With Relish

Jennie and Paul came to town to see Mitchell in Jesus Christ Superstar, but we managed to work in a boozy brunch, some estate sales and a little thrift shopping as well.  No surprise, but there were plenty of fabulous finds...

The book 'Cat People' is just about too much.  Published in 1977, you would recognize many of the people photographed with their cats--a young Jane Pauley, a kerchiefed Louise Nevelson, Robert Indiana, Liz Smith and more.  Accompanying each are few words from the sitter on why their cat is important to them.  Several of the women are actually given the occupation of 'homemaker.'  It is now officially on the top of one of the decorative stacks of books.*

This bottle/carafe was irresistible, with a little collar on it's neck for the hand and a double spout.  It is perfect on the table for water or perhaps this summer with a chilled rosé?

The relish tray has been gone too long from the table!  At one of the estate sales, there was a stack of relish trays high enough for me to send each of my dear readers a charming example to use while entertaining.  I limited my acquisition to two, wonderful examples.  The first has teardrop handles and a lovely swirling division; the second has geometric dividers and a beautiful fluted edge.  I'll put both to good use, I promise.

Crackers.  Crackers.  Crackers.  These plastic cracker troughs make arranging them simple; easy to serve along side your relish tray.

I do not need another set of salad servers--I have so many pair, I don't even know how many they number.  Rest assured, if you are a regular diner at my table, you probably will not see the same set twice.  This lovely set is stainless steel from Japan, diminutive and impossible to pass up.

Little jars?  With decorative lids?  And wooden spreaders?  Jennie spotted these, but was kind enough to let me claim them.  I'm not sure what I might serve in them, but I'll figure it out.  Spreads?  Condiments for sandwiches?  Or I can exchange the spreaders for little spoon and fill them with olives or something.  Do I have any little spoons?  I'll have to check.

I do not think you can have enough trivets.  Period.  I already have one similar to this design with a gold rim and a crackled glass.  Similar is not the same as matching, and whether I was making a claim for a set or diversity, I would still have gone home with it.  They're perfect for the French press, Chemex coffee pot or teapot on the table.

It's been a while since we have spotted one of these weird little banks, but we nabbed this sad puppy to add to Mitchell's collection.  The palette is so strange and happy in strong contrast to the big sad eyes of the little doggie.

 Merry Christmas.

I love Quan Yin and this petite addition to the pantheon is precious.

I had to have the small plastic statuette of the American Indian girl (top picture, far right) and she helps balance the phalanx of saints that fill the medicine cabinet in the guest bath.  I guess with the Pantry God and the small tee pee with children (bottom picture, wedged between the Virgins of Guadalupe), it's officially a collecting direction.  Plastic American Indian figurines.  Dotcom.

Finally, Jennie brought us this lovely white kitchen glass bowl with black swirlies on it as a housewarming gift.  It's perfect for the table and would good with anything in it, but especially with a few little cuties thrown in, n'est-ce pas?

* There is more than one.  "Books are awfully decorative, don't you think?"

/ˈCHo͞ozē/

As I've mentioned, I've become rather choosy of late. Sure, I could just pick up any odd little treasure and be happy, but then where does it go? Where does it live? At what point does one cross over from collector to stylish hoarder to full-on hoarding madness?

These are the things I worry and think about. So, on a short little thrifting trip in Omaha (capital of all manner of fabulous things as noted here and here.), I looked at many things, but purchased only three:

This large ceramic statue of Quan Yin had a couple of minor nicks on it, but the price was right and it is just pretty gorgeous. I'm trying to find a place for it that is appropriate, beautiful and spiritual. What do you do to lovely things that are nicked or chipped? Rather than try to touch them up with paint, I've thought about highlighting the flaws of a couple of beloved pieces with gilding. Yes, gilding. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

An actual piggy bank that goes with the crazy, day-glo bank collection. What was three has grown from the noted eight to a large group of ten. Lovely all....including another relatively new inchworm...

Finally...
...two sets of six multicolored fondue plates in the original box. You know how I feel about things in the original box! In one of the boxes, the plates were even still in their plastic sleeves with the sticker, 'Japan,' unmarred on the back. Let's do the fondue!

I did not buy the six dozen punch cups for $3.97 in their original box. I DID NOT BUY THE SIX DOZEN PUNCH CUPS FOR $3.97 IN THEIR ORIGINAL BOX?! Mine are 'milk' glass, so these don't match anyways. Plus, Barbara has my Mam-ma's which are numerous and match her giant punch bowl. IF I were to ever need such a large number of cups.

A little boy in a rabbit suit that was oddly appealing, but I already have so many things that are 'oddly appealing.'

An Asian BVM? Or is this some Buddhist deity? Advise please.

A Frankoma mug like we used to have when I was growing up. Sam would crunch up crackers or crumble day-old biscuits into these big mugs, top with buttermilk and a some pepper for a snack. As children, my brother and I were amazed our father would eat such things.

A collection of shampoo bottle in a variety of shapes and sizes, but primarily Snow White.

A lovely electric organ.

There was also a large stack of overpriced vintage games and two owl bookends that were green slab glass I should have bought. But again, overpriced. Looking at eBay, they appear to be Blenko and quite ubiquitous. I would still like to have them.

Bounty Beauty Booty

There were so many beautiful things to be found in Omaha and the more I put in the cart, the more I wanted to find. It's very hard to pass something up, especially when you are traveling and you don't really have to worry about where it goes at that particular moment. It just goes into the trunk of the car, in a big box the thrift store so kindly provided and you can just worry about it later. I couldn't say no. I couldn't resist. I had to have all of this!

Can you identify this item? Like the handy peanut pourer, I have seen it before in the thrift store and just had no idea what it was. Jewelry tree? Utensil holder? Fondue fork stand!

That's right, fondue fork stand. So lovely and elegant, it matches some of the other green items we use for entertaining. Plus, it's in the original box. And I don't have to go into that again, do I reader?

The Lovely and Talented Miss Nettie Jackson loves her new little baby ducky! This sweetly painted china duck is just one of the absurd things I see at the thrift store that I am strangely attracted to. No provenance, nothing that special about it. But something made me want it.

Somewhere, someone wrote of this blog something to the affect of, "Lots of great thrifting finds and no photos of cat or what he made for dinner." We DO try to stay on-brand and on-mission here at MTSS, so I do apologize to that person for this gratuitous photo of the cat.

Back to the show: You know I love food specific serving pieces! I already have a mixed set of bowls similar to this including three bowls with pretzel in different scripts, a 'nuts' bowl and some with flowers on them. But, I've never seen a complete set with a lid. What to to put in them? Potato chips, pretzels, snacks and nuts! I love the ambiguity of 'snacks'...

...and the fact that they stack! Fantastic.

A lovely tin for the tin collection; number three hundred fifty-two. Not really, but beginning to feel like it.

I have been collecting 'frogs' since I was in high school. I know, it's crazy, but I was brought up right going to antique malls, junk shops and thrift stores by my Mam-ma. Somehow, I got started on the glass frogs and have a small collection of them. Mostly glass. For those not in the know, they're used for flower arranging and many vases came with custom frogs that sat in the top, allowing you to arrange more without worry. I think this ceramic iteration will work well in a low dish with some little mums or something. Plus it has that faux bois affect...

Mom had a sewing box like this when I was little. I believe it was green and two-tiered. I remember there were little scissors in it, needles and thread and it had some sort of fascination for me. Who knows. It was very tactile. This yellow one may not have ever been used, but Mitchell will put it to good use.

H is for Hurricane. And sadly, I broke this glass right after washing it!

This salt and pepper set is very mod, with metal clad over glass. We couldn't get one of them open at the store, but thought we might be able to at home. No luck. Any suggestions?

These guys came from the same store as the fondue forks and stand. Barely anything had a price, so when I asked how much the fondue forks were, the checker named a very affordable number. Then we asked about the banks, expecting a similar affordable number and she hesitated and then said, "twenty-five cents a piece." What?! A steal. The hippo and cow appear hand-painted, but the king is from a company, 'Lego, Fine Quality Japan.' Most of the ones we have are from Japan and these fit right into that very strange aesthetic.

Surely this wall plaque had a partner (Pepper? Is there pepper on that?), but it was nowhere to be found. Regardless, this one came home and will probably find a place in the kitchen. Eventually. The kitchen is small and already packed full of kitsch.

I spotted this coffee carafe perusing the kitchenware section. It was nice, with a great design and mod, Jetson-like handle in a pleasing plastic. But, after discarding a large collection of these when departing Wichita, it's hard to start adding back to the stash...

...UNTIL, I spotted the triangular warmer for this triangular pot on the other side of the store. As soon as I put them back together...."REUNITED and it felt sooo good," I had to have it.

So yes, when it is snowing outside I'll be sipping warm coffee from this pot.

Last but not least, an open divided vegetable by Georges Briard. Sigh. It has a hairline crack, but was just too fine to pass up: the shape, the size and the pattern. Fantastic. I wouldn't serve anything liquid-y in it, but it's perfect for...M&Ms! Pretzel on one side and plane on the other?

"Mmmmmm! M&Ms for dessert."

And that, my friends, is how we shop Omaha-style.

For the Birds!

I missed one amazing item in the parade of thrifting from the holiday trip--this amazing bird bank seen on the bookshelf with a coordinating owl bank. Mitchell has a small collection of these items that is quickly growing and the bird was a great addition. It has a small sticker on it that read, "Chicken Feed Savings Bank" and another on the bottom that reads 'Imports Enesco Japan.' These items share a peculiar aesthetic and day-glo colors that, as a child of the 70s, resonates strongly with me. It's kind of like Schoolhouse Rocks and color-your-own-black-light-posters-on-black-velvet had babies that were banks. I don't know, it gives me a shiver. Here's a look at the entire collection as it currently stands in addition to a peek at the books on my shelves. I know you like it...

Train Bank

Jalopy Bank

Street Car Bank