Treasure Box Wednesday: Juicy Finds and Nifty Info

Greetings Fellow Thrift-a-holics! And welcome to today's Treasure Box Wednesday post. I was excited to get this one rolling for you all today because of one particular item I never imagined finding at a thrift store-- a Juicy Couture embroidered bag!

I mean, really: while I love some of the vintage inspiration and velvety fabrics on Juicy Couture handbags, I find the prices for them-- even at places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls-- end up out of my price range.

But a walk-through of the Red, White and Blue thrift store on Saturday ended up paying off big for me. Not only was the bag there, but it was a blue tag-- meaning it was half-off.
I loved that the purse was a nice usable chocolate brown. And the little shabby bow and dangling charms and crest on it, I thought were particularly cute.

I love, too, that my purchase money went to charity. A definite win-win!

I also found there these pink goblets...
It's a little hard to see the pattern, but it looked to me very much like some I'd seen on Depression glass. So I went home, checked my handy-dandy Depression Glass book and...
It IS and it ISN'T Depression glass! The pattern is called "Madrid" or "Recollection" and it's made by Indiana Glass. But the shape glass is actually completely modern, and was issued in the 70s.

Now me, I don't really mind it not being from the Depression. But it's certainly interesting information to have.

The last thing I found was this little cuckoo clock planter in turquoise. It isn't marked, but it looked like McCoy to me...
Well, I STILL don't know if it's McCoy. But in the McCoy book, there was this very similar cuckoo clock wall pocket planter...
Mine does have two holes at the bottom where possibly a chain and weights might have hung. But honestly, given my young cat Harry has been testing the physics of ledge shelves in the last day or so-- to see if an 8 pound cat can fit on a four-inch wide wall shelf with knicknacks (The rather disastrous answer here is: Um, NO.) it's probably just as well the planter has no dangly bits to tempt curious paws and jumping legs.

So, that's it for the Treasure Box today! Next post I should be able to give you an update on my friend Scoobie's livingroom transformation.

Take care! (And don't jump on any wall shelves.)

Treasure Box Wednesday: Juicy Finds and Nifty Info

Greetings Fellow Thrift-a-holics! And welcome to today's Treasure Box Wednesday post. I was excited to get this one rolling for you all today because of one particular item I never imagined finding at a thrift store-- a Juicy Couture embroidered bag!

I mean, really: while I love some of the vintage inspiration and velvety fabrics on Juicy Couture handbags, I find the prices for them-- even at places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls-- end up out of my price range.

But a walk-through of the Red, White and Blue thrift store on Saturday ended up paying off big for me. Not only was the bag there, but it was a blue tag-- meaning it was half-off.
I loved that the purse was a nice usable chocolate brown. And the little shabby bow and dangling charms and crest on it, I thought were particularly cute.

I love, too, that my purchase money went to charity. A definite win-win!

I also found there these pink goblets...
It's a little hard to see the pattern, but it looked to me very much like some I'd seen on Depression glass. So I went home, checked my handy-dandy Depression Glass book and...
It IS and it ISN'T Depression glass! The pattern is called "Madrid" or "Recollection" and it's made by Indiana Glass. But the shape glass is actually completely modern, and was issued in the 70s.

Now me, I don't really mind it not being from the Depression. But it's certainly interesting information to have.

The last thing I found was this little cuckoo clock planter in turquoise. It isn't marked, but it looked like McCoy to me...
Well, I STILL don't know if it's McCoy. But in the McCoy book, there was this very similar cuckoo clock wall pocket planter...
Mine does have two holes at the bottom where possibly a chain and weights might have hung. But honestly, given my young cat Harry has been testing the physics of ledge shelves in the last day or so-- to see if an 8 pound cat can fit on a four-inch wide wall shelf with knicknacks (The rather disastrous answer here is: Um, NO.) it's probably just as well the planter has no dangly bits to tempt curious paws and jumping legs.

So, that's it for the Treasure Box today! Next post I should be able to give you an update on my friend Scoobie's livingroom transformation.

Take care! (And don't jump on any wall shelves.)

In the Pink for a Post-Holiday Vintage Tablescape

This past weekend's bitter and snowy weather found me inside tackling all those little things I had been putting off: taking down the tree, packing up all the garland and cardboard village homes, and encouraging my very zealous kitten, Harry-- who wanted to be a part of it all-- to find himself some other more kitten-appropriate hobbies. 

I even spackled some long-lingering cracks in my diningroom walls. It's almost embarrassing when I think about how long this project had gone undone! 

But my favorite activity of the weekend was definitely transforming the diningroom decor from Christmas Lite to springy pink good cheer.
The pink, burgundy, blue and green tablecloth was a long-ago thrift store find, as was the marble and crystal candelabra which I'd painted a pearl pink.

The pinkish purple goblets were purchased years ago from either TJ Maxx or Marshalls. And as you can see I'm using the beautiful opalescent "American Sweetheart" pattern depression glass plates I got via a friend and thrifting...

On the mantle, I coordinated with a rose-printed lace mantle scarf and some of my favorite lusterware plates.

I think these all came from the Red White and Blue Thrift Store, though not necessarily at the same time.

In particular, I love the shape and pattern on this one...

This little pink luster plate is one of my most recent finds.
And I figured I'd add in this nice luster bowl I'd gotten at the Goodwill in Indiana, PA a while back. It had been so dirty when I got it, you really couldn't appreciate its pattern and shine...
A little color goes a long way to soothe the winter blues-- particularly if it's got some winter pinks and winter greens along with it!

Do you folks do any decorating post-winter-holidays, or are you pretty well sick to death of the thought of decor after all the Fa-La-La-ing Festivities?

In the Pink for a Post-Holiday Vintage Tablescape

This past weekend's bitter and snowy weather found me inside tackling all those little things I had been putting off: taking down the tree, packing up all the garland and cardboard village homes, and encouraging my very zealous kitten, Harry-- who wanted to be a part of it all-- to find himself some other more kitten-appropriate hobbies. 

I even spackled some long-lingering cracks in my diningroom walls. It's almost embarrassing when I think about how long this project had gone undone! 

But my favorite activity of the weekend was definitely transforming the diningroom decor from Christmas Lite to springy pink good cheer.
The pink, burgundy, blue and green tablecloth was a long-ago thrift store find, as was the marble and crystal candelabra which I'd painted a pearl pink.

The pinkish purple goblets were purchased years ago from either TJ Maxx or Marshalls. And as you can see I'm using the beautiful opalescent "American Sweetheart" pattern depression glass plates I got via a friend and thrifting...

On the mantle, I coordinated with a rose-printed lace mantle scarf and some of my favorite lusterware plates.

I think these all came from the Red White and Blue Thrift Store, though not necessarily at the same time.

In particular, I love the shape and pattern on this one...

This little pink luster plate is one of my most recent finds.
And I figured I'd add in this nice luster bowl I'd gotten at the Goodwill in Indiana, PA a while back. It had been so dirty when I got it, you really couldn't appreciate its pattern and shine...
A little color goes a long way to soothe the winter blues-- particularly if it's got some winter pinks and winter greens along with it!

Do you folks do any decorating post-winter-holidays, or are you pretty well sick to death of the thought of decor after all the Fa-La-La-ing Festivities?

Treasure Box Wednesday: New Year, New Thrifty Discoveries

With the winds died down, the snow in more gentle spurts and a big case of cabin fever, I finally got the chance to hit some thrift store in a mini-adventure with my eager, ever-thrifty father.

One of my very favorite items of the weekend has a rather funny story with it. 
My buddy Scoobie has a friend who is a glass fanatic like myself, and she goes to estate sales and thrifts in search of her treasures. One of which, she passed along to me through Scoobie, as the piece just didn't quite go with her stuff. It's an opalescent pressed glass plate in the "American Sweetheart" pattern, done from 1930-1936 by the MacBeth-Evans Glass Company.

Given my love of opalescent glass, I was absolutely delighted.

Then I went to a Goodwill in Irwin on Sunday and saw, in their case, its twin! It was marked $2.50, but they were having a 50% off sale. So my collection doubled in the course of a day.

The cute little unmarked vase below came from Antiques & Uniques of Bellevue. They had gotten in someone's collection of McCoy, Hager and other potteries, and I couldn't resist this piece with its art nouveau tulip pattern...
It had a few issues around the rim, but the overall design was too lovely for me to pass up.

Then there was my last and most surprising find of the weekend. This was at the Goodwill Outlet in North Versailles, parked in one of their giant bins...
I recognized it as being fairly old pottery, with that matte finish organic feel found in some of my favorite McCoy pieces. It turns out this is likely an unmarked Brush Pottery piece, from the early 1900s. 

Brush Pottery was affiliated and eventually bought by McCoy Pottery. It ceased production around 1908 due to a fire which wiped out its facilities.

And yes, those are little mushrooms and wood knots on the side of the piece.

Anyway, that marks my treasures for this week's Treasure Box Wednesday. I know I've only been posting once a week, and that's because where normally I'd have used Sunday for a second post, my dad now lives in the city, and I've been spending the day on adventures with him.

I hope to figure out a new posting schedule soon so I can get back to two posts a week. I'll let you all know once I sort it out.

OH! And one last kinda of fun thing I wanted to remember to share, even if it is a little bit off-topic... 

I just learned a short story of mine has officially been included in the Lewis Carroll Society of North America's magazine, The Knight Letter. It's a little humor piece called "Lewis Carroll Tests Out Jabberwocky." I have it online here on my humor blog, where it was published originally, if you have a moment and would like to read it.

Hope you all have a great (and non-slippy-and-slidey) week.

Treasure Box Wednesday: New Year, New Thrifty Discoveries

With the winds died down, the snow in more gentle spurts and a big case of cabin fever, I finally got the chance to hit some thrift store in a mini-adventure with my eager, ever-thrifty father.

One of my very favorite items of the weekend has a rather funny story with it. 
My buddy Scoobie has a friend who is a glass fanatic like myself, and she goes to estate sales and thrifts in search of her treasures. One of which, she passed along to me through Scoobie, as the piece just didn't quite go with her stuff. It's an opalescent pressed glass plate in the "American Sweetheart" pattern, done from 1930-1936 by the MacBeth-Evans Glass Company.

Given my love of opalescent glass, I was absolutely delighted.

Then I went to a Goodwill in Irwin on Sunday and saw, in their case, its twin! It was marked $2.50, but they were having a 50% off sale. So my collection doubled in the course of a day.

The cute little unmarked vase below came from Antiques & Uniques of Bellevue. They had gotten in someone's collection of McCoy, Hager and other potteries, and I couldn't resist this piece with its art nouveau tulip pattern...
It had a few issues around the rim, but the overall design was too lovely for me to pass up.

Then there was my last and most surprising find of the weekend. This was at the Goodwill Outlet in North Versailles, parked in one of their giant bins...
I recognized it as being fairly old pottery, with that matte finish organic feel found in some of my favorite McCoy pieces. It turns out this is likely an unmarked Brush Pottery piece, from the early 1900s. 

Brush Pottery was affiliated and eventually bought by McCoy Pottery. It ceased production around 1908 due to a fire which wiped out its facilities.

And yes, those are little mushrooms and wood knots on the side of the piece.

Anyway, that marks my treasures for this week's Treasure Box Wednesday. I know I've only been posting once a week, and that's because where normally I'd have used Sunday for a second post, my dad now lives in the city, and I've been spending the day on adventures with him.

I hope to figure out a new posting schedule soon so I can get back to two posts a week. I'll let you all know once I sort it out.

OH! And one last kinda of fun thing I wanted to remember to share, even if it is a little bit off-topic... 

I just learned a short story of mine has officially been included in the Lewis Carroll Society of North America's magazine, The Knight Letter. It's a little humor piece called "Lewis Carroll Tests Out Jabberwocky." I have it online here on my humor blog, where it was published originally, if you have a moment and would like to read it.

Hope you all have a great (and non-slippy-and-slidey) week.

Hull and Hobnail Happiness

Forrest Gump had that line about life and chocolates. But I think life's more like a thrift store. You have a wider range of serendipity. A little humor. A little "what the heck is that?" And junk or treasure, it's all in how you look at it.

Anyway, this week's Treasure Hunting took me and my shopping bud, Scoobie, around Pittsburgh's South Hills. I had had my eye on a type of Depression glass from the 40s by Anchor Hocking called "Moonstone" and this was the weekend I managed to snag a few pieces at a good price...
I'd like it noted that this was from the very same antique mall where I showed you the, um, unique example of Big-Eyed Portraiture on Sunday. Proving, I think, the truth of that adapted Forrest Gump adage I was just talking about. :)

And underlining the bit about serendipity, at the Salvation Army Superstore in West Mifflin, I came across my very first thrifted Hull vase...
Scoobie and I both spotted it at the same time and gasped, knowing full-well how expensive Hull is in any of the antique malls.

Now, I'm not going to kid you-- it does have two chips. You can see one of them on the right hand side. But honestly, sitting up on top of my china cabinet, its soft matte-finish pastels look just right in my dining room. I looked it up and the pattern's called Wildflower. I figure no one visiting will be inclined to pluck the vase from its spot and "tsk-tsk" over the chips...

And if they do-- heh-- I probably should invite them over less.

Lastly, I snagged two bright green Depression glass candlesticks at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in Castle Shannon. They don't look quite as intensely green in this pic as they are in real life...
They came out to be $5 for the pair.

Now, before I forget-- one of the Thrift Shop Romantic's regular readers, Debbie of Debbie-Dabble, had asked to see a closeup of a table in my spare room, based on a previous post. So Debbie, my friend, here is more of that sewing stand...
It's from the 70s, a Singer cabinet, which I two-toned with some of the same cottage white paint I've used elsewhere in that room. Its top wasn't great, so after I painted it, I put a Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic placemat over the top and glass over that to keep it tidy...
Here you can see the Colonial knobs were exchanged for glass knobs, and I'd added some wooden appliques to fancy it up.
Thrift stores often have old sewing tables without the sewing machines in them, and the tables still make great sidetables, with a little bit of work.

Anyway, that's it for this Treasure Box Wednesday. I hope to see you again on Sunday for our next post-- and have yourselves a chocolate-box-worthy remainder of this week!

Hull and Hobnail Happiness

Forrest Gump had that line about life and chocolates. But I think life's more like a thrift store. You have a wider range of serendipity. A little humor. A little "what the heck is that?" And junk or treasure, it's all in how you look at it.

Anyway, this week's Treasure Hunting took me and my shopping bud, Scoobie, around Pittsburgh's South Hills. I had had my eye on a type of Depression glass from the 40s by Anchor Hocking called "Moonstone" and this was the weekend I managed to snag a few pieces at a good price...
I'd like it noted that this was from the very same antique mall where I showed you the, um, unique example of Big-Eyed Portraiture on Sunday. Proving, I think, the truth of that adapted Forrest Gump adage I was just talking about. :)

And underlining the bit about serendipity, at the Salvation Army Superstore in West Mifflin, I came across my very first thrifted Hull vase...
Scoobie and I both spotted it at the same time and gasped, knowing full-well how expensive Hull is in any of the antique malls.

Now, I'm not going to kid you-- it does have two chips. You can see one of them on the right hand side. But honestly, sitting up on top of my china cabinet, its soft matte-finish pastels look just right in my dining room. I looked it up and the pattern's called Wildflower. I figure no one visiting will be inclined to pluck the vase from its spot and "tsk-tsk" over the chips...

And if they do-- heh-- I probably should invite them over less.

Lastly, I snagged two bright green Depression glass candlesticks at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in Castle Shannon. They don't look quite as intensely green in this pic as they are in real life...
They came out to be $5 for the pair.

Now, before I forget-- one of the Thrift Shop Romantic's regular readers, Debbie of Debbie-Dabble, had asked to see a closeup of a table in my spare room, based on a previous post. So Debbie, my friend, here is more of that sewing stand...
It's from the 70s, a Singer cabinet, which I two-toned with some of the same cottage white paint I've used elsewhere in that room. Its top wasn't great, so after I painted it, I put a Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic placemat over the top and glass over that to keep it tidy...
Here you can see the Colonial knobs were exchanged for glass knobs, and I'd added some wooden appliques to fancy it up.
Thrift stores often have old sewing tables without the sewing machines in them, and the tables still make great sidetables, with a little bit of work.

Anyway, that's it for this Treasure Box Wednesday. I hope to see you again on Sunday for our next post-- and have yourselves a chocolate-box-worthy remainder of this week!