Monday, February 24, 2014

The Library - My Ongoing Project

Last week I had to turn my attention to our library.  I've been thrifting so much it has eaten into time that I should be spending on other things and I'm going to ease up on thrifting for a while.  One of the things we keep our eyes open for at the thrifts are interesting things for our in home library.  When hubby is not lecturing or in his office at the university,  he needs a place to work at home as well as a place for all his books. I made a home office for him some years ago, but the 11' x 12' room became stuffed full--overflowing onto the floor, so I decided to give him the front room which is about 17'x18' not counting the adjoining entry way and hall.  It feels so open and uncongested--what a relief!  He's loving it.  Here are some pictures.


The first thing I had to address when creating this new space was the desk.  We had an Ikea dining table in his old office.  It was larger than a standard desk, but I had to use an additional piece of furniture for the scanner and printer.  Since that room has to also double as his dressing room, there were too many pieces of furniture for my liking.  For the new library I built him a desk out of 2 old 2' wide closet doors and a couple of rolling cart/shelves we were using in the family room that I wanted to get out of there (I want a mid century credenza!!!!!)  Not only does this provide a spacious working surface, but I only had to spend a few dollars on hardware to secure it all together.  I reused the 12'x15' area rug we once used in the family room as well.


I put the desk together one day when hubby was at work.  His old room was deconstructed and repainted end of Spring and it was well into Autumn.  He didn't have a table anymore and he was pining for his old space.  I had packed all of his collectibles into boxes--I kept telling him to be patient.  When he came home the day I put the desk together--he was speechless.  Not only had I assembled the desk, but I also unpacked some of his collectibles and decorated a bit.


We pick up interesting objects from the thrifts, a certain amount are those souvenirs people buy and then get rid of.  We have found a number of pieces of reproduction Greek pottery that way. Hubby is a historian so art and history dominate in the library making it feel a bit like a mini museum.  There are things I have made for him.  His mom made this Castile Leon coat of arms latch hook from scratch. I had already made him a griffin latch hook and had all these leftover yarns that I collected from the thrift.  His mom took them and made him the Castile Leon piece, she did a great job!

This 1950s ranch has one of those built in entry way shelves...

Shelves are stuffed with books and collectibles, I try to match the collectibles to the subject matter of the books...
...but it's not always possible.  I recently picked up another bookshelf and had to shift books around a bit.

 
We call this the Asian corner. I have my own collection of Asian porcelain that is packed away, have to figure out where to put that.  Last week I hung the four Japanese woodblock prints we found recently, they surround a piece of embroidery I completed and framed.  Hubby found a second halogen up light like the other we already have.
 

We picked up this short bookshelf at the thrift last week.  There is still enough room for one more on this wall!  There is a fourth wall with fireplace and a recessed wall where I put wire shelving.  It is 12' long and 20" deep.  I mounted curtains on the ceiling in front of it.  There are two wands to pull the curtains open and reveal the shelving unit. It's a great storage space for all that other stuff, but it could become additional bookcase space in the future!

There is still more to do.  It will be an ongoing project.  I'd like to get new window treatments for the 10' window.  Currently there are mini blinds, which work, but I would like something a little nicer.  And sometimes I daydream about having a carpenter come in and constructing wall to wall bookshelves!
 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Latest Vintage Finds - Slim Pickin's

I finally scrounged up enough finds to bother with posting.  Thrifts are pretty dry right now which means I spend more time looking for practical things like GU10 light bulbs that I really needed (and I found some!)  Here are some of the highlights of my finds!


This was probably the most exciting of all my finds.  Even the box is cool!  It is the box for an Acon range finder camera made between 1956-1958 and it is in excellent condition!  Inside the box is this...


A collection of vintage German glass glitters, some green poly glitters and pink and white loose flocking. I love all the glass bottles--the little ones are about an inch an a half tall.


And old envelope from Favor, Ruhl & Co.


With silver glass glitter inside.


I was on the look out for a caddy for the 8 vintage glasses I got last week.  I got one that I thought was pretty nice.
But then I discovered one of the glasses was slightly smaller and wanted to slip out the bottom!  I decided to keep this one anyway.  I'd like to get a mixed set of glasses for everyday.  That way as they break we can buy new ones.
 

Didn't take me long to find this one.  It has a nice wood handle and I like the chevron design.  I also found a couple Prolon serving bowls in turquoise.

These have the same shape as my Vernonware pottery bowls.  

Hubby found these little guys...
They are pottery craft by "Rose V." bless her heart.  She should be pleased to know that her handicraft is in a home that loves it.  There is a small glass marble in the eye of the smaller fish, we may go for putting rhinestones in--have to see how that looks.  They are only about 3" and 4", the larger one is a wall planter, I'll put some faux-liage in it.

I'm going to link with Sir-Thrift-A-Lot at thriftasaurus, surely there is more going on over at the thrifting party than here on my blog! 

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Changing up my Pyrex Display - Something Neutral

Just yesterday I posted what I currently had on my kitchen peninsula as I was itchin' to see something different.  And today I changed it up! 

Have I said recently how much I love my Pyrex!??

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Pyrex on my Counter! -- Friendship!

I just had to take a picture of my Friendship collection to date.  I'm using my Primary 402 red mixing bowl until I maybe find a Friendship 402 some day.  I've had this collection on my peninsula for about 6 weeks now, I think.  I'm ready for something different, not sure what, but I'll probably change it tomorrow!


Above this counter is a pendant fixture that has 5 UFO shaped lights hanging at different levels.  At night, I dim them to just the right brightness and it makes the reds and oranges glow!  Wish I could capture that with my camera.  It makes the kitchen feel very warm, especially during the cold winter months.


Sunday, February 9, 2014

French Onion Soup - Pink Pyrex and Vernonware!

I'm having too much fun with my new pink Pyrex collection that I moved into the kitchen.  Today I made French onion soup, just had to snap a picture!  I wish I had better lighting, but oh well.  If you aren't familiar with Vernonware, it's vintage pottery dishware from California.  The bowl pictured is called a 'chowder bowl'.  Because it is in the foreground, it looks twice as big as it really is.  This bowl goes to the Tickled Pink pattern.  Some of the pieces have a pattern and some are this speckled pink.  I picked up just these oval/eclipse shaped bowls in both pink and blue, the blue are from the Heavenly Days and Anytime patterns.


Friday, February 7, 2014

Great Week! Anthropomorhpics, Franciscan Starburst, Fire King and Lots o' Pyrex!!!!

My hunting the first few days this week produced some exciting finds, downside was some were a bit on the pricey side for the thrifts.  But sometimes we just gotta bite our lip and pay up!  Here's probably the most exciting find (outside of Pyrex!)  I'm glad I got these finds especially since we have a snow storm and I probably won't be able to go out for a few days.

Aren't these sweet!?  I'll have to give hubby credit for spotting them first.  Can't find a maker on these anthropomorphic salt and pepper shakers marked Japan.  I can find them on the net, but no one seems to know who made them.  There are different color variations, I'm so happy that I got a set that not only has one with eyes open and one closed, but also are in pink and blue!


I told the clerk I needed to run and drop off my donation to get a 20% coupon, even then the set was still over $10 which is the most I've ever spent on salt and pepper shakers.


Another nice find at the same store were these Fire King bowls.  Again, priced high.  I only got 10% off the original price--still over $5 a bowl.  Ouch!!!!  But I knew if I didn't get these I would regret it later.  I have the coffee mugs in the pink/white with the gold trim--I've seen the coffee mug in the turquoise before. Oh how I would love some of those too! These bowls are in excellent shape, otherwise I would have just left them.

And I'm a bit freaked out-- know that sounds melodramatic, but I found two pieces of Franciscan Starburst AGAIN!!   I go years without finding a piece in the wild and then in 8 days I pick up 3 bread plates and a cup at different stores in different towns.  Anyway, got these two minty butter plates for 89 cents each! How I would love to find more!

I also found a buddy for my blue puppy Jean-Claude, well, that's what I'm calling him.  I found this sweet long bodied deer salt shaker for 89 cents.

I'm posting at Pyrex Collective III today as it doesn't look like I'll be out to find anything before Sunday. The snow keeps coming down.  You can see my exciting haul here.

Linking up with Sir-Thrift-A-Lot at thriftasaurus!

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Changing Up My Pyrex Display - Pink!

Yay!  For the first time I finally have enough pink Pyrex worthy of displaying and I'm loving it!  It's also enough for everyday use--I don't have to mix it with another color.



Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Pyrex - Lazy Girl's Chicken

For whatever reason, I was a bit slow going today.  I cook everyday, and some days it feels like a real chore. Today, the thought of anything that required too much prep and cleanup was making me roll my eyes.  So I decided to do one of the easiest things I make that comes out great and we both really enjoy.  While I was in the middle of making this, I had a Pyrex moment and grabbed my camera.  I'm not one to look up and follow recipes, too much work.  So I'll even tell you how I make it because it is way too simple!

I cooked a lasagna pan full of frozen chicken wings on 375 for 1 hour.  While that was cooking I poured about 1.5 cups of heavy cream into a small pot and thoroughly mixed in a spoonful of ready to use curry paste.  I heated that on low while the chicken cooked.

After one hour of baking, I transferred the chicken from the lasagna pan into a 2 quart (024) Pyrex dish.

I poured the cream sauce over the chicken...

...covered the chicken and put it back in the oven at 275 degrees.

I let it bake 1 hour and stirred it to make sure the chicken was all coated.



Put it back in the oven. Turned it down to 250 degrees and got ready to go thrifting. Left it in the oven for 2 hours while I was out shopping. Here it is after 2 hours in the oven.

 
Came home and removed all the bones with a couple forks and garnished with chopped green onions.

 
So this took 4 hours.  But the chicken is actually cooked after the first hour.  These long slow additional hours ensure the chicken will come off the bones. We had this chicken over steamed broccoli.


Another variation is to use Hawaiian barbeque sauce!!  I don't know the brand, we buy it at the Asian market--oh my gosh it's so good!

Forecast is calling for snow--not good.  Possible icy roads and snow isn't conducive to thrifting, especially when you have the type vehicle that doesn't take kindly to those conditions.  Hubby called late afternoon and said "be ready".  He said we might not be able to thrift for a couple days or so depending what happens with the weather.  So we did.  Fast and furious.  If I can't got out tomorrow, I have plenty of Pyrex finds to clean to keep me busy.  Oh I can't wait for Monday's Pyrex Collective III post!!!



Sunday, February 2, 2014

It's Not Pyrex But it's Atomic!

Seems that the Pyrex gods have turned me over to the Federal gods this week!  I didn't have any opal Federal glass until a few days ago when I posted my Atomic Dots find.  Today, when I was in the store and there wasn't a lick of Pyrex or anything else interesting in the way of vintage opal glass, I wandered through a couple other kitchenware aisles.  Well, well, somebody moved these babies over to the silverware and pans section!


And yes, I giggled when I picked them up and went to hunt down hubby.  He cracked me up--he's like "where did you find those?????" He looked absolutely puzzled.  I told him where I found them--I think he was bummed he wasn't the one to find them so he could surprise me.  And price, $3.50 and $4.50--very doable!

I'm going to hop over to  Pyrex Collective III and post my Pyrex finds from last week!

Practical Thrifty Finds!

My main focus when I go  into the thrift store is first on vintage things I collect.  I have a list of practical items I keep a look out for like vacuum cleaner bags, household things like light bulbs, dusting clothes etc. One of the things we have found at the thrift are cardboard coasters.  These are a staple in our house.  One of those things I grew up with (like house shoes) and even hubby has become accustomed to using them through the decades of our marriage.  Those coasters I've picked up haven't worked out, they get moldy and don't last very long, so we use them only a short period of time.

My friend asked me what I wanted her to bring me back from her trip to Germany and I said 'deckels'.  She brought me some from the various establishments they dined at and we used those until they disintegrated!  Well, yep, when hubby was bored waiting for me to finish looking at stuff at one of our dry thrifts, he came to me with this!
This is great! Two packages of German restaurant deckels, each have 100 deckels in them!  And the Paulaner is special to me--I have many memories and connections to Munich.  Thrift price of $3 a stack was a little shocking, but they will last us a long long time! (Do I sound cheap?)

One of my other practical items I've been on the look out for is an everyday set of drinking glasses.  Naturally, I don't want just any drinking glasses, I want something that would go along with my dishes. I don't look every time I walk into a thrift, but I did today and found some I couldn't pass up (even if I thought they were priced high).
I don't know that they are old.  They have that 50s kind of feel.  There are 8 of them -- it was nice to get so many at once.  I think they go great with my Grant Crest Tempo and Vernonware pottery dishes as well as my Fire King mugs!

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Vintage Finds and a Pyrex Purchase

It is really slow at the thrift stores for hubby and me.  In fact, we decided last night that there are some we are going to skip for a while because they seem to suck the life out of us.  Those stores that don't rotate inventory and just let the same junk that no one is buying, sit on the shelves for weeks and months, make you walk away feeling demoralized.  Coupled with things being overpriced at those thrifts, instead of having fun, you just have a negative experience.  So we'll stick to the better thrift stores for a while.

We found a few fun things the past couple days...


So hubby isn't feeling this one .  I love it.  It's a candle holder for a big pillar candle.  It's a good 7" tall.  It has the Mary Richards, Rhoda Morgenstern kinda vibe.  It's green over dark turquoise pottery, marked Japan on the bottom.  I thought it was kinda spendy for the thrift, $3.60, but I had to have it.  I passed it up one day and the next I decided I needed to take it home.

Whenever I'm fortunate enough to run into vintage craft kits, I pick them up.  I could complete this kit, but I opt for using the supplies in my own mid century design.

Yeah, Pierre the poodle isn't a picture I would have a place for. This 1962 Mosette kit had the braid already applied to the board, I pulled it off.  I'll reuse the board--it's nice that this board has a wood frame already attached.  The crushed marble is all still in unopened packages.  I have another Mosette kit that was unopened--more crushed rock for my stash! Love the graphics on the box.

Hubby has some mini collections, just stuff he has run into that he really likes.  Here is one of them.  The new addition is the Goebel Friar Tuck pepper shaker.  We got the set, but the salt shaker is pretty beat up.


Then there is some kitsch that's too cute to leave at the thrift store...

...like this little Napco racoon.

Those who follow me on Pyrex Collective III know of my Pyrex hoard.  I'm pretty deep in it to say the least.  So much so, it's getting harder for me to find things at just the thrifts that I don't have or really want.  So...I'm looking more at antique and vintage malls for some of those things I need towards sets (that aren't outrageously priced).  On my third visit to one antique store and checking out a couple missing bowls I needed, I finally picked them up.

My Daisy nesting bowl set is now complete.  I picked up the two solid color bowls and I'm so happy.

The sun is shining today, we'll go out and snoop around a little after lunch.  See if anything new hit the shelves this morning!

I'm linking up at Sir Thrift-A-Lot's party at Thriftasaurus