Hot Deals on a Hot Day

Posted on July 31, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

Our weather has been so incredibly hot that there have been very few yard sales. I can’t blame anyone for wanting to wait until the heat index is below 100 to have their yard sale, can you?

Even after saying we wouldn’t, we did go out looking for a few sales.  There were two sales in my small town, one actually advertised it as “Inside! Air-conditioned!” This sale was one for the weird category. The outbuilding “room” was about the size of a large closet. There really wasn’t room for more than three people (including the gentleman watching the room); items weren’t priced. About all it had going for it was the A/C; that did feel good! I got squeezed out of the room when two ladies wanted to enter, so I headed out empty-handed, but refreshed.

Since I was empty-handed we headed to the next town so I could shop at one of my favorite thrifts. My friend “S” had spotted something she thought I might be interested in. I was about a week late getting there to check for this item and was hoping it was still there for me to see. They had moved him from plain sight and tucked him at the back of a bottom shelf that hold dishes. It’s a good thing I always check those shelves or I would have missed this adorable little squirrel by Arnels. Thanks for the spot, “S”!

While looking around for something to add to my purchase so I would be able to activate my coupon, I spied this sweet set.

The pewter creamer and sugar by F. B. Rogers was marked at $6 and then turned out to be half-off on this day! Oh, yes! I found one more item which shall remain a little secret since it is destined to be a gift.

My driver texted me to say he was melting in the heat while waiting for me so I scurried out of there with my finds. Once the vehicle’s A/C  kicked in he perked up and decided we should stop at the lone yardsale we had seen signs for in this town and which was on our way home. We had good luck in this neighborhood the week before and actually thought it was the same sale. Turned out to be the neighbor’s sale.

The lady having the sale said she had been super busy that day and sold a lot of things. It must pay to be the only yard sale in town on a stinkin’ hot day. She had a blue and white transferware plate that I happily paid $2 for.

 The plate is from Liberty Blue, part of their Historic Colonial Scenes series. This scene is Washington at Valley Forge.

All in all for the short time we were out and the few places we shopped, I think I found some hot deals on a hot day.

I hope to join the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Today’s 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 Dishes, Garage Sales, Pewter, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Vintage, Yard Sales | 13 Comments

Lots of Vintage

Posted on July 24, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

We started our day at an estate sale. Estate sales are not proving to be very good for me. This one looked as if an antique dealer was selling out her shop. The prices were marked as if she was still at her antique shop. Maybe that’s why there was still such a selection of items on day three of her sale. The Scotties were not impressed and neither was I.

Things improved immensely at the next sale. A very sweet couple was manning a church sale where I found an almost new Britta pitcher and two filters for $3. I also got some jewelry and a cute embroidered tea towel in need of a good soak.

As I was picking up the vintage Monet flower pin, an older woman standing next to me said that was part of her donation to the sale. She said she bought it as a young woman when she modeled in New York and joked that it was old; she also donated the star shaped pin I purchased. I think the lovebird pin is just the sweetest. Aren’t these pins cool?

A little further down the road and I found my first ironstone tureen. I loved the size on this, not too small, not too large. I especially loved the price on this beauty. Not $10, not $5, but $3. I almost did a Snoopy happy dance right there and then. I was so excited to find such a gorgeous piece for such a fantastic price. She needs some soaking to clean her up, but her lines are already perfect.

At other stops I found some character Wilton cake pans, a 2007 White House ornament, and an Ikea star-shaped ice cube tray.

My favorite finds came at the sale that was our last stop of the day. There were so many wonderful things here that I had to choose which ones I could afford to bring home with me.

The first items I picked up had a vintage vibe. The lime green Pyrex pie plate, small owl trivet and handmade vintage potholder were vintage fabulousness.

One of the women having the sale was selling extra dishes she had accumulated. As we talked about the set I ultimately purchased, she told me she would have loved to have given these to her grandchildren (although I thought she looked too young for grandchildren – I should have mentioned that to her – maybe I would have gotten a better price); however, she said her grandchildren didn’t take care of things so she was selling them instead. Grandchildren out there take note: Take care of the treasures Grandma gives you!

The original boxes are marked “Tiffanie’s dishes from Grandma”. There are two sets of four plates, bread and butter plates, little fruit bowls, and six cups with eight saucers. They feature different fruit patterns and were made in the USA by the Sabin China Company. I loved the delicate embossed design on the edges of these dishes. I paid $20 for the set.

Earlier in the week I had stopped by my lunchtime thrift shop. I found the cutest little white dog pitcher for 75 cents. I just had to bring him home.

I also found a white vase and an embossed glass divided plate that matches three others I found during the Blue Ridge Thrift Crawl. Now I have an even ‘tablescaping four’. I have no idea what pattern these glass plates are. Does anyone know anything about them?

I returned after work that same day to pick up two things I had left behind at lunch and then later regretted leaving them. I could not get the Signature ‘Got Game’ party plates, platter, and divided snack tray out of my mind. I was delighted they were still there when I returned.  Can you spot the little Scotties? Maybe that is why they were destined to follow me home.

I also purchased a box of Boopie glasses. I know what you’re saying, good grief doesn’t that woman have enough Boopie glasses already! Well, yes, I do. These are for gifts.

I love the way the sun sparkles when it hits these freshly washed upended Boopies. They almost look like flowers.

This sure was a fun week at the thrift and the yard sales.  Maybe having the Scotties along brought us luck?

I hope to join the parties at Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, 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, and The Penny Worthy Project at Hey What’s For Dinner Mom?.

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Garage Sales, Scotties, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Vintage, Yard Sales | 28 Comments

Watermelon Time

Posted on July 20, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

One of the favorite parts of summer for many people is watermelon. There is just something about biting into a slice of watermelon that brings a flood of summertime memories. Here is my homage to those watermelon days of summer.

When I saw these Vera dishtowels at Marshalls this year, I knew they would work into the watermelon tablescape I was planning. Since they had only three I knew they couldn’t serve as placemats or napkins. They did fit just perfectly on my table as a runner.

I pulled out the watermelon mugs I found last year new in the box at a thrift shop. These could easily be used to serve a cold soup, perhaps gazpacho.

I added the green Indiana Glass Whitehall goblets from my collection; they will be perfect for serving some sweet tea. Let’s add some mint for additional summer flavor.

The watermelon napkin rings were a yard sale or thrift find. I layered napkins to represent the colors of watermelon slices.

I used flatware I purchased at the Fortessa outlet. I liked the whimsical look the circular design added to the table.

I layered my white Gibson dinner plate on top of rattan chargers. Next I placed the Mesa lime green plate with white polka dots. These Mesa dishes I originally purchased for my daughter and one day she can have them. Probably. Maybe. Just not yet. 😉

Topping off the dish stack is a watermelon slice plate. I think it really completes the setting. Now, who’s ready for some watermelon?

The details:

Rattan chargers, Wal-Mart

Gibson dinner plate, HomeGoods

Mesa lime green white polka dotted plate, HomeGoods

Watermelon slice plates, Pier1 (gifted)

Vera dishtowels, Marshalls

Green Indiana Glass Whitehall glasses, thrift shop

Watermelon mugs, thrift shop

Watermelon napkin rings, thrift shop or yard sale

Napkins, from napkin collection

Flatware, Fortessa

I hope to join parties at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, and Thrifty Tablescape at The Thrifty Groove.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Garage Sales, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, watermelon, Yard Sales | 33 Comments

Birthday Buys

Posted on July 17, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

I just had to do a bit of shopping on my birthday, both retail and thrift. A pop into the local Salvation Army shop was not in vain as I found the three of these blue and white cups. There is no marking on them other than Churchill England.

Actually, I saw the saucers first and was attracted to them but wished they had cups. The cups had been placed in another section of the room, separated from their saucer mates. I’m so happy I found them. They are now reunited. Each separate piece was marked 99¢, which is a little more than I would normally pay, but they were so pretty. Any idea what pattern this is? To me they look like blackberries.

I found three small Boopie glasses marked 99¢ each to match a size I already had a few of. These round out my collection in this size. I love the suggestion Barbara F. from http://www.twobirdiesandab.blogspot.com/ made to use them turned upside down as egg holders.

Since I hadn’t been to Marshall’s in a while, I thought it would be a good idea to see if there were any dishes that I just couldn’t live without. While the dish selection was slim, I did find three Vera watermelon design dishtowels. These will show up in my next tablescape so please come back to see them.

I also stopped at Pier1 to pick up the watermelon slice plates with a gift card I had. Sensing a theme here? Yes, the plates are also debuting in the this week’s tablescape post.

Since I had not been to my favorite neighboring town thrift in quite a while, I felt a birthday visit was in order.  The first thing I found were two milk glass snack plates with matching cups. My friend “S” is working on a collection of these so I was delighted to find these for her.

This Curious George metal tea set was too cute to leave in the store. It is not old, but it is adorable. Every plate and saucer has a different Curious George scene on it. I can see a sweet tea party tablescape using these.

A stop the next day at my lunch break thrift store yielded some additional finds.  This small vase by Southern Living at Home matches one I’d found here earlier, but just a little smaller. I also found an ivy topiary. Both will be featured in a future vignette.

To round out the birthday week celebration a stop at some yard sales was in order.  All of these fine things were found at one sale. Sometimes you have to visit several duds before you get to the sale that sings to you. In a box of glass items, I found these three Pyrex bottles. After some research once home, I determined they are nursing bottles. I like the way they look holding these flags.

I also found the glass refrigerator containers at this sale. I know they don’t have lids, but I like them all the same. I’ll have fun deciding just what treasures they will display/store.

I also picked up this glass candlestick and these silver napkin rings. All of the glass items were in dire need of a bath. They cleaned up very nicely.

The last item I brought home from this sale was this wooden display shelf. I liked the detail on the sides and the size of this piece. I believe there is a paint job in this baby’s future. All of the items from this sale cost me a grand total of $8.

Our last stop of the day was at a sale that had lots of Ball jars. I had a momentary thought of grabbing up both boxes of jars. They were only 50¢ each so it wouldn’t have cost me too much. Nah, I decided to restrain myself and pick just one. Before I could get back to the car someone else swooped in and bought both boxes.  Yes, they really were quite the deal!

I hope your week was as much fun for you as my birthday week was for me.

I hope to join the parties at Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Today’s 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.

Tammy

Posted in Curious George, Dishes, Garage Sales, Silver, Tablescaping, Tea Set, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 14 Comments

One and Done

Posted on July 10, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

There were very few yard sales over the holiday weekend, so it was basically one and done for us. We visited those that were brave enough to hold sales with the holiday, heat and gnats. The first sale we stopped at was on day two of their sale but still had plenty to sell. It might have had something to do with the prices they had marked on their treasures. A little too high for me and apparently many others, too, as quite a few shoppers left empty-handed.

Fortunately we finally landed at a sale where the prices were reasonable and there were items of interest. The lady having this sale was moving and was motivated to move her yard sale items. I found two glass-lidded Ball jars.

I paid $1 for each jar. She also had some pretty jewelry which was priced right so I picked up two bracelets and a necklace.

I dithered about a pair of earrings and then decided to take the plunge. After all, for fifty cents it really wasn’t much of a risk. Somewhere between the sale and the ride home, I lost one of them.

When I was deciding whether to buy them, I wasn’t sure what I would wear them with. I have since wished two or three times that I had the set as they would have gone perfectly with an outfit. Isn’t that always the way? I’m holding on to it on the off chance the mate will one day turn up. If you happen to see it, please let me know.

One of my co-workers knows I love tablescapes and gifted me with a sweet Williams Sonoma spreader set she picked up at a local shop.

Aren’t they cute? Thanks, B! I look forward to using them in a future ‘scape and with my spreader collection.

I hope everyone had a good week thrifting and at least one good sale!

I hope to join the parties at Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Today’s 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.

Tammy

Posted in Garage Sales, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Yard Sales | 19 Comments

Independence Day 2011

Posted on July 4, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

We had our Independence Day dinner celebration on the third. I love this holiday!

This is a thrifty tablescape, too. I’ll list the patriotic participants at the end.

Flags and stars are some of my favorites.

My sweet friend “S” gifted me with these beautiful star napkin rings for my birthday. Each one has a different design. Love them!

There is something about red, white, and blue that just makes my heart sing.

Our menu included my husband’s fabulous barbecued chicken with his special sauce, his grandmother’s recipe mustard cole slaw, green bean salad, baked beans (find recipe here), Kansas cucumbers, and turkey hot dogs. (It’s not the 4th, or the 3rd in this case, without hot dogs!)

The grand finale was Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Cake. Delicious! Find the recipe and step-by-step directions by Janet at The Empty Nest.

Happy Birthday, America! I hope my fellow Americans took time to celebrate the independence of our country and the many freedoms we are blessed to enjoy each day thanks to the sacrifices of many.

Patriotic Participants:

Blue wooden chargers – yard sale

White dinner plates and mini bowls from set by Gibson, HomeGoods

Red dessert plates, Tracy Porter’s Jolly Ol’ Snowy, thrifted

Blue goblets, Fortessa outlet

Red napkins, from my napkin stash

Silver star napkin rings, gifted by “S”

Patriotic placemats, thrifted

Mini milk glass vases, thrifted

Lanterns, yard sale

Star plates, thrifted

Stainless Flatware, Reed & Barton, QVC

I hope to join parties at StoneGables’s On The Menu Monday, A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday, Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, and Thrifty Tablescape at The Thrifty Groove.

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Garage Sales, Recipes, Silver, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Yard Sales | 26 Comments

Birthday Thrift Crawl

Posted on July 3, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

My friend “S” treated me to a day of fun to celebrate my upcoming birthday. First up were the wonderful gifts she bought me. “Open this one first”, she said handing me a brightly wrapped box. Inside were six sweet Boopie glasses. Aren’t they so cute?

I just had to play a little with them. Here they are on my Willowhouse Galveston Collection Tray. Oh by the way, this tray is now on sale for about 1/3 of what I paid for it.  That’s what happens when you pay retail! I love how the Boopies look on this tray. Just imagine them filled with a tempting cocktail.

Next she handed me a bag with four star-shaped silver napkin rings. Each star has a different design. Love them!

You can see these stars in action in my upcoming 4th of July tablescape.

The last package was a Mary Englebreit Scottie themed bag which held a beautiful black bead necklace hand-crafted by “S”. Not only is she generous, she is talented as well. Isn’t this beautiful? I love “S”‘s beaded creations.

We hit the road with plans to cross state lines in search of lunch at a fine seafood restaurant we both love and some new-to-us thrift stores. “S” treated me to a fabulous lunch of cream of crab soup and crabcake sandwich. It’s great to be the birthday girl!

Our first thrift shop was a newly opened shop. It was very well organized and clean. “S” found some small fruit bowls in cream with gold edges. There weren’t any markings but for 38 cents each, she could live with it

The next stop was a little harder to find. We were in the very busy historic downtown of a city looking for a hospital thrift shop. After locating parking in the parking garage we headed out to find this shop. Eagle-eye “S” found the donation dock for our little thrift so we knew we were in the right area. Once inside the store was quite large. “S” found a miniature teacup and saucer which will look great in some vintage display shelves she has.

If we thought finding this thrift was hard, we didn’t know what was ahead of us. We followed the internet and GPS directions to the address as given. Nothing. We called the number to find that they were now at a different location. After unsuccessfully trying to locate the new shop, we had to stop for some Italian ice refreshment. Fortified again, we persevered and finally located the Salvation Army store. I found this corner shelf which may have been hand made. A little clean up, wood filler and maybe some paint will perk up this $1 item.

I also found this little chicken holding egg salt and peppers. How could I leave her behind when one dollar would bring her home?

Our last stop of the day was a Goodwill that “S” visits often. She knew exactly how to get there so no help from the GPS was needed. We wasted no time in going right to the dish ware. I must say that I don’t like their practice of placing the prices over the bottoms of the plates. I might have bought more if I could have read makers and pattern names.

I did find seven of these dinner plates, seven of the salad plates, and at the urging of “S”, six matching bowls. Aren’t they pretty? I see a future tablescape in the making.

I also found a flat-backed basket filled with bright yellow flowers and a honey bear which will add a whimsical decorative touch to one of my doors. Too bad he wasn’t around for this tablescape.

A birthday lunch and thrift crawl with a treasured friend is one of the best ways to celebrate another year. What fun we had!

I hope to join the parties at Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Today’s 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.

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Happy Dance!

Posted on June 26, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

Just a random question for you. Why do dogs always sleep in on the days you can’t? After rousing our Scotties and taking them for their “spa day” at the groomers, we headed out for some yard sale searching. The papers didn’t list very many sales and those they did list were in a nearby town which was holding morning high school graduation for over 500 graduates. A two-stoplight-town with an influx of that many people/cars = avoid the area at all costs.

The first sale we stopped at was bizarre as in weird. It was on the side of the road in a church parking lot where an older couple had set up several tables. He was on one side of the table and she on the other. As I started looking at one end and moved down the table, she moved right alongside me on my side and he moved with us on the opposite side. I was the only shopper there. It was a little creepy. I didn’t find anything there worth buying or prolonging the creep factor.

Thankfully, the next stop was a winner. They were still unpacking, pricing, and drying off things moistened by the early morning rains. The first thing I spied (and grabbed up) was a set of Sakura Cheery Snowman plates–four dinner and four salad plates for $5.  I love cute snowmen and the color blue and these plates have both. Happy Dance!

I also snagged a cookie cooling rack ($1) and a Make Way for Ducklings book (50 cents). I just love that story!

We headed the opposite direction of the graduation crowd to another town in search of yard sale signs. My eagle eye driver spotted one in familiar territory. We turned onto the little street of lovely homes and stopped at the sale. Hmpf. Not much there although I did pick up two softcover books, one of which might become a promising resale. I was disappointed until I realized there was another sale across the street. Jackpot!

Now this lady knew how to have a sale. I can only imagine the goodies she started the morning with. She did mention that a dealer had been there and purchased quite a bit. This sweet woman was practically giving stuff away; well, she really was giving some stuff away. I picked up a little basket filled with some charming dessert plates and saucers and one yellow cup (whose matching saucer was hidden at the bottom of the basket underneath the other saucers). They were all filled with rain water and were more than a little dirty. I think they may have been in someone’s garage or basement for awhile. When I asked the price and she said $1, I knew I had found yard sale nirvana.

These are by Meita China and made in Japan. The back says hand painted but does not list a pattern. Anyone know this pattern name? Here is a close up of the floral design.

The pale yellow cup had a matching saucer which I found once home. These are almost translucent yellow. There is no mark or maker information on either. Maybe I will call them buttercup.

I grabbed an ironstone gravy boat with the tiniest chip and lots of dirt. No maker information on the bottom of this one either.

In a basket filled with little pitchers I picked out a small bluish gray Buffalo China Company pitcher. I didn’t recognize the maker, I just thought the pitcher was adorable. And I must say, I exercised great restraint by picking just one pitcher from that basket.

I also picked up an American flag to use as a back up for my front porch wooden flag pole, should I need it. After digging around in a box I came up with an old Ball Eclipse jar filled with buttons. Ding, ding, ding! Second Happy Dance of the day.

My treasures cost me all of $3. After such success I was more than willing to cut our yard sale travels short so we could return home to visit with our new grandpuppy, another little Scottie to brighten our lives. Happy Dance!

I hope to join the parties at Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Today’s 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.

Tammy

Posted in Buttons, Dishes, Garage Sales, Scotties, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Vintage, Yard Sales | 20 Comments

The Theme Was Retro

Posted on June 19, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

My lunchtime thrift shop is so busy that cool new things arrive daily. All of the items I found this week arrived either the day I shopped or the day before. If I were obsessive, I might have to stop by daily to make sure I don’t miss anything. But, I’m not obsessive, I’m not obsessive, I’m not obsessive. Really. I’m not.

I found a great hand-made shell mirror ($3.25) for my daughter. This will be great for a shell-themed area she is creating.

I also found two vintage brass candle sconces which are exactly like some that I inherited from my grandmother. I never wanted to paint hers, but these might see some paint one day. Or not. I might keep them so they all match. They would make quite a statement if all four hung together. These were $3.75 each.

I also found some Mikasa Cheers votives in the box. They have been used and need a little cleaning, but I thought were a great deal for $4.50.

And finally, this little girl clucked away until I picked her up. I just couldn’t leave her behind. For $1.25, it really wasn’t hard to bring her along home. She’s got a sweet little retro look to her.

During another lunchtime visit (but I’m not obsessed, remember) to the Salvation Army thrift store, I found these. A pyrex mixing bowl and two flowery plates which make me smile.

My lunchtime thrift has a sister thrift in a neighboring town. I stopped by there this week and found some Franciscan plates. Groovy, aren’t they? I’m still trying to find the pattern name for these; the backs show 104-73. Anyone know the pattern name for this retro design?

I almost missed this next item. It was on the top shelf and as I’ve mentioned before, I’m vertically challenged. When I pulled the box down to look, I was smitten with these cuties. Won’t they make an adorable addition to a tablescape?

Cute ant shaped salt and pepper shakers by Boston Warehouse, new in box. $2.25. Sold.

Yard sales were a bit of a bust today. We visited two neighborhoods having community sales in two separate towns.

The gold new-in package napkins were $1 and the only thing I found after stopping at numerous sales in one community. They were what I call a desperation purchase. You know what I mean, the purchase you make when you haven’t found anything and you are desperate to have something to show for your time? Yeah, they were a desperation purchase.

The girl’s black gloves, which appear to be vintage, and the sweet little lamb cake mold were found at the other community sale. The seller’s mother-in-law had gone into assisted-living and these had been her things.

My husband has fond memories of lamb-shaped cakes his grandmother made at Easter when he was a child. This little cake pan was certainly worth every bit of the dollar I paid just to bring that sweet memory back and a smile to my husband’s face.

The six blue and white saucers were made in England by Churchill. They don’t look old and that is fine; I really like the design. When I tell you that I paid a total of 25 cents for the six of them I think you will understand why they came home with me.

I hope to join the parties at Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Today’s 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.

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Garage Sales, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Vintage, Yard Sales | 23 Comments

Twice is Nice for a Resourceful Woman

Posted on June 11, 2011 by tammylovesdishes

We decided to hear a couple tunes from some of our favorite artists who were playing at a local town’s monthly First Friday event. It’s a big night for the town with loads of people shopping the downtown and catching some music by local musicians.  To really fit into the shopping scene, I stopped by one of the thrifts. I am resourceful that way and so is the thrift (The Resourceful Woman). I couldn’t believe it when I found these amber Colony glass “Park Lane” wine glasses. I had just found their green counterparts the week before.

They were a little over my normal price range, but when shopping at a charity thrift, I will sometimes bend my own rules. I bought six of these for $1.25 each. I also picked up two books for possible resale.

Earlier in the day, “S” invited me to do some lunchtime thrifting. I found a basket filled with beaded fruit ($2.75), a sweet little white pitcher (.75) and a Scrabble game which “S” had to reach off the shelf for me ($3.75). (I am vertically challenged; “S” played basketball in high school.)

Saturday was a continuation of the most gorgeous weather we have seen in a while. After taking our Scotties for a vet visit, we all headed out for some yard sales. On our way to a local church sale, we made a detour at a yard sale where the theme of my purchases was dogs. I found some dog bowls, a rubber mat on which to place the dog bowls, and two sweet pink pillowcases embroidered with, what else, dogs.

The church sale was our next stop. Even though we were a little late to the party, they still had some fun things. I also ran into my friend “S” shopping this sale. She gave me a heads up about another sale across town. At the church I found some lime green placemats, what I thought were red napkins but are more like large table scarves, some books I hope look like nothing but turn out to be great for resale and a sweet little vintage Christmas elf playing a guitar. She needs a little clean up as she’s gotten a little mussed up over the years.

The sale “S” directed me to was one in a community yard sale. The seller had some lovely items which were from the estates of her mother and aunt. Most items were priced higher than I normally spend at a yard sale, but they were definitely quality items. I did buy her mother’s old spoon rack and two Disney cake pans for resale. Well, we’ll probably keep Batman. 🙂

The next stop at the same neighborhood sale produced a beautiful footed silver-plate tray. My thrifted silver-plate tea set will look just perfect on this tray. I also picked up four books (several by Phillipa Gregory – has anyone read her historical fiction?) and three dvds here. Not bad for $10!

We then headed to the other side of town for yet another community yard sale. It was such a beautiful day and there were sales everywhere. I found another silver tray and some napkins at one sale. Dare I tell you that I paid only $1.50 for these?

Another sale yielded these lanterns for $1 each.

Just before we called it quits, my husband the artist spotted this in a drive-by of a sale:

He is my driver but does not actually shop so it was up to me to bargain for this Grumbacher moveable model. Turns out there was no bargaining necessary. Yes, I will gladly pay $1. With a little wood glue to permanently a-fix his right leg he (or she) will be good as new.

We were pretty tired after this big morning but we still had one more stop to make. A thrift shop, called Twice is Nice was having a sale. A friend (thanks Amy) had sent me a message via Facebook to let me know that there were some items she thought I might be interested in. The two Scottie figurines she alerted me to really did remind me of our two Scotties after this full morning of yard sales.

But the big “find” was this Currier and Ives cake set by Harkerware. There were five dessert plates and the large cake plate, each with a different winter scene. Don’t cry when I tell you that I got these beautiful plates on a 75% discount for a grand total of ……. $3.  I was so happy Amy had steered me to this shop.

It will take some special yard sales next week to top this week’s wonderful finds. I think we are up for the challenge. Be sure to come back next week to see how we did.

I hope to join the parties at Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday, Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures, Today’s 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.

Tammy

Posted in Dishes, Garage Sales, Silver, Tablescaping, Thrifting, Uncategorized, Vintage, Yard Sales | 23 Comments