Treasure Hunting Report: Vintage Treasures

I have been hoarding my thrifty finds and not sharing any pictures (or what I’ve learned) with my lovely readers.  So selfish!  Without further ado, here’s a peek at a few thrifted treasures I brought home lately.

1. I bought this Royal Norfolk Pottery piece (from the 1950s), for the tidy sum of $2.99 at Value Village.  I saw a similar one on Etsy for $15.00 or $20.00 but I’m less concerned about the value and more excited about how perfect the colors are for my Mom’s place (her living sofa is the interior color of this glaze and her walls the outside!):

2. I also brought home this small, silver lustre Susie Cooper for Wedgwood tray, also from Value Village, for $8.99.  A bit steep for a thrift store find, yes, but Mom loves Susie Cooper and look what a trinket box with the same design recently sold at auction for GBP 180.  A bell with the same pattern is priced at $90 on Ruby Lane!  But I’m not selling it.  Mom already snagged it and uses it in her sewing room for straight pins.  How fancy.

3. For $5.00, this turquoise necklace sure does make any outfit that little bit more happy.  You know I can be a bit of a snob when it comes to materials, but I actually like that this necklace is plastic because that makes it so light and comfortable to wear.

4. I found this pretty, mid-century modern enamel dish at a yard sale for $1.  It looks like it is signed “Victoria,” so I am guessing this might have been a school art project in the 1960s. . . ?  For a little light reading on enamel, check out this article.  I already have an idea in mind: I think I might incorporate this into a DIY gift for my friend’s upcoming birthday.

5. At a church rummage sale I found this mid-century modern cast iron taper holder.  Now I just need some skinny tapers  Or an Etsy shop, to be honest…

When I am stressed, I go thrifting.  Or I clean.  Or I go thrifting, find things, and then come home and deep clean/de-clutter to make space for the the things I thrifted.  Cheaper than therapy but probably not a good long-term coping strategy.  But hey – can’t beat the dopamine hit from the pretty vintage things I found!

6. A more recent find is gorgeous enamel bowl.  I bought this fabulous vintage enamel bowl for only $4.99.  I love everything about it: the clashing inside & outside, the minty-turquoise (!) and the scale.

7. I also found this gorgeous, but small-ish, pottery vase with luminous aqua glaze for $5.00 – although technically this wasn’t thrifted, it was from an estate sale.  It will really pop on my natural brick fireplace mantel.

8. I also thrifted this sweet little pink striped Pyrex bowl.  Again… I have a feeling Mom might be stealing this one.

9.  I also found more vintage melamine for the play kitchen (this isn’t Melmac, though).
10. I am planning a pretty long research trip abroad (details soon) and I thought this vintage sewing kit would be perfect.  Actual scissors?  Needles made in English?  Snaps?  Gosh, people sure were spoiled back in the day.  This will be much handier than the cheap-o hotel version I have.

One the subject of all things vintage and tchotchkes, my Mom & I have noticed that small tchotchkes are harder to style with.  One or two, sure, but a herd?  Headache!  It is so much easier to plonk down a large bowl, vase, dish or other statement piece.  We talk about our tchotchkes (and who has bigger ones) a lot and it makes Hubby uncomfortable.  He might not know what tchotchkes are. . .

What do you think?  Are bigger ones easier to style?  Or do you fall for the wee trinkets? And are you scooping up thrifty finds as a stress-reliever too?

Even though I try really hard to edit what comes into the townhouse, I am starting to amass quite a few vintage and one of a kind treasures, so I’ve toyed with the idea of opening an Etsy shop to sell fun, retro finds and maybe even some handmade goods and artwork.  My Mom & I even came up with the perfect shop name and set about creating a shop until I found out the name was taken (but not being used).  That totally knocked the wind out of my sails and I temporarily abandoned the idea.  But now I’m thinking about it again . . . I know that, without meaning to, I bring home too much for one thrifty gal, even if my Mom does ferret away some of it.