stock up the shop: spring break!

Yippee! Some down time ahead of us this week as the kids and I have a week off for Spring Break. Kicked it off with a quick getaway up to Estes Park for a little creekside cabin/hot tub/Rocky Mountain National park-style relaxation. On the way back from a little snowy hike, we happened to drive by a little thrift shop in town. I dropped off the family at the cabin, and headed back to poke around. I wasn't expecting much in such a tiny touristy town, but I was pleasantly surprised...

Sitting quietly amongst a pile of crap random figurines I spied this little beauty.  A Howard Pierce owl...my gut thought so when I saw the coloring, and turning it over to see the name on the underside confirmed it. Have learned about Howard Pierce via my #thriftbreak friends on twitter and at Etsy, so I was excited to finally find a piece.

A-S Sweden stainless tray. I've been steering clear of the Scandinavian stainless trays as they are sooo common and sell slowly, but something about the style and quality of this one caught my eye.
In the shop soon!

Love this timer so much. It works perfectly, by spinning the entire top. The "white" is actually a bit yellowed, but I think Etsy folks will love the Helvetica!

This is a cute German calendar wall hanging from 1975. Possibly made by Kolf of Austria, but no markings to tell me so. Love the vivid colors and folksy style.

Here are a couple of other highlights of goodies I found over the last couple of weeks:

Pyrex Decanter with Ball Cork

Jackson China restaurant ware platters, shape by Paul McCobb. In the shop soon!

Ultima Thule serving bowl by iittala of Finland

Happy Spring to you all!
~ Jenny

stock up the shop: beginning to feel a lot like a vintage holiday party

Lots of retro holiday goodness this week! It really gets me in the mood to decorate for our Christmas...or maybe next week. ;)

Instead of the group shot, I'm trying out the individual shots of some of my favorite finds:

Inland Glass Snowflake Casserole with Lid and Warming Stand.
I was so happy to find this complete set. It's super adorable and I can just picture it
filled with some warm unhealthy dip of some sort at holiday party.

Pyrex "Mod Kitchen" Decorator Casserole
I haven't been buying much Pyrex lately, but this one is soooo cool!

1983 Alan Wood for Houze Christmas Mugs
Set of 3

Waechtersbach style Glasses
Coordinate with the popular West German Waechtersbach pottery pieces.

West German Glass Angel Candle Holders
I love these...so thick and sturdy and pretty. Like blocks of ice. 

All of these items, and more, are listed or will soon be listed in the creekhouse shop. Having fun listing lots of new things and gearing up for holiday cheer.
Life gets pretty serious, with busy-ness, worries and serious stuff popping up here and there, so I'm grateful for the holidays approaching to keep us focused on family, friends, and the good things in life!
~ Jenny

stock up the shop: yellows and blues

So, since starting my stock up the shop posts, I've noticed that the purchases seem to "go" together aesthetically. Not every piece, but when I place them on my table to take a photo, I'm struck each week at how nicely they fit together as a little grouping. Interesting, I think. I wonder why? Does this happen to you?

Seems like yellows and blues are the thing this week:

My camera focused funny in the dim Saturday evening light. Sorry for the not-so-crispy image. Here's what I rounded up today:
- Tensor mod "eyeball" lamp (I'm excited to see how this one cleans up.)
- Awesome set of four mint 70s stoneware mugs (Japan I assume...and what IS with all the mugs lately?)
- Gemco giant cream and sugar set in the Pyrex "Butterfly Gold" Pattern (What was that I said about C & S sets last week?)
- Heller glass canister (Gathering up a little collection here...to sell or keep, such a dilemma.)
- Metlox oval bowl (Has a really pretty, almost periwinkle, interior glaze.)
- Copenhagen Porcelain B&G Mors Dag 1974 commemorative plate (Mother's Day...adorable little polar bear cubs snuggling/suckling up to mama bear.)
- Silver clown bank

In my October 1 post, I showed a little wooden humidor I came across. It turned out to be a bit of a treasure, one of those "Should I, Shouldn't I?" moments. Just posting on this blog generated a bit of interest I wasn't prepared for. It turned out to be a highly collectible piece designed by Jean Gillon for Wood Art -made in Brazil in the 1960s. I ended up selling it on Ebay because I wasn't sure how to price it. I'll do a little feature post on it someday.

I don't want to get into the purchase price vs. sale price thing, but I always love that sense of following your gut feeling when treasure-hunting, that feeling of intrigue you get when you find something that seems like it might be something special, but it might very well be not so special. Thought it might be fun to highlight these experiences when they come along...the successes and failures...to provide perhaps some information, or maybe just a good laugh at my expense! :)

~ Jenny

stock up the shop: mod pops

As I get more and more selective about what I bring home for the shop, my "hauls" have been smaller lately. But then I have days like today (and last week) where I end up with more things than I should. But, hey, it's good stuff!

Have a look:

- Couroc Tray (With French wedge of cheese and Gouda images, and an attached wooden cutting board!)
- Resin Tray with Swiss Fondue Bourguignonne Instructions (Cute old-timey instructions for this type of meat fondue.)
- Heller Glass Containers (I dream of a huge collection of these to store bulk items in my dream kitchen. Gotta get that dream kitchen, first.)
- Georges Briard Butterfly Glasses (A little worn, but so fun.)
- Johnson Brothers Cups and Saucers set of 6 (1980s "Eaton" pattern.)
- Pyrex cast iron warmer (With spot for a votive.)
- Coors Porcelain Co. evaporating dish (Amazing labware from the 1920s.)
- Electric Ladybug (Yes, electric. Plug it in and it buzzes. Made by a company which made outdoor accessories. So mysterious. I have no idea what it is or what it's for but I totally love it and if anyone has any insights to this, I welcome it. If not, for now, it's an electric ladybug.)

Working on getting these, and others, listed. And joining in this:

My goal is to get two things listed daily, catching up if I get behind, to get a total of 62 new items listed in the creekhouse Etsy shop by the end of October. Hope I can keep up!

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl and Her Library Adventures in their weekly shares.
~ Jenny

stock up the shop: warm tones

Thought I'd join in the treasure-hunt-sharing trend and start regularly posting my weekend finds. I love seeing the things that other people find, so what the heck...maybe someone wants to see my scores! I know I'm always excited about them! My husband might just appreciate not being the only one who has to see show and tell each weekend.

I'm usually up and out on Saturday mornings, enjoying some much-needed alone time after a busy week of teaching elementary schoolers and being a mom of two, hitting a few favorite local thrift shops and also estate and garage sales. Some days, like today, I'm up and out before anyone is even awake.

So here's my Stock-Up Saturday:
- Dorothy Thorpe punch bowl (Pretty sure it's the real deal.)
- Dansk Tiny Tapers
- Pyrex blue snowflake bowl (I still can't resist some Pyrex now and then.)
- Arcopal France mushroom mug
- Pottery Craft Vino set (Decanter and four cups.)
- Made in Japan stainless and wood fish bottle opener (Husband may not let this go, sorry folks...we'll see.)
- Le Grand Tetras canteen France (I've never hiked with wine, but this might be the perfect excuse to start.)
- Cute little wooden bucket with "locking" lid and cork interior. (Came home and realized it's actually a little humidor for storing loose tobacco...strong smell of pipe tobacco. Hmmm. I like it, BUT...)
- Cattail wall hangings

Think I'll join in the fun over Her Library Adventures' Flea Market Finds on Sundays and Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Mondays. Seems like a great way to get the blog up and going again!

Most of the things pictured here will end up in the creekhouse Etsy shop... I've gotten wayyyyy behind in listing so hopefully this weekend all of this, and more, will be in the shop.

Had a shelf collapse in the garage yesterday. Is that a bad sign?
~ Jenny

free shipping on pyrex at the creekhouse

Through the end of April (April 30,) all Pyrex items at the creekhouse Etsy shop will be shipped for FREE! Yep, hop on over there (click on the tab above to get there,) click on the "Pyrex" section on the left, and check out what's there. I have a few more things that I'll add over the coming week or so. Enjoy!

...just to name a few!
~ Jenny

stock up the shop: vintage pyrex

I go back and forth with my feelings about vintage Pyrex. I tell myself that I'm not going to buy any more, but then I see it here and there and can't resist it's cute, vintage nature and style. 

It harkens back (is harken a word?) to a simpler time, which seems to be a familiar theme around here.The blog Pyrex Love is a great resource for researching vintage Pyrex. I've at least gotten to the point where I'll only grab something if it's in nearly mint condition and super useful. Those divided casserole dishes - what in the world did people use them for? Here are some of my finds. Some are for sale, some are sold, and some are mine all mine.

More to come, I'm sure!

~ Jenny