Houston Spots

Last week I went to Houston to celebrate a friend's birthday, which was fun. Of course we did some shopping, including an attempt to find a vintage headboard he might repaint and repurposed for his bedroom redesign. We didn't find the perfect thing, but did come across some other treasures along the way...


This chaise is exactly like one we bought in Austin, only blue and with metal legs!


The Junior League resale shop had lots of wonderful finds and had a pricing system similar to one my favorite haunts, Next-to-New in Austin. I absolutely loved this ferris wheel-style serving piece, but with so much of 'la collection' in storage, couldn't really justify buying it.


Another shop had a great collection of silver...


...and this amazing deco pendant lamp.





But the most amazing thing was this fly sugar bowl--the wings flip up to reveal the sugar! I would have bought it, but the price was just as amazing as the objet.

Juiced

I dropped a few things off at the Salvation Army today--nothing of note, just a some odds and ends from the stationery drawer. But of course I couldn't resist poking around a bit...


I love this pattern from Franciscan--but I love just about any pattern from Franciscan! Even that bloody Desert Rose. We used to have a tea set in this 'autumn leaf' pattern, but I think we sold it at the garage sale when we left Kansas. I resisted this huge pile, but had there been dinner plates, I'm not sure I could have. It would make a lovely everyday china.


These two coffee cups are from Duralex. I always see the little prep bowls, but never anything like this. I probably should have grabbed them, but I didn't. Maybe if I go back next week they'll still be there? Doubt it.


Alright dear readers, altogether now: "vintage items in their original packaging are the best things ever." Perhaps I should start a spinoff blog? I already have an electric crepe maker and since I can easily find crepes from the store now, who knows if I'll ever use it again?


These, however, I could not resist: lovely juice glasses in a "milk glass" that is thick and having and white. Only five, but a bargain and I had to have them. They aren't marked, but have a Glass-Bake vibe to them. Who knows? Do you?

MTSS Writes Again

Dearest reader, I apologize for my long absence, but rest assured I have thought of you often the past few months and wondered how you were, what you were doing and if you were missing moi. My only excuse is that other business and moving have kept me from you, but I promise to post when I can and update you on all thing thrif-wise and stylish.

First things first: the MTSS corporate headquarters have relocated once again, this time to West Texas. Strange, but true. I look forward to interesting thrifting out here and I do have a few things to share, although no amazing new purchases. Just some browsing and photos of older finds as repositioned in the new abode.
























Voila!







Despite being in an interesting neighborhood, the Salvation Army promises some exceptional finds. I didn't purchase anything, but this vintage baby food dish in the original packaging was exciting to find. You know how anything in original packaging strums my soul!












At Goodwill, I came across not one, but two boxes of the classic IKEA tea lights. I think everyone bought them, but no one uses them, as I have found many, many sets over the years. Enough to open a store devoted solely to IKEA tea lights!

I'll have more for you very soon. I promise not to stay away so long...

Soap

Nothing, I repeat NOTHING, makes me sadder than seeing an entire collection discarded at the thrift store. I really feel for the person who owned the things, even though they are gone or somewhere they probably don't care about them anymore. My instinct is always to buy them all, but I never can...





When I was shopping with my mom on my birthday, we came across an entire collection and my heart skipped a beat! At this point I can't even remember everything that was there, but the corner display shelf was busting with vintage hostess soap set in their original packaging from Avon. I imagined the little grandma who had hoarded them, saving them for special occasions and visitors. I wanted them all!

But, apparently vintage soap is pricey. The Salvation Army wanted four or five dollars per set! Honestly. I settled on two:






An Aristocats set for Danette.






And a set of racing boats for Mitchell. I want the graphic from the boats on a t-shirt...with a memorial to the soap saver on the back!

Snails on Parade

In 2006, I predicted the quick rise of snails as an interior design motif. I'm sure you remember it and the feeding frenzy that followed. Snail objets everywhere were snatched up with such abandon that it became almost impossible to find the obligatory snail figurine traditionally purchased as a wedding present by Okies. But, as quickly as the fad shot through the blogosphere, landed in the pages of the NYTimes and was featured in a story in the now defunct Metropolitan Home, the passion for snails vanished. Without a trail.

Still, many of us remain devotees of the classics and aren't swayed by the whims of design world. My collection of snails is très important, so I present them here for your viewing pleasure, including a couple of fairly recent additions.


This lovely Italian planter started it all. The largest and most elaborate of the snails, it is the queen of the collection. I realize I use the phrase 'queen of the collection' or 'queen of the household' fairly often, but I want to be clear these are literal, and not honorific, titles.


These little guys are Japanese and I would buy at least twenty more of them, given the opportunity. The glaze is amazing, earthy and very...intentional.


A very tiny white one, like several of the others it crawls around the china cabinet.


This extraordinary fellow is a snail AND a bank, meaning he straddles two collections. But, as he prefers, he lives with the other snails in the china cabinet.


Mom bought me this lovely green snail planter when we were thrifting on my birthday. It is really my favorite color of green. Plus a snail. Equals very nice birthday find. Thanks mom!

And a couple of non-thrifted snails...more proof of the snail phenomenon...

My new predictions for interiors? Simple:
1. Cat hair is the new throw pillow.
2. Asianalia. Like Asian-ish, but more about the tchotch.
3. Library book presses. You should have at lease three or four for a room to look complete.

Can you?

I'm quite surprised I have never come across one of these before, since a little web research shows them to be quite common--a Sylex candle warmer! patent pending.



It's quite simple: a small candle in a lovely glass container warms the metal lid, keeping you pot of coffee or tea warm. Lovely!



On a cold, February day, what more can you ask for? I certainly could not resist it. I'm sure with a little flame inside, it's even more lovely...

Well?

1. What does perfume in a frog-shaped bottle smell like?
2. Who, at Avon, says, "You know, I think perfume in a frog-shaped bottle will sell really well. Something in a lily pad scent?"
3. Why is the frog wearing a chef hat? Wouldn't a crown be more appropriate? Like a frog prince? And if you wear this, you'll find him?
4. Instead, it's a frog chef. Is he going to cook you something fantastic? Frog legs? Wouldn't you be disappointed if you kissed a frog and he turned out to be a short-order cook? Instead of an aristocrat?
5. Why is the hat red?
6. Is it some sort of food-based flavor of perfume? Is the scent 'fried?'
7. Is it something people would really like, since it's a rather large bottle? Like an everyday sort of scent?
8. Why does the frog look unhappy?
9. Why do I want this?
10. Is it the contrast between the red, plastic hat and the white, glass bottle that makes it so appealing?
11. Or is it just the frog? That it's a frog perfume bottle?

White Away

I used to think plain, white dishes were just boring. I would never look at anything at the thrift store that was just plain white. I wanted bright colors, atomic patterns, coordinated (but not matching) serving pieces and a mix of everything. And I have that and it's really funny, because even when I try to do an 'eclectic' table, it all seems to coordinate and vibrate in some unconscious, magical way. But then one day, I reversed my stance on white dishes and I began to be kind of be obsessed with them.

I remember it well: it was the day I found the Schonwald--such a magical moment it inspired a drawing and a poem. The dishes are simple, gorgeous and have a heft that make them amazing to hold. I have four pieces in an ovoid shape: large and small serving bowls, platter and sauce boat. And after that, I began to look at white differently and to find pieces that were unique in treatment, shape and design. Some are pedigreed, others are not. But, what it means is that I can easily mix in serving pieces with any of my chinas (the family grows) and simply coordinate a table.

But, what worries me is that guests think my lovelies are "just a white bowl from the restaurant collection at Kohl's or Macy's." They're not. They're vintage, gorgeous and special and I assume those who know me well realize that. But, I was thinking about the whole farm-to-table phenomenon the other day and how you can't just have an egg anymore, rather a Meadows Farm of Happy Chickens Egg. What if I did that at parties and made little cards that read, House-made French Onion Dip with Expensive Potato Chips served in White Porcelain Bowls from Schonwald, Germany. Affected? Well, of course.

Anyways, here is a parade of the white dishes including the last super-find from Russel Wright. Enjoy.

The Schonwald gravy boat, with attached under plate.
It has made multiple appearances, here at MTSS.

These two bowls make me believe I am
a shaman and can work magic in the kitchen.

The platter is simple, with just a slightly turned up edge.

Altogether now.

This plain, white lotus bowl probably came from Pier 1,
but as it's the largest in the collection and the only white one,
it is the Queen of Lotus Bowls in this household.

Yes, you can find Paul McCobb's Contempri all tarted up with various patterns, atomic and otherwise, adorning it. But, the plain white example has been stalking me across the country for years and evidenced here and here.

Eva Zeisel. What can you say? These simple white bowls could be used in a Sci-fi film today, decades after they were made, and still conjure 'the future' in the mind of the viewer.

Ben Seibel's Impromptu line says it all, simple and elegant;
always ready to entertain or to be entertained.

This Russel Wright divided bowl says to me,
"Fill half of me with pretzel M&Ms and the other half with plain M&Ms." What does it say to you?

Back. Sort of?

I love this blog and it's been very fun to write the past few years. I don't think I'll ever give it up, but I guess the posts have become rather infrequent. I know, you're all sitting at home just waiting for more MTSS, so I apologize.

In all honestly, I don't shop like I used to. Like a koi, I have reached the size of my pond. Perhaps in the future, when I find myself in a larger place, thrift shopping will return to the manic fervor of years past. For now, our small place, which I really enjoy, is packed to the gills. I'll still shop, but as I've mentioned before, I've become infinitely more choosy.

The big thrift shopping news in Terre Haute is that Goodwill is opening a second store. Just down the street from it's current store. Not sure about the logic on this, but those are the facts. Stopping this week at the current store, several things were obvious.

1. Someone who collected bird objets had died.
2. Someone who collected Asianalia* had also died.

Question: was it the same person? I'm not sure, but it always saddens me to see an entire collection dumped at the thrift store. Someones life work, their passion and pleasure, dumped in a box. I know, their heirs couldn't keep everything, so I'm assuming (hoping) they kept the best of both and what was at Goodwill was just detritus.

This is all to say, I've begun plans for my mausoleum. Like the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt and many other cultures, I intend to take it with me. All of it. I'm picturing a modest construction in limestone, my glass-topped casket and carefully preserved corpse in center, with glass covered shelves lining the walls. Everything will be organized and displayed in small vignettes. My estate will provide for perpetual care and the salary of one registrar who will maintain the collections in perpetuity.



That said, I made one small purchase at the Goodwill that straddled both of the collections (birds + Asianalia, to circle back to the middle), leading me to believe they belonged to the same person: two small plastic bird figurines that were made in Hong Kong. They look fantastic on the Quan Yin altar and make me think of spring during this very bleak season.

Happy thrifting.

*Asianalia: items from Asia that make up a collection. E.g., "Like many late 19th-century artists, Whistler was a great collector of Asianalia."

/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.

Salon de Refusés

Reader, you know there has been a dry spell, but the clouds have broken and a sweet bounty of thrift has been poured about the earth! Rejoice! Rejoice throughout the land!

From whence did said bounty appear? Omaha. Omaha, Nebraska. The new promised land of thrifting. Every time we visit I find the most amazing and beautiful things. One store in particular yields a trove of treasures and I have said before, I could furnish an entire house in one visit. Or at least get a start. Before I get to the good stuff, I thought I would share a few images of the things I did not buy to prove the point that I am selective and I do not buy every dusty, dirty relic my pinky finger grazes. No matter what you might think...

I'm really not a seasonal cookie jar type of person, but I love the color and design of this one. IF I were going to buy a seasonal cookie jar, it would be the one. I'm not, so I didn't.

Can you imagine if you came to my house and after each course I got out the silver plated crumb knife and pan and cleaned the tablecloth? I'm sure you can, but don't worry, it isn't going to happen. I'm reading The Help and just such an item was referenced as a detail relaying the pointless accoutrement of the bourgeoisie wedding register. This one was monogrammed and looks like it might actually have been used.

This lamp is over the top, with four faux candlesticks fitted for light bulbs. You know how I love my faux, but there is no place in our home for such a large and ostentatious lamp.

A pricey and mint condition big yellow bowl, but I already have two...

I have been asking the universe for a Georges Briard tea kettle for a while, but one that is mint and usable hasn't turned up. This one looks fantastic on the outside, but the interior was a mess and I had to leave it there. A lot of the Briard enamelware was produced in Terre Haute, so you would think there would be more of it appearing at the Goodwill, but not so much. Come one universe!

Temporama, the 'wedding china.' They had a sugar bowl, some cups and a few bread and butter plates. I think the only pieces I'm missing from this set is a butter dish and the salt and pepper, so I left all of these where they were. I culled the set down to service for twelve during the move to Austin, TX, so it's pretty much stabilized at this point.

Jessie hates clowns, so it's all I can do not to take a picture of every one I see and send it to her. I resisted, but I'm posting here for your amusement. Hopefully it'll still give her a good fright. This looks like paint-by-numbers and if it really were, then I would have snapped it up. But, it's just a printed piece.

Hey there pretty, elegant lady. Fancy.

This bizarre curio cabinet was plastic and rather shaky. Something about it was very attractive though...

I should have bought this table. I don't know what I was thinking. Even if I didn't use it, I'm sure I could have found a good home for it.

Georges Briard Pyrex, but a pattern I could resist at a price I would never pay.

I was so excited to find this double vegetable by Ben Seibel in the Impromptu pattern and greatly disheartened to find it was chipped on both ends. I have the open vegetable in this same pattern and this would have made a great addition to the amazing white dish collection.

Who could ash in such a cute little ashtray? Isn't she saying 'Please quit smoking' with her eyes?

And that was what I DIDN'T buy! Are you ready for the good stuff? Drum roll please....

Lots of Thrift in Omaha!

Can't wait to update you!

One or Two Lil Things

Again with the finding just enough to satisfy my thrift shopping lust:



A glass coaster, with a gold rim and three little feet. The underside is pebbling and it's perfect for a teapot or coffee pot



A new Lady, which was placed immediately by the door, replacing Our Lady of Ventriloquism. Now where will she go?

Just Buy It

After last weeks little finds, I had the fever. I wanted more, knowing full well there was no room at the inn. No room in the closet at the inn. And definitely no room in the storage unit that is behind the inn where this is no room.

"That doesn't matter," I told myself, "You'll just find something small and delicious like you did last week." I was thinking something that could be tucked into a drawer or maybe stored in something that was already somewhere. I didn't know! I was just trying to justify it.

So, I did find something. Something that hangs on the wall! Something that, actually, is a spot where something else can go and hang on the wall. So, double brilliance. Right? Right. But, it was like $1.29 and I was cashless and thought, "Ok, I'll buy it if I find something else to buy also," not wanted to debit $1.29. So, I continued to walk the store. And found nothing. Nada. Zip.

Okay fine, I'll put the cool hanging shelf thing down and just forget about....wait. What is that, tucked under that table over there? Um...

That's right. A Heywood-Wakefield end table. For nothing. Granted, it needs a little loving care, but for the price? Not a problem. But an end table? Now reader, I'm not part of the Hey-Wake Church of the Rising Eagle, or whatever it is they call their cult. I used to have a 1960s H-W china cabinet, but it wasn't the collectible style everyone loves so much. I LOVED it, and it loved me. But it was nothing special to the collector.

I don't know, to me H-W always makes me think of late 80s vintage. Pretty in Pink sort of cat-eye glasses and big bouffants. It seems old-old fashioned. So I debated and debated and finally, just bought it. What the heck. I'll fix it and use it or fix it and sell it or fix it and find a home for it with someone who loves it. Someone with cat-eye glasses and a big bouffant with an altar to Heywood-Wakefield built in their living room.

So I bought it and the wall hanging shelf thing which looks great with the new arrangement of found art and objets in the office.

This started with just Juan-Carlos, a portrait that some love and others despise. Then we added the horse (yet, unnamed) and the little yellow owl. Mitchell gave me the trees for my birthday and they are from Home Interiors and I love love love them, but couldn't decide where they go. The yellow wall hanging shelf thing looks great with the group and provides a place for a changing array of little bibelots. Just buy it.

(That cat on the floor still needs to go somewhere, but one thing at a time.)

Tiny Treasures

Dedicated reader, it has been a while since I have posted and for that I apologize. But, in my defense, I must say that it isn't my fault. I have done a little bit of shopping around town, but just haven't found anything that was covet-able. When your home, closets and storage unit are filled to the brim with luscious finds, you begin to become more choosy. Or I do, I guess.

I remember when I would go to the thrift store and always find something that was pleasing to me. It didn't have to be by a well-known designer or worth more than the price on the sticker. I could easily find a small plate or a cup that struck an aesthetic chord in my person and go home completely pleased.

But now, I am spoiled. I look at things and think, "Is there even room on a shelf for it? And if there is, will it offend the sensibility of the other things already there? Is it cute enough to go next to the Russel Wright dishes? " It is difficult to find something that pleases me and also pleases the things I already own. Perhaps I go too far, but I come from high-hoarding people on both sides of my family and I am very naturally able to easily personify even the inanimate. And it doesn't bother me to do so, even though it may creep you out a little. But yes, I do think my things have personalities, likes and opinions. They just do.

ANYWAY, so that's my excuse and my sickness. But, last week I was at the Goodwill and I just felt like I was due something fabulous. Something wonderful. Something that would suit the members of my familie de objets. As always with the thrift store, expect to be surprised, because what I found wasn't an Eames chair, an Eva Zeisel bowl or a gold-plated berry server. It was something else entirely...

A circus tent, made from fiberboard and plastic and decorated with all manner of baroque designs. What? Yes. I think it was a display for perfume or some other cosmetics. And what would I do with it?

Cirque de la Saints, of course. It's perfect as an altar for some of the BVMs, Saints and Jesi from the collection, most of which also came from the thrift store. I love them and I love them in this circus tent. An aesthetic chord was definitely strummed with this one and there was absolutely no problem integrating it into the family.

Likewise, I missed this plastic swan on my first past, but quickly nabbed it as I made a final scan. What was it for? No clue. But, it is the perfect carriage for...

A bevy of BVMs.

One Holy Family.

A single Saint.

Bastet (aka the Golden Cat Companion of the Chinese God)

While not groundbreaking, goal setting or over-the-top, both of these simple finds made my day. And yours too, I hope.

Shopping with Mo

Way delayed, but with Melissa/Mo was here a while back, she found some treasures that couldn't be passed up!

Late Spring/Summer Bar

(A Manic Thrift Store Shopper/bigYELLOWbowl crossover post.)

It's spring, how do you mark that around the house? Some people put different wreaths on their door, others change the clothes on the ducks on the porch, but I mark the changes of the season by changing out the bar ware. I like to think not just about color and motif, but also what kind of drink I might serve and what sort of glasses and accessories I might use.

This bar is my late spring or early summer bar. I have tall glasses for iced drinks, a sailboat themed ice bucket and a blue and white tray. I tried to carry the red and blue throughout the arrangement, balancing it with dark, gray stones and a smoke color drink pitcher. Note the West Virginia blue bird of happiness. This is a family joke I could explain, but it would take all day and probably wouldn't be funny to you. But, to those who play the game, it's worth two points.

I decided I needed something kind of tall and interesting, perhaps white? And what says spring more than a doe and her fawn? These little figurines haven't been out since I set-up house in Terre Haute, so it was nice to bring something new to the bar. The celery dish is Ben Seibel and one of my favorite things. With the exception of the tray, small blue bowls, stir sticks and red olive floaters, this bar is all thrift shopping finds.

So what will I be serving this summer?

Pimm's Cup
Whiskey Sours
Honey Girl Cocktails
Vodka Tonics
Mojitos for a crowd
Dark and Stormy
Something with pineapple and rum

Stop by for a drink...

An Easy Lesson on Making Things Cuter

When I was thrifting in Omaha, I made a $.80 purchased that changed my life, my outlook on the world and my perspective on cute: a miniature sombrero. It's true. I picked up this little hat and began to put it on everything around the store, instantly amping up the cute-meter by five points with each switcheroo. How can that be?

Just look:

This little doggy was already pretty cute, but look how cute he
is in the miniature sombrero? Everybody say, 'ahhhhh."

You probably wouldn't describe the BVM as cute,
unless she was is wearing a miniature sombrero!

And Raggedy Andy? Sure, he is kind of cute in a saccharine kind of way,
so in this case the miniature sombrero brings his cuteness down to a palatable level.

Santa is always cute, but Santa in a miniature sombrero is excepcionalmente-cute!

This caroler looks super angry, like she is put out by having to wear the miniature sombrero. And the guy behind her doesn't look very happy that it is blocking his moment. Isn't that cute?

Our Lady of Ventriloquism looks cute too, and I'm sure it's the miniature sombrero.

What have we learned?

1. Accessories are everything.
2. You can have a helluva lot of fun for $.80 in a thrift store.
3. Everyone is cute at some point, even the BVM.
4. Smile, don't be so serious.

Look for the miniature sombrero to pop-up in future MTSS posts again and again until it becomes so funny you won't be able to stand it. Laugh, my puppets, laugh! De Nuestra Señora de la ventriloquia commands it!

Seal Low Wet

On the same trip as the peanut pourer, a trend formed I could not ignore...