Green Wellies

A thrifting we will go...

Some days when I haunt the thrift stores, there's nothing calling out my name and then other times, it's a matter of being by the right shelf at the right time.  My sister has this down to a fine art and so do my daughters Em and Gwen, too, for that matter.  Thrifting is in our blood and I'm convinced there's a gene that helps in the seek and ye shall find process.  Yesterday, I had polka dots on my mind when I looked up and saw this staring back at me...

It's a very small homemade dotted teapot with a rather wonky lid, carrying a price tag of a dollar.  My first thought was to hang with the others in the garden, but on second thought, it's found a spot on a shelf in the kitchen.  I just like looking at it...very Emma Bridgewater.

Then I found some incredible hand-knit mittens in pristine condition and a great colour combination of grey and red...with a Scandinavian look to them.  They're made in a most unusual pattern...room for thumb and index finger with a larger space for the last three fingers.  I posted them on flickr and clever Cara down Newfoundland way left a comment explaining that they were called trigger mitts, used for hunting moose!  When I first saw mine (thrifters take possession quickly), I thought they were designed to go on small hands easily.  They are definitely sized for a child.  Using Cara's info, I did some research and sure enough, they're called Newfoundland trigger mittens...thanks, Cara.  You keep us westerners on our toes.

 

All in a gleaner's day's work...sorting wheat from chaff and hauling home the goods.

Oh baby, baby...

I couldn't pass this up when I saw it at the thrift store.  I've never seen anything like it and I'm not sure if it's a reproduction or true vintage.  Judging from the colour of the bias and the fold marks, I think it's the real McCoy and has probably been stored away for years.  I think the selling point was the way the pockets and instructions are made to look as though they are hung on a clothesline.  It wasn't until I got it home and started reading the printed lists, that I realized just how outdated and ridiculous some of the pointers are.  It should be pretty obvious to anyone that if the baby was covered in suds, it would be slippery...at least I hope that's the case.

If mom was wearing this apron and wanted to check out do or don't, she'd have to be able to read upside down while juggling a sudsy baby in her arms...

 

And according to the following, heaven help the mom who didn't have a huge stash of cod liver oil sitting on the pantry shelves and you wouldn't catch me touching scraped meat with a ten foot pole (note in the last bit it's become "scrap meat".  Poor baby!)...

This apron is up for grabs.  It's yours if you want it.  Just let me know.  If there's more than one (and because I posted it on flickr first, that's already the case), then I'll draw a name from a hat.  Hat's off to baby...on warm sunny days at least!

* Deadline for names will be February 28th...I only wish I had an apron for everyone!

The Thrifting Sisters Ride Again!

Jayne was here for longer than expected.  The plan was for her to arrive first thing Saturday morning by bus and leave on Monday evening.  Last night we packed her goods into the car for the trip to the bus depot, but it wouldn't start no matter what.  We watched as the bus drove past my driveway and that was that.  Darn...we had to unpack the car, she phoned home to let her family know what happened and we got to play for an extra night and all of today!  It was a crazy round of thrifting from the minute she got off the bus and we dashed to the Salvation Army's anniversary sale...absolute bedlam and crowds of people.  Here's what we managed to grab before anyone else beat us to it...vintage doll's bed with mini quilt, huge enamel bowl, large glass vase, two vegetarian cookbooks, MS magazines, Gap sweater set, vintage bathing cap in original package, fabric, cute little pink skirt and more.  Casper won't stand still for photos no matter what, but do you think we could get him to stay out of this one.  So, the stuff is what we got and the dog came along for the ride!

We went straight from there to the other thrift store in town and a sandwich board declared it was 1/2 price off everything...there was a frenzy of crazed shoppers, but we picked up some more wonderful things...argyle sweater, fish mold, vintage earrings, felt, zippers and more Martha mags.  The thrifting coup though, was a lovely vintage breadbox with bakelite knob that she plucked from the dumpster behind the shop as we walked back to the car.  Nothing escapes this thrifter's keen eyesight!

                                                                            

Monday and Tuesday saw more of the same...check out Jayne's blog over the next day or so...she's posting the next chapter of this visit's thrifting sisters on the town!  And what did we do in the evening when the shops were closed?  We formed a new flickr group called The Unpretentious Garden and had such fun doing it.  We decided we'd be okay if it was just the two of us, but by the time she left, 44 fantastic gardening members had signed on for the ride, with some great photos posted.  Thank you to Jes for inspiring the group's name and a hearty welcome to everyone! 

Thrifting With The Hob-nobs!

I had such a laugh reading Kristin's story about what happened to her while she stood in line at the thrift store yesterday and so I told her about one of MY choice encounters near the counter.  Then Jayne posted this great photo of my niece, Bronnie...all dolled up in thrift garb and I decided that it was too good to pass up for today's post.  I was in the local Hospital Auxilliary shop one day and as I was working my way from one end of the clothes rack to the other, a very posh looking lady was working from the other end and we met in the middle.  I said something lame like wouldn't it be funny if we both reached for the same piece of clothing...she leaned her head back a bit, did a three-second scan of me from head to toe and said in a snooty voice, "Uhhh, I REALLY don't think so," and walked away!  Here's the thing...she wasn't in Bloomingdale's, SHE WAS SHOPPING IN A THRIFT STORE, for Pete's sake!  There was this sudden Kodak moment that happened...several women near me (and me included) stood stock still, while we tried to make sense of what she'd just said and then there were murmurs and mutterings of how rude and what nerve.  One dear lady leaned over and whispered, "Maybe she meant she'd like to look like you."  Nope, but I think it made our day!  And...she could NEVER top Bronnie's pink wigged-look.  All that's missing here is the winner's ribbon in the Miss Thrifty Gal contest!

Recipes For The Birds

In one of the thrift stores that Jayne and I hit, were these two wee recipe books that I picked up for peanuts...Best Ways To Cook Fresh Vegetables by Mrs. Anna B. Scott, a fortieth anniversary souvenir for the friends and customers of W. Atlee Burpee & Company (published in 1916) and My Recipes Are For The Birds by the Cosgroves (published 1976).  The bird cookbook is one that I got when the kids were young and when I mentioned it to Gwen last night, she remembered a recipe called Chickadee Crunch!  Somewhere in the travels, the book went by the wayside and so I was thrilled to bits to find another copy after all these years.  Some of the recipes in the Burpee book leave something to be desired though...how about boiled lettuce or stewed celery (actually boiled celery with a spoonful of flour and butter added after draining).  Now they're two recipes that are for the birds!

Change Is Good

If Jayne and I had a moving company, the name WHY NOT? would have to be written in huge bold lettering on the van.  We can't seem to visit each other without getting into some sort of elaborate moving scenario which can go on past midnight.  Because our homes are really just cottages and full to the brim with stuff, moving even one piece of furniture becomes a game of complicated planning and much elbow grease, mixed in with belly-aching laughter.  During her last visit here, I mentioned that I'd like to try a different arrangement in my small dining nook.  Getting to the window meant a sideways walk passed the old donut shop chairs that wouldn't fit under my IKEA table.  We moved the old grey railway bench from under the windows to the side and then I was able to use the three "Made In Denmark" 60's chairs that I got for five bucks at the Sally Ann.  The cushions are made from men's denim cotton shirts (lay the pillow on the shirt, cut around leaving room for a seam, sew completely around the square and then simply unbutton the shirt to insert the pillow...ten minutes flat) that I pick up at thrift stores.  I wanted some sort of pillow for the bench and couldn't believe it when I picked up a blue and white denim piece of fabric for a dollar at the Hospital Auxilliary and didn't have to cut anything...just folded it in half, stitched around the edge, filled it with a thin folded over sheet and sewed a few lines down the width, so I can just toss it in the wash.  The whole kitchen area seems much bigger and as much as I loved the old bentwood chairs with arms, Gwen will be pleased to see the back of them and this new nook look is just the ticket.  High five, sissy!

Bronnie's Belt

I can't wait to give this cowrie shell belt to Bronwynne.  At sixteen, she has the world's greatest dreadlocks (complete with wooden beads) and is a fashion aficionado with her particular style.  Recently, she's been wearing those long pencil skirts and has made some super thrift store finds.  She also designs her own t-shirts, skirts and bikini tops that are whipped into reality by my sewing wizard sister.  This belt should feel right at home.