Some sights from a weekend flea market adventure with friends in Arundel, Maine. The aisles and booths of which are so full of oh so many...
:: old
:: funny
:: random
:: strange
:: beautiful
:: and lovely things.
A few little treasures - just a few - sang out to come home with me (can you guess?). I love the song they sing.
The fairies of thrifting threw a little sunshine my way yesterday.
Yellow!
at the Cabot Mill in Brunswick, Maine.
So very much for the eye to take in amongst the piles and stacks at a flea market. I could wander there all day dreaming of what once was and what could still be...
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I've just realized that this week marks four years of blogging for me here in this space. FOUR years. 4. Oh my, that just sounds kind of wild to me. And I really don't know what to say about it, besides a humble 'thank you,' and a hearty Cheers!
If you've been around here for a bit, you might know of my couch saga. My search for the perfect, green, vintage, velvet, tufted, dark wood, and affordable couch. And if you know me in person, or happen to be married to me, you probably wish I'd shut up already about the dang couch. The couch I cross my fingers for and say a little wish for each and every single time I enter a thrift shop, antique store, or yard sale. Yup. That couch.
Well, imagine my surprise when I found said couch a few weeks ago. Yup, I found my couch right in the pages of this month's Mothering Magazine, and right in the home of - of all people - Ani Difranco. I mean, really now - Ani has it? I haven't contacted her yet to let her know that really, it's my couch, the one I'm supposed to find and bring home with me on that random lucky thrifting day. But I've been thinking, maybe we could work some kind of deal. You know, totalling up all the money I've spent since the early 90's on Ani tapes (cassette tapes! the loyalty!), DVD's and CD's (um, I have *all* of them. Do you have any idea how many albums that brilliant woman has made? 21, that's how many. That could buy a lot of couch.), not to mention tickets purchased and gas spent driving all over New England to her play, oh - many, many times....and do a little retroactive barter for getting my couch back where it belongs. Which would be in my house, of course.
But I guess that doesn't really make sense. And plus, look at how adorable Ms Ani and her cutie pie baby girl look on that couch? How could I ever take that away from them. Sigh. Okay, wait. I have another idea. How about if we move the couch - right with those two gals still on it, and put it in my house just like that? They could just hang out right here, and I could do all the baby sewing for them that their beautiful hearts desired. Some beach dresses, perhaps, little one?
Oh, nevermind. The search for its twin sister continues.
See these shelves? They've just had a spring cleaning, believe it or not. Five donated garbage bags of fabric have left the room, and it feels so good. Taking each piece of fabric off the shelf, I asked myself not if I liked it, but rather, did I think I was going to use it. Ah, a revolutionary (to me) way of purging. And then I refolded, sorted and organized, and put the 'yeses' back. So good.
With that cleaning fresh and feeling good, I was super hesitant about going to this year's annual Salvation Army Fabric Sale. Could I be trusted to not come home with as much as I just cleaned out (see my past years loot here, here and here as evidence of my poor restraint record). The one-dollar-a-pound temptation is pretty huge.
But I did okay. Moving slowly, applying some zen skills in the middle of the crazed quilters, ignoring the elbows around me (oh, it's viscious there, I tell you! Meg explains it best of all), I carefully thought about each piece of fabric, applying that same basic question. Am I going to USE this? This is what I said yes to:
I guess it's no surprise that there's a whole lot of yellow. And the top photo's fabric was all picked up with nightdresses in mind, and the second set of fabric with shirts for the boys. So I've said it outloud now: if you don't see each of these pieces of fabric made into something in the next six months okay, one year, I hereby give you the right to come and take it away from me.
Oh, and buttons! Because buttons come and go and there is always, always, always more room for vintage buttons, don't you think? And yes, this big bowl of buttons is indeed the centerpiece of my table at the moment. And no one, I tell you - no one, can resist pouring their hands through it. Buttons are good.
A few weeks ago, I went to the dentist (yes, that's really how this story starts. Bear with me - my voice feels a little scratchy after 30 days of quiet here).
And you know - it's the dentist. My dentist himself is very pleasant. We always have lovely conversations about books. (Or, at least as much as one can have a conversation with their mouth wide open and someone's hands inside it. Maybe it's more accurate that I do a lot of listening about books.) Last year he convinced me to read all of Julia Alvarez' books, which I can't believe I had made it 32 years without reading. Wasn't I an English and Women's Studies major in college? Yeah, it just seems wrong that they let me get by four years without reading her. She's amazing.
Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. In the dentist chair where I was fantasizing what I was going to do with the rest of my solo Mama time that afternoon (because going to the dentist does not count as "recharging Mama time", even with the charming book chat). And I remembered a flea market nearby. Ah, perfect. Sometimes I love just slowly wandering around the stalls at an indoor flear market alone - in the quiet, surrounded by my own thoughts and a whole lot of 'old things' - some of them quite lovely. And the rest - well, I can see past a few baseball cards.
And that is just about the longest way I could have told you - that I found this quilt there that day. There's never really any doubt when I find one of these, and it's reasonably priced, that it will come home with me. Despite the growing piles of old quilts around here ('that we can't even use!" Steve says, befuddled and humored. "But these ones are art!" I say, entirely serious).
It's actually a total cutter quilt. There's a big hole in the middle and the edges are really, really frayed. I have a few projects in mind for it that I'm excited about trying out. But...I'm not quite ready for the cutting yet. I want to stare at it just a little bit longer. Think about the woman who made it. The people it might have warmed. What their life was like. The artists who designed the fabric. What they were inspired by. And on and on. I want to study it, and dream about it, if you will.
And, I want to play Quilt Twister. "Left foot on yellow floral! Right hand on green plaid!" My children have such sweet tolerance for their crazy Mama. And I'm very grateful for that. And the flea market. And my dentist, too.
I haven't shared a proper thrifting report in a good while now, though of course that's not for lack of thrifting. A few little little treasures that have found their way into my home this fall:
A little more detail on the Flickr pages.
This quilt was a very lucky, under-the-table flea market find by a friend. But since it was my birthday, she gave it to me - isn't that nice? Not that I was about to wrestle her to the ground for it or anything. Nope. Not me. We thought it was a cutter for sure, but after three days in the tub with Nancy's Vintage Soak, it's just right and soft and cozy and white again.
And then a month later I found this sweet, soft, and affordable vintage quilt. It's lovely to have one that I both love to look at and that I also don't mind having a child on either end of it playing tug of war. Know what I mean?
I instantly fell in love with this sweet little nightdress, and figured if Adelaide didn't like it (she's quite clear about what she will and will not wear), I'd happily keep it anyway. Thankfully though, we both love it.
And this is not just any Pyrex bowl, no - this is my new favorite Pyrex bowl. I adore this pattern. It's the Balloons pattern from spring of 1958. And why do I know this? Because that's what procrastinating in front of the computer will do to you. Lead you to a website like this where you can easily spend away an hour. Or more. Sigh.
And just this weekend - before the storm hit - on a little flea market adventure (where else to find completely unique handmade gifts?), I found this little set. Or more accurately, it found me. As in - You Break It, You Buy It. Yup, in all my years of thrifting I've never done that. But there's a first for everything, and this weekend my fumbly, over-caffeinated hands dropped a pile of Fire King bowls right on top of this cream and sugar set.
But really - how lucky was I? It was $12, not $200, it glued back together with my much-loved (and crazy-toxic) E6000, and it's kinda sweet, too. I'll consider it a lucky break.
{recently picked, gathered, and thrifted.}
It's been a while since I've shared any thrifting finds. Despite the many yard sales, it all seems to slow down for me late in the summer - when our weekends get consumed with doing all the summer things we want to squeeze in. But there was a little thrifting this week that resulted in these little treasures I'm about to share with you.
First up, my now-very favorite vintage boys shirt that I've worn for, um, let's see - three days in a row now. Nice. I can't tell you why I love it so, or why it makes me want to wear my hair in a ponytail, but it does, and I do.
Some vintage fabric goodness. Not sure what this will be - but I do love those colors. A lot.
And a hat for my little ones, specifically for Ezra, who I knew would love it so. And yes - one more kids hat means one more mama skirt. Rock on.
A vintage bird skirt I adore.
And last. Oh, the best for last. This log cabin - with it's red centers and truly varied assortment of fabric and old clothing is just beautiful. My heart always breaks a little when I find one of these old beautiful pieces of art stashed in a corner or under a table, undervalued and unappreciated, dirty and dingy at a thrift shop or yard sale, and away from it's family of origin. Ah, but now it's home, washed up, and on the back of my couch where it will keep this little family cozy - and very happy, too.
{Oh! And don't forget, the One in Ten auction ends today!}
Ah, a very lovely weekend - I hope yours was too. We had one drizzly day - perfect for inside house projects and reading and lounging; and one gorgeous summer day - perfect for visiting with family, trail walks and playing baseball. And, of course, there was a tiny bit of weekend time for thrifting and yard sailing too.
Last week I was all drooly over Meg's fabulous vintage girls dresses she found thrifting. And then a few friends appeared with some more, and I figured that must be the end of them. But there were more! By the time I finally got myself over there this weekend, these were still kicking around (and I left a few behind, if anyone's local and interested). I do wonder what the story is with all of these handmade vintage dresses - I'd like to think the maker would be pleased at the new life they're getting. These are a little big yet for Lady A, but hopefully she'll let me put them on her when the time comes (one can hope). In the meantime, that red wool is the best "Annie" dress my kids could hope for.
A few little linens - bedsheets that I'm really loving.
And this little clock - I've been looking for an old one for my studio. And this yellow and aqua one is just perfect for me.
I promised myself a year ago that I would NOT bring any more aprons into my house. For the most part, I've stuck to that. But really, how could I resist this one? It's cocktail time. My apron says so.
After a super late night on Friday night, I was not feeling the 'get up and go' yard sale wake up call that usually comes at 7am. But then I remembered - the neighborhood retirement home.
I've been to this sale before - it's mostly a bake sale, and what appears to be a social for the residents. But there's one little table of things for sale, and I seem to find a treasure there each year. This year was no exception - I found a small grocery bag full of this fabric, hidden under the table (always look under the table!).
I clutched my treasured bag, bought some baked goods (I had to), and had a little visit, because even if I wanted to leave in a hurry, these ladies were not going to let that happen. We chatted sewing, we chatted knitting, they told me all about the woman whose fabric I was buying (perhaps more than I wanted to know, actually...oh, scandal), and I smiled as they chastised the men (who couldn't hear them anyway) to 'take the sports talk outside and get out of the way!'. Ahem.
I went right home after the visit, knowing that I wanted this bag of fabric to be my single treasure for the day, not something amongst a bunch of other things. And oh, it really is a bag full of treasure. I gingerly removed each piece of fabric (oh, and with that sweet apron tucked in there too!), quietly smiling, while Ezra watched over me and asked, "Mama...why does that make you so happy?". Because it's old, because it's precious, and because it's pretty. I suppose that's why.
And this one here might just be my very favorite old, precious and pretty thing yet.
I love arriving home from a day of thrifting to find a surprise color theme amongst my treasures.
(I'm doing some what I love posts - a photo and just a few words - for the rest of the week. The spring air and our garden are calling my attention elsewhere!)
Oh, thanks for all your sweet studio love yesterday! It's fun to share it, and definitely fun to be in right now. I added a few notes to the Flickr photoset with some details if you were looking for that.
Moving backwards, I'm a little late to blogging about last Friday's fabric sale - Meg already shared her beautious fabric porn - good stuff. This would be the annual Salvation Army fabric sale that I'm talking about (held in many cities, I hear - check your local SA) - past years' motherloads here and here. This year did not disappoint - with plenty of long lines, crazy crowds, and vintage goodness around for all - even with all the fellow crafty Portland gals I spied around the room (hi!). With a newly purged and cleaned studio, I was so very mindful when picking up fabric this year - knowing that each and every piece I brought home would need to find a home in my hoping-to-stay-clean studio. Yeah, so with that in mind, let me show you my problem:
Exhibit A. My sweet little bundles of newly purchased vintage fabric and goods.
Exhibit B. My sweet rack of neatly stacked FULL fabric shelves. You see? The new stuff has nowhere to go. A conundrum, I tell you. A conundrum I'm happy to live with. But a conundrum nonetheless.
Anyway...my favorite bits from the sale were these quilt pieces. I can't stop picking up these unfinished pieces - I love them so. Some of the fabrics here make me slightly out-of-breath. That brown with the dots? yeah, that one. Oh my.
This would be the 'what the hell was I thinking?" purchase. There's always one. Yards of this polyester craziness. I think this was snagged at the end of the sale, far beyond when I should have Gone Home, but didn't....bad choices are made at that point, I'm convinced. What will I make with it? I have no idea. Moving on...
One more random observation from waiting in line at the fabric sale, watching the women around me and remembering my own grandfather's presence there before he passed away: I've decided that the ultimate sign of a good partner would be one that, at the age of 75, will drive the other one to such a sale as this, set up the lawnchair with coffee for the long waiting line, wait patiently for said shopper (crossword and coffee in the car, perhaps?...or sweetie, the Big Jab, a latte and sudoku?), and then drive right up to the entrance to pick her and all of her fabric goodness up to go home. I was feeling all nervous that this never made it into our wedding vows, so as soon as I spoke to Steve after the sale, I asked if he'd do this. Thankfully, he said, 'okay, sounds fun'. I ignored all sarcasm, and felt much relief.
Did I just make a sports reference? I think I did. But it's true - this weekend marked the opening of Yard Sale / Rummage Sale season in Maine, my favorite sport. The warming up happened at a highly-attended annual church rummage sale in town. Highly attended by many people - I think you could have done a who's who of Portland bloggers in there - quite fun, and completely overstimulating at the same time (the sale, not the bloggers). Anyway, it was nice to get back into the swing of things - you know, the crowds, the searching, the craziness of it all. Good stuff.
And a happy little showing for the day too, with many of the usual suspects. Some tins, that pile of muffin cups that I'm ridiculously happy about (should have photographed the box, too - so cute), and of course, some fabric. I think you'll see that wool on the left turned into something else very very soon - I keep giving it the eye in my studio. Ooh, actually looking at it in the photo right, I think I just decided what to do with it. Fun.
And always, a few linens. Some will be used as is, and some will be used in sewing projects.
My favorite find of the day - these patchwork quilt pieces. I can't for the life of me figure out what it was on it's way to becoming, because both of these sides are covered in the squares, and sewn on three sides - large pillowcases perhaps? In the center of many of the squares are the handwritten names of the quilters, I presume. Yeah, I'm pretty excited about this one.
Thank you Ethal. And Francine, Almina, Etta, Charlotte, Laura, Anna, Florence, and Agnes. Thank you very, very much.
Thrifting alone is always lovely. But thrifting with friends who are equally freaky as I about vintage dishes, fabric, patterns, jewelry, clothes and everything else? Well, there's nothing better.
Because really, I think we all need someone around when we're marathon thrifting - to talk us out of the beautiful, but overpriced tablecloth (to the cries of, "but it's Vera!"); to restore breathing when spotting the most gorgeous of doll quilts that would blow the day's whole budget; to pace oneself through the aisles and aisles of goodness; to gently nudge one out of the temporary lapse in taste (ahem.); to remind one of the vintage apron collection already at home; to aid in the selection of the *perfect* salt and pepper shakers (important decisions, I tell you!), as though they really care. Because, well, they actually really do care about such things. And most importantly, to encourage each other that, YES!, whatever we've got our heart set on is simply GORGEOUS and perfect and a bargain, and a must have. Of course. This is the kind of support a good friend lends, right?
And then there is the help to pull me out (quite literally) of the vortex that is my favorite flea market stall - at just the right time before I crawl myself under the table with all the vintage fabrics for an uncivilized little lie down. Oh, but wouldn't that be nice. (By the way, I'm not pregnant. Just looking pregnant. Fun. I've just now decided never to wear that shirt again.)
I was so happy after a day of thrifting adventures to come home with these little treats...
...and these. But I'm even happier to come home feeling refreshed, connected, and much lighter than when the day started. Thank you, my freaky peeps. I love you guys. Um, how about next Saturday?
This pile of polyester (yes, polyester) goodness is making me very happy these days. I recently found this vintage handmade coat on a thrift outing. And the kicker? It's REVERSIBLE! Oh, the goodness. I adore it so very much.
Thanks for the photos, sweet Calvin. And thanks for spotting me the Goodwill cash, sweet Betsy. Indeed, a good friend is one who will share her thrifting cash.
And here are some little treasures I picked up in Davis Square in Boston this week. This fabric (a curtain) is so dreamy, I keep imagining all sorts of things to do with it. I've written a bit more about these over on the Tag Sale Tales blog, where I hope to pop in from time to time as a guest blogger. Thanks for the patient invitation, Jenny!
Last week, after two surprisingly long parenting days (the teeth. it's those teeth!), Steve arrived home from work with a demand of "Go!". "Go thrift, go to the yarn store, go get a latte, whatever you want....just Be Gone With You." Certainly I get my fair share of 'time' on a regular basis, but this day was above and beyond, and I was Oh So Grateful for the kick out the door.
So I did all three. Latte. Yarn Store. and Thrift. Little bits of happiness at each stop. And at the very last thrift stop, in the very back corner, I stumbled on this goodness that instantly made my heart leap and sing (oh, you know what I'm talking about). A bin full of vintage upholstry fabrics with plenty o' yardage on each roll. 99cents a roll, baby. I gobbled up as much as I wanted with much glee, and headed to the counter full of that happy "this is going home with ME!" thrifting feeling. And then. AND THEN. The woman at the checkout says to me, 'Oh! These! I can't believe there are any of these left! Gosh, we had SO many a week ago, but they've just been flying out of here!".
Sink. Gasp. The twitching begins.
"Really?" I whine, running through my head the list of my fellow Portland thrifters who must have seen these. (And not told me! waah!!). And then, thrift greed sets in (ooh...imagining what the fabrics might look like...the ones in someone else's house now!). And then thrift regret (I *knew* I should have stopped in on Saturday. So what if I had three kids with me, and no time?).
Luckily, I (mostly) snapped out of that silly cycle before I got to the car, happily carrying my six bolts of pretty vintage fabric that cost me $6 and imagining all the possibilities for them. New curtains? totes? sharing some yards? a skirt? duvet cover?
But of course, that night I did have a dream about finding all the *other* vintage upholstry fabric rolls (oh, and they were beautiful). In my bathtub. Hmn...
Really, it doesn't take much to make me happy. A front row seat at the in-house jousting performance. Ending the day with some Green and Blacks. Making it through an entire day without anyone breaking a glass or dish (which I really only mind because it means i need to vacuum. ugh.). But there was even more yesterday that has me in good spirits:
This vintage dress. Thrifted yesterday for $2. A vintage 'Alice In Wonderland Frock', with the adorably illustrated tag still attached, and the crisp tissue paper and pins on the inside. It will fit Adelaide this spring and I can hardly wait. I think we might need some patent leather shoes. And ruffle-bum tights? Alright, alright. I'll stop at that.
You. Not only did the shop sell out, but more importantly, you showered me with kind words. It feels *so* amazing to put yourself out there, sometimes a bit vulnerably, and to be met in return with kindness, and generosity. Really now, that's just wonderful. Thank you.
Baby Steps. And giving cause for one more celebratory dinner, a title for the book was finalized yesterday. I'm slowly beginning to believe that at the end of all of this (January '08!), there's going to be a book - MY book - that I can actually see, and hold, and read (well, I'll probably be too freaked out to actually read it - I'm anticipating it to be like hearing your voice on an answering machine.oy). So, without further adieu -
The Creative Family:
Simple projects and activities for you and your children that encourage imagination and nurture family connections
A title! Hooray!
Who knew that such a random Tuesday in January could be full of such goodness.
I found this teapot while thrifting a few weeks ago. It's not something that I'd normally be attracted to, and I don't think it really fits with the style (if you can call it that) of anything else in my house. Nor do I need a(nother) teapot. But for whatever reason, it grabbed me that day, and so I grabbed it. Bizarrely enough, it fit just right on this kitchen shelf, in front of my cookbooks, where even more oddly - it matches the bindings (who knew all my cookbooks were green and orange?!). Sometimes these things just come home and there really is no 'reason.' It just is.
Example #2. This, um, ashtray. That I brought home last week, and simply adore. The Mama deer? And all those babes? Pink and brown? C'mon now, who doesn't need an ashtray like this? (It's since found a new home as our soap dish. A soap dish! A little gross if you think about it, but I'm just not going to think about it).
There's usually a safe bet that in my thrifting bags you'll find some books, maybe some kids clothes, vintage fabric or linens (if I'm lucky), and maybe a dish or two. But sometimes these random little odd treasures are the best surprise of all.
I've been remiss in sharing my thrifting finds of late. So how about a post of my favorite recent treasures? These buttons surely top the list (though the fab bowl I put them in - also newly thrifted - is the absolute 'perfect' mashed potato bowl, making that a big favorite too). The buttons were sealed up with gobs of tape in two ziploc baggies, and given local thrift store standards were actually "a lot" of money at first glance. I first walked away from them, thinking they were really dirty, and they were priced too high. Until I was at the back of the store and had calculated their total cost to be about what I spend on ice cream in three days worth of time. Um, yeah. I dashed back there to claim them for my own. And I'm sooo glad I did - such treasures in there. I use a lot of vintage buttons without much stress in giving them away, and so it's always a pleasant surprise that just as my stash gets depleted a bit, some new ones appear before me. Perfect.
Don't let the lazy photography fool you. These are two amazing 50's girls dresses that I just adore. I'm pretty sure my purchase of them cements the likelihood that Adelaide will despise wearing dresses by the time they fit her. And so, I put them up on my studio wall so I could enjoy them until the day when I beg and plead with her to wear them.
Ah. The vintage orange coat. I do adore. It needs a bit of sewing assistance, and it's first on my list after all the holiday goodness is done. I also need to lose about 5 lbs for this to fit just right, but that's going to have to wait until after all the holiday goodness is done too. Ahem.
And last but not least - this sweet gal. There's been plenty of holiday thrift finds around here, but they quickly get snatched up by little hands and 'distributed' throughout the house before a camera sees them. Holiday thrifting is definitely a favorite for me - there's just SO much great old stuff out there, and I seem to have far less stress about bringing more 'stuff' into the house since it's going to only be 'out' for a month, and then packed away for the rest of the year. I'm not sure exactly how that logic works. (but somehow it does.)
Apparently, I'm having a little love affair with the 70's right now. Or, atleast that's what my most recently thrifted finds are telling me. I really didn't know. First, there's Adelaide's jacket, which I love beyond belief, and am pretty sure I had one just like it. Then came my own jacket - the brown completely polyester piece of goodness that it is. LOVE that jacket. And then it all got topped off at a recent church rummage sale when I stumbled across one of my dreams turning into reality (I am truly a dork). There were boxes of brand new vintage clothes from a clothing store that had closed, presumably in the early 8o's (late 70's, early 80's - it's all the same to me. I was, only like four, you know). Where have they been all this time? I do not know - fodder for another dream, perhaps. Anyway...corduroy heaven. That's where I got the tan wide-whale corduroy wrap around skirt above (also here). And um, five more just like it in all sorts of colors and fabrics. I know, it was so terribly greedy and selfish of me (sorry fellow Portland thrifters! I'm sorry!), but I could not stop myself from snatching them all up at 25cents a piece. And I kid you not that they have been in rotation in my wardrobe ever since. All of them. Every Day. (Along with my newfound contemporary love of Smartwool knee highs.)
So, apparently. I love the 70's. Oh my. Who knew.
Thank you all so much for the support. I've tried to answer questions as best I can. My intention really was not to stir the can of worms more than it already was, nor to put more fear out there, nor to be hostile towards those of you who thought using images in a 'positive' way was okay. My tone might have sounded harsh as I was coming from a place of defending my children from being 'used' in a commercial way. I'm not fearful for our safety, and I have no intention of changing how my children appear on the blog, nor do I advise you to do so - unless that feels right for you. But I do believe strongly that asking first before using someone's content or images should be the standard. Providing a link on your website is fine (lots of you have asked me about this), that isn't 'taking' anything, it's just referring. A big difference. I was encouraged by most of the response to my post, and it feels good to me to know that we're looking out for each other. I think that, combined with awareness, and technological knowledge that will help protect image theft, this really can move in a positive direction. I do hope.
Now, let's get on to some joy, shall we? Please? I'm bursting to share this with you!
From under a table (always look under the table!) at a church rummage sale this weekend. It was one of those heart-leaping thrifting moments, where you're sure you're not going to actually make it out the door with the find. Do you know what I'm talking about? Frightening. The conversation went like this:
Church Lady: Oh no. Where did you get this dear? What is THIS doing out here?
Me: {sinking heart...and are those tears forming in my eyes?}
Church Lady: Father Michael! Come over and look at this. Who put this out here, this is filthy! We shouldn't have ripped up old quilts out here.
Me: Oh, it's okay! Really! I love old things.
Church Lady: I don't know who put this out there. This is all ripped up and old and filthy! Just filthy! Bertha {yes, really, her name was Bertha}, did you put this out there?
Me: {chewing my fingernails. getting a little twitchy.}
Bertha: Well, if she wants it, sell it to her!
Me: {That's my girl, Bertha.} Yes, I really do like it just the way it is.
Church Lady: Well, I can't sell it to you for a dollar, I just can't. It's just filthy. Bertha? I can't sell this to her for a dollar!
Bertha: Well, if she wants to buy it for a dollar, sell it to her for a dollar!
Me: No, really, it's FINE. Let me give you a dollar for it. I'm happy to! {please, please, please}
Church Lady: Well, alright then. But I just don't understand....I can't believe....Who would have....Why would....
Me: Um, thank you! {OUT the door}
Oh, how I love my 'new' quilt.
These two new (old) thrifted aprons have me smiling. I remember loving to wear aprons as a child. And as un-feminist as this may sound (I actually think it's quite a feminist act), now as the 'Mom' in our family, I'm in love with the feeling I have when I put one on. As hectic and sometimes-insane as my life and the world around us may be, the minute an apron goes on everything changes. I'm suddenly reminded to take a deep breath, put on some music, and pour a glass of wine. There's something about wearing aprons that makes me want so desperately to bake bread, put more energy, thought and time into what we eat and how we eat it and just generally sloooow down not only our food, but our moments together too.
One more day of What I Love. I'm having fun. Thanks for playing along.
On the way home from camp, going through town, I just happened to spot a thrift store. And it's small town thrifty treasures were calling out to me. It was in one of these wild stores--I've been in a few in rural Maine like this, where it's like a maze of small rooms all connected together with a mix of trash, junk, and a few treasures. I could have spent the afternoon there quite happily digging. But I managed to have fun anyway in my 15 minutes of alotted time (with my sweet family waiting outside for me. gosh.) Above, an old tin (love that red and blue), old Harker chinaware (I have a matching platter), two mugs that I love the colors of - by Hudson Pottery, which I don't think is vintage, and quite possibly is sold at Lillian Vernon for all I know (but please don't tell me if you do). And it's all sitting on a Couroc tray I found. (I like this piece, and a few others by Courac, but I'm not so sure I'm going to start a collection anytime soon.The coins kind of throw me off.)
As I guessed, there were plenty of polyester shirts in the shop. I had to snag these two for some re-constructing. Those apples!!
Some fun vintage books with very cool illustrations to inspire.
And some vintage fabric. I was searching and searching around this shop getting a bit twitchy know that somewhere there must be linens and fabric, and finally found it in my last two minutes. Ah. Thank goodness.
And my favorite, favorite find. This old and very faded quilt was buried in a corner. I was happy to rescue it and bring it home with me!
So, you wanna know the best part about rural thrifting?
The grand total for all of the above?
$4.25
This past month, for the first time, I've started having an afternoon of childcare (thank you dear sister!). The intent wasn't exactly so that I could go thrifting, but inevitably...I do. And, oh, it's just soooo much easier to do alone (and the grocery store, and the bank, and a zillion other errands that I always did with three little ones). On this particular thrifting visit, they had just brought out a new bin of linens when I arrived, which I was politely hovering over. Until I saw two ladies in their 70's just about dive headfirst into that thing, digging and pulling and chatting away. And so naturally, I joined them.
We had a grand time there. Chatting. Digging. And sharing treasures. Of course the beauty of it was that we were looking for *quite* different things. They were loving the 'cute' cotton prints of the 80's, and I was loving the 'old time' prints (their words).
I let them do most of the talking, and I mostly smiled. I especially smiled to myself when I heard them discussing how they 'didn't have time to sew anymore'. Hmn. Not sure I get that.
They were smiling (laughing?) at what I put in my cart of course. Couldn't quite understand why I wanted all this OLD material (do you call it material or fabric?). Or gosh...someone's old, worn aprons? And linen tea towels?
I walked away from the linens section after saying my goodbyes and thank you's (they were helping me dig, afterall). I was quite pleased with the visit--the fabric and the company. And on my way to the register found these last few favorite jumping out at me. The tray is so perfect I can hardly stand it, and the white gloves? You can never have enough vintage white gloves around with a child like Calvin, I tell you. And the shoes. Oh, the shoes. I have this new obsession with 'vintage' shoes...these fab Hush Puppies have this great caramel swirl thing going on that makes me think of candy every time I look at my feet in them. That might be weird, but I love them.
It's been a month since I posted for Corners of my Home for some reason, and it feels good to do it again. Today is a combination Thrifting Report and Corners of my Home. I scored this vintage metal high chair (or 'doll-e hi-chair' as the adorable decal says) at a yard sale this weekend for a mere One Dollar. I love it so very much. At the same yard sale, I found the vintage baby quilt hanging in the background. Yellow with pink dogs and balls of yarn, for crying out loud! Um, that would be 50 cents. Rock on.
The sweet baby doll was my mom's when she was little, and she winds up in the back and sings. Doesn't she look a little sassy? A little 'too cool for school' or something? I love her and her attitude, and the dress she's wearing (also my mom's). Her kerchief (hiding a mess of hair) is from a scrap of polka dotted silk I found this weekend while hunting with Lisa. We were at an adorable retirement home rummage sale, and thanks to her keen thrifting eye, we moved passed the room of baked goods and found a room full of all sorts of fun things (I hope she shares her great find from there too!).
More Corners of my Home on Flickr.
Sorry for the rip-off title, Amy. I was feeling a bit nostalgic for the great and inspiring "Quilt Mondays". (And by the way, is it possible to feel nostalgic about something only a few months ago? In internet time months equal years, and so it seems like ages ago, right?)
Anyway. So there's this quilt. I picked it up thrifting a few weeks ago. It was one of those finds that stopped my breathing momentarily, and I couldn't quite breathe right again until I got out of the shop and into my car. Safe from anyone snatching it away, or any other of the other ridiculous things that I imagined might prevent this blanket from becoming mine.
It's a mix of hand and machine stitched, with quite a bit of wear and fading. Which only makes me love it more...that it was once really loved a whole lot. But the fabrics. Oh, my. Amazing. Can you see the prints? two bluebirds with 'love in bloom' written; a duck with an umbrella and 'singing in the rain' written; and then those amazing multicolored mod-looking trees and people. I have no idea how to date that fabric, but I am quite curious. 50's, perhaps? Or later? Last year? I never can tell, really.
Sadly, photographing a quilt is a wee bit challenging. Photographing a mainly white, and faded quilt is a bear. The photos today are my third attempt. But I hope you get the gist. Because it's really quite lovely, and I'm so thrilled that it's new home is with me.
The season is upon us. Hooray, hooray. And hooray for a morning spent rummaging and thrifting with a dear friend. Some finds from the day: (sorry, I'm forging ahead with bad lighting because I'm too impatient to wait for the sun).
The textile goodies. Fabric, linens, and notions. YUM. (click on any to get the full picture in Flickr)
Book finds. Vintage new coloring book, 1972 The Pleasures of Crewel, child's finger play book, a 1950's Smocking book (! love !), and a vintage children's book that I couldn't resist for the cover. Check that dude out!
Tins. These are all so bright and colorful and in perfect condition. Had to scoop them up and take them home with me. Especially at 10cents a tin.
A favorite find. These fab pillows, which are just perfect for snuggling and reading, or sitting and listening to the Wizard of Oz soundtrack, or even for a family staring contest (apparently that's what they were having during this photo).
And yes, this was THE find. mav and I both gravitated towards this instantly at a yard sale, when a sweet older woman came up to tell us that her grandchildren all used it (it's in impeccable condition!), and she'd sell it to us for $10. Who could possibly say no to that? So..Adelaide has a new high chair, after which I'm going to be sure to pass this beauty on for another little one to enjoy.
Oh, and that green wall behind her? That's what the rest of our weekend was spent doing--painting. More on that drama, and the results later this week. Oh, and some answers to your questions, a long promised tutorial and other surprises coming up this week, too. Oh, Monday's are always so full of grand plans, aren't they?
So, last night before visiting with a friend (hi betsy!), I had a few minutes to spare. I could have gone to the grocery store alone, the pharmacy, or a dozen other errands that would have been much easier to do by myself. But no. I went to the thrift store. Of course. But oh, am I glad that I did. Besides scoring some much needed and just right sized kiddo clothes/shoes, I also found what's above--that great old tie for Steve, an old English Composition book (I love those), cool green planter, lots o' rick rack, and some linens. Not bad...but then. BUT THEN!
But then I found these. Three, brand new, in the original packaging vintage pajama sets. For $3 a piece. Oh. My. God. But then something bizarre happened where I talked myself into only buying one of them (the middle set), you know, to save money (huh?). Yeah...that was a bad call. Once I left the store, I couldn't stop thinking about the other two pair. I even dreamt about it. And so first thing this morning, I gathered the babes and there we were when the store opened--in our own pajamas with breakfast still in hand--to get the other two sets. I think I was even breathing funny until I saw that they were still there. Phew. Did I mention that they fit me *perfectly*? And yes...I do know how very, very lucky I am. Thank you, oh Goddess of Thrifting. Thank you!
(photo courtesy of Calvin.)
So yeah, there's been some thrifting. Of COURSE! But even more exciting--I saw yard sales last weekend. Seriously exciting. The season has begun and I'm, um, just a wee bit excited. Anyway...on to last weeks' thrifting finds:
I can't stop picking up these vintage green bath towels. I'm in love with the growing basket of them in my bathroom. Steve keeps reminding me that they're not really big enough, nor thick enough to use and perhaps I should stop buying them. But...but.... they're PRETTY, right? Oh, and the pink one has a future as bibs for my babe. Did you see what Hillary did with hers? So so cool.
Jersey shirts and blankets. For pants and shorts for my wee ones. Because, really, I can never find jersey fabric I like more than the striped Gap shirt variety. Nor as cheap, either, especially on half price clothing day at the thrift store.
Oh, vintage sheets, how I love thee. Skirts, bags, pillows...I don't know yet. But I'm sure *something* will come of these soon.
Oh, but I love the vintage linens too. These tablecloths (at a whopping 50cents a piece) make me very very happy. I seem to have a lot like this, which is good because: tablecloths and kids? Well, let's just say I do a lot of laundry, and I'm okay with that because really--hanging these out on the line to dry makes me so happy. It's the little things.
