Tuesday, 20 November 2018

Thrift Store Finds

Hello! I thought you’d like to see the secondhand things I’ve found at the Thrift Store.

I won’t say “recently” as I’ve gotten behind on my thrifting posts. So, this is a bit of a catch-up, as these were things that I got a while ago, which you might have already seen being displayed around our home. Although I have lagged on these types of posts, I’ve kept a list of all that I’ve gotten, so everything will make it here eventually.

I like to show you what I’ve found in this way because (a) by highlighting examples of nice items that can be had at thrift stores I hope it encourages you to consider shopping secondhand for certain things, and (b) it helps me to edit my purchases. Since I publicly declare everything I thrift, it ought to be something nice to look at and/or be something useful!

No question, thrifting requires digging through a lot of junk (beware the items which still bear their Dollar Store price tags, going for more than they originally cost) to find the good stuff, but it need not take a lot of time. I only go once every six weeks or so, when Nick drives me to Value Village on his way to do some grocery shopping. Then, he picks me up again on his way home. So, I have a strict time limit of about an hour, forcing me to zero in on the goods and not dawdle. That’s why most of my purchases are usually housewares, as I simply don’t have the time to look through the racks and racks of clothes and try things on.

And, certainly, there are times that I go in and walk out without a single thing, but it’s the lure of the potential great finds that keeps me going back!

Now, on with the treasures! …

↑ (1) This deer figurine has joined my “Best Thrifting Finds Ever” collection. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it laying there amoungst a bunch of dusty dolls and plastic knick-knacks. I totally expected to find that it was missing a leg or an ear, but no, it was in perfect vintage condition. It was a moment of pure joy! It doesn’t have a Maker’s Mark of any kind, but I’d say that it’s from the 40s or 50s. It now lives safely behind the glass doors of our corner cabinet.

↑ (2) This second figurine, also in perfect condition, was also a happy find. It too doesn’t have a Maker’s Mark but looks very much like it could be Wade (from England) or Goebel (from Germany). It made its decorative debut in our home at Easter (as seen in this post).

↑ (3) I don’t know anything about this heavy marble apple with a brass stem and leaf, except that its deep red colour spoke to me.

↑ (4) I can tell that this ceramic jug with a metallic glaze is quite old and was used as intended, as a milk or wine pitcher, because the glaze at the top of the handle is worn off where thumbs repeatedly rubbed. Aside from what I see as a desired worn in look, it’s in excellent shape. It has joined my collection of vintage stainless steel pitchers and jugs, which sit on top of a cabinet (as seen beside the rabbits figurine in the post linked above).

↑ (5) If you’re going to bake a casserole, you might as well do it in a gorgeous cobalt blue dish, right?! Haha, when I handed this beauty, made in America by Anchor Hocking Glass in the 80s, over to Nick to replace the old chipped Pyrex one he’d been using, he looked at me with wide eyes. He was amazed I was putting it into regular rotation. He was afraid he might break it, so we talked it over, and for now, it has been put in a cupboard, reserved to be used for dinners with friends.

↑ (6) I enjoy beer so why not drink it out of a vintage ceramic stein? This one was made by Sadler of England in, I estimate, the 50s. It serves its purpose well, with a double thickness design keeping the beer nice and cold, and the horse motif reminding me of a dear horse-loving niece who lives far away.

↑ (7) Quality 100% cotton table linens always find their way into my thrift-store shopping basket. Here we have a round tablecloth that fits on our dining table, and four napkins. The cloth is unmarked and the napkins are marked Bowrings. All are crisp and stain-free. (We used the tablecloth during Valentine’s week, as seen in this post.)

↑ (8) Plant pots and an under-plate. The white one is “Milk Glass Hobnail”. These were made in America by Anchor Hocking in the 40s to the 60s. The purple one was made in Poland and is thick and heavy, much like lead-crystal is. I’m not sure how old it is. The green under-plate is a lovely smooth piece of heavy glass. I think it probably originally had a plant pot to go with it. (You can see these pieces in action in this post from Thanksgiving, if you’d like.)

Update : I’ve since discovered that the green piece is the base for a punch bowl, made by Anchor Hocking. It’s upside down in the photos. Now I’m on the lookout for the bowl part!)

That’s it for now!