Thrifty Dishes Jackpot

Over the weekend I stopped in my favorite local thrift store.

And boy, did I hit the jackpot.

As long as you’re willing to deal with some hodge podge and disarray, there’s always great deals and finds to be had.

I haven’t ever bought any used appliances and have only stuck to dishes but one day I may be tempted to buy something random like a one dollar toaster.

The thrift store had just put out Christmas items in their display case.

Cookie cutters for a nickle and pinecones for a dime?

Don’t mind if I do, thank you.

I scooped up a half dozen pinecones for a whopping 30 cents.

And I saw three Christmas ornaments from Z Gallerie still with the tags attached that were $1.50 each.

I love Z Gallerie and West Elm.  They are two favorites of mine and where most of my home decor is from.  Or where I’d like it to be from.  I love those stores even more when I find their brand-new-with-tags-attached merchandise at the thrift store.  Score!

I also scored on vintage, antique, and hand-painted little plates and saucers.

These two below have little “holes” in the plates.  So delicate and dainty, loved them.

This little saucer in person is so vibrant and adorable with the birds and flowers. I can’t believe someone gave that away.

This plate is about the size of a typical salad plate and the gold enamel work is really beautiful.  There is a small, teeny, tiny chip on the lower edge of this plate.  Where about 5 or 6 o’clock would be, but it’s so insignificant it’s hard to even make out in the photo.  It looks like it’s just part of the scalloped edges.

These two plates are salad plate sized and gorgeous, vibrant, pink, and girly in person.  I took these photos at dinnertime after I got back from thrifting and was working with almost no natural light.  But soon enough you’ll see desserts and new recipes photographed on them and I’m sure the lighting will be better.

I watched a middle-aged man pick up this pie plate or tart plate and was thinking to myself, “Please put that plate back so I can snag it because it has pink roses on it and it’s girly and I really want it.”

My silent psychic pleading must have worked because he set it down and I scooped it up one nanosecond later.  You know, for all those pies I’m going to make.  Maybe a no-bake vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving?   I’m thinking that could work.

Lastly I found these four plates (2 salad and 2 dinner) all at .50 cents each.  They are not fancy or antique-ish.  They’re from Ikea, but they are in perfect condition (they appear to never have been used) and are a cool, icy slate blue color which is unlike anything I already own.

I also picked up a coffee mug and soap dish which you can see in the second photo at the top of the post.

All my finds came to $42 bucks.  The thrift store has tons and tons of dishes that are 50 cents each, or a buck each.  Then the “nice stuff” is about $5 bucks each.  Still cheaper than Target or TJ Maxx and when it’s one-of-a-kind, vintage-inspired, or has antique charm, you just can’t beat that.

The last round of dishes I scored was a few weeks ago.  7 items for $7 (one item missed the photo opp)

Those white bowls have already helped me out plenty.

Samoas Bars (Vegan & GF options).  One bowl is holding butterscotch chips and the other is very blurred in the background.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip is in one bowl with another in the background in the back right.

The chocolate chips in the Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are in one of the white bowls.

Questions:

1.  Do you get into a dishes “rut” and use the same things over and over?  Or do you mix it up?

I reach for the same items over and over, both for everyday eating and for food photography; and it’s usually the 50 cent items that I use over and over.  Things like that one perfect coffee mug that I hand wash because I’d rather not use another mug for coffee; I prefer to drink coffee from my favorite mug.  I swear it tastes better.

I couldn’t resist the little trinkets I bought over the weekend and I am excited to bake.  Just so I can take photographs of the baked goodies on the new porcelain and glassware goodies.

2. Have you seen or found any cute items for the kitchen, house or home lately?  What was it and where did you get it?

I may “need” it, too!

Any thrift store finds you adore?

P.S. Thanks for the Coffee Giveaway entries!