bangles

From her jewelry box...

doorknob for Bud

We're not sure when, but Ann found this doorknob in New Orleans and gave it as a gift to her brother. He recently gave it back to Steve. We love it! She loved antique shops, and I'm guessing that's where she found it?

series: Ann

I want to depart from the norm for the next few days and share some pieces that were collected and crafted by Steve's mom, Ann. That's her in the picture above; isn't she lovely? I never had the pleasure of being in her company, but I find so much joy in having her things in our home - maybe I never knew her, but I feel like I did. She raised a fine, fine son - the most important person in my life. She would be so proud of him. A tribute to her is long overdue.

$2

I paid $2 for the Woodland bowl! The bowl! Not the cat. ;)

$25

Our newest resident painting is all things grandfatherly (and any art experts feel like sharing who/what this is?). The back is marked with some interesting things. First, it is signed Shawson. And then:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permit to Copy Issued
8 N 45

And then:

SEP 24 1946
Copy
From the Original in the
Metropolitan Museum
of Art

It's our own copied little masterpiece.

$5

The larger my Pyrex collection gets, the happier I am to find smaller pieces! Especially this size. I left behind three others (red) the day I found these. They weren't in great shape - a good collector must be a discriminate collector. Oh, who am I kidding. I try. ;)

$3

I found each piece here at a different time, but I find them so perfect all together like this.

Left to Right: a creamer (so clunky + lovely) that I'm having a hard time identifying as anything other than Ball USA; a small vase made in the USA from a manufacturer in Miami called Bard International; finally, a porky Homer Laughlin creamer. I am so drawn to white ceramics.

$4

Yes! Snowflake Blue! And what I think is one of toughest bowl sizes to find: 1 and 1/2 quart (402). My collection of this print is small but mighty: this is my fourth piece.

$1

...A creamer I think I just might give to my mom - who loves the autumn. I found it at a plant show's rummage sale. What?! I know, a strange place. It's Wallace (Rust Leaf); from the 1940s.

[source]

$13.95

A new Banana Republic jacket, with tags? Yes, please. Obviously a holiday gift as the price was neatly folded on the dotted line and torn off. So it's a little too big but a) I could always have it altered though I know I never will; b) there's plenty of room to layer - er, yes, it sometimes gets cold in Florida; c) the more hound's tooth, the more better.

$37

A girl must splurge on her art! From a thrift shop. I'm so in love with this I can't even tell you.

pyrex tealight holders

If I'm not scoring at the shops, I'm playing with what I already have...

$0

This came in a surprise package from my sweet Mom. She's so good to me.

$0

...From a secret source! Sheet music for the piano in stacks and stacks, dating from the 1910s - 1940s. I have so much, I don't know what to do! But I couldn't turn it down; do you see how pretty these covers are, all these years later?

valentine gift

And there's more...



I LOVE THESE PIECES! THANK YOU ANNIE!

$2

I'm quite fancy on Pyrex accessories. They just speak to me. Especially when they involve sticks of butter.

$2

This Pyrex pattern is Golden Bouquet (it pays to Flickr!)

$5.95

I mentioned earlier that I had a horrible time thrifting in January. I know you know the feeling; isn't it the worst? The unlucky streak ended on February 1st. I'd been putting off errands all day because I had so many things to do at home, but when I finally got out, I decided to go to my favorite shop right before it closed on my way home from the bank (phew, that was wordy and I'm afraid it doesn't even make much sense!). I almost missed these; not because they were hidden but because I was so deflated from my bad luck that I think it ended up affecting my vision. But I spied something pink and white, and then zeroed in on this set -- all nesting together. I picked them up like an Oscar winner that no one predicted, a come-from-behind winner, the type that gets to the stage and cries, or can't think of anything to say aside from "Thanks MOM." I then cradled them close to my chest until I came back to Earth and paid for them.

There's something about pink Pyrex.

.49 x 7

These are Pyrex coffee cups, for which I had absolutely zero need! I was drawn to the color - milk - and I was drawn to their weight - solid. It turns out they're a lot of fun to take pictures of, which is about as satisfying as my morning coffee.

i'm actually *saving* my money, but not by choice

It's no mystery: I love to thrift because it's something my mom had me doing at a very young age. Also, it was something I still enjoy doing with her when I'm lucky enough to in her company! I was home in Portland recently and a short stack of her mostly Lu-Ray Pastels had me tremendously inspired. I just love them. And my mom.

Yes, I know: things have been quiet here lately. I think the month of January will forever be known as the Great Thrift Drought of 2008, because it certainly had me in moments of Great Depression.

I was really lucky today and will post my recent find soon. Also, my younger sister surprised me with three pieces of Pyrex for an early Valentine gift. I've been dying to share, but I think I'll hold off until the 14th.

Hope you've had better luck than me! (I should say here that Steve has had tremendous luck lately -- photo enlargers, serious-hiker backpack, heavy-duty portfolio case -- everything in like-new condition. All for less than a dinner out!).

(before) and after

Another salvaged door Steve turned into a table -- this time, though, it's a desk for me! I didn't manage any before pictures, but please know that Steve spent a lot of time perfecting this table -- as a door, it was in rough shape. As a desk, it is just what I wanted. The height, the length, the width! And the cypress? It is gorgeous. Gorgeous. The legs are pine -- painted white. After much consideration, I decided it was time to ditch a desk with drawers. I'd rather have a table; it promotes less accumulation of stuff.

Speaking of accumulating stuff!, I've been to the thrift stores every single week since the beginning of the year and they are turning up nothing! I think this is because the seasonal, retired folks are down here with nothing better to do than go to my stores. How dare they! (I'm not territorial or anything.) So, I continue to search...and the next time I find lovely Pyrex, I'm going to break into song.

before & after

Happy New Year!

I hope each of you had a lovely holiday! We have ourselves a clean slate of sorts, don't we? I'm dreaming of a new year full of good finds...what about you?

***

We're definitely *not* the first people to use salvaged doors as something other than, well, doors. But this door? Steve and I realized this was a door with tabletop possibility. I regret this was the best picture I took of the door before we gave it a new life -- as you can see, it was covered in white paint before we transformed it:



We softened the paint with a heat gun and it peeled off in long, satisfying strips:



After that, we began sanding it and uncovered a solid cypress door:



At this point, we went back and forth between oiling or varnishing it -- we decided on varnishing the top. Skip ahead a few dozen steps that Steve did and voilà! I think it looks sharp, no?



The legs were designed by Steve -- they're lovely, lovely cedar:



And that's what you can do with a door from a salvage yard.

$3

This pattern is so ugly! Emphasis on ugly. There's no other word to use. However, it's Pyrex. In excellent shape. What more could a Pyrex-obsessed girl like me want? I think one piece in this pattern is quite enough, thank you!

$2

A piece I spotted at a Goodwill in Portland.

christmas surprise from little sister

Best present ever! (All thrifted.)

.89

...We were running some errands this morning and stopped into a Goodwill for kicks. So busy! I found this piece. Hoorah! Hoorah! My second piece with pink!

$2.95

A favorite pattern, a favorite piece. Saw a lot of this pattern in Portland at fancy little shoppes but just couldn't splurge. When I was back in West Palm Beach following my Portland holiday, I ventured to my favorite thrift store and sure enough: it paid off to hold off!

outtake!

Not every picture works out to my liking (flash!)...but this one was just too adorable to delete. I'm not the only Pyrex lover in the house, apparently...

Hope you all had lovely holidays and you weren't too stressed! I did some thrifting in Portland, OR in early December. I've got some pieces to share. And, my younger sister surprised my stocking with some great finds! Will post soon. I have some time off!

.99

I hope all of you had pleasant Thanksgivings with your loved ones! In keeping with tradition, I have managed to stay out of the shops this past weekend! I threw a Frisbee, watched the first season of Jericho on DVD, did enough laundry to get me through a few weeks!, had a lovely Thanksgiving spread with my "in-laws", prepared my crafting space...it was great.

I picked up this Pyrex a couple of weeks ago...it is sharp! How lucky I am that I find pieces that have little or no use! Speaking of mint conditions, I was in an antique mall last weekend and stumbled upon some Pyrex at outrageous prices! Here, in South Florida! I couldn't believe it. If those prices were true, my collection would put my first born through four years of HARVARD with change to spare!

Now, on to the really unbelievable: I've been keeping Solid Cherry for over a year! To those that faithfully comment and those that just pass through: thank you for going through my things! I love your comments and I love this blog. Of course, Solid Cherry depends on 1) my spare change and 2) luck. Here's to lots of both in the next coming year!

.95

I have a tiny creamer in this pattern that I swore I featured here! But I'm not finding it? Well, let me take its picture then:

There. I guess the patterns are somewhat different, but close enough. Same maker: Syracuse. I paid .99 for the creamer; it's so adorable. I realize it's not exactly in focus. My camera was, erm, focusing on the wine it seems! :) All in all, the cupless saucers were a charming find...I love stacks and stacks of dishes in varying diameters. These will go well with my little medium (fine!) GROWING plate collection!