THRIFTY MONDAY: sittin' pretty

It seems like forever that we've been searching for extra chairs to go with our dining room set.  Our set consists of one oak table, four oak chairs and one leaf for the table.  And since we're a family of five, a four seater table just doesn't cut it.... don't get me wrong, we don't have one of the kids sitting on the floor while we eat or anything like that.... we have a little old farmhouse chair (that I love) that the girl-monkey's booster seat sits upon....

So, yes, we do have enough chairs for our family.... But, what a pain when we have guests for dinner....

Well.... pain  no more!

Last wednesday, Mr. Monkey found an ad on Kijiji.... 6 pressed back chairs with newly re-caned seats for $375.  Not a ridiculous price for 6 caned chairs.... but also not truly a thrifty price either.... again, if you know me well, you know how I don't like to part with money, I'm thrifty, cheap, like that :D

Aaaanyway, the chairs were in a little town 15 minutes away.... we bundled the girl-monkey up and off we went. 

Conclusion.  They were nice looking chairs; however, with kids, I don't think caned seats are practical.  Not to say my kids are ram-my or overly rambunctious, they're pretty gentle on our furniture (we've trained them well).... but, they are kids and kids drop food and spill drinks (heck, so do adults) and the thought of trying to clean food and drink out of caning - no thanks.  And - And!  They were wobbly.  And loose.  And not at all the solid and heavy chairs that we were after.

We thanked the lovely gentleman and were on our merry way, sans chairs....

We hopped in the family bus, and decided to head into the city to check out Bibles for Missions.... But, on the way, we stopped at our favourite Antique Shop, Brooks' House.  We've purchased a number of items from this place and have found the prices very fair and reasonable.  The nice lady who owns the store told us long ago when we asked why her prices were so low, that if she priced like other antique stores, she'd never move anything.  Makes sense.  She prices her items so she gets her money back with a little extra for profit.  Pretty fair in my books.

And you can tell, if you visit her store once a week for a month, that her stock changes all the time.  She chooses quality pieces and if they need some TLC, her husband fixes them up in his workshop.  Perfect!

We found a beautiful table and chair set almost immediately when we walked in.... and as luck would have it, it was priced NOT as a set!  The chairs were priced at $196 for 4 solid oak pressed back chairs and the table was $275.

The smarty-pants that Mr. Monkey is, he brought along one of our own kitchen chairs to match up to anything we found.... BRILLIANT!

The height of the pressed back was perfect!  The colour was off; but, seriously, nothing in my house matches anyway and that's just the way we like it.

So, the million-dollar question, asked by the wheeler and dealer, Mr. Monkey, 'What's the best you can do on them?'  And that's the great thing about buying from an independent seller, there's always a deal to be had.... Because they needed a little TLC upon arrival to her shop, she could only do 10% off.  Good enough for us!

These beauties are now a permanent fixture in my home.

We have extra seating for company; of course, our table still only comfortably seats 6, but has fed upwards of 10.... you do what you have to do, right?  The table will be replaced later-later, no rush on that, just gives me time to find something I really-really love.

So all-in-all, they were a great price for something old and something solid and best of all, something with character.  Less than $50 a chair.... PERFECT!

And, somehow the thrifty-ness must have filtered down to the girl-monkey, she came away with this....

A vintage tin that housed a few vintage buttons for the HUGE price of 50 cents.  And so her button collecting career begins.... I LOVE IT!

Have a lovely January day my dears....   ;)

THRIFTY MONDAY: is back!

While out driving around last tuesday, my husband and I decided to head to one of our favourite Antique-y places.... Southworks.  He was looking for chairs for our dining set.... I was just looking at, well, everything...

 
The entire upper floor of this building is all antique, nostalgic and vintage treasures....  Now, being the thrifty (cheap) lady that I am, I find a great number of things here are highly overpriced.  That doesn't mean I don't like the hunt, I do.  It's a challenge to find something I like and for a reasonable price (or priced right).... but, I can do it if I'm given the time to really scrutinize what I'm after.

Of course, the prey of the day for me, was Pyrex.... just a little-teeny-tiny piece to quench my thirst, sate my hunger, tide me over til, um, next month (who we kiddin'....next week)....

Aaaanyway.... While browsing, I heard the man say to the girl-babe, 'Oh, Mommy's gonna be in these booths for hours'.... My interest was piqued.... I knew exactly what he meant, and so, calmly, not too-too hurriedly (I didn't want to look like a total geek!) I headed in the direction of his voice....

Ahhhh!!!!  3.... count 'em.... 3 booths of perfectly pretty Pyrex and fabulously fun Fiesta ware!  WHAT?!  I know!

So once the excitement (that was really only going on internally.... again, the geek in me was caged) was harnessed, I got down to business.

After picking up, turning over and checking for chips on almost every. single. piece.... sadly, only a few were to my liking, which is to say, in almost 100%, A-1, perfect condition.  And those that were, were so over priced, I just couldn't bring myself to drop that kind of money....

But I wasn't sad.... I know where I can find what I like at very thrifty prices.... I went on my way, happy with just browsing at all of the beautiful colours.... and then, I spotted 3 teensy-weeny-little bowls on the floor of a booth that sold almost entirely old paper materials....

I chose this beautiful brown bitty....

Isn't she sweet?  I brought her home, suds-ed her up and she was on the dinner table that night full to the brim with little sweet peas....

:D  That's me.  Smiling cheek-to-cheek.... have a great day  ;)

THRIFTY MONDAY: santa's gift to me

Santa must have been watching me for the past few months, because look what I found.... hidden in one of my dresser drawers.... obviously, a-hem, Santa forgot to wrap it and slide it under the tree before Daddy noticed.... Aaaanyway, sometimes Santa slips up too....

This is THE cutest little Spring Blossom bowl, from the original launch in 1972.  It features the same larger patterned flowers as one of my previous finds.

See.... if you're a good girl, sometimes Santa comes through with the gifts that make you smile.

;)  .... that's me.... smiling .... have a lovely day....

THRIFTY MONDAY: more pyrex love....

I found both of these little pretties at Value Village....  

This pattern is Spring Blossom, first introduced by Pyrex in 1972 to accompany Corelle's Spring Blossom dish set (1970).  Spring Blossom was also relaunched in 1979, no longer in avocado green; it featured a scaled down pattern size and available in lime green and dark green.  The dish in my collection (pictured above) is from the original introduction in 1972, and I'm happy to report that it has been lovingly cared for and shows virtually no signs of use... YAY me!

This pretty turquoise Butterprint dish, is quite possibly the oldest in my meager little collection.  This pattern (Butterprint) was introduced in 1957 and produced until 1968.  Orange and pink versions of this pattern were also printed but discontinued in the early 1960's.  You know I've talked previously about wanting (needing) pink Pyrex....  well, now that I know there are also orange pieces tucked away in someones cupboard, believe me, my want for this colour almost overshadows my need for pink :(    Aaaanyway, this pretty mixing bowl is beautiful on the printed side with one or two little (teeny-tiny, really) scratches; however, the inside looks like it's made a few cakes in it's time.... it's all good though, I still love it completely!

I've come to realize that finding Pyrex in pristine condition, like the first few pieces I purchased, is not so easy.  And I've also realized that since finding those few pristine pieces, that I cannot settle for pieces that are, well,  less than.... It's pretty clear when pieces are washed in a dishwasher, the pattern become etched and faded.... you can imagine just how sad this makes me.  I've found my coveted pink Pyrex, several times, in several locations; sadly, they've all been abused by the dreaded dishwasher one to many times.... I just can't bring myself to adding something so terribly cared for to my collection of gleaming superstars.... is that me just being prejudiced?

Anyhow, there's your Pyrex history lesson for today.  Have a happy, thrifty Monday  ;)

THRIFTY MONDAY: signs.... ok, just one sign

My local consignment shop is one of my favourite places to browse for clothes for myself.   I tend to go there at least once every two weeks....  But, it's not just clothes.  They accept everything from clothes to living room sofas.... the shop is pretty small, but they know what moves....

The lady who owns the shop is one of the very sweetest people I have ever met.... and I admire the fact that she remembers every. single. person's. name..... that's pretty amazing, considering her shop clientele is HUGE!

Aaaanyway, for the looooongest time, she had a beautiful restaurant sign displayed above one of her clothing racks.... it's fairly large, about the wider than a king size bed and roughly 15-18 inches high.... I had admired it for such a long time and never ever asked about it.  I had actually assumed that it was just a really cool display piece she used in her store.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I inquired, she said it was definitely a consignment item and the price tag was $200.  A little more than I like to spend on a thrifted item; however, finding a sign this size for such a small price (as far as signs go), I just couldn't pass it up.... She agreed to sell for $175 cash.  NO PROBLEM.... I'll gladly take that baby off your hands....

Ho-ly buckets!  This things weighs a TON!  Thus, the reason for only the sneak peak you see here.... I just couldn't lift the thing on my own to get a better shot....

It looks like it's from the inside of a restaurant.  You know, the ones with all of the kitschy pictures and signs everywhere?  Aaaanyway, this big green beauty will find it's place in our future finished basement family room.... I am so looking forward to seeing it anchored to my wall.

Happy Monday peeps!  I hope you can find room in your hearts for some lovely thrifty-ness too  ;)

THRIFTY MONDAY: clothes

With three kids to clothe, this is one of the places where being thrifty is a necessity.... especially when the oldest and youngest are growing at a ridiculous rate - slow down, you two, what's the rush?  Now, that's not to say that the monkeys never get anything new, they do.... but, for clothes the boys just tear up at school, I can't justify spending crazy amounts on growing kids.... we save the new stuff for birthdays, Christmas, beginning of school and summer....

Anyhow, one of my favourite thrifty places, Value Village, is having another of their quarterly half price sales.... TODAY!  Bu-ut! If you apply online for a super saver card, you get to enjoy the sale a whole day earlier - WITHOUT having to fight the crowds and tear things out of other shopper's hands (ok, so I've never had to do that, but have secretly wanted to.... just sayin')....

I could have waited for today to go, but with Mr. Monkey working, and having to take the girl monkey, I thought an hour of shopping yesterday, ALONE, was waaaay more appealing.  Because, honestly, for us Mommy's, when does that ever happen.... like next to NEVER!

Aaaanyway, check out this haul....

12 pieces of clothing in GREAT condition.... perfect for two growing monkeys.... and a few things for the Momma, too!  All for the low-low price of.... wait for it.... $20.52!!!!  (applause.... maybe the wave.... but, definite applause)....  Not that we're much into labels, but; there's QuickSilver, DC, Children's Place, Gap, Old Navy and H&M.... pretty good for $20 and change, I say!

If you're into it, and you have the time today.... Value Village near us, is open from 7am-9pm.... you never know what you'll find!  Good luck hunting!

Have a great day  ;)

THRIFTY MONDAY: 'Le The'

Wow!  What a fantastic thrifty shopping day the girl monkey and I had with Mr. Monkey on Friday.  We found so many interesting and fun finds while browsing a junky old flea market and a Bibles for Missions thrift store.  But one of the best things I found was this....

A vintage 1975 Centura Spice O' Life tea pot for Corelle.

In searching for the particulars about this piece, I found out that this tea pot, my tea pot, is not the original design.  Originally, the pattern was larger and leafier (1971) then went through a redesign released in 1975 (my tea pot).  There are actually four versions of the Spice O' Life tea pot, each of which may or may not bare the french wording 'Le The' printed under the handle.... unfortunately, my little pot does not have this imprint. 

My little tea pot is in pristine condition.  It looks like it's barely been enjoyed with very, very minimal marks or discolouration on it's base.  The pattern itself is perfectly perfect with no scratches at all....

I am in love with this little steaming pot of morning joy.... My old tea pot, which was a brown betty look-alike, dribbled terribly.  I loved the look of her, but sadly, she made me growl every time I poured a cuppa.... She is being donated, and hopefully, will find a home with some other tea lover who has more patience for her insolent, drooling nature.

My inspiration to seek out and purchase a Corelle tea pot, was my mother-in-law.  She had a Corelle Blue Cornflower tea pot that she remarked, 'was the best tea pot I ever had.'

Blue Cornflower Tea Pot - A Lot To Collect Shop on Etsy

I remember back in dating days, having dinner at my in-laws house.... while clearing the table after we ate, my father-in-law would pour the hot water in the Blue Cornflower pot and it would sit steeping on top of the stove until we were ready.  He would bring the tea and milk to the table, and I would have to ask almost every time for sugar.  The sugar was housed in yellow plastic Tupperware container....

Anyway, I had to see what all the fuss was about.  So, I cleaned the tea pot thoroughly, then me and the middle monkey, who loves to enjoy a spot of tea with mommy, wasted no time in steeping a fresh pot of decaf earl grey.  We sat at the table together sipping from cheerfully coloured Fiesta.... I love the moments where my children share something simple, and so adult.... they are certainly cherished times....  And!  NO DRIBBLES!  I love. this. tea. pot.

Have a great day everyone  ;)


Oh, and P.S.  Here's a shot of the TWO t-shirt bracelets I'm giving away....

Check out yesterdays post for the particulars of my second anniversary blog giveaway.....  The bracelets are seriously cute.... I'm definitely making more.... Enter your comment after yesterdays post to be eligible to win.... CHEERS!

THRIFTY MONDAY: rotary dial

As you've heard, I am a LOVER of everything vintage; like seriously, if vintage stuff were people, I'd be a stalker....

And if you know me personally, you may also know that I am a little s-l-o-w getting with the times; I mean, I still have a slide-type cell phone (eek!  it's 2 years old! for shame!)....  I wouldn't say I can't let go of possessions; that's just not me; and you must understand that I began having my own thoughts and ideas in my teens and twenties which were in the 80's and 90's.... and as far as I'm concerned, the only things that came out of the 80's and 90's were very big hair and extremely bad fashions; I guess what I'm getting at is that I don't hold on to things for nostalgic reasons, I'm not a hoarder; I'm an appreciator of things from the past.... However, I did meet my husband in 1990.... so, I guess something good did come out of those times for me :P

 Aaaanyway, both Mr. Monkey and myself like vintage and antique items, and I guess I can't take credit for this as Mr. Monkey was the one who found and purchased it; but, I do love it.... I love the sound of the ring, with just two ring settings:  hi or low; which truth be told, are both ear piercingly LOUD! I'm just not in love with the colour; I'm on the hunt for an avocado green 'chicklet' push-button wall mount (do you know the one I'm talking about?).  Anyhow, here it is....

Our bedroom phone.... the rotary dial; when speed dial referred to how fast you could whip the numbers around with the strength of your own fingers;  in the days before cell phones and wireless connections;  before i-pods and wii....

Those days were simpler.  A little less hectic-rush-rush-go-go.  A stark difference from then to now, don't you think?

The modern version of the rotary phone came into the Bell System around 1919.  Models, like the one we have, with a plastic rotary, were introduced around 1949.  These models began to phase out in the 1960's after the introduction of push-button dialing at the 1962 World's Fair held in Seattle Washington.

I can tell you this much about these phones.  They are reliable, they are well built and weigh a TON!  You can still use these phones in your home as long as they've been rewired with proper jacks; or hardwired right into your phone wiring system; and also as long as you have a modern push-button phone somewhere in your home.  Modern phone systems and emergency dialing systems do not support the rotary phone.

We found this one at a very junky flea market in the city close to where we live.  I think we paid $20 dollars for it.  A fair price, I think, for a little piece of history; a tiny slice of a slower time....

Have a great day people  ;)