Thrifting Adventures: Unique Finds and Vintage Treasures

It’s been a while since I wrote about my latest antique and thrift finds, so today, let’s put on our most comfortable shoes, grab a bottle of water, and go on a vicarious shopping spree, together! We’ll go to some quaint little places and rummage along, through forgotten bins and dusty shelves!

First stop, we’ll have lunch in a charming town, and afterwards, we’ll stop at a thrift store, nearby. As I walked through the store, I didn’t see anything I was interested in until I walked down the very last aisle and spotted this treasure…a decorative canoe, about 4 feet long and beautifully painted on both sides!

After we got back home, I cleaned the canoe with furniture polish, then Richard carried it out to the Dock House. In my last post “Transforming Our Shed into a Cozy Dock House” you saw the canoe, mounted near the rafters in our Dock House by the lake. (Click here to read that post)

Price of the canoe – $10.00

Next, we’re heading to a town, southeast of where we live. Towards the back of the store, I saw THIS crystal vase! It was almost unrecognizable; its crystal facets were covered with so much grime. I could almost hear the vase pleading with me to take her home and give her a bath with lots of bubbles! (: Look how beautiful she looks now, happily twinkling away in my Cottage Greenhouse with all my other flower vases!

Price of large crystal vase – $10.00

Whispers of Memory

Aged treasures await, in corners they sleep,
Nostalgic whispers in shadows they keep.
Tales of the past, in letters concealed, 
In fragile porcelain, their secrets revealed.
Quietly resting, they beckon us near,
Eager to share what we long to hear.

~ Anonymous

In the spring, we travelled south on a 3-week camping trip down to the Texas coast. While we were there, we found the cutest, little seaside shop. Here, I found 4, fish-shaped snack plates, “just right” for serving up a touch of whimsy and snacks in our Cottage Green on the lake.

Price of 4 glass, fish-shaped snack plates- $14.95

Richard was already ahead of me and found this colorful temperature gauge with pheasants…he picked just for me! <3

Then, while we were standing in line to check out, I saw a small pair of white pelicans in the glass display case. White pelicans migrate to our lake every winter and these little pelicans were a happy find!

See how perfect the temperature gauge and the little pelicans look displayed on our “camp wall” in The Dock House!

Price of pheasant temperature gauge – $6.00

Price of white pelicans- $7.95

Let’s stop in one more seaside thrift store on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston before we leave the coast. This shop took some perusing, but we were rewarded and found a brand-new DVD movie, to watch in our RV, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” MBFGW is one of my favorite movies because it has such a cute story line and I love seeing all the beautiful scenery depicted in the movie. The movie was still in its original wrapping!

Price of new DVD – $1.99

A collector’s Children’s Christmas storybook and a Walt Disney collection of stories. Both books had beautifully illustrated pictures and graphics that I’ll use in the journals I make.

The best antiques are old friends ~ Keira Andrews

Cost of The Child’s Christmas book – 99 cents

Cost of the Walt Disney Book of stories – $1.99

The last thing I found in this shop was perched high on a shelf. It was a new basket caddy, used for corralling plates, cups, napkins, and utensils in one container.

After we got back home, I filled all the cubbies of the caddy with red, white, and blue picnic ware, then took the basket out to the Dock House.

We’ve already used the basket when our family was over for Memorial Day Weekend and for our 4th of July celebration.

Cost of new picnic caddy – $5.99

Then, on our way back from the coast, we stopped at an antique shop in Waco, Texas to stretch our legs and walk around for a while. Tucked away in a corner, almost obscured by an antique linen cloth that was draped over the top, I saw the texture and shape of a picnic basket. Since I collect antique picnic hampers, I was thrilled when I removed the linen and saw these quaint leather straps and brass latches winking at me!

I undid the latches and tentatively opened the hamper lid to see what condition the interior was in. I was so tickled when I found this smaller, baby basket inside! It was an especially sweet find since our youngest granddaughter recently said, “Grandma, please find a little picnic basket you can pack just for me.” <3

The interiors of both baskets were in great condition, and the larger basket was lined in cheery plaid and had the original picnic ware (plates, cups and cutlery) fastened inside!

Price of Mama and baby picnic hamper, plus all the plates, cups, and utensils – $20.00

Already happy with my find, I put my picnic hampers on the counter and walked around the corner to the very next stall and found this pink antique dish framed with metal trim, setting on a miniature tray. I loved the charming handle that held the dish and the sweet cut-outs and engravings along the edges.

Price of the pink glass dish with metal edging and matching tray – $10.00.

AND you know, I couldn’t leave this ceramic basket adorned with a yellow rose and double handles all alone and forlorn on the shelf, when I had a home for it inside the Cottage greenhouse…plus,it was just the right size for forget-me-nots and clover blossoms picked by little hands!

Cost of white ceramic basket with yellow rose…50 cents

Last place we’ll shop on this spree is an antique mall in a little town near us. It was such an intriguing shop, filled with “olden things.”

This was something sure to be crammed full of warm secrets…

~ Haruki Murakami

We hardly got in the door before I found this blue bowl set on dainty porcelain feet, painted as beautifully on the outside…

…as it was on the inside.

Cost of blue bowl – $7.00

In the same booth as the blue bowl, I saw a perfume decanter inside a hutch with glass shelves. I collect antique perfume decanters and this one, trimmed in gold with dainty flowers was exquisite. As soon as I saw the little decanter, I wanted it to come home with us and knew exactly where I wanted to put it!

I think it looks enchanting on this antique, vanity tray beside this tiny piano, a jewelry/music-box and other pretty’s I have in our bathroom.

Cost of antique perfume decanter – $5.00

Before we head back home from our thrifting excursions, I always like to share some of the treasures Richard, my Huckleberry friend <3 found. He doesn’t usually find as much as I find, but his finds are a little more costly. (;

Richard found…

• Miscellaneous tools (Richard is always on the lookout for old tools, since they are stronger and more durable than the imported tools that are sold in the stores “these days.”)
• Vinyl records from the 1960’s
• Dallas Cowboy football signed by multiple Dallas Cowboy players, Price – $9.99
• Football signed by Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints quarterback, Price – $40.00.

Richard’s most treasured find was a beautifully matted and framed Civil War, autographed, limited number print by Mort Kuntsler, with an inscription plate. Mort Kuntsler is an American, historical artist known for his illustrative paintings of historical events, particularly his paintings of The Civil War. He is considered to be the “best-known and most respected historical artist in the Country.”

Price of autographed and limited number Civil War print “I Will Be Moving Within The Hour” by Mort Kuntsler was amazingly, only $130.00!

Here it is hanging in Richard office with his other military memorabilia.

Well, our shopping adventure is over. Hope you enjoyed seeing all the things we found! I’d love to know which item I found…or that Richard found that you liked best.

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

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