Nancydr2's 2009 Finds

[nancydr2]

The year is off to a slow start here in Arizona's East Valley.  I've been laying off the thrift stores as punishment for buying a Wii and several games on impulse.  The few I have been in have been very picked over and the stuff I've gotten is hardly worth reporting.  I have managed to find a few fun things:

-Huge bag of vintage glitter (16 bottles in about 8 different colors all with the great shaker top) - $1.59
-Bag of 1960-70s Viewmaster slides (Superman, Yogi Bear, Flintstones, Disney) - $1.99
-1960s Mosler Junior Bank Vault - $4.99 (see picture here:  http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-BANK-COIN-PENNY-MOSLER-JUNIOR-SAFE-DOUBLE-DOOR_W0QQitemZ230323975982QQihZ013QQcategoryZ158420QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
-Glass Deco Coffee pot -2.99 (just like this one:  http://cgi.ebay.com/Swing-Deco-Era-Filtron-Vintage-Coffee-Extractor-Pot_W0QQitemZ200300112737QQihZ010QQcategoryZ1217QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

I hope things pick up around here soon!

[valleythriftshopper]

Nice find on the glitter, I'd like to find some of that too, love the bank as well.  I know what you mean, January was the worst month in the 4 years that I have been thrifting.  I got some good finds in December so I was hopeful for Jan., but it has been dead, at least in the bric-a-brac, books/toys & linens depts. which are the areas I most frequent.  I think you can still do well for clothing here, but I don't have the interest to look through it all everyday.

Yesterday I saw a copy of Mary Margaret McBride's Encyclopedia of Cooking, Deluxe Edition, with all the sections (it came in sections which would be assembled into a binder type cover).  At $1.50 I would have jumped on it if the cover had been in better condition, it was pretty beat up- too bad, it is not a common book. 

[iheartthrifting]

Nice find on the little safe... that was a flashback for me, had one similar when I was a kid.  And of course the Viewmaster slides too, who didn't have one of those?   

[nancydr2]

It was 50% off Saturday at Goodwill and I did manage to find a few things.  I'll spare you the complete list and share the highlights. 

-4 Fire King Blue Mosaic dinner plates.  I doubt they've ever been used as they don't have any scratches at all.  At $1 each, they were a steal.
-old monopoly game--really old; it has wooden houses.
-a great piece of 1960s upholestry fabric with blue and green fruit on a white background; this will be used to reupholester my dining room chairs
-a bunch of Arizona Highways magazines from the early 1950s
-a souvenir plate from Louisiana.  It'll be the 47th state plate to be hung on my kitchen wall.  I still can't find Massachusetts, Delaware or South Carolina
-a Farber Bros. Krome Kraft cocktail shaker--$4 and it is in primo shape
-a bunch of Marcus Brothers fabrics.  I'm a quilter and there's just no such thing as too much fabric. 

I still think the shelves are pretty bare around here, but this was the best luck I've had so far this year.

[valleythriftshopper]

It was 50% off Saturday at Goodwill and I did manage to find a few things.  I'll spare you the complete list and share the highlights. 

-4 Fire King Blue Mosaic dinner plates.  I doubt they've ever been used as they don't have any scratches at all.  At $1 each, they were a steal.
-old monopoly game--really old; it has wooden houses.
-a great piece of 1960s upholestry fabric with blue and green fruit on a white background; this will be used to reupholester my dining room chairs
-a bunch of Arizona Highways magazines from the early 1950s
-a souvenir plate from Louisiana.  It'll be the 47th state plate to be hung on my kitchen wall.  I still can't find Massachusetts, Delaware or South Carolina
-a Farber Bros. Krome Kraft cocktail shaker--$4 and it is in primo shape
-a bunch of Marcus Brothers fabrics.  I'm a quilter and there's just no such thing as too much fabric. 

I still think the shelves are pretty bare around here, but this was the best luck I've had so far this year.

I'm sure I could find you a MA plate they are plentiful in thrifts here.  I have a vintage blue transferware souvenir plate for the Mohawk Trail, the scenic stretch of Rte. 2 that begins about 1/2 mi from here & goes through westen MA.  You should post a pic of your plate collection it sounds great!

Nice job on the mosaic plates, I haven't found any interesting dinnerware since December.  Fabric sounds great too, haven't seen any good fabric since tag sale season.

I have old Monopoly & Easy Money games with the wooden pieces, they are fun.  All those old Parker Bros & Milton Bradley games were made in MA, maybe that why I like them so much. 

[valleythriftshopper]

Someone donated a whole collection of state/souvenir plates to one of the SA's today.  Nice vintage ones.  If I had any western decor, I would have bought the "Wonderful Wyoming" plate with the saying "Let's Buck" under the horse & cowboy.  It reminded me of vintage restaurantware with a pink airbrushed border.  They were all 99 cents or less.

[nancydr2]

In my search for state plates, I have seen plenty of Boston plates, but nothing for Massachusetts.  I had the same problem with Louisiana; tons of New Orleans, but nothing for LA (until recently).  I always figured they produced more plates representing the big city, than the state.  However, that argument doesn't really work with Delaware and South Carolina.

When I first started buying state plates, they were $1-2 a piece.  Now, thrifts around here are charge up to $10 for a single plate!  It's hiway robbery, I tell you. 

I have several different styles of plate, including several transferware plates in different colors.  My all time favorite was my Minnesota plate (I'm from MN).  I loved it because it had "Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, Babe" on it (that was the actual inscription).  However, in the picture, Babe was all brown.  Alas, my rotten little cat, Frank Borman, knocked the plate off the counter before I could hang it up.  Now I have a new MN plate with a picture of a blue Babe.

[valleythriftshopper]

Yeah, I think I was a big dum-dum to pass over some of those plates today.  There were a few flow blue & staffordshire souvenir plates that might have been worth some money & the Wyoming one was just adorable as I mentioned.  I did get a pretty vintage oval mirrored dresser tray for 99 cents for my daughters bureau.  The plates were long gone when I went back, some guy bought them all up I was told. 

[daswitzer]

This may be a silly question, but why is your cat named Frank Borman?

[nancydr2]

I'm somewhat of a space buff.  I'm especially interested in the Gemini and Apollo eras.  Frank Borman commanded Gemini 7, the first rendezvous in space which occurred at the exact moment my mom was giving birth to me.  He also commanded Apollo 8, the first flight to the moon.  In between, he lead the investigation into the Apollo 1 fire that killed 3 astronauts.  His work on that and his testimony in front of Congress probably saved the space program.

To sum it up, Frank Borman is one of my heros so I thought it fitting honor that my beloved cat be named after him.  I think I'll name my next cat after Apollo era flight director, Gene Krantz.

[SplashsMom]

Frank Borman commanded Gemini 7, the first rendezvous in space which occurred at the exact moment my mom was giving birth to me. 

I believe that is one of the best cat  naming stories I have ever heard!

[nancydr2]

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted any finds because I haven't found a darn thing.  Today, finally, some good buys!  I was at the ARC thrift store in Tempe.  I found 2 Temporama dinner plates in primo condition for $1 each.  I was happy just with that, but then I spotted something by the checkout:  2 wooden soap molds/cutting boxes.  I can't believe I found these in a thrift store!  I'm a soapmaker, but haven't done so lately because I don't have a good mold.  I have no excuses now. Each mold makes 30 large bars of soap.  I can't wait to try them out.

Then, on the way out the door, I saw a yellow Blendo glass candy dish that I missed on my first go 'round.  Well, I couldn't pass that up, could I?  So I went back and got that for $3.

All in all, not a bad lunch hour.

[valleythriftshopper]

Post a picture of your soap when you make some, I'd love to see how it comes out.  Funny thing, I saw some Temporama dishes not too long ago & thought of your posts as it seemed like a style that was consistant with the other types of dishes you have mentioned, glad you found some! 

Speaking of moderinst style, there was a fabulous 50's dinette set at one of the thrifts today, it had a sold sign on it, 75 dollars.  I would have had no where to put it, but glad to see some cool things at the thrifts which haven't been too exciting in general. 

[anastasiabeaverhausen]

great finds...gives me hope..cuz it BLOWS around here right now...and Im really agreeing with everyone about the goodwills...WAY overpriced these days and nothing on the shelves but bad junk...come on spring yard sales!!!!!

[nancydr2]

Here's my first batch of soap made with one of my thrifted molds.  It worked great.  This soap is super-fatted with shea butter and scented with vanilla fragrance oil.  I'm going to smell like cookies after using this!