Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Thrifting finds

At the quilt shop yesterday where I picked up Lucy, they have a bunch of vintage machines as decorations. I was checking out their antique treadle when the owner noticed. We chatted a little about what sorts of pieces I am looking for to adorn our new house. She told me about a cute consignment antique store down the road, which happened to be on the way home, so we stopped in to check it out.

Almost immediately upon entering, I found this great little trinket.
I've always wanted one and this one was priced at $2.50. No hesitation at all...it was definitely coming home with me. It is in near perfect condition. And as a side note, I found 2 other ones like this in the store but neither was in as good a shape and both were priced a lot higher.
 
I started to wonder the booths and shortly thereafter came across this lovely plate. I have a plate rack that hangs in the dining room and had always planned on displaying interesting vintage plates. The problem is that up until now I hadn't found any that I liked so I just used the sandwich plates from my "good" dishes. Now with this find, I have the start to a more appealing plate rack.
What I am on the hunt for is an interesting table/chest/cabinet with glass doors and possibly a drawer for my foyer and a not large glass door cabinet, similar to a small china hutch, for our bathroom to hold towels and such. While I didn't find anything that fit the bill (all that I liked were too big) I did see a great looking treadle machine with table that was difficult to resist. I didn't take a picture but it was a beauty. It was a Singer with the pharaoh pattern. The original price was $150 then marked down to $100 and now marked down to $85. Great price but I was guessing it didn't work and the entire thing would need some work to clean it up. If it did fit the space I have, it would have gotten loaded up and brought home but sadly it was left behind.
 
But this beauty wasn't left there. The pagodas caught my eye as a lot of Asian items do (something that didn't occur nearly as much before I became a Mom to children of Asian heritage).
It is cross stitched by hand. Look how lovely the work is. As someone who has cross stitched since I was a pre-teen, I really appreciate the work that went into this.
 
It measures at 63" x 70" and it will be the perfect size for our new kitchen table when it arrives. The best part? Although the original price on the tag wasn't bad at all, it was marked 40% off so this treasure became mine for a whopping $9.90. A bargain that can't be beat.
I had finished my scouring for great finds and was walking with my friend who was checking out the last 2 booths when I spotted this big and heavy book.
Now while books in general don't get my attention, this one did obviously because of the title. And once I glanced at the inside pages and saw that it was by National Geographic, I knew that it would be chock full of great info and gorgeous pictures. It definitely is. This is the paper inside the cover but the picture doesn't do it justice.
I know these pictures have the glare from the overhead light but outside pictures, with the rain and wind lately, has been pretty impossible, and I just couldn't wait to show these treasures off.
 
 
 
Original price? $20, too much for my blood. The already marked down price? $10, not bad but would take some consideration. The sale price? 50% off so a steal at $5 and yes it became mine too. It is way beyond Sunshine's interest at this point but I know that once she gets a bunch older and really starts getting interested in learning about her homeland, this book will be very valuable.

I don't thrift/antique store hunt much but now knowing that my friend enjoys it too, I have some more fun to look forward to. There are loads of places in the area that are begging to be investigated.


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