Vintage Fiesta mixing bowls

 This here is my new baby. A #6 original green Fiesta mixing bowl. An online auction win. And of course the shipping ended up being as much as the bowl itself - which is why I rarely buy online.

One of the reasons I decided to go for it is because of this detail:

Inside rings. Which indicates that this bowl was made between 1936, when they began production, and 1938, when they dropped the rings, smoothed out the inside, and changed the backstamp.

Not the clearest photo, but here's an example. These are both #5 bowls. The red is earlier.

Different backstamps. Red bowl has inside rings.

Call me crazy but I love details like these. There is a similarity here with the earliest Primary Pyrex bowls, a variation that doesn't have a name, but I call the TM REG bowls. These early Pyrex bowls are thicker, have some color variation and aren't numbered on the bottom.

With both the early Fiesta & Pyrex bowls, I think what I like about them the most is that they are actually less perfect than the later bowls. On the early Fiesta bowls, the glaze isn't as even, the Fiesta mark is smaller and plainer. But that's my dream set - to own all 7 bowls with inside rings, inside and outside bowls in turquoise. And I'm not even entirely sure that turquoise bowls are to be found with the inside rings since turquoise did not make it's debut until some time in 1937.

Oh well, a girl can dream can't she?

 I've got a ways to go before I have a whole set. I'm over halfway there if you count my very, very whooped-up tiny yellow number one bowl. Which brings me to a story about what a sucker I am when it comes to Fiesta mixing bowls.

See that little guy to the right? Poor little whooped-up bowlsie. It was a pity purchase, but also, because if I were any more of a sucker, they'd put a wrapper over me and ship me off to the candy store.....

What happened was, I was in a local antique store. This guy here was unpriced. Really, really bad condition. I mean, unspeakably bad. In addition to all the chips, it was absolutely grey, inside and out with utensil marks. Somebody didn't just use this bowl - they used the H. E. Double Hockey Sticks outta this bowl. And they musta been super angry when they when they used the H. E. Double Hockey Sticks out of it, too.

But you get the idea. So I fall for the oldest trick in the book. I inquire a price on this poor, decimated mixing bowl, and I get the whole "Oh, make me an offer".

So what did I say? Why, the first thing that popped in my head (which, if you are in my head, you'd totally know that's never a good idea).

I said "Well, no more than 5 dollars."

5 dollars! You sucka. You lollipop! 5 dollars.....for the worst conditioned thing you've ever seen in your whole life. 5 dollars, why I aughta!

At that moment, if I could have gone back in a time machine, what I would have said was "Well, no more than 50 cents."

But no, the damage was done. And I am the proud owner of a very chippy Fiesta mixing bowl.

He became substantially cuter when I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned on him with Bar Keeper's Friend. That stuff is a lifesaver.

(Get it? Sucker....Lifesaver.)

Yep.

Okay kids, I'm out.

Happy Treasure Hunting!

Happy Junk

 This is just about the best thrift haul I've had in ages.

First up, just about the dumbest thing I spent money on - a divided lid for a Pyrex divided dish. 2.99 just for a lid, and this fool girl bought it. I just don't find stray lids anymore, for practically any size Pyrex dish. They're just not to be found. So I paid the price. Just out of curiousity, I wonder if they thought this was a complete dish since, theoretically, you could use it to serve two separate things. Or were they just knowingly being greedy? sigh....


Still, everything was expensive. The blue Pyrex fridgie with lid was 4.99 at a church thrift. Double sigh. Bought it anyway. The loaf pan is an unmarked Glasbake in a pattern I've never seen, so of course I had to have it for 2.99 from the same thrift.

At another store I bought this small dishwashed-to-death Pyrex dinnerware bowl. I wouldn't have paid good money for it, but it was on a 10 cent rack. At that price it was more of a 'rescue' than a purchase. The woman running the store wasn't going to let me off the hook though. She thrust a glass donation jar in front of me with a look on her face like I would deeply insult the Lord if I did not make a further donation, so I dumped out all my change in to it. I'm a wuss like that.

Next up, I LOVE these guys! These are fired-on color, vitrock Lotus bowls made by Anchor Hocking. I've never seen an original box for these, but I believe they were sold as snack sets, in sets of 4. The color I'm missing altogether is a fired-on jadeite green shade. These were also made in real Jadeite, as well as at least some pieces in Azurite (pale blue), Forest Green & Peach Lustre. I've said before on this little blog that of all Jadeite pieces that Anchor Hocking/Fire King made, I'd like these the most.

But I'll settle for these, for sure. They were GW purchases, 99 cents per plate, 79 cents per bowl. Also, one of the things to look out for with vitrock is that it just doesn't look like glass. Anchor Hocking made a number of these types of pieces in vitrock, and they can look downright ceramic. But they are definitely glass.

And finally, super mega ultra Happy Dance. A cool vintage table. It's dirty, rusty, and possibly stained forever, but it is mine, and was totally in the budget at a sweet $12.99. Now that's more like it, Mr. Thrift Store. LOL

It's small enough that the tiny vintage tablecloths I have actually fit on it. God help me if I start tablescaping....

Yes, the wonky angle was intentional. This is my very disordered laundry room, the temporary home of this fabulously junktacular find. And I am trying to hide my mess, yes sirreee.

Hope the Junk gods are being kind to you this week! Happy Hunting!

Pyrex Glamour Shots

Yesterday I broke down and bought two pieces of Pyrex from a local antique store - a Town & Country fridgie & a Daisy bowl.

The daisy bowl completed my set.
 

I'm sorta surprised by the fact that after 2 years of collecting, this is only the 3rd Cinderella bowl set I've pieced together.

And sadly, I can't say that I totally love this set. Meaning, it may end up for sale. My 'Antiques Sensei' would tell me "love on it for a little while, then sell it" - which is exactly what I plan to do.

And finally, only the top right fridgie is new, but when I saw how vibrantly yellow the pattern is, I thought it would make a cute Pyrex Glamour shot with a Daisy yellow fridgie below it. They really are the same color.



Happy Treasure Hunting! 

July thrifting

Thrifting has been incredibly disappointing lately. That's why when I found these guys here, it felt like the sky opened up and the Hallelujah Chorus was playing.

Or maybe it has something to do with the top guy being called "Blue Heaven". Lol.

The top dish is an unmarked Fire King cake pan. I'm not sure that it even had a lid originally, but the thrift store paired it with a domed Pyrex lid that fits it. Makes it look rather bulbous and space-y, so I'm going to keep them together. And at $3.99, I was pleased with the price.

The dish below is a divided Pyrex dish - a promotional pattern called "Dandelion Duet". Despite the fact that it's a gold-leaf pattern, it was high on my wishlist. It was a tad pricier at 5.99. But I was still very pleased to find it. At this point, it's getting harder and harder to find Pyrex that I want that I don't have at a price I can afford. So I'm pretty overjoyed the now rare times that actually happens!

This thrift score was a couple of weeks ago. Oh my childhood! I'm hangin' tough with this absolutely fantastically amazing slumber party/overnight New Kids bag. And I only paid 49 cents for it! Yep. You heard me right. You got the right stuff, there, thrift store!

That's the right stuff.

(I'm so punny today!)

And finally, a cool score from an antique store. These are the 3 smallest measuring cups from a set of 4, made by Jeannette Glass in the Depression Era.

Depression Era Jeannette Glass measuring cups in Delphite

These are delphite - which, to my knowledge, hasn't been reproduced in this style. Same CANNOT be said for these same measuring cups in Jadite. At the time I bought them, I wasn't sure they weren't repro's, not totally. But they were only 15 dollars. And they had some giveaway hallmarks that they were the real deal - some flea bite chips on the smallest measure as well as some general dirtiness and staining that convinced me on the spot that they were the real deal. I'm almost certain I've handled a repro Jadite set of these measuring cups before, and for one "tell" they are always very shiny and clean with no apparent damage. Now dirt doesn't necessarily mean age, but when it comes to vintage kitchen glass, dirt and wear is usually a very positive indicator of authenticity!

The dealer who sold me these practically apologized that they weren't Jadite, as though they were the only ones that had value. For the last few years, I've been under almost the opposite impression - blue kitchen glass from this era can be just as valuable as green glass, and sometimes even more so. Such as in the case with a special shade of blue called "Chalaine", which is even more of a Robin's Egg blue than the delphite pictured here.

At any rate, these are a real treasure to me. Something I definitely would not have been able to pay "book price" for.

Hope you are finding thrifty treasures!

Thrift roundup

 See this sweet little lady bear? She's missing most of her cold paint now, but she sure is cute, even without it.

 And she's got a buddy. This charming gentleman right here. He's got a touch more paint left, but we just won't mention it to lady bear, in case it makes her jealous. After all, why would he have more decoration than she, when they are actually the same cookie jar!

Add caption

 Now, I've yet to fully research this kid, so I'll stick to what little info I pulled out of a quickie google search.

This is referred to as a turnabout, and it is cold painted - meaning the paint was applied after it was fired, making it much more vulnerable to being removed.

I bought this cookie jar behind the counter, in the fancy-pants section of Goodwill. I expected it was going to be marked more than I'd pay for it, but was pleasantly surprised that it was $4.99. Not too bad at all. I think he (?) she (?) it (?) is going to live at our house, on top of the fridge.

But that's not the only thing I found in the fancy-pants section of Goodwill. I found pink gooseberry.

No way!

Yes way!

(Sorry, having a Wayne's World moment there :-)

It was actually just the largest (473) with a lid, and the smallest (471) with no lid, priced together for a gut-goozing, heartstopping, looking-around-for-Robin-Hood-to-save-you-from-the-highway-robbers price of .............

$24.99

Why, I remember only a couple of years ago, when I confessed to an audience of no one on this humble little blog here that I paid the most I had ever paid for a single piece of Pyrex. 

25 bucks for a pink Scroll spacesaver. 

But it was pink. And I'd kick myself if I didn't have it.

So history repeats itself. Pink Pyrex, the bane of my wallets existence.

And it turns out that the largest piece is what I needed to finish my 470 set (also known as Bake Serve Store casseroles). I already had the smaller two, so I now have a duplicate that I may possible sell after I've loved on it enough to let it go.

Or not. LOL!

In my previous post, I mentioned I'd finished my Butterprint bowl set. Thought these two needed to share a shot. 

Hooray for complete sets!

Two of the most epic Pyrex sets ever, now complete. (Sorry, think I'm having yet another Wayne's World-flavored moment :-)

Hope you're finding cool treasures & tasty treats!

Excuse me while I dork all over myself

Today is the last day of the mini-vacation my husband took for his birthday. Trust me, he got a lot of loot, but it's all man-stuff that I refuse to blog about, haha.

I was trying to be good. Make it about HIS birthday. I spent 15 bucks. 5 antique stores and all I spent was 15 dollars. He was going to spent whatever he wanted (within reason, of course :-). And I was going to be the soul of restraint.

But then he said "Don't they have exclusive Fiesta pieces at Dillard's?"

Oh no he didn't. He did not just INVITE me to go to Dillard's and buy a bunch of Fiesta on his birthday.

Okay, so maybe that's not *Exactly* what he said. But he knows me! He married me! He knows that I lose my mind over pretty kitchen junk!

Well, let me tell you, I had the Fiesta girl working overtime. Not really, but she did run to the back a couple of times, first to check if they had certain colors in the back. And second, for bubble wrap to wrap up all my pretty rice bowls.

Fiesta rice bowls in two sizes - Dillard's exclusives

These are Dillard's exclusives and come in two sizes. The only color I bought more than one of is Marigold, which is a limited run color, scheduled to end around September this year, I think.

Another fun thing was there were other Fiesta fans standing in line in front of me, checking out my loot. We chatted a little & coo'd over the display plate they had of the new color, Flamingo. Hooray for shared dish dork-ery!

But not to be outdone, Vintage Fiesta once again exerts itself into my life -and cabinets- when I least expect it. Take a look at the price sticker.

1 dollar a piece!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 1 dollar a piece. 1 dollars. I'm dumbfounded. Dumb. Founded.

Apparently the universe really, really wants me to have a vintage Fiesta relish tray. Otherwise, I could not even attempt to explain how I've gotten all the inserts in about a months time, without trying AT ALL.

That center insert was from a separate trip, but was only 8 dollars. So I have 12 bucks total in this? Holy cats! Just out of curiousity, I checked replacements.com to see what it would cost to get the missing tray in Cobalt blue.

Just a mere $99.95..........

Below, I'm faking it by putting them on a Cobalt dinner plate. Maybe someday I'll have the real thing :-)

Not quite a complete relish tray

Butterprint bowl set COMPLETE! Whoo-hoo!

And finally, I completed my Butterprint Pyrex Cinderella bowl set. Yay! I'm actually using the Fiesta rice bowls to make this Pyrex set stack up like this. I've always wondered how people prop bowls for pictures like this. I tried several suggestions, none of which seemed un-dangerous enough to me - but the rice bowls worked pretty great. Serendipitous dovetailing ;-)

A happy cabinet

The Fiesta I use regularly - a mix of new P86 and vintage. I will probably continue to cycle the vintage out of the mix as I get new pieces. I love using them both, but it could be a problem keeping it straight which pieces can and cannot be dishwashed and microwaved. The yellow bowl here is actually a Harlequin 36's bowl. I love how vibrant it is. I think it looks better with some current colors than its current sibling, Sunflower. I also would have a hard time pulling out my Riviera deep plates in Mauve blue. I have a massive crush on how vintage Mauve Blue and current Scarlet look together.

So that's how this weekend ends for us. Tomorrow is back to the grind. But for the rest of the world, enjoy your Sunday off, if you have it, and have a great rest of the weekend!

Happy treasure hunting!

American Sweetheart

I love reading old magazines. I just read a story last week or so from a magazine dating from 1986, of a lady who began a collection of American Sweetheart depression glass from a lucky rummage sale find that cost her less than two dollars.

Little did I know I would have basically the same thing happen to me just yesterday, give or take 8 dollars for inflation.

I don't didn't collect Depression Glass at all. It may be the one type of kitchenalia on the face of the planet that I do not collect. Except......5 pieces of American Sweetheart in Monax (white) - my one exception.

So how on Earth could I refuse a taped up shoebox of pink depression glass that I couldn't even check the condition of for ten dollars? Which, to me, is a lotta bread for some bread plates.

(Sorry, bad joke :-)

But I think I did good, and was quite lucky. This little set totals 18 pieces, including 4 hard-to-find fruit bowls. Two of the footed sherberts have jagged chips that I'm going to sand down and keep them out to use. Otherwise the rest of the pieces are pretty much perfect.

 

 

Tiny, adorable fruit bowls. If baby kittens were dishes, they'd be these fruit bowls. They're that cute.

And here's my other pieces - one luncheon plate and 4 teacups in Monax.

(By the way, Monax is just an obscure, copyright-able name for white, in case you're wondering, lol.)

Same place, I also found a piece of Pyrex, an adorable Glasbake baker, and a Fiesta mug, but I'll save them for another post.

Happy Treasure Hunting!