Vintage, Thrifty & Birthday Party Time & Giveaway

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all the kind comments I have been receiving about my new shop, 2nd fl Thriftiques. So many of you have written that if you were up in Maine, you would be stopping by for a visit. That gave me the idea, that since you all couldn't come to Maine, that I could bring Maine to you with a Maine Celebration Giveaway.

So before I tell you about the giveaway, just to let you know that I am joining in with Linda @ Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Suzanne @ Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday and one other party that I haven't visited in awhile, Sue @ Its a Very Cherry World for Wednesday is Rednesday. (Please click on these links to visit or on their buttons in my sidebar.) Boy can these ladies party. Please be sure to see what treasures and great finds they have in store for you.

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY: Nothing says Maine more than lobster and the lucky winner will receive a few of these red crustaceans, sorry not the edible ones. First for the thrifty finds, I will be giving away a lobster dish towel and a canvas wine tote with embroidered lobster. I found both, brand new, at Goodwill, each for $.99. I actually bought 4 of the wine totes and 6 of the towels. The Maine cookbook, brand new, was purchased at a bookstore going-out-of-business sale at 90% off the original price. The nautical coasters represent the vintage side of things, they are marked made in Yarmouth, Maine 1981.

Every window needs a glass lobster sun catcher. This was a lawnsale beauty for $1.00. There will be a few more Maine items going into the give away, but I want the rest to be a surprise. You all know how a give away works, please leave a comment and say howdy for one chance to enter, become a follower or let me know you are already a follower for a second chance. Giveaway ends August 10th.

I love this lobster plate that was used in my giveaway button. It is huge and would easily hold 3 lobsters. You won't find it marked McCoy, Haeger, or even Hull, but rather it is a "Dee" original, whomever Dee is. The date of this Maine Masterpiece is 1969.

Now in 1969, I was 9 years old, Yes, you do the math, that means I am 50. Actually, I am officially 50 today. I was going to write a more poetic piece of prose, an actual volume of my life's history than just the Cliff's Notes version, a retrospective of my life and times, looking back over the years, and concluding with asking myself the million dollar question, what does the future hold and am I ready? Then I thought .......... Nah! I am ready for the future, whatever awaits me. I am eager to begin a new adventure. After all, isn't 50 the new 40? The past is just that, it can't be changed and my regrets are few. There is very little I would do over if given the chance. So as the french say C'est La Vie.

I will say that from day one, I was ready to start living. In fact, I was due in October and decided that I couldn't wait the extra 3 months, tired of just sitting around. There were things to do, places to go and people to see. So under 3 pounds I came into this world full of energy and confidence. The doctors were skeptical, it was after all 1960 and hospitals were not equipped with state of the art neo-natal equipment as they are today. Needless to say, I proved them wrong.

It's my birthday! So let the party begin. Pull up a Red chair from my fabulous vintage table. (Bought the table and chairs at an Auction 10 years ago for $50.)

Put on your Red party Hat, $1.99 Goodwill find (Just yesterday).

What looks like a gray stripe is actually a see-through band. It is a fun piece of French Fashion befitting a birthday girl. I gotta look ooh-la-la and tres chic for Fifty.

Then pour yourself a drink, vintage Coke, how refreshing. Yes, that would be me, white gloves, daintily holding my drink, with extended pinkie. Remember, I am going for tres chic, elegance, and all that stuff for turning 50.

I will leave you with this one last piece of vintage-red-thriftiness. Here I am pictured below, the dress is red and thrifty, bought at JC Penny at the end of the season for $12.00 and the vintage is me at 50. Oh no, I am what we say in the business as MID-CENTURY!!! I guess it means I just got more valuable.

So please be sure to stop over and visit with Sue, Suzanne and Linda for all their great parties and then visit Maine with my Maine Celebration Giveaway. I look forward to seeing you. If any of you are ever up in Maine, lobster dinner is on me (along with the cornbread, steamed clams and blueberry pie). Have a great day.

I am off to go Goodwill shopping. With your Goodwill discount card you get 25% off your purchases on your birthday. I will have gone to 5 Goodwill stores by lunchtime when I am due back in the office. What treasures await. Don't worry, I will show you.

Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie

Ticket Holder to the Magic Carpet Ride

Come Ride the Magic Carpet Ride!

It is time for One World One Heart, an international blogging event created and hosted by Lisa at A Whimsical Bohemian, to officially begin. How appropriate it is to respond to this global call to join together, to talk and to share, especially as the crisis in Haiti continues to be in our daily lives, our hearts and prayers. Let us all take this time to reach across the countries to say Hello, it is nice to meet you, how are you, and glad that we met. It makes the world a smaller and friendlier place. So I bid you all a hearty welcome to my post, allow me to introduce myself.

I am a 40 something mom of one (now college age) daughter, self employed with 2 businesses, avid gardener (is it Spring yet?), cook and artist. I was born and raised in Maine and still reside here. Mainers take great pride in our State. The sun rises first upon this most eastern part of the United States, along our rocky coastline. May I also mention that a cooked Maine lobster dipped in melted butter, is pure heaven .... "wicked good". To understand what a true "Mainer" is consider this: Two men each in their 80's are sitting on the front porch talking about a third man, a friend of theirs. An argument had been ensuing about the residential status of this absent friend. The first gentleman says "I have known John all my life as my next door neighbor, right here in Maine, and I am 82. Of course he is a Mainer! To which the other gentleman adamantly responded "No he isn't....he is 83 and moved to Maine when he was one."

I have been to Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, and many other places that perhaps I will hear comments from in the next few weeks, unfortunately these visits were not real, but from the pages of books. Each page read, was another personal carpet ride to a new adventure. I made countless safari trips to Africa (with my imaginary pet lion), had tea with the Mad Hatter and was a princess, cowgirl, astronaut, famous dancer, singer and detective. I couldn't wait until I was finally old enough to receive my very own library card. No passport or train/airline ticket could ever take me to the places visited through books. It was indeed a magic carpet ride!

For those visiting today, please share with me what it is like where you live, what is a favorite food for you, are you down the road apiece as they say, or around the corner, across the miles or across the pond? For all those who leave a comment on this post, you will be eligible to win my give-away, my first one. From now until February 15th, please leave a comment with a link back to yourself or an e-mail address to be contacted if the winner. One will be randomly chosen and announced at 12 noon, U.S. Eastern Time, on the 15th. After leaving your comment, please click on the One World One Heart logo on my sidebar to start your journey to all the other ticket holders for this carpet ride.


By the way, this is my give-away. As I love all things vintage, here is a hand-made lingerie pouch, 2 vintage floral handkerchiefs, a hand-made roses barrette, and a lovely pink bracelet, marked Coro, a US jewelry manufacturer in the 1950's. I hope that you like them. I look forward to meeting you all. Thank you for visiting.