ABCs III

Yes, I stopped in the thrift store the other night. Are you surprised? I needed a pick-me-up, and it was on the way to Starbuck's, where I was headed to finish reading my book from book club. I found two great things that I bought and one beautiful/gross one that I did not.

I would make this into a game, but I'm afraid the choice on this one would be pretty obvious. So instead, we'll add to the alphabet game started here and here. Twenty-three down, three to go. (O, X & Y.)

L is for Lost, as in, "Like many of the characters on the hit TV show Lost, the 70s kitten ring holder seems to have a multi-dimensional existence and travel through space and time." Molly found one of these on Wichita thrifting excursion, and I was so jealous. But patient. I was jealous and patient because I knew that someday Miss Kitty would find me. And she did. And our friend Julie has one as well. I'm convinced they are all actually the same ring holder, but we are simply experiencing it from different perspectives in time. N'est-ce pas?

U is for utopianism, as in, "Russel Wright's American Modern bean pot in cedar green truly expresses the designers dream of utopianism for the bourgeoisie hostess." I had to 'phone a friend' on this one. I have a passing familiarity with Wright and his best-known designs, but the marking on this piece was faint (I thought it might be a second) and the color unfamiliar (I thought it might be a reproduction.) But, a quick e-mail to Scott at Ars Longa, my expert on all things Wrightian (and Eamesian, it appears), confirmed that with American Modern the imprint is often faint or nearly invisible and also that this pot is cedar green. Did I mention its mint? And for less than the price of a value meal at McDonald's? Yes, I'll have fries with that.

V is for vacillate, as in, "This bizarre plastic tooth holder and bank, which was obviously used, caused me to vacillate wildly between excitement and nausea in the store. The frisson was dangerous and electrifying." Seriously, it was disturbingly beautiful. But I couldn't buy it, it just wasn't humanly possible.

Climmmmmb Every Mounnnnnn-tain

I stopped into Goodwill today, on the way home from picking up the dry cleaning. There wasn't a lot, but I did see a salad set I got rid of several years ago in white (I had it in orange) and some other small treasures.

As I scanned the shelves, I passed this burnt orange box with the Hallmark logo imprinted on the bottom, so small you could have almost missed it. I thought to myself, "Probably just some crappy, ugly greeting cards," but my thrifting spirit guides said, "IT COULD BE SOME CRAPPY, UGLY GREETING CARDS!" Of course, they meant good ugly and I was thinking bad ugly. So I opened the box to find, some amazing cards: two decks of cards in complementary patterns. Lovely. Playing cards, not greeting cards. With a matching score pad.

As I've said before, you have to be an investigative thrift shopper. You can't assume the contents of a box are what its exterior advertises. Look in every box. Pick things up to see what is underneath them. Shop with your hands as well as your eyes. And keep wet wipes in the car.

And yes, I stood in the store and counted both (complete) decks. Always listen to your spirit guides.

You Never Know What You'll Find at the Thrift Store...

...maybe a cat in the sofa you bought? For real.


Cat found in used couch is reunited with owner

March 13, 2009, 9:51 p.m.

The Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. - The mysterious mewing in Vickie Mendenhall's home started about the time she bought a used couch for $27.
After days of searching for the source of the noise, she found a very hungry calico cat living in her sofa.
Her boyfriend, Chris Lund, was watching TV on Tuesday night and felt something move inside the couch. He pulled it away from the wall, lifted it up and there was the cat, which apparently crawled through a small hole on the underside.
Mendenhall contacted Value Village, where she bought the couch, but the store had no information on who donated it. So she took the cat to SpokAnimal CARE, the animal shelter where she works, so it could recover, and contacted media outlets in hopes of finding the owner.
Sure enough, Bob Killion of Spokane showed up to claim the cat on Thursday after an acquaintance alerted him to a TV story about it. Killion had donated a couch on Feb. 19, and his 9-year-old cat, Callie, disappeared at about the same time.

Done

The new egg plate and some other collected kitchen art has finally been hung, right above the sink. Now all I need to do is find a place for my 'Good Morning Brian' plate and all will be right.

Egghead

A few posts back I mentioned I was looking for one additional 70s-inspired kitchen item to complete the arrangement that was intended to go above the sink. Found it: a far-out 70s egg plate which matches some coasters we have that say, 'wet.' I can't find them, but will post when they resurface. Strangely, this egg plate only holds ten deviled eggs. I guess that means you can eat two whole eggs (four halves) in the kitchen before you put them out for your guests! I've talked about deviled eggs on bigYELLOWbowl and the interesting parties we had where Molly would divide them among the guests in my post about pan-fried deviled eggs.

But, not only does this complete the arrangement for above the sink (I'll give you an installation view once its all hung.), but it also means I have a collection of egg plates. That's right, reader, three egg plates and as you all know: (repeat after me) "three is a collection."

The first plate is from the set of Canonsburg Temporama which features all kinds of great accessory and serving pieces. I call this the 'wedding china,' to differentiate it from the Metlox Shore Line, which is called 'the good china.' The Temporama egg plate is very specific in its use: for deviled eggs served when using the Temporama. It doesn't get mixed in with other things.

The second egg plate is pressed glass and has some lovely details. Since it's clear and glass, it is general in its use and can be mixed in with any matter of materials. It is the chameleon of egg plates.

The new egg plate, which will be decorative in use, could also be tossed into a very casual serving mix if you only had ten eggs. Otherwise, it will just hang on the wall and tell the world what it is. Egg.

Ice Bucket for the Seasons

You probably have one ice bucket. Do you use it? Is it the ubiquitous deco one with the penguins on it? I used to have that one, but discarded it at some point during the migrations. The other day, I spotted one missing the actual lid (many are) which had been replaced by a glass lid. Very funny.

Of course, I think at our house we probably think about ice buckets differently than you might. Reader, do you have one for every season? We had an ice bucket for fall, one for winter and another for spring. But summer, summer was missing. As luck would have it, the perfect summer ice bucket presented itself this weekend and I now have an ice bucket for summer, fall, winter and spring. And I'm happy to present them to you here, now that the collection is complete.

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Spring Bar

I am ready for spring. I am ready for vegetables from the farmer's market, shorts and sandals. And spring and summer drinks. So, I decked the bar out in some springier barware. It made me feel better, despite the snow falling outside. Ugh.


Little Indy Thrift

A little thrift shopping in Indy weekend before last landed some fab finds:

A new creamer and sugar for everyday use. Read more about my c&s problems here and here.

A lovely little tidbit server in pink and gray plastic. Pink is the new robin's egg blue, but only this pink or fuchsia. No others will do.

An amazing ice bucket with red sailboats, which completes the collection of seasonal ice buckets. But more about that later.

A lovely little plastic creche. Hmmm...

Do as I Say, Not as I Do

I'm not sure what I was thinking.

In my defense, the only thing I can say is that it has been a very long week. We stopped into the Goodwill last night and I saw this fantastic lamp. It's white ceramic with a cutout pattern overlaid with a cherry tree in full bloom. The interior is lined with white paper and there is room for a bulb inside. It sits on black wooden base, but had no shade. It was $2.99.

And I didn't buy it. Why?
  1. We have been talking about needing an extra lamp for the bedroom to go on the dresser, but how could this white ceramic thing with a space for a bulb ever serve that purpose?
  2. Both the other lamps have white ceramic bases in the shape of logs with black shades, so why would I ever want another lamp with a white base?
  3. I have looked at lamps at Tuesday Morning and elsewhere for about $60, how could I possible spend less than $5?
  4. The style of the bedroom is Asian-ish, reflected in the Chinese-red screen-like headboard and giant peony fabric curtains, so of course this vase-like lamp with cherry blossoms on it couldn't fit into that idea.
  5. I guess I didn't think about those things and just walked away, in other words: out of my mind.
Huh? Yes, I walked away. And woke up in the middle of the night screaming.

Luckily, my shopping karma is pretty good and when Mitchell stopped by the store on the way home, it was still there. I need to find/make a shade, but otherwise it is absolute gorgeous. One of my favorite finds ever.

Do not hesitate. I repeat: do not hesitate. It will be your downfall.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Saturday's thrift shop thrift stop yielded a small bounty:

Friday, I had said, "What we really need is a small shelf in the hall for our landing strip." You know, the place for keys, wallets, mail and other things you pick up and put down as you come into the house. We have been using the ice bucket on the bar and it just looks junky. What did we find? A small shelf that will be a perfect landing strip. Of course, it's gold and will have to be painted. Orange!

Yes mother, I know I made you get rid of all of your Home Interiors decor items. Context, it's about context: one person's junk pile is another person's high style!

One of the few things destroyed in the move was the lovely white parrot that moved around the house, like birds are want to do. Sometimes he was on the entry table, other times in the bird cage. He is gone. But, the universe sent a replacement!

This sign seems like it should hang over the round kitchen table in your grandmother's kitchen. While it is not going in my dining room, I am going to hang it over the kitchen sink with a couple of other seventies-vibe kitchen decor items. Universe! One more, please.

Mitchell has a slight obsession with the lovely metal tins which you used to buy filled with treats, sweets or candies. This one has a hinged lid and is a great addition to the ever growing collection.

The Reveal: Thrifty Threads Mystery

I was very excited to see how many of you proffered a guess as to what I bought on my last trip to Thrifty Threads. I think if I were still living in my house in Austin, I probably would have bought it all, but downsizing and lack of space has caused me to be even more selective than I was trying to be in Texas. Let's have a rundown of those fabulous choices again...

The dishes got one 'second guess' from a reader. I did love these, but ultimately I decided they wouldn't mix well with any existing china.

The fish plates got three votes. They were adorable and if they had cups along, I probably would have snatched them and ran.

The pile of blue ceramic fruit got three votes. I am definitely in the market for a pile of ceramic fruit, but even with a blue color scheme in my house, I'm not sure I want to limit myself.

The wooden leaf tray got two votes. A lot of people seemed to really love it. I guess I should have bought it and saved it as a present for a lucky person.

The ice cream plates got one vote. I did really like these and they would certainly brighten up the table during these dark times, but there were only four.

The Pyrex gravy boat got two votes. I was surprised it didn't get more, considering my awful and often-confessed obsession with Pyrex. Plus, look at that handle. Perfection. And it comes with an under plate. But, sadly no.

The daffodil tile got zero votes. Funny, because I was actually holding onto this as I approached the cash register. But, the crack made me say no.

The chair got one vote. Fabulous as the fabric is, Molly was right: there is no room at the Inn and the Manger is pretty darn full as well.

Of course, looking back at the post I spotted my 'tell.' I'm surprised no one else noticed it: pidgin French. When I start writing about something and getting excited, I start throwing out "n'est-ce pas," "mais oui" and "zeut alors" like I am walking down the Avenue des Champs Elysess. I think the other tell is probably when I start addressing you as 'reader,' in that sanctimonious tone I sometimes use. I did like reading all the justifications for your guesses, very fun. But, only one person got it right.

I waffled on these, because of the fuchsia. I thought they didn't go well with my other things, but sometimes reader, it is all about contrast. And they definitely contrast with the Temporama, and give a little 'pop' of color to the china cabinet that makes everything look better.

Scott, I don't think I have a prize fabulous enough for you. But, I will think of something. You probably want the salt and pepper, don't you?

Thrifty Threads Mystery

I found the equivalent of St. David's Next-to-New in Indy, called Thrifty Threads and run by an auxiliary in the area to benefit the Julian Center. They have all kinds of wonderful dishes, furniture and clothes. It's not organized quite as well as St. David's, but I did find all sorts of things to consider buying: and one item that I did buy.

Vote for the item you think I bought and I'll reveal the winning item after the new year--plus send a special prize to those who voted for it.

Item #1
This set from Mikasa was decorated with a lovely pink leaf design and had cups, saucers, berry bowls and soup bowls.

Item #2
This diminutive set of hostess plates would be perfect for some little nibbles--and what is more fun and whimsical than a little fish?

Item #3
Reader, you know my passion for wooden fruit, but do you know how I feel about stacks of ceramic fruit? And the blue would look lovely in my living room, wouldn't it?

Item #4
Almost everything arrived safely from Texas, but my large leaf-shaped tray was broken while I was unpacking and sorting. Could I have replaced it with this?

Item #5
This lacquer-ware salt and pepper set is much more fuchsia than in the photo, but they are still intriguing objets, n'est-ce pas?

Item #6
You know I love specific-use items, and these ice cream dishes have a distinctive 70s flair.

Item #7
Molly was shopping for a gravy boat last week and I think she might have loved this one. I have several that match specific patterns, but none for general use. Plus, you know how hard it is for me to resist Pyrex.

Item #8
What better way to chase away the winter blues than with a daffodil trivet? The graphic sensibility is certainly appealing. Plus, it can hang on the wall, saving valuable counter space.

Item #9
The David Hicks-style fabric on this chair would look great in my bedroom, and I think I could paint the woodwork.

So reader, which item do think made it home?

Thrifting ABCs (Part Deux)

A second installment of the very famous and much-discussed post, Thrifting ABCs. Look for the final installment (only six letters to go!) in the near future and, of course, a reprise of the entire alphabet. Maybe a book deal? Don't you think children would love it?


E is for elegance, as in “Burnt-orange colored phones are a true mark of elegance and refinement.” I don’t have phone service, but still need a one to work the callbox in my building. This beauty does the trick.


I is for indispensable, as in “A killer collection of glass jars with amazing designs on them is really indispensable to day-to-day existence.”


K is for killer, as in “That wood bowl with spoon is going to look killer on the coffee table filled with M&Ms.” Can you have too many wood accessories? I don’t think so. I have platters, large and small, but this unique and funny dish is a wonderful addition to the collection. Killer.


M is for mine, as in, “Hands off that avocado Tamac casserole, bitch! It’s MIIIINE.” Honestly, that didn’t happen. I don’t think anyone else walking by even knew what this wonderful piece of pottery was, so I got it for a song. Some might consider Tamac’s odd, organic shape a little ugly and its colors a little gauche. Not me. It’s genius and it’s mine.


Q is for quixotic, as in “Quixotic kids covet all cool china.” Whatever. We have a two-plate rule: if you find a cool china pattern, there has to be at least two plates in order to buy it. Because of that, we have a huge ‘set’ of matching plates for dinner and always have something different to eat off of. Thankfully, the ‘two-plate rule’ does not apply to salad, bread or dessert plates and I have no intention of amending it anytime soon.


R is for really, as in “Really? REALLY? You aren’t collecting decorative tin platters and canisters? I took all of my money out of the stock market and put it into tin platters and canisters. It’s much more stable.” It’s actually more in canisters, but this little dish matches one of those, so it makes a nice addition to the portfolio.


Z is for Zen, as in “Zen is not a design-style you idiot, it’s a philosophy. Everyone in-the-know says Asian-ish.” A killer faux-bamboo ceramic box is the quintessential definition of Asian-ish.

Unmarked (but still Briard)


The obsession with Briard continues and there is no end in sight. In one of the basement displays at the Vigo County Historical Society, I spotted a set of Georges Briard enamel canisters and was told that a company here (still in existence) had been producing enamel ware for over 100 years, including these. So, I'm on the lookout.


Meanwhile, Mitchell found this lovely tray with a geometric design. It screams Briard in style and shape, but is missing the curvy signature that is found on almost all of his work. But, the remnant of a sticker on the back confirmed it: classic Briard. Well loved and slightly used, it's still a beaut.

Why does the birdcage sing?

There hasn't been a lot of good finds at Goodwill lately: just a lot of holiday junk. But Mitchell found this wonderful birdcage, which matches the one I found in Austin. (Just so you know, the Terre Haute cage was 75% cheaper than the Austin one.) Apparently, the previous owners of the new one had it hanging, because there is a little bit of color discrepancy between the top and bottom, but it's still lovely and the matched set is going to look stunning.

We have a light in the first one, so they may both become some peculiar lamps in our new thrifted apartment.

And God Said...

....let there be platters. And there were. And they were good.

Okay, so I counted up all the platters after the reference I made a couple of posts ago. I have a lot of platters, but I'm not embarrassed about it so you shouldn't be either.

1 large Russel Wright platter in chartreuse, square
1 medium Russel Wright platter in coral, rectangular
1 large Temporama platter, roundish
1 small Temporama platter, roundish
2 large Metlox Shoreline platters in Wet Sand, rectangular-ish
10 china platters, round or oval
1 glass platter, round (matches the hostess set I got inherited from Barbara)
3 kitchen glass platters, round
3 large plastic platters, rectangular
3 medium plastic platters, square or rectangular
4 china platters, rectangular
4 wood platters, assorted shapes and sizes
2 metal platters, rectangular
----------------------------------------------------------------------
36 platters, total

That's not so bad, right? I bet you have more, right?

Thrifting ABCs

Okay, I'm WAY behind on everything and wanted to get a few updates done, so I've mashed together recent finds and sitings like a greatest hits list for your pleasure.

A is for art, as in "Don't just think about prints and paintings, string art can be just as satisfying." This Mandala is signed by the artist on the back with wishes for a happy and joyful life. It's in mint condition and currently acting as the body halo for one of my Virgin Mary statues. No joke.

B is for Boss, as in "This set of bookends is truly boss." Too boss for me, I didn't buy it.

C is for Chinese children, as in "Aren't fat little Chinese children a great decorating motif?" Mitchell brought these back from his trip to Omaha/Wichita and they are a wonderful white porcelain set with two boys and two girls.

D is for don't buy this pattern of Pyrex, it's really ugly, as in "Don't buy this pattern of Pyrex, it's really ugly." Or go ahead and buy all of it because no one else is, this has been sitting on the shelf of Next-to-New for months. Maybe if you stock up on it now, it will eventually reach 'ironic collectible' status and you can sell at a profit? Personally, I believe this "Federal" pattern is one of the worst, perhaps third only to the "wheat" and "Dutch farmers" patterns. I admit to owning some of the latter, but only in acceptable shapes and sizes. What makes them acceptable and desirable while most of it is awful? Reader, if you don't know, there are some things which simple cannot be taught.

F is for food warmer, as in "Today's modern, electric food warmers make entertaining simple and carefree for every hostess." This one is a super-sized model with a design by the one and only Georges Briard. The gold is slightly worn in places, but I purchased it for a song.

G is for gold, plaster Last Supper statue, as in "My, that gold, plaster Last Supper statue sure does look great on your mantle." But not on mine. Super-kitschy and certainly desirable to some, I had to pass on this little treasure.

H is for 'huh?', as in "Huh? What are those anyway?" I have no idea. When I picked them up, I thought they were S&P, but the small whole on top only goes about 1/4 of an inch down. They're very heavy and produced by Dansk. The bottom have a little wedge cut out of them which allows for them to sit straight or at an angle, as displayed above. If you have some idea or would like to proffer a guess, please feel free.

J is for jealous, as in "I'm sure you must be jealous of the major collection of Georges Briard accessories that I'm accumulating." This one, called Persian Garden, is a great addition to the den. The gold design in in perfect condition and it's just the right size for the end table.

N is for next, as in "The next hot decorating trend is going to be bowls of wooden fruit." This was my second purchase and there was a third set I passed up a while back which had all painted pieces of fruit--I am still kicking myself. My advice to you: never, ever pass up the opportunity to purchase a set of wooden fruit. Never. The two sets I currently have look great next to one another on the coffee table. Promise.

P is for photography books, as in "You can never have too many photography books in your collection." This crazy book contains wonderful photographs of the grand old houses of Louisiana. It's from the 1950s and the text is so flowery and sweet that it will leave a saccharine taste in your mouth. Skip the text and just enjoy the photographs.

S is for Schonwald, as in "Schonwald china from Germany is some of most boss dishes you can buy." I heart this pattern. I mean, really really heart it. It's simply amazing, but they have an astronomical price on it and, as you know, I don't really need another set of dishes. But I will freely admit that if it were cheap, I would buy it immediately. I have several pieces of Schonwald in my collection already and I jettisoned several other things with the move to Texas, including the most delectable biscuit barrel you have ever seen. Keep your eyes out for Schonwald because almost all of it is delicious.

T is for tray, as in "The pattern of this Georges Briard tray is too boss for words." And it looks great next to the Lucite-mounted coral that Jennie gave me a while back.

W is for waffle maker, as in "What kind of rich-ass lady owned such a fancy waffle maker?" The lid is painted porcelain and I'm sure matched some other kitchen accessories, but I had to pass it by. I already have a waffle maker and this one, though amazing, just wasn't my style.

Now you know your ABCs, oh won't you come and shop with me?

Chandelier...interrupted.

I posted a while back about my sweet chandelier find and how I painted it black to really make it pop as you walked into the room. I kept looking at it though, and thinking about the white fake candle covers. You know I love faux, but these really just kind of stood out and took away from the overall gestalt of the fixture. (Yes, I just used gestalt to talk about a decorating element. Get used to it.) I pondered the problem and then finally thought: electrical tape! I covered the white plastic with a thin strip of black electrical tape which bring another texture to the light, but still unifies with color.

Before:

After:
What do you think? A little goth, right? And a whole lot edgier. Now about those chairs...