Thrifty Thursday

It's been a good week for thrift store shopping!  Around here, the thrift store selection is usually pretty slim.  More often than not, the stuff at the thrift store looks like the stuff that didn't sell at the yard sale.

When I am thrift store shopping, I always head to the housewares department first.  Vintage kitchen items are on the top of my shopping list.

I love vintage Pyrex, vintage tablecloths, vintage serving pieces, etc...

When I stopped at our local Hospice Thrift Store,  I found these beauties...

They must have just been put out, otherwise I'm sure they would have been snapped up by someone else.

I have been wanting a vintage cake carrier for a while now, but just didn't want to pay the antique store price.  You can get them fairly priced on ebay, but the soaring costs of shipping seem to negate any savings.  

This one had a darling graphic on the front...perfectly 50's!  And for $7?  It practically jumped into my arms!

It has little sliding locks on the sides too...so you can get your cake to the church picnic safely and securely.  I love thinking about where this sweet little cake carrier has been over the last 60 years.  How many picnics, parties and bake sales did it attend?  What kind of lovingly homemade cakes & pies sat sheltered inside waiting for their "big reveal"? 

This chrome paper holder was also only $7...

It has three compartments---one for paper towels, one for foil and one for wax paper...and is made to hang on the wall.  

Why no plastic wrap holder on this one?  I think it may be an earlier 50's model.
Saran Wrap wasn't  even approved for household use until 1953.  When packing sandwiches for lunch boxes and picnics,  moms mostly used wax paper.  In several of my vintage Betty Crocker cookbooks, they recommend "colored wax paper to add variety".   This photo of a "picnic by the stream", is from my 1961 Betty Crocker Outdoor Cookbook.  In the right hand corner you can see the sandwiches wrapped in red, yellow, orange, and (I think) pink wax paper.

We have some beautiful picnic spots around here and I always use wax paper to wrap the sandwiches I pack in my vintage picnic basket.

I think that is one of the best things about most of my vintage finds... that I can actually put them to use in my everyday life.    I like to feel that connection to the past while I am working in the present.


Now, had I only scored these two fantastic vintage kitchen items on my trip...I would have left a very happy girl.

BUT....just as I was finishing up my purchase..something wonderful happened.  The volunteer who had been ringing me out was an older lady (75-ish).  As we were standing there chit- chatting about old movies and movie stars,  another of the volunteers came out from the back with a box full of items to be put out.

On the top of the box,  literally glowing in the streams of sunlight coming through the shop windows, was a vision in pink loveliness...the prettiest vintage glass cake stand I had ever seen.  I was instantly smitten...

The lady that had been helping me (moving at a speed which belied her years), grabbed it out of the box and brought it over to me.

"You simply HAVE to have this! I got the white version of this for my wedding in 1950."
"You're right, I do have to have that! "
"How much is it?"
"$7"
"SOLD!"

It really was love at first sight.  My absolute favorite thing to bake is a nice layer cake ---and I was already envisioning a Valentine's Day one sitting on top of that piece of pink perfection.

Just look at the wonderful ruffled, pie-crust edge...

Now, I honestly do not buy anything just because I think it is worth a lot of money.  I definitely buy with my heart, not not my head.   But I do like to know the history of my vintage items...Who made it? When? Stuff like that.

So after I got home, I started doing a little online research...

Turns out, my cake stand was made by Fenton and is part of their line called Silvercrest. Apparently, the pastel colors were only made for a short time and are considered the rarer of the line.  Another cake stand, exactly like mine, just sold 4 days ago on Ebay for $175(plus $16 shipping)!  Another one sold on Etsy in November for $195 (plus shipping).   So I think my little $7 investment paid off.

Not that I would ever sell...
I told you...it was love at first sight.  This pink beauty will be with me until the end.

Thanks for stopping by...

Stacy