My husband framed and hung the beautiful prints that Alice from Thrifted Treasure sent me. They look amazing and I always think of Alice and Australia when I gaze at them. Thank you again! You are a gifted artist. For fun, Ken framed up four of the five Swedish art cards we bought at Ikea. We're both drawn to the bright colours and cheerful designs. They're at a lower level for Duncan to see.
On An Apple a Day, I noticed photos from a recent beachcombing trip in and around New York. I'd always heard that you could find old bottles, etc. washed up at Toronto's Don River. This past weekend, I dragged Duncan on a long excursion to see what we could find. As you can see from the photos, we found some old bottles.
A good friend of mine is holding a yard sale in a few weeks and was asking me for pricing advice. I was wondering if people could offer their opinions and I'll pass them along to her.
She is getting rid of a lot of the following:
leather jackets
leather shoes and boots
belts
handbags
books (including coffee table books)
plates
small appliances including several humidifiers still in original boxes
My friend just wants to get rid of stuff and not trying to get the most money possible in a greedy sort of way. Any thoughts on fair prices. I'm pretty sure most of these items are either lightly used or not used at all.
I visited my folks in St. Catharines yesterday. The cupboards were bare at the Value Village and Goodwill that I normally go to. There was scuffed up Pyrex at Value Village which I didn't buy. Nothing spectacular. I did get this flower cut out for my classroom for .50.
My find was this genuine Kathie Winkle platter which I got for $2.00 at GW. The lady at the checkout commented that it was underpriced. Start the car!
Welcome to Yard Sale Snoop, especially if you found your way here via the Pyrex Collective. As well, I'd like to send out a huge thank you to my new followers. Due to my self-effacing-low-self-esteem-Canadian state of mind, I'm always amazed that people want to view my cabinet of curiosities and hear what I have to say.
If you're new, I welcome you with a virtual cup of coffee and a song by Kate Bush to make your trip more pleasurable. Today it's "Oh England, my Lionheart." Try not to cry.
Now on with the thrift... P.S. I'm doing my best with pattern names thanks to Pyrex Love. I left my Pyrex book at work. If I've made any mistakes, please let me know. I'm numbering the photos.
#1 Junior's bed doubles as a weigh station for thrifted goods.
We have a third bedroom that currently doubles as a storage room. In other words, it's the room I dump all my thrifted goodies into until our kitchen renovation is complete. My husband needed to get into that room yesterday and asked if I could, "Clear a pathway," so that he could get at the bubble envelopes at the other end of the room. I began the lengthy process of moving my vintage stuff out. As I looked at all of the Pyrex on Duncan's bed (which served as a waiting room), it occurred to me that this would be the perfect time to begin a Pyrex inventory. #2
I brought the pieces down and began washing them out with soapy water. Yes, there are some pieces here that aren't Pyrex, but there are some great pieces out there which aren't Pyrex. Check out my turquoise and white Hazel Atlas bowls on the right-hand side. It's amazing how many price stickers I didn't remove at the time. #3 These were two bowls I thought were the same. I can hear Vonlipi now. "No, no, no, my child. Use your eyes!" Alright, what you're seeing is a 401 and a 403. These numbers sound more like highways than names for beautiful crockery. These came from Value Village (VV). #4 These two go together. For the life of me, I can't think of their name and I'm having trouble identifying them. I'm sure if I hunt around on Pyrex Love or the Pyrex Collective, I'll figure it out. They're not part of Butterfly Gold are they? I believe the larger one says 407, but the bottom is a little worn. These came from VV fairly recently.
5. This is Butterfly Gold.
6. Ahh, a no-brainer. Friendship. Here we have 473 (1 qt white bowl with red and orange birds), 474 (2 qt orange with clear lid with birds), and 503 which is a white baking dish decorated with more of those pretty birds. The round dishes came from an independent thrift store in Owen Sound. I loved that the store owner hand wrote the prices in marker. The rectangular dish was a Christmas present from my niece. #7. Friendship from above. The best part of this whole experience was when I had all of my Pyrex spread out on our dining table and my husband told me how great he thinks it is. He told me that now he understands why I love it so much. Yes! #8 Spring Blossom bowls (Please let me know if one of them isn't.) The big one was my mother's. it is 444 (4qt). Yes, it's massive. My mother has used it for humongous bowls of mashed potatoes and stuffing at Christmas. The small bowl was a birthday gift from my sister Lise. #9 Not-so mellow yellow: Here we have the Daisy oval divided dish. No number was on the bottom. We also have two 443 (2 1/2 qt yellow Cinderella bowls). I had no idea that I had two. We also have a 402 1 1/2 qt bowl and a 442 1 1/2 qt Cinderella bowl in a delicious apricot colour. It's one of my favourites and gets used a lot. I can't remember where I bought any of these, except for the divided dish. I bought it at a Value Village in St. Catharines for $9.99. It still stands as my most expensive Pyrex purchase to date. I suspect the other ones came from assorted Value Village stores.
#10 Does it get much sunnier than this?
#11. This is a 503 soft buttery-coloured baking dish. I like the understated colour and it's a handy size for a small family. I'm pretty sure I bought this at a Goodwill in St. Catharines for $3.00. #12 Apart from a butter dish that's buried somewhere in the basement, this 401 is my only piece of the coveted Butterprint pattern. I'm holding out for more. The bowl behind it is 441. Does anyone know the name of this pattern? #13 Here we have 442 which I think is Colonial Mist. This is the blue Cinderella bowl at the front. Interestingly enough, the size for this bowl and the 402 behind have sizes listed in metric. Using my keen sleuthing skills, I infer that they were made in Canada. They are both 1.5 litres. Over to the right is a 043 casserole dish with lid. I'm not sure what the pattern is on this casserole dish. Is the white bowl also Colonial Mist? The only piece here that I remember buying is the casserole dish, which I bought at a yard sale a couple of summers ago for next to nothing. I think I paid $1.00 for it.
#14 Well well, it's Forest Fancies 407 and 401, which I lovingly call "Shrooms." These came from Value Village and the bowl on the right is the one I famously went to war over. I was able to complain the price down to $3.99 and I still wasn't happy. #15 These bowls I named Big Red (15)and Little Red (410). The colour looks like femme fatale lipstick red. They came from a yard sale that was being run by a woman who was trying to clear out her collectable vintage kitchenware. I've dreamt of this sale repeatedly. I bought a bunch of stuff from her for a cheap flat rate. #16 The number on the bottom of this jade mixing bowl had worn away with time. I suspect it's very old. I paid $3.00 for it at a Goodwill in St. Catharines. #17 This 442 Daisy mixing bowl came from the same Goodwill as the jade bowl above. It too was $3.00, but badly scuffed. #18 Heres 045 Pink Daisy given to me by the "Queen of Pyrex" Valerie (of Vonlipi's Favorites). She mailed it to me and I was blown away by her kindness and packing skills. I still love it. #19 Here's some sundry English Pyrex that I still love. The little dish at the front is a 505. I bought it at a Goodwill in East York for $3.00, I believe. The other two are a vine pattern. They came from a Value Village store near my home. One is missing a lid and the other one has a lid that doesn't go with it, but still fits. #20 Here's the large, 475 Woodland dish. It's another metric baby (4.51 l). It's missing a lid. I bought it for $6.99 at my local VV and then spent the rest of the day kicking myself for being ripped off. #21 Here are two Pyrex bowls (14 & 22) made for Hamilton Beach. White is kind of boring, but they have a simple elegance to them. I forget what I paid for them, but I remember lugging them home from a sad Goodwill out in Scarborough.
#22
#23 Here's the piece that got me started collecting Pyrex in the first place. It's 22 Constellation divided dish with a cradle and candle warmer. It was bought at a church rummage sale for $5.00. It's in mint condition. When my mother found out I was collecting Pyrex, she gave me the exact same Constellation dish (cradle and all) that I'd forgotten had been in my family for years. Dad had given it to her as a Christmas gift after they were married in 1957. I still have a few other Pyrex pieces that aren't in these photos, such as my set of Old Orchard bowls that I'm contemplating getting rid of (perhaps as a donation to the staff room at my school so I have a Pyrex moment at work). I also have a set of those more modern clear-bottom Pyrex bowls which are quite nice. #24 Alright, this isn't Pyrex, but I wanted to share another treasure that was buried. This is a Made in Japan cowboy casserole set that I bought at a Goodwill in St. Catharines. The whole set, including salt and pepper, and oil and vinegar bottles cost $10.00. This was one of my happiest purchases ever. #25 They even included branding marks for decoration. #26 Close-up of bucking bronco and chuck wagon. #27 I see myself going out on the porch in a long suede skirt clanging on a triangle and yelling, "Ok boys - it's chow time!" #28 Yes, I have an obsession with post-war Made in Japan ceramics and crockery. I love the crude artwork and bright colours. I'm amazed that more people aren't charmed by it. It's plentiful and always cheaply priced. I mentioned this before, but my mother said that buying someone a gift that was Made in Japan in the sixties was considered the height of cheapness. I guess it would be like buying that special someone a gift from Dollarama today.
#29 More Made in Japan stuff I don't need, but love anyway.
#30 Here's a bunch of vitage Anchor Hocking, etc. bowls. #31 Here is my collection of milky glass mugs. Many of these are Fire King/Anchor Hocking. Pyrex didn't do many mugs from what I've seen, but I'm holding out for a Pyrex Ponderosa mug. Our family always went to Ponderosa for birthdays. Is that restaurant still going in the US? #32 Here's the last piece that was shut away in the storage room. It's a mallard duck hanging vase. I got it from the vintage lady's yard sale, so I got it for next to nothing. It doesn't really go with the look of our house, but I have a dream of having a cottage one day and I'll hang some of my Canadiana pieces in the hallway. It's always good to dream a little dream.
#33 Oops, I forgot a Pyrex picture. Let's call this Lime Love. Here we have a 024 lime green (2 qt) dish my mother gave me and a 209 lime green pie dish.
#34 Oops, I forgot my Spring Blossom fridgies, which were in my cupboard. Here we have 502 and two 501 respectively. You may recall that my good friend Mary Lou from work surprised me with them in January.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been popping my head into the local Value Village lately, but the cupboards have been bare and I mean BARE. I don't have a lot of money to be splashing about either, so it's just as well that I haven't found piles of goodies. Even thrifted finds can add up if you're not careful.
I'm hoping that this dry spell will end soon and if good fortune comes my way, I'll be able to share some photos by the weekend.
There are so many beautiful blogs out there, but I just had to mention An Apple a Day. Does anyone else know about it? I love nature and it's filled with gorgeous photos of flora. Click and take a little journey.
I'm a slightly off-beat Toronto-area teacher who enjoys writing and photography. I come from a family of collectors and now I'm dragging my own family around to yard sales. It's just a bit of fun. Enjoy the scenes.
Hey cats!
My husband and I stock a booth rammed to the rafters with vintage treasures at Valley Antiques in charming Dundas, Ontario. It's a few kilometers west of Hamilton. Come visit this best kept secret in Southern Ontario and swing by Valley Antiques. There are over 50 vendors selling cool and beautiful things and you won't be paying Toronto prices (speaking as a former Hogtown gal).
Click here to see some of our current inventory.
Visit Valley Antiques funny Facebook page
On An Apple a Day, I noticed photos from a recent beachcombing trip in and around New York. I'd always heard that you could find old bottles, etc. washed up at Toronto's Don River. This past weekend, I dragged Duncan on a long excursion to see what we could find. As you can see from the photos, we found some old bottles.
I can't wait for garage sale season! 
I visited my folks in St. Catharines yesterday. The cupboards were bare at the Value Village and Goodwill that I normally go to. There was scuffed up Pyrex at Value Village which I didn't buy. Nothing spectacular. I did get this flower cut out for my classroom for .50.
My find was this genuine Kathie Winkle platter which I got for $2.00 at GW. The lady at the checkout commented that it was underpriced. Start the car!
#2
#3 These were two bowls I thought were the same. I can hear Vonlipi now. "No, no, no, my child. Use your eyes!" Alright, what you're seeing is a 401 and a 403. These numbers sound more like highways than names for beautiful crockery. These came from Value Village (VV).
#4 These two go together. For the life of me, I can't think of their name and I'm having trouble identifying them. I'm sure if I hunt around on Pyrex Love or the Pyrex Collective, I'll figure it out. They're not part of Butterfly Gold are they? I believe the larger one says 407, but the bottom is a little worn. These came from VV fairly recently.
6. Ahh, a no-brainer. Friendship. Here we have 473 (1 qt white bowl with red and orange birds), 474 (2 qt orange with clear lid with birds), and 503 which is a white baking dish decorated with more of those pretty birds. The round dishes came from an independent thrift store in Owen Sound. I loved that the store owner hand wrote the prices in marker. The rectangular dish was a Christmas present from my niece.
#7. Friendship from above. The best part of this whole experience was when I had all of my Pyrex spread out on our dining table and my husband told me how great he thinks it is. He told me that now he understands why I love it so much. Yes!
#8 Spring Blossom bowls (Please let me know if one of them isn't.) The big one was my mother's. it is 444 (4qt). Yes, it's massive. My mother has used it for humongous bowls of mashed potatoes and stuffing at Christmas. The small bowl was a birthday gift from my sister Lise.
#9 Not-so mellow yellow: Here we have the Daisy oval divided dish. No number was on the bottom. We also have two 443 (2 1/2 qt yellow Cinderella bowls). I had no idea that I had two. We also have a 402 1 1/2 qt bowl and a 442 1 1/2 qt Cinderella bowl in a delicious apricot colour. It's one of my favourites and gets used a lot. I can't remember where I bought any of these, except for the divided dish. I bought it at a Value Village in St. Catharines for $9.99. It still stands as my most expensive Pyrex purchase to date. I suspect the other ones came from assorted Value Village stores.
#11. This is a 503 soft buttery-coloured baking dish. I like the understated colour and it's a handy size for a small family. I'm pretty sure I bought this at a Goodwill in St. Catharines for $3.00.
#12 Apart from a butter dish that's buried somewhere in the basement, this 401 is my only piece of the coveted Butterprint pattern. I'm holding out for more. The bowl behind it is 441. Does anyone know the name of this pattern?
#13 Here we have 442 which I think is Colonial Mist. This is the blue Cinderella bowl at the front. Interestingly enough, the size for this bowl and the 402 behind have sizes listed in metric. Using my keen sleuthing skills, I infer that they were made in Canada. They are both 1.5 litres. Over to the right is a 043 casserole dish with lid. I'm not sure what the pattern is on this casserole dish. Is the white bowl also Colonial Mist? The only piece here that I remember buying is the casserole dish, which I bought at a yard sale a couple of summers ago for next to nothing. I think I paid $1.00 for it. 
#14 Well well, it's Forest Fancies 407 and 401, which I lovingly call "Shrooms." These came from Value Village and the bowl on the right is the one I famously went to war over. I was able to complain the price down to $3.99 and I still wasn't happy.
#15 These bowls I named Big Red (15)and Little Red (410). The colour looks like femme fatale lipstick red. They came from a yard sale that was being run by a woman who was trying to clear out her collectable vintage kitchenware. I've dreamt of this sale repeatedly. I bought a bunch of stuff from her for a cheap flat rate.
#16 The number on the bottom of this jade mixing bowl had worn away with time. I suspect it's very old. I paid $3.00 for it at a Goodwill in St. Catharines.
#17 This 442 Daisy mixing bowl came from the same Goodwill as the jade bowl above. It too was $3.00, but badly scuffed.
#18 Heres 045 Pink Daisy given to me by the "Queen of Pyrex" Valerie (of Vonlipi's Favorites). She mailed it to me and I was blown away by her kindness and packing skills. I still love it.
#19 Here's some sundry English Pyrex that I still love. The little dish at the front is a 505. I bought it at a Goodwill in East York for $3.00, I believe. The other two are a vine pattern. They came from a Value Village store near my home. One is missing a lid and the other one has a lid that doesn't go with it, but still fits.
#20 Here's the large, 475 Woodland dish. It's another metric baby (4.51 l). It's missing a lid. I bought it for $6.99 at my local VV and then spent the rest of the day kicking myself for being ripped off.
#21 Here are two Pyrex bowls (14 & 22) made for Hamilton Beach. White is kind of boring, but they have a simple elegance to them. I forget what I paid for them, but I remember lugging them home from a sad Goodwill out in Scarborough.
#23 Here's the piece that got me started collecting Pyrex in the first place. It's 22 Constellation divided dish with a cradle and candle warmer. It was bought at a church rummage sale for $5.00. It's in mint condition. When my mother found out I was collecting Pyrex, she gave me the exact same Constellation dish (cradle and all) that I'd forgotten had been in my family for years. Dad had given it to her as a Christmas gift after they were married in 1957. I still have a few other Pyrex pieces that aren't in these photos, such as my set of Old Orchard bowls that I'm contemplating getting rid of (perhaps as a donation to the staff room at my school so I have a Pyrex moment at work). I also have a set of those more modern clear-bottom Pyrex bowls which are quite nice.
#24 Alright, this isn't Pyrex, but I wanted to share another treasure that was buried. This is a Made in Japan cowboy casserole set that I bought at a Goodwill in St. Catharines. The whole set, including salt and pepper, and oil and vinegar bottles cost $10.00. This was one of my happiest purchases ever.
#25 They even included branding marks for decoration.
#26 Close-up of bucking bronco and chuck wagon.
#27 I see myself going out on the porch in a long suede skirt clanging on a triangle and yelling, "Ok boys - it's chow time!"
#28 Yes, I have an obsession with post-war Made in Japan ceramics and crockery. I love the crude artwork and bright colours. I'm amazed that more people aren't charmed by it. It's plentiful and always cheaply priced. I mentioned this before, but my mother said that buying someone a gift that was Made in Japan in the sixties was considered the height of cheapness. I guess it would be like buying that special someone a gift from Dollarama today.
#30 Here's a bunch of vitage Anchor Hocking, etc. bowls.
#31 Here is my collection of milky glass mugs. Many of these are Fire King/Anchor Hocking. Pyrex didn't do many mugs from what I've seen, but I'm holding out for a Pyrex Ponderosa mug. Our family always went to Ponderosa for birthdays. Is that restaurant still going in the US?
#32 Here's the last piece that was shut away in the storage room. It's a mallard duck hanging vase. I got it from the vintage lady's yard sale, so I got it for next to nothing. It doesn't really go with the look of our house, but I have a dream of having a cottage one day and I'll hang some of my Canadiana pieces in the hallway. It's always good to dream a little dream. 
