What’s New Wednesday #13 – Part 2: The Good Stuff

As promised, here’s the rest of all this stuff that I bought on the weekend. This is the stuff that will go on Etsy.

A chippy tool or tackle box.

The inside is delightfully rusty.  Not sure who will buy it, but it will sell.

A OOAK crocheted Yoda doll. (OOAK = one of a kind)

Yes, really, this is the good stuff.

A beautiful platter with pine cones.There isn’t a mark on the back, so it’s going to take a while to identify the maker.

I love that the needles are blue and gold.

A vintage Mikasa Lodi plate, which was in production 1974-1976.  This is my era.  I guess that makes me vintage, too.

Six turquoise 1960s Melmac salad plates and one bowl, each of which look brand new. I remember when EVERY ONE had these dishes.

Vintage metal topper golf trophy and metal topper for a tennis trophy. And just for fun a golf wine cork.

A girly hooked rug that I hope to put in a antique mall booth.  The picture does not look that great, but the rug is without stains, and in very good condition.  I paid $3 for this 4 x 6 rug. Unfortunately it will cost $50 to have it cleaned. For now, it’s headed to the storage unit.

Aren’t these two a cute couple?  They are actually salt and paper shakers.  They are probably worth about $10-$20.

This is a Banthrico still bank.

It was a give away from Tallahassee Federal Saving back in the 60s.

This is the way that the bank looked in 1966.

source: Florida Memory Project.

It’s the second Banthrico still bank that I’ve found in my thrifting adventure.  The first one was a Miami Beach Federal Savings . I sold it for $40.

Just in time for Cinco di Mayo, a hand embroidered card table tablecloth.  In the four corners are Southwestern boy, girl and cactus.

Lovely young lady.

Cacti are in the opposite corners and sombreros are on the center of each side.

So everything that I’ve shown you so far, the items in this post AND the items in yesterday’s post,  added up to a whopping grand total of $19.50.  Pretty good haul, don’t you think?

But the best find of all was peeking out of a bin a books.

He is a late 1950s-1960s Coca-cola Santa made by the Atlanta toy company Rushton Company that was in business from 1917 to 1983.

He’s special because he still has the Coke bottle in his right hand and he’s wearing white boots.  I haven’t figured out the importance of the boots, but I will.

There are three similar to him for sale on eBay and Etsy and they are listed for $120 – $135.  The last one that sold went for $137.

So, that’s it.  Lots of great Christmas stuff, and some fun inventory to add to my shops, wherever they may be.

Grand total – $ 20.00 (plus tax).

Yippee!!

 

What’s New Wednesday #13, Part 1

Oh BOY!  Do I have NEW stuff!

This past weekend I decided to run by my favorite thrift shop to see if there was anything I might pick up to add to my Etsy shop.  Let me condense this post into one short sentence.  I did find stuff!

The Christmas Stuff

Two 70″ hand painted canvas Christmas banners. Keeping them!

A pretty swag that matches the banners.

Three large wall decor pieces.

A fancy and big (she’s 11″ tall) girl reindeer, ready for a party .

A reindeer statue that somehow lost his antlers.

I found him online and will see if the antlers can been replaced for cheap.  If not, I’ll see what my craftiness will come up with as a replacement.  Real deer antlers? Maybe a Santa Hat???

A needlepoint Christmas stocking.  It’s the Merriest! Headed for Etsy in the late summer.

Some small wooden ornaments and the cutest little porcelain Christmas mouse that measure 1 1/2 inches tall. I have several similar figures and will sell the lot. I have a couple of Ball jars full of the little wooden ornaments, another lot that I will sell at Christmas.

Two large, heavy stocking holders. Sell on eBay.

Candles.  Can’t ever have too many candles, especially when they cost a quarter per package.

A four-piece set (or is that eight with the stands?), Temp-tations by Tara, for entertaining at Christmas.  These are sold on QVC.  Not sure how much, but they don’t look like they were ever used.  I might list them on eBay in the fall.

Assorted stuff

I  pick up cookie cutters when I spot one that I don’t have. I don’t think I have this one.

I love honeycomb decorations, and who doesn’t love Hallmark?!  I love the sound that the paper makes when you open and close the honeycomb.  It’s the little things in life.  The centerpiece package was opened, but doesn’t appear to have been used.  But….

I found this package of edible grass inside the Hallmark centerpiece package. Did some adult really buy this for their kids?  Was the store out of candy cigarettes?  REALLY?  UGH! That was tossed.

Two plate or picture stands. I always need these.

Four picture frames. Didn’t notice the dent in the silver one until I saw this picture.  Oh well.  Craft bin.

A paper towel holder.  I’m not in love with this now that I see it in my house.  It’s headed for the garage sale this weekend.

Two brass candlesticks. The first one I’m going to paint or use on a craft project. 

This one is different.  It has a metal tassel and measures 14 inches tall.

Furniture moving pads.  I can always use these or give them to one of my kids who have flown the nest.

A couple of cycling jersey key chains, in honor of my husband, the cyclist.

Seven Arcoroc diamond pattern glass bowls.  Great for family get togethers.

Nine little soaps. (One went to my son’s bathroom before I could take the picture.)  I saw some of you making a face that I bought soap at a thrift store, but not so fast.  Bar soap is good from 1 to 3 years, and if the perfume still smells good and the bar isn’t dry or brittle, the soap is good.  These soaps by Caren Original smell heavenly and sell for $3 each online. Score!

At this point, I’m going to have pity on you and call it a day.  That’s not all you say?

No! NOT A CHANCE!!

Make sure you come back tomorrow to see…

The Good Stuff!!!

The Guest Room Draperies

Do you remember the post showing the blue-green plaid lamp?  I added it to my guest room and showed you the inspiration room that I found on Houzz.

Contemporary Bedroom by Chicago Interior Designer Chelle Design Group

 

Well, not too long ago I found lovely lined silk drapes and matching valance at Good Cents for a whopping $4,00.  Yesterday my wonderful husband mounted the hardware for me, and my guest room is one step closer to being “finished.”

 

I know you can’t see it in this picture, but the drapes have the colors I love, and the cutest little birds in the pattern.

 

The color of the room is Agave Green and this little bird is exactly the same color as the walls.

 

The other colors are a seafoam green, cream, pale yellow, and blue flowers that are almost aqua.

 

These drapes are very luxurious and I was so happy to find them.

I might have liked a little more turquoise or aqua, but for custom made drapes for 4 bucks, I’ll take what I have.

 

(Must do something about this chair!!)

 

I had a gold plastic wall hanging that dates to the early 60’s.  I painted the bird with the same blue paint I used on the lamp.

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The bedside table belonged to my grandmother, who died 11 years before I was born. I have a matching piece, the two of which used to be joined together as a vanity.  They were separated in the early 1960s.  This piece was purchased sometime before 1934.

 

 

The brass lamp, which also belonged to my grandmother, is about 90 years old.  It originally had a stained glass shade like a Tiffany lamp, but that was gone long before the lamp found its way to me.  It used to sit next to my bed when I was in high school 40 years ago.

The bird theme continues on the bedside table.

There you will find an Asian looking planter with blue pheasants, and a porcelain blue bird figurine.

 

 

I love that the colors of the cover of one of my favorite books, The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Thor Heyedahl, match the room.

 

I hope you enjoyed seeing the progress on the room. Did you notice that I also found a vintage luggage rack?  Great place to put my vintage suitcase and one of my vintage train cases. One?  How many do I have?  That’s for another post.

 

 

In case you are curious, the artwork is what I call a faux-oil of Maine artist William Thon’s (1906-2000) Spring Fog.   It has such a mid-century feel (and blue-green colors), but I have no idea when he painted it.

 

Next I’m on the look out for fabric to use to recover the wing chair.  I wonder what I’ll find.

 

Thanks for dropping by.

 

 

Rinse and Spit

This is probably the one of the oddest things I’ve found at Goodwill’s Good Cents store.  Did you guess what it is on your own, or did the title of this post give it all away?

It took me a few minutes to pull this from my memory.  I knew it looked familiar, but I couldn’t guess what it was.  Then I turned it over.

Two holes, one that looks like a drain.  YES!  I remember.

It’s a vintage dentist cuspidor.  Rinse and Spit!  Back in the dark ages, we didn’t have little vacuum hoses that the hygenist stuck in our mouth during a cleaning.  When the dentist got through doing his thing, he would hand you a little paper cup of water and tell you to rinse and spit.

Going to the dentist was so much more traumatic than it is these days.  The spit bowl is not the only thing to have changed at the dentist’s office.  I remember my dentist lighting up a cigarette while he waited for the little machine to mix the filling compound that he would use to fill my cavities.

Not all of the “good ole days” were good.

No, I will not be turning the spit bowl into a bird bath or outdoor water fountain. It’s headed to Ebay and hopefully a new home in 7-10 days.

Don’t forget to floss.

Lamb Mushroom Barley Soup

I think I should name this FREE Lamb Mushroom Barley Soup, because it’s made from items that I had on hand.  That’s how soup got its start, isn’t it?  The leftover, whatever we got, pot of stuff.

Normally I wouldn’t have lamb hanging around waiting to be turned into a hearty soup; however, earlier this week my husband and I took a cooking class where we made the most delicious garlic studded rosemary crusted leg of lamb.

We ate at the class….

… and then when I found out that they were going to toss the bone, like the great pack rat I am, I asked to take it home.

So this morning I decided it was time to make some lamb soup. Look at all the meat left on the bone.

I cut it a the joint so that I could get it into the pot.

A really BIG pot….

Next, I started looking for the rest of the soup.

The freezer yielded turkey stock …

and mushroom broth…

Then it was on to the aromatics, otherwise known as whatever I have in the produce drawer.

Celery, onion, carrots, red pepper, italian parsley.  The dried out thyme didn’t make the picture.

After I started chopping, I decided to skip the green onions, and add some bay leaves.

Add the stock and broth to the pot, the veggies, a little love, and cook away on low, setting your timer for 2 hours.

The soup cooked down a bit. I added two cups of chicken broth that I had in freezer.  That’s right. Turkey, chicken and mushroom broth.

I pulled the bones out of the pot,  and after letting them cool for a few minutes, I picked the meat off the bones.

There was a little over a cup of meat. To make make the soup stick to your ribs, I needed some carbs.  The pantry shelf yielded barley.

So this is the point where my camera battery died.  You’ll have to take my word that I cooked a cup of the barley, which yielded about three cups.  While the barley was cooking, I added two peeled russet potatoes cut into one inch cubes.  One more trip back to the fridge and I found an 8 ounce package of sliced mushrooms.  Forty-five minutes later and its a pot of fragrant delight.

I would write more about how good this soup is, but I think I’m going to have a little more.  YUM!

What kind of soup is hiding in your freezer, fridge and pantry??

Drop me a line and let me know.

Condiments, Chrome and Coke

Coca-cola cleans chrome!  Well, Coca-cola AND aluminum foil.

I know that I SHOULD have taken a before picture, which I almost always do, but this time, I forgot.  You’ll have to take my word that this recent thrift store find, a vintage condiment set that swivels, was a hot dusty, rusty mess when I found it tucked in a bin. (AND the glasses weren’t chipped! YAY!)

I thought about painting it and was looking up ways to prep the chrome when I came across a recommendation to clean rusty chrome with aluminum foil and Coca-cola.  You wet the foil with the Coke, and rub the non-shiny side of the foil over the rust. VOILA! The rust almost immediately disappeared.  You can still see some damage to the chrome, in the picture below, but it’s not enough to prevent me from putting this great vintage find out at my next party.

Once again I’m at that horrible place – Keep  it or sell it?

The brass guard dogs are saying “Keep It.”

What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

What’s New Wednesday #12

I’m going to try to start posting my finds again.  It helps me to be aware of what I buy and why.

Vintage luggage rack meet vintage suitcase.

The hubby has promised that this weekend, he’ll mount this to the brick under my kitchen window .  Hopefully by Monday I can post a follow up picture of this full of beautiful spring flowers.

Okay, I know this doesn’t look like much, but it is a totally awesome vintage edger or scraper.  It’s difficult to take a picture of a 5 foot long garden tool. But, what I wish I could show you is the beautiful patina of the handle.  Well, I like it, and I’m searching Pinterest and blogs looking for something clever to do with it, other than sticking it in a corner of the garage.

Just a few from the bag full of take out containers. Why? Because when my kids come home for dinner, they like to take leftovers home, which means that I’m running out of Rubbermaid containers. And because the whole bag was only a quarter.

I always buy these wooden shoe trees whenever I find them. When I find them for, yes, a quarter, you know they are coming home with me.

I love these little bottle brush Christmas trees.  So does everyone else on Etsy. Sell? Keep? Hmm… I have until the Fall to figure it out.

That’s it for now.

Grand total – $5.11

What’s new with you?

Thurber, Carroll and Lawrence – Oh My!

My middle son’s girlfriend invited me to see Oz, The Great and Powerful in IMAX 3D last night.  It was an enjoyable film, and since then, I’ve had the Wizard of Oz AND my Saturday thrifting on my mind.

I had a fun trip to my favorite thrift junk shop yesterday.  The first bin I looked in turned out to be the lucky one.  Tossed away among dollar store knick-knacks and chipped and cracked cheap dishes were six first editions and one first American printing, five of them with dust jackets.

• The Last Flower – James Thurber, 1939
• The Great Quillow – James Thurber, 1944
• The 13 Clocks – James Thurber, 1950
• The Wonderful O – James Thurber, 1957
• Credos and Curios – James Thurber, 1962
• The Complete Short Stories, Phoenix Edition – D.H. Lawrence, 1955
• Further Nonsense Verse and Prose – Carroll, Lewis, 1926

I am beyond words excited to see what I can get for them. But, if I don’t sell them (on Ebay, Etsy or Amazon), they are still great literature which I look forward to reading.

In addition to those great books, I also scored the following:

Wood dresser tray (Etsy), flower pot (keep) and vintage Otagiri owl mug (Etsy).

A wood bread holder  or tray (Etsy), an FSU sunglass case (keep), and three vintage Little Golden Books (Etsy).

A stoneware serving tray (keep or gift), a funnel cake pitcher (keep), a strainer (keep), and  another new shopping bag (keep).

A Garrison Keillor book. (keep, read, then garage sale)

A bamboo J.A. Henckels mezzaluna chopping board. (Already on EBay)

An old basketball trohpy. Yay!!!  I won! (Etsy)

And… 3 yards of fabric that I’m too lazy to unstash and photograph. (Etsy)

Grand total – $12.31 for 23 items.

I expect to make that on one book, or the chopping board, or the trophy, or the owl mug.  In any event, it was a good trip.

I hope YOU had a fun Saturday.  Drop me a line and let me know about all your stuff.

Baltimore Ravens Wreath

In support of my husband and his football team, the Baltimore Ravens, I WILL watch the Super Bowl this year and have created a little bit of crafting fun.

Go Ravens!!

I started with a wreath that I picked up at GoodCents for $2.  It wasn’t a bad wreath, but magnolias are a little dated, and these silk flowers had seen better days. Amazingly, it doesn’t look that bad in the photo.  Hmm… should I rethink magnolias?

I pulled off the flowers until I had a bare grapevine wreath.

Next I wrapped the wreath in glittered black wired ribbon.  Because this wreath doesn’t need to last forever (and I’m not selling it) I didn’t even use glue.  Everything is wired, tied and tucked and will come apart with little effort.

Next I added purple glass ornaments from my EXTENSIVE ornament collection. I made two groups of three ornaments tiedd together with purple ribbon, and wired them to the wreath. (don’t ask me why I had purple ribbon in my stash… Mardi Gras?)

No problem until one of the ornaments decided to jump ship.  A moment of silence, please.

A big gold wired ribbon bow, combined with a purple bow topped with a “Raven” from my Halloween decoration, some long black curling feathers and I had my wreath.

It looks great, but the big problem turned out to be trying to photograph it.  The purple bows and ornaments look blue in almost EVERY picture.  I tried different lights, indoor, outdoor, camera settings, filters…. and the only thing that worked was using the underwater filter which made the white walls look yellow. The gold bow almost disappeared.

So anyway, you’ll have to trust that the wreath was easy to make, is very pretty and shows our support for the Baltimore Ravens.

P.S.

I also updated my chalkboard.  I need colored chalk!

Blue Green Plaid Lamp

I’m SO excited to share my most recent project, this fabulous blue lamp with the blue-green plaid lampshade.

.

No, I don’t plan to keep it outside, but the guest room where it will live is a little small to show the whole lamp.

The reason I’m proud is that it started off like this…

… an old rusty brassy floor lamp that I picked up at GoodCents for $4.00.

The first thing I did was to prime and cover the rust spots on the base.  

My inspiration for my guest room color was discovered on Houzz.com.  Love this site.

Contemporary Bedroom design by Chicago Interior Designer Chelle Design Group

No, that’s not my guest bedroom, but the wall color is the same.  Anyway, back to the lamp.

A trip to Lowes and I found a blue color that would be a great compliment to my green walls.  Not quite the same blue as my inspiration room’s blue, but this Valspar paint is so easy to use. Great coverage, and one of my favorite features of the paint is that I don’t have to struggle to remove the lid.  Just an easy turn, a click, and your ready to paint.  Great for crafters with hand strength issues.

First I painted the lamp.

I didn’t have a lampshade that would work on the lamp, but one more trip to GoodCents and I found a shade that would be the base for my new lampshade.

I bought this blue-green plaid fabric over a year ago at…you know where… GoodCents for a good 50 cents.  The braided trim from Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts was  most expensive investment in the lamp at a whopping $7.  (Not a bad price for beautiful trim that MAKES the lamp.)

Then it was just a matter of taking everything off the lamp frame, using it to make a pattern with the new fabric, and reassemble.

When recovering a lamp like this, work in every other section first and then fill in the empty spaces.

Did mention you need LOTS of clothespins?

Two evenings and a whole tube of E-6000 Quick Hold glue, also from Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts, and I was finished.  I must say, I don’t think I would have been quite as successful with a different glue.  This glue dried clear, bonded almost immediately, but, was still easy to remove on those rare occasions when I said… uh-oh…

Like when I realized I hadn’t glued the lining on properly.

I am happy with the finished product.  I think it looks very professional.  Not bad for my first attempt at recovering a lampshade

Give me a few more weeks and I hope to be able to show a recovered luggage rack. I love the leopard, but it doesn’t work in this room. And after that…. the wing back chair!

Here’s the financial recap:

Lamp	$  4.00
Lampshade	$  1.00
Fabric	$  0.50
Trim	$  7.00
Glue	$  3.99
Paint	$  4.39
Total	$20.88

Now you tell me, where are you going to get a custom lamp, made to order for $21?

Hope you enjoyed seeing my project.  You can do it too!!