at home

I think it’s fair to say I’m loving motherhood!  George is such a dear!  Here are some photos:

  

He’s now six and a half weeks old! 

I have gone to *one* thrift shop since I had him and was only in it for fifteen minutes, but I did score a juicy piece of Pyrex!  I haven’t taken a photo of it yet…but I will soon.  My camera is a bit distracted by this little fellow, if you can imagine!

Looking forward to getting back here and checking out your blogs…

Stay tuned friends! xoxo

aww, shucks

I'm absolutely thrilled to have so many new followers!  Thank you all for your sweet comments about George.  These last two weeks have been blissful (okay, so I'm a little tired {hahaha}) and I am enjoying every minute. 

It might be a short stretch before I'm out thrifting again; in the meantime, I hope you'll dig around my archives and browse about my blog.  I'll be back soon - and again, thank y'all so much for welcoming George!

Bonus George photo:

priceless

My baby boy George!  Born June 12, 9:40 p.m.  {6lbs, 9oz, 20 & 1/4 inches}

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I thought that I already had this piece in this pattern but I didn’t, so I’m glad I scooped it up!  It was definitely a steal…

$1

The Christmas finds continue…
I’m adding this to my so-far small ceramic tree collection (I posted about my other one here); I hope it one day grows large enough to fill my mantle!  This one is about eight inches tall, give or take (probably taller).
I saw a large one, decked with lights, at a Goodwill not too long ago but I left it behind because the tree didn’t properly sit in the base.  It was two pieces and I could just the tree tumbling over…over…over…and now that there’s a baby on the way, I thought the better of it. 
Why do I love these funny trees so much?!

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Pyrex is never out of season!  Ever!  I was delighted beyond all delight to find this holiday-ish piece a couple of weeks ago.  It is in great condition!  I already snapped its picture (as you can see) and put it up with my snowflake pieces.  See you come the wintertime, beautiful Pyrex!

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In North Carolina, where I happened to honeymoon recently, I stumbled upon Dish Barn in Maggie Valley.  It was as it reads it is: a barn + dishes.  There was more restaurant ware in one room than I had ever seen in my whole life and the prices were wallet-friendly (as you can see by the post title).  Though these two Homer Laughlin plates photographed somewhat dark around the rims, I assure you they aren’t black, but grey.  Grey, grey, grey!  I’ve decided that with all of this American restaurant ware I’m collecting now, it’ll be for my second home (hahaha!  pipe dream!) when we’re good and ready to have one.  But for now, I enjoy it so much just knowing it’s part of a collection…

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Pyrex!  I so love this pattern; it reminds me of a matter of lovely things, but especially, for some reason, the wheat reminds me of my Great Grandma Didi. She is quietly in the background of many of my childhood memories.  She was too cute.  Just like this.

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More grey for the collection…a shallow floral bowl.  Technically?  I’m not sure, but that’s what I’m going with for now!
I love it.  I’m thinking, though, that instead of leaving it here at home, I might bring it to work with me and fill it with all kinds of hard candies for my office guests.  Pink candy wrappers against grey?  Can you see it?  I sure can.  Yum!

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Little tiny creamers: you know by now that they’re my thing!  It’s something about that shape.  This one happens to be Shenango.

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A Devonshire creamer I just couldn't resist...Johnson Bros, Made in England.

The colors!  So rich.  Good for Autumn.

$2.50

Something crazy is happening...I'm falling hard and fast in love with California pottery.  This Valley Vista strawberry (apple?) is a real winner, don't you think?  The color is so sweet and so is the shape.  I don't know what to keep inside of it, but I do know one thing:  I'm sure loving all the pink kitchen wares I've recently thrifted...

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Pretty, pretty Pyrex!  Finally, it turned up again!  This pattern and delicious solid are from the Horizon Blue family.

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We spent all morning at the thrifts and little was turning up...tragic!  But at our fourth stop, this metal tray straight outta Great Britain caught my eye.  The pattern is crazy!  I love it.  We're known to use trays around this house, especially when we dine al fresco.  Can't wait to use it!

gifted

This piece of Pyrex was left on the front porch by my husband's aunt.  Too sweet!

price = can't remember

I can't remember how much we spent on this, but a) we've been using it for our bureau for a couple of years now and b) we love it.  Very solid and made very well!  After a long week of rearranging the house to make way for George, we decided he should have it.  It looks good in his room, which Steve (husband) painted blue!

$4

Although I found these two pieces at two different thrift shops, I really think they go together!

I'll start with the grey platter on the left as I have a thing for grey American-made ceramics and because I know a little bit about it!  This is Homer Laughlin "Rhythm" (more info here).  I knew I found something special because I noticed three telling sagger pin marks on the underside of the platter (I blogged about this once before here). I bought it for $2, brought it home, gave it a bath and researched the date code (according to which, this was glazed the old fashioned way in July 1953).  Besides knowing its history, I simply love it for its color and shape.

I know far less about the history of the pink teapot.  It too was $2 and it's Waechtersbach (the same brand as my beloved Christmas score from last week)!  It has significant chunk so I know it will keep my tea nice and hot!  

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Pyrex, I love you.  But gol dang, you've gotten so hard to find!

I'd all but given up thrifting for rare Pyrex and then this turns up...I'm renewed!  You don't know how long I've been searching for this color combo in the snowflake pattern!  A long time; in fact, years!  Since I started collecting Pyrex in 2006, I've been in love with the snowflakes, but the striking white on black has been a long chase and I'm so thrilled to have finally scored it!

I'm having a lot of luck lately with the wintery goop.  Must be due to some spring cleaning?  Whatever the case, I hope it continues...

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I have always adored the Made in Germany Waechtersbach Christmas pattern. Always!  I grew up with one single piece of it that my mom brought out at Christmastime - a mug.  It was my favorite mug because it said 1979 on it, my birth year, and because it long kept my cocoa hot.  When I see the pattern now, and I know you can still buy it new in department stores, I get happily nostalgic.

Now, I've been scouring the thrifts and for the first time in months, this purchase is one I'd actually consider a score.   I found both bowls at a Goodwill, bottom shelf (I'm adding bottom shelf since I now have a belly; bending down is like an Olympic sport and mine was a gold medal performance).  There were two other pieces: a cupcake stand and a tray, but both were chipped beyond my liking.  Since it was "Christmas," both pieces were half price.  So the total came to a whopping five bucks and change.  Woohoo!

all things george

A baby is on the way, a baby is on the way!  I'm due to have a little boy in June and we're naming him George.  Things may turn a little childish here...!

I am searching the thrifts for this 1970s children's lit series...it was a favorite of mine as a little girl.  I'm hoping to find some to -gasp- tear apart and maybe frame for his nursery (which, by the way, I haven't even started!).  These are the sweetest hippos; their silly stories could make you smile even on your worst day!

all in the family

At least someone in the family is having luck at the thrift shops!  Check out what the older sis has recently scored...!

give me liberty

I remember the first time I learned of Liberty; I was thirteen and somewhere on the East Coast with my mom.  We were touring material shops in the Northeast and one of our stops was like a Liberty warehouse.  The prints on their own were plenty charming, but the feel of the cotton mesmerized me!  I didn't have enough spending money to buy any yardage, but I'm glad I didn't - the memory alone is worth enough.  And now as you probably know, Liberty is at Target!  Glee!  I only wish it were a permanent fix.

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Taking a page from my mom's own book and perfecting the birthday gift that is a bunch of little, thoughtful presents in one big package and using it on her!  Her birthday is approaching in early April and I found this sweet little creamer to put in her package.

It reads, on the bottom, "Made in America."  I like that!  The brand is Lamberton Scammell and through painless detective work I discovered it is an old brand of restaurant ware (also, not very common).

maine reason

I know, I know: what the heck is this doing here?  Oh, I'm dreaming of tote bags and a summer in Maine, that's all!

happy red & pink & white

Loving this Valentine's Day banner, homemade by mom.

to last longer

In a fit of decluttering and consolidation a couple weeks ago, my beloved House & Gardens just had to go. 

If I were more on top of things, I would have scoured every last issue and kept pages for inspiration.  But I find that I don't consult inspiration pages very often, shame!

At least I had the presence of mind to take a picture of them once.  Those colorful spines = swoon.

a gift from mom

This is an example of two perfect worlds colliding: grey + creamer.  What's more sophisticated?  I could stare at this little beauty all day.

...blog more?

You can find out your resolution here (source).  How much would I love to go camping?  Oh, insanely much! Airstream dreams my friends, Airstream dreams.

Here's an update:  I did get a new camera, and I have been thrifting, and each time someone comments here I am so terribly ashamed I don't blog here more!  I do love this blog and I do love what this blog could be if I were more on top of things.  Thank you all for visiting, even when I'm sloppy and neglect it for weeks, even months.  May you all have a safe New Year's Eve and welcome 2010 with some bubbly and the blue moon.  Here's to a year of thrifting your best finds and me around here lots more.

in lieu of thrifting, some inspiration

If you're like me and you hear the word folksy, you think of Sarah Palin's vocabulary and grammar and cringe.

I like some folksy in small amounts (I do not like any Sarah); I hereby give you some good folksy:

keeping tabs

My mom sent me these Nu-Vise signals, your original Post-Its.  So fabulous!