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?"

ICT Thrift, Thrifted Gifts & the BVM

We had a wonderful time at Anna's house on July 4 and enjoyed seeing many friends and hanging out at their house. Emily and Brian came--with gifts! In the strange synchronic way, one of the items, a small George Briard tray, had been purchased at the estate sale at the very house where the party was! What more, Anna loved the dish, which reminded her of a childhood dish of her grandmothers and was thinking of it as the inspiration for her kitchen remodel: orange and copper. Hot!

Emily told how her mother did not like to give 'used' gifts and how she had a hard time getting over that herself. Thrifted gifts are the best! If you find something someone will love, they won't care where it came from. In our case, the thrifted gifts included the aforementioned Briard tray, a small tin for the collection and a diminutive Asian statue. Lovely, all. The Asian lady rounds out a couple of recent statues of the BVM I found to a nice little set of three.

The used gift question made me think about Christmases past: my mam-ma lived in a older neighborhood in Tulsa, one that had been quite rural when they moved into it, with the city growing up around it. In the 80s, there was a problem with flooding and the city elected to buy-up many of the homes in the neighborhood and build a water-retention area. One of the home belonged to Miss Brotherton. This had been her family home and she had lived there her entire life, never marrying and only adding to the accumulation of thing already in the house. All of these treasures had to go, so mam-ma volunteered to throw the garage sale of all garage sales. It was legendary. Of course, come Christmas there were lots of extras under the tree--everyone had more presents than usual and we weren't sure why. Then, we began to unwrap and all manner of odd items from the house were revealed. Everyone got something, or several somethings, from the sale. Unique things. From then on, that Christmas was referred to as the Brotherton Christmas. Used gifts! Do it.

We also did a little trifting with Molly, but it seems our karma was used up on a few things. Molly found a great tile topped table in limey greens and yellows. I found a bulletin board in a very 70s design. We also spotted several items of interest along the way.

This virgin and child was lovely, but strangely the same price as...

Huh. Virgin Mary or strange plastic people with happy messages? I guess the gist is the same.

And then there was this strange display:

I can only say: booty-licious!

Molly scored a beautiful tile-topped table in shades of green and citreen that looks fab with her chairs. We spent a little time merchandising them and I think the result was very fun. (Hello Dempsey! Your first appearance on MTSS.)

She also found this great chair which looks perfect with her orange ottoman. I think she has a fantastic orange and green story happening.

Love shopping in Wichita!

The Reveal: Thrifty Threads Mystery

I was very excited to see how many of you proffered a guess as to what I bought on my last trip to Thrifty Threads. I think if I were still living in my house in Austin, I probably would have bought it all, but downsizing and lack of space has caused me to be even more selective than I was trying to be in Texas. Let's have a rundown of those fabulous choices again...

The dishes got one 'second guess' from a reader. I did love these, but ultimately I decided they wouldn't mix well with any existing china.

The fish plates got three votes. They were adorable and if they had cups along, I probably would have snatched them and ran.

The pile of blue ceramic fruit got three votes. I am definitely in the market for a pile of ceramic fruit, but even with a blue color scheme in my house, I'm not sure I want to limit myself.

The wooden leaf tray got two votes. A lot of people seemed to really love it. I guess I should have bought it and saved it as a present for a lucky person.

The ice cream plates got one vote. I did really like these and they would certainly brighten up the table during these dark times, but there were only four.

The Pyrex gravy boat got two votes. I was surprised it didn't get more, considering my awful and often-confessed obsession with Pyrex. Plus, look at that handle. Perfection. And it comes with an under plate. But, sadly no.

The daffodil tile got zero votes. Funny, because I was actually holding onto this as I approached the cash register. But, the crack made me say no.

The chair got one vote. Fabulous as the fabric is, Molly was right: there is no room at the Inn and the Manger is pretty darn full as well.

Of course, looking back at the post I spotted my 'tell.' I'm surprised no one else noticed it: pidgin French. When I start writing about something and getting excited, I start throwing out "n'est-ce pas," "mais oui" and "zeut alors" like I am walking down the Avenue des Champs Elysess. I think the other tell is probably when I start addressing you as 'reader,' in that sanctimonious tone I sometimes use. I did like reading all the justifications for your guesses, very fun. But, only one person got it right.

I waffled on these, because of the fuchsia. I thought they didn't go well with my other things, but sometimes reader, it is all about contrast. And they definitely contrast with the Temporama, and give a little 'pop' of color to the china cabinet that makes everything look better.

Scott, I don't think I have a prize fabulous enough for you. But, I will think of something. You probably want the salt and pepper, don't you?

Owassoooo Gooooodwill

Unlike the Goodwill stores in Austin, which are primarily filled with buyout items, the Owasso, OK Goodwill still actually has thriftable merchandise. I popped in with my mom, Eric and Becca for a peek and came away with some great finds.

Two blue glass bowls, one round and one rectangular, that will sit great with my many blue and white dishes. I think I may have the round bowl in clear as well. Someone I know has it. Any claimers?

This charming little figurine is actually a box. The top tier of her dress lifts off to reveal a nice place to stash some goodies. I didn't buy it. Don't worry, you're not getting it for Christmas or anything.

This WHITE statue of Artemis with a stag is made from that marble-looking plastic that I like so much. It'll be great in the front room if I can find a place to put it.

I picked up this little blue box for April because it is decorated with two of her favorite things: unicorns and owls. I also found something else wonderful for her, but it was a little delicate and will be transported by car later. The flight home only had two other people on it! If I had known I would have packed up all the glass and just carried it on. I felt like I was on my own private plane and am not sure how much longer ExpressJet will be in business.

I also found a cookie cookbook from Southern Living from the mid-eighties that is full of great recipes and information on historic Southern baking. You can read more about it on bigYELLOWbowl.

Thrifting, Gifts and Magazine Racks

While in Madison, WI a few weeks back I did a little thrifting with my pal Jessie. Unfortunately, I was traveling by air and had to be very choosy about my purchases. The place we ended up had some great things I would have loved to snag: a giant, orang-ish landscape painting, crazy throw pillows, a Limoges gravy boat (white and gold and lovely) and all kinds of dishes. The thing I couldn't pass up was this fantastic ceramic horse. I have named her Tallulah and she still lives in Madison with Jessie and David, until the time comes for her to return to me. I was going to be brave like my friend Michael who has no fear when it comes to packing glass, but I just couldn't risk it. Someday, she will take her rightful place on the coffee table of my front room and rule the space as she was meant to.

Jennie is such a sweetheart and picked up this fantastic coral for me. It's not just any coral, but a beautiful specimen that has been attached to a strange little Lucite base. Somehow, the base makes a great thing event better, lending a certain seventies vibe. It rests on the coffee table, calling out quietly, "Tallulah, Taaaaa....lluuuuu....laaaaaaah."

Molly visited from Wichita and brought a great housewarming gift: an image of Virgin that is three-dimensional! Not 3-D is a flashing kind of way, but slightly raised off the background. Not only is she fantastic and three-dimension, but she is also the Virgin with the Super Powers. (Okay, they all have super powers, but this one really shows it by shooting powers rays from her hands. Don't mess with her!) She looks great on the mantel altar with Juan Carlos and an array of her Virgin counterparts.

Metal mid century magazine rests abound at thrift stores around the country, but I wanted the right one, the correct one for my magazines and life. I wanted the magazine rack of perfection. The one true magazine rack.


My main issue was that I wanted a rack where the magazines could lay flat. I do not want my magazines to stand on end, they get bent up and fall all over each other. Ick. So I found what I thought was THE one, but it was too curved and magazines just didn't work in it. I put a book in the bottom, which seemed to work, but then the book was warped. Irritating. (I'm sorry Dorie Greenspan, I'll try and fix it.) So at Saint David's Next-to-New (They still haven't moved into their new store, but keep promising it is any day.) we found what may turn out to be the one. It is a two-storied model that cradles the precious monthlies at a slight angle. For now, I am very happy, but it is still on a six-month trial.

Happy Thrifting!

Happy Pyrex

Jessie and Dave sent me this lovely divided Pyrex casserol for my birthday. Tonight I used to reheat lemongrass tofu and curried tofu with vegetables from Sunflower, my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Thanks guys!