What to make for Dinner?

WHAT TO MAKE FOR DINNER?

I am faced with that question every day, no different from the housewife of the 40's, what do we prepare for our family to show them how much we love them? Well Fried Devilled Eggs and Upside Down Ham Loaf certainly comes to my mind.

I found this recipe in a 1945 cookbook published by Crisco. I paid $.25 for the cookbook which is the same price that it first sold for in 1945. As I was leafing through the recipes I came across this one. I love a good devilled egg, but fried? It sounded so sinful, that I had to try it. It is pretty darn tasty. Hard to describe, the texture, the taste, just plain yummy.

The Recipe:

We all know how to make a Devilled Egg. I usually mix a little Dijon Mustard, paprika, salt and pepper with the mayo. This recipe calls for vinegar and salad dressing with salt and pepper, enough to form a thick paste. You then put the mixture back into the egg half, leveling off the mixture for a flat surface. Next dip the egg into finely ground bread crumbs, then in beaten egg, and then back in the crumbs. Then fry. Of course the recipe calls for Crisco but I use oil. I love the suggestion "For an attractive luncheon plate serve with hot asparagus and fried tomato slices." As if the fried Devilled Eggs weren't enough.

Such a recipe needs to be served on the proper china. I have a fondness for cream, tan and aqua/turquoise dishes. The cup and saucer is one of my favorite pieces. There are some dishes that even for their age, you just keep finding them at every lawnsale or church sale. I will usually collect enough of the pattern to serve 12, and then sell the set, and start collecting all over again. But this one design that I simply call "Sputnik" has taken years to find the few pieces that I do own. It has no markings but I suspect because of the Atomic-theme design that it is from the 50's. The Pyrex casserole dish (Butterprint Amish) was from this weekend's lawnsales ($.25 cents) and the dish/planter is a Bauer piece from a lawnsale last summer, under $2.00.

Here is another cream/aqua piece that I have shown before, $1.99 Goodwill.

This next recipe is also from the Crisco cookbook, Upside Down Ham Loaf. I am not sure why it is named Loaf, it is cooked in a skillet on the stovetop. I haven't tried this particular recipe. Once again it is suggested to be served with Asparagus. Was Asparagus the "In" veggie of the 50's, because I know, that nothing says party like Asparagus.

Here is one complete place setting that I have managed to collect, cup and saucer, dinner plate, fruit bowl, and smaller plate. I have 7 dinner plates, 2 luncheon size plates and 3 fruit bowls, along with just the one cup and saucer. That has taken me 5 years to find. I have found some at lawnsales and the rest at Goodwill. It is interesting to note that the Goodwill pieces were not all at once, but rather here and there, mostly for $.99 cents. The cup and saucer were the most recent find at the new Goodwill store for a whopping $3.99. More than what I usually spend, but just had to have them. I It is the thrill of the hunt.

I always enjoy seeing notes written in the margins of a recipe. It usually means that the recipe was well received. For this Yellow Cake Crisco recipe, the penciled in notes indicate it is being more than doubled in size. 2 cups cake flour is being changed to 5 cups. Maybe for use as a Wedding Cake?

I hope that you enjoyed your little snack with me today. (We won't talk about the cholesterol.) I am joining up with all these fine ladies for a few vintage/thrifty finds parties and some good cooking. I hope that I made enough asparagus for all the guests. Enjoy.

Just click below for your party invitation.

Linda @ Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Rhoda @Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Treasures
Cole @ All the Small Stuff for Tuesdays at the Table
Diane @ A Picture is worth a 1,000 words for Second Time Around Tuesday
Suzanne @ Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursdays

Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie

Lawn Sales and Opening of the Shop

Good Monday Morning to all. Well it was hot this weekend, so hot that even at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning at the lawnsales, I was wishing that I had put on shorts instead of jeans. I'm afraid it was a bit of a disappointing day for treasure hunting and of course the most disappointing sales were the ones that were the furthest out of my way. I wanted to ask "Really, you actually paid to advertise this sale, not even free Craiglist listed, but actual payment to a newspaper, for this, THIS sale!!! Really?" Maybe it was the heat talking, but I don't consider sales limited to 10 boxes of baby clothing/toys and tables full of old video games and bottles of new shampoo as "something for every one" sales. Who has 30 bottles of shampoo to sell? Perhaps the ads were a little misleading?

Of course there are the sales advertised as "Huge Neighborhood Sales" when its only 2 houses participating. Don't even get me started on lawnsale signs being prominently displayed, left over from sales that took place a week ago or more, signs that you see and automatically follow, like Pavlov's response, only to be sadly disappointed and cursing the laziness of the people who put up those signs. Oh it is all well and good to get your cardboard announcement of your sale tacked up to every telephone pole in town, enticing buyers to your house, eagerly anticipating the money you will make from a day's worth of sales. But, at the end of the day, before you count your dollar bills and quarters, how about collecting up all those signs you posted? I have a confession. I would love to go knock at the door at 8:00 a.m. and when greeted by the owner in their pj's, innocently ask if the sale is inside as I don't see anything set up out on the lawn and wait for them to stammer out an explanation that the sale was last weekend and they forgot to retrieve their signs. Yup, it was hot on Saturday, the kind of heat that makes a gal crazy.

Recently I have had a few comments as to the progress of my shop "2nd fl Thriftiques - Vintage Finds & Repurposed Treasures" so I thought an update was in order. The shop was set to open for June 26th, this Saturday; however, the landlord of the building was delayed in getting the floors refinished which set off a chain reaction of other delays, pushing things back a week. Since the next weekend is 4th of July and I can't compete with fireworks and barbecues, I pushed it back to the following week, July 10th. I'll admit, it is a little frustrating, but that does give me more time to get ready, to make everything perfect.

My family can't wait to have our dining and living rooms back to normal. I am using the rooms as a staging ground of final inspection of all items going into the shop, for cleaning, pressing, pricing and packing.

Fortunately, there is another empty space in the building that the landlord is letting me use as storage, while my space is being renovated. It makes it a lot easier to bring up boxes and furniture bit by bit over the next 2 weeks. Here is what I have brought up so far. Please disregard the office chair, photocopier and water cooler, not mine, and certainly not for the shop. As you can see, my display pieces of furniture are all being painted cream or ivory to all blend together. I want the merchandise to be the pops of color.

I have been busy painting bookcases, a 3 panel screen, several smaller shelving units, 5 tables, and a bench, so far, to be used at the store. I am getting used to cream color paint on my fingernails that doesn't seem to come off in the shower. Oh well, I call it my version of a french manicure.

Here is a little piece that I found at Goodwill. It is an ashtray and was only $1.50 (50% off sale). I knew it could work as a display piece.

So after removing the handle, and a bit of sanding, and a fresh coat of ivory paint, here it is.

I have the perfect little round table that I just bought this weekend for $4.00 that would go well with this stand to be placed on top. One of the first collections that I will showcase on this piece will be my vintage wedding pieces including cake toppers and other decorations, hats, pearls and gloves. The stand kind of looks like a tiered wedding cake, so I think it will make a perfect display piece.

I will be posting for my official Open House, but in the meantime, here is the info for the shop.

2nd fl Thriftiques
2nd fl 8 School Street
Gorham, Maine 04038
thriftiques@yahoo.com
207 839-8147

Consignments welcomed. Thanks.

Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie

A bird cage in the hand is better than being in the trash

The conversation always starts out the same with me asking a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger .. "You're not throwing that out, are you?" and ends with my husband asking "you brought home more junk?" Actually, his question is more of a statement than inquiry. He already knows the answer. Simply put, I just can't resist bringing home treasures that others might possibly-because-they-just-don't see-my-vision-yet, view as trash. I have always been this way. The term Packrat was what my parents endearingly labeled me as, but I preferred to think of myself as the majestic and noble bird, the Magpie, a creative scavenger. Architectural items, rusted pieces of metal, gnarled pieces of trees, sea glass, weather beaten boards and unusual rocks, were and still are my materials of choice. I also have a weakness for wooden chairs, broken or otherwise.

Let's think for a moment about a chair, perhaps missing a rung and the seat split down the middle. That chair can be turned into a planter, a table, and even a shelf. The possibilities are indeed endless with the right imagination.

It is that vision of creative possibilities that led me to asking my friend Darcy if I could have her old birdcage. We were in her barn on a different mission when I spotted the black wire of the cage. It had belonged to her Grandmother and had been sitting for years up in the loft. That was my inspiration. Next I gathered a metal spray of ivy leaves that I had taken from the box marked "free Stuff" from last fall's church rummage sale. As you can see in the picture, it is that not quite brass and not quite copper look of the 60's/70's.

They both got painted Ivory, after all the plastic components had been stripped from the cage. I then purchased one of those birds everyone is talking about from The Dollar Store. I didn't like the way it was painted so I gave it a quick fix with some of the same Ivory paint.

The cage needed a base. Rummaging around in the garage, I found a basket plate, a lawnsale find from year's ago that was a perfect fit. Once painted the same Ivory, I had my base ready and now needed something to cover the whole at the top of the cage where the ugly plastic hanger had been. I used a carved rose wooden pin that I recently found at Goodwill for $.99 cents.


Here is a close up of the pin.

Since the ivy leaves were metal, they were easy to install up alongside the outside of the cage, intertwined with the framework of the cage.

I first covered the bottom of cage with grass, my dollar store bird and a few eggs. It was cute but not enough.

I placed a nest with eggs, a Christmas Tree Shop after Easter clearance special for $.49 cents, in an old ironstone bowl. The bowl is solid, no chips or cracks, just a slight discoloration on the inside, enough to have landed it a "free" pile of a sale. By placing the nest in the bowl, it gives the nest more of a presence. I wasn't sure if I wanted the bird inside or outside.

I was pleased with my little creation of free bits and pieces, but it was still missing something. Using some sheet music found at a recent lawnsale (3 large bags for FREE - A giddy lawnsale moment), I decoupaged the basket. That is what finally made the piece all come together.


Ta-Da. Here is the finished project of my Trash to Treasure. $1.50 (bird and nest) plus the paint for $2.50. My friend Darcy hasn't seen the birdcage since it's transformation. Her home is decorated in the Shabby Chic style. I have a feeling she is going to want her birdcage back. Oh well, she does have a birthday coming up.

I am joining three new parties today, Jane's Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Wendy's Frugal Friday at Shabby Nest, and Gina's Transformation Thursday at the Shabby Chic Cottage. I am a little nervous to display my creation along with all the other amazing projects shown at these parties, but here goes.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie

A Shelfski, known as "Putting your best side forward."

SHELFSKI: (noun) An item that is imperfect but not without some merit in use as a decorative object only, as in form without function. No, you won't find this word in Websters Dictionary nor can I say that I was creative enough to have coined the phrase; however, I did write up this proper definition.

I first heard the word from a flea market dealer while he was trying to convince me to buy a Weller vase that had a crack, albeit only a hairline crack at best. His remark needed no explanation, I immediately got the concept. With a Shelfski, the crack, chip, missing piece, paint discoloration and any other flaw, simply faces the back of the shelf. This allows me to display pedigree pieces of pottery, that I otherwise would not be able to afford such as Majolica and Roseville. I do not purchase a Shelfski with the intent of resale, but rather, personal use only.

So I decided to display a few of my favorite Shelfski pieces for Rhoda at Southern Hospitality's Today's Thrifty Treasures, Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays, Diane at A Picture is worth a 1,000 words for 2nd Time Around and Suzanne at Coloradolady's Vintage Thingies Thursday. Please be sure to join these fun ladies for their parties to see what the other guests are showcasing on their respective days.

My first piece is the cream/tan Weller Vase (next to the birds). I had been looking for this color combination for my family room and was thrilled to find the piece. It was this seller that gave me the word Shelfski. He successfully argued that the hairline crack would not be seen on the shelf under normal viewing circumstances. (In fact, it took me a moment or two to even see the crack as I was holding it.) So for $8.00 I bought it and I love it.


My dining room is rose colored and until recently, the china cabinet contained pretty-in-pink dishes and glassware. I found this lovely Roseville vase at a lawnsale for only $1.00. I was surprised to have even found it as I recognized several dealers just leaving the sale as I was walking in.

Then I turned the vase around and saw the 2 chips along the rim. But hey, Roseville for only $1.00, I knew it would be perfect for a dining room hutch Shelfski.


This Nippon teapot, a $.50 cent lawnsale find, makes a lovely vase filled with peonies fresh from the garden.

One would never know that the backside is missing a chunk along the rim, especially, when filled with the flowers.



This is a McCoy plant pot (thank you Angela at I'm Like a Little Bird for the correction) purchased at a lawnsale for $1.00. It is a hanging plant pot. You can see the holes for the chain along the top of the planter. I love the color. It is in an upstairs bedroom (I removed the plant for the photo) and no one is the wiser as to it's little flaw .......

a rather large chip located on the underside of the planter.

The two cream pitchers on the right side of the photo were both recent Goodwill finds. Since I am redoing my diningroom china cabinet to a cream/ivory palette, I thought they would be perfect. However, both had very large cracks which someone had tried to repair.

Now I will spend $.25 - $1.00 at a lawnsale for what is obviously going to be regulated as a shelfski-only decoration. I will not spend $4.99 as each was marked, for something that most would consider simply trash. I love my Goodwill stores, don't get me wrong. It is just that the employees are taught to recognize certain names as being valuable, whether it is in housewares or fashions. They are so intent on the search for names, in this case Spode, that they don't consider the condition of the item. Don't even get me started on the ridiculous prices for dishwasher-over-washed-destroyed-design-and-scratched-up-Pyrex. Realistically, these pitchers should not have been donated, much less stocked on a Goodwill shelf. After a brief talk with the Manager, the pitchers came home with me, both for $.99 cents.

The discolored brown lines identify the cracks on each piece.

I know what you are thinking, aren't these the mushroom canisters that I just showed for my "Orange you glad to find such treasures day". Well they are the same, but not the exact ones. I just found these 2 pieces at a church sale this weekend. I had sizes 2 & 3, these are sizes 1 & 4. Both for $1.00. I was very happy. What are the odds of finding mushrooms 2 weeks in a row, at 2 different places. Mushrooms are just popping up all over. (It must be all the rain we are having .... sorry, lame joke.)

I didn't realize till I got home that the smaller piece had a crack and chip. On the shelf it is fine but I think I will be using it for holding pens and paintbrushes in my craft room.

My last piece isn't a proper Shelfski in the sense that the flaw is hidden from view. It is a piece I received from my mom that I grew up with and loved. It is a sugar canister that belonged to dad's mom, my grandmother, and her mother before her. From my earliest recollections, the crack was always a part of the piece. It doesn't matter. Whenever I look upon it, I am brought back to the kitchen of my childhood, where it was warm, safe and cozy, and always smelled of something good cooking. Not just a Shelfski, this is a priceless treasure.

So the next time you are at that lawn, church, rummage, tag sale or flea market, just remember, that the occasional Shelfski is okay. Just between us friends, don't we all have a few on our shelves and in our cupboards? Come on, you can admit it.

Be sure to check out all the parties and have a great day.

Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie

A little wild west for Blue Monday

It is Monday and the weekend went by far too quickly. Oh well, at least I can still do something fun for a Monday by joining Sally @ Smiling Sally for her little party, Blue Monday. Last week for another themed party I showed some of my Barbie collection dressed in Red, yup, you guessed it, it was for Wednesday is Rednesday. Continuing on in that theme, I wanted to show a few more dolls today. But these are not Barbies.

Back in the 60's, the West was King. You had shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke and my personal favorite, Wild Wild West with Robert Conrad. These shows helped inspire a line of dolls known as the Johnny West Line. The lead figure was Johnny West and his wife Jane West. Produced from 1965 - 75 by Louis Marx Co., the dolls were different than their counterpart Barbie and Ken. They were hard vinyl with jointed body parts and their clothing was permanent.

The blue shirt, pants and even boots, comprise the bodies of the dolls. Accessories included rubber skirts, vests, hats, and belts. Like Skipper to Barbie, Jane had Janice West. My brother had Johnny West and of course my sisters and I were always kidnapping him as a date to our Barbies.


This is a later styled Jane. The face on the original 1965 Jane doll was apparently a little too severe, so my 1968 version as seen here, has a softer look. My horse is also part of the Johnny West Line of toys; however, Jane couldn't wear her skirt and sit in the saddle at the same time. I didn't reflect much at the time about the significance of Jane's accessories but looking back now gives me pause. The accessories included make-up kit, frying pan and coffee pot along with a gun and whip. She could do it all. Jane, Johnny and Janice can still be found and purchased through eBay with prices ranging from $10 to $70. I have never seen one at a regular lawnsale or flea market.

My other doll for today is my Dawn Doll. Produced in 1970-73, she was a pint size (6 inches) fashion doll with a glitzy wardrobe. I got her for my 1oth birthday. Here she is wearing her original dress. Unfortunately, Topper Toys, the company that produced the doll, went bankrupt in 1973. You can still find these dolls at lawnsales and at fairly inexpensive prices.

My daughter played with my Dawn doll when she was younger and she loved the horse, but Jane and Janice remained packed away. Maybe it is time to let them go. Who knows ... they may be on display in the toy section of my new shop.

Hope that you all have a fun Monday and be sure to stop on over at Sally's to see what other blue is showing.

Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie

Vintage Thingie Thursday -"Orange you glad when you find such treasures day"

There is Blue Monday, Ruby Tuesday, White Wednesday, Wednesday is Rednesday, Vintage Black Friday and Silver Sunday for colorful blogging parties. I just love playing with color themes. So today I am joining Suzanne @ Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday, but with my own little color spin. I am designating it "Orange You Glad When you Find Such Treasures Day". Okay that may be a stretch, but for today I wanted to share with you some of my orange goodies. Love that color!!

As you see in the photo above, I have a set of orange mushroom canisters. Nothing says the 70's like orange mushrooms and these were indeed from the 70's. They are stamped made for Sears and Roebuck 1978 and were a goodwill find, although a bit pricey at $7.00 for the set. The ovenproof pot also adorned with mushrooms is in pristine shape and was a Goodwill bargain at $2.99.


Here is a closeup of the pot. One would almost expect to see little gnomes or a few smurfs at the very least playing about these colorful little mushrooms.

Speaking of the 70's, nothing says a 70's kitchen like a calico chicken pot holder. It was a lawnsale find as are the 2 plates, and is in pristine shape as well. I don't usually find formal dining plates like this cream plate with the orange sprays of flowers but rather more plates like the one on the right. It just seems that orange is meant for more fun and casual designs.


I have saved my best orange treasure for last. It is a recent lawnsale find at a whopping $.75 cents. I spotted it on the table from across the parking lot and immediately knew what it was. I am sure that you are thinking maybe a Fiestaware piece, which would be instantly recognizable even at a distance or some other pottery piece that I collect. Nope it wasn't pottery, ceramic or even glass.

It was Lucite, in all its orange and yellow glory, shining in the noonday sun!! It was a Rooster. Standing 17 inches tall and marked Made in the USA 1964, it was mine, all mine.

If you have visited me before, you may recall that my kitchen is blue and red. But with this little fellow, I might just have to reconsider my colors.

By the way, the coffee cup was $.25. I am trying to find more to make a set. So those are my treasures for today. Thank you for joining me for my own little "Orange you glad to find such Treasures Day" and please be sure to stop over at Colorado Lady to see all the other fun finds for Vintage Thingie Thursday.

I wanted to say thank you for the comments I have been receiving about the opening of my new shop. Here is a little update. Last week I announced that I was opening up a shop. (Click here to read) The name of the shop is 2nd Floor Thriftiques. It is on the second floor in the building where my current office space is located. My "real" job for the past 20 years has been owning a financial business. In recent years with the economy being what it has been, that my business is still in operation, is a testament to my business skills. However, after some soul searching, fueled by the fact that I turn 50 this summer, I made the momentous decision that the time was right to open a shop. I knew I wanted to showcase vintage goodies in all things, clothing, jewelry, furniture, artwork and housewares. I have a knack for finding treasures and at a low price (or free) I love dumpster diving. I will still be keeping my "day job" so to speak, but will also be running my shop.

You see, I have a corner office suite, consisting of 3 large rooms. Because I have substantially scaled back my business, I was getting ready to sign over one of the offices back to the landlord. Since this room has 2 doors, one that opens back into my business office and one that enters into the lobby area, it can be a separate business space but still accessible from my existing office. I will be able to have both businesses open at the same time. My employees are excited about the prospect of being able to work in both places as needed. I get a shop that is affordable albeit on the second floor.

My landlord is also really excited about bringing retail to the second floor. He is refinishing the hardwood floors and spraying the ceiling, a whole new face lift. Here are a few before photos and by the end of next week, I will have new pictures to share. I am looking at a Grand Opening for June 19th. I will keep you posted. You are all invited.



Got it at Goodwill
Sherrie

Happy Wednesday is Rednesday

Happy Wednesday is Rednesday. I am joining our hostess Sue at It's a Very Cherry World for her everything red party. You may have noticed that I have been not posting as much as I have been working nonstop at getting my shop ready for my grand opening later this month. Today I decided I needed a little party time so I have chosen a few recent red finds to share. I will be posting on the shop's progress later this week.


My first find was this adorable plaster of paris rose wall hanging. Found at Goodwill for just $.99 cents it was still in its original packaging, a corsage box. The rose pin was a sweet little Goodwill find as well. I was thinking of using it as part of a themed collage instead of just a piece of jewelry.

This is a mug commemorating the South Portland High School class of 1981. Not that I know anyone that went to that high school much less graduated in that year, but for $.50 cents at a lawn sale, I wanted to use it to hold my paintbrushes. Looks nicer than a plastic cup.

These utensils were all lawn sale finds this weekend. Along with the glass they were all $.25 - $.50 cents each. I especially like the ice breaker piece next to the forks.


My new pieces will go well with my red utensil collection. There is always room to add one piece.

Have a great day. Please be sure to visit what the other guests are showing at Sue's party.

I Got It At Goodwill
Sherrie