look:

After the outlet, I walked over to the retail GW and nabbed these:

3-quart (with lid) and 2 quart Revere Ware saucepans ($6), milk glass compote ($2) and milk glass trinket basket ($1).   The pans are in great condition and match the ones my Mom gave me years ago when I left home.  They were a wedding gift to her and my Dad from my Great Aunt and Uncle (in 1962).   I am thrilled that I now have a complete set.  The next thrift store had this amazing print for $3:

a little closer up:

Beautiful!  I love it.  The colors are perfect for the study and that is a perfect place for such a thought-provoking image.  So, onto the next finds:

lead crystal basket ($2), hand-carved wooden bird ($1), and milk glass goblet ($1).   The little birdie is too cute :)  I put him in a nest and under a cloche on my mantel!  I was excited to find the goblet; I have one and now it has a partner - LOL.  The crystal basket is from Teleflora --see they have the most adorable things!  This sits in my powder room for now...I'm not sure what made me put it in there other than I thought the room needed a little bling.  ; )

I'm linking up with:

Apron Thrift Girl: Thrift Share Monday

Coastal Charm:  Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, No. 110

Her Library Adventures:  Flea Market Finds

Hey What's for Dinner Mom?:  The Penny Worthy Project

Cap Creations:  Thrifty Love

Happy Thrifting!  <3 Lisa

Thrifty Finds!

Hello All!  I hope your Easter was lovely!  Dan has been in Tallinn, Estonia all week and didn't get home until very late Saturday night.  That meant Saturday thrifting would be solo and it was...well...lonely.  I found great stuff --which is exactly why it was lonely because he wasn't there to share in the thrill of the find :)  I'm glad he's home and that the two-and-a-half hour ferry ride to Finland, the two-hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and the almost nine-hour flight home were uneventful!  We're looking forward to thrifting next weekend together.  Here is my haul:

I have mentioned before that I am a SUCKER for vintage glass and lo and behold, look at the INCREDIBLE pieces I found today!  The little blue hobnail ruffle dish is FENTON glass!!!!!  I am so stinkin' excited about that piece.  It was $10 but that's less than half of what I've seen it going for on eBay.  Here's the list of what I have here - Currier & Ives soup dish with handle ($1), blue Fenton dish ($10), 4 Anchor Hocking lace edge milk glass plates ($1 ea), Anchor Hocking lace edge milk glass bowl ($2), Doric lace edge (I'm hoping it's Westmoreland!) milk glass compote ($2), tulip candlestick holders ($2),  milk glass candlestick holder ($3),  tear drop milk glass vase ($3), Brody dimpled green glass vase ($1), two milk glass mugs - 1 with a faded letter "J" and the other has an Irish prayer, both were $1, silver plate dish ($2) and silver plate platter ($4), ceramic geese bowl ($2), stained glass & metal pineapple ($2), metal lantern with weather vane ($1), Ironstone bowl & lid ($1), and metal strainer ($1).

The shapes of the silver pieces are what caught my eye.  I cleaned both pieces; they were really heavily tarnished and my fingers are sore from polishing!  I want to make a wall collage with silver platters so I am always on the look-out for unique or pretty shapes.  The dish is Forbes Silver Company and I believe it's antique - total score!  The platter is a Crescent Silverware Manufacturing Company piece --possibly early 1960s? --but I adore those clean lines of it.  The ceramic geese is a vintage Holland mold.  It's unique and for $2 definitely has a place in my kitchen ;)

The stained glass pineapple must have been a lamp or lamp shade??  Not sure but I'd like to see it on a lighted base!  That beautiful glass HAS to be illuminated :) I have no idea what I'll do with the metal colander but it looks like summer to me so I'm sure I'll think of something.

Have you found anything great lately?

I may not have won Mega Millions but...

I sure hit the thrifty lotto this weekend!  Look at this MEGA vintage glass haul I found on Saturday:

This collection, with the exception of the lamps, all came from the same thrift shop with prices for the milk glass ranging from $.50 to $2 and the carnival glass was $3 for each piece.  I was delighted to find such an array of shapes and sizes!  Here's a closer look:

Look at all that milky goodness ;)  The iridescent lamp caught my eye because it's opaque white and shimmery.  It's both milk glass AND carnival glass!  It also works!  It has a three-way switch so the first turn  illuminates the base, the second just the bulb and the third lights both the base and the bulb.  AWESOME and only $10.  Here's a closer look:

I'm not sure what kind of shade will compliment it.  Any suggestions?  The hobnail milk glass lamps will need a little makeover.  

It looks like the finish has come off the metal or maybe someone tried to repaint them...not sure but they both work and I love their style :)    I also scored the matching cups for my vintage Anchor Hocking Star of David punch bowl.  I have pieced this set together and it all began when I picked up the pedestal --although at the time I didn't know it was a punch bowl pedestal (see it here).  And in the weeks following, I have now accumulated THIS:

I so wish I would have had this for Rhonda's bridal shower!  And the relish tray!  How cool is that!?  For $2 it needed to come home with me.  The cups (16 of them!) ranged in price from 25 to 59 cents and the punch bowl was $10.  Now I need to have a party just so I can use it ;) 

So my last find this weekend was a signed/dated painting.  It caught my eye for two reasons - the colors are fantastic and look great in my dining room and it is dated the year Dan was born - 1966.  

Unfortunately, I'm no photographer and my lighting really washes out it out but it looks lovely against my teal walls!  This tag was attached to the back:

The title of the painting is "Mood of a Sunday Afternoon."  LOVE IT.   Here's the signature:

So that's the whole haul!  I hope you have a wonderful week!

<3 Lisa