The House That Thrift Built 2

I've been promising you a tour of the front room for a while, and I guess the space is finally finished. Finished in that there are curtains up and all the little knickknacks are where they'll be--for a while anyways. Finished in that I finally found chairs and a chandelier (which you, reader, already know about). And finished in that I've started to think about changing it. Nothing major, I'm very happy with the colors, the furniture and the fact all the little bits have come together into a somewhat cohesive whole. I suddenly have a fantasy of ditching the dining table and arranging it salon style, a la Pauline de Rothschild's famous drawing room in Paris. (Do you know it? I couldn't find a photograph. If not, imagine pilasters faux painted to look like green marble, chairs scattered about loosely and lots of light.) But right now that remains a fantasy.

Looking at the photographs of the room, they seem to reveal a lot of imperfection. I wanted to evoke the act of coming in and examining certain aspects of it in greater detail as you move through the room. I'm afraid the result is more choppy and not as seamless as I imagined, but I hope you enjoy it. If you visit, you'll find the colors more muted than in the photographs and the space very soft and relaxing. Come see for yourself...

My Dream Tureen

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit an exhibition of ceramics since at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in KC, MO called Color and Fire: Defining Moments in Ceramics, 1950-2000, which was drawn from the LACMA collection of ceramics. I actually saw it twice and bought the catalog, which is high marks from a jaded, museum-employed art person. I felt the work presented truly sparked the imagination and addressed the ever-present question artists working in traditional craft media must address: form or function?

David Regan, b. 1964
Deer Tureen, 1996
Porcelain

The most amazing thing I saw was a tureen shaped like a deer giving birth. It was enormous (could have easily served forty people) and decorated with intricate woodland details including a snake winding its way around the under plate. The application of the design implied a context beyond the elegant form, setting the work apart from the merely functional. I imagined serving tomato soup from the tureen. I imagined serving pea soup in the tureen. I imagined having the tureen on my dining table and getting to look at it everyday.

Since then, I have been on the search for a tureen. I knew I would never find a giant one shaped like a deer giving birth at the thrift store, but I thought I would eventually find one that really said something. A tureen that made a statement. And this weekend, I found exactly what I had been looking for: a vintage, 1975 Fitz and Floyd tureen shaped like giant fish. With green eyes.

Just in time for fall. Come to dinner, I'm serving soup!

Thrifting ABCs

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?

Chandelier...interrupted.

I posted a while back about my sweet chandelier find and how I painted it black to really make it pop as you walked into the room. I kept looking at it though, and thinking about the white fake candle covers. You know I love faux, but these really just kind of stood out and took away from the overall gestalt of the fixture. (Yes, I just used gestalt to talk about a decorating element. Get used to it.) I pondered the problem and then finally thought: electrical tape! I covered the white plastic with a thin strip of black electrical tape which bring another texture to the light, but still unifies with color.

Before:

After:
What do you think? A little goth, right? And a whole lot edgier. Now about those chairs...

A Little Del City, OK Thrift

Last weekend, I made a quick trip to Norman, OK to see my friend Stephanie and some other friendly folks. Stephanie and I made a couple of thrifting runs, hitting some old haunts in Del City and Oklahoma city. The biggest purchase was a vintage, but mint, sewing machine that Stephanie got for a song. However, I didn't get a photo of it!

In Del City, we somehow landed upon some weird, friendly thrifter triangle. As we were looking at appliances, such as this avocado green Presto vertical broiler, an older gentleman counseled us on how we could pick some great stuff for our kitchen at yard sales. I didn't buy the toaster, but truly appreciated the graphics. Presto!

These faux bamboo nesting tables in brass and glass weren't in perfect shape, but certainly could have been made to work with a little paint or a bit of polish. Unfortunately, I didn't think they fit into the overhead compartment of the plane.

Stephanie considered this simple and elegant sideboard, but since it wouldn't fit in her car, took a pass. Perhaps she'll go back, it was a lovely bargain.

These little brass rabbits looked cute in the store, but the photo makes them seem like a pair of demon bunnies. I'm glad I decided against them!

What did I buy in Del City? A dancing trophy, some art for the guest room and a vintage Trader Vic's cocktail book. (Photos later) The line at the store was loooong, since there was only a single person working. However, everyone kept their cool and shared info about their favorite thrift stores and who had discounts on what days.

After Del City, we made a couple of other fruitless stops before heading to the Asian market with the idea of lunch. We were swept into the greatness that is Super Cao Nguyen Market and had a wonderful time cruising the aisles looking at packaging and finding bargains. You can read about that portion of our shopping adventure (food and non-food alike) here on bigYELLOWbowl.

After a return trip home to drop off our purchases, we ran to Salvation Army. No luck and not a single purchase. Apparently our bargain karma was exhausted. There were some interesting things to see though, so it wasn't a complete waste of energy.

This mound of scarves intrigued me. It looked like the contents of my grandmother's scarf drawer had exploded! And topped with a cowboy hat? Strange.

With her beatific expression and blue, snake skin jump suit, Stephanie could be the Patron Saint of Palm Beach. There were two of these available for purchase and neither looked as if it had been worn. Surprised?

These two gentlemen graced the front windows of the store. Smartly dressed, I found them strangely pleasing.

Do you remember this dress? Didn't Candice wear it to junior prom in 1986? When you went with Shane and she thought she was so hot because she was dating that college kid who ended up dropping out his sophomore year and working at the Kmart down the street? Remember? You guys double-dated and you and Candice shopped for your dresses together. She got this red one, with the polka dots and you wore something very similar in purple? Only the bow was bigger on yours? If you don't remember, then get out your photo album and double check because I am pretty sure I am right.

Meet the Pattersons

I was off today, so Mitchell and I popped into St. David's Next-to-New to see what was new. Lots of great things, including about a half-dozen French Provincial bureaus, some new dishes...and the Pattersons!

I love found portraits and I enjoy being able to rescue what was once someone treasured family portrait from the discard pile. It's unclear to me who could have gotten rid of this?!

The painting, I think it is watercolor and ink wash, is HUGE.

There are four kids in this family, surely one of them had a child to pass on this strangely, delightful painting. Since there is no name on the back or signature on the front, we went about the process of renaming all of the family members, in the tradition of Juan Carlos.

The father, who I think may have created this portrait, is Stanley Patterson, Jr. and his wife is Mildred Patterson, née Murphy, but goes by Maud. They have been married for sixteen and a half years. Stan works in middle management at a large insurance company, but dabbles in art. Maud is, of course, a housewife and gave up her career as a very successful endocrinologist to raise a family, after putting herself through medical school. She drinks a lot. In her lucid moments she is involved in the PTA, Girl Scouts, her church charities and other activities.

The oldest daughter, a cheerleader and obviously popular (I mean, she's blond and has a fairly nice chest.) is named Sandra Patterson, but goes by Sandy. Her boyfriend is, of course, captain of the football team. She is a sixteen year-old sophomore dating a senior, the envy of all her many, many friends. She plans to go to State, study home economics and pledge Delta Gamma. Beyond that, it's all golden.

The son is Stanly Patterson, III and goes by Trip. Why not? He is the only boy. He is well liked and president of the science club. He's a little quiet and keeps to himself.

The second daughter is named Josephine Patterson, after her paternal grandmother, a very cultured lady from a main-line Boston background. Her namesake, who insists on being called Joe (with an 'e') is not so cultured and had to be bribed to put on the dress while posing for this portrait. While the rest of the family is pleasantly pasty, Joe has the dark skin of a tomboy who spends all her time outdoors.

The youngest and most precious of the Pattersons is Charlotte, called Carlotta by her grandmother. The rest of the family affectionately calls her Sister, Sis or Sissy depending on the inflection and intention. Poor Charlotte didn't even know her name WAS Charlotte until she started first grade! She likes dolls. When her mother is 'napping' in the afternoon, Charlotte gets into her makeup and clothes.

Maud has a wicked sense of humor and named the family pets, both bitches, Debbie (on the left) and Liz.

More on the Pattersons later.

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.

Where oh where, my chandelier?

For a while now, the front room has been pretty much done. You have probably seen snippets of it over the past year as furniture was added, color put on the walls and curtains added to the windows. I think the space is relaxing and comfortable, and am very happy with the light blue paint with white details. One thing was standing in the way of completion: a light fixture in the room. The ugly light from Hope Depot that the sellers of the house put in to "update" it would not work. So the search has been on. I have looked on-line and been outbid on eBay. I have shopped in catalogs for chandeliers made from Murano glass in Italy and priced far above my budget. I have looked in second-hand shops, thrift stores, antique malls and anywhere else I thought I might find a bargain. IKEA. Target. Crate and Barrel. Zilch. Nothing. Nada.

One place I have been stopping to look occasionally is the Restore, the Habitat for Humanity resale shop, which benefits the efforts of Habitat in the Austin area. If you don't have one in your town, they are basically thrift store version of Home Depot/Lowe's. You can find some bargains if you are willing to dig and go back again and again. I wasn't looking for THE chandelier of my dreams, merely a stopgap version that I could use until I saved enough money or found THE chandelier of my dreams. But, not even the stopgap version had appeared a the Habitat store. That is, not until yesterday.

I was on my way back home from taking cardboard to the recycling center. The funny thing is, what I thought was the Ecology Action of Texas recycling center turned out to actually be the trash processing center for one of the bars downtown. Whoops! The recycling place was just down the street and was this amazing junky street corner piled high with boxes, cans and bottles. Suburban housewives and hippies milled about, oblivious to one another in their effort to be green. Anyway, so driving home I passed by Habitat and made a split-second decision to pull in and have a look.

The moment I walked through the door, I knew it was there. Perhaps you think its strange that I would have a psychic moment while thrift shopping, but it actually happens to me pretty regularly. Especially if it is something I have been asking and asking and asking the universe to send my way.

I walked onto the light fixture aisle and there it was, a large beautiful black chandelier. Simple, with just a touch of ornament and perfect for the dining room. And more importantly, THE chandelier of my dreams, not the stopgap one I thought I might find.

Shop diligently, and you will find it.

St. David's Next-to-NEW

The day is finally here, the ladies at St. David's Next-to-New have moved the store and are opened to the public in the remodeled space, a former Ace Hardware. First impressions: lots of light, lots of space and the same beautiful bargains they had at the last location. It doesn't seem quite as organized, but believe me they are working on it.

A view of the store from the glassware corner. Spacious, with large areas where they ladies can set up the little room displays they like so much.

Dishes, dishes and more dishes. When I stand in this section, I feel like I am at home. No really. My house is almost exactly like this. They had some great sets in stock, including a very interesting pattern by Noritake.

This petite chaise (You can recover it of course, unless you already have a blue flowered fan motif happening in the bedroom. Anyone? Anyone?) would be perfect in the boudoir paired with a small table and discreet floor lamp. I imagine a southern lady spending her morning hours with cup of tea and the a trashy novel.

I have my fingers crossed that no one picks up this lovely print. I really don't know where it would go, but it's very cheerful and quite dynamic.

This metal table/plant stand only needs a little paint to be a perfect addition to the patio or even the front room. It was a little pricey, but hopefully will stay around long enough to reach the deep discount phase.

The old Next-to-New store was at

5335 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78757

and the current location is just a couple of blocks north. Check it out.

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!

Why does the caged plant grow?

I didn't buy this at the thrift store, but at the next best place: Room Service in Austin. Room Service is funky store with a mix of vendors selling an eclectic array of fifties, sixties and seventies wares. The prices are usually almost as good as thrift shopping and they are always marking things way down.

The bird cage was a steal and looks great in the corner of the living room, stuffed with a slightly over-sized plant. I really wanted a giant fern, but the one I bought was TOO big. Someone suggested actually getting a bird, but I said if I want to spend money on cat food I'll just buy it in a can! I'd like to find a smaller, similarly architectural cage to hang in the opposite corner. The whole idea of birdcages filled with plants strikes me as very 1970s fern bar/restaurant and make me smile. You?

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!

Shopping with Friends

While Michael and Ryan were in town a couple of weeks ago, we popped into several of my favorite thrifting locales. It's always fun to watch Michael shop, because even though he has to schlep things back on the plane, he goes for the glass. LOTS of glass.

At St. David's I found several wonderful things. There was more, but I had to make some careful decisions...

This white porcelain statue will go with my collection of Quan Yins, but the only problem is now there are four and who wants an even number. I'm on the hunt for another one (or three). The iconography of this one isn't aligned with conventional depictions of the goddess, so it is probably intended to be just a Chinese Lady. Why let her linger in obscurity? I'm making her an honorary Quan Yin for life.

My new obsession: Georges Briard's wonderful glassware. This blue bird theme is perfect for me, but there are many others out there to find. Briard was actually born Jascha Brojdo in the Ukraine, but who wants to buy home decor items with a curly Jascha Brojdo signature? Something a little more French, a little more upscale? Voila, Georges Briard was born. Once you start looking, you'll recognize many of the highly graphic designs Briard created for serving pieces, cookware, china and more from the 1950s to the 1990s. He died a couple of years ago, so I predict his objects will become very popular in only a short while. Buy them now!

I almost passed up this wonderful creamer and sugar. It's two pieces, with the creamer serving as the lid for the sugar bowl, strikingly similar to one by Russel Wright from mid-century. This one was probably designed a little earlier and while it might be described as deco, bears an uncanny resemblance to much of the metalwork designed by the Bauhaus students and teachers in Germany in the 1920s.

A small white dish, lovely in its asymmetry and made in Japan. Perhaps a gift for someone else, I'm not sure I'll keep it.

Somehow, I don't have a butter dish. I know, it's very shocking. I used to have one. I'm sure I used to have more than one. Maybe they're all living happily together in a box in the garage? I had my eye on this pink one for several week and waited until it came down in price. It matches a creamer, sugar and tray I already have in a different color. Thankfully, it fits perfectly into the butter nook in the refrigerator.

After Next-to-New, we also went to the junk store at the other end of the shopping center. The place is just piled high with all kinds of things. Whatever you might imagine. And there is not a price on anything. Michael found what may have been the most expensive thing in the store, but who knows? A set of glasses that was priced so high I can't even remember! But after that we went to the Bethesda Thrift Store next door where I found a couple of delicious bargains:

This aluminum tidbit tray was a steal and easily transportable to parties or work (I have a lovely ceramic green one that I would never take out of the hosue.) There is some sort of wheat motif on the handle, but it is fairly modern and not completely undesirable.

You know how much I love to find things still in their original box! Michael actually found this, but decided he didn't want to tote it back (must save room for GLASS!), so I snagged it. The fondue forks are very long and have a nice heft to them. Hopefully they'll get used very soon.

It's been a while...

...so a whirlwind update. Computer & camera problems (plus life in general) have kept me away from Blogger, but here is a short and sweet update:



In November, we painted the 'front room' (Since I'm living in the South, I enjoy using the phrase to describe the living room/dining room combo which is located at the front of the house.), and in the process had to remove things from the china cabinet. The color we chose is at the edge of the table, and I promise a nice video of the finished product soon. Can you spot Heidi-Anna at the back? And the blue bird of happiness?



As noted before, I love faux and nothing is fauxer than a faux shell. Right? I was delighted to find this smaller ceramic shell which sits nicely next to the giant conch planter I showed you a while back.



Deers, dear! These two lovely deers have a deco feel and a glaze I couldn't resist. It's kind of egg shell and they are part of my latest obsession: white accessories for the front room. I'm not denying it and I don't care what everyone says. I ignored white for a long time, and now I'm making up for it.



Chairs. A simple thing right? Wrong. They are hard to find. Next to impossible. The table is my grandmother's, but she sold the chairs when she moved to Texas. Why? No one knows why. I wanted to use the multicolored plastic Eames chairs in the kitchen, but had to find something to replace them. Something a little more matchy and formal. These are difficult to describe, kind of Asian-ish, but modern too. The upholstery (it's vinyl!) will have to be replaced, but I am loving the black.



Chairs. Sigh.



I tried to resist this Ben Seibel bowl from his Impromptu pattern, but just couldn't. I waited until first markdown at Next-to-New, but then had to snatch it up. Of course, I really needed another bowl. I was running low. You know how that is, right/



Victory! The Nike of Samothrace, to be exact. From the Louvre? Funny Face? It was a treat and looks great on the coffee table. It's made from some sort of resin, but looks pretty close to marble. The little blue object in the foreground is a glass caster in a lovely peacock blue. I found a set of three and they look interesting just piled up one on top of the other.



Cookbooks. More cookbooks. How many do I have? About 230-something. Counting little paperbacks, etc. Old and new. About 230. It could be slightly higher. That's not too many is it? How many do you have? Probably about that many, right?

Keep shopping!

Oh, I been shoppin'...

...even though I ain't been postin'.


I already had one of these lovely little boat dishes in my cupboard and was elated to find two more several weeks ago. They are from a set of dishes that features a simpering blue cornflower on the plates and bowls and whose name escapes me. Needless to say, undesirable. The serving piece, however, are much more modern than the rest and fit well with many of my other things. I always hate to break up a set, but in this case I made an exception.


David was in town a couple of weeks ago when I found this lovely owl at Next-to-New (They're moving up the street a couple of blocks, to a larger space they have purchased. Thrift store doing pretty well, I would say). She now sits atop our china cabinet and guards over the entire room. They still have the amazing set of Noritake fine china (It's simply white with a grey stripe on the edge and silver rim), but where would I put them? I guess it will just languish there on the shelf.

To assuage the grief of not buying the Noritake, I went ahead and bought this set of fourteen glasses at Savers. (bottom shelf, middle) They're very tall, with heavy glass bottoms and appropriate for an array of icy coctails: Mojitos, Pimm's cup and the like.


I found the silver-plated lotus dish on the left a while back and it cleaned up pretty nicely. After Eric and Becca's wedding in Ardmore,OK I drover to Norman, OK and spent the night with Stephanie. On Monday she had class, so I hit the Salvation Army (an old haunt) before we headed back to Austin. I found the second lotus set and candlesticks, which are pretty tarnished, but will be very nice if they clean up. Unfortunately, SA had priced each element individually: the bowl, the plate, and each candlestick. Who prices candlesticks individually? I complained to the poor, innocent checker and she offered to give me the warehouse number so that I could tell them myself. I told her she could just pass on my comment, as the white stickers were all fifty percent off and I ended up paying what I had originally planned.


I also found this cute little owl napkin holder at the Norman SA and gave it to April who has a passion for all things owl-ish. It still has the originall J.C. Penny's price sticker on it.


While Stephanie was in town we hit all the Austin high points: Central Market, Amy's Ice Cream, Sunflower Vietnamese Food, bats at the Congress Ave bridge, Swad Veggiefood and Frank Black (lead singer of the Pixie's) in an amazing concert opened by Kentucky Prophet. We also worked in a little shopping included St. David's Next-to-New and Bethesda Thrift which is next door. Stephanie found this lovely compote in mint condition (not even a chip on the delicate flowers) for a steal of price. After much consideration, we decided it shouldn't go back on the plane and will be have to be delivered by hand at some point in the future.


I found this set of six smoke-colored stems. My preference is always service for eight (or twenty-four if we are really going to be honest and I think I know you pretty well so I'm going to go ahead and say what I really prefer is service for twenty-four.), but I bought them anyway. Hopefully I'll be able to use them a couple of times before they become service for five. Or service for four. My eyes moisten at the thought! Let us speak of it no more and live in the present which contains a set of lovely smoke-colored stems for eight.


I thought the glasses would go well with both of my sets of dishes, so of course I had to get them out of the cabinet to see for myself. The service above combines Canonsburg's Temporama (with blue, grey and tan colored atomic-like motif on the plates) with the new stems and a contrasting blue water glass. The blue shell bowl to the left of the place setting is from West Elm and was a gift from David Earl. The dragonfly chopstick rests (service for eight) are from Sur la Table and the silver Chinese soup spoons and black melamine chopsticks from the Asian market in Wichita. (Not THE Asian market, but the Asian market. Friends in Wichita will get this it, but it wouldn't be funny to the rest of you even if I tried to explain it.) The end result? An interesting combination of vintage and modern pieces that is startling and unique, if I say so myself. And I did.


After combining it with the Temporama, I thought "If it looks that good with the blue and white, I wonder what it will look like with the Metlox Shore Line." For those of you who have been reading MTSS for a while, you will remember that the original set of Metlox Shore Line (color, Wet Sand) was a gift from the actress Helena Hale who was visiting Wichita, KS to perform her one-woman play about Georgia O'Keeffe. Of course, I added to the original purchase and have a large collection with plenty of serving pieces. The color may be strange, but I believe just about any type of food looks great on it. Whites, reds, greens. You name it. Likewise, it combines well with some blue salad plates I bought, white bowls, you name it. Anyway, in the setting above I combined the smoke stem with a darker smoke tumbler from IKEA and accented the Metlox with a orange Gingko leaf-shaped dish from West Elm (another gift from David. Service for six, but I won't go down that road again.). The flatware is just some modern stainless from Target, but again the combination of reddish-tan, smoke and orange looks pretty darn good. The chair is an Eames design and was part of the bargain of the last century.


Another trip to Next-to-New this past weekend yielded a couple of other treasures including this large ceramic shell-shaped planter which has a lovely pink interior. It goes well with the growing faux-shell collection that is in the front room. Actually, it is the new queen of the collection with its large size and exquisite detail.


I also found volumes one and two of Meta Given's The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking, both with the dust jackets in relatively good shape. A month or so ago, I had found volume one and was very excited to find a complete set. My mother received these as a wedding present and has always sworn by them, so I was happy to find a couple for myself. Especially since hers are so used they are....used.

Happy shopping!

The House that Thrift Built

I've posted photos of the house in various states of decoration, but I thought I would take this wonderful new opportunity to do a short video tour of the den. Basically everything except the coffee table (which was my grandmother's) and orange cubes is from the thrift store. It's the result of years and years of diligent shopping. Remember, if you don't shop then you can't buy!

Test video

This is my first test video thanks to the wonderful, amazing new Treemo site! Look for more in the future...

Treasures

As mentioned before, Austin thrifting is a challenge. Occasionally though, treasures present themselves. I don't normally buy Pyrex because I have cupboards full of the stuff and boxes that have yet to be unpacked.



This lovely pattern with hot air balloons in light blue was too good to pass up--even though it wasn't exactly a bargain.



At the Bethesda Thrift, which is next door to Next-to-New, I found this amazing silver-plated flower dish. It has a frog inside that helps you arrange the flowers (I have a small collection of glass frogs that I love) and I tried to remove most of the tarnish, but since it's plate didn't want to rub too hard. I'm going to try one of those silver dips and we'll see that happens.



Even with a little tarnish, it looks lovely outfitted with spider mums and little green buttons.

Disappointment

It is hard to walk away sometimes. You know you have to, but you just don't want to do it. Today at St. David's Next-to-New I had to walk away from the most beautiful table: light colored wood with six chairs, three leaves and a custom pad. It was GOR-geous. The fabric on the chairs needs updated, but otherwise fairly perfect. And a steal, but still a bit above my wallet right now. Do I need a dining room table? No, I have my grandmothers which has no chairs. No chairs! She sold the chairs in the seventies and basically used it against a wall to hold photos or other tchotch. We found some Eames chairs at a garage sale several years ago for fifty cents each. (Yes, I'm bragging.) The contrast with the table is great, but we are really looking for some new chairs and want to use the Eames chairs in the kitchen. The table at Next-to-New is just sitting there waiting for me to come back for it, like a sad puppy at the pound. Will I do it? Who knows...

So I walked away.



I did find a lovely set of ashtrays that are made from a champagne-colored glass. They look like pieces of candy and can be stacked or spread across the table. They were at first mark-down, so a very good price. Italian? If you have a clue, let me know because there are no stickers and of course no markings.







I also found a bottle opener in the shape of a dolphin. It's tail is the opener! Underneath it has a place for twisties. Very chic and eco-friendly at the same time. It says "I love the world and all of its animals and I like to drink beer, too." Nice addition to the collection.

Collection, you say? But of course. We have bottle openers with dear Pope John Paul's image (a big collector's item once he gets the promoted to Saint John Paul), donkey-shapped bottle openers, girls in bikini bottle openers, etc., etc. Here are just a few.

Playing with Dishes

I love playing with all of my dishes. It's fun to mix and match things and create new arrangements and pairings for different menus and meals. We're having a couple of friends over on Sunday for dinner and I started thinking about what I would use. It's interesting to combine both vintage and new pieces in a variety of styles--especially if it can be made to seem seamless.
For Sunday, I'm starting with the lovely, small Noritake plates with the silver rims I found a while back at Goodwill. The second course will be on the small Metlox plates paired with tiny white sauce bowls from Crate and Barrel. (I am simply obsessed with all of the little bowls and plates they sell--I want them all!) The soup course will be in white bowls from C&B that remind me of baroque pearls when placed on top of a Metlox plate. The main course will be on a Metlox plate and dessert will be in the sherberts I bought when I was shopping at the Salvation Army in Conway, AR before judging the 2004 Miss Arkansas USA Pageant. Coffee, of course, will be in the colorful new service I found a few weeks back at St. David's Next-to-New.

Tune into bigYELLOWbowl next week to see the menu I created that inspired these dishes.