Making Lemonade out of Lemons

If you know me at all, you know how much I love my china collection. I was so excited when I moved into my new house and discovered a little hallway closet perfect for storing some of my collection, and immediately filled it to the brim with five of my most collected patterns.

Apparently a little too full.

I didn't hear the crash so I have no idea when it happened, but sometime yesterday one of the built in shelves in my perfect little closet gave way and the shelf along with stacks of dishes fell onto the stacks of china resting on the shelf below.

Here are pictures of the carnage:

I am so disappointed. Lost was a Desert Rose gravy boat (the hand painted version that belonged to my husband's grandmother), several blue and white bowls that belonged to my mother, and a few bowls, dessert plates and a hard to find gravy boat in the Ever Yours pattern that is my absolute favorite. The Desert Rose divided bowl that also belonged to my husband's grandmother can be salvaged--there was only a small slice torn from the rim and luckily I found it in the dust and debris and can repair it. Thanks to an artifact conservation class I took in graduate school, I have some great experience with piecing broken things back together!

As I was sweeping up the mess, ready to toss all the jagged pieces in the trash can, I realized that maybe there is a bright side to this sad event. When we moved, I brought along with us an iron patio table base from our old patio set. It is in good shape, it just needs a new top. For a couple of years now, it has been my plan to mosaic a new top. Well, now it looks like I have some china pieces to work with! At least these special pieces won't end up in the dump.

Another positive: my children were with me when I discovered the breakage, so I had a wonderful opportunity to model a mature response to a sad little mishap. And to my credit, I did. We ended up having a meaningful conversation about disappointment and making lemonade out of lemons. And we reminded each other that it is just stuff, after all, even if it is stuff that is full of loving memories.

So once the weather warms up (IF the weather warms up???), watch for a Before & After featuring a shiny new mosaic patio table.

Mini Thrift Haul

I left behind the dirty breakfast dishes and enjoyed some thrift therapy this morning. I really should have attended to my duties at home but sometimes the car just seems to switch over to auto pilot and lead me astray. Unfortunately, there were a number of pickers out today and the competition was fierce. No worries, though, I am up for the challenge!

I did find a few goodies, probably because my taste runs a little quirky and I enjoy collecting smaller items that probably don't have enough value to make it worth anyone else's time. I am especially excited about a couple of things I found that are just begging to be made over. It has been awhile since I've featured a "Before & After" on the blog and I can't wait to get started on these projects.

Here is my favorite find of the day:

I just love this piece! I am going to have so much fun turning it into a very special sketching kit for my artistic daughter. I would love to make it for her birthday, which is coming up in a few months. The piece is very solid and practical and if it turns out like I am imagining, she will absolutely treasure it.

Then, as I was perusing the small bag lots, I spied these pinecone Christmas candle clips. They are new, and look like they are unused. These will go nicely with my Scandinavian Christmas theme that I am working on for this coming winter. It's slowly coming together, folks; come next December, you will be reading my "Thrifted Scandinavian Christmas" post!

Another favorite is this vintage Last Supper puzzle. Am I a super geek if I admit I want to drop everything for the rest of the day and put this together?

Because I am a church geek as well as a puzzle geek, I've been desperate for some vintage brass altar candlesticks. Alas, buying a beautiful set in an antique store or on ebay is going to set me back more than I can afford right now. So, I picked up this trio of unique heavy brass candlesticks in hopes that I can doctor them up a bit to make them nice stand-ins for the real deal until I can find my perfect pair. I think they have promise, what do you think?

 

And what lovely things have you found lately? Can't wait to read all about them over at Sir Thrift a Lot.

A few good finds...

Here are a few miscellaneous things I've collected over the last few times I've been out in thriftland--sadly, I've not been out much lately so my haul may seem a bit skimpy. Must rectify soon!

Anyway, here is a little treasure that I found in the knick-knack aisle of my favorite thrift. I almost didn't open it. It was taped up and dirty...even after I've cleaned it up, as shown below, it doesn't look too exciting.

But inside, ah! I am a sucker for vintage sewing implements and this is so sweet. The cap of the needle box is a silver thimble.

Another one of my favorite scores is this vintage Fisher Price toaster oven toy. This one still has its label on the front and is in pristine condition, with a working light and all! Love this find.

This enamel tray is the most beautiful shade of pale pink.

And I can never resist bulk bags of craft supplies! I have no idea what I will do with these disks (mushroom tops? doll sized whoopie pies?) but I do know that whatever I come up with, I will be happy to have a big bowl full of them!

I do have a possibly brilliant idea for what to do with these spools below--but you will have to wait for the big reveal!

I must admit I didn't even know what I was buying when I scooped up these vintage paper party baskets in a grab bag of goodies. But I love them! They remind me so much of one of my favorite children's books:  A Birthday for Frances.

 And finally, one last treasure to share: vintage gift wrap!! And not just some, but loads of it!! Be still my heart.

 Linking up to Sir Thrift a Lot.