Hot Outside. Cool Finds Inside.

We didn't have much of a winter or spring here in Mid-Missouri but we are having one mother of a summer. Temperatures have been in the 90's for several days already and except for the 1.25" of rain we had the other night, it has been extremely dry. And the forecast doesn't look much better. There have been plenty of garage sales but unless it says "indoor in the air conditioning" in the ad, I have pretty much skipped that scene for the past couple of weeks. Fortunately, I have found some amazing stuff for good prices at the thrift and antique stores around the area. Here are some of my favorites:

Royal Haeger Giraffe & baby 15" statue with hang tag - $6

This statue is shown in the 1938-1940 Haeger catalog but this piece was produced in 2002. It didn't matter to me that it was newer as I have never seen a Haeger piece like this before in the wild and I collect it so I had to have it. It goes perfectly with a pencil drawing I have of a mother and baby giraffe by Gibson. The neck on the baby had been broken and reglued so I added a ribbon to hide the flaw.

Wooden elephant toothpick holder - vintage

Sascha Brastoff of California tray
Does anyone recognize the series? Rooftops, maybe?

I don't think it is signed - just the manufacturer stamp.
Does anyone know when this was made?

California Redwood Burl candle holders
from The Stump House, Eureka, Calif.

I've had a run on some Holt Howard items the last month or so including:



Holt Howard Salt & Pepper shakers from 1964

Holt Howard Cozy Kitten shaker from 1959
Sadly, she lost her mate

And my favorite Holt Howard piece:


Holt Howard Bull cup or mug from 1963
Love how the tail makes the handle & the expression

Okay, so these are both really interesting finds. I know nothing about Zsolnay Pecs but after doing some internet research, I did find out that they have been around since the 1870's and make some gorgeous glass pieces but haven't really found out anything about the set above (or anything like it) so I don't know the time period these are from. It probably won't matter much as I am thinking of giving these to my daughter-in-law who is part Hungarian but still it would be nice to know.

Zsolnay Pecs of Hungary set of espresso cups and saucers
Blenko? red art glass vase

I picked up the vase because it was pretty and I have been drawn to art glass of late. I just noticed as I was looking at it while typing this that it appears there is a "b" inscripted on the bottom. Could this be Blenko? If so, I am doing the happy dance right now as this is the first piece I have ever found. And I think I only paid either 50 cents or $1 for it.

A couple more treasures:

Stoneware Butter Warmer - German or Norwegian, I believe

Marcrest/Stetson Swiss Chalet or Alpine Loaf Pan
made by Anchor Hocking Fire King

There is a lot out there about this pattern and whether it is Swiss Chalet or Swiss Alpine. Now, it also seems that the bakeware is also debatable as to who actually manufactured it. Some say Pyrex and other's say Fire King. It is not marked on the bottom but my pick is Fire King. What's your thoughts?

Indoor thrifting has been good to me. Now, I just need to use my indoor time to sell some of my finds - time management is my nemesis.

Linking to Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday and Her Library Adventures' Flea Market Finds.

Blog Inspired... Thrifting Smarter

This time of year means there is a lot of stuff out there to be had. With garage sales, estate sales, flea markets, thrift stores, and even antique stores offering all kinds of bargains, hunting smarter as not to overload is definitely a goal of mine although one I struggle with constantly. The blog community has assisted in me looking for more quality items and educated me in areas that I'm less familiar. I have found some pretty nice pieces in the last few weeks and many of those I may have passed on or not even given a glance had I not been spending some time "researching" via other's blogs. Thank you people for sharing your knowledge. Here are some items I have picked up lately:

McCoy pottery planter, Scandia pattern

Although I already have two of these McCoy planters in smaller sizes and different colors, it wasn't until last week via another blogger's find that I found out this was the Scandia pattern. I have looked at this piece for several weeks at a flea market type store but finally sprung on it when it was marked down from $15 to $12. I love the color - it's a keeper!

Arabia of Finland stoneware teapot, Kaira pattern circa 1971-1975

I could not believe I found this in a small town antique store in mid-Missouri. This teapot is one of those items I probably wouldn't have looked at before if I had not read on a couple of different blogs lately about Arabia of Finland pieces. And it was a steal! I think I will be selling it, though, as it doesn't quite fit the aesthetics of our home (mostly the color).

Marzi & Remy West German vase, Pottery Craft of California vase,
 and unknown blue pottery vase

Does anyone recognize the mark on this vase?

I have been finding some really nice pottery vases lately and the above are some of the best examples. I may have a hard time letting go of any of these.



Mexico pottery owl by Ken Edwards

I have always had an attraction to Mexican pottery although I really don't collect any of it. But when I saw a piece of Ken Edwards' on another blog and did a little research, I knew I wanted a few of his if I could find them. Ken Edwards was originally from Kansas City, Missouri and attended the Kansas City Art Institute before going to Mexico - kind of a home town boy for this Missouri girl although a little before my time. Anyway, I found this owl at Best Antiques in Lincoln (same place where the Arabia teapot was purchased) and snatched it up. There are several more Mexico signed pottery items there which after doing some more investigating may be part of the Ken Edwards line - I think another trip is definitely in order.

Here are a few more finds:

Dolphin brass and enamel tray - Made in Israel

Hand blown glass whale

Small Art Glass vase

And finally...



California pottery (CALIF 1046) soup tureen, lid, under plate, and ladle

This soup tureen set is in pristine condition and even the bottom of the ladle is marked "Calif.". I can't figure out what California pottery company made it but I would guess it is from the 1950's or 1960's. I have always liked California pottery but probably wouldn't have picked up this set if I hadn't been reading more and more on blogs of people collecting it. This would be so perfect, I think, on an autumn tablescape but would probably work just as well for summer with some gazpacho in it.

So, has you thrifting style changed? Does what you see on other blogs influence your buying decisions? I know I appreciate the diversity of information available, and enjoy seeing and learning more about thrift finds. Thank you bloggers!

Linking to Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday where I learn so much week after week!

More Cool Metal Vibe

One of the things I love about small town America is the Community Wide Garage Sales. In the past month, nearly every town around us has hosted theirs - this weekend was Cole Camp's turn and it was fabulous! I had toyed with the idea of going to Kansas City for first Friday's because I haven't been in so, so long but I am glad I decided to stay close as it was just the best day of junking I have had for some time. I loaded my truck with all kinds of finds but I noticed when I was unpacking it, there were several pieces of the metal, industrial kind. I am just drawn to it - maybe I'm magnetic.



On my first stop, I picked up the black metal pitcher, hammered aluminum bowl, two metal lids (I don't know what I'm going to do with them but I had to have them), the TOP tobacco tin, and the folding rolling metal cart shown in the first picture (to the right). Oh and this, too, probably my favorite score of the day:

Can you believe this two sided vintage enamel sign was only $10? It measures 24" x 30" and is in really nice condition. I love the plaid! This sign dates to the 1950's and 1960's when A&P Supermarkets gave out plaid stamps to their patrons to redeem for merchandise. 





At a couple of other stops, I picked up the copper salt and pepper shakers, the metal warming basket, the refrigerator basket, and 3 different cup trees. Also, I got an unusual vintage magazine rack (half shown left in the first pic) and two chippy green metal children's chairs from the previous week's adventures.

Whenever I see these metal "Portafile" boxes, I usually bring them home especially when the price is 50 cents. Pearl thinks this would be the perfect container for some dog food but she might be a little too focused on food - she only weighs about 120 pounds!

Another great find is this metal drafting table. The picture really does not do it justice as it is so cool in person. It was marked $5 but the guy sold it to me for $4 and helped me load it. Such a deal! It needs to be cleaned up but it is going to look awesome somewhere in our house (where? I don't know yet).

I bought plenty more stuff that is not of the metal variety but that is for another day.

Here are a couple of other metal items I have picked up lately:

Do you think this was used for nesting boxes for chickens? It is going to be used for something around here but not chickens - possibly a large wine rack. I love the graphics and color on the top. It wasn't a super bargain at $40 but I had to have it - even went back the next day to get it as I passed on it the day before and couldn't stop thinking about it. You know how that is!

Finally, this is a vintage metal test tube rack. I thought it would be great to hold paints (like the Plaid and Folk Art type) but the holes aren't quite big enough. I haven't given up on it yet - I'm sure I can find some creative use for it.

So, how's your junking going? What kind of bargains have you found? I know the season is being good to you.

Linking to Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.