Treasures from Idaho

There are a few thrift stores near my parent's home that i like to peruse through on my trips. They aren't as bold as the one's here yet, trying to sell donated items for what someone might have sold them on Ebay for. But there are a lot of treasure seekers out there that are looking to make a "big score" to pad their "Antique Boutique". How come thrifting just can't be centered around the thrill of the hunt for the right items for your collections anymore? I can see sharing the wealth a bit, when you've scored a plethra of cool stuff, but to make it your soul livelihood takes a little fun out of it for the rest of us.

I encountered one of these types of people at the Goodwill in Idaho. She was in her wheelchair/walker and for every book i'd pick up and put back, she'd snatch right up and give it the once over. If i'd look at a book sideways toward her "claimed territory", i'd get the "whale eye". Bah! I did manage to work my way around her and get a few little darlings--i can't wait to start reading parts of Anna Karenina to her. The book was copyrighted in 1948, however the drawings are from 1944, and are the most surprising and beautiful in a book of this nature.

Farm Wanted, c. 1951, is proving hysterical; somewhat of an omen to what it will be like when we find our farm. :o) I am reading currently about how the author feels clausterphobic on her 5 acre farm with 100+ chickens, 1 sow with 12 piglets, and Jersey cow and a heifer. And the funniest thing is that she can't remember how she came to owning all the animals at that point. The book is like the modern day version of The$64 Dollar Tomato, where funny anticdotes and practical advice go hand in hand from one page to another.

Why Did They Name It....?, c. 1964, is a historical account of names of most of the good ol' American brands and how they came to be known as: Lucky Strike cigarettes (my grandpa's favourite kind), Log Cabin Syrup (seen on our table everytime my mom made waffles when i was a kid), Jell-O, and such things non grocery related like Shell Oil Co, Scotch Tape, MGM and Leo the Lion, and 20 Mule Team. I could make a whole 2-3 months worth of posts just on this book alone. I might just do that to get me through the summer/harvest time. :o)

Then i found three Noritake "Blue Orchard" Cook 'n' Serve plates...just the amount i needed for a certain special something you'll see in a following picture. I think it'll go nicely with my Franciscan Rose china i've received.

At the local "Antique Boutique", i found these Fire King cups and saucers that i couldn't pass up and the dolies that i had intended as a gift for my WW leader's birthday, however seeing them now with my new items, i am waivering...sorry, WW leader!

Put them all together and what do you got???!? A new little tea set up!!

The stand i acquired new as a little momento of my friends treating me to tea for my birthday at that beautiful home in Sumner.

At one of the stores, i also found a little token of my old stompin' grounds...

once we have our huckleberry bush, i am hoping to make huckleberry jam with scones and i'll serve them on this plate. :o)

I don't know if i've mentioned it on this blog or not, but i'm in the process of collecting little things for fun little homeschool projects for 1st for Ri. I've collected a few items so far besides books: Japanese lanterns from Barbara of Oodles and Oodles fame. And an Egyptian tablecloth from Lori of My Vintage Whimsy. I saw these curtains and thought that they might make a cute table runner for any kind of Germanic/Scandinavian type celebrations we'll learn about--we'll find some fabric for the back, and Ri can help me with another sewing project. Two subjects in one project--love it! :O)

I also found a bag of wooden clothespins, some tailor tapes, and a yard of cute fabric.
The Pyrex dish i also found and it has the lid with it (unfortunately, the store writes prices of items with Sharpies on the glass--UGH!) Going to have to figure out how to get that off somehow.

More cute (albeit, new) material from Maywood Studios, that i got from the local Ben Franklin where my parents live.

These *fab*rics are destined to become dinner napkins for us.

Man, Bennie's are really upscaling their fabric shoppes! Some are even inviting in quilt shoppes for their "fabric dept." Whatever they have in their corportate idea bag is working for me, so far!

And these are some other treasures i've acquired--my parents gave me the Farmer's Market bag for my birthday. How great of a farmer's market to think of selling such quality reuseable bags. They are a canvas with the embroidered print. The Idaho tea towel bag is a repro, sold at their local Hallmark, and the soaps are from a family friend there at the market. She and my mom met years ago and we've been buying her soap ever since. We just switched to purchasing all our soap through her...i can't resist with flavours like: tomato and currant, rosemary rush, grace, blue blazes, etc... And i am really excited to try her Scat Gnat too, which comes in that cute little acrylic tube.

and if that wasn't enough eye candy...

Lo! And behold! I actually got my nightstand cleaned off!

Woo hoo!

Now just to cull a few more magazines and it'll be ready for inspection (or atleast ready for when we decide to put up the "for sale" sign on our place.) :O)