Gone off my Dutch rocker

Today, Sunday, my daughter and I went back to an estate sale I had shopped last Friday. The estate was of a deceased, single woman who spent her life working for the Foreign Service. She must have spent some time in the Netherlands. On Friday, I picked up the Sinterklaas cookie mold and decided I could have some Delft Blue on Sunday when it would be half off. So back we went today!

A 3 X 4" watercolor of a canal in Amsterdam. $4. The original price sticker of 55 guilders was still on the back!

The other two cookie molds that I saw on Friday and that were still there today: $3 for the pair.

Ha ha ha. Some bonafide Dutch kitsch: a Delft Blue windmill musical box that plays: "Tulips from Amsterdam!" At one time, the wings used to rotate while the music played, but they don't anymore.

And, yes, I DO have a plan for future use of all the Delft Blue I have accumulated so far. To be continued...

Scandinavian design?

My trip to the Netherlands was great. The weather was unusually mild for the time of year, and I even got to go for long walks on the beach without a coat. Great to see family and friends. Nice to be back. I missed my garage sales and was ready to go last Friday! Here are the highlights of my finds.

Not Scandinavian but German. A men's choir with village church, houses and trees. I believe it's Erzgebirge. $4

We paid $15 each. Would love to know more about where they are from. They look Scandinavian to me.

Not Scandinavian but Dutch! A Sinterklaas (yes, Santaclaus) wooden cookie mold. $3

From Denmark: a Rosendahl corkscrew. $1

Ordered at Amazon. Happy with the Design and Chairs one. Not too impressed with the tools for living.

A bear's head of unknown heritage. First I though Skjode, but it has no marks. 

It cannot sit by itself, unless you put it on its side. It has no evidence of ever having been attached to something.

This is how it sits if it's not supported. Someone help me out! What IS it? $1

On my last day in Holland, I found this sugar bowl and creamer by Mosa (Maastricht, the Netherlands), at an antiques barn. It belongs to my mom's dinnerware set that I have and grew up with. Terrific find. 7.5 Euros.

The last of this season's sales.

 The harvest of Friday's and Saturday's garage sales in my neighborhood. A grand total of about $32. My favorite purchases are the double walled, stainless steel French press by Frieling (It came without the plunger, unfortunately) $10, the German jug $5, and the abalone brooch $1.

 The jug obviously cannot be any younger than 1989. I wish it had the manufacturer's mark. Anybody know?

After passing up a perfectly good set of Pyrex nesting bowls (3 for $3) in a darker red with wheat pattern, I did buy this blue divided dish, measuring cup and glass bowls. I love Williams Sonoma, so these four cook books came home with me. Two of them I might actually use.

The view from my living room. These are ash trees. 

I'm saying goodbye for now to Oregon's seventy-nine degree Fall weather and will trade it in, tomorrow, for Dutch rain and temperatures of fifty-nine degrees, if I'm lucky. But my mom's house is always warm and inviting, so it won't bother me a bit.

 And, I'll be back in time for Halloween.

I already know what I'll be wearing. 

Bye!

You ain't much if you ain't Dutch

Holland was well represented at this weekend's garage sales. I bought this tile from a woman whose father was Dutch (from Friesland)...

Botanic thrift store print

What's a garage sale junkie to do on a Tuesday? Luckily there's a thrift store near to where I work that helps to tide me over until Friday's sales. Today I found a few good things there. Haven't photographed them all (don't want to give away my wardrobe secrets!).

I love this print. And the fake fruit livens up one of the glass cake stands
that lives on top of my kitchen cabinets. One of these is made of wood.
Print cost $3. The fruit was a quarter each.

This Brag Book must be from the 1970's. It fits square photos. Would be perfect for Instagram photos! It's cute.  And it was only a quarter. Too bad I can't rotate photos once they're uploaded, square or not square.

A full view of this botanic print. From the "gardiner of Kensington."

Bags and scarves

Found this 100% silk, Italian scarf a few weeks ago at an antique mall. $8.

There are never many sales on Sundays here; today there were five. And I found this brand new Vera Bradley bag at the first sale I stopped. It was my only purchase of the morning. But it sure made my day at a mere $4.

 Found this Italian-made-in-China bag  :-) at a sale yesterday. $1.
I like the style and look of it. Doesn't matter that it's a fake. It's fun.

No use crying over spilled coffee

We spent a fun four hours this Saturday morning, my friend and I. She bought more than I did this time around. Dishes, purse, classroom stuff, puzzles, vases... I got lots of small stuff and these are the highlights:

This tray was hidden under a load of stuff that was for sale, but luckily I spotted it. They sold it to me for a quarter. I wasn't wearing my reading glasses, so I was pleasantly surprised when I came home and my husband asks me: "Did you buy it because it was made in Holland?" And low and behold it says "Daher Decorated Ware Made in Holland on the back. When I first spotted the tray, it reminded me of Pip Studio Design in Amsterdam. Here's their website http://www.pipstudio.com/en

Cute cat stuff for my cat loving aunt, whom I will see soon as I'm going to Holland in October.

And two more much-needed teapots for the annual high tea fundraiser that I help host. And a cute mug. Speaking of mugs, I spotted an interesting one at a sale, picked it up, turned it over to see the mark... and spilled all the coffee in it on other items that were for sale and myself. Luckily the coffee was cold and the lady thought it was hilarious, so we laughed it off. Has this ever happened to you?

Vera and Bauer

 Total spent on Friday: $23.50

 I wasn't going to get the trifle bowl, but my friend thought it was a good idea. Now I'm happy that I got it. Love the Black Americana tea towels.

 A deep dish by Bauer (maybe it came with a matching flowerpot at some point).
Easy as pie tea towel.

 I have a hard time not buying counted cross stitchery. Someone put a lot of time in making them, and the person selling them doesn't appreciate that.

 My first Vera scarf! Not my colors, so I won't keep it.

 We renovated our bathroom at the beginning of summer. And the new, modern, bathroom seems to attract Hummel-like figurines. These are by Daisy 1972.

We got the pictures below at an estate sale two months ago.
Mind you, I never liked Hummel before. Ever.

These scarves came in the same lot as the Vera scarf.
Unfortunately, they are all ugly. The red, green and white one would look good on Wilma Flintstone, my friend said. And I agree. It's a dinosaur.

I almost forgot this smiling guy: my first Japanese Lusterware find. Unfortunately the ear was broken and glued back together again.

A little more thrifting on Saturday

Our cats loved us when we brought home this whatever it is that we paid $4 for with the cats in mind. New with tags from Worldmarket.

Ice bucket from The Bon Marche for $1. Bottle of Champagne not included, alas.
And an oil and vinegar set from France for $2.

 Hand painted, bien sur.

 No more pesky salesmen at our door! $2

After our neighborhoods garage sales, we went to the Vintage Flea Market

at a local park. Very pretty display of knick knacks. $0. Didn't buy a thing.