Hazel Atlas white Ripple

Another patch of months I've gone without a post. I just don't hit the thrift stores nearly as much any more despite the fact I've picked up an item or two most of the times I do.

I picked up these pieces of Hazel Atlas Ripple at least a month apart and from totally different thrift stores, which I thought was pretty crazy. Especially considering that I've gone several years where the only piece of undecorated white I owned was a single bowl.
 

The 3 colorways Ripple was available in - as far as I know of - were the plain, undecorated white, pink, and turquoise blue. I believe there was at least one later variation that seemed to use the Ripple mold, but was amber glass. There was an unmarked set of this variation at a local antique shop for years, but it never crossed my mind to take a picture of it before the store closed up shop some time ago.

I've bought many separate pieces for my mega-set of mixed colors, but for some reason I've mostly only come across a single color at a time. I bought a set that was service for 7 on my husband's birthday several, several years ago. Then found a set of pink on my birthday. But during this time I've never spotted more than a piece or two of white. I'm pairing these with a Hazel Atlas drinking glass pattern that is boomerang and available in the same colors but was additionally made with jadeite green boomerangs as well as yellow. I have far fewer of the glasses than placesettings at this point, but I just love the combination together, so I'm content to continue hunting down glasses in person.


And now for your moment of kitch, I couldn't resist this Inarco owl taper candle holder for a dollar fifty nine, as well as this unopened set of scoops that seem to have survived several yardsales before being donated to the thrift shop. They are advertisement for a local bank, and I just liked the little piece of local history attached to them.

Hope all is well where you are, and that you are still finding nifty vintage goodies where you are! I need to hit the thrift stores much more often than I have because they are starting to put out all the holiday goodies, and I'd sure hate to miss out on vintage Christmas tree ornaments. My favorite!

Happy Thrifting!

Thrift and comic book haul

First up, a few thrift finds:

Pyrex! It's been too long, old friend!

And even though Autumn Harvest has never been one of my main patterns, I will not pass up these prices.

$2.99 and $.99! It's like it's the past!

 And speaking of the past, it's Twin Peaks, my true love. Lol!

I was a wee youngun when the original series was on tv. And I'm sure I've mentioned before how I only got to watch every other episode when it came on, because I had to share a tv with my grandmother who watched Murder, She Wrote, every other week.

My husband found the bowls and the book for me, and it was his idea to even stop at the thrift in the first place, so props to him for finding me cool loot!

Onto the comic book haul.

At Books-A-Million, comics were buy 3 get 2 free, so I added 3 recent back issues to my Saga collection, and picked up a few Spawn as well. I finally broke down and added Saga to a folder at a local comic book shop, but reading-wise I'm not up to these issues yet, so they are just going into my box until I get caught up to them.

Spawn is another book we'll likely add to the folder. We've been buying some back issues here and there, and are missing a giant gap in between. Like all good teenage nerd boys of the 1990's, my husband had around the first 18 issues, then nothing. Apparently lots of people did the same and lots of issues in the 100's-to early 200's are low print runs, and an expensive prospect to collect. I just like adding to my husbands collection when we find them in inexpensive back issues.

And these are the last of our new issues we've picked up.  I'm really liking Farmhand so far, and I've yet to read the rest. I'm hanging in on Skyward because I love the concept, and the story is solid enough, I would just love to see it pick up and surprise me.

Same with Blackwood. I am an Evan Dorkin fan, and I absolutely love the cover art by Veronica and Andy Fish. I'm hanging in there and looking forward to the new Beasts of Burden 4-part series that starts in about a month.

And finally, some back issue love:

Run the Jewels variant on this Black Panther issue. Plus it's always a treat to get Brian Stelfreeze interior art.

I picked this guy up randomly just because it was 90 cents and I loved the cover.

Another variant cover to Archie #1. Not going to lie, I bought this for the Fiona Staples interior art.

One dollar or less back issues. I'm really digging Bilquis Evely art and keeping an eye out for anything she does when I'm digging around the random back issue boxes. Also pleasant surprise that one of my favorite, favorite artists in comics Bill Sienkiewicz was the inker on this cover. So nice convergence there of artists! Definitely keeping my eyes open for the other issues.

Also didn't realize when I bought this issue that this was the first of a 3 issue Supergirl run by Kelly Sue Deconnick. Trying to check out more of her work as well. Recently heard that she is going to be writing Aquaman soon, so I think I'll be checking that out as well.

And finally, a couple of randoms I've yet to read. Both of these were out of the dollar box. I picked up a used copy of the first Chew trade and am loving it so far, so I thought this ridiculous one-shot was very charming.

So that's it for my thrift and comic books hauls.

Hope you're finding fabulous treats and treasures where you are!

Happy Hunting!

Comic Book Haul

I realize this is a bit different for my blog, but since I haven't been hunting for or finding much in the way of vintage glassware as of late, I thought I would talk about some of the other things I've collected over the years, and hopefully rediscover some of the cool stuff I've had packed away for a while.

My husband and I have recently been going through, culling, organizing, replacing worn out long boxes from his 30+ year old comic book collection. There's been a period for probably the last 10 years where neither one of us had bought a comic book. My collection lived in a single long box along with his *cough* several many long boxes.

I'm not sure what inspired this renewal of interest exactly, but I'd say the Doctor Strange movie might have started it back. That was one of his favorite characters back in the day, but he'd never had a very solid run on any Doctor Strange series.

My collection consisted mainly of Sandman, The Maxx, and Strangers In Paradise. I'd been content over the last 25 years to pick up an issue or two on the rare instance I came across an issue I thought I didn't have when they turned up at antique stores or thrifts.

But of course organizing leads to wanting to pick up the missing issues, and *suddenly* we are visiting comic book stores and books stores on a regular basis. But most of our purchases have been back issues from dollar boxes or cheaper. Hard to resist when sometimes we are picking up issues for less than a quarter.

I've decided to try to post hauls when I can. I'm also trying to implement a rule that all new comics coming in must be read before we go hunting for more. That one is a hard one to stick to, but it's just too easy to pick up a stack of bargain books and not realize what all you've bought. So, onto the haul!

A Touch of Silver by Jim Valentino was one of those books I had heard of by reputation but had never actually seen for sale. I was (and AM) a big fan of Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore, and both of these titles tended to be referenced together as dealing with more serious, emotional topics. Not your typical super hero book.

And speaking of Terry Moore, he gets a nod in the letters pages of this issue - which, by the way is a veritable who's who of comic book greatness. I hope to find more issues of this title in the wild. Not going to lie, I teared up a little.

Terry Moore is one of two creators (along with Fiona Staples) who I am actually thinking of trying to pick up all their published work. Which is, no lie, a tall order. I picked up with issue of Spiderman loves Mary Jane for a dollar. I haven't read it yet, but I believe he wrote five issues of this 'season two' and also did the covers.

Echo was the last title I bought any of before my husband and I fell off of buying any comic books. I believe I have the first 12 issues, which I started getting after Strangers in Paradise ended. Happy to pick these up out of back issues for a dollar each.

I've also been picking up Fiona Staples books when I find them in back issues. She was the interior artist on Archie #1-3 (this number one is my first issue, and introduction to the Archie reboot that has paved the way for the tone shift in the Archie universe, like the show Riverdale.)
 

I'm not sure if I'm doing myself a disservice making myself read each new comic when they come in, especially this final issue #6 of The Secret History of The Authority: Hawksmoor. I read it, don't really know what's going on. At all. (Not worried though, my husband can wiki me on pretty much anything comics, because he has that nerd magic that seems to absorb and keep up with comics he's never read).

Another tie to Fiona Staples, Brian K Vaughn's Paper Girls. Jumping in on issue 2 is also not something I'd recommend to anyone like me who is prone to vaguely disliking anything I don't immediately understand what's going on. And I never know with comic books if the first issue is going to be findable for a reasonable price. Luckily this one has a one dollar Image Firsts reprint edition, so hopefully I'll come across one of those soon.

 And of course, can you mention Fiona Staples and Brian K Vaughn without mentioning Saga? I've only started reading this series a few weeks back, but I've plowed through the first 5 graphic novels, and am finding myself slowing down, because it will be all too soon before I'm caught up and having to wait until each new issue comes out. So I consoled myself with this my-favorite-tshirt-ever purchase from the saga shop - A Lying Cat shirt!

If you are a dish-friend who has read this post even if you are totally not into comics, I'll put it to you this way - Saga is pink Pyrex levels of good. And Lying Cat is the Starburst space saver of characters.

Yay. I've managed to make exactly no sense to anyone. lol.

But seriously. Lying Cat is the greatest of great things. And I will wear this shirt so much. It's so soft, sized true, and arrived so quickly, even though I chose the cheapskate 4 dollar shipping. 

All bargain books. A Sandman issue I didn't have, and the Death: The Time of your life series. These books sell as bargain issues now, but back in my day (grabs my walking stick and starts shaking it) - Back in my day, these issues had some value and weren't in the bargain box.

Still, I love them, glad to get them. Grump.

Going through my husbands comics I have discovered that I really, really love Bill Seinkiewicz art. These gorgeous covers were just 50 cents each. I'm not sure if I'm going to collect entire series or just a little hoard of his covers that I love. My husband has New Mutants issues that I'd totally steal if they weren't his childhood comic books.

This was a random dollar book I pulled because Amanda Conner just seems like one of the nicest, most talented women in comics game. My husband has a con sketch from her, which I believe he said even predates the character Harley Quinn. This cover reminds me of a youtube video I watched of her drawing Harley, saying something to the effect of how her default mood was "hungry". Which I think is just funny and totally perfect.

Random Invader Zim issue for a quarter. This is one of those characters that feels a little after my time. But for a quarter it will live in with my random issues of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Squee!, and Lenore.

And finally, I think I saved the best for last.

I am buying Jim Lee X-Men issues and I do not know why.

Mostly because this, to me, is the most road-not-taken in my life of casual comics fandom.

In the Image founding days, I would not have touched these books with a ten foot pole. My entire comic collection was Sandman and The Maxx. I was goth. I could not be bothered with superheroes.

Now that I'm as ancient as the hills, I want every Image comic ever. No, not kidding. But not really, either. I just want to see these books with new eyes. The book whose #1 sold 8.1 million comics and set a record not likely to be bested until some genius invents a way to sell comic books to people who don't want them.

I want Jim Lee's run, and I'm just a little bit pissy that I've gotten all of these for 50 cents each, but can't find the KEY ISSUE FIRST APPEARANCE SPEC BOOK Omega Red issues that I could care less about as individual issues, but just want so I have the Jim Lee run to read in order.

So that's my haul. Hopefully I'll get these read and have some new ones to post fairly soon.

And again, I know this is not my usual content, but I hope it's enjoyable anyway. And if not, I will probably be back with a dish haul sometime in the future.

Hope all is well with you!

Happy Collecting!

This Old Bowl

On this weeks episode of This Old Bowl - My first purchase - that I can actually remember, lol.

I'm really not sure if this was my first Pyrex bowl find, but it's definitely the first purchase I can clearly remember making. If I took the time to pursue This Old Blog here, I might be able to find evidence one way or the other. But at this point, I blog infrequently enough I'm just going to march on with this post lest I get distracted and let another 6, 8, 10 months go by without an update.

At any rate, this bowl was purchased at the now defunct Antique Store in my hometown, one of the very first times if not THE first time I was going to an antique store specifically to hunt for vintage Pyrex.

It was sometime in 2010, and probably before I ever started this blog. Or likely even dreamed I'd start an online blog for my thrift store and antique hauls.

I also bought something Snowflake Blue, though now I cannot remember what.

The blue dots bowl was in the last booth before we rounded back to the entrance. It was expensive (to me), but the whole booth was on some sort of discount that would made it 8 dollars.

8 dollars was a lot to me for Pyrex. And it had the tiniest sliver chip around the rim, which wasn't helping me spend the money on it.

My sweet husband gave me what in the future he would say probably several hundred more times - the first, "You want it. Go ahead and get it, honey" of his husband career.

It was quite a long time after that before I added a single additional dots bowl, so I was very pleased I'd picked this one up while I had the chance.

It probably took me another 5 years to finish the set, and let me tell you, the last bowl I bought was the largest green dots 404, and I paid a whole lot more than 8 dollars for it. 

Looking back, there are things now I wish I'd been a whole lot less patient about. Lol! Is that even a thing? Regretting patience?

Lets see, I remember when you could buy a Starburst online for less than 30 dollars shipped. I watched a black Starburst sell for around 11 once on ebay. This was all before the facebook groups even existed.

I remember Corelle Corner, forums on microwavecookingforone that I used for reference a few times. I remember amazing contributors on the Pyrex Love flickr group. The SITE Pyrex Love, when it was still quasi- active.

There's been so much change in this time I can't even name half of it.

So for now I will wrap up this weeks episode of This Old Bowl, and wish you the best of luck out there finding thrifty treats and treasures!

Happy Thrifting!