My Newest Not-Collection

Did some thrift shopping over the weekend. Apparently, Amish country is a flea-market hotbed. However, in the three decades I've lived only an hour away, I've never gone. This was my first ever flea-market experience. I doubt it will be my last, though, now that I've discovered the world of vintage bake ware.

I had a vague understanding of vintage Pyrex from what I'd seen around Flickr and the blogosphere. But it wasn't until I saw it in person that I "got" it. This whole time I've been baking in drab looking metal pans and clear glass dishes, I could have been using something far prettier! I just had to come home with a couple of Pyrex pieces. I couldn't leave behind that cute little yellow Fiestaware, either. You understand.

After I came home with my pieces is when I started to do my research on vintage Pyrex (because I like to do things as backwards as possible, evidently). I couldn't find the name of the pattern on the bottom dish anywhere. I had learned that Pyrex put out promotional pieces, and it started to get into my head that maybe this pattern was super-rare, so rare as to not have been previously photographed. I started to think I was secretly a thrift-shopping genius. Then it occurred to me, the genius, to flip the dish over. The piece isn't Pyrex at all. It's Glasbake. It's still very pretty, though. I'm thinking of making a cloth insert with matching embroidery and using it as a bread dish.

The top dish was an accidental purchase. I turned it over to check the price tag, and the lid fell off and chipped a corner. The dealer felt bad for me, although he needn't, as I've come to terms with my clinical clumsiness, and he gave me a discount. It's not a piece I would have bought otherwise, but there's a bright side to that, as it gives me the confidence to actually use it.

When I saw the orange mixing bowl with the wheat stalks on it, I instantly thought of Thanksgiving and what a great serving dish this would make. I hosted the holiday for the past two years. I don't know if I'll be hosting again, but I do know this bowl will make it on to the table, even if I have to bring it with me.

The aqua-on-white mixing bowl is probably my favorite piece. This picture does not do it justice. The color is bright and fun, and it's in perfect condition. I might use it as a pretty storage bowl. It's too perfect for kitchen use.

I'm not looking to have yet another collection in the Cats and Casseroles household. But is resistance futile? I ask myself this in between thoughts imagining how great it would be to find a matching butter dish.