Tuesday, May 8, 2012

~FOR THE LOVE OF HOME~


Thank you so much for the "shout out" Marty, and thank you for being such a gracious hostess!!A Stroll Thru Life
I have shown my new tray before, but I wanted to jump in, if a bit late, and show you what Thrift Shopping..ie. Garage Sales, has done for me. 
Every single thing but the topairies on this table is second hand.
The hand painted lamp in the background is by Rebecca at A Gathering Place!
(oops, forgot to remove my birdie seed from the table... :)
I  bought these on Saturday for just a quarter each!!  So sweet.
They are German and I cannot understand the words.  Kinigt pn Tettau,
Germany US Zone, whatever that means.  And there is some sort of symbol.  There is a tiny rose inside each cup. 

Both table clothes..garage sales.  NO STAINS! 
I've gotten very good at removing stains... :)
Remember my silverware find?  Prelude.  Yep.  $10 is what I paid and when I looked it up?
$4100.00 which doesn't include the soup spoons or the tiny butter knives.
Nor does it include all the additional silverware found in the silverware box.  Yep, it came in one of those lovely silverware boxes.  Deal?  I think so!

 
My blue and white china...the entire set for $30.
Set of  Nortaki china ..$35.00!  Discontinued in 1939.
I love this set.  Friendly Village..I've found some at garage sales, some on ebay and inherited some.
All my crocheted doilies, wall paper even the shelves...garage sales.  We had one..and matched it up with another at a garage sale.  $20.00!
Every single thing on these shelves are garage sale items.  the entire shelf of silve bottom right, came to no more than $15.00.  It was $8 but I added a couple more items.  The tea caddy was one. 
Yes...every single thing you see, garage sales..even my favorite rooster lamp!
Again...garage sales...but the shelf was made by an old man and I found it in Temecula CA at a little Thrift shop.  (Needs a bit of new paint I think..) The little Rooster and Hen are Copley's.  (Whatever that means!) :)
 
Once I discovered that I didn't have to pay so much to have nice things...and that it was and adventure to meet folks, make new friends and bargain...well...I've had such fun findng things for our home. 
It's become a hobby and it spills over to my children.  I love to let my girls share in my finds.
 
Thanks again, Marty!
 
Love n' hugs,
Mona 

33 comments:

  1. Hi darling, swooning here, passing out, falling on floor, pick me up please. Oh my gosh what beautiful treasures you find... their all displayed beautifully. I'll just take a weeeeeee few of them off your hands, I know you won't miss them right???? hugs ~lynne~

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  2. Wowzers Mona!! Good deals indeed! You have a very good eye and obviously people in your area don't know a good thing when they have it! Your silverware is the steal of the year. I am loving those dishes and everything else too. As Lynn says, your displaying is perfect-oh! :)
    Donna

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  3. great stuff mona! that was my mother's silver pattern. i miss thrifting but i was collecting way too much stuff. now i am trying to get rid of it all!

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  4. Love your site, Everything so nice and neat. I also love garage salea, thrift markets and yard sales.
    BarbaraD
    Onecrafylady08@aol.com

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  5. Lovely and light filled photos today, Mona! Really shows off your cups and saucers!

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  6. Mona- My gosh, girl! I bow down before you-You are definitely a garage sale/thrifting goddess! WOW! LOVE all your silver....and now I know I need to get my own polished up because it desperately needs to sit here in its full glory. You have done a wonderful job with all your finds- xo Diana

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  7. Oh My is "Everything Gorgeous"! My everyday dishes are the "FRIENDLY VILLAGE"! I pieced my collection back in the early 70s. It's SO EASY now to add to my collection. I LOVE your display, "It's BREATHTAKING"!!!
    Thank you so much for sharing your goodies with us!
    Big Hugs,
    Donna

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  8. Hi Mona! What a beautiful setup on your tray! Your table is so pretty. I love it that you find so many wonderful bargains. I'm not as lucky as you! :) All of the dishes are so pretty and it's hard to imagine getting all the silver and its box for $10! Whoopee!
    You are the sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  9. You have found the most beautiful treasures. Most of my furniture is second hand from craigslist, ads in newspapers, or thrift shops. I find such high quality items at a fraction of the cost. I love the china and silver you acquired and love all the patterns. I have acquired 3 sets of china on craigslist for a reasonable cost. I also love silver and the sterling you acquired at a garage sale is probably the best deal I've heard of.

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  10. Those are some fantastic buys, esp that silver. It is gorgeous!

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  11. Bella, it took time and going every single week for several hours. Being on Social Security, this was my way of getting pretty things for my home in a way I could afford! I'm glad you like them.

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  12. Oh Mona, you have found some fabulous things. I love all the dishes and all the wonderful silver. You also have it displayed so beautifully. I hope you noticed how everyone remarked about how pretty your tray full of silver was on my post. Stunning. Thanks tons for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty

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  13. Oh Mona how pretty everything looks! I've missed keeping up with your garage sale bargains, but we have been on the other side of the sales lately. The estate sale is over and the rest donated to a shop that aids battered women. My in-laws big house has been cleaned and put on the market and the little house they owned next door is officially on the market as of today. Hopefully we will get some offers soon. We are trying to get our home cleared out so we can get new carpet to replace what was ruined in the little "flood" when the rain came flowing in over the foundation. I'd love to buy some things at the bargain basement prices you find. I'm green with envy over your goodies. :)

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  14. I have only 4 words to express each and every photo Mona - SEMD, pronounced exactly how it sounds and we use this phrase a lot in the Maritimes "Simply Elegant My Dear". I am so envious of your collections and you have just made my day with your lovely tea cups. My Mom would simply love those. For approx 12 years, my Mom bought me a beautiful teacup n saucer for my BDay and I still have those today. I use em too, cause tea just tastes better in china cups (not made in china) he,he
    Thank you so much - just a lovely post.

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  15. You have such treasures and the fun is in the hunt and the find.

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  16. Mona, as always great finds. As much as I do looking at all your treasures and also enjoy thrift shops, these days I am the one donating and not buying as we work on decluttering. Our house went on the market last week, so hopefully some folks will want to live here more than we do now.

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  17. You could give lessons sweetie! You have to be the most talented Queen of Secondhand I've ever known.

    Not only can you find these beautiful treasures, ya know how to put everything perfectly together for that 'wow' factor.

    'Just about as beautiful as you sweet Mona!

    God bless and have a marvelous day...wanna adopt me??? Heeehehehe! :o)

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  18. It's all lovely!!! I enjoy yard sales and thrift shops too. Thanks for sharing your treasures!

    Blessings,

    Kim

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  19. Ok, that does it..I'm going to do the garage sale thing this summer as a trial and blog about any adventures..you can then judge how good I do..OK?? You are amazing...if a crown was given out at the "Garage Sales Award Night"..you'd be wearing it! The "Friendly Village" china brought memories of my dear Mother-in-law..she had that pattern and after she passed away my son inherited it. I do love it. Have a great week!

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  20. Unbelievable finds. Love the silver . . . I can't believe some one gave it away. One would think their silver would have been given to family members . . .

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  21. I can't believe how little you paid for those beautiful cups and saucers. Everyone drinks out of mugs but I still want my cups and saucers!!!! I am going to copy your idea of putting the embroidered cloth diagonally on the lace bigger tablecloth. So pretty.

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  22. Every time you tell your Prelude story, I just want to cry, I'm so envious! I first discovered Prelude from an ad in a "Seventeen" magazine when I was actually 17. It was just a photo of a knife in the Prelude pattern but I fell in love with it. I cut out the ad and kept it on a bulletin board for the next several years so I wouldn't forget it. Anytime I was in a large department store that had a fine china and silver department, I would go and stand in front of the Prelude display and long to have some. Over the years I have received four place settings from my sweet fella so I do have some, just not a full set with little butter knives and tiny spoons.... and you find a whole set at a garage sale for $10.00!!!!!!! Mona, you are a VERY good garage sale shopper! Lucky you!

    As for your teacups and saucers, I don't speak German so I have no idea what is says. However,the "Germany US Zone" part most likely means it was made somewhere in West Berlin sometime after 1961 when the Berlin Wall was erected to cut off East Germans "emigrating" to West Berlin. That wall isolated West Berlin from East Germany and specifically West Berlin. After WWII Germany was occupied by the Russians, the Americans, the British, and the French, each in their own zone or sector of Berlin. Berlin stayed divided that way until the Wall came down in 1989. Just fyi.

    Mel

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  23. What treasures! You are having lots of fun and collecting beautiful things. I'm glad you got your computer issues solved - that must have been quite a scare!

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  24. You always find the best stuff at garage sales. I wish I lived close to you, I would love to shop where you do! Great stuff!

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  25. Hi Mona, I am droooling over your garage sale finds and all your other stuff too. You sure have the eye for catching these beaties. Just lovely and you put them together so nicely!...Christine

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  26. It's all so beautiful and for such great prices! Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

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  27. Oh girl I'm loving all this eye candy..That table cloth is to die for and look at all that silver..I have been out 2 weekends now yard sailing..Hit a big barn sale last week..so many things I would have loved to bring home..Got a few things for my daughter Dawna..
    May you have the BEST Mothers day ever my dear friend..Love ya..Gl♥ria

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  28. Good golly Miss Mona! What a wonderful collection of beautiful bargains. The silver is exquisite. Wish these kinds of yard sales existed here ... not so!

    TTFN ~
    Happy Mother's Day ~
    Hugs,
    Marydon

    ~GIVEAWAY end 5/13~

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  29. Hello Mona,
    I am simply swooning here over your gorgeous collection of silver and transferware! I am also slowly adding to my Friendly Village collection. In fact Hubby bought me some pieces over the weekend. I love the pattern!
    Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit and leaving your very sweet comment.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  30. By the way, Mona, you are most welcome to link up for my tea party. I'm sure my ladies would enjoy seeing all your beautiful china and silverware. It's such a treat and the way you have it displayed is really lovely!

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  31. Gorgeous Mona, just gorgeous!
    I'm with you, garage saleing/thrifting is addicting!
    You have beautiful china, silver, tablecloths and more for a fraction of the price!
    And that silverware, that is one of the most amazing deals ever of all time!
    Big Hugs,
    Cindy

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  33. WOW!! Beautiful things. I love going to thrift stores, antiquing, yard sales and such. Such amazing things you have now. I love the way you arrange them too. What a great tea party you would host. :-)

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