Score

Last night I made a quick trip out to Value Village during one of their half off sales. I have a thing for old pressed glass and after buying my first few pieces of it at antiques shops, I realized that Value Village sells an amazing amount of old kitchen glassware. Not all of it is even all that old, but if it's a nice pattern then I really don't mind if it's ca. 1970 rather than ca. 1930. I have a pretty solid collection of vases and serving trays built up but I am always game for more - especially when they are only a couple of dollars each. Our party on the weekend got me thinking that (a) if I had a few more pieces, I would actually put them to use and (b) I never got around to styling half the glass front cupboards in the kitchen - simply because I don't have enough 'stuff' to put in them. Time to remedy that.

So with all that justification under my belt, I made a successful trip. Given the fact that their doors had opened 11 hours earlier, and that the economy is in the tank - the store was pretty picked over. But I still came home with *6* things. (Ironically, I'd just finished a conversation with my sister about how much she hates clutter. Me, I hate bare walls and surfaces. Sometimes I don't even think we are related):

- a small rectangular pressed glass serving tray - so far most of my pieces are (a) large and (b) round. Trying to break it up a bit.
- a ruffled milk glass compote, which exactly matches one I received as a gift at Christmas. Now I can use them as a pair.
- a glass refrigerator dish and lid, which also exactly matches one I already have. I love picking up matching pieces like this. I think I paid around $10-$15 for the first one. Zoinks! I use these to store little things around the house, since they are really too pretty to hide away in a dark fridge; but one day I would love to trash all the Tupperware and use these for food leftovers, too, the way they were intended to be used.
- a small glass serving bowl that exactly matches a large glass serving bowl I already have. Funnily enough, I got the large bowl from ValVill too, a couple months ago. I wonder now if someone dropped both bowls off to them at the same time and I just missed the little guy when I picked up the big guy?
- an old blue glass mason jar. I love these jars when the glass is a nice turquoise colour, and this one has a pretty starburst on the glass lid, too.
- underneath it all... a shabby old floral print in a nicely distressed wood frame. What really drew me to it, though, was the mint green mat around the print. Same mint green as my old laboratory cabinet. I'm looking to decorate the office around that cabinet, so this fit the bill.

Total price for all six pieces, including 13% PST/GST? $5.82!! Definitely a good trip. I ran everything but the print through the dishwasher last night (I know, I know. If it were valuable old glassware I would hand wash it - but at this price, I am willing to risk it, especially to get a nice thorough first cleaning in) and now it's all ready to be put away until our next party and/or styled into a pretty little vignette.

Here's what greeted me when I came home last night - Mallory was upstairs with Chad, having dissolved into a tickle fight after having her diaper changed. Liam was hanging out by himself, watching a hockey game on TV while dressed up as Spiderman. He informed me that he'd had the mask on at first, but that it is too uncomfortable for watching TV.