I went to a huge warehouse sale that is put on once a year by a non-profit organization.  Sometimes I find things, sometimes I don't.  This year I meandered over to the housewares department and as I looked through the dishes, I spotted a purple vase. 

There was a lady standing in front of that particular part of the table and I kindly asked her, "Can you hand me the purple vase?"  On pins and needles for a fraction of a second, I wondered if she'd actually do it or recognize what it was and say no.

However, she gladly picked it up and handed to me.  I thanked her profusely and wandered off, trying to remain calm. Ahhhhhhhhhk!!

This is a Fiesta Lilac vase.  The color Lilac was only made for a two year time frame in the early 1990s.  The bud vases were limited to 1,000 pieces so to find one for a mere $3 was truly a bargain.  For more information, see  Dishes Delmar.

Fiesta Just Keeps Finding Me

Some of the best purchases I've made have come from thrift shops.  Over the last few months I have been fortunate enough to purchase two big lots of Lilac Fiesta dinnerware from one of my favorite shops.  If you're searching for great finds, thrift shops are truly the best!  There's always something for everyone.

 

 

Thrift Stores....

Thrift stores offer a wide variety of items for all sorts of shoppers. A few months back I happened into one of our local thrift shops just to browse.

As I searched through the shop I glanced over at a four-tiered rack that had been pushed out on the floor. It was stocked full of little trinkets and treasures just waiting to be unloaded to the store's shelves. My eyes flicked down to the second shelf and locked on to some dinnerware. My heart skipped a beat as I reached down and snatched up two vintage refrigerator jars, one of which had a lid. The jar with the lid was priced at $2.00 and the lone jar was $ .90!

I searched the remaining racks for another jar as these typically came in sets of three. Alas, no others were to be found, so I purchased my treasures and left happily.

This pattern is the Mexicana pattern from the Homer Laughlin China Company and was manufactured starting in the 1930's.

Anniversary Shopping

Our 14th wedding anniversary is this week.  In order to celebrate, we went shopping out of town.  We started at the Alameda Point Sale near San Francisco, CA.  Some of the dealers were absent due to the rain out last weekend, but some of the buyers were absent too!  As always there was a great selection of different vintage items.  This marked the first time I've ever seen more than just a couple of pieces of Homer Laughlin Mexicana.  There was a lady there that had maybe a 20 piece set (with a creamer, sugar, and casserole all with a lot of damage).  She wanted $500 for the set but couldn't seem to provide any sort of rationale as to why she thought they were worth that much (especially with the damage).  I just walked off and left it there, not for me!

I did see lots of interesting things on our little trip.  Tablecloths, clothes, hats, glassware.......

 

 

Much of it was over priced, but I did come home with one little treasure!  I found a Mexican theme tablecloth for $7.50!  After we got finished at the show, we decided to pop over to San Jose to hit the shops there.  There are really only two shops worth going to and when I got to the very last booth at the Antiques Colony, I found a set of Riviera.  I had to do a double take when I looked at the prices because at first I wasn't sure what I was looking at.  Casserole: $12, Creamer and Sugar Set $12, Gravy Boat $6, Cup and Saucer Sets $4 each, Salt and Pepper Set $10, then I got 10% off the total price.  Now that's what I call a BARGAIN!



Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.........

Last week we drove to Sacramento, CA and went to a favorite thrift shop of ours.  That's where I found this really awesome Christmas Tree shelf for $3.00.  It fits my Riviera and Fiesta salt and pepper shakers really well.  They look like bright little ornaments scattered about on the tree.  It'll be making another appearance in December....I think I need more shakers!

Vintage Finds

Rummage and Yard Sales are probably some of the best places to find vintage bargains.  All it takes is a careful eye and a bit of patience.  A local church advertised a rummage sale for today, so we went out shopping. I spent about $6.00 on the items pictured here.  I bought four cowboy divided plates ($3.00 for all), two beautiful tablecloths ($1 each), some Mexican bookends (.25 cents), and some bakelite (maybe) bracelets ($1.00).  I also found a little shoe that I think may be a vintage Monopoly piece (they threw it in with the bracelets).