secondhand saturday!

two posts in one day! crazy huh? 

i already link up to yellow songbird's saturday snapshot party but i've been meaning to start a secondhand saturday post. remember when i introduced it way back when? i thought about moving it to another day but i think i like secondhand saturday more than thrifty thursday. what do you think? which sounds better? is there another day that works?

the thrift stores up here in the woods are magical. really, really wonderful! the goodwill in wheaton had wonderful clothes. i'm pretty sure there was a woman exactly my size who shopped only at jcrew and banana. she must have donated once a week! my entire work wardrobe was from that goodwill! vintage items in wheaton were either really hard to come by or crazy expensive because everyone is looking for vintage. i thought that when we moved i would be trading my wonderful goodwill for overpriced touristy antique stores. i was so very wrong! every store up here is full of vintage and no one seems to notice! my theory is that as the older people who live up here decide they can't handle the winters anymore they clean out their homes and donate things. vintage things. vintage dishes!

i started looking for vintage pyrex when we lived in wheaton and couldn't justify what people were asking for the simplest piece. all these pieces here were purchased for under $20 total. maybe under $15! i love finding a piece at a store for $1.49 then running home to check the pattern online and see how well i did.

so here is the beginning of my newest collection!

from left to right:

pattern: floral bouquet. this one is a corning ware casserole dish & came with a matching lid. hooray! i hear this pattern includes a coffee pot. that's something i need to find!

pattern: early american. brown with golden symbols of americana! lamp, kettle, federal eagle, coffee grinder, etc. this is a one quart casserole no luck on the lid but i'll find a discarded one somewhere. this is part of a cinderella set so there are 2 more matching casserole dishes out there to search for. 

pattern: square flowers in verde. round casserole {also part of a cinderella set}. this might be my new favorite pattern. pyrex love tells me that this pattern is relatively common but also mysterious. they aren't sure that 'square flowers' is actually the original name of the pattern. whatever it is, i like it!

both of these are the "crazy daisy" pattern and i'm hoping to find the rest of that mixing bowl set! this one isn't in fantastic condition but it was 75¢ so who cares! i plan on using the mixing bowls anyway so used condition is just fine. how cute is that little creamer? also 75¢ and makes me want to collect all the different pyrex creamers! i also found this pattern in a bunch of corelle plates that will soon be making an appearance in the shop in the form of fantastic dessert stands. 

i'm off to finish up some laundry for creative estates {woooo hoooo!} but stayed tuned til next saturday to see the super fabulous set of dishes i got this week. one of my best finds yet!

second hand saturdays

welcome to a new feature here on the blog where i spotlight recent thrifted or free finds!

 usually these are small items...plates or candlesticks for cake stands, jewelry to be repurposed, a skirt or sweater. but today, for the inaugural post of second hand saturdays, here's my most recent & most beautiful acquisition!

this beautiful hutch showed up on freecycle a few weeks ago. i just happened to be sitting in front of the computer when the email arrived. usually the good items like this go before i have a chance to ask hubby if he wants to haul it back to our house and send an email. on this day i decided not to wait and just sent the email immediately.

 i was the first response!! never happens. never. i could be the first person on a bag of cat food or some used coloring books but never something as pretty as this hutch! i arranged for some heavy lifting help for hubby and this little beauty made it home! it is now sitting in the corner of our dining room filled with linens, china and cookbooks. can't wait to see where it will live in our new home!