Collective Thrift Haul 2015 to … now

I haven’t done a thrift haul in a year! Sorry guys I’ve fallen off my blogging game, but I’m coming back I promise! I’m aiming for twice a week. Anyway I have found some awesome stuff in the past year so I figured I’d get my butt in gear and show you what I’ve found!

 

1.  Vintage Green Coat with fur collar


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One thing I’ve been searching the thrift stores for since forever is a nice vintage coat that fits me well. I’ve found a good number of coats that meet this description but all of them have been way too long. I’m a hearty 5’1 so many of the coats are made for taller people and leave me looking like I’m playing dress up. So I was shocked when I tried this bad boy on and it not only fit but it wasn’t too long! It was originally $24.00 but I got it on sale for $12, score!
2. Mid Century Modern Blue lamp 
I found this guy at the salvation army during the MLK day sales. I wasn’t sure if they were having  a sale or not but it was near another thrift store and I figured I’d check and see what they had. Fortunately they were having a sale and I spotted this lamp. I immediately went into a mini frenzy and wasn’t sure if I should get it. There were two lamps and they were marked 39.99 a piece. WTF salvation army? but the sale made them around 20. I decided to compromise and only get one since I had already spent way too much money. But yeah in hindsight I should have gotten the second one, since it would have been better to have a pair. But you live, you learn right?

3. Mid Century Teak Lamp

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I found this guy at Savers for like $7.00 a little before Christmas. I’m always looking for these teak lamps since I don’t see them much at thrift stores. It has a broken end but for 7 bucks I was willing to overlook that. I really like it and it’s almost identical to one I saw at the Junk Bonanza for way more. Now I just need to find a cool lampshade.

4. Red Wing Pottery Capistrano

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I found this at the Salvation army in early November. There are a bunch more pieces than those shown but I didn’t feel like digging them all out for the picture.  It was in one of those baskets they make up for matching dishes and was pretty expensive,  like a $120.00. I think it’s probably the most expensive things I’ve ever bought at a thrift store. But, my mom collects this pattern and It’s Red Wing pottery so it’s very collectible. My mom went to an estate sale once that was selling this pattern and they were selling each piece individually so I figured even if it was expensive It was still a pretty good deal based solely on the sheer number of things in the basket and it would make a good Christmas gift for my mom.

5.  Fiestaware creamer

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This is another Christmas gift for my mom, she also collects/ uses Fiestaware dishes. I saw this little creamer and knew it was an item she didn’t have. Usually if I see Fiestaware at a thrift store I pick it up for her.

6.  Michael Kors Bag

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I found this guy for $19.00 and from what I’ve read on the internet it’s a legit Michael Kors bag. It wasn’t in the glass case where you usually see suspected designer purses it was in the small home decor section next to candles and stuff. But I really like the bag and I’ve been using it pretty heavily since. I found it just in time too since my old purse was seconds away from breaking.

7. Stuart Weitzmen studded loafers

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I found these the same day at the Michael Kors bag, sometimes you just have those days when you’re on a roll. I haven’t completely broke them in but I like em’ a lot and they were around $14.00.

8.  Christmas Pyrex

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I found this awhile ago at a Goodwill but never shared it on the blog. It’s one of the odd Pyrex pieces I’ve picked up in the last few years.  I’ve mentioned before I’ve pretty much limited myself to only picking up pyrex with patterns I like on them so it weeds out a lot of Pyrex. This one has a very cute and festive design though so I went ahead and picked it up.

9.  ASOS loafers

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I got these at Savers last year sometime in like new condition and they’ve been in heavy rotation ever since. They’re pretty comfy and I think they look pretty cool.

10.  Sole Society Pumps

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I’ve been looking for a good solid pair of pumps for more business-y situations and I think these fit the bill. I like that they have a smaller heel, I’m not real confident in heels just yet so they’re kinda the perfect height. They give some height but aren’t so tall I feel wobbly in them. They’re around $69.95 dollars retail but I got them for $9.

11. I heart __ picture frame

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This picture frame has been in my ModCloth “loves” list forever so when I saw it at Savers I had to pick it up. I’m either gonna give it to my bf for a present at some point or keep it, we’ll see.  If you like it you can get it online here.

Thrift Haul!

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a thrift haul partly because I’ve cut down on my thrifting and partly because I haven’t found a lot of amazing things lately. I’ve been thinking more practically and that I need to clean, organize, and donate the stuff I already have before acquiring anything new. So I wasn’t really doing any heavy thrifting for a couple months. Of course during those months I didn’t actually make any cleaning and organizing progress so… that’s still a work in progress. But, some spring cleaning is definitely in order (only a few more weeks till spring y’all, hopefully). Anyway I’ve made my way back to the thrift stores in recent weeks so I figured I’d share some of the things I’ve found recently and that I found a while ago but have yet to share.

1. Cathrineholm bowls.

 I got both of these bowls at a vintage store near Milwaukee last fall. I went on a mini road trip there to visit the SC Johnson HQ where they have some Frank Lloyd Wright buildings (more on that in a future post). Anyway we went to a flea market near Milwaukee and though it was a cool market there were hardly any of the vintage goods we were looking for. But, we had noticed a sign for an antique store nearby so we went and I found these bowls for $15 buck (total). The lady that ran the store wasn’t really into mid century stuff so she had great reasonable prices. The bowls aren’t in the best condition but for $15 bucks I couldn’t say no.

2. Chalk Figure Wall Art

I don’t exactly know what these are called but I stumbled upon them a couple months ago at Value Village and had to have them. It’s not often I find such cool kitschy stuff at the thrift store so when I see something I like I pounce. These are also in rough condition but I actually don’t mind that. They’re totally cool and were pretty cheap so I’m totally OK with the cracks and nicks.

3. Embroidered Wall Art

I fell in love with this embroidered wall art when I first saw it on Smile and Wave (here and here) . So when I saw it at Savers a few days ago I knew I had to get it. It’s huge but I really like it, just have to find a place for it.

4. Kitchen Wall Art

I  saw this while browsing a new Goodwill in my neighborhood. I really like the graphics, colors, and look of it.


5. & 6. Friendship and Jadeite

I pretty much only pick up Pyrex if it’s in a pattern I like/love. I see a good amount of it but I just don’t think it’s worth it if I’m not into the pattern. I do however love the friendship pattern so when I saw this bowl I immediately grabbed it and true to it’s name it came with a couple of friends. Tucked inside the larger friendship bowl was the smaller friendship bowl and a slightly larger Jadeite bowl!!! I’ve been looking for Jadeite in thrift stores ever since I saw Martha Stewart’s envious collection in a magazine and wanted to start collecting it. Though I’ve seen it a lot at Antique/Vintage stores I’ve never popped on them. So I was very excited to find this one hiding amongst the pyrex.


7.  Target Frame

I bought two prints from my best friend earlier this year and have been searching for frames for them ever since. If you’re into the art you can buy some of her prints here on her Etsy page (NSFW). I found this one and originally had it in mind for another print but this one ended up working in the frame better.  It’s a simple frame from target that I got at the salvation army, the salvation army and goodwill are good places to get cheap Target frames (at least in my neck of the woods). I may find a better frame for it in the future but for now I like it and the search for a frame for the second print continues.

8. Taylorstone “Cathay” Dishes

I’ve found a couple other dishes in this pattern before, so when I saw a good amount of it at a local thrift store I knew I had to get at least a couple of the dishes. Of course I ended up getting the whole set. Unlike Savers and the Salvation Army this thrift store doesn’t bundle like dishes so I was afraid it’d be more money than I wanted to spend. But after adding up all the prices It ended up being fairly reasonable. I don’t have a complete set but I’m definitely on my way!

As always I’m linking up with A Living Space, Sir Thrift-A-Lot, and Remnant. Be sure to check out all their cool finds too!

Thrift Finds

1. Fire King Blue Heaven Plate. How cool would it be to have a whole set of these plates? pretty awesome right? I don’t find this pattern much, but I love it and it’s my second piece with this pattern.

2. Assorted Early American Pyrex Fridge’s. I never have luck finding fridges even though I think they’re soo cute! I went to the Salvation army a few weeks ago and found these bad boys. The big one is the only one with a lid but I can always look for lids. I’m pretty neutral about this pattern but I like it enough, I have a small mixing bowl in the pattern and the price was right. So I got them.

the little ones even have kitties on them!

3. Light Blue Pyrex Fridge. I found this at the same salvation army as the early American fridges above. It doesn’t have a lid but I loved the color so I had to get it.

4. 50’s Made in Japan Poodle Card and Pen Holder. I’m always looking for cute made in Japan ceramic figurines, so when I saw this I kind of had to get it. I had no idea what it was when I got it, but I looked it up and it’s a pen and card holder. I think there used to be an eraser on the dogs head, you can put cards/letters in the spring-y part and pens in the back.

5. Relco Asian Ceramic Figurines. I found these at Savers a couple weeks ago when they were having a 50% off sale. Of course they weren’t on sale, but I got them anyway. I think they’re supposed to be bookends but there not heavy enough to actually be bookends. So they’re more decorative than anything.

6. Haeger Nursery Planter. I don’t have a baby boy and I’m not pregnant but I loved this planter too much to leave without it. I love the sort of art deco style of the animals and it’s just super cute.

** This week I’m linking up with Her Library Adventures’ Flea Market Finds again, so go and check out the cool stuff other bloggers found!

What I left behind

     A couple of the blogs I read do a “what I left behind” feature and I’ve fallen in love with them, so I’ve decided to add it to my blog as a feature as well. I’m trying to get over my feeling-odd-taking-pictures-in -places-no-one-else-is and just do it.  And I have to say I’m happy I did, it’s more like I took you all thrifting with me. Plus you can finally see the good stuff I passed up. These pictures are from a few weeks ago and now you can finally see the sideboard I left behind, and I promise this will be the last post in which I talk about it. Anyway here are the things I left behind:

1. These Milk glass-esque containers.
      I like milk glass but I don’t really need more glassware in my house. 

2. These (there were one or two inside) Forest Fancies Pyrex Cinderella bowls. 
        Honestly I’m just not a big fan of this pattern, though it’s growing on me. I see it everywhere but it’s never been cheap enough that it was worth buying, at least in my opinion.

 3. These funky mid century cups (?)

        I liked these but I didn’t really understand their point. They’re not really deep enough to be good  cups and though I like the pattern it just wasn’t enough to get them. 

  4. These Fondue pots
      I just think fondue pots are fun and someday I want to have a 70’s fondue party. These were cool but I see fondue pots everywhere, I guess i’m waiting to find the one I can’t live without.

5. This Pyrex Red Hostess Oven and Table Set 
Honestly this looks better in the picture than it did in real life. Though cool it was scratched to within and inch of it’s life and had some chips so I passed. I also think it was a bit too pricey for the condition and I decided not to buy Pyrex in bad condition.

6 . The infamous mid century sideboard
OK I do regret not getting this. I don’t really have a need for it but it is super cute. For some reason at the time it’s $25.00 asking price was just a bit too much for me (I was being cheap that day) and I just couldn’t reason buying it. So now it’s the one that got away.

7. This mid century(?) side table
 I thought the side table next to the sideboard looked a little mid century too and was kind of cute.

8. This funky owl lamp
This is another thing I kind of wish I had gotten. It’s just kinda funky and random.

So that’s what I left behind. That was actually a pretty good day thrifting, a lot of times there isn’t that much to leave behind. did you leave anything behind recently? do you regret it?

Mid Century Estate Sale Goodness

          As I mentioned before I haven’t been thrifting as much in the last couple weeks in part because of a sweet mid century estate sale I saw posted on estatesales.net last week. I’m a sucker for mid century anything and once I saw the pictures online I knew I’d have to go. I was mostly interested in a pair of mid century Reglor Lamps that had the original shade. I got up early the first day of the sale to try and get the lamps but by the time I got there they were gone. Everything was reasonably priced but all of the lamps were a tad out of my price range. They had a lot of cool mid century lamps but they were all around $125-150.00, not bad really but I was only really ready to pop on them if they were under $100.00. We  were also planning to go to a big garage sale the next day and I didn’t want to spend so much money on a pair of lamps. The woman running the sale said that sale was just the tip of the iceberg that in two weeks there would be another sale of even more stuff. I guess the owner was frequent estate sale attendee and ebay-er, my kinda guy! But he has so much stuff he decided to sell some of it, awesome. So since there’s so much stuff I may end up getting some cool lamps at the next sale. We did end up with some cool stuff anyway. Most of it is actually my mom’s, she went with me to the sale and I bought her some stuff as presents for Mother’s day and her birthday which are both coming up. Anyway here’s the cool stuff we walked away with.

1. This Snowflake Pyrex casserole with lid and cradle. My Pyrex enthusiasm has waned in the past few weeks. If I find a cool pattern/color for a good price I’ll pop but I find myself passing them up more and more. This was only $5 bucks so I figured I’d get it. Plus it’s a color and pattern I don’t have and haven’t seen in a thrift store.

** Also Peggy and I have the same casserole

image via Tom and Lorenzo

2. This restaurant style coffee pot.

3. This cool Mid Century light was the item I got my mom for mothers/her birthday. It goes with our living room and she really likes it.

yup it lights up

4. Probably the coolest thing we got was this fish TV lamp. They had about 7 or so of these at the sale in various colors. We’ve seen various TV lamps before but never these funky fish, so we had to get it. It’s pretty cool right?

The fish illuminated!!!!
one of the marbles fell off

This week I’m also linking up with Her Library Adventures’ Flea Market Finds and Apron Thrift Girl’s Thrift Share Monday so you can check out what other bloggers found recently. Did you go to any sweet sales last weekend? Find any cool items?

Thrift/Estate Sale Haul

       One of my New Years resolutions was to read more, I’m even trying to do the 50/365 challenge this year (read 50 books by the end of the year) so I’ve been going to the library a lot more recently. Since I’ve been going out randomly during the week to return or pick up books from the library, I decided to visit some thrift stores while I’m out and about. I don’t expect to buy things and mostly just browse to see if I can find anything cool during the week. I haven’t really found anything amazing yet but I have found a few good things. I did though find a semi-cool mid century side board but it seemed cheap-ish so I passed on it and then I saw it on a local vintage re-seller’s facebook page. I’m not sure if I regret it. It did seem cheapish, it didn’t have a lot of storage, but it was kind of cool. I dunno next time I find some cool furniture I’ll definitely be thinking about it more. Anyway here are some of the things I’ve found in the last few weeks from thrift stores and estate sales.

      One of the pretty sweet things I found recently was this Green Wheat Pyrex dish. Though I didn’t find the cradle or lid it originally came with, It’s probably my favorite Pyrex find so far. It’s a little scratched and isn’t exactly mint, but it’s so pretty! Now I just have to find the lid and cradle it originally came with.

           
            I also found some cute vintage shoes! I don’t have any qualms about buying shoes from a thrift store, I’m not much of a germ-a-phoebe and as long as they’re in good shape I’m willing to buy. The only problem is there seems to be a lot fewer shoes at thrift stores in my size. So far I’ve only found two pairs of shoes (these included) at a thrift store. This can be kind of annoying since I’ve found some designer shoes, mostly Salvatore Feragamo, in thrift stores but they’ve all been too big. Anyway I found these nude (vinatge?) pointy toe shoes a couple weeks ago and kind of love them. The pointy toe classic pumps have been all over the runways of late, and I really like the way they look. They have a nice classic silhouette and the heel isn’t too high so I can wear them more often.
  

       I’ve also found some good things at Estate sales. I had seen this snack set at another estate sale a couple months ago but it was gone when I got there. So, when I saw that this snack set was still available at a recent estate sale I had to get it. I like the cool retro floral design on it. I think the “flowers” kind of look like a certain weed though, which is fitting since I bought it on 4/20.

At the same estate sale I found this Early American small Pyrex mixing bowl.

That’s all for now. Until next time, Happy Thrifts!

 

Pyradical

   
       Since venturing in to the wide world of Pyrex and other retro cookware (but mostly Pyrex) I’ve been amazed at the wealth of knowledge available through blogs on the subject. For example I know of five blogs devoted solely to Pyrex. It’s nice for research purposes, most of the work is done for you, but still a bit odd. Every time I visit one such site I imagine a person out in the world with and encyclopedic knowledge of all things Pyrex. Said person is like half human half Pyrex fact spewing robot, they can spot Pyrex from a mile away and bark out it’s model number in a nano second. Kind of like that 80’s show Small wonder, except the person only knows about retro cookery.
        Anyway I went to the second day on an estate sale last Sunday that had pictures of two pieces of Pyrex online. One was a small pink one that I was more interested in but was gone by the time we go there, the other was the piece above. I actually kind of like the piece it looks oddly good in our living room and it strays a bit from the traditional Pyrex designs. I got it for 3 bucks and that included it’s shmancy warmer, score. After that we tried to find a thrift store we had passed earlier to no avail and then went to a thrift store we knew how to get to. I got a few tops there and vintage jacket/sweater. A pretty good thrift day. I’m definitely going to go back to visit the two thrift store we saw near the estate sale. Thrift stores in the suburbs/ outer metro can be gold mines.

EPIC Thrift Haul!!

So I had kind of an epic thrifting day last Thursday. Even though the Savers I visited has been open since like October I hadn’t visited until last Thursday. It wasn’t for a lack of want, just that it’s a bit far away from my usual thrift haunts and my house. Anyway after reading positive reviews on yelp I knew I had to go and give it a shot. Since both my mom and I were off last Thursday it seemed the perfect day to check it out. I wasn’t really expecting to find anything and spent most of my time looking through the clothes. Towards the end of my visit I was browsing quickly through housewares to see if there were any cool Pyrex dishes or something and there they were, two Cathrineholm pots! I had seen the pattern before, most recently on Rachel from Smile and Wave’s post about her thrifting trip to the Ozarks,  and knew they were cool and vintage. So I giddily took the biggest one and rushed to my mom to show her my bounty. Surprisingly she had no idea about Cathrineholm enamel ware, but I knew I was going to get it so I made her guard it while I tried on the small pile of clothes I was hanging onto. Later that night I went on ebay to look up the dish and found it selling online for $50-75.00, I paid $8.00. I had no idea they were so expensive. Immediately I lamented leaving the other pot. Sometimes I think too practically, ” I don’t really need two” etc.  I knew I had to go back Friday and see if the smaller pot was still there, and it was! Anyway it was a pretty epic find in my book and I’m pretty sure I’m gonna start collecting Cathrineholm from now on. I’ve seen a ton of cool ways people decorate with them on pinterest and I’m sold.

Anyway aside from the Cathrineholm I also found this large Pyrex mixing bowl. I’ve kind of started collecting Pyrex but I’m trying to limit it only to patterns and colors I like. I don’t want to become a crazy pyrex hoarder, I don’t have room/money for that.

And this cute made in Japan ceramic deer.

This haul was a bit out of the ordinary for me because I’m usually thrifting clothes and accessories, I rarely if ever get home accessories. I’ve been making a more concerted effort though to look through the home goods aisles more frequently and with a more discerning eye. I read some thrift blogs and people find amazing stuff in the home goods sections so I knew I needed to browse those more and branch out from just clothing. Guess all that “hard work” has finally paid off. In any case I’ll definitely be paying the cathrineholm Savers another visit soon, on the list it goes.

Sorry for the lack of outfit posts. I did wear clothes last week but nothing especially interesting. It’s been unseasonably warm around here (yay) but I hadn’t really put together any good warm weather outfits and couldn’t for the life of me think of any good outfits before I went thrifting. It seems in a pinch I’m not especially creative with outfits, but making lists of outfits and having them at my disposal when I just can’t think of a good outfit seems to help.  So a couple days ago I made a list of a some good warm weather outfits so I should have more outfits to post soon.