This is my house. It is an 1853 Federal style building. In case any of you were wondering, those are tomato and pepper plants growing in containers up on the balcony, safe from bands of marauding raccoons and hungry little Bambies that nightly visit my backyard. I fell in love with that front porch the first time I saw it in the Multiple Real Estate Listings back in 1993. The rooms are stately, with three floors and 4 fireplaces (unfortunately none of the fireplaces can be used but the mantles are all gorgeous) and 9 foot tall ceilings. So it was a bit of a surprise while being shown the home, that first time by our realtor, what awaited us in the second floor bathroom.
Now mind you, there was no indoor plumbing when the house was originally built (the attached barn had a 2-holer). So the bathroom on the second floor was installed in what was once a closet at the end of the hall. It doesn't have a shower but makes up for it with the bathtub, and oh what a bathtub it is................
It is big and shiny and oh so red!
It is a claw foot bathtub that a previous owner had painted red. (Why?) At the time we bought the house, the sink and the toilet seat were also bright red. Having both seen better days, they have been replaced. The tub is rather too heavy to move, much less down all those stairs. So I have learned to embrace the red.
Last summer, I decided it was finally time to redo that bathroom but my budget was pretty much non-existent. I got the floor tiles on sale, the oops paint for $5.00 for the gallon and the fabric I had left over from a curtain project. Normally I would not have picked these colors to work with but remember, I have learned to embrace the red.
On the far side of the bathroom are shelves, that were don't-allow-company-in-the-upstairs-bathroom-messy, that are now hidden from public view by this curtain. I do like the cherry pattern, It makes waking up first thing in the morning a little more cheerier if not cherrier. I have learned to embrace the red.
This bathroom wouldn't have been so bad with the red bathtub if the sink and toilet hadn't both been bright red as well. And did I mention there was also floor to ceiling mirror tiles covering one whole wall............ Oh my.
Today I am sharing my red lipstick bathtub (I have learned to embrace the red) with Sue @ It's a Very Cherry World for Wednesday is REDnesday. Please click here or see Sue's button on my sidebar to join in this always colorful party. Remember to embrace your Red.
Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie
You know I love my orange ......... you have all seen my orange plates and orange mushrooms and will be seeing (subjected to) more of those orange beauties. So it is rather surprising that for Halloween I prefer a more subtle black and white scheme. Today I thought I would share a display a la Tim Burton from my shop. It is black & white, of course vintage and all so very thrifty, perfect for Linda @ Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays. (Please click here or on Linda's button on my sidebar for your invite to the party) So please join me for the tour.
I used several smaller tables in the shop all placed together to create one large display but with different levels. This photo shows hobnail milk glass, vintage ladies hat with black veil and a pair of paperweights.
The paperweight on the left is the Courthouse, Toledo, Ohio. The one on the right shows a man and child in a cemetery.
I am mesmerized by this one. The man appears to be wearing a World War I uniform and there is crescent moon in the upper top right ....... very eerie. These two paperweights were found at a church sale for $1.00 each. (I know it feels like I am stealing from a church.)
These fun loving little ghosts are sitting on top of a vintage black hat box. Both the box and the ghosts were Goodwill finds. You might remember the shoe flower piece as decor from the Bridal Shower I did last Spring. (Please click here for instructions) It seemed a perfect fit for my black and white tablescape and a very thrifty re-use. Yes that is an actual skull in the background. It is a coyote skull from a neighbor's woods.
More milk glass vases and lamps and candlestick holders. Several of the pieces are marked Fenton. Also from the shower, I have re-used the large black Gerber Daises.
I couldn't find white pumpkins so I painted Dollar Store mini pumpkins to achieve the look I wanted. (Very thrifty) Here is a cute pair of carved owl figurines. I am not sure what they are carved from, they are quite heavy. Their eyes are glass.
Another shoe design and white plates. The bottom three plates are Ironstone.
These Buffalo China plates are sitting on a small, what would have been boring otherwise little table that I painted with blackboard paint. Boring no more. All these dishes were Goodwill finds.
Here is a side view of the middle table. I thought the fringe of the shawl was reminiscent of a spider's web. The shawl was a lawnsale find for $.50 cents. The small skull that you see, belongs to a raccoon. That one came from my back woods. I remember when my daughter, at the time 7, and her little friend made this discovery one year after a spring thaw following a wicked brutal long winter. As spring progressed into summer, nature took its toll on the poor little creature. By fall we ended up with just the skull, so of course it needed to become a decoration. What else would one do with a raccoon skull? Do you honestly have to ask.
The vintage M.I.T. plate shown below, (Goodwill) already sold. It was from the 1960's. The woman who bought it, her dad was at M.I.T in the 60's. I never get tired of hearing these stories.
A close-up of the skull. I just love these silhouette pictures of the little boy. A lawnsale find for $2.00 for the pair.
This plate is also a favorite of mine. Purchased at Salvation Army for $.79 cents. It is Harkerware from Harker Pottery. I love anything with pine cones, being from the State of Maine. After all, the White Pine Cone and Tassel is our State's flower.
The black berry and mini witches hats wreath was a Goodwill find. The sparkly spiders were 6 for $1.99 at Wal-Mart. If you are going to use spiders, make sure they are bling worthy.
These two platters are Homer Laughlin, and lawnsale treasures.
Black licorice "spiders legs".
I forgot to mention that my cloth on one of the tables has black roosters and pumpkins, kind of a toile feel, and perfect for my display.
More flowers, spiders and skulls, oh my.
Speaking of skulls, I have saved the best for last. Allow me to introduce you to Georgette.
At first I thought it was George; however, an Anthropology major up at the University informed me that George was in fact a she. Isn't she beautiful. You may be wondering where does one find a human skull. Believe it or not, at a lawnsale. For $20 dollars, she was mine. Usually the lower jaw, being detached from the rest of the skull, is missing. She is gloriously intact.
Now I am not sure if the skull constitutes being thrifty, but for my $20, I think I got a good deal.
I just discovered a new party that I am joining today as well. Please be sure to say Hello to Selena @ Apron Thrift Girl for her party Thrift Share Monday. (I bet no one else will have a skull.) Have a great day everyone and be sure to stop over at Linda's and Selena's parties for a little thriftiness.
Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie
It is Saturday so that means it is time to join Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for another Pink Saturday (Please click here to visit all the other wonderful blogs participating today). Today I am showing a few of my most priceless pink treasures. No not my Roseville, Majolica or McCoy pink pieces; something even more valuable.
All through high school my daughter worked at Goodwill. It was a perfect job for her, close to home and walking distance, so no car needed. They were wonderful folks to work for and even now that my daughter is employed elsewhere, they are still like family. Please note that my love affair with Goodwill started long before my daughter was even born. The fact that Goodwill opened up a store in Gorham right at the time my daughter was looking for her first job, was just one big happy piece of good luck and coincidence.
For Mother's Day her first year of being employed, she was excited to finally be able to buy me something with her own money. She knew I loved pink, the dining room china cabinet was full of pink glass and pink plates. She found a pair of gold rimmed pink flower plates at the store and bought them for me. The marking is faded but I can make out England. At the time they were priced at $7.95 each and that was 8 years ago!
She was so proud to give them to me, each carefully wrapped in tissue paper and ribbon. I have since started to redecorate the dining room from pink to cream (think lots of Ironstone) but these plates will always be prominently displayed. A gift from my daughter, paid from her first paycheck. Priceless!
Elizabeth worked at the store with two of her best friends. They made quite a trio. I have been truly blessed in that all of my daughter's friends are wonderful young adults that I would be proud to call my own and it is with great honor that they consider me as their second mom.
Now you would think that working at Goodwill might have some perks but employees must wait 48 hours before they are able to purchase just put out inventory. The three of them would try to be helpful, telling me about some new treasure at the store; however, when visiting the store, the treasure would be something nice but new and made in China. Finally I simplified matters, asking the three of them to be on the lookout for flowers, pink and/or green plates and more importantly, making sure it was marked made in U.S.A. When my birthday came around, this was the gift I received from my daughter's 2 friends.
Obviously, they had a little too much fun in creating this tongue-in-cheek plate. In pink marker, the plate reads: I am anteek ...... werth lots of monie....... good! Sell me for anteek!!! and Pretty Pink Flowers.
The back reads: Not Canada! Canada Bad! No Flowers for Canada! (Please no offense to my friends in Canada. I am not sure why they picked Canada.)
Of course it is marked USA.
While this plate is not displayed in the china cabinet, it has a place of honor in the buffet. It is truly a one-of-a-kind treasure as are the two young friends that honored me with this gift.
Hope that you all have a blessed Pink Saturday.
Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie
Today I am joining Sue @Its A Very Cherry School World (Please click here to visit or on my sidebar) for Wednesday is Rednesday and showing off a little repurposed treasure, a Red repurposed treasure. For those who have visited my blog before, you know I love all things vintage and I enjoy giving things a new purpose.I recently found this metal stand at a lawnsale for $2.00. It was painted black and pretty dinged-up. The black paint hid the details of roses. Yes as you will recall from last week, my love of roses ....... (Oh my luv is like a red red rose......remember to say it with a Scottish accent!) Anyway I thought it only fitting to paint it red, to jazz it up a bit.
Next I added an old metal strainer and a vintage New England Flaky Crust Table Talk Pie $.10 cents deposit Pie Plate. I have 2 at home that are in constant use.
I put apples in the strainer, but you could have it hold your kitchen utensils, other fruits or vegetables or even a plant. The pie plate could also hold a plant or a trio of wine bottles or candles. Actually for the photo and it being Wednesday is Rednesday, I had wanted to stack a pyramid of Campbell Soup cans, tomato of course, but didn't have any. I thought this could work in a kitchen, a bathroom or perhaps out on the patio filled with plants.
I already had the strainer and pie plate. The oil red paint was a quart of $4.00 oops paint purchased at the local hardware store. This is the third thing I have painted so I am definitely getting my money's worth.
Please be sure to say hello to Sue and check out all the fun of the party.
Also I wanted to thank everyone that left comments for "How do you let go of a treasure". I received some great advice. Thank you.
Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie
How do you decide? I have bought and sold for years, long before opening up my shop 2nd fl Thriftiques. In fact, one of the primary reasons that propelled me to shop owner was my background in dealing. Some items were quick re-sales, while others were meant to be used and enjoyed before ultimately being sold. I love to decorate for the holidays as well as stage complete room makeovers. Both are easy to do when you are working with a revolving inventory. But how many times have I sold a piece only to find that it would have been perfect for a new tablescape design or some other use?
Take for example this little green sidetable. This green is MY favorite green,....... it is already perfectly distressed from time and use and not sandpaper ........... it is the perfect little size, compact but with the 3 levels and the magazine racks on each end, it holds a lot. I found it at Goodwill for $2.99. (Yes $2.99. I should have taken a photo of the price tag)
I have painted all my display pieces in the shop a light cream color so that the actual merchandise can stand out. I couldn't, I wouldn't, it-would-be-a-crime-to-do-so, paint this little piece. It would look lovely in my home and I can think of several rooms where it would work.
I have had so many people ask how much and I explain it is just for display. I finally decided to put a price on it, a reasonable but somewhat high price. That way if someone loves it as much as I do, they can purchase it. But I would be sad to see it go.
So how do you decide? I trust your comments, you have never let me down. So today's question is this, when we are out looking for treasures, of course it is natural to buy what we love, how do you part with your finds ..... when it is an extra special piece? Thank you so much for your advice.
Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie
This allows for a piece of string to be threaded through each tube to form a plate hanger. The length of tube can be found at any hardware store and then cut to size. How simple is that!
For the moment I just used some twine that I had handy but plan on switching it out with ribbon. You could then have the ribbon tied in a nice bow above the plate. Or you could make the string shorter so that it does not show at all. The possibilities are endless.
