Okay, I'm WAY behind on everything and wanted to get a few updates done, so I've mashed together recent finds and sitings like a greatest hits list for your pleasure.
A is for art, as in "
Don't just think about prints and paintings, string art can be just as satisfying." This Mandala is signed by the artist on the back with wishes for a happy and joyful life. It's in mint condition and currently acting as the body halo for one of my Virgin Mary statues. No joke.
B is for Boss, as in "
This set of bookends is truly boss." Too boss for me, I didn't buy it.
C is for Chinese children, as in "
Aren't fat little Chinese children a great decorating motif?" Mitchell brought these back from his trip to Omaha/Wichita and they are a wonderful white porcelain set with two boys and two girls.
D is for don't buy this pattern of Pyrex, it's really ugly, as in "
Don't buy this pattern of Pyrex, it's really ugly." Or go ahead and buy all of it because no one else is, this has been sitting on the shelf of Next-to-New for months. Maybe if you stock up on it now, it will eventually reach 'ironic collectible' status and you can sell at a profit? Personally, I believe this "Federal" pattern is one of the worst, perhaps third only to the "wheat" and "Dutch farmers" patterns. I admit to owning some of the latter, but only in acceptable shapes and sizes. What makes them acceptable and desirable while most of it is awful? Reader, if you don't know, there are some things which simple cannot be taught.
F is for food warmer, as in "
Today's modern, electric food warmers make entertaining simple and carefree for every hostess." This one is a super-sized model with a design by the one and only Georges Briard. The gold is slightly worn in places, but I purchased it for a song.
G is for gold, plaster Last Supper statue, as in "
My, that gold, plaster Last Supper statue sure does look great on your mantle." But not on mine. Super-kitschy and certainly desirable to some, I had to pass on this little treasure.
H is for 'huh?', as in "
Huh? What are those anyway?" I have no idea. When I picked them up, I thought they were S&P, but the small whole on top only goes about 1/4 of an inch down. They're very heavy and produced by
Dansk. The bottom have a little wedge cut out of them which allows for them to sit straight or at an angle, as displayed above. If you have some idea or would like to proffer a guess, please feel free.
J is for jealous, as in "
I'm sure you must be jealous of the major collection of Georges Briard accessories that I'm accumulating." This one, called Persian Garden, is a great addition to the den. The gold design in in perfect condition and it's just the right size for the end table.
N is for next, as in "
The next hot decorating trend is going to be bowls of wooden fruit." This was my second purchase and there was a third set I passed up a while back which had all painted pieces of fruit--I am still kicking myself. My advice to you:
never, ever pass up the opportunity to purchase a set of wooden fruit. Never. The two sets I currently have look great next to one another on the coffee table. Promise.
P is for photography books, as in "
You can never have too many photography books in your collection." This crazy book contains wonderful photographs of the grand old houses of Louisiana. It's from the 1950s and the text is so flowery and sweet that it will leave a saccharine taste in your mouth. Skip the text and just enjoy the photographs.
S is for Schonwald, as in "
Schonwald china from Germany is some of most boss dishes you can buy." I heart this pattern. I mean, really really heart it. It's simply amazing, but they have an astronomical price on it and, as you know, I don't really
need another set of dishes. But I will freely admit that if it were cheap, I would buy it immediately. I have
several pieces of Schonwald in my collection already and I jettisoned several other things with the move to Texas, including the most delectable biscuit barrel you have ever seen. Keep your eyes out for Schonwald because almost all of it is delicious.
T is for tray, as in "
The pattern of this Georges Briard tray is too boss for words." And it looks great next to the Lucite-mounted coral that Jennie gave me a while back.
W is for waffle maker, as in "
What kind of rich-ass lady owned such a fancy waffle maker?" The lid is painted porcelain and I'm sure matched some other kitchen accessories, but I had to pass it by. I already have a waffle maker and this one, though amazing, just wasn't my style.
Now you know your ABCs, oh won't you come and shop with me?
....my fabulous, thrifty friend Jennie! She is as obsessed (if not more) with thrift shopping as I am, but we never really shop together. Today, we both happened to have a short day at work, so we met for lunch and then headed into Next-to-New to see what we could find. This mirror looks fancy (and Jennie looks lovely in it) but the frame is actually very thin plastic.
This double boiler is made from Pyrex glass, but not that strange stuff they tried to get everyone to cook on in the 80s. It was kind of amber colored? I can't remember what they called it, but my Mam-ma would always talk about how 'during the war' you couldn't buy metal cookware, so they had a lot of glass. Possibly like this? I didn't buy it, but considered it strongly.
Jennie almost bought this blue ceramic bowl, but it was obviously missing the lid. Cute, kind of Pennsylvannia Dutch modern?
She did pick up this lovely porcelain butterfly, with designs to use it to hold jewelry. Delicate and whimsical, it has a happy feeling. Plus, she can hang it on the wall if she wanted.
Jennie and I oohed and ahed over this set of thirteen Asian teacups decorated with delicate images of birds and bright pink peonies. Thirteen seemed like a lot, even though my usual goal is service for twenty-four. Jennie suggested we split then and I was so happy that I hugged her. The other shoppers looked at us like we were crazy, which we are. They have a thick wall and are perfect in the hand. I served tea in then that very evening, during a Project Runway screening.
Next-to-New had a huge collection of Hall's Jewel Tea pattern. This was one of my Mam-ma's favorites and at one point she had a large collection she eventually sold off. It was one of those things she was obsessed with, almost as much as that Anchor Hocking Star of David crystal. I have a single pitcher from her Jewel Tea collection that reminds of her and seeing this large selection made me gush. Her birthday is January 19 and she would have been 89.
This Dallas Junior League cookbook is haunting me. I almost bought another copy with a similar design actually imprinted onto the cover of the book last week when I was in Houston. I didn't buy either, because I really don't imagine getting anything interesting from the Dallas Junior League recipes. I'm sure there is a section of how to achieve big hair. Maybe another on dressing for lunch? I'm sure each recipe begins, "Ask your maid to prepare this recipe the next time you are having friends over for bridge."
There were eight of these RED Sango bowls, so I snatched them up. They're low and very modern, with color on the exterior and white inside. I imagine using them with the Georges Briard Asian plate and Metlox Shore Line. I love to mix different styles and colors up on the table. But, you, dear reader, already knew that. I emphasize that the bowls are red, because they were labeled orange by the store and there was much discussion on the color between Jennie and other guests at the house the evening after they were purchased. Red, red....RED!
They look lovely, combined as mentioned above and topped with an olive green lotus bowl.
Like moi, Jennie was born to (THRIFT) shop.
