Welcome 2021 and welcome everyone to a brand new year. I know we all are hopeful that this year will be better for everyone than was 2020. It’s a new thrifting year as well. Although we venture out with masks firmly in place and hand sanitizer in the car for use after every stop, we are happy to be back out looking for treasures. Thought I would share some recent finds.
The goblets above are Waterford from two different patterns. They are older and really beautiful probably about 2000 vintage. We ran cross an antique store that was closing the last day in 2020. The proprietors were retiring after many years and there were substantial discounts with many of the vendors. These glasses were a wonderful deal and I will be using them a lot. Already have them featured in one of the more recent blogs.
I have a real weakness for silver flatware services and when I find an exceptional bargain I usually jump on it. This was one of those finds. Service for eight including demitasse spoons, seafood forks, and iced tea spoons. It also came with a gravy spoon, two serving spoons, two serving forks, bread and butter knife and a sugar spoon.
In the first picture you can see the tarnish. It doesn’t show that well in the picture but these were really in need of cleaning and looked unappealing. In the next two pictures you can see how beautifully they are after a little silver polish and elbow grease. They came in their original box with a few of the original plastic sleeves. The pattern is Prelude by Eldan.
The next thing is a 14 inch serving bowl by Mikasa in the Italian Countryside pattern. Beautiful bowl with not a scratch or mark on it. Looks like it has never been used. Things often are found that go together…I don’t know why…it’s one of those unwritten laws of thrifting. At a different store I found this Mikasa Italian Countryside Tea Service. It’s in all the original wrapping so I haven’t pulled it out yet. It comes with a teapot, cream and sugar and two cups and saucers. What fun to find these the same day at different stores and at amazingly low prices.
We were in Goodwill and looking at their glassware section. I find that the glassware from a set is not always together in one place so there is a little bit of hunting involved, if you see something interesting. This is German cut crystal by Wittwer. Some of the pieces still had the original stickers. I was able to come up with a set of 8 in three different sizes; wine glasses, sherbets, and champagnes. All of them were in great shape and sparkle after cleaning. When you find something in a thrift store don’t be discouraged from purchasing it just because it’s dirty. Soap and water do wonders for a piece bringing it from dull to beautiful. The price doesn’t hurt either and individual glassware pieces often sell for about 50 cents apiece.
I’m very fond of gadgets and this one was brand new in the original still sealed packaging. It’s a Cuisinart Spice and Nut Grinder. I do a lot of cooking with herbs and spices so this will come in handy.
Finally, I found this really pretty coffee and tea service. The first picture shows the coffee and tea service with the addition of a water pitcher all sitting on a silver tray. The tray and water pitcher were found in separate stores. I had been looking for a tray for awhile and couldn’t find one in good shape that was large enough. Walked in to an SOS thrift store and there it was. I had just priced one exactly like it in a consignment shop for $140.00. This one was nowhere near that price $24 and they had a discount that day so it ended up being around $16. I was thrilled.
The tray was polished pretty much as you see it when I bought it but the other silver was blackened. It took several try’s to bring it back but it was worth the effort. It’s a good feeling to bring something that was probably treasured by a family back to life.
We also found some great glass ornaments by Christopher Radko. Two of them sell for $90 and we purchased them for about $8. I didn’t show them here as they are already packed away for Christmas next year. All in all a great start to the thrifting year.
As most of you know, hubby Ron sells a lot online on eBay and other venues. Mostly stuff he finds in thrift stores. I really try hard to keep the things I purchase and keep within the profits that he makes selling online. It pretty much works and we often end up with a profit for the year. 2020 was a much more expensive year for purchasing beautiful items but we still managed to stay within budget. This way I can buy without a twinge. Maybe just a little twinge.
Hope you all have an opportunity to find some wonderful treasures this year. Happy Thrifting!