thrift store spoils, ch. 24: Domino Mobler, Libbey Prado, and Dale Chemical

A spring break trip to North Carolina and Merlefest, a focus on getting some Etsy and Ebay items listed (and some sold—yay!), and good old fashioned procrastination have all kept me from posting about my thrifting finds. 

Now, though, I'll just jump right in. And I may as well start with something big, something found at the Manassas SA on 25%-off-everything day (the crazy SA day I swore off a few weeks back). 

I bought a très cool piece of mid-century modern furniture.

This Domino Mobler sideboard and hutch, made in Denmark of teak and teak veneer, was marked at $199. That's a good enough price in my book any day. But I was there on the aforementioned discount day, so I paid about $150 for it. Score!

I called the hubby from the store and texted a photo, wanting him to talk me out of buying something so room-altering. But, wouldn't you know, he was the one who talked me into bringing it home. The piece was too big for our Honda Pilot, though, so I hauled only the sideboard portion home that morning and returned with the hubby in the evening to pick up the hutch. 

And the only two problems I see with it are a one-inch or so's worth of water damage to the veneer on the bottom right side—damage probably caused by a spill or leak that affected the carpet the piece was sitting on, and (maybe) a couple of missing drawer runners. You see, I've looked up photos of this piece online, and the narrow drawer I've placed below the fold-out desktop probably belongs instead above the desktop in one of the open shelves. But, as I said, the runners for the drawer are awol. 

Still, not too much damage for something that's been around since the 1950s, I don't think. Check out the stinkin' great minimalist handles.

Also, look at the beautiful veneer here. (And I promise that it's richer in person.) 

This piece has altered the room, for sure: it now sits where an old warped, crowded bookshelf (one made by the hubby years ago) used to sit. I am pleased, indeed.

Now on to some other finds, some of which are for me to keep for my very own self and some of which I've listed in my Etsy shop.

I have several tumblers in this pattern, tumblers that belonged to my Florida Mamaw. However, I've never taken the time to research them online. And until recently, I only knew that they were made by Libbey and that they can break into several pieces if used to get ice from the automatic ice dispenser on the freezer door. (Yep. They can break, if you try that.) 

Over the years, I've found that the pattern itself is pretty common in thrift stores, though often dishwasher damaged. But I had no idea the glasses also came with handy-dandy gold handles. Who knew?

But here they are. And I've now done some research and discovered that the pattern is called Prado and that these particular glasses were advertised as Casual Cups, although Libbey also suggested using them as punch cups. Okay, then.

This fun confetti ashtray was made by Dale Chemical Co. (yep, Dale Chemical), according to the info stamped on the back. Fun!

I love this Mother Mary planter. Isn't it beautiful-cool, as well as kitschy-cool, at the same time? I love the colors, the soft 1950s blue against the shiny gold. I love that it's functional. And I love that it's the Blessed Mother.

It's obligatory Pyrex find time. I picked up these two casseroles in the Verde pattern for my mom because the price was so good. The bottom dish has a lid, by the way.

And I found this one frosted cocktail glass (I believe from the 1950s?) all by its lonesome at the SA on the crazy day. The signature on the art/cartoon is W. Steig—that is, The New Yorker cartoonist William Steig. (I believe he's also the one who created Shrek!, on which the movie was based.) I don't really find his cartoons LOL-funny, but his stuff seems to be sought after. We'll see how this glass does on Etsy.

This is just a goofy plastic (or melmac?) bowl I found and duly bought. 

But, hey, the bottom is stamped "Japan," and it's a super-tacky and bright yellow, like the color my colorblind Florida Mamaw once painted the stucco on her South Florida home. (This is no lie, and I'm not exaggerating.). How could I resist?

I bought these Tupperware containers (perfect for herbs and such) for me, because I actually do preserve herbs at the end of the summer. And I like Tupperware.

The clear Pyrex fridgie is for Mama.

And last, I found this pair of the coolest bar glasses at my favorite GW. They are unmarked, so I know nothing about their history. But they're a vintage-1960s avocado green; the bottoms are super-heavy; and they were priced at 56 cents each. I love them.

By the way, this photo was taken a couple of weeks ago when I made Mint Juleps for the hubby and me, in anticipation of yesterday's Kentucky Derby. (We're both originally from Kentucky, you see.) Fret not, though—yesterday's drinks were mixed and served in authentic pewter julep cups. We know what we're doing around here.

That's all for now. 

And thanks to Sir-Thrift-a-Lot, Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm, We Call It Junkin, and a living space for the opportunity to link up.

thrift store spoils, ch. 18: a missed opportunity, Pyrex, and Lillian Vernon

If you'd like to skip my story of the suh-weet mid-century modern item that I found but was unable to buy, feel free to skip down to my photos. But if you can relate to the thrift store agony of defeat, and if your misery needs a little company, please read my sad tale.

On Monday, I walked into my favorite GW about an hour after it opened for business. And right there in the front of the store, amongst several lousy, cheap occasional tables, was a mid-century beauty: a Gunlocke end table. (Confession: I didn't know for sure the brand upon first glance, but I could tell that it was vintage and very, very cool.) 

But, alas, kneeling beside it was a young lady. She was with what turned out to be her grandmother (not that I learned this by eavesdropping or anything), and they were discussing whether the table would work in a particular space in her little place. But they obviously had no idea that the table was such a great find; they were only considering its size and cost. 

The girl took the tag taped to the table (as you know, this is the thrifter's way of saying "saved") and moved on to look at cheap chairs. That's when I moved in to check out the table. The top was scratched a bit, which would be no big deal to fix, but the rest of it was in great shape. I turned it over, and that's when I learned that it was, in fact, a Gunlocke. GW had marked it at $20, but a 25% discount would be applied. 

Fifteen stinkin' bucks for that beauty. 

I wandered over to housewares and searched the table up on my phone to learn more about it, still hovering at a distance. (Okay. I was spying.) There was always a chance that the girl and her grandmother would change their minds about it and put the tag back, right? But, no. They bought the thing.

So then I had a dilemma. Should I follow the two of them to the parking lot and offer $25 for the piece? Should I at least stop them and educate them about what they had—so that they'd cherish the vintage Gunlocke in their care?

In the end, I did nothing. I was a chicken. Honestly, I kind of feared freaking them out more than anything. (Who wants to be followed to out to the parking lot?)

So by just a few minutes that morning, I missed out on a beautiful, vintage piece. I don't have a photo of the piece, and I can't find one online that I'm allowed to copy and post, but here's a link to one for sell on Etsy.

And here are the finds that I do have in my possession. 

I found two Russel Wright by Steubenville plates to go with my collection of these plates. (Okay. So I now have three of them in my collection. It's a modest start.) But I love the chartreuse. (The granite is cool, too.) I do have two pieces—not plates, but a casserole dish and a sugar bowl—available on Etsy. I believe this set was manufactured from 1939 until 1959.

Neither of these Pyrex mixing bowls has chips, but the finish on each is a little worn. I'm not concerned, though. That just makes me more likely to use them! The green is a 402 (a piece from the Verde set, I believe), and the blue is unmarked.

More Pyrex. The 12-inch plate is the Terra pattern, which lots of folks don't like. One reason for this, I believe, is that the finish is flat. I mentioned in a post a while back that when I first came across other Terra pieces in a thrift store, I thought they were DWD. 

The shallow bowl is Pyrex dinnerware. I have a few pieces from this pattern, Ebony. And this size bowl is good for sour cream, salsa, whatever.

And my last Pyrex find is this round casserole. It's Woodland, 472. The lid is scratched up quite a bit and chipped on one handle,  but the price was right—$2.96. And I like this pattern. (I know this may put me in the minority.)

I love this sweet Lillian Vernon mug from 1983. And, yes, I placed an order or two from Lillian Vernon back in the day. This mug has a timeless reminder ("Call your mom") written across a pretty obsolete item—the land line phone with a cord that you could stretch around a corner and into another room, begging for privacy. 

I tell my kids that I remember in the 1980s having to call Mama and Daddy collect and person-to-person from my dorm room just to get in touch with them. These days, I pretty much only text with my college student kids.

This bright Christmas mug is marked Waechtersbach/W. Germany. I love the simple image of the Christmas tree. I'll probably list this on Etsy shop next fall.

And lastly, I found more Tupperware canisters. This isn't my favorite color, but both were in good shape. And they're so stinkin' handy-dandy in my pantry.

Thanks to Sir Thrift-a-Lot, Magpie Monday and Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm for letting me link up!

thrift store spoils, ch. 10: mid-century mod goodness and some Pyrex

Just for fun, check out the windows on my favorite Goodwill last week: 

And please humor me while I share with you an odd thrift store encounter. (We've all had odd thrift store encounters, right?) 

It started about six months ago at a nearby SA, when an older gentleman shopper approached me a couple of times to make friendly comments (small talk, really), as if trying to start a conversation. I was polite in return, as I always try to be, but I didn’t encourage him. (I was on a thrift shopping mission and didn't really want to be bothered. Duh.) Later, though, he came up to me yet again to show off what he’d found—a Little Tikes shelf  sitting in his shopping cart.

I said something like "Yeah, that’s nice"—at which point, the dude put his hand on my shoulder, leaned in, and asked, “Are you available?” 

Seriously. He asked me whether I was available. In a thrift store.

I rolled my eyes and said, “Absolutely not.” (Come on, mister. Move on. I'm huntin' for some opal Pyrex here.) Then I walked away. 

So this week while in the same SA and in the same housewares department, I turned to find the same man beside me (though it took a few seconds for it to register). The man points to my shopping basket and asks, “Can I put my stuff in there?”

Good God. 

I hardy-harred with him and, again, walked on. Of course, he was harmless, but Lordy. 

I don't know. I guess not everyone goes to thrift stores to shop—some go for company?

Anyway, weird. Has anything like that ever happened to y'all?

And why am I writing about this? I don't know. 


But it does help me segue into why the odd things and people and smells we come across in thrift stores are worth it—because sometimes you happen across really cool stuff like this mid-century covered casserole.

It's an Ernest Sohn Creations piece, and it's in nice condition—without even utensil marks or scratches. I've learned that Sohn tended to mix ceramic, wood, and metal in his designs. In the case of this casserole, we have only the ceramic and wood (walnut, I think); however, the warming stand/cradle that was originally sold with it was made of wood and metal—with classic atomic-style mid-century legs. (I've seen a photo!) I paid a little more than I'm used to spending on housewares in thrift stores, but I wanted this one.

I also bought this never-used basketball toy thingie that you attach to your office or bedroom waste basket. And if the original box and instructions (dated 1969) are to be believed, the thing "fits all wastebaskets." Handy-dandy! The backboard on the contraption (which I failed to photograph) is a faux wood. And all of the pieces—including the net—are still there. 

This office time waster reminds me of a board-type game that my daddy had back in the 1950s, a game that my brother and I would play when we'd visit my Kentucky Mamaw's farm in the 1970s. It was called Bas-ket, and it included a cardboard gym floor, cardboard backboards, spring action spots across the floor for shooting, and a ping-pong ball as a basketball. We spent hours playing that game.

Just a quick note about something I didn't buy: I saw this mid-century serving cart in a GW last week, and I texted this photo to Mama, as it's the same one she bought when I was in North Carolina a while back. (I wrote about hers and posted a photo here.) I sent her this photo to show her what a deal she got. This one was priced at $60, while she paid a mere $5. Yay!

The bottom 474 Pyrex casserole dish here (the lidless one) is a Spring Blossom Green (1979 Redesign).  The top one, though, I'm still unsure of. It's a 472, but I can't figure out whether it belongs to a Spring Blossom Green set or a Verde one. I'm thinking it's a Verde sold with the wrong lid (as the Verde's lid is opal with green flowers, while this one is clear). I don't know.

I love Pyrex mixing bowls. The 401 on top is from the Rainbow Stripes series, vintage 1965-1967. The bottom bowl is from the Primary Colors series, and although it looks like a 401, it's unmarked. My understanding is that this means that it's vintage 1945-1949, as Pyrex didn't issue model numbers during that time period. 

And these are the Pyrex pieces I didn't buy:

These were at my closest GW, and as you can see, all three pieces had lids. (Yay!) But we're talking Old Orchard here—the current ugly duckling pattern of Pyrex. 

I know. Tastes will change, so we may all like it one day. And I do like browns. But still: the price wasn't right enough, and I'd have to find somewhere to store them. So I passed. Then I stopped back in at the same GW a few days after, and they were all still there. The staff had moved them up to the front table where they like to feature items. Poor things. 

I found this enamel mixing bowl at another GW. It's in great condition, and I love the logo on the bottom (designed by Homer Laughlin!).

And last, I picked up some books and a Creative Memories Christmas album. Published in 1965, the Betty Crocker cookbook is so much fun—full of sweet illustrations and retro photographs.

Check out the Pyrex Terra casseroles here. Circa 1965, of course.

I'm linking up with Sir Thrift-a-Lot, a living space, We Call It Olde Link-Up, Colorado Lady, and Remnant. (Thanks for the opportunity to do so, y'all!)

And that is all.

thrift store spoils, ch. 8: Pyrex, more Pyrex, and Texas Ware

As I mentioned in my last chapter, my parents visited a while back. Mama isn’t really into shopping at thrift stores; she’s more of the “declutter the mess and donate” camp. (Thank goodness for those people!) And I do think she worries about my habit. However, on this trip she was all excited about stopping in at several of my haunts after a morning spent at our nearby IKEA. And look at what she scored.

It took only minutes to tidy up this mid-century table. Besides the usual cobwebs and dirt, it was splattered with a little bit of white paint. The thing has three rattan legs and a Formica top; it isn't wobbly at all; and I love the rounded triangular shape. There’s no logo or manufacturer’s name anywhere on it, which has made it awfully difficult to learn more about it online. Mama and I have both tried repeatedly, to no avail. But based on what I happened across in my research, I’m guessing it’s vintage 1950s.

Mama was hoping to find an occasional table to sit between these two chairs in her living room, and I think she did okay. And it cost only $20—much less than those Ethan Allen chairs flanking it, though just as stylish.

In one SA where we stopped, I made off with some good Pyrex. Funny, because as we went in, I told Mama that not only do I find little at this particular store, but that what I do find is overpriced.  Not this time, though.

According to Michael Barber’s Pyrex Passion, which I wrote about here, this casserole’s unofficial name is Golden Wildflower, and it was produced some time in the 1960s. The cradle is in good condition, with melted candles still stuck in the cups, and the lid has no issues. I’m not big on Pyrex’s gold leaf/beige/yellow patterns, but this entire combo was priced at $4.99. I couldn’t leave it there.

I also bought this Butterfly Gold mixing bowl (401). It’s in perfect condition. I’ve always loved this color; it reminds me of the Brach’s butterscotch candies so many of us ate in the 1970s (and is probably why many of us have dental issues now!). 

I just wish I could wear this color; but, alas, it’s not in my palette. 

(Please forgive the Leaning Tower of Pyrex effect in my photo.) 

The last thing I found at the supposedly lousy SA was this entire Verde mixing bowl set. The largest three bowls (404, 403, and 402, with colors Dark Green, Avocado, and Light Green, respectively, according to Pyrex Passion) were in pristine condition on the shelf, but the smallest (401, the Yellow-Green) looked pretty bad. I was sure it was dishwasher damaged. However, after a little Bar Keepers Friend action at home, it looked great. 

By the way, the Verde pattern was produced between 1967 and 1972. And, according to Pyrex Passion, printed on the sets' original boxes was "Verde . . . The New Avocado Colors."

The avocado green Pyrex patterns and solids have always been my favorites, because they remind my of the refrigerator my family had for over 20 years while I was growing up. It too was avocado green, and it was bought in the late 1960s. 

As a matter of fact, it was still working in 1987 when my parents sold their house, and—get this—at closing (which was done in person sitting at a real estate agent's table), the female buyer insisted that the fridge come with the deal—out of the blue. Mama wanted to walk, but Daddy wouldn't let her. (He really, really wanted to sell.) Well, Mama still hasn't forgotten that woman, and she still bemoans the loss of that avocado green fridge. 

 

Later in the week, I picked up this Texas Ware Confetti Bowl, the super-large size. I occasionally see Rachael Ray's throw-back version—what she calls a Confetti Garbage Bowl. But this is my first-ever vintage sighting. 

Beside it sat a brownish melmac tray of another brand. And it had cool mod handles. But I just couldn't buy it: not only was it pretty badly scratched inside, but the color and pattern looked way too much like vomit. I couldn't buy it—vintage or not. 
 

I cannot pass up inexpensive melmac cereal bowls in great shape. The white ones here are marked Stetson (out of Chicago). The orange ones (I love orange!) aren't marked with any brand. Both my Mamaws had brown ones (some of which I have inherited) with no manufacturer's name on them. I figure this means that those were less expensive in their day? Perhaps that's why my thrifty grandmothers bought them.

I've been on the lookout for a vintage wind-up clock that actually works. Bingo. found a Baby Ben at one of the stores Mama and I stopped in. Note the fun glow-in-the-dark hands which, of course, only glow in the dark for a few minutes after the lights go out. Still, I'm liking it.

I like metal trays, and this one was 96 cents. So I bought it.

It's not like I need another soup mug, particularly one devoted to fathers. But I love the colors in this one (like I loved the colors in the similar one I found last month). The bottom of this one is also stamped "Japan." Has to be vintage 1970s?

Check out these (have-to-be-vintage-1970s) mushroom mugs. They were produced by Otagiri, a name I often see on mugs in thrift stores, and were made in Japan. Funky.

This is a Starbucks mug that Mama found for me at our closest Savers. When I told her that I always keep a lookout them for a future Ebay listing attempt, she was all in and made a beeline for the mug section. The bottom of this one is marked 2006. I’m assuming it was a Valentine’s Day offering?

Mama also found these at Savers. (She was shopping like a pro.) They're dated 2012.

And I found more Blakely gas station series glasses to go with the ones I already have. This is the first Blakely juice glass I've found, though. (My others are iced tea glasses.) According to this handy-dandy Blakely collectors site, the juice glasses are a bit rarer. So I'm psyched. 

To conclude this chapter, Mama and I had fun thrift store shopping together. And I think Daddy was okay with sitting in the parking lots in my SUV listening to the radio while we did so.

Thanks to We Call it Junkin' for the opportunity to link up at We Call It Olde Link-Up and to the Coloradolady at Vintage Thingie Thursday, as well as Junkin Joe Time, Sir Thrift-a-Lot, and Blackbird Has Spoken, for the same. (There's lots of cool stuff at all of these sites!) 

And that is all.