Balanced

Reader, it's not that I don't think of you, it's just that life gets in the way.  I feel like I am always making excuses for not writing and I know that you sit at home nightly with your box of tissues crying your eyes out for a new post from MTSS, but I don't have time to shop or a place to put all of my finds.  Please rest assured, when I do shop, you are the first to know!  There isn't some secret blog where I am posting for some other readers about things you aren't seeing, I promise.  It's only you, it's always been you, it will always be you.

But, this past couple of weeks have been insanity.  It is just one of those time with lots of balls in the air and tons of things happening.  I am surviving and I felt the balance last weekend with a little shopping...

I have to say that one of my favorite new tools for shopping estate sales is estatesales.net.  It's great in that it tells you where the sales are, plus has lots of photos of what they have.  You can see if there is anything you might like or discover instantly it probably won't be worth your time...this one was!  The issue of course is that you see things you want, but then you get there and they are already gone.  But, I guess it was my lucky day as the two footed bowls (the same, but with different china markings) were still there and I got them for half off since it was Saturday morning.  They'll be perfect with all of the other white dishes of mixed pedigree

Shells.  Faux shells.  You know about my obsession (here, here and here), so I was more than thrilled to add these two, lovely specimens from Wedgewood cast in the bone china to the collection.  It grows, its shifts...it expands.

I always eye salts at the antique store covetously because I want them so badly and they are always fifteen to twenty dollars EACH.  Is the market for salts really that strong?  I guess so, but I was very happy to find four lovely little specimens at the estate sale for next to nothing.  They remind of little crystal urchins and next time I have a little formal dinner I will serve my very exquisite salt in these little guys.



This little matchbook was not priced, but the woman at the checkout was so delighted we wanted something "from my era" that she threw it for free!  From Japan, it opens out the end and has a different little house image on both sides.  It is kind of the palette of our kitchen in Terre Haute and the hanging objets above the sink, which is not to say the same as the palette in the Texas kitchen, although close.  These things are always changing and evolving.

These glasses have been following me all over the country!  I'm sure they're just something basic from Libbey that was just sold everywhere, but I have managed to find them in Wichita, Terre Haute, Madison and now West Texas, amassing quite a collection.



These, on the other hand, I have been hunting forever and have never found.  Until now.  What are they, you ask?  Stemware from Russel Wright for Morgantown Glass, eight goblets and seven sherbets in chartreuse, for a song.  Scott at Ars Longa seems to stumble over a few of these every time he turns around, but for me they have remained elusive.  I'm not a big collector of Wright, but I do love these glasses.  Unlike plates and ceramics, they're unmarked, so you really have to know what you are looking for.  And be lucky!

Plant stand?  Or modern sculpture?  Either way, it is going to look lovely with pots in it until I convert it a serving piece by attaching plates some way to the little pot circles.  Hmmm...

...and then felt revived and restored, with some wonderful finds and a chance to share them with you, my dear reader.





Love a New, Old Store

A few weeks ago, we popped into a new, old store which I have to say I could not be happier to have discovered. It's called Dress Up's, so I assume the proprietress is named Dress Up. Maybe a nickname? Anyway, someone at work had mentioned it, but I hadn't been able to figure out exactly where it was. When we entered, there seemed to be a lot of dishes, housewares and clothes. The woman running the place, Miss Dress Up we assumed, was on the phone when we entered, but gave a friendly wave. As we looked over what there was on the shelves, we thought a lot of it was pretty excellent and the prices weren't bad.
About halfway down the second aisle, Miss Dress Up approached us with a warm, West Texas "how are y'all? Have y'all been in before?" No, we hadnt. "I didn't think so, do y'all know how our pricing system works?" No, we didn't. She was more than happy to explain it: color-coded tags with a reduction each week! Suddenly, the prices seemed even better.
In fact, a set of glasses we had admired (because we need more glasses.) were down to the lowest discount: $.97! Honestly. There were six of them, though one turned out to be broken--we bought them anyway.
The other great find was an amazing, vintage 60s Medusa-like lamp with a wonderful sculptural quality. The "globes" are actually large bulbs and after plugging it in and finding that it worked, I was sold. It looks fantastic in the living room and I was excited to discover it had a three way switch, going from two bulbs on, to three and finally all five. Love. After such a great experience, we'll definitely be back...looking for an amazing set of nightstands, an etagere or a bookshelf! Plus dishes. Lots more dishes...and of course to check in with Miss Dress Up.