Sunny Days!

The weather has been changing a lot lately, but the days are getting longer which means I get even more done.  I've planted lettuce starts, snowpeas, strawberries and there is much more to do in the yard!

I've had the best of luck on trades without even trying.  A couple items were offered in exchange for pieces of my handmade jewelry and a couple for some kitsch I had.

A trade that included an Anna Marie enameled plate and another Hocking Glass bowl in a  color I don't have was so exciting.  Sharing my Hocking glass collection on Facebook and here has meant more interest and so it makes it more competitive for me to get additional pieces.  My collection pictures have become a resource for others, but I love to share so it's something I have to accept.  Fortunately I've built relationships with people over the past couple years and they keep a lookout for me.   Finds included Pyrex 045 promotional casserole, Hazel Atlas dish and a cute little donkey.

I've been kept busy with custom orders of my handmade vintage jewelry....

And exchanges....

And I wired my test design bracelet in 935 sterling and waiting on the clasps to arrive. This piece is 8" which is too large for me so I'm starting a second one...

And as always, my days include vintage dishware in the kitchen. I've been trying to decide which direction this is going as I still feel like I have too much in the kitchen cabinets.

Even though I'm not the estate sales type shopper, I did make an exception to snag this vintage lava light for hubby for his birthday thanks to a fellow local collector who gave me a heads up!  Hubby is thrilled about it.

More pictures than words, but such is my life!  haha!

Thrift Store Find - Lefton Bluebirds

So fortunate to stumble upon this pair of Lefton Bluebirds egg cups.  Gotta love the 99 cent price tag plus 10% discount!

Time for some Finds!

We've been going out, finding some treasures and some practical things.  My most exciting piece is probably the 9.5" minty Cathrineholm bowl I got for a great price.  Hubby has been working on his tiki collection. Most Pyrex is for my trade list or reselling at a fair price to locals--gives me an excuse to continue to pick it up! But I still leave A LOT behind!

Busy Time! -- A Post in Pictures

As always, I've kept myself busy!  Hubby had a mini vacation between terms and wanted to mindlessly go thrifting.  Did I say no?  Of course not!  I also tended to the garden and tried to feed us.

I don't need to start any new collections, but I ran into 3 of these Glasbake loaf pans in one week.  They were cheap, I couldn't resist.

I traded away my Blue Tulip Pyrex dish for a box full of broken Pyrex to make jewelry with. Then I missed it.  Met up with a local and traded for one.  I also found the carafe that goes to my Hocking Glass collection on ebay.  She's beautiful

Americana Star flatware is one I've been piecing together.  I found a great deal for a set new in box on line.  This is our everyday flatware that goes with our atomic pottery dishes.  Traded for another piece that I let go and then had regrets about. Found a Desert Dawn 232 pan and hubby insisted on the Happy Apple.

This was one day of thrifting.  

Another day of thrifting, I swear I heard the angels sing when I picked up the space saver lid!  I have pretty good luck finding them.

Unmarked opal bowls, super cute donkey bank and a chenille bathroom set for my friend.

Fun stuff on this day.  The shell wall pocket is Leyden Allen Arts out of California.  I hung it on the wall with my Norcrest surfing mermaids and they look great together.   The lidded mosaic container is West Germany and it is tin.  Harmony House sugar bowl.

I've been looking for just the right things for my bedroom that I'm decorating in a '50 Asian theme.  I couldn't resist this Danbury Mint parakeet piece.  It is so life like.  

This Napco Queen of Hearts planter was a super find--she's so cute.  The frog planter has holes for hanging.  Fire King planter is perfect to hold plastic storage container Pyrex lids in my kitchen drawer.  And though the blue flower Glasbake isn't a spectacular piece, it's a shape and size is different from all my other bakeware and I've already needed to use it.

Picked up lots of Pyrex storage containers which is great, love to organize my kitchen.  Pyrex for my trade pile and the space saver was a surprise find.  Finally found my first Texas Ware bowl, not like I need any, but I've seen people pick them up right in front of me before.  This one is yellow which really appeals to me.  Now that I have one, I can rest! Hubby insisted on the (minty) Fire King Kimberly bowls.  And he's got a new huge bling ring!  haha!  My weakness for atomic pottery dishes knows no end, some pieces of Taylor Smith Taylor in the Cathay pattern.

I have the large 444 Green Ivy Pyrex bowl and have secretly been wanting the small 441 to complete the chip and dip set.  I could have traded for one several times, but shipping is not cheap in trading and I resisted.  Finally picked one up for $1.79.  

A couple Hazel Atlas bowls. The little white one could have possibly been painted at one time.  Another candle holder for my collection.

Hubby found these vintage hand painted Japanese tiles which I hung in the bedroom.  I have a set of four seasons I found years ago and also have large lotus and quail ones.  Love these.  There was Pyrex out there and the old chartreuse AT&T TrimLine phone works perfectly in our Danish modern den.  The Federal flower pieces are from a trade.  I love trading, I get such awesome things that way.

Then there were lots of vintage dishes in action.  Smoothies in Anchor Hocking glasses.

Caprese salad...

Strawberries and snowpeas from the garden...

....followed by strawberries and freshly whipped chocolate whipped cream.

Abundance of garden greens.

I have all but the opal 231, opals are one of my favorites in Pyrex dishes.

Plenty strawberries from the garden--Hazel Atlas Moderntone sherbet cups.

Another experimental grain free bread recipe and it came out great!

Sliced and on a Franciscan Oasis plate.

I have plans to do a lot of interior painting in the coming weeks.  So thrifting is going to have to take a back seat.  I think I've done enough thrifting just in the last week alone, so I am ready for a break!  

Cathrineholm Bowls - Playtime

Just some bowls from my Cathrineholm collection.

Baking, Fixing, Playing...

Busy as always.  I find time to take pictures more than I do write.

I experimented and made bread from ground sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. Not bad!

I traded for this nice Pyrex cradle that was missing the handles. I put handles from an other cradle that I had onto this one.  I almost felt like my fingernails were going to peel off while trying to remove them, but I was determined to to win the battle!

Traded for some delphite Pyrex fridiges and found another Hocking Glass dish for my collection.

Made a new Pyrex franken set.  That's always fun.

Added my new delphite to my 501 stack.

Picked up a Salem Northstar saucer and enjoyed a little tea the next day.

Great find of six Vernonware Heavenly Days tumblers.  It's been a while since I've found any mid century pottery dinneware that I like.

Hubby loves the owls ,he found this bank with large glass rhinestone eyes.

I managed to get the irrigation for all my gardens up and running before the hot weather sets in.  I bought some new house numbers that I need to put up.  My list of things to do never seems to get any shorter!