Thrift Wish List Update

Last May I shared my Thrift Wish List, and in the months that followed I managed to make a pretty big dent on the list! I figured I was due for an update, so here it goes.

Cork-topped jars:

I managed to snag 4 of these jars this summer--2 at a first Friday event for $4 each, and 2 at the Belton Goodwill for $2 each. I've already added 3 of them to my spice storage as shared last week.

Wheaton jars:

I really hit the jackpot with these little glass jars this summer--I found a handful at thrift stores for $0.99-$1.99, and 2 at a First Friday sale for $3. I also use these for storing spices.

Faux artichokes:

I snagged 6 of these faux artichokes for $5 during a lake trip this summer (much cheaper than the alternatives I researched!)

Milk bottles:

I bought 7 lovely milk bottles, all with unique colorful graphics, from a new flea market in Lee's Summit. They ranged from $2-3 each, which was a great deal since most go for $8 and up! 

Pyrex & milk glass cake stands:

I wrote a whole post detailing the additions to my Pyrex collection, but somehow it was deleted! :( But here's a snippet of it on the Pyrex Collective 3 blog. Anyway, I managed a lot of Pyrex scores this summer, including the above turqoise divided dish with a golden scroll lid from the Goodwill Outlet! Things are priced by the pound there, so I estimate this cost around $2, which is a major steal! (I may have screamed out loud when I spotted the telltale blue dish...and then I ran and snatched it up).

Also on the same Goodwill outlet trip (which was hands down my best thrift shopping trip EVER), I unearthed this gorgeous Fenton hobnail cake stand from a box full of glassware. These go for $35+ online, so this was another awesome deal. (Later on a woman gave me the stink-eye as if I would consider handing it over to her).

Print block drawers:

I'd been eyeing drawers priced $25+, so when I found one at the Goodwill Outlet priced at $2, I was thrilled! And would you believe that I found another one for an even better price? $0! Turns out my mother had a print block drawer tucked behind her office door, and she pulled it out for me! Wahoo!

Blue mason jars:

I found an assortment of well-priced blue mason jars this summer, including this deeper aqua 1 gallon wire clasp jar, and a 1 pint aqua Atlas jar.

Yellow coke crate:

I found two vintage coke crates this summer: one at a First Friday sale for $15, and one at a Red Racks for $10. They'll make great storage in our studio!

In addition to the coke crates, I also scooped up a 7-up crate and a Vess crate:

Metal or wooden card catalog:

I found this gray catalog at a Savers for $4.99. I also scooped up a cool metal folder caddy for $1.49, which I think looks great with the catalog drawers:

Antique fan:

I bought this lovely fan for $12 at one of my favorite shopping spots, the River Market antique mall.

Vintage tins:

I scooped up a variety of vintage tins over the past 5 months, including a set of 4 nesting kitchen tins at the Goodwill Outlet and the Gasoline Filler tin from my own garage.

White ceramic birds:

I found a pair of white birds at Savers for $3 total, and two brown birds for $3 that I spray painted white.

Since I did so well at finding many of my wish list items, I've since added a few more things to my list. So the following are my new items, along with those I haven't found yet (vintage wire locker baskets, wooden milk crate, vintage doctor's jars, vintage Fiesta relish tray, metal arc lamp, antique binoculars, and a vintage panoramic photo):

Brass elephants:

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Hi-Speed Rotary Cookbook

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Retro kitchen cannisters:

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Vintage school map:

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Dansk fish trivet:

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Spice Up Your Life

I've done a lot to pretty up my spice storage in the past, from creating colorful labels, remaking a Goodwill spice shelf, and transferring my countertop spices into vintage bottles. 

But ever since I saw Jen's dollar store spice organization on her blog The Social Home, I've been feeling a leeeetle inadequate about the state of my cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, et al.

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See? Don't you feel bad, too?

For months I tried and failed to find some affordable glass spice jars. None of my local dollar stores have any, and the best options online would still cost me $1.49 - $2 a pop plus shipping. Since I was looking for 18 bottles to fit my Goodwill cubby spice rack (a $0.99 steal from my parents' visit last spring), at best I'd be spending $37. Not too hefty, but as a thrift-store junkie, this felt far too pricey to me. 

Lucky for me, Goodwill came to my rescue again in the form of this swiveling spice rack with 16 glass jars, all to the tune of $3.99! 

With my 10% discount (using my student ID), it rounded out to $3.50, or  about $0.21 per piece (16 jars and 1 rack)! Even the Goodwill checker seemed to realize that this deal seemed too good to be true. But, as she remarked, the nasty condition of several of the jars probably explained why some customers passed on this steal of a deal. See below.

I, however, knew that these bad boys could be cleaned right up with a nice bath and a trip through the dishwasher.

After they were sparkly clean, I decided to pop some lovely labels on my jars. I picked up some of the Martha Stewart labels from Staples and wrote out the spices by hand, since unfortunately there isn't a template for printing directly on these labels. I kinda like my penmanship, though, and these labels are cute as a button on their own, so it's okay!

So here's how these bad boys turned out:

And now fore a before & after, since I love 'em:

Considering that the alternative would've cost 9 times as much, I'd say I did pretty great on these thrifted glass spice jars. And they look right at home in my spice cubbies, which previously sat on my counter and held a mish mash of plastic bottles...

...but was relocated and hung on the wall to create a little more counter space for some new additions:

Can you spy them? 

Yep, they're some of the Wheaton jars I purchased this summer! I just popped filled them with some spices and popped them next to my utensils, under the cubbies.

I also added more Thrift Wish List purchases to my pretty-up-my-spice efforts: three more corked jars for spices I buy in bulk. Previously I'd tossed some salt, pepper, and sea salt in a trio and popped them next to the stove:

After finding three more when thrifting & antiquing this summer, I cleaned them, added more chalkboard quatrefoil labels, and moved them into the grouping. 

Fab Finds Friday: Highlights of Summer 2012

This summer I not only discovered some new favorite thrift stores, but I also attended several "First Friday" antiquing events in Westport and the West Bottoms. My sister and her husband were my main partners-in-crime at these spots, although I did manage to talk Ryan into attending one sale (which was ironically the hottest sale of the summer--we were sweating & quite grouchy by the end). Overall, we had great luck at most sales, especially when we checked out the sale photos before the events to decide which shops to hit up first!

First up is one of my First Friday finds: a lovely red-orange dish rack that I scooped up for $15. The woman running the booth didn't have a price marked on it, but I asked and she told me she hadn't planned on selling it--but she'd used it in her home and as a display rack in her booth for years, so she decided she would part with it. Since I frequently clean dishes that can't survive the dishwasher (i.e. my Pyrex) I knew that this beauty would come in handy in my home.

I brought her up to Montana and she's already come in plenty handy right next to our sink:

Another find from First Fridays: this lovely cream velvet chair. I love its tufted back and the cane siding.

It looks right at home in my studio next to my teal floral chair (a gift from my uncle, purchased at Pier1).

And apparently it's quite comfy, as my cat loves lounging in it:

I found another cute accessory for our studio at the second Friday sale we attended: this fun yellow filing cabinet. Since our color scheme is teal and goldenrod, we knew that this already-painted cabinet would fit right in, and at $18, it would save us the time and money of buying and spray-painting a plain unit.

I also went a little flashcard crazy at Liberty Belle, another First Friday shop. I just loved these with pictures and handwritten words. I plan on framing them all and hanging them in our kitchen. I liked that three are distinctly kitchen-themed, but two (cow and parachute, obviously) are random and fun!

I also loved these music flashcards and think they'll look great framed and in a gallery wall. They feature different notes on the back, so I can always turn them around if I'm looking for a new song :)

I also snagged some great vintage things at Kansas City's new Goodwill Outlet. My favorite is probably this aluminum foil holder. It definitely needs a little more cleaning (and I want to try to hammer out that dent), but I love its charm and know it'll look great in my vintage-y kitchen!

I also found this awesome cheese tray. (Well, technically my sister found it when we were shopping together, and knowing my great fondness for cheese, she handed it over). I think it'd be awesome for serving foods at a wine and cheese party. I can also really see it leaning on some shelves in a dining room or kitchen as art.

Here's a close-up of the bottom--labels of all the cheeses in a really cool font!)

And here's another thrifted find for our studio--a lovely (formerly-brass) magazine holder. I spray-painted this one teal. I just love its lines!

I also grabbed this lemon paddle at a thrift store which used to be a bowling alley (true story). It's so cheery!

And lastly, a trio of kitchen items. The first two, including this green sifter, were picked up at a shop in Blue Springs that was sadly going out of business. The owner there was quite sweet. I've always wanted a vintage sifter so I went for this chippy one.

I also got this lard bucket from her store. I was initially drawn to it because of that awesome pig logo, but was sold by the fact that the company was headquartered in my hometown, as shown by the label.

And last up, I got this vintage mini loaf pan for $2 at a Salvation Army. I don't intend to bake in this, but think it'll make a great piece for organizing office supplies!

So there you have it--some of my favorite summer finds. Any good buys you'd like to share?