The Latest Thrifts

I hope all the fathers in your life had a great day. We had a fairly quiet day that started with me bringing my husband his morning coffee in bed. He usually does it for me so it was the least I could do. Number 3 brought him freshly made waffles with butter, maple syrup and maple flakes on them. He often makes pancakes on the weekend but this was done with no ceremony and was a bit of a surprise. I did not think to take a picture so I have put in one of my husband's favourite flowers in our garden, the poppy!


When I walk into a thrift store, I make sure I cover all my essentials that include aprons and linens, cookbooks, china, pyrex, sewing supplies and brooches. I also always look at the carts the staff are using to restock the shelves. That is where I found this two volume cookbook from Gourmet Magazine. My Mum has a slightly older(I think) version of this set. This printing is still in its presentation box and the books still have their protective plastic dust jackets. My daughter found the Christmas menu tucked inside. It is from the Carleton Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Ottawa. We have lived in Ottawa since 1990 and I do not remember there being a Four Seasons Hotel in the city while we have lived here. When we arrived in Ottawa, we were shocked to discover how few good restaurants we could find and how expensive the good ones were. I would have tried any restaurant at a Four Seasons Hotel at that time. A few years before my Nanan (maternal grandmother) treated my mother and myself to one of the best dinners I have ever eaten at the Four Seasons Vancouver. Ottawa has improved markedly in availability of good food since the nineties but we are not quite as interested in eating out these days and tend to stick with a few favourites. The tea towel has a fibre content label stating it is made of linen and cotton in German.

I could not resist this apron. I do not believe it to be vintage which is a usual criteria but it is charming. Its construction suggests it may have been commercially probably for tourists. I am not sure if it is Russian with her headdress being a Kokoshnik or whether she is wearing an Ukrainian Vinok. Does anyone have an opinion? She would be perfect for wearing while making holiday treats.







I love finding sewing and crafting books. I really have not been to many garage sales this year but an ad at the grocery store mentioned a sale with sewing stuff! That was enough to get me out. I could not resist some of the retro kitsch in these titles as I am slightly nostalgic about the rock painting and candle making of my childhood. The sewing books are very useful but this sale just got better and better.



Twenty-five cents each for these still very current patterns. The top pattens might even entice my daughter to learn to sew. The sale got even better.














There was fabric! Lots of fabric. The four pieces on the left are Laura Ashley and the middle print in greens and purple is Daisy Kingdom. The pink print should work well to line a bag but the blue piece at the back right of the photo is three metres of silk. I think I hear a early '60s sheath dress calling out for this fabric. Maybe I even have a vintage pattern that I will not have to re size in order to make up such a dress. I forgot to photograph the more utilitarian fabric lengths I bought. It was the only sale I went to and sometimes one is more than enough: I found great stuff and I met two sisters who were very friendly and enjoy sewing as much as I do.


Many others also love garage sales. Check out what they are sharing at Rhoda's blog

My Vintage Kitchen

I do not have a true vintage kitchen as the one original to the house was not salvageable. Some of the houses in our neighborhood still have their original forty year old kitchens but many do not. For us the decision was made for us as the original builder's kitchen was of inferior quality(compared to other features of the house) and was truly falling apart. I do have quite a few utensils and decorative items that are at least as old as the house. I have already posted about some of my vintage cookbooks and will certainly feature more. This latest book, Food in History is supplementary reference to my older cookbooks as well as to the understanding of the importance of food preparation in our history. The cache pot has a sticker Töpferhof -Keramik HANDARBEIT DDR Römhild. Its simple mid-century designs will work well with the red accents in my kitchen.


The tin is marked Fortnum and Mason with the Royal Warrant and probably held biscuits. I like store food in tins or glass when possible and find the autumnal roses charming. My vintage kitchen has many aprons and this is my newest. I love the use of the gingham, ric-rac and orange accent stitching.


The pocket is especially detailed edged with the ric-rac and orange stitching and with the pleating using the check of the fabric (click on the photo to show the details). I have several chicken scratch gingham aprons which I will blog about but this apron has the most interesting use of gingham and ric-rac I have ever seen.



This tablecloth is my latest in my vintage collection. Like our grandmothers, I enjoy a fresh tablecloth in the kitchen and love the homey look it brings. I have a classic eat-in kitchen where the kitchen table is the heart of our home. Changing the tablecloth really gives the kitchen a new look with each colour scheme and pattern. This pattern reminds me of the graphics in my fifties and early sixties cookbooks and I know that I remember seeing wallpaper like it when I was a kid. Using a cheery tablecloth is vintage homemaking idea that is worth bringing back. Soon I will share my vintage utensils and cookbooks with more aprons and tablecloths.

My Creative Space: someone's in the kitchen

On the kitchen window sill a gerbera is blooming again and suggesting the promise that is starting to occur outside. It is too early here to put out bedding plants and not all the grass is green and only some trees are in bud. The early bulbs are up and some I have even seen the odd magnolia in bloom. The will to put finishing touches on my WIPs is experiencing some sort of spring fever. We have had some wild extremes in our weather which has inspired me to cook food from two seasons in the same week. I suppose that it is quite old-fashioned to plan your meals by the season but it is an idea that comes naturally and seems to be embraced by many. Seasonally can be taken to mean what fresh food is in season or what the season inspires us to eat. We have jumped from chilly to hot days for more than a week and it has made meal planning interesting. Last Saturday was a lovely day and called for something grilled outside. My daughter was with me at the grocery store and made the request for pork brochettes, green beans and foil potatoes. If the side burner of our gas barbeque was still working, everything could have been cooked outside. The pork was marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano and threaded on skewars to grill. The potaoes were thinly sliced and tossed in olive oil and then wrapped in foil packets and grilled mostly on the upper rack. A third of the packets had the addition of chopped garlic and the family decided that we should do more garlic next time it is made. It was the first dinner to be eaten in our three season sunroom/screened porch.

Later that evening, I prepared dozens of meatballs for the freezer and and meatloaf for the next day. I also used the thrifted stoneware mini-bundt pan to bake some gluten and egg-free banana cakes. This is what it looked like the next morning when I got up. Count the cakes! Number 3 admitted later that day that he had picked at it and that looked very obvious and he ate the whole mini-bundt but it was very good.

It was a rather chilly day so the meatloaf was perfect along with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. We had strawberries and whipped cream for dessert with coffee from our not often enough used espresso maker (I have placed it on an eye-level shelf in one of the kitchen cupboards so it will not be a hassle to use). I do not usually serve out of season non-organic strawberries but I did have number 2 with me at the grocery store the day before; her interest in helping to plan and prepare the food persauded me.

Monday we ate an Indian meal with a meat recipe from one of my favourite modern cookbooks with rice,cauliflower and broccoli. While my children happily eat a spiced meat dish they tend to prefer their vegetables steamed just to tender. We repeated the previous nights dessert but without the coffee as we only had enough coffee for the next morning. Tuesday was busy with everyone on a slightly different schedule, so some of the meatballs were pulled from the freezer, spaghetti was boiled and jarred sauce was heated for those that like sauce accompanied by a store-bought crusty loaf toasted with garlic butter and served with green peas (frozen) and no dessert.

Wednesday it was warm again and I was inspired to make a simple coleslaw in a recently found pyrex bowl. I love this shade of yellow and find the square-round shape interesting. Apparently it came with a square lid with tab handles so I will keep my eyes open for a lid and may join the pyrex love flicker group in hopes of finding a trade. It is sitting on one of my vintage tableclothes which also feels spring-like.

Here is a new vintage cookbook that fills a hole in my library as my only barbeque cookbook is the Presidnt's Choice one which means it is full of recipes suggesting their prepared sauces and marinades. I have yet to cook from it but it helped to inspire Wednesday's menu.











I needed to go to the store for other reasons and was pleased to see a family package of wing steaks marked down before they expired. That was perfect served with rice and more broccoli. It also gave me the opportunity to use the steak knife set that my parents bought early in their marriage. I have always liked the look and feel of these knives and enjoy our relatively infrequent use of them. Steak for a family of six is not an everyday occurance and everyone enjoyed this meal. It was warm but windy, so we ate indoors.
The whole family seems excited to be switching into a more summer-like menu plan although we are still likely to have some cool days, I think the stews and heavier casseroles are over for this season. If anyone wants details of any recipes and how I alter traditional recipes to make them egg and gluten free let me know in the comments and I will happy to provide them. Link to Kristy's blog to what inspires others in their creative spaces.

Thrifty week and where it takes me

Not all of my thrifting is done at thrift stores. Garage sales are just starting up although I have yet to go to one this season and I have found some treasures at consignment stores. When I have shopped there I have be lucky to find that what I am planning to purchase is often at final mark down of fifty percent off. I have been looking for a small teapot for the sitting area of our bedroom; one that holds two china mugs worth. This one has a vintage, shabby chic look that works with the other china I have in the room and the painted white found furniture. The small bowl in the photo was also found at my favourite consignment store on the same day last week. I am loving the mid-century modern look to the colours and style of glazing and how it goes with the new cushions in my last post.
Here I have it with a vase that was my Grandmother's. My aunt said that she always remembered it in the house and after a little research I found out when and where it was made. Medalta
Potteries is part of Canadian history that reminds me of how our resource rich society used to use those resources for manufacture of domestic and exported goods. I am pretty sure that the vase dates from the forties. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to ask my Grandmother how she acquired it. The bowl is marked Mel-Bar, Canada and I have yet to figure out much about it. Any ideas?

Of course, like many others I am always on the lookout for Pyrex in appealing colours,patterns and good condition. Unfortunately, the consignment store only had one so-so piece of Fire-King. I was inspired to photograph two pieces found in the last year that make me think of Spring. The yellow piece is from the fifties and the aqua bowl is from the sixties. I belive the table cloth is from the early seventies as its fibre content is cotton and modal and the tag has a date. I use my vintage pieces daily as I do not want to create a museum, but to collect pieces that are both useful and pleasing.
Sometimes I am lucky enough to find vintage cookbooks. Ottawa has fewer used bookstores than in past so I now try to scan the shelves in the thrift stores. I am not just looking for vintage titles but anything that I find interesting and useful. There have been a few titles that I have wished to the thrift fairies and been blessed by a find. Most notable for me has been the Julia Child pictured here; an eighth printing(Dec. 1964) of the original 1962 edition. I have wanted it for a long time but ultimately was not interested in spending the money on a new version. There is something altogether singular about possessing a copy that was in existence as the contents of the book were changing how North Americans cooked or indeed how they thought of food. We certainly would not have the same Martha Stewart, who has so influenced our homes in the last 15+ years, if she had not worked her way through the book. Is any one else anticipating this film? Julia came to my rescue for Easter dinner. I had left the marketing a little late and was only able to buy a boneless leg of lamb. Now most of the recipes in my books suggest
butterflying and grilling such a beast but our barbeque had yet to be tried for the season and I prefer not to broil lamb as it is very smokey. Her book had a few options and I settled on using the Garlic and Herb Stuffing with very satisfying results. While I may not work my way through the whole book, I know that I will continue to consult Julia on a regular basis.
The first book on the right of the photo is the Good Housekeeping Cookbook in the 1949 printing of the 1942 original.
This book I have flipped through and found various helpful bits of information and I am now reading it from the beginning. I have yet to cook from it but there is an emphasis on basic technique and frugal planning and covers just about anything someone new to domestic cooking would need to know. The middle book is a 1958 revised version of the 1942 original called The Modern Family Cook Book. The author Meta Given seems to be well prepared for writing this cookbook which I found out by reading its still present dust jacket! (pretty rare for a 50+ years old cookbook)
I have used a scalloped potato recipe from the book which was very easy to prepare. It seemed simpler than the last time I made them which was a long time ago and I would say the results were not what I expected. I will have to try again but with a little more research. I think scalloped potatoes would look fabulous in this "Horizon Blue" covered casserole.

Earth Day and Thrifting

Earth day is a perfect day for thrifting. You can bring that which you find no longer useful and find something you do. Most thrift stores support charities and without over emphasizing the psychological effect of supporting such causes, feeling good about making a small difference for someone less fortunate can certainly make it easier for us to take on more ways of making a difference in the world. If you are reducing stuff to make a donation you will be reducing the clutter that I believe is at least partially responsible for our desire to buy so much more than we need. It is also possible that lightening the burden felt by the recipients of the charity will also give them enough breathing space to think beyond survival and maybe what they can do for the world. I know that I could be accused of being terribly idealistic but changing our consuming habits and how we regard those facing tough times is something that if done on an individual basis will make a huge difference collectively and it is fairly easy to do.
When I started thrifting, I started to see that there are always many cookbooks available. Of course there are hundreds of cookbooks published every year so that number is not surprising. The books that have interested me most have been those from my childhood or earlier. Nostalgia accounts for some of that fascination as does the design aesthetic from an earlier time. Ultimately it is the content of these books which I find most useful. The recipes presented tend to be tasty, efficient and frugal and easily suited to a family. I do consider myself a "Foodie" and enjoy experimenting with new cuisines but I find that quite a few of today's cookbooks do not offer families enough favourite meals. I do cook from scratch yet
it is not realistic for me to spend hours in the kitchen just to keep the meals interesting. I would guess that many families used to eating out or relying on convenience foods would not know where to start if they chose to change that habit. I find that vintage cookbooks offer a great resource for building a families weekly menu. The Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cookbook pictured above offers fairly easy variations on this idea and the McCall's Cookie Booklet is a quite complete cookie primer. It is also charming with its feature of the doll Betsy McCall baking as featured in Jane's Apron The tablecloth was also scored the same day and I believe that it is from the late 1950' or early 60's. I remember similar patterns on wall paper in kitchens and restaurants. There are a few stains which I am not sure that I will be able to remove so it may end up as an apron.



I also found some vintage gift wrap and gift cards. If presentation of gifts is part of the overall appeal, I definitely have recipients who will welcome something wrapped in one of these.





I can't visit a thrift store without looking for sewing and craft supplies and did not leave empty-handed on this day. I don't crochet, so maybe I am getting ready for a give away. The embroidery kit is a crewel work kit of a Trillium, Ontario's Provincial flower.






I was planning to do a re purposing project with some of the contents of this laundry basket. It is full of pyjamas, t-shirts and corduroy pants that have holes or tears that cannot be repaired. When I actually get to it I will be making throws for the kids using fabric from the garments. It is a variation of the idea of using baby clothes to do the same. My youngest is very concerned about being environmentally aware and is very excited about this project. Think about the little ways we can make changes every day.

Thrifty week

I do not thrift everyday or sometimes even everyweek but some weeks the thrifting fairies are on my side. It seems that a lot more people are thrifting or all the good stuff is not being donated. I get more excited about less. I am happy about how I did the week before last. In this photo there is new(tags still on) Echo silk scarf, Fall 2007 MSL, vintage English binoculars, and a unseasoned Pampered Chef mini-multiple bundt stoneware pan. I have been looking for binoculars for a while and the bake ware should be perfect for mini (6 inches across x 6 cakes) pumpkin loaves and especially gluten and egg free baking.


Also found was a lovely for spring silk chiffon blouse in a lovely robin's egg blue. I had to add some new Tag soap that look like duck eggs. A cute satin evening purse was something I was also delighted to find. It reminds me a little of a Faberge Egg in construction and the handle detail is something I would like to try on my purses.

The best find for my family was a new set of vintage dishes. We have been more than a little frustrated by our current set of stone ware as it is chipping and quite heavy to lift. This almost complete service for eight is Noritake's Progression China in the Arunta pattern. It was made between 1966 and 1974 as everyday china and is microwave and dishwasher safe and the serving pieces appear to be atleast somewhat oven-safe. Does any one know more about this range of china? Replacement pieces are available online and I will keep my eyes out in the thrift stores for more. I find it interesting that the plate size today is so much bigger. If you have an older home with an original kitchen you would be unable to store today's dishes in most upper cabinets. We are becoming a more overweight society and plate size will not help that trend if the plates stay bigger or get bigger still. I have read that even in cookbooks the portion sizes are bigger than 50 years ago. One other recent thrifted find (not photographed) was a 1950's Good Housekeeping cookbook. It has sound nutrition advice for feeding your family and interesting practical meal plans for weight reduction that would seem to work far better than most of today's fad diets.