Setting a Vintage Table

There really is something wrong with me. The other day I went shopping with friends and had a very nice day, but found myself uninterested in the merchandise at places I used to love, like the Pottery Barn and Pier One. I found myself picking up reproduction bowls, candle holders, glassware and plates, and not only being a little shocked at the prices, but staring at thirty of the same thing on the display - knowing there were even more exactly like them in the backroom.

They felt like fakes, impostors, and I couldn't help but wonder why I would want a fake when I have found so many unique, beautiful and quirky original vintage housewares at the thrift stores, yard sales and auction houses. And often for no more than the spare change in my pocket.

So for this blog I thought I would picture having a dinner party with some of the inventory from my etsy.com shop. I could serve in unique, retro style.

I'd first offer my guests some appetizers from this tiered tray, and then pour them a before dinner cocktail in these great gambling themed rocks glasses.

And then I would bring my company into the dining room to a candle lit table with my best shabby-chic china to serve dinner.

After dinner I could serve coffee and cake with these atomic ranch style snack set.

And don't even get me started on the roasting pans, bowls and enamelware pots I could make the dinner in...ooh, another blog.

Roaming the Countryside

A cool Saturday morning dawned with me rolling out of bed into my jeans and a sweatshirt, and then heading out to meet the other blond at the end of my driveway. She picked me up in her van which was filled with not only her mother, but daughter, daughter's boyfriend and her two sisters - that's a die-hard picker family! I love it!

We were a little bleary-eyed at the early hour, and not completely clear or organized in which direction to head...its been a long winter and now that yard sales, church fundraisers and neighborhood sales are popping up, we're so excited we want to head in three different directions at once.

But we focused and steered the van eastwards to a church sale in Brogue, PA. We didn't have high hopes as it was the second day of the sale and that usually means the best stuff is gone, but we decided to give it a shot. We were right about the picking - I found one serving dish and that was it -- but it was totally worth it anyway for the beautiful drive and one of the best apple pies (handmade by one of the church ladies) that I've ever had for our breakfast, along with a fresh brewed cup of coffee.

Next was a fundraiser sale back in York where there were a few more little bits of this and that to find. Picked up a necklace I later altered with a cabachon I made from a children's book illustration.

And then came the main object of our day out, we went to the 14th Anniversary sale at our local Salvation Army where everything in the store was 50% off. Mecca was reached, the van emptied and we all scattered to find our favorite areas of the store. I was particularly happy with a set of bar glasses and a set of china I found.

The company was great, the pickin' good and the apple pie yummy...a very good Saturday morning indeed.

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Where ya been?

In my travels to find old stuff people want to buy, I come across a lot of interesting souvenirs. Some of it is more recent and not that interesting - plastic shot glasses, daiquiri glasses and key chains -- but the vintage pieces can be very nice.

I found two pieces from Cape Cod I really like. The paint on the glass has held up beautifully over the years and the napkin holder is just retro-fun.















I found these frosted Tennessee glasses at a thrift store.And these Florida Salt and Pepper shakers came from a yard sale last summer.
But the other blond's mom won for the best souvenir find with this great 1967 World's Fair glass in perfect condition...good one!


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Impersonating the Easter Bunny

The thrift store shelves are full of pretenders, lairs, phonies, tricksters...false Easter Bunnies!

She thinks we'll be fooled by those big, brown eyes, but that's no bunny nose.
Can't believe this bear eating honey thinks slapping on a pair of big ears is going to fool anyone.


OK, the Cadbury Pig...I think not.
Wait, maybe this really is the Easter Bunny...no, just the other blond!

And it was good...

The other blond and I had a rocky start yesterday morning getting out bright and early to find a yard sale and then a church sale - family members in need of care, confusion with boys getting dropped for Boy Scout activities, mom stuff -- but in the end, we prevailed and headed out in the van to the nearby town of Red Lion.

But difficulties continued as the first place on our list was a moving sale, and when we drove by, we both thought it looked a little scary - broken plastic kids toys on the porch and questionable looking characters hanging out by the front door with cigarettes dangling from their mouths -- so we passed. We chose instead to regroup at the nearest Rutters and get a cup of coffee and breakfast sandwich and realign our picking karma.

And we did...the next stop was a church sale with, same as last week, a line going out across the parking lot with people hopping from one foot to the other in anticipation. And then the church lady unlocked the doors, the angels sang and the hoards moved in and tried not to trample her.

Much as last week, I had trouble focusing at first on what I was there to do - find neat stuff -- there were just so many people and things and pushing. But what helped was that about a minute and half after I got there, I spotted a very nice enamelware roasting pan with a stand, and once I had that in my bag I relaxed, the ice had been broken. If I didn't find anything else, I would have been happy with my morning. Who am I kidding, I was happy already just getting to poke around, even with the crowds.

The next thing I found took me back to my own childhood. In my grandparents attic - the perfect farmhouse attic with requisite trunks and stacks of old books and photo-albums -- where there was a box of marionettes. I think there was a Howdy Doody and a couple others, my cousin and I would play with them for hours. So when I saw this fortune teller marionette, I grabbed her and placed her in my bag without hesitation.

There was more squeezing past people, trying not to overheat in the crush and a very long line to wait in to pay for your purchases, but it was still worth it. Some really nice items. Even on my way out, only two-people away from the check-out table, I saw this great hand-tooled leather bag for under a dollar and added it to my arm-full of stuff.
So even though its hard sometimes to juggle the mom obligations with escaping for a few hours to hunt down neat old stuff, yesterday morning worked out just fine...and the kids are all still alive and accounted for...so we're good.

Love on the Shelves

The days are getting longer, the weather...we all hope...will be getting warmer - spring is coming!

And that means all the little animals are finding their mates, and apparently not just in nature, I've noticed them pairing up on the thrift store shelves as well.

Ah, smells like love...or bacon...both good.

Awww, those lovey-dovey Germans.

Only hand holding in public, Erma.

Happy spring!

A note from the other side of my brain

As I've mentioned in my blog before, my primary creative outlet, dream, torture and love is writing fiction, but the process of getting published by a mainstream publishing house can be long and frustrating.

So after seven-years of writing regularly, and being published by a small press (see book cover/link below), last July I decided to take some time to regroup and turned my attention to my etsy.com shop. I've been enjoying rummaging at yard sales, thrift stores and church fundraisers for fun, unusual and beautiful vintage items to sell.

Then this morning a wonderful thing happened, I woke up and the first thing I wanted to do was write...that is the first time that has happened in almost a year. I wanted to say thank you to etsy.com, and my customers, for providing me with a thoroughly fun vocation and a way to give the left-side of my brain time to recharge the old creative batteries.Yesterday, these two parts of my life even overlapped when I had a convo with an etsy customer - he was interested in possibly buying a typewriter I have for sale -- and in the course of our communication found out he is a freelance writer and journalist. He suggested I look into e-books. This is something another friend of mine had mentioned only the day before, and when something like that is mentioned two-days in a row, I listen. I did some research and have found the world of e-publishing to be an exciting prospect , giving me whole new outlet to look at for my writing.

So I continue on the journey of both finding cool old stuff to put in my etsy.com site, and writing fiction - don't know where either will take me, but that's the fun part. It feels good to remember that again.