Finally!!

I have been looking for one of these for MONTHS and finally found it!

I am always so envious of folks that find great stuff at Goodwill.  Well, last Thursday was my day!

Here are some from Restoration Hardware.

Other than the fact that mine does not have ball feet under the tray, I think it is pretty close.  The glass on mine also has some bubbling and flaws in the glass so it has an "antique" feel.  Big difference?  I paid $3.97 for my Goodwill find.  The short fat one above is on sale for $69 and it is much smaller than the one I found.

I am one happy gal.  Now I just have to decide how to fill it!!

Once again, I am linking up to Rhoda's site.

Last week thrifting

I had a couple of opportunities to stop in at two of our local Goodwill stores last week.  I usually have a plan when I go in.  Specifically I am looking for hurricane globes for my sister who is collecting them for her daughter's "one day" wedding, a Pfaltzgraff pattern that I am collecting, silver plate items, white ironstone and old serving platters with pink floral borders.

Here's what I found

Photos were taken in the kitchen under the glare of overhead lighting.  Ugh!

The white ironstone bowl is not a pattern that I already own so I was excited about that.  It is Johnson Brother's and was made in England.  It isn't old but I was happy that it wasn't made in China.  I don't buy white ironstone unless it is English or American made.  The silver box is made of some kind of ratty wood with a horrible grain.  For 98 cents - it will do.  It still had the original instructions for the placement of the silver.  The butter dish is made by Princess House and not a ding or chip.  I thought it was delicate and sweet so it came home with me.

Once again there is nothing that a can of spray paint and an antiquing glaze cannot cure.

I think it might need a pretty wooden decal on the top and another coat of glazing but it looks a heck of a lot better than the original wood!

And here it is filled with the silver plate flatware I scored last year for $5.  There are not enough slots for the cocktail forks, demitasse spoons and individual butter knives so I piled them in the bottom.

And, yes, I am cheesy and did not paint the inner edges.

What did you find last week?  I am linking to Rhoda's blog.  Please take a look at all the goodies that folks have found!

After 12 bags of mulch

this is what the perennial garden looks like this morning.

It's a little gloomy this morning and I really wish I had taken photos yesterday while we still had sun.  Yesterday was gorgeous!

I love the dianthus and wish I had moved the darker pink a little further away from the lighter pink.  That one is absolutely enormous.  I bought these at Lowe's from the "scratch and dent" area last summer.  The lawn ornament was the gazing ball that my granddaughter, Emily, and I made last summer....bowling ball, glass chips/mirror blobs and grout.

I love this columbine.  Last year when they dried I shook seeds all over the garden.  There are about 12 little ones coming up right now.

I wish I could remember the name of this flowering shrub.  The branches are kind of floppy and the flowers are lovely.  The big, fat bumble bees love it.

I think the salvia blooms are the most incredible shade of purple.

My butterfly bush did not survive the winter.  I was really surprised because I thought you couldn't kill those things!  I also had a couple of other plants that did not come up so the portion of the garden that is closest to the house is a bit bare.  I am waiting for a good perennial sale to fill in some of the blank spaces.

How does your garden look this year?

I heart Macro

The perennial garden looks beautiful right now so it was easy to find a subject for Lori's site this week.

Thrifting on Saturday

I got a bit antsy on Saturday and decided to make a quick run to Jubilee, a local thrift store that is run by the Mennonite church to support their prison ministry.  I have found lots of goodies there and yesterday was no exception.  Sitting on the table of housewares was this ironstone bowl.

The three little marks in the shape of a triangle are from the support unit that held the bowl off the floor of the kiln during firing.

There is a chip in the bottom edge where the glaze has popped off but as long as it doesn't sit in water should not affect the usage of the bowl.

The bowl measures roughly 11" across and is about 4-1/2" high.  This is only my second piece of American made ironstone so I had to do a little research.  The CC Thompson Pottery Company was located in East Liverpool, Ohio.  This mark indicates that the bowl was manufactured between 1867 and 1893.  I found one on line (in better condition) that was being offered for sale at $135.  Even with the condition issues, I think my bowl was a steal at $5!

I am linking up to 

Pop over and check out the wonderful things that others found!

I heart Macro

I thought I would join in the fun at Studio Waterstone.  Click on the button below if you want to submit your macro photos, too!

Chalk Paint

Want some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?  Screaming Meme is having a giveaway.  She is trying to drum up some new followers.  If you want to get involved in the giveaway, pop over to her blog  and enter the contest.  Please tell her I sent you ('cause I want that paint, too!!)