Happy Finds Archives - Page 7 of 12

Treasure Hunting in Littleton

August 12, 2010 jennifer Happy Finds

Any time you spend 7 hours checking out yard sales, a flea market, and a store that sells the leftovers from yard sales, chances are good that you’ll find something fun.

This is exactly what happened to my parents, sisters and me last weekend. The above picture is a sampling of some things I picked up. Don’t worry, the painting is NOT becoming part of my decor. The frame, however, is.

It’s seen better days, but I only paid $5 for it. I’ll give it new life with a fresh coat of paint. It’s going to be beautiful.

This vintage set of eight silver plated goblets will be right at home with my collection of vintage silver. Later in the day I added a 9th to the mix for less than a dollar. The size is a bit off, but it fits right in. If I can find one more, I have enough for my whole family! I love the patina of old silver. So beautiful.

I scored the mirror for only $1.00. Again, paint will give it a whole new life. Please don’t ask me to explain why I can’t seem to leave mirrors behind. They just call my name, I guess.

I found a silver bread plate, a gravy boat, 4 napkin holders, 6 china butter pat dishes (for my little girls’ toy kitchen) and a couple more silver pieces for a total of $4.00. The card games were 10 cents each.

I am not a collector of vintage tin canisters, but every once in a while one gets my attention. I liked the green illustrations of different herbs along the bottom of this one. I paid 50 cents for it.

I also found a US flag on a nice wooden pole for $2, a pair of crutches for $1 (which my children haven’t stopped playing with yet), and a Littlest Pet Shop set for $2. I’d say that the best deal of the day went to my sister who found an awesome little dresser for $3. My favorite find of the day was also $3, but it deserves a post all its own. I’m excited to share.

It was a fun day full of surprises, good memories, and some fun finds. I’ll take shopping like this over the mall any day!

Hopeful Homemaker

3 comments vintage

Strawberries ‘n Cream plates

July 13, 2010 jennifer Dishes, Happy Finds

One of my summer goals is to get rid of everything we don’t need, everything that doesn’t enhance our life as a family. It’s a bit tricky to reconcile this with my love of thrifting and old things. Mostly it means I’m staying away from my favorite places.

I did, however, stop at a yard sale with my daughter for about 3 minutes the other day, and these little beauties were too sweet to leave behind.

It’s a set of four little bread plates, 6 inches in diameter, and I scored them for 25 cents each.

They all have the same markings on the bottom, but I like the variation in the patterns from plate to plate, like the different widths of the brown stripe around the edges (seen above). Two of them have strawberries and leaves that are deeper in color, and two are lighter in hue, as if they’ve faded with time. I like them both.

The marking on the bottom indicates they were made in Japan but there is no manufacturer listed. Research shows an almost identical looking pattern made by Sheffied, also in Japan, but the marking on them is printed inside a strawberry shape. It appears that they’re probably from the 80’s.

This is the kind of thrifting I can still feel good about. I spent only $1.00 and with so many young children in our home, small plates are constantly in use. I like having mis-matched salad and bread plates to use with my all-white dinner plates. It’s a pretty way to mix things up.

Now all we need is strawberries and cream!

Hopeful Homemaker

Garage Sale Finds

June 4, 2010 jennifer Happy Finds

Hitting some garage sales with my Dad is one of my favorite things to do when we’re in Colorado. Last weekend was no exception. This time it was doubly fun because my brother and sister and their spouses were also there, and they feel the same way. We went as a group. I picked up some great things and spent only $9 total.

I scored this awesome mirror for $5.00. I plan to paint it. I bought another oval mirror recently and think I may use them together. We’ll see.

This wood cutout was only $1.00, and I think it will look really neat with a coat of paint, and perhaps a mirror behind it. And yes, I really like mirrors. We have many of them in our home, and I love them. I love the way they reflect light around the room.

I picked up a couple of old hardback books for $1 each. One is a collection of Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories, and one is a copy of Tales from Shakespeare by Mary and Charles Lamb. The Tales from Shakespeare is over 100 years old. Not bad for a dollar! I love that the cover says it’s “profusely illustrated.”

Lastly, I also picked up a really cute pair of leather boots for $1.00 which pleased my five year old. She’s already worn them.

In all, it was a lot of fun. The garage sales in Colorado are amazing. My parents and sister have decorated their homes with beautiful pieces of furniture they’ve found for very little money. I was half hoping to find an incredible piece while I was there, but was also relieved when I didn’t. What I picked up was all we had room for in the car. Anything bigger would be an adventure to haul home. I took my parents to an upscale home decor store when they were in Utah a month or two ago, and after walking them around the entire shop I took them to the last corner and showed them my favorite piece, a huge wreath made with antlers. It was painted a flat white, and I’m smitten with it. I don’t even think it’s for sale. They had it custom made. I showed it to my Dad and he said, “Oh, we bought one like that at a garage sale the other day, but there are more antlers and they’re smaller. The circle is a little smaller too. Maybe I should paint it white.” Man! I wish I’d been with them that day! I’m pretty sure my Dad can find anything at a garage sale. In fact, the car my husband and I drove when we were first married was a $100 garage sale purchase. We drove it for 4 years.

Too bad we can’t just spend all of our Friday and Saturday mornings in Denver. It would be a lot of fun. And thanks, Dad, for the memory.

Jennifer