Crafty Hens

I'm loving how Pinterest now recommends boards and pins that they think I may like.  I get all sorts of neat new ideas in my feed without having to go searching for them! How lovely! One project Pinterest so nicely brought to my attention was these amazing hand stitched felt French hens by mmmcrafts (link)! Just look at how darling these ladies are:

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I love the fun non-traditional colours they used and the adorable stitched details! I'd love to make one of these and hang it up in the kitchen or maybe even the front door! I feel like these are totally something my Grandma would have put up at the farm when I was a kid (making me love them even more) and are even a bit reminiscent of my favourite vintage pyrex pattern - butterprint:

Heck you could even make a hen from turqouise and white felt and make it even more butterprint-y! Lovely! Looks like I'm adding this project to my ever growing "to craft" list! What are your thoughts? Do you ever make weird felt things to hang on your walls? 

Extreme Pyrex Love

The last time I posted about Pyrex on here I had a tiny handful of pieces and was super stoked to share each one as I found it.  In the last three years my pyrex collecting has become quite extreme as I have enthusiastically thrifted a lot of these lovely vintage milk glass dishes. At first I was all about the 441s (the small cinderella style bowl with the handles) and 403s (the 3rd largest mixing bowl size) and then it became all about good deals and bowl sets. I now have well over 80 pyrex dishes, have completed oodles of bowl sets, and am still thrilled when I see these lovely dishes in the wild! I've also (obviously) picked up my thrift shopping game quite dramatically checking much more often for new pieces - and Fraser and I have made pyrex hunting one of our new past times! Ok...so it's really more my favourite hobby than Fraser's...but he is a good sport and wonderfully supports my excitement and purchases (what a great husband)! 

I'd really like to take some time and share all about my favourite pieces and amazing deals I've found but for today will share one of my favourite sets that are prime for using (unlike the rest of my collection that requires a step stool to get at)! Behold - my almost primary frankenset:

Isn't it lovely? The smallest and two largest bowls are from the classic primary mixing bowl set and I've swapped out a verde 402 for where the red bowl usually goes! I really dig the colour combination and am slightly less concerned about breaking them because they are all duplicates. Ack! Did I just admit that? Well - technically they aren't all duplicates. I have a completed 1940's unnumbered primary pyrex set on display on my living room/dining room dividing book shelf - and these bowls are numbered so they are newer and technically different. The verde 402 is indeed a duplicate, but I am super drawn to those olive/avocado greens so I'm not surprised I ended up with two. My other duplicates now hold succulents in my living room and I now have pictures of my collection saved on my phone so I can avoid mistakingly purchasing doubles in the future! Yay!

So my pyrex love has definitely become slightly more extreme - but I still rejoice over every last piece I manage to find and lovingly bring home to my hoard. It's certainly becoming harder and harder to find pieces I don't have but it certainly isn't going to stop me from looking! Is there anything you collect from thrift shops? How long has it taken you to build up your stash? 

so much love for pyrex

One area of my life I've been sorely lacking on sharing (but it totally consuming my brain waves these days) is my obsession with vintage pyrex. I love the cheery bright colours and patterns, how fun it is to treasure hunt for pieces in the wild, their utilitarianism, and how it gets me one step closer to pretty much being the coolest grandma ever! Sure I've shared a few of my finds over the years on the blog (link) but the lack of suitable lighting and backdrop in our apartment in Victoria pretty much stopped me from sharing any of my limited finds from the last two years.  My love for pyrex continues to grow as my collection slowly does and after a extremely successful pyrex hunt on my honeymoon I may have brought home 23 pieces with me from the US... Oh my. Unfortunately my house is still in a complete state of dismay, boxes, and renos, so I'm not at the stage of unpacking and enjoying my pyrex babies quite yet, but one day. I hope. 

Now that my wedding planning has stopped I've been focusing my attention on oogling pyrex collections and set ups on the internet much like the swoon-worthy loveliness of this one:

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Ah! Those colours! Those stacks! Those amazing completed sets! Oh! And mason jars and owls? It's perfect. I'm no where near this level of pyrex awesomeness and have decided once I get my pretties out on display in my kitchen I will take a good look on what I've got and try to organize my collecting so I don't end up dying in a pile of broken dishes one day when I try to find something on a shelf...minor details right? 

Fairfield Vintage Fair

One of my favourite things about living in Victoria is being able to go to the wicked Vintage Fairs in Fairfield! They pop up a handful of times a year and I save up all my thrift shopping urges for one fabulous morning of sifting through tables and tables of Victoria's best! This time around I was lucky enough to bring my good pal Heather with me too! What a treat! Heck, even the fall weather was on our side with some mild temperatures and sunshine (which you can sort of see in the background there):

Now onto the fair! Since I've been going to these fairs for a year now, I must say the fall shows are my favourite. I feel like all the vendors spend their summer vacations scrounging the world for sweet vintage finds and being them all back for me to peruse in September! It was tons of fun peeking around at things with Heather since we have such similar taste and could casually browse all the tables and point out items the other may have missed - and boy - was there ever a lot to look at! Just check out a few shots I snapped of the show:

Oh it was so much fun and there were so many goodies I fell in love with! I even managed to pick up a few that fell into my "I only like to buy bargains" category. I ended up with four necklaces, a pendant, some jade clip on earrings, a big silvery brooch, and a silk scarf! Take a peek:

I really love the bright shiny gold necklaces and am fairly confident I was urged to get them solely based on how much Murder She Wrote I've been watching. If Angela Landsbury can rock those statement costume jewels I am sure I can too! Oh and I am extra in love with the cross stitched pendant I picked up! Now I just need to get some chain and I'll be set! Woo! 

And just in case you aren't into the costume vintage accessories...how about his absolutely darling butterprint fridgie:

Ah! My long dry spell of no pyrex is officially over with this baby - I mean who can say no to teal and white farm prints? Not me! So good! Now to patiently wait for the next fair to see what else I can find...

The Pyrex Collective

Happy Sunday morning to you! Even though I have been extra busy with the move and never ending unpacking/organizing/cleaning that is associated - I thought I'd take a moment to tell you about my progress with my Pyrex collecting! You may remember my first 4 pieces (link, link, and link) but I'm happy to welcome another wonderful addition to my kitchen! What is it you wonder? Well looks like you'll have to hop over The Pyrex Collective II - a lovely collaborative blog with loads of pyrex lovers just like me:


What fun! I love sharing my pyrex finds with other collectors and although I am still very new to thrift shopping for pre-loved casserole dishes, I have been a pyrex fan for ages and am always thrilled to see other people's fantastic collections! Oh - and if you're a new visitor (perhaps from the PCII post) - welcome! I may not be the most consistent blogger of my collection, but I try my best. Oh, and since I'm still a bit behind on my posts (a house full of unpacked boxes and my m.i.a. camera make picture taking a little difficult) I assure you there are more pyrex finds on the way! Hooray!

Welcome to the collection!

Last Sunday I had the most wondrous day with my best pal Lindsay. We seized the day, gave the sun a salutation (in the form of an extra long yoga workshop), and even had a nice healthy (and delicious) lunch! To continue on with the early birthday celebrations she had planned, I also received two pieces I am particularly excited about (and I did hint to on a post earlier this week if you caught on). Behold - my two new wheat themed pyrex dishes to add to my collection:


Aren't they wonderful? I've been blogging about my pyrex love for some time now and despite my best thrift shopping efforts have only been able to find two little bowls for my tiny little collection. Well! Now my vintage pyrex collection has doubled in size! Hooray! I can't wait to go to bake some (hopefully cheesy) creations in my new orange dishware! OoOo! Maybe someone will even invite me to a potluck! Best of all? They match my very first vintage find to make a complete pyrex trio (a dream come true):



I felt the need to do a looking up the stack shot of my dishes with the halo of light behind them was necessary to fully express my emotion and excitement about this present and I hope it does the trick for you. Now I just have to convince Fraser that it isn't weird to want to sleep next to your dishes and I'll be set! (Just kidding....) OoOo maybe Victoria will be a new found gold mine of pyrex for me to discover next month! What do you think? Do you have pyrex love?

Friday Find: Pyrex!

Okay, so the title of this post is a little misleading. No, I did not manage to find a beautiful handful of vintage pyrex dishes to swoon over like this image below, but I did find the picture on pinterest...which is almost as good right? Just take a look (and drool) at this stack:


Aren't they lovely? My current collection consists of two little dishes (this wheat one and this orange and white flowered one), a few glass measuring cups, and a handful of clear lunch sized pieces with snap on lids. Not exactly the "collection" I am dreaming of, but I will continue to scour the thrift store and garage sale shelves to build on it. How about you - are you in love with vintage Pyrex too? If not - any bowls in varying ultra useful sizes you'd like to pass on my way? I promise I would be extra grateful! Hooray!

Thrifted Goods - Part II

Remember those fun thrifted goods I picked up this past Thursday? Well I'm putting them (well...one of them...) to use holding dinosaurs:


Rar! Don't those dinos look at home in that pyrex? I think so. You may wonder why I have such a selection of plastic prehistoric creatures - but here is a not so subtle hint:


Hehehe! That's right! I am one step closer to my dream of a gold dino terrarium! And yes...that t-rex is way too big for that jar, but the little guys just didn't have the same effect for that image. Now to get on with the planting and painting to complete this project...wish me luck...

Thrifty Thursday...on a Sunday

This past Thursday the stars aligned and somehow (seriously, it was quite the anomaly) a bunch of the girls from work and I all managed to have the same day off! Finally we had the chance to do all those things we always talk about doing "one day"! Hooray!

We met up bright and early and started the day off with some vintage cabochon stud buying. Ok, so I felt a little like a peddler selling my wares out of a Tupperware container at a coffee shop, but they had asked me to bring them to look at and I did offer them a wicked "you're my friends so I won't charge you full price" deal! My tub o' earrings dwindled a bit as my wallet grew and when we were all done we were ready to hit the town! First stop - thrift shopping! We started out at my favourite thrifty destination and after some wicked wheeling and dealing we went downtown to continue with the thrifty goodness! Look how excited everyone is:


Next it was off to lunch! Post-food we did some lovely loose leaf tea shopping and a quick trip to the mall! Oh my! The day was jam packed with wonderful moments, great finds, and loads of laughs. Clearly we need to arrange more of these joint days off things more often!

Now for the fun part - showing off my sweet finds! The best buy of the day award definitely goes to Alanna the proud new owner of a $1 faux wood tin porta file:


Ahahaha. It is so much fun going to thrift stores with piles of girls. Sure you may miss out on a few items (no, I don't really have a use for the porta file, but I do think it is hilarious), but you see so many more great things than when you go alone! If you think shopping with one set of eyes is effective you should try seven. Just when you think you've seen every last pre-loved gem in a shop, someone points out something that you clearly need to make your life complete. Ok, perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but it was a very, very fun day. Okay - now onto my finds (in list form too!):

1) Mason Jars!

Second hand stores proved to be a great (and supremely cheap) source for glass jars! They had loads of different shapes and sizes of mason jars perfect for a whole assortment of crafts I've been dreaming about! I got a nice thin tall one to use as a flower vase, a neat mid sized jar with an awesome glass lid (which I've never seen before...and don't really have any plans for...I just liked the lid), and three short squat jars I'm hoping to use as indoor herb planters! Sounds fun hey?

2) Pyrex number two!


My minute collection of pyrex is growing with my second cute find! It is the exact same size and shape as my first piece (the orange wheat one) too! How handy!

3) Glass Jar!!!


Yes, I am so excited about this find that it deserves three (yes three) exclamation marks! This baby cost me a mere $2 is will be perfect for a project I have planned...any guesses?

4) Old lady clip on earrings!


Another perk of thrift shopping with friends? They tell you when that long white pleated skirt you tried is both hideous and unflattering. Apparently I have a keen eye for picking out the most granny chic (or in many cases not chic at all) pieces and these earrings were no exception! They called to me like a shiny gold and silver beacon and I just had to have them! Unlike many of the old lady items I tried on and got talked out of, these babies can be a subtle addition to my wardrobe. Good call girls. Also the fact that they are clip on is sort of exciting since they won't stretch out my earring holes and are surprisingly comfortable to wear! What a buy!

I also picked up some super delicious teas and a few cleavage concealing bandeaus which I didn't include in the thrifted purchases list since buying consumable goods and undies from second hand stores is pretty gross. So what do you think? Do you ever try shopping with mobs of females? Anyone else have any fun thrift shopping stories to share? How do you like my finds?

Pyrex Love

My friend Alanna always swoons over my little Pyrex dishes I bring my meals in to work. Fraser bought us a set of clear glass Pyrex in a whole assortment of sizes back when we moved in to our place in September and I've been loving how handy (and easy to clean) they are with their little snap on rubber lids! Good buy Fraser! Just goes to show you some of the awesome deals you can find at Zellers!

Well, I've been seeing loads of old Pyrex dishes on loads of blog posts lately and I realized how trendy old Pyrex is becoming! It makes sense too! Pyrex are super high quality and utilitarian, relatively inexpensive, and every household seems to have them! Alanna even pointed me in the direction of the amazing Pyrex related blog Pyrex Love and I haven't been able to stop thinking about starting my own Pyrex collection! Just check out their amazing slideshows on flickr! What's not to love?

Lindsay and I went to some thrift stores a few Fridays ago to look for a suitable laundry/jewelry/storage dresser/cabinet (yes, that's a lot of slashes...) for her bathroom and look at the fun find I landed on our journey:


Ahaha! My very own vintage (well...I wouldn't really classify this as "vintage" but it is used) Autum Harvest dish! I love the fun bright pattern and colour of the bowl and the $1 price tag didn't exactly break the bank. The condition isn't the greatest (there are a few chips in the orange finish) but I still love it and it makes great storage for my felt creations I have on hand:


What do you think? Do you have your own collection you'd like to share? Any tips for the novice thrift store shopper? What fun!