Treasure Box Wednesday: Christmas Comes Early

Deck the halls with stuff that's jolly! Fa-la-la-la-la, and all that jazz! Thrifting this week brought a bit of pre-Christmas joy in the form of holiday decor-- and much of it was of the shiny and brite kind.

Just come on over here and take a peek inside this big, copypaper box filled with thrifted ornamental goodness!...

Do you notice there, that lovely, lovely vintage box of glass bulbs? Oh, yes... it's full. Come see, come see...

This was just one box of a treasure trove of cheerful ornaments found at the Christian Layman's Thrift Store in Greensburg.

Ah, how exciting it was! I was perusing these fascinating World War II glass globes at the time, kneeling and examining their unusual paper foil hangers...

...When my shopping buddy, Scoobie (it's her birthday, today, by the way-- happy b-day, Scoobie, if you happen to read this!)-- anyway, Scoobie walks over with a bit of a cat-who-swallowed-the-canary look on her face. Clearly, a girl who was up to something.

"Whaaaat?" asked I, suspiciously.

Whispering like she was passing along some secret code, she said, "Shiny Brites.... Back room, far right hand corner."

Ah! It's always good to have a friend who knows what you're looking for. So, casually, and not at all ready to break into a sprint or anything-- I got up to investigate.

Shiny Brites! Indeed!

I could see the well-cared for ShinyBrite boxes right away. And inside, were jewel after jewel to go on the tree. But wait! What was in the shoe boxes?... I took the first shoe box down and...


More Shiny Brites! Bells and tops and little chinese lanterns... Kerflumpets and wangsnoodles and other delights of Whoville! One was even just like a bulb which had died a sad death at my house last year, due to the strange and unfortunate migrating nature of last year's Christmas tree. I never thought I'd recover.

So after the first box, I was pretty breathless when I grabbed the second....

...Handpainted ornaments! I've never found any of those before. I was truly overjoyed.

Other finds there were these cute flocked vintage elves. I'll use them in this little area I set up in my entryway sort of like "The Land of Misfit Toys"...


And a flocked vintage King (Old King Cole, maybe?)... And I do believe that is Little Miss Muffet accompanying him, with her spoon, bowl and complementary spider...


Then at the Good Samaritan Thrift Store in North Versailles, I got this cute vintage paisley table cloth...

And this rather ornate peachy-pink vintage chenille bedspread. I love the pattern on it-- reminds me a bit of a decorated cake!...


Lastly, at Junk for Joy in Jeannette, I got these two small butterfly-shaped dishes in a blue and amber carnival glass.


Oh, it was really an exciting day on Saturday, folks. I felt truly lucky to find such great stuff for such little money. And knowing that money went to the charities, too, makes it seem even better. What a pleasure a good thrifting experience can be-- just all around!

• If you happened to miss Sunday's post on World War II propaganda posters, click here.

Thanks for letting me ramble on and share the fun with you today!

Treasure Box Wednesday: The Real McCoy

You know the old saying about death and taxes? Well, I'll give you two guesses what I was doing this last Saturday instead of thrifting?

Heh, well, I DID get a LITTLE bit of thrifting in around the tax appointment. It came in a super-mini Cliff's Notes version of my favorite Route 30 trek. And there I uncovered two pieces of McCoy pottery.

This one came from the Good Samaritan thrift store, and boy, does it need a bath!


I think fondly of it as my "breadpan" piece... though, it actually was intended as a planter. You can see the mark on the bottom here:



Now this lovely leafy example came from the L&L Fleatique and I understand it is also McCoy. And it's got a totally different mark-- the earlier "NM" for Nelson McCoy.



The Garage Sale and Flea Market Annual tells us that McCoy "used a variety of marks over the years, but with little consistency, since it was a common practice to discontinue an item for a while and then bring it out again decorated in a manner that would be in synch with current tastes."

It goes on to say that all marks were in the mold, not ink-stamped like many porcelain and pottery makers had done. And apparently because McCoy never registered its trademark, there is a company in Rockwood, Tennessee using the McCoy logo on their pieces. (Many, the book says, are dated #93). So it's definitely a case of buyer beware!

In fact, I suspect I saw a piece of this repro McCoy in the form of a pottery bookend this weekend. The quality just didn't seem the same, and the stamp just looked so... new. NOT the real McCoy. :)

Anyway, I thought you all might enjoy seeing where these vases have been living, as I've accumulated them. Here is my mantle right now.


And here's a view of the Hazel Atlas Moderntone Platonite dishes-- I'm not fully happy with the table-setting, so this is a bit of a work in progress...




And see that pink bowl below? That is the missing Big Mama bowl of my Pyrex set. It's now complete. How amazing to have been able to find these pieces so close to the same time!


Well, that's the dish on this week's Treasure Box Wednesday. If you happened to miss Sunday's post of "Battier Homes and Gardens, 70s Style," click here.

Otherwise, I'll hope to see your bright and shiny faces on Sunday (or thereabouts) for our next feature.

Treasure Box Wednesday: In the Pink with Pottery, Pyrex and Plates

Ah, the graceful lines of vintage pottery in soothing creams and pinks... what could be more timeless... more elegant... more... five dollars?

Yes, the McCoy cornicopia was a whopping five smackeroos at the L&L Fleatique in Adamsburg. The "As Is" marked there was because of a minor crack at the top of the piece, causing the vase to lose so much its resale value-- and really none of its looks, as far as I'm concerned. I intend to put it, and its pottery cousins, on my mantle as part of a post-Easter display...

The unmarked cream vase in the middle was from the Salvation Army in Greensburg, and that was $1.99. But one expects to pay more for McCoy, you know. (Hysterical laughter here.)

The deco dinner plates below were finds from the U.F.O. in Greensburg. At $1.00 a piece, I couldn't resist, and not only will their sherbety good looks work well with the pottery vases as a part of a diningroom do-up, they'll coordinate with the jadeite I already have. After doing a bit of research, it appears they're Hazel Atlas Moderntone pieces, from the Pastels collection, and were made in the 40s and 50s.


The Pyrex pink gooseberry bowl below has been on my wish-list for a long while. My mother had a set of these, which is surprising because she was not a pink girl by any means. But she was a fabulous cook and used her pink Pyrex for mixing a wondrous array of delectables-- from cookie dough to Italian meatballs...

I see this pattern and think how many amazing dinners I'd enjoyed, due to my mother's remarkable culinary skills. And those past flavors somehow seem more tangible when represented by that lovely pink Pyrex bowl. Yes, this bowl is a metaphor now, for meatbally memories. So at less than $3 at the U.F.O., I cheerfully recaptured it.

This Lefton bunny planter from the Good Samaritan thrift store is sadly out-numbered by the sheep...


That must be why he looks a little nervous, he's worried about being mugged by those roving flocks of wooly marauders! (Er, or maybe because I keep referring to it as "he" and he has a pink bow in his hair... Oops-- sorry, fellah.)

The table cloth below was also from the Good Samaritan. I already have my table set the way I'd like for this Easter, but for next year, this will be a really nice addition.

And what thrifting weekend would be complete without adding to the milkglass gift basket I want to give my family friend for Christmas? Two saucers and a goblet are a nice way to expand the collection. And at $1 each, with an additional 20% off, it's hard to go wrong.


So what's coming up next time on The Thrift Shop Romantic? Hmmmm, I think I'll unveil a couple more retro recipe books and we'll see just why using whole vegetables as candle holders for a romantic dinner might not set quite the tone one hopes for.

For those who missed Sunday's post, where Marshmallow Peeps became entwined in vintage-style carousel crafting, click here.

Otherwise, wishing you a day filled with the little joys that make life interesting, and keep you in the pink!

The Big Easter Lambie Whammy

Sheep happens.

It started with one planter, in a display cabinet at the Good Samaritan thrift store in North Versailles. The sheep's funny, smiling face and pink color cheered me instantly. I bought it and took it home.



The next time I visited the store, there were more sheep prancing on the shelves. In different styles and colors... All from around the 50s and 60s... And all in nursery room pinks and blues. I chose two. The nice lady behind the counter smiled as I presented my wooly friends for payment.


Over this last year, it seems more and more sheep have trailed back to my place-- like I was Mary of "Had a Little Lamb" fame, and these fine fellows were sure to go if I were. I have since become well-known at the Good Samaritan for my regular lamb procurement. I have rounded up sheep from the L&L Fleatique. I have shepherded them from the Salvation Army. I have gotten them by-hook-and-by-crook at Junk for Joy. But I hadn't quite realized just how many sheep there were until I opened my plastic tub of Easter goodies and let loose the flock.

So there are sheep on the mantle...

Sheep on the table...

Sheep carting eggs...

And sheep chaufferring chicks...


One year of thrifting, and I'm knee-deep in sheep!

And for folks who were asking how the varnished Marshmallow Peep garland fared from last year, I have to say, it's held up fairly nicely. The topcoat may have yellowed slightly, but the Peeps are all still in good shape and are currently decorating the mirror over the sheep-ladened mantle.


Next week, I hope to be finished with a brand new Peep Project I want to share with you-- one with a bit of a trash-t0-treasure spin. (No, really, it will all make sense when you finally see it...

Maybe... :)

Well, I'd probably best be off. With all this Easter decorating and sheep counting, I SERIOUSLY could use a nap. Hope you see you back here on the Blogspot for Treasure Box Wednesday. (If you missed last week's linens, lamps and lambs, click here.) And if not, then I do hope you'll be baaaaack again soon.

The Route 30 Antiquing Trail

Take Route 30 Eastbound through Forest Hills right outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and you embark on a thrifting and antiquing odyssey. This single road winds its way from the bustle of Pittsburgh, and rambles for miles through the pretty, rural landscape of Ligonier, Latrobe, and beyond. It’s along this route that an adventurous shopper can discover bargains and beloved treasures.

Thrift stores? During your time on the road you’ll encounter the Good Samaritan Thrift Store, the Price is Right Thrift Store, two Goodwills, and several Salvation Armys.

Maybe flea markets are more your style? How about the indoor Super Flea, the L&L Fleatique (pictured at left)? Or, if outdoor flea-ing is a particular favorite, far down the route in Latrobe, the Hi-Way Drive-in Flea Market is open seasonally on weekends.


But well-before you hit Latrobe, take a minor detour off 30, into downtown Jeannette, a city once renowned for its manufacture of beautiful glass items. Here you’ll encounter everything from the higher-end antiques of the Jeannette Antique Mall and Antique Oddities (pictured below), to the unique mix of antiques and fun fixer-uppers in Junk for Joy...


You’ll even find thrifting at the large St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store right on Clay Street.
Weary from all that shopping? Take a break at one of Jeannette’s restaurants with your choice of sandwiches, Chinese, pizza, and in evenings, The Nest for seafood... (For lunch, Rick’s Hometown Diner is a favorite haunt of mine when the hungries hit, with homemade soups, pies and other diner favorites.)

Head back up the road from Jeannette to join Route 30 again, and consider a minor stop in Greensburg. Who knows what you might find at the U. F. O., an indoor antique/thrift store/used furniture mecca? Then, back to good ol’ 30 and head off to Ligonier. Right near Idlewild Amusement Park, you’ll find the Flea Tique, another indoor flea market/antique mall (not to be confused with the L&L Fleatique of earlier in the journey!). Here you’ll find a mixture of antiques and collectibles, all jumbled together in several large rooms of booths.

Leave the Flea Tique parking lot, get back onto 30 East for just about 500 yards, then u-turn onto Route 30 Westbound, and there you’ll find Graham’s Antique Mall, with even more booths filled with antiques and collectibles.

It’s usually at this point, that I’m bleary from scanning and weary from walking the aisles. And, spoils of the day packed in the trunk, I make Graham’s Antique Mall my final destination before I head on home. But if you still have energy, I understand the Route 30 antiquing adventure continues eastward even beyond Ligonier along to Gettysburg. Perhaps you’ll discover some antiquing and thrifting locations along it that you’d like to share. (I’d love to hear about them!)

But just to get you started, below are the places I pick and choose from on my own well-traveled path (and if you like, you can also read a summary of each place in the Resources section):

Good Samaritan Thrift Store
500 Lincoln Hwy North Versailles, PA, (412) 829-1898

“Super Flea” Flea Market
833 E Pittsburgh Mckeesport Blvd, North Versailles, PA

Price is Right Thrift Store
1930 Lincoln Highway, North Versailles, PA

Salvation Army Thrift Store
12751 Route 30, North Huntingdon, PA, (724) 863-6116

Goodwill
8755 Norwin Ave, North Huntingdon, PA (724) 864-2980

L&L Fleatique I and II
Adamsburg Edna Rd., Jeannette, PA (724) 523-0595—visible from Route 30

Antique Oddities
316 Clay Ave, Jeannette, PA (724) 523-7767

Jeannette Antique Mall
500 Clay Ave, Jeannette, PA (724) 527-1555

Junk for Joy
209 Clay Ave, Jeannette, PA (724) 523-6221

St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store
631 Clay Ave, Jeannette, PA (724) 527-5776

Jen & Ed’s U.F.O. (Used Furniture Outlet)
320 S Pennsylvania Ave, Greensburg, PA (724) 834-9070

Salvation Army
3780 Route 30 Latrobe, PA (724) 539-2080

Flea Tique
230 Route 30 W, Ligonier PA 15658-8777, 724-238-9198

Graham's Antique Mall
Route 30 W, Ligonier PA 15658, 724-238-8611