fab finds

Flowers, jewelry, money ... are these gifts from my paramour? No, although our anniversary is coming up this week! Actually, these three words are clues to my fabulous finds from the past week (all found on a trip to my local Goodwill):

A pretty bunch of flowers on this delicate English saucer.

 

Gorgeous shades of aqua on this three-strand necklace ~ one of the nicest pieces of costume jewelry I've come across in a while.

Who wouldn't want to save money for college in this cute little owl bank?

Linking to Thrift Share Monday at Apron Thrift Girl, and to Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures ~ be sure to check out all of their fabulous finds!

office space

I think I could spend each and every day rummaging through thrift shops and sifting through junk on a never-ending quest for vintage treasures, and I don't think I would ever tire of it. But the fact is that I work full-time in an office ~ and it's a typical office with its dull, flat surfaces and neutral colors. Lately I've been trying to un-boring my office space by adding some bits of color and whimsy here and there:

A wonderful house of pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks, created by my 

seven-year-old son.

Rainbow colors scribbled by my two-year-old daughter.

One of my favorite quotes, next to a paper flower.

 

This paper bird with bell was a souvenir gift from my boss's trip to Copenhagen.

Another reminder of my son.

 

This Liberty of London melamine bowl contains binder clips.

 

A cute winking owl holds notes or business cards.

 

I was elated to find the vintage bowl and cup to hold my paper clips and pens. 

I found them on two separate thrifting excursions, but the colors match so well 

and are so cheery ~ I love them!

I continue to search thrift shops for more unique items to add to my office space. Next on my list is finding some neat vintage planters to use for plants on my office window sill.

How do you brighten up your work space?

fruit and flowers

On a recent visit to my parents' house, I walked into their sunroom and beheld the loveliest set of 1950s enamelware bowls. My stepmother had recently acquired them ~ the large bowl is painted with roses, and the one medium bowl and four small bowls feature a pretty fruit pattern. The saturated colors and layered graphics combine for a striking result. J'adore!

 

fab finds

Lately I have been finding these amber flower glasses at a couple of my local thrift stores. I have found one or two at a time, in three different sizes. I don't know anything about them, but I think they're super fab. Do any of you recognize them?

I found some other great pieces this past week as well, like ...

 this neat glass baking dish,

 a Pyrex carafe with original stopper, seen below on a 

wonderfully weird tunic that I thrifted,

 

 

two Delta Airlines coffee cups,

 

a pretty plate,

 

and my favorite find, these groovy fruit salt and pepper shakers.

Linking to Thrift Share Monday at Apron Thrift Girl, and to Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures ~ be sure to check out all of their fabulous finds!

left behind

Has this ever happened to you? You're in a thrift shop and as you turn the corner, your eyes set upon a glorious vintage piece. It's possibly the best thing you've found in a long while. The clouds seem to part and you'd swear you could hear angels singing. But then, as you get closer, your heart starts to sink as you realize that the piece is not in good condition. At all. Like, it's in really bad condition. Those angels actually start coughing.

This is what happened to me last night at Goodwill. I turned the corner to see this amazing vintage cake carrier.

Flower power! The blue and green colors were vibrant, the floral design was to die for, the shape was awesome. But a closer inspection revealed tons of scratches, dents, and rust ~ too much damage to forgive, and believe me, I'm a very forgiving thrifter! I just couldn't justify buying it for myself, much less for reselling. So, I had to leave it behind (sniff, sniff).

Luckily, I found this metal platter a few seconds later.

 

Sorry for the fuzzy, shadowy photo. I was kneeling on the floor of GW, trying to snap a picture with my phone with one hand, while keeping my two-year-old off the platter with the other hand, all while avoiding eye contact with the many other shoppers trying to come down the aisle. Isn't this platter sweet? It too had some scratches (and one rather big blemish near the curtains), but nothing too terrible, and in the end the little kitty on the chair won me over and I had to take it home.

Don't you wish you could magically lift a great pattern off a bad piece and put it on something else? The flower pattern on that cake carrier would be lovely on a pillowcase, or a tea towel, or a Pyrex dish. 

What near-treasures have gotten your heart beating fast, but then gave you second thoughts and were left behind?