Can Laundry Make You Smile?

Posted on July 8, 2012 by tammylovesdishes

Can laundry make you smile? Well, yes it can.

My mailman brought a most wonderful package to my home this past week. It happened to arrive exactly on my birthday and since I was on vacation I was home to receive it immediately upon delivery. I was ever so surprised because I wasn’t expecting a package. Aren’t those the best kind?

Once I saw the return address of a fellow blogger ( Paulette at Cheerful Thrifty Door) I just knew I would need my camera before opening the package. That’s what happens to you when you become a blogger. Read along and you’ll see why.

I opened the padded envelope to find this sweetly wrapped item inside.

Can you see how precious this is? A page from a dictionary with the word “friend” highlighted. See that sweet heart?

Don’t you love the baker’s twine wrapped around this very thoughtful paper?

The anticipation was great. It takes a lot of self-control to take these pictures instead of ripping into the unwrapping to see what treasure awaits.

This is a tease-box. Can you see something peaking out from inside? What could it be? I don’t know. Let’s open it up!

Oh my goodness, is this not the cutest thing?

Look at those darling Scotties!

Who would mind doing laundry when these sweeties were there to help you?

Thank you, sweet friend, for thinking of me when you found this vintage treasure and for making my day, which also happened to be my birthday, a very special one.

I hope to visit the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Knick of Time’s Knick of Time Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Today’s Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality, Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove, and The Penny Worthy Project at Hey, What’s for Dinner Mom?

Tammy

Posted in Linens, Scotties, Uncategorized, Vintage | 10 Comments

Box of Tiny Cups

Posted on June 24, 2012 by tammylovesdishes

I just had a feeling. I had been to the thrift shop the day before and I just had a feeling I should return the following day. There was an unwrapped Beatles puzzle I wanted to purchase for my husband (YSCE) for Father’s Day and I was hoping it was still there. Luckily, it was. And as long as I was there……

I thought I should give the store another sweep in case something interesting had come in  since the day before. It had.

There was a small cardboard box filled with these tiny demitasse cups and saucers. There were twelve of these cups and eleven saucers. Most of the cups were in surprisingly good shape. Someone had taken care to put paper towel pieces between each of the saucers. Because of the way the thrift boxes up their dishes with loads of tape running across the top of the box I didn’t know any of this until after I had taken these sweeties home and emptied the box.

I also found out they are by RS and were made in Germany. Made my heart go pitter patter.

Also included in the little cardboard box were two creamers and one sugar by C.T. Altwasser Silesia. Such interesting shapes and so functional.

But wait, we’re not done yet with the box of tiny cups!

These two tiny cups and one matching saucer made by Silesia were also included. Each cup is marked.

See the red markings? I assume they are important but I don’t have any idea what they say. I will have to do some research on this.

And still there was more. This tiny saucer was also in the box.

Here is the mark on this sweet saucer which was made in Occupied Japan.

And last, but not least, is this tiny footed cup with gold accents.

I can’t imagine actually drinking from this little blinged-out cup. I really don’t think she belongs to the lone saucer. What do you think?

I was delighted to find such treasures on my return visit to the thrift store. Finally some dishes for the dish-loving girl!

I was even more delighted when I saw the price on this box. The whole box was marked $3.75. Yes. You read that right. And to think I didn’t scoop up this box of tiny cups immediately. I had to think about it first. I’m crazy, I know. I live on the edge that way.

I hope to visit the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Knick of Time’s Knick of Time Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Today’s Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality, Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove, and The Penny Worthy Project at Hey, What’s for Dinner Mom?

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Ironstone, Tablescaping, Tea Set, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage | 12 Comments

Let’s Play!

Posted on June 10, 2012 by tammylovesdishes

I am drawn to vintage games. With this attraction to older games you might think I am a great game-player and fond of playing board games. Not so. Go figure.

Bingo is a favorite of many. I know these fun cards are also a favorite of crafters and have been up-cycled by some very creative people.

I loved the TV show Password and so this board game called to me. I also remembered that my husband’s family spent many hours playing this game during his childhood and thought he would enjoy this blast from the past. Both of these games were found at the same sale.

Recently I had the pure pleasure of attending a local estate sale that stretched over two days’ time. The first day was very busy and filled with shoppers which made it harder to “dig” through stacks and boxes to find treasures. The second day was much easier for treasure hunting.

The graphics on this Lil Squirt magnetic game attracted me. My husband was delighted to see this find as he fondly remembered many hours of playing Lil Squirt. Once I locate a magnet we will be trying out this Lil Squirt game.

Always look inside boxes as you never know what you might find. Inside this unassuming candy box

were some dominoes.

The box on this game was pretty beat up, but I decided to go for it anyway as it looked like the pieces were all there.

I don’t remember this game, but my husband says he remembers playing it when he was younger.

Who’s There? The Milkman? The News Boy? The Policeman? Maybe it’s The Mail Man?

I have played Go Fish many times in my life, but never with giant sized fish shaped cards as found in this vintage game.

I had never heard of this game either.

It was in a sealed plastic bag so I was pretty confident that most of the pieces would be present.

Did any of you play Contack growing up?

I also found a pristine Donkey Party set, complete with directions for playing two additional games beyond pinning the tail on the donkey.

This was always a huge birthday party favorite. All 24 tails are intact in this set so I’m guessing this one was never part of a child’s birthday celebration.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a peek at these vintage games and their interesting graphics. Maybe you remember one or two from your childhood with fond memories.

I hope to join the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Knick of Time’s Knick of Time Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality, Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove, and The Penny Worthy Project at Hey, What’s for Dinner Mom?

Tammy

Posted in Games, Garage Sales, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 11 Comments

Make Mine Metal

Posted on June 3, 2012 by tammylovesdishes

I have picked up some interesting metal pieces over the last few weeks at various yard and estate sales.

I liked the shape of this vintage Trade Continental Mark hand wrought serving piece. The raised leaves on either side add nice interest.

Not sure what flower this is, but I liked it. (Edited to add: Thanks to Cindy from Cindy’s Clipboard who tells me this is the Chrysanthemum pattern.)

I attended an estate sale where there were lots of cookbooks and baking items. I picked up these vintage molds and biscuit cutters while there.

I wish there had been more of this mold, but I found only one.

It’s an individual serving size mold.

This Nesco flour sifter was another treasure found at the estate sale.

This Shellie Bottle Rack looks like it would have held vintage baby bottles. What do you think?

Measuring cups come in handy for many things. These would be perfect to use as scoops in my flour and sugar bins.

I saw this small shallow bowl with floral designs and picked it up, too.

The markings are worn away from the back. Does anyone recognize the maker? (Edited to add: Thanks again to Cindy from Cindy’s Clipboard who tells me this appears to be a Buenilum mark.)

This tray was a nice size with interesting handles so it came home with me as well.

I’m thinking we can make great use of this when carrying things out to the deck and the grill.

My favorite find of all my metal treasures would have to be this aluminum two-tiered tray.

This server will be great for cookies, cupcakes, finger sandwiches — even for displaying a collection of vintage Santa mugs which I recently acquired. Oh, the possibilities!

I hope to visit the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Knick of Time’s Knick of Time Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Today’s Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality, Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove, and The Penny Worthy Project at Hey, What’s for Dinner Mom? I hope you can stop by them, too.

Tammy

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Happy Memorial Day!

Posted on May 27, 2012 by tammylovesdishes

On this Memorial Day may we remember and honor those who have sacrificed much for us.

We made a visit to a cemetery in a neighboring town. Each year the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who lay at rest in this cemetery. This is a beautiful sight even for someone whose ancestors all rest in Yankee graves.

There was a bit of a breeze on this hot and humid day which caused the little flags to flutter ever so slightly.

There are many old headstones and markers in this cemetery.

And many in-laws and friends resting here as well.

My father-in-law and his parents rest under the trees in the picture above with an American flag proudly representing each man’s service beside their graves.

Bless this country and those men and women who serve and have served to keep us free. Thank you all for your service and sacrifices.

Tammy

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Searching for Treasures One Yard Sale at a Time – Everything Coming up Roses

Posted on May 20, 2012 by tammylovesdishes

We had another gorgeous day for treasure hunting at yard sales. We focused on one end of town where there seemed to be a lot of yard sale signs. I love it when we can find treasures without having to travel too far.

This little bunny planter was my first purchase of the day. He has a cute face and looks vintage, even though I don’t think he is. For 50 cents, it wasn’t much of a risk.

This rolling pin is what got me going at another yard sale. When I asked how much and the owner said $1, I snatched it up immediately. It is a little smaller than most you see. She had a table full of nice items and  as I stood there tightly grasping my bargain rolling pin, I noticed the beautiful embroidered tablecloths. The two pictures above show the first tablecloth I picked up. It’s large enough to use on my dining room table.

This pink cross-stitched rose embroidered cloth is square and would probably be great used on a card table. I can really appreciate the amount of work that goes into creating these beautiful tablecloths.

Here is a close up of the corner designs.

I was intrigued by this little bag which the seller said her mother-in-law told her was for storing napkins. I’ve never run across one of these before, have you?

Inside were 12 napkins with a sweet floral design embroidered on each one. I didn’t even notice the matching tablecloth, can you believe it? Thankfully the seller pointed it out to me!

It is quite large and will look stunning on my dining room table. (It will look even better once I iron it, lol!)

Here is a close up of the large flower, which looks like a variegated rose in bloom. Now for the prices. Are you sitting down? I purchased the tablecloths for $1 each and the napkin with storage bag for 50 cents. I know. I know. I fully expected the yard sale police to arrest me. I can’t figure out if the seller really didn’t like her mother-in-law (who I assume owned and/or created these beauties) or they just weren’t her style. Either way, I was on cloud nine with these purchases and could have stopped treasure hunting for the day right then and there. But I didn’t. 🙂

I credit my YSCE for finding the next sale. As he was finding a parking spot, which involved driving down the street to turn around, he came upon another sale which had very little traffic. Based on what he could see from the road, he was eager for me to stop there.

This was a three-generation sale with mostly the grandmother’s things. She had recently moved into a condominium and didn’t have room for all of her treasures. The set of dishes above included many pieces by Rosenthal in the Aida-Winifred design. The rose design has almost a wild-rose look.

There were also four rose-patterned salad plates by L&M in their Pompadour Rose design.

This platter has a small chip in the edge, but is otherwise in beautiful condition. I have a fondness for platters so added this to the stack for $1. I found two Pyrex Cornflower pieces, too. A square 3-quart lidded casserole and a small saucepan. Earlier this same day I had found a large rectangular casserole dish in this same pattern. The size will be perfect to use in the silver-plated, lidded casserole stand I found earlier in the season.

This hand-crocheted doily called my name.

Here is the detail of the pansies on the edging. A little pressing and some mending and this will be a sweet accent on a tea tablescape, don’t you think?

I also bought a round mid-century modern side table. While I was gathering the dishes, the price had gone down from $10 to $5 so I added it to my bundle. After paying for my purchases I had to call it a day. I had spent all my allotted cash for treasures!

We passed a yard sale sign on the way to our neighborhood and decided to stop. Good thing I had my tiny change purse or I would have had to pass up this find.

A vintage West Bend “Buns” Serving Oven. The seller said it had been her granny’s. Four quarters from my little coin purse and this slightly grody treasure came home with me. With a little elbow grease (well, quite a bit of elbow grease actually), she is shiny and clean. While my family didn’t use a warmer such as this, the YSCE does remember one similar to this from his childhood. Who doesn’t love a warm roll?

I hope to visit the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Knick of Time’s Knick of Time Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Today’s Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality, Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove, and The Penny Worthy Project at Hey, What’s for Dinner Mom?

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Garage Sales, Linens, Tablescaping, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 8 Comments

Searching for Treasures One Yard Sale at a Time – Hot, Hot, Hot

Posted on May 13, 2012 by tammylovesdishes

We have the most interesting weather in our part of Virginia. One week we have sleet and the next it is hotter than normal. We rarely have normal Spring weather. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure I’d even recognize normal Spring weather since we so rarely see it.

There were so many yard sales this weekend that we couldn’t get to them all. One of the larger communities in our area had their annual sale and it was well attended. The families in this neighborhood definitely got the memo about participation.

My first purchase was for my YSCE who faithfully chauffeurs me around each weekend. A true Beatles fan, these were some books he didn’t already have.

I found this copper mold for $1. It is quite heavy which makes me think it might be an older mold.

I found a bag of vintage sewing items at a yard sale being held as a fund raiser for a local women’s garden club. I splurged and bought it for $4. There were some lovely vintage linens also for sale, but I had to leave them behind for other buyers.

I especially liked finding the vintage needle cards since they were perfect to display on one of my favorite finds of the day – an old flower frog. I really splurged on this purchase. I spent $5 which is way above my comfort zone. Yes, I am very frugal, but this is something that had been on my wish list so I parted with my fiver.

I got these brooches at a sale where the gentleman was selling quite a bit of his mother’s things. The flower brooch is a Monet; I don’t know the maker of the Christmas stocking.

For a little fun, I picked up some magnetic German poetry words. The little Batman is for the YSCE and the tiny Mary Englebreit books and hand-sewn notepad are for future gifts.

The tray these items are on was another of my favorites. I found this one at a church sale tucked in a box with loads of plastic trays. I love the size, pattern and pretty handles.

You never know what you might find in a box that looks like it contains nothing but junk, so don’t be afraid to dig through those boxes. I paid $1 for this lovely aluminum tray.

I think I got a good buy, don’t you?

We didn’t have time to visit half of the sales that were around, but the ones we did proved to be quite fun. It was a hot day for hot vintage finds!

I hope to join the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Knick of Time’s Knick of Time Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville, Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove, and The Penny Worthy Project at Hey, What’s for Dinner Mom?

Tammy

Posted in Garage Sales, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 12 Comments

Searching for Treasures One Yard Sale at a Time – Baby It’s Cold Outside

Posted on May 6, 2012 by tammylovesdishes

I was supposed to participate in a yard sale with my friend and fellow thrifter “S” this past weekend. I am a fair weather yard saler, especially when I am in the seller’s chair. Due to the threat of rain, I begged out of these plans. Boy, am I glad I did. The rain held off until late morning, but it was cold enough to sleet. Definitely not my kind of weather.

Now, did that stop me from attending a few yard sales? Heavens, no! After a lovely morning spent at breakfast with my darling husband (aka, yard sale chauffeur extraordinaire or YSCE) and many of his childhood friends, there were yard sales to find.

On our way home, we passed by a sale at a local assisted living facility. After applying the brakes, my YSCE found a close-by parking spot so I could explore. I believe the participants in this sale are employees of the facility. I found a few things at their sale last year and hoped to do the same this year. My timing was spot on today as the table at which I noticed the most interesting things was packing up to leave. One of the items left on the table was a red-lidded glass spice bottle priced at $1. When I expressed an interest, she pulled out five more glass spice bottles. Her husband called them Hoosier spice bottles. Two have a sliding lid, two have open-holed shaker lids, two have solid lids. I got all six for $6. I believe five of them are Triple-Skip Hoosier glass spice jars which I determined after I got them home and researched them.

She didn’t have a bag, so picture me with my winter coat pockets stuffed with two jars each and me holding two jars. Before I left, I stopped at another table. In a cardboard box filled with kitchen utensils, I found three Court silver plated iced tea spoons, a random Rogers silver plate teaspoon, a red wooden-handled scoop, an old cheese slicer, and a small server with what is possibly a Bakelite handle. I got the lot for $2.

I happily waddled back to the car with my pockets stuffed with spice jars and my hands filled with kitchen utensils and jars.

The next stop was a multi-family sale. We were here a while so we could visit with the families and their neighbors, once we realized they were acquaintances of ours. Here I scored goodies from the Free pile. I found a square wooden tray which will look great once refreshed with some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, a giraffe mug for someone I know who likes giraffes, and what I believe is a pewter vase. The vase is marked “1975” on the base and stamped “Clinton” on the side. Anyone know anything about this piece or the maker?

It was getting colder by the minute, so we headed out to go home and the sellers started to pack up their items. On the way, we saw another yard sale sign and decided to stop there as well. The man of the house was on duty and instantly recognized my YSCE as we pulled up. He told me to make an offer if there was anything I was interested in. I found a silver plated casserole holder with lid and two cool old frames.

Here is some detail of the corner of the larger frame. Beautiful for $1, wouldn’t you agree?

I happily paid the full price for these items as I felt they were fairly priced. And also because I didn’t want this guy to think my YSCE was married to a yard sale cheapskate, especially since that is exactly how YSCE had just depicted me to our many friends during breakfast.

I think I found some fun things and made some good buys and also managed not to embarrass my YSCE so he’ll drive me again next time.

I hope to visits the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Knick of Time’s Knick of Time Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville, Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove, and The Penny Worthy Project at Hey, What’s for Dinner Mom?

Tammy

Posted in Garage Sales, Pewter, Salt & Pepper Shakers, Silver, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 15 Comments

Spring Tweet

Posted on May 1, 2012 by tammylovesdishes

We did have some spring-like weather in our area for a while. It has certainly disappeared this week with freeze warnings, sleet and snow. However, I have been enjoying the spring-like tablescape to which some of my birdies were invited.

This ‘scape was set for two to enjoy a small, romantic dinner. I brought out the birdcage I picked up at a yard sale last year and then added several of my white birds to keep us company.

Here is a close up of the little bird who perched on his branch outside the birdcage.

I used my Bordallo Pinheiro large cabbage plates on top of woven chargers. I topped these with these beautiful Homer Laughlin plates.

I love the central floral design as well as the raised edging on these plates. These compote/champagne glasses are still some of my favorites. They were a great find at one of the best yard sales I visited last summer.

I used my grandmother’s silver-plate flatware, nest-brown napkins and some yard sale white floral napkin rings.

I think this little guy invited his bunny friend to come enjoy the cabbage plates. The bunny was hand-painted by my mother during her ceramics phase. Did any of your mothers participate in the ceramic craze of the 70’s?

While in a nesting mood, I also decided to change up the plates in my plate holder. I used nest votives I found at Michael’s this year on top of plates from Home Goods and yard sale Ironstone saucers.

I am hoping for warmer weather to revisit us soon. It has almost been too cold even to go yard sailing….I did say almost. 🙂

I plan to join Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life, Let’s Dish at Cuisine Kathleen’s and Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch. I hope you have a chance to visit them, too.

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Garage Sales, Ironstone, Silver, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 9 Comments

Seal the Deal

Posted on April 22, 2012 by tammylovesdishes

With warmer weather comes the return of yard sales! I just love this time of year. Spring holds the promise of Summer just around the corner. I am a warm weather gal. Snow and ice do not excite me one bit, unless the ice is in the sweet iced tea I’m drinkin’ on a warm summer afternoon.

My yard sale chauffeur extraordinaire, aka my dear husband, grabbed the wheel and off we went this past Saturday. When a yard sale advertises it is selling “Grandma’s stuff”, I am there. This was our first stop of the day. They did indeed have a driveway full of Grandma’s stuff. Someone had spent some time online, too, getting prices for Grandma’s stuff. A single vintage suitcase was $80. Thanks, but no thanks. I was fortunate to find a few things within my price comfort zone.

This little beret-wearing red seal was too cute to leave behind. His nose is a little dis-jointed, but otherwise, he is in great condition. Does anyone recognize him? I can’t place him and would love to know if he looks familiar to you.

This isn’t the best picture, but I wanted you to see his darling little red bow tie.

I also found a vintage box of Parker Brothers Double Pick Up Sticks. I was excited to find this at such a reasonable price.

And lastly I found this glass pitcher with a label that says Krosno Poland. I liked both the size and shape of this heavy pitcher. This might be one of the products sold at Crate and Barrel, but I’m not sure about that. I can picture this beauty in future tablescapes, serving  warm maple syrup for pancakes and waffles or warm lemon sauce for gingerbread.

We were disappointed at the other sales we attended. We did a lot of driving through a very upscale neighborhood looking for their “community” yard sales. It appeared that only a handful of the community got the memo. I did enjoy seeing the lovely homes with their extensive landscaping, swimming pools and tennis courts so it wasn’t a complete waste of time.

I’ll leave you with pictures of a chest of drawers that I rescued from the curb of my neighbor. It is a nice old chest with dove-tailed joints. I will give it a good scrub and then it will be a test subject for my first venture into the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint world of painting. I think she will be a gorgeous piece once I finish with her.

The drawer pieces need to be reassembled and glued. Even the sides of this piece have nice added detail.

Not bad for free!

I plan to visit the following parties. I hope you have a chance to do so as well:

Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Knick of Time’s Knick of Time Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Southern Hospitality’s Thrifty Treasures, Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville, Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove, and The Penny Worthy Project at Hey, What’s for Dinner Mom?

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Garage Sales, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 9 Comments