THREE!

It's officially a collection!

I now have THREE of these.

KLM (Dutch Airline) gave these to their passengers back in the day.

My newest is the one on the left. And, it was the lowest price I've had to pay so far - and - it still has the surprise inside!

Just Because

Found this plate for 40% off it's already low price (i forget exactly what that was, but it wasn't much).

I think it will nicely serve Steenstra's Santa Claus Cookies.

Fun Find

See the cute Cute CUTE cup and saucer on the left?

I found it this weekend while digging around in antique mall booths.

LOVE it's very small size, and how it is also Johnson Brother's Regency.

Cheaper. Buy a Dozen.

At least three times I've passed on this picnic basket at my local thrift store.

But, after I pointed one out to THGGM at an antique store for $39.00, we went back to the thrift store and he ran in and bought it for me.

It's different than my other dozen or so.

This one has metal handles.

It cost $5.00.

Oh, the stuff I'll be able to store in there!

Thrifty Find

Bought an old ladder today. I've always wanted one.
Well, we HAVE one, but it's a bit too useful to use for decorative purposes.
This one is perfect.
For something.
I have at least five good ideas for it.
Maybe I'll have to try all five before I settle on just one.

Three Books for Myself

I found three books for myself at the thrift store today. Also found were MANY board books for the grandchildren.

This afternoon I started reading Mr. Lincoln's Wife, and am enjoying it.

It also excited me to find Waiting for the Morning Train by Bruce Catton. The authors name caught my eye immediately. Bruce Catton? Author of all those great Civil War books I'm always looking for? Yes. Unbeknownst to me (but then, nobody tells me anything), he grew up in Northern lower Michigan in the town of Benzonia. I've read the intro and can tell I will enjoy this one, too.

The third book I only bought because I wanted the picture on the cover. Isn't it charming?

But, when I got the book home and thumbed through it, I found that I really like this one also. For 25 cents I still plan to sacrifice the cover. But I'll keep the book. It had a very nice piece from my all time favorite book, The Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge.

Simply Simple!

Now that I have a work space for myself in my basement, I'm trying to make stuff with my hoards of raw materials that I've been hanging onto for such a time as this.

So, here I give you exhibit "A".

It's a bracelet!

Made from a favorite thrifted shirt that had seen better days.

And, the empty cardboard from a roll of duct tape.

I'm not kidding when I say I keep everything.

Anyway..,

I ripped the shirt into one inch strips and wrapped it around the cardboard roll, using only plain old white glue on the inside of the roll.

It's a bit chunky. But then so am I.

Oh, The Possibilities!

Friday I thrifted a fabric scrap for 10 cents. Saturday afternoon I ripped that scrap to pieces and tied them to the straps of a kicky pair of wedge-healed flip-flops from Walmart. I cannot tell yet if I like them. But, if I decide that I don't, I'm only out a small amount of time and 10 cents!

Yet Another Great Tin

Friday I went thrift/antique shopping with a friend. I'm always SO grateful for another pair of ears that can also hear when something is calling my name.

Card Game

Stuffed into drawers awaiting transformation are a few decks of Authors. None like this one though, from the 1930's. The box is still in good condition, the deck is complete and has the look of a well used game. I like that.

Cute Tin

Another of my finds over the weekend was this candy tin with French graphics.

I especially like the pictures on the back of it.

The picture on the front is one that I already have on a very small tin tray.

I'm still looking for the perfect place to put it.

And, the treasures to store in it.

A Pair of Dutch Folk

This pair of Dutch folk marked 'occupied Japan' called out to me. They weren't the only Dutch folk to call out to me today but they had the best price. I'm all about the best price. I also found two oval embroidery hoops and thought the pair looked rather nice framed by the hoops.

I found the Dutch couple at an antique mall I heard advertised on Antiques Roadshow. It's on Blue Star Highway between Saugatuck and Douglas (closer to Douglas). Nice place. Will be going back.

Been Looking for These

Jonge has confiscated the pink gloves I have in the dress-up drawer. He calls them his superhero gloves. It's too funny.

So, when I found the white pair I knew I needed to get them for Famke. They were a dollar. I wish I had found them in time for Easter. I remember Famke's mommy wearing gloves one Easter. Next year, maybe.

Oh, and I found the ledger paper in a cool folder for me. That was only 99 cents.

In Moderation

Buttons are one of those areas where I have to reign myself in.

I really do like buttons.

So, I limited myself to these two button cards..,

and these two small jars of buttons.

I also like small canning jars with zinc lids, so it was like 'buy the buttons, get the jars and lids free!'

What a deal.

FINALLY.

Years ago I found the Spring, Autumn, and Winter of these lovely books at the thrift store. I believe I only paid 29 cents for them because they were considered to be children's books.

Today I found SUMMER!

I did have to pay considerably more than 29 cents, but still it was a deal.

And I have all four of them.

Makes me happy!

Well. Happy in the way you feel when you find something you've been looking for for a very loooong time.

More Please!

LOOK!!!

One of my best finds of the day.

I'm now the proud owner of TWO of these little Boutonniere bowls.

Note what it is resting on.

A fairly good match for the dish, I think.

It seems to me to be a card table tablecloth.

The bowl was 49 cents and the tablecloth was a dollar.

Ahhh. Today was just soooo much fun.

Ah, yes. I'm back to thrift shopping.

Something I DID learn from not going thrift shopping was how much I enjoy not having to look for places to put things.

I found this great stack of books. Don't tell THGGM, but I already have some of these. It seems that I cannot stop buying copies of The Messiah when they appear for 25 cents. This one is my third. Soon, I'll be able to start a choir.

Not pictured are a Mickey Mouse crib sheet, two carved wooden candlesticks, a very nice cut glass plate, and two dresser scarves.

Oh, and the small white pitcher pictured below.

It felt good to be back.

It's Been a Looooong Time

I made it to my favorite thrift store this afternoon!

Sadly, I did not find much.

I did find a small white pitcher for twenty-five cents.

That of course made me jumping-up-and-down happy.

I get happy like that a lot, but it really doesn't show on my face or in my demeanor. And I never actually jump up and down. No. That would hurt.

Pretty much I always just look annoyed.

I'm not sure why that is.

Anyway..,

I do use these and am always happy to see my collection grow.

Finger Puppet Store Display

The Manhattan Toy Company used this as a finger puppet display.

I think I paid about a dollar for it at the thrift store.

It holds my wooden-spool threads nicely.

Most of those came from THGGM's grandmother.

What I really like about this is that it COULD hold two spools of thread on each spindle.

Yes. It could. I'm all about economy.

A Sheet, A Curtain, or a Tablecloth?

We've had this king size flat sheet for years. It came from a fabulous sale at Yonkers. The kind of sale where they mark things with dots, if I remember correctly, and this was on a black dot sale.

I found it in the linen closet when I was looking for something else and thought it just may make a nice curtain around my work bench.

So, I washed it and threw it over my two tables in the basement to dry.

Hmm. I like it here. It isn't very practical for messy projects, but it could easily be removed for that.

So, for now it's staying as a tablecloth.

Using What I Have

Since I haven't been in an antique mall or a thrift store in 38 days I've been using my resources to make my work spaces in my basement more usable.

If I showed you the REAL before pictures you would faint. There were SO many cardboard boxes FULL of stuff it was unbelievable.

Seriously.

These cabinets have been with us for years now. Both thrift finds.

I'm still a fan of chippy white furniture, so I dragged them down here with a little bit of help.

Seeing the two sitting there side by side gave me the idea to put that old white door on top of them and slide my sewing table between the two.


That REALLY got me going, and I could not stop.

Today I slid an old linen table cloth over the top of the door and down the back.

I like the looks of that, as it is softer than a cement wall.

My sewing machine was a gift.

Everything else in these pictures?

Thrift/antique/clearance/coupon finds.

I have eleven picnic baskets.

Eleven.

I thought I only had ten, but today I found another one.

Those and wire baskets I just cannot get enough of. So great for storage!

If I get a chance, I'll try to hone in on some of the individual pieces.

Oh, and I don't sew things like clothes. Mostly just dolls, toys and things with seams that should be straight and easy but always end up crooked whenever I attempt them.