Sunday, November 3, 2013

Recent Finds…I've Had a Stroke of Luck

I've been busy thrifting and hitting yard/estate/garage sales. It's just starting to cool down here (as in, it was 86 the other day) so the sales are plentiful, people are cleaning out their stuff and heading to the donation centers, and oh yes, I went to my first flea market (who knew there is one way out in the country the first Sunday of each month? I sure didn't). After my last post in which I marveled at the recent inflated thrift store prices I have found I was relieved to enter back into the realm of reality.

If I had one Pyrex superpower I would say it is finding lids. Here's proof…I have five, yes five, extra 502 lids, most of which are the older version. One I even got for free. That was a good day. I actually ended up finding bottoms for the two 470 lids a few days later. I amassed these lids over two weeks. I have taken to calling myself the Lid Whisperer.


I'd had a drought at the thrifts and sales until last Saturday. First up was an estate sale where I picked up the Spring Blossom, Butterprint, and Daisy. It's not the best picture but clearly I was excited. Then, that afternoon we stopped into a Goodwill en route to my in-laws' house. Finding this Butterfly Gold 501 for $1 was pretty exciting, given how much Goodwill has been charging these days in my neck of the woods.


How about some embroidered tea towels for $1 each? Or the old school sifter (circa 1950s I think) for $3? Then there's the lime 221 and 22, for $7 each. Steep, but they jumped in my cart and came home with me. I was also thrilled to find this Golden Pine space saver, it's the first one I have ever seen. The leaf is still in good shape, especially on the lid.


Feeling lucky yesterday little miss and I hit the thrifts while my husband stayed home to knock out some projects. I'm not a huge fan of Autumn Harvest but he likes it so I brought them home. Yes, that's another lid, the free one I got from random empty-lot-turned-swap-meet; I asked how much, the proprietor asked what it was, I told him a Pyrex lid, he said take it. The pixies were a fun find as well. The lamp, well, I have a weakness for lamps, I got it at a yard sale that morning. But the apron, that was my favorite of this bunch. It was a whole $2.


And here's what I found at the flea market today. The little shakers are actually mini Ball mason jars and were used by salesmen back in the day to store product samples. The cutlery is a Girl Scout camping kit my daughter got for free from a very nice vendor who found out she is a Girl Scout when talking with her.  


Now, I still left a lot of Pyrex behind at the thrifts. Some was DWD, some too scratched, chipped, or abused. Some were patterns I don't collect and really don't need to haul into my house, so I thought I'd leave them for someone who really wants them. I feel like I've grown up as I used to just grab anything and now I have definitely exercised some restraint. I guess that is progress. 

7 comments:

  1. Amazing finds…what a great time you've had!! Good for you and I love those Fire King bowls!

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  2. Wow! Some flea.market. Wish we had a nice one like that. We have one but its like $18.for a spring blossom green bowl
    Welcome to the city!

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  3. HOLY VINTAGE. Also, still laughing at "lid whisperer." Also, I want that lamp. :)

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  4. I am speechless!!!! (and jealous!!!!) You did great! I wish I could have been so lucky to get the lid with my Golden Pine Cone.

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  5. All this stuff took a bit of hard work, and some driving. I told myself I should relax from the Pyrex and thrifting but then today I found two 2005 Holiday Barbies NIB for $5, and my husband came home with a BG (version 2) 475 from GW in mint condition. Since I am the Lid Whisperer I had a lid ready and waiting for it. Maybe I should buy a Lotto ticket.

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    1. I hear you--serious thrifting takes time and gas. And then there is having to clean everything after you drag it home!

      I have a picture I took not too long ago of my lid stash (excess). I didn't post it because I thought people might think I'm crazy :o( It's just that you never know when you are going to need a lid and not have it, and when they are so cheap--how can you pass it up?

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  6. All I can say is WOW!! What wonderful finds! I am drooling over your Fire King Tulip bowls, I want those so badly. I also pick up lids whenever I find them, so I have my "stash". My husband thought I was nuts at first, until I started matching them with the pyrex I have found. Now he is a believer!

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