First Pyrex Finds of the New Year

I've had some good finds over the last few days…I've only been able to head out in drips and drabs since Christmas as I have been under the weather, and my philosophy is, if I am too sick to go to the gym, I am too sick to thrift. It keeps me honest.

So I found a Green Wheat Space Saver. I didn't crop this picture so you all could understand how random this find was. I rounded a corner and saw what looked like green glass poking out behind a bunch of plastic goods on the very back corner of a bottom shelf. I got down and pulled out this space saver. You can see the chaos of the shelves. I then spent a good ten minutes on the floor, moving everything around trying to locate a lid, but alas, no luck. 

I couldn't believe I found a Hostess with a lid. Both pieces are extremely minty! The cake pan is a minty Desert Dawn, which is a fun find. I am a big baker (even been to the Betty Crocker Kitchens on General Mills' dime!) and was thrilled to add this to my set of cake pans, which for whatever reason do not stack well. The Bluebird is so fun and me, I am a big fan of bird motifs. It's not the most covetable of promotions but I was sure happy to find it!

I hope your hunting is going well!

Jacquelyn

Pennsylvania Jackpot

Ever since I moved further south, Pyrex seems to be in short supply. I picked up three Spring Blossom items (you can see the first one here), but apart from that bowl, another smaller one, and a fridge dish without a lid, I haven't even seen much of anything. 

I'm not sure if I'm simply not finding the right stores or if the Pyrex popularity means more people are finding it before me. Whenever I do see it, the prices elude my budget.

In reality though, there are only a few things I'm keeping my eyes out for. Promotional pieces like the one I found here. More turquoise plates. A Butterprint 441 to match the rest of the collection I found here. And the small yellow hostess bowls to add to the one I found here. 

Last week, I went back to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving and besides the prospect of Pumkpin Pie, I was most excited about thrifting for Pyrex.

The thrift stores however yielded nothing more than a Butterfly Gold mug, so I scoped out a few antique stores instead. I returned to the same store where I first spotted the Starbust. I noticed the vendor had 30% off of everything, so I considered nabbing the space saver myself, but alas, it looks like someone else got there first. I'm glad it finally went to a Pyrex loving home. 

At another nearby store, I lamented to a friend that I kept finding entire sets of Butterprint cinderella bowls on sale, but I only needed the small 441. As soon as I the words were out of my mouth, I turned around and saw THIS: 

Of course it came home with me to complete the set.

And while last year I probably wouldn't have shelled out $5 for such a small bowl, I justified it thinking that I couldn't even get one on eBay that cheap to complete the collection. 

I also spent a day in Adamstown, and hit the jackpot. While there were no turquoise plates to be found, I found a bunch of the pinkish/salmon colored ones on sale. I had already found two dinner plates earlier in the week for only $4. After the Adamstown antique blitz, I had a total of five dinner plates, five salad plates, two dessert plates, a cup and a saucer (all from different vendors) for under $20 for everything. 

I've actually seen a few of these where I live and I considered collecting them (they go really well with the turquoise ones!), but I didn't want to pay $9 a plate. I couldn't believe my luck in Adamstown finding so many so cheap. One store had 20% off of everything and another one had the same discount on anything over $10. 

I also found a Gooseberry 474-B for only a few dollars, since there is a small chip on the bottom. I love how it matches the plates. 

 
And finally, while there was nary a tiny yellow hostess cup to be found, I did score the larger bowl and four of the serving dishes for only $16. 

How could I pass that up?! Even though they are different sizes, the set still looks great with my other two bowls.

I know the prices were higher than any Pyrex I may have found in the thrift stores (then again, these days Pyrex is crazy high there too!), but these were all pieces I was on the hunt for, so I decided to splurge a bit. Plus I figured that I might not find these same things back home where I live. I still think I got a bargain. Happy holidays to me... my Pyrex wish list is pretty complete! 

What pieces are you willing to make a budget exception for?

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season (with Pyrex-in-Action, of course). 

Brenda

Pyrex in Drips and Drops

Hi PC3, SusieQT here from Practice in Time! Usually the late winter/early spring season is the best for thrifting around here. People are de-cluttering for their New Years resolutions plus getting started with their Spring cleaning.  I have been going out to my favorite stores regularly with high hopes for vintage goodies in general (mostly to stock my Etsy Store) and Pyrex in particular. And I have to say that I am less than impressed.

I went to two stores last week, both of which have been good to me recently in the Pyrex department. And I found some, but not what I have been hoping for. At the first store, I found a mismatched casserole, (bottom was plain Horizon blue and top appeared to be a very faded gold scroll design) but didn't buy it for $6. I also saw a ton of Glassbake and FireKing divided dishes and casseroles- maybe we all need to start collecting those since Pyrex is getting scarce, LOL.

I did come away with what I thought were two Pyrex restaurant ware dishes and a Fire King mug for 50 cents each. I love Fire King mugs, and this one is such a beautiful buttery yellow. It almost matches the Pyrex primary yellow, but is a shade lighter, and in perfect condition. It makes me so happy to use these for my morning coffee. I wonder why Pyrex didn't make more of their patterns in mugs; I mean, wouldn't it be great to have a Butterprint mug or maybe a New Dots?

The restaurantware dishes I thought were the Bluegrass pattern (see it at the upper right on this blog header), and I bet most of you would think the same thing. Unfortunately, the thrift store had a huge price sticker all across the bottom and it wasn't until I got home that I realized it was very slightly different and made by Anchor Hocking. I imagine a lot of designs were virtually copied by all the major glass firms so they would be almost interchangeable when a restaurant needed to order more. It's OK, though, I'm not a label whore and have already used the dishes a couple times.

At the second thrift I usually find good Pyrex, albeit expensive Pyrex. This time was no exception. I saw quite a bit of FireKing and Glassbake again- that dang green flower pattern is everywhere!!- and a few pieces of the good stuff. I left a Spring Blossom casserole on the shelf (don't collect that pattern) and it hurt, but I had to walk away from a Snowflake Garland loaf pan. At $9.00 I don't need it that bad. If it was a casserole or a fridgie, I probably would have sucked it up and bought it. 

The only other pieces of (not clear) Pyrex on the shelf did come home with me, though. Two yellow hostess dishes for $2 each are more in line with what I'm looking for. They weren't in the best of shape, but aren't too bad and are a size I use a lot. 

So, small potatoes in the Pyrex department. But it's better than nothing, and I will keep hoping that next time I go I'll find the Pyrex score of my dreams...

Fridge Dish Frenzy

I have a confession. (I feel safe revealing it here...) I think I have a slight obsession with fridge dishes. I thought I'd be okay once I got the full Butterfly Gold set.

But it turns out that was just the beginning!

 
I found a few Butterprint fridgies soon after, plus a pink 503 (you can see those here, and here if you missed my previous posts.) Next, I saw a lovely green 503 at an antique store. I didn't want to spend the $20 on it, but after a week, decided to pay the shop a visit again (just to at least look at it again... maybe it was on sale?!) 

It had been sold, sadly. This orange one though, without a lid, was up for grabs at another vendor! More than I wanted to pay... but it was definitely less than $20, so I left smiling.

 

And that same week at a thrift store, I found an orange 502, also without a lid. 

Be still my heart. 

As if that wasn't enough excitement... I also found the greens soon after. 

The smaller one came with a lid. The green one didn't (lid is borrowed for the photo) but I had to laugh. This is the same one I passed up at the antique store. It must have followed me home for only $2. There are quite a few scratches on it, and the smaller one looks like it's been through the dishwasher -- the color is very dull, but for that price, who can argue?

I swore I was done. But this week, I ran into another thrift store and spied this primary yellow 503 on the shelf, with the lid for only $3.50. I saw another lady near the shelf and I thought about tackling her for the Pyrex, but luckily she was interested in something else. 

Tonight, I made a South African Fridge Milk Tart. Of course the fridge dishes were perfect for the task. I posted the recipe (and more Pyrex eye-candy!) here, on Typing Sunflowers.

The little yellow hostess dish? Spied and acquired at a thrift store. I'm keeping my eye out for the remainder of the set... it must be out there somewhere. 

I think it's safe to say, I have enough fridge dishes... for now.

May your fridge finds be just as fabulous! 

Brenda