Chair and Piglet Love

Posted on December 4, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

It seems that thrifting can sometime run in cycles. Often times you find similar items for several weeks in a row. This week was one of those weeks. I wasn’t really looking for additional outdoor seating, but when I saw these metal chairs at my neighbor’s curb, I couldn’t get them out of my mind.

The thought that they would go into the trash truck to be crushed just would not leave my mind. I did not sleep well that night worrying about these chairs. After dressing for work the next morning, I knocked on my neighbor’s door to see if I could claim these chairs as my own. She was happy for me to haul them across the street. The one on the far right was her father’s so that one for sure is vintage if not antique. I see a project in my future, but one I will gladly undertake to rescue these lovely chairs. Would you have done the same?

After reading BJ’s post The Chair at Sweet Nothings, I couldn’t stop thinking about that slipcover. I have a thing for black and white and especially when they are together as checks or polka dots. Anyway, I scooted right over to The Country Door to check out this slipcover. One problem, I didn’t have a parsons chair. I thought that maybe I would try this cover on a dining room chair until I could get a parsons chair, so I ordered two of them at great savings cyber Monday. Saturday I was checking out a thrift shop for a Santa figure I had seen earlier in the week, but didn’t pick up. Well, we all know how that usually works out. The Santa was gone, but what to my eyes should appear, two chairs when covered with a slipcover would look so dear.

I called my husband to join me (he has the SUV) and we loaded them up. Here they are waiting for their steam clean treatment before they are allowed into the house. The best part is that they were $19.99 each. Even better is that Saturday furniture was 40% off. Yes, I got these two very comfortable beauties made by a fine Maryland furniture manufacturer for less than $25! I can’t wait to see them dressed in their new slipcovers.

Before I spied the black chairs, I found a delicate Piglet figurine which caught my eye and my heart. I happen to be a Piglet fan. For $2.16 I thought this little Piglet deserved to come home with me.

I think a Pooh collector may have dropped off their collection. I saw quite a few Eeyore figures and then I ran across this mug. The outside was in pristine condition; the inside has some scratching but still looks good enough to use.

See that cute little Piglet on the mug? This is a generously sized mug which will hold a large cup of coffee or hot cocoa. After a run through the dishwasher, it’s going in the cabinet. I think I will smile every time I use this delightful mug.

What about you? Have you been finding like items this week, too?

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 Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage | 13 Comments

A Casual Winter Tablescape

Posted on November 26, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

It’s nice to settle down to a nice, casual winter dinner after the craziness of the holiday season begins.

I’ve used a vintage holiday tablecloth found at a yard sale. I like that it features pinecones and has those random red blocks throughout for just a little pop of color.

The green dinner plates were a thrift store find. They were the perfect green to accent the Fortessa Evergreen bone china plates which I picked up at one of their warehouse sales.

I’m also using the green Whitehall glasses and compotes I found at a thrift shop. The flatware is a Dansk pattern we have had for years. It came from the Dansk outlet which has since closed; I still miss that store! I used brown Bed, Bath & Beyond napkins from my napkin stash with yard sale wooden napkin rings.

Also featured is this fabulous tureen I snagged at one of my favorite thrifts. I couldn’t believe the super price on this piece, which also came with six matching soup bowls. It is a Bordallo Pinheiro set for which I paid $18. Yes, you read that correcty, $18. Wowser!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my thrifty purchases in action. I hope you, too, have a chance to enjoy a relaxed, casual dinner with your loved ones sometime in the coming month.

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, Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch, 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, Linens, Tablescaping, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 28 Comments

Thrifting in the Outer Banks

Posted on November 12, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

We had the great fortune to spend a week in the Outer Banks of North Carolina last month. We had never been to these beaches before. Can I just say, Wow! Such beauty.

Daily walks with our Scotties on the beach at sunrise were quite the treat of our week. That’s the way I like to exercise. The dogs really enjoyed their walks, too.

Into every beach week it seems a rainy day must fall. We decided our rainy day would be the perfect day to go thrifting. Armed with iPhones and GPS we set out to track down as many thrift stores as we could. It’s always fun to go thrifting in a new area.

My first purchase was vintage Homer Laughlin dishes.

I thought they would match some dishes I picked up during the Blue Ridge Thrift Crawl earlier this year. They are certainly close enough in design, if not the same design, to use with them. Normally I would not have paid $4 for this set of dishes as some had chips and I don’t usually collect bowls. I had carried this little stack around and around the thrift shop trying to find someone to price them for me. We were more than ready to head out when I finally got a price so I took it.

I was so excited when I saw a basket of goodies marked 50 cents on the front porch of the next thrift. Inside the basket I found this charming little snack set.

The underside of the tray has a great design.

I also picked up a glass Coke bottle. I don’t know how old it is, but for 50 cents, I thought I could find a use for it. I was really excited to think that there would be even more thrifty treasures inside. I should have taken a closer look at the original prices on my 50 cent finds. While the store had some interesting items, prices were higher than I like to pay. I spent my dollar and we went in search of more treasure.

There were several shops in between from which I departed empty-handed. I did find an old beat-up frame with a worse-for-wear floral print. I liked the distressing the frame showed and the depth of the frame. In the same store, I found a little bear cake mold by Wilton.  I really liked the prices in this store.

The wooden candlesticks were a great find at Goodwill. I never seem to find an abundance of treasures at any Goodwill I visit. I was pleased to find these candlesticks at a super price. I think they may be married to a plate or cheese dome in the future. They look like they could be fine, upstanding supporters.

I found these red and white peppermint stripe candles at a thrift with lots of vintage items with very contemporary prices. Left behind were some very cool vintage mushroom canisters among other lovelies. The Coke bottle and Wilton cake pan are mentioned above.

To end our day we picked up a steamer pot filled with shrimp, mussels, crab legs, clams, corn on the cob and red potatoes which we prepared for dinner. This was certainly my idea of a super way to spend a rainy day at the beach.

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 Beach, Dishes, Scotties, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage | 15 Comments

Ladies Board Tradition Continues

Posted on October 30, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

For many, many, many years my dear mother-in-law volunteered with the local hospital ladies board. Every year they have a huge rummage sale to raise money for hospital programs where she would help to sort, tag and then sell items. It was a social time as well; as they worked in the dust and must, these ladies would catch up with one another’s lives. Sadly, although she would dearly love to help, my mother-in-law is no longer able to withstand the rigors involved with this event.

Since I was on vacation on the Friday of the sale, we decided she would come along with me to see some of her friends and shop. Little did we know the heavens would open up with pouring rain just as we approached the sale. I dropped her off at the entrance since there were no handicapped spots available. She braved the pelting rain as I parked the car. My trek back to the main barn soaked me from the bottom of my rain slicker to my shoes. Dedicated thrifters are we.

It rained so hard that they had buckets and pails set up all around the barn to collect the leaks. The barn was packed since no one wanted to go out into the torrential rains. We managed to get some shopping in and to see some friendly faces among the workers.

This is my mother-in-law guarding our purchases. She found two beautiful plates which I wish I had gotten a picture of. Over the years she has purchased some really lovely things for herself and her family at this sale.

I found three mugs; two are pictured below. The third mug featured some pretty birds admired by my mother-in-law so that one stayed at her house.

The Irish mug is also a music box which plays “Irish Eyes Are Shining”. It was worth buying it for the song alone. The other mug is Toile by American Atelier. I was also drawn to the interesting colors of this embroidered piece of vintage linen. The lone bird salt shaker looked like he would be at home with my other white bird salt and peppers. I was right; he fits right in with the rest of the flock.

I also found a milk glass sugar bowl, a little white pitcher and some beaded hors d’oeuvres picks. The total of the items in these two photos was less than $4.

This was part of a three-piece set for $2. Isn’t the edging so pretty? This piece has edging on both ends; the other two pieces are smaller and are edged on just one end. I can imagine the set displayed on a dresser and night stands.

These red-embroidered hand towels were $1 for all three. They will need some tender care and a good soak.

In the “antique” section I came upon an envelope stuffed with vintage cards. The moisture caused some of the gummy flaps to stick, but I managed to salvage most of the cards. These tiny birthday greetings were part of the grouping.

I spied this set on my first walk around the dish area. When we were almost ready to call it a morning, I went back to see if they were still around. Yes! I hastily picked up the box and proceeded to the check out.

The box had some pieces of the vintage Franciscan pattern, Antigua. For $5, I thought it was a deal too good to pass by.

I spent about $15 total at the sale and had dried off somewhat when we decided to make a break for it between the rain drops. Although the sky opened up once again to soak us on our way out and thus prevented us from visiting other barns, our spirits were not dampened as we had a fine time.

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?

Updated to add this exciting news. I’m feeling the love!

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Linens, Salt & Pepper Shakers, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage | 24 Comments

Tag Sale Part Two

Posted on October 23, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

Last week I showed you some of the cool things I got at a tag sale in our neighboring town. I had the best luck for finding vintage items in the one neighborhood I spent my morning, especially at this one sale. These vintage canisters are in great shape.

I had the best time chatting with the woman holding this sale. She was surprised at the items people were buying.  She had cleaned out her attic which meant a lucky day for those hunting vintage treasures such as these old games,

or vintage linens like these,

or these,

or cool stuff like this,

or something I’ve never seen before such as this special match dish for use with boxed matches,

Have you ever seen one of these before? I hadn’t and had to have its use explained to me. The sweet homeowner told me she had that item in her den for as long as she could remember. I also picked up several vintage catalogs, manuals and old knitting pattern books. Here are just a few pictures,

I love looking through these! I found many fun things at this one sale, but I would have to say that the conversation I had with the homeowner was my favorite part. Her children were minding the items in the driveway so she and I could chat it up in the garage as I looked through her sale items and heard the history on many of them. She is a lifelong resident of our county and the type of sweet southern lady our county was once filled with. It was a  true vintage experience in more ways than one.

The stop around the corner had the cutest little pug dog. He was a major attraction at that sale where I found some lovely vintage printed linen table runners and a linen tea towel from 1967.

My last stop for the morning was a big sale with an estate sale feel to it with lots of items belonging to the father of one of the sellers. I came away with this interesting wooden box, vintage round hotpads, clear salt and pepper shakers, and rings to turn your candleholder into a flower holder, too.

I also found this wooden shelf with a drawer, some Bordallo Pinheiro pieces and these white salt and pepper shakers which have a signature on them. Does anyone recognize this signature?

Thanks for stopping by to see the rest of the Tag Sale items. If you haven’t seen part one, you can go here.

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 Dishes, Garage Sales, Linens, Salt & Pepper Shakers, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 25 Comments

Tag Sale Part One

Posted on October 15, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

Our neighboring town sponsors an annual tag sale in October. There are sales all over the downtown area and on the outskirts of town and they offer trolley service to help people get around since parking is very limited downtown. I had an appointment in town on the morning of the tag sale so I had the opportunity to drive through the jam-packed streets, trying not to hit pedestrians as I gawked at the tables set up along the route. I decided I would not brave that crowd after my appointment, but head further west to the outskirts of town where I hoped it would be less crowded. My strategy was well rewarded.

My first stop was at a church sale. I spotted little Spotty and he was just so cute.

Spotty is a little chippy and shedding some of his paint, but for 10 cents I just couldn’t leave him behind. Yes, 10 cents! I also found a blue star-shaped doily which you will see in just a little bit.

I spent my the rest of my morning in one older neighborhood. My first stop was at a garage filled with shelves and shelves of books. The man holding the sale said he might be willing to sell his hardbacks for $5 each. Really? Thanks, but no thanks. I left there and walked up the street. I immediately spotted this pillow.

Brand new for $1. I love black and white, checks and toile. This pillow was for sure a keeper.

I then saw these. I had to ask what they were because I had no idea. I thought they would be an interesting item for my talented friend “S” to use in her basket weaving.

I was told they are boot pullers. I live in an equestrian area so that made sense; lots of riding boots around here. Oh, and there is that blue doily I paid 50 cents for at the church sale.

At this sale an elderly woman was cleaning out her home, I guess in anticipation of moving elsewhere. She had lots of old books at super reasonable prices (no $5 prices here). I think she may have been a music or piano teacher as there were lots of music-related books. This is the inside of Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavichord.

I bought the booklet with the intention of using it for crafts in the future. If anyone thinks it’s more valuable for possible resale left intact, please let me know. You can see it’s not in the best of shape.

I also found a coverless history of the States of America book. Each state has its own entry and several pages of history. Again, I had crafts in mind. I love the things that Angie from A Knick in Time creates from old book pages.

And see that box of vintage ornaments? When I saw this box with a price of 75 cents, I scooped it into my arms in a hurry.

See the gold ball on the right? It has jewels encrusted on it.

All this from a stop at the church and then one yard sale! I’ll show you the other wonderful vintage items I purchased at other sales in the neighborhood in a future post. But before I go today, I want to show you what I found when I stopped at a sale in my little town on my way home. This is the “before” picture.

And this is the “after” ironing and starching picture:

Blue and white oval-shaped pin, blue earrings and blue embroidery on the oval shaped linen. Can you tell I like blue? I also liked the square designs in the rectangular linen piece. The fine work on the edges and between the squares is very delicate and really appealed to me.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back again to see more vintage Tag Sale items.

I hope to join the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, 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, Linens, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 16 Comments

Between the Rain Drops

Posted on October 9, 2011 by tammylovesdishes
The call was for a nice, but blustery day with a chance of rain in the afternoon. What actually happened? It rained and stopped and rained and stopped and rained and stopped. And it was cold in addition to being damp. Many of the brave souls who had advertised their yard sales still had them, although most were moved into garages.
Our first stop was an inside sale which had been quite busy already. I was happy to find a red batter bowl, some heart-shaped Polish pottery bowls, and some nice hard-cover cookbooks all in excellent, like-new, condition. This couple was moving to another part of the county and had arranged for a service organization to come pick up whatever was unsold after their sale. If anything remained at the end of the day the service organization was making out because they had quality items.
You know I love a church sale, so I was delighted to see a sign for one as we travelled through a neighboring town toward yet another town’s advertised sales. We decided to stop on the way back through and am I glad we did. By the time we arrived, the rain was coming down in buckets but the church sale was inside so it was nice and dry.
Upon entering, the church ladies handed me a big bag and said fill it up for $3. Now that I can do! I was also so pleased to see the sweet familiar face of a co-worker among the gathered church ladies. She brightens up any day!
I filled one $3 bag and then got another. My goodies included these
two hand-crafted felt bunny silhouette pillows. Won’t they look great displayed at Easter? I imagine the same person created the folksy bird pillow, too.
A stack of five Homer Laughlin plates. I don’t know the pattern name, but I love the colors in the flowers and the detail of the edging on these plates.
I picked up several cut glass pieces which caught my eye, as well as some baking pans.
This metal container would be beautiful filled with a fall arrangement. I will be thinking about what I can put into this to make it display worthy.
 I added a box of jewelry to my bag. The circles of pearls caught my eye first.
 An instant Polaroid camera was for added to my bag, too. I need to find some film to see if this one still works. I also picked up a set of Sterlilite vintage plastic plates and cups, a box of sewing items, as well as an Irish-made cup and saucer. I just love church sales!
At individual yard sales (which ended up in garages) throughout town I found a new damask table cloth and napkins, a Wedgwood Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit plate, a Kate Williams Global Design child’s plate and bowl set featuring bunnies (this reminded me of Good Night, Moon) and some placemats and napkins.
The last stop of the day was at a sale which was on its second day. There were lots of vintage items here. The daughter and granddaughter of a woman who recently sold her home out of state and moved into assisted living closer to them were holding the sale. Most of the vintage items were marked at resale prices but it was still fun to look through them. I did find some treasures within my price range (cheap).
These Kirk and Stieff pewter salt and peppers were on the rain-soaked table for $1. I just liked their look and didn’t know of the maker until I got them home.
In the garage I found a Schmid Peter Rabbit music box for $2. It plays “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” when wound.
Along the bunny theme, I also picked up this little brown bunny for $1. I just liked his sweet look. When I got him home, I discovered he is a Hummel bunny. Now that is sweet!
I found two sets of vintage poinsettia napkin rings, a little chippy, but still pretty for $2. They are displayed on one of the glass pieces I picked up at the church sale I told you about earlier.
Finally, I added these vintage Bovine salt and pepper shakers to my treasures. The mother and daughter were happy to see that Grandmother’s purple cows had a new home. They have no markings, just the sweetest expressions. Would you have taken them home with you, too?
Sometimes it pays to get a little wet when thrifting. It was a very successful day between the rain drops. Thanks for stopping by.

I hope to join the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, 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 Beatrix Potter, Cut glass, Dishes, Garage Sales, Hummel, Peter Rabbit, Pewter, Salt & Pepper Shakers, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 25 Comments

Vintage Treasure Hunting with “S”

Posted on October 1, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

My friend “S” and I set aside a Saturday to go thrifting together.  We wanted to check out a new-to-us local consignment shop that had recently offered one of those social media coupon deals in which we participated. We also decided to try to stop at as many yard sales as we could during our thifty morning.

Our first stop was the annual sale held by the local women’s club. Even though this was the second day of their sale, they still had some treasures left for us.

 I don’t know if this little Baby cup is vintage, but it certainly has a vintage look. The little vintage angel is marked Japan. The elf was so mischievous looking that he jumped right in my bag. He is not vintage, just cute and certainly not modest.

One of the best parts of stopping at this sale was the chance to see some of our former teachers and high school friends’ mothers. Surely that is a treasure one can’t price.

Our next successful stop was at a “patio sale” put on by a long-term care rehabilitation center. Due to the weather, there was no sale on the patio and there were very few signs to indicate a sale. Being the adventurers that we are, we entered the building anyway, but saw no sale or signs indicating one and so turned around. As we exited the building we could see a room filled with tables full of stuff, so we headed back in to search for this room.  Are we glad we did!

 I found some really fun things. Last week I showed you the little momma dog and puppy figure I purchased at this sale. I also found a Snoopy thermos just like one I had when I was younger. Some of the other things I found are two Wilton cake pans, some Southern Living at Home metal votives and square container, two rose colored tiny glass dishes (possibly ashtrays back in the day), two mirrors and a cloche-like lidded butter container.

This Alfred Meakin set is so pretty; I really like the dark blue/black colors in these pieces. Anyone know the pattern? Is this what is called a dresser set?

This next piece was a hot item.

I had it in my stack at one of the check out areas and as I shopped for more treasures, a gentleman shopper tried more than once to get the checker to sell it to him.  I think it might be Bakelite. Have you seen one like this before?

“S” found these napkin rings for me. I love them!

A sale at a local nursing home yielded these goodies – something old and something new. (At least I think these linen “Bar” napkins are vintage. The napkin rings are most definitely new.)

 I had the best chat with Katia at her yard sale which was our next stop. She is a dish lover also. She likes to cycle out the dishes she is tired of so she can replace them with different pieces. I bought this lovely shelf from her.

 I think it will make a nice display for dishes once I figure out the perfect spot for it in my home.

“S” and I finally made it to the consignment shop to spend our coupons. After shopping yard sales all morning, the prices were a bit of a sticker shock to us.  We both eyed this sweet embroidered tablecloth and decided it was in pristine condition.

 Three of the doggies from last week’s post were also part of my purchase. And I added three large dinner/charger Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage plates. These just came into the shop while we were there and were not yet marked. I had seen two smaller versions priced at $19 each so I wasn’t even going to ask about these figuring they would be well over that price. “S” asked the shop owner who was still bringing items in. She said $4 each. Sold! Thanks, “S”!

 We had another fun and successful day of thrifting and treasure hunting together and my YSCE had a nice morning to share breakfast with the guys.

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

Tammy

Posted in Apothecary Jar, Dishes, Garage Sales, Snoopy, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 16 Comments

The Dogs Have It

Posted on September 25, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

I love dogs. Recent thrifting and yard sale adventures have provided me with a few new additions to my growing collection.

I am always drawn to Scotties since those are what run our household. This little guy was a little roughed up, but still commanded my attention. He is quite heavy.

Sitting alongside the sweet scottie was a little Made In Japan black dog with barrel. I almost left him behind, but my thrifting friend “S” petitioned for him so he came along as well.

Rounding out the trio I found at the same location is this classic little dog figure. He reminds me somewhat of Asta who played in The Thin Man movies.

At a yard sale, I found this pair.

Aren’t they so sweet? Even their backs are adorable.

I paid three dollars or less for each of these sweet dog figures. Aren’t they just the cutest?

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

Tammy

Posted in Garage Sales, Scotties, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 17 Comments

Versatile Thrifted Ironstone

Posted on September 18, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

A few weekends ago we headed out for the one yard sale I would have time to attend before other engagements tied me up for the rest of the day. This one was out in the country at a small church. You know I love a church yard sale and this one had been advertised for weeks. We accidentally took the scenic route to the church. It made for a nice drive, but left me a little less time to shop. As it turns out, the weather cut my shopping time even more. What was a beautifully sunny morning turned into a thunder-rolling down pour. Just before the rain came, I found a set of Ironstone dishes. Since I knew this was going to be my only sale of the day and with the impending storm, I decided to call them mine, especially when I found out how many pieces were included. The entire set cost me $20. Look at these sweet little cups with the tea and coffee servers. You can see they are much smaller than the coffee cups in front.

What follows is a look at how versatile white or cream dishes can be. I quickly set up three different looks using these thrifted Castleton Independence dishes. Mixing them with dishes in other patterns and/or colors also lends to their versatility for future settings. I hope you enjoy these three sample settings featuring my new Ironstone.

Setting One

Using placemats, napkins and hotel flatware all found at yard sales. The berry bowls hold beaded lemons found at a thrift shop.

Here you can see some of the canisters and covered casserole that also came with this set. The birdcage centerpiece was a yard sale purchase; it is filled with birds from Michael’s.

Setting Two

Blue and white is one of my favorite combinations.  You can see in the background some of the extra plates that came with this set. There were also four canisters and a small rectangular vegetable dish.

I have used placemats which I have had for years and some thrifted blue Pier I napkins. The little blue bowl is a Fortessa outlet purchase. I used the same flatware as the previous setting.

For the centerpiece I used a large piece from the set which is almost a vertical tureen. There was no lid with this piece so it makes a perfect flower container. For this setting I’ve used some hydrangeas and greens.

Setting Three

This final setting is ready to usher in the Fall season. The placemats are from the dollar store, the napkins and napkin rings are thrifted. The yard sale flatware is the same as used in the previous two settings.

The leaf shaped candles were also a yard sale purchase.

The lidless vertical tureen was called into action as a vase again. Here a mixture of flowers from Michael’s works beautifully for an easy arrangement for the botanically challenged like me.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing how versatile a set of cream or white dishes can be. In one afternoon I quickly put together three different looks using mostly thrifted items. Just imagine what wonderful settings you could create when spending a little more time!

I hope to join the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville, Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove, The Penny Worthy Project at Hey, What’s for Dinner Mom?,  A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday,  and Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Garage Sales, Ironstone, Silver, Tablescaping, Tea Set, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 24 Comments