A Few "New" Old Things

Yes, I know it's been a while, but it is summer after all and I'm trying to pack as much as possible into every single day. Here in New England, the summer season is blissful but insanely short and already I find myself teetering on the brink of an anxiety attack just thinking about the winter ahead. It truly feels like we just put away our parkas.

And I've been busy with a few big things. Mainly trying to set up an Etsy shop to share some of the many lovely treasures I dig up but probably don't need to continue hoarding. Let me confess right off the bat that I had no idea how involved such an undertaking would be! At least to do it legally, that is. So, while I am definitely a lot closer to fulfilling that goal, I am not quite there yet. And truthfully, it may not happen until the kids get settled into the new school year. And that is OKAY.

Anyway, I've thrifted a few times but not with any regularity and I've been lazy about writing full blown blog posts about what I've uncovered. If you are interested in seeing some of my finds from this summer, you can follow me on Facebook--Anne's Pocket Finds. I do try to post pictures there more regularly, so definitely take a peek, but here is just a taste of what I've found in the last couple of months:

A vintage drafting table, in excellent structural condition. I spotted this table after picking my daughter up at camp, it was sitting out on the curb nearby. Unfortunately, I had parked far away due to a road repaving project and was not able to carry the table to my car, although I certainly considered trying for a few minutes (much to my daughter and her friend's utter embarrassment!). Lucky for me, it was still sitting there the next morning, and a nice gentleman helped me load it up. I was so happy, and even happier when I got home and researched my find. These tables go for a lot of money! However, like most of my favorite finds, this is not for sale. I already know just where it will go once I'm finished sprucing it up.

Of course, I'm still collecting vintage cookie cutters whenever I see them!

This Oxford stoneware water pitcher is a nice addition to my small but growing collection of this pattern. I love the lid!

And here is another of my very favorite finds from this summer. A group of Russel Wright American Modern dish ware, in chartreuse. My mother owned a set of Russel Wright Iroquois china in blue, and also the American Modern pitcher in chartreuse. I remember hating it so much when I was a child, I thought it was soooo ugly. But, of course now I love it. My sister has the pitcher now and I am lucky enough to have been given the Iroquois dishes. I use them just as my mother did, on Christmas Eve, Easter, and Thanksgiving.

So there is a small sampling of some of the highlights from my summer hauls. But one of my most favorite acquisitions is not a "find" but rather a lovely and generous gift.

Just the other day, a friend sent me a box full of the most beautiful vintage sewing trims and threads! And not only that, she enclosed a letter with the stories behind the trimmings. In the 1920s and '30s, her great-grandmother ran a little store out of her parlor selling fine linen, fabric, lace, trims, buttons and more. The vintage notions that she shared with me were left from that time.

She also sent along pictures of some of the quilts her great-grandmother had sewn and the stories behind them. And best of all, she sent them to me to actually use with my children! Normally, I hoard treasures this beautiful and pristine, so getting encouragement to use these in projects and not just tuck them away for that mythical rainy day is so wonderful. The only problem will be getting up the courage to make the first cut--even my daughter said, "Mom, it is going to be hard to use these up. They are so pretty!"

But use them up, we will. In fact, we have a couple of projects in mind already. And while snipping and stitching, we will think of "Baba" and her wonderful sewing shop. I think she'd like knowing that a new generation of young girls will enjoy sewing with her beautiful trimmings.

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.

Thrifty Little House on the Prairie Party

Earlier this week, I gave you a glimpse of my daughter's recent Little House on the Prairie party. I had a ball putting the party together, challenging myself to make like a pioneer and scavenge, re-purpose and borrow as much as I could. The end result, I hope, was a party that celebrated creativity and resourcefulness--two traits that Laura Ingalls and her family embraced out of necessity, and traits that I try to encourage in my own children. It also didn't hurt that the vintage and borrowed goods loaned a very authentic feel to the party. Following is a resource list, organized by activity, that demonstrates how thrifted items can be used to create magical special events:

PIONEER DRESS UP

vintage prairie-style clothing and accessories, including sunbonnets, aprons, skirts, and blouses (all thrifted except for the bonnets my daughters wore, which were originally purchased on etsy for Halloween costumes and a couple of the aprons, which belonged to my grandmother)

WASHING DAY

wash tub and doll clothes (thrifted), wash board (consignment store), drying rack (already owned), miniature wooden clothes pins (already owned)

SEWING LESSON

large-eye needles (borrowed from younger daughter's preschool), pre-printed cotton napkins (thrifted gift from friend), embroidery floss (already had but easily thrifted), vintage embroidery hoops (thrifted and already had)

CANDLESTICK PAINTING

wooden candlesticks (thrifted--I think I got a giant bag of these for 50 cents!), acrylic paints (already had), paintbrushes (already had), mason jar for water (thrifted), vintage muffin pans to hold paint (thrifted), vintage bark bowl to hold candlesticks (thrifted), vintage pottery bowl for paint water (thrifted)

PEG DOLLS

assortment of wooden doll bodies (already had, originally purchased from Casey's Wood Products), assortment of trims, laces, fabrics, and ribbons (already had and thrifted), small bottles of Aleene's craft glue (the best glue for fabric crafts, in my opinion), vintage pipe cleaners (thrifted), acorn caps (collected in the woods last fall), crate to hold scraps (saved from box of clementines), pedestal stand to hold scraps (thrifted), vintage gelatin molds to hold peg dolls (thrifted and inherited from my grandmother), calico table covering (thrifted)

MEMORY GAME

small rag doll (already had but originally thrifted), vintage ring (received as a gift from friend), tea cup and saucer (thrifted), glass bottle with cork (thrifted), metal jacks (thrifted), small silver trophy cup (re-purposed Christmas ornament from my collection), image of a young Laura Ingalls (found online), large Indian head penny (already had, was mine as a child), vintage silver tray (thrifted), twig pencils (purchased at HomeGoods), handmade paper (thrifted)

DINNER TIME

small metal pails (purchased from dollar bin at Target--I had originally wanted to use tin pails that I thrifted, but ended up needing more than I had so decided to purchase new for this party and save the thrifted ones for my younger daughter's version of this party), food (thrifted--just kidding! all fresh food, each pail held an apple, bag of pretzels and a turkey sandwich), gingham pail liners (Target dollar bin), picnic cloths (canvas drop cloths, already had)

BIRTHDAY CAKE

vintage candles (thrifted, they were the hard to find skinny candles that fit the vintage candle holders I love), vintage floral candle holders (thrifted), vintage plates (thrifted), silver cake knife and dessert server (thrifted), cake stand (from my collection), vintage cake decorating press (thrifted brand new in box)

GENERAL STORE

wooden nickels (already had wooden disks, used paint we already had and then glued on pictures of my daughter taken at Old Sturbridge Village, hand painted "5 cents" on each one and then coated with Mod Podge), General Store sign (re-painted and re-purposed sign that was originally used at daughter's Mermaid party), props, including vintage mail cubby, vintage tin kitchen canisters, baskets, wooden boxes and crates, tin milk jug, and tin wall decorations (thrifted and borrowed from around the house), vintage picture frames (thrifted), small wicker baskets (thrifted), wooden rulers (purchased from Casey's Wood Products), wooden slates (also from Casey's), slate pencils (thrifted chalk), glass apothecary jar candy holder (borrowed from my house), tin coffee pot to hold candy sticks (borrowed from play house, originally thrifted), candy bags (already had in kitchen stash), metal scoops (thrifted), candy (purchased new, of course!), raffia (thrifted), and sewing kits (new Ball canning jars, thrifted aida cloth, new quilt pins, thrifted vintage safety pins, wooden thimbles purchased at Casey's, needles from my own stash, homemade directions and pattern for stitching top of jar, vintage buttons from my own mostly thrifted collection, and thrifted Pottery Barn labels)

Pulling together a party from vintage goods is so much fun I can hardly stand it! And lest you worry that I bought a bunch of stuff just for one afternoon, I can reassure you that most of these things will be used again for future parties, find a home (or return to their home) in the dress up bin, or be re-purposed into something completely new. This party also created very little trash (just the food wrappings really) and was super easy to set up and clean up. And most importantly of all, my little girl was beaming with joy. Next up, a vintage baseball party to celebrate my son's big day--stay tuned! In the meantime, I'm linking this up to the party at Elizabeth & Co.

Little House on the Prairie Birthday

One of my greatest joys as a mother is planning my children's annual birthday celebrations. The birthday child and I decide on a theme several months in advance, and then the brainstorming and collecting begins. For my daughter's 8th birthday, she and I settled upon a Little House on the Prairie theme. I will freely confess that I planted this idea in her head a couple of years ago, when she rejected it, but over time she came to think that it was a great idea and I was delighted when she chose it as her theme this year.
 
Most of the guests embraced the pioneer theme and arrived in old-fashioned clothing, with aprons and bonnets and smocking. So cute and creative! After a quick group photo (very proud--this was the first year I actually remembered to take one!), I divided the 15 girls into two groups, simply to make things more manageable. Half of the girls began at the "Washing Day" activity.

When is the last time you thought doing the laundry was fun? Let me tell you, these girls had a blast using an old wash tub and washboard and scrubbing vintage doll clothes before hanging them up to line dry using old wooden clothes pins. I've never seen clothes get so clean, and with such joy! The parents all joked that I missed the boat--I should have put out my real laundry for the girls to wash!

The other group learned to do counted cross-stitch, using vintage embroidery hoops and some pre-printed linens that had the cross-stitch pattern marked on it. This activity took a little time to get the hang of, and some of the girls expressed frustration that it was too difficult, but their frustration soon turned to triumph as they mastered the stitches.

You could see their little X'es becoming more even as they went along, giggling over their dropped needles (I recommend not doing this activity in the grass--talk about finding needles in a haystack!) and knotted threads.

After switching places so everyone could try both activities, it was time to move on. One group worked on painting small wooden candlesticks while the other group made peg dolls out of calico scraps, lace, ribbon and acorn caps for hats. The finished products were adorable, with little ladies wearing lace bonnets and aprons, babies dressed in gowns, and men in hats and ties.

After the girls had completed both of these crafts, we moved onto our picnic cloths to play a quick game of Memory before eating. A silver tray held eight vintage items and the girls had a couple of minutes to study the tray as I explained what each item was. Then the tray was covered with a calico cloth to hide all the objects.

Each girl then received a piece of handmade paper and a twig pencil, and was instructed to write down all the items they remembered being on the tray. This activity really stumped the girls but they seemed to relish the challenge.

By now, the girls had worked up quite an appetite, so the next activity was dinner time! Each child had a light meal tucked into a small tin pail. The girls happily ate their dinners on the picnic cloths before assembling on the patio for singing Happy Birthday to the birthday girl and eating homemade cake. One girl totally made my whole afternoon by taking an enormous bite and then loudly exclaiming, "Whoever made this cake is AWESOME!"

After cake, the girls each had an opportunity to shop for party favors at the General Store. I had arranged an array of old-fashioned goods among some vintage props, and the girls were each given an allowance of three wooden nickels to spend in the store. These nickels were extra special, for instead of a buffalo head, they featured an image of my daughter's face, framed by her pioneer bonnet.

My daughter played the role of shop keeper, and guided her guests through the store, helping them to select their goods. Each child received the following favors to take home:

a small slate and slate pencil (I taught my daughter to use that language instead of simply saying chalk! Details matter to me, what can I say?),

a personalized sewing kit that I had made out of a Ball canning jar, containing interesting vintage buttons, a needle and a wooden spool of thread, colorful quilt pins, a couple of vintage safety pins, wooden thimble, and directions for stitching their initial on the pincushion top of the jar,

and a small bag of candy sticks. I was touched by the number of children who politely asked if they could have an extra for their sibling at home. At least that's what they told me!

Each child was also able to choose one other item, either a small wicker basket, a vintage picture frame, or a wooden ruler.

I loved every moment of this party; it was so much fun for me and the kids. A lot of planning went into it but it was worth it because it ran smoothly and effortlessly. Of course, I could never have pulled it off without help and there are many who contributed to its success. My daughter helped with brainstorming and practical chores like painting and gluing the wooden nickels, and friends pitched in to help supervise activities and took some beautiful pictures of the party. My husband kept the adults in attendance fed and watered, and also helped set up for the event. Even with the help, though, I practically collapsed into bed after it was over and woke up the next morning with a splitting headache! Still, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. And in fact, I probably will do it again, when my younger daughter is just a little older. I do enjoy a good recycled party!

And speaking of recycling, tomorrow I will post more about how I used nearly all thrifted and repurposed goods to craft this magical party for some very sweet little girls. Hopefully, I can inspire you to do the same!

Thrift Therapy

Thrifting time has been scarce this fall as I settle into my new surroundings and new routine. And although I recently have discovered a couple of shops nearby, it takes effort to get there and so I have found myself in withdrawal. What was needed was a whole weekend devoted to nothing but treasure hunting. Thankfully, my dear friend Gina has been bitten by the thrift bug and she was willing to meet me halfway (or almost halfway) to scout out some new territory.

And what treasures we uncovered! On Saturday, we hit several small thrifts shops before practically closing down (and cleaning out) Savers. Here are some of my favorite finds of the day:

A vintage sewing instruction book on how to lay out and cut a pattern. I can't imagine that this process has changed much over the years and I could certainly use the help.  I also found a few cute '70's fabrics that I will give to my daughter who is working on a nine-patch quilt inspired by the Little House books.

Next up, the only purchase I regret from the trip...a rooster covered dish. We had hoped it was vintage (Westmoreland roosters fetch around $35) but alas, after a bit of research I am pretty sure he is a knock-off. Not sure yet what his fate will be. I paid $4, and ebay tells me that even the no-name look-a-likes can command $15, so maybe his life will be spared and he'll reappear in my future vintage shop. 

This next find will look like nothing to most people but is precious to me. My mother, an excellent and prolific baker, had several of these forks that she always used for baking. They are heavier than the average fork and excel at mixing butter-based batters. My mother's forks originally came from the dining hall of my uncle's Black Hills inn. Anyway, when my mother died, I inherited one and I treasure it. The edges of the tines are worn thin from years of mixing and I love using it to bake, especially with my children, because I feel like my wonderful mother is right there with us. I was thrilled to find an identical one in the junk section of a large thrift we visited on Saturday. I believe it cost me all of a quarter. As you can see, the tines on this one are nice and even, just waiting for me and my children to bake up a storm and wear them down with memories.

I found this lovely vintage basket style purse hiding in the windowsill at a small but lovely thrift shop. It was marked half price and I simply had to have it at $7.50. I especially love the metal clasp with its unique detailing. It reminds me of a Nantucket basket but I have so far been unable to determine its  age, maker, and value. Nevertheless, it will look charming in my bedroom, holding bits of my vintage costume jewelry collection.

After we hit up the small thrifts, we headed over to the thrift paradise that is Savers. Three hours later...I had a basket of treasures and some adorable fashions for my children, from mini Boden, Crewcuts, and Baby Gap. These flower power pants from mini Boden were a major hit with my daughter.

I also left with a huge stack of books, including a large supply of my girls' favorite American Girl books, many seemingly brand new.

This is actually the tip of the iceberg in terms of what I brought home. I will spread the spoils out so that I can get multiple blog posts to tide you over til my next outing! Until then, happy thrifting!