Calling All Antique Lovers: New Toys for Baking!

Yesterday I spent the day with my mom and Grammy, lunching, looking for plants for the garden, and we went thrifting!. After lunch Grammy decided that she wanted to go to a local thrift store, which is always tons of fun. I never used to find much of anything but junk, and I was always so impressed that Grammy always unearthed the most gorgeous treasures: clear glass plates, marigold glasses, cranberry vases, among many others. It all looked like junk to me, but after watching how she works I have managed to pick up the bug: the thrifting bug!

Everything I found thrifting yesterday!

The store was absolutely packed -- I have never been in there when it was so busy! This naturally made is more difficult to peruse the isles, and completely interrupted my usual route. Yes, I have a usual route. I always save the best for last because I like to keep my anticipation for as long as I can. The last row is where all the clear dishes are, and this is where I spend most of my time. I followed my usual route, down the isle with all things wooden, around the back where the Christmas dishes are, along the opposite side where the black dishes are kept. After this I always go up the isle that I first walked down (this makes an upside down and backwards "L" shape. So I have only been around the perimeter of the room thus far.

My first find of the day!

 I was able to turn down this isle with all the green dishes and knickknacks (someone decided to color code a while back...This makes things much easier to find, but I have to admit I did enjoy rifling through all the colors and all the stuff to find the treasure). Once I was done with the green isle I was ready to make my turn into the red isle. But people were blocking my way (and these rows are tiny!), so I was forced to go down the last isle next.

The images are in perfect shape!

But it was here that I found my first treasure! An Anchor Hocking Fire King casserole dish with matching tiny dishes nestled inside! I looked up the pattern in a magazine that Grammy gave me and apparently this very pattern is highly collectable!

Caramel Apple deliciousness is coming soon!

They were perfect! I thought Grammy would want them because she has a few like it, clear glass ones, and colored ones, too, so I left them on the shelf for her to find. I made my way down the isle just a bit when I saw another casserole dish, but this one has tiny red, pink, and black flowers on it.

Perfect for my collection!

A couple of Christmases ago Grammy had given me a box full of dishes, and one of the ramekin sets had this very flower pattern on them, and I have loved them ever since! Well, this was definitely to be mine!  I grabbed it up, and went to go down another isle that was partially free. I saw a couple of glass bowls that I liked, but I was about ready to leave that section.

Absolutely love this pattern!

I gave one last gaze down the isle, and it was here that I did a double take...stacked prettily inside each other were...... six marigold bubble berry dishes! This was the most magnificent find of the day! I absolutely adore these bubble dishes (also Anchor Hocking), and I have already collected a number of clear dinner plates and bowls in this pattern. What a find! I scooped up these sunny jewels and ran over to show Grammy my loot! She was so surprised, and excited too!

She had also found a number of treasures including pink juice glasses and pink glass plates. What a stellar day.

Pure delight upon this discovery!

It turned out that Grammy didn't want the blue patterned casserole dishes....so I grabbed them! I really didn't have any idea what I would do with them, but I knew that I could find something spectacular to do with them, even if I just set them out as decoration.

The woman at the counter who checked me out kept commenting on what wonderful finds I had! She told me that when she got married in the 70s she received these casserole dishes as wedding gifts, and she still uses them today. She also said that while I was walking around still perusing the isles for more goodies that she wanted to come up to me and tell me what wonderful dishes I had found, but she didn't because she thought I would think she was strange -- quite the contrary! We had the most delicious chat about dishes, and she gave me ideas on what to use the dishes for.

Mixing ingredients in a clear glass bowl is the best!

I ended up finding a recipe this morning for a caramel apple crisp. Grammy made a butterscotch apple crisp for our memorial day party, and it was simply divine. I imagine this caramel apple treat will be equally decadent! I am definitely going to have to try it out!

I savored peeling off all those price stickers!

 I can't believe what a lucky thrifting day I had! It was my best treasure hunt to date, and I can't wait to go again! All of those dishes for only twenty-one dollars. In a store everything I bought could have easily amounted to between 75-100 dollars. Mmhm. Excellent day for thrifting! I guess it was a good thing that my route was interrupted...Grammy could have snatched up my treasures before me! :)