Monday, October 10, 2011

Thrifted pretties and a Happy Thanksgiving

Lots of harvesting going on in my neighborhood.
Happy Thanksgiving Canada!  I still remember driving I-90 towards New England a year or two ago and picking up a Christian radio station but the problem was... I didn't know it was out of Canada.  So... I had this Twilight Zone feeling when they were talking about Thanksgiving and it was October.  Had I somehow skipped a month in some strange alternate Universe (I must stop watching the SciFi Channel)?

Then as I listened a little longer I realized the radio waves were Canadian and not American... so I suspect many Candians would say that I was indeed in a strange Universe.  ;)


It has been a long time since I have shared some thrifted goodies.  The silver objects at Goodwill have been way too high for me lately but I was fortunate enough to stop by one day when they had the short (and squat) tea server for $3.99 and his tall coffee serving brother for $4.99.  I loved their shapes (and sparkle).


The cup and saucer is part of a few place settings of transferware I found at a friend's "knick knack" shop (my mechanic's wife).  It is part of a place setting called Royal Mail by Myott.  I have no less than four different kinds of brown transferware now making up my autumnal table settings but they work together perfectly.


The large round platter and the teapot are both Friendly Village.  I'm always on the lookout for mixing and matching dishes.  They make me happy just looking at them.  I'm hoping to find more Friendly Village or Churchill place settings and completer sets (bowls, etc.).  It's my one dish collection that I'm still working on (other than the fact that no one can have too many pretty English teacups).  :)

I don't stop by Goodwill or thrift stores often these days (my friend, Linda, told me about the Myott transferware after visiting that store) but I'm hoping to be there at the right time to find some objects... at the right price!


I was thrilled to find this vintage magazine rack at Goodwill for $3.00.  If my husband put up too much of a fuss about the "busy" decorations on it, the opposite side is just plain red.  So far he hasn't said anything...


I was reading through a Fall 2010 copy of Mary Janes Farm when I came across these gorgeous leaves.  As they fell out of the pages, I remembered the walk where I found them in New England (with Stephanie, Sarah Clarkson, and one or two of the grandchildren).

I had a frame I wasn't using (originally from Goodwill) and some scrapbook paper (ditto) so it took only five minutes or so to put together this decoration.  I keep it propped on a shelf in one of my tall bookshelves (which is why Bonhoeffer's face is peaking around the corner).


Also in a frame from the thrift store... this pretty matted print is the souvenir I brought home from Colonial Williamsburg.  I love winter scenes and this one had just been added to the collection at one of the stores when I came upon it.  Thank you, Stephanie!  It's not very big (the print is 5 x 7 and with the mat it is 8 x 10) but it looks perfect in the space where it has found a home.


I plan to eventually paint the frame black so it goes well with a previous Christmas gift from my husband... and the gift from last year (below)...


Can you tell I love artwork?  Both were purchased on after Christmas sales at my favorite downtown primitive decorations gift store.  So, technically they were not "thrifted" but they were "thrifty".  :)


Someone had asked about the red basket I keep my "most used at the moment" cookbooks in... I bought the Country Market basket two or three years ago at a Gordman's store... full price (gasp).

I think everything else in the picture is from garage sales and thrift stores except the pretty bowl (a wonderful gift from a blog friend).  It is the same pattern as the bowls my mother-in-law used to have.  The rolling pin used to be Stephanie's and the red & white potholder may have been one Linda gave me (she knew I was collecting them).  They all come together in such a way to make me smile!

9 comments:

Jodi said...

The silver tea set was an awesome thrifty score!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for thinking of our holiday. I always do a double take when magazines from the U.S. feature Thanksgiving dinner suggestions in November. (Wasn't that last month? :)

Love your decoration with the framed leaves and pretty background. That would work well with any flat keepsakes or souvenirs.

Vee said...

Always fun to see what others are finding to add to the beauty of their homes. I thought your cup and saucer was a "Mott" not remembering the "y." Do you find them often? I always like that you know that God has led you to an item because its price is so right. I like to think that about my excursions, too. How lovely of Him to care about what makes us happy.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad some of the Goodwills have reasonable prices. Ours doesn't. Even if the item is still there on the day it's color is half off they are too high. You really scored !! :) They are quite pretty! The two pictures go so beautifully together too! Every time you do a post like this it makes me itch to go and feather my nest a bit too. Now I just want to get up and move pretties around and have a whole new look! Aren't thrift stores fun?? !!! Sarah

Cheri said...

Oh, Brenda, I love the artwork. Especially the one with the red front door! Wish DH would let me paint our front door red.

Cheryl (copperswife) said...

Such lovely treasures! I love all of your artwork, too, including the leaves you've just framed.

Morning's Minion said...

It does sometimes seem that a special item is waiting just for me at Goodwill or a thrift shop--living now in a smaller house I have to be stern with myself about what I bring home!

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I love your artwork!

I have some prints of Williamsburg that I have collected - they are very inexpensive but they make me happy.....

Deanna

Anonymous said...

Dee from Tennesssee

So so soothing to my harried and worried soul -- thank you , thank you.

Brenda, if you are on fb - I am Devonia Dykes Cochran.