Pyrex Primary Jackpot!

It has been a while. I've been longing to find the primary refrigerator set, especially the practical blue rectangular loaf pan! I've also debated on the merits of collecting each single bowl of the primary mixing bowl set but now I finally have them all.


After responding to a Craigslist ad, my hubby humoured me and drove out to the boonies almost 25km away from our house. By the time we arrived, the sun had long set and we were hopelessly lost on a rural road. By the time we made our way, we realized we were going to a farmhouse that was in complete darkness. We were led by the seller past her barn of horses and to a back room that was filled with, well, you could call them knicknacks.


Don't they look relaxing there, basking in the evening sun?


But there they were! The Primary Bowl and Fridgies set, complete with lids (and even a couple extra of the large pan lids). The green mixing bowl is my favourite, don't you just love that colour?? The seller threw in an extra yellow small fridgie, so now it's looking very yellow in this scene from my Living Room...

Could it be Cathrineholm?

I went into my local Value Village the other day to scour the goods. I was figuring on slim pickings, since the place was buzzing with customers. Lo and behold, I see a beautiful round white enamelled pan with what appears to be a lotus leaf pattern!


I snatch the piece up and am excited to see how heavy it is. Could it be Cathrineholm? The first time I saw a Cathrineholm piece was at the window of a local thrift store which takes a select few great items, displays them in the front window, and runs a silent auction for two weeks. I was just passing by and was star-struck by an avocado green ice bucket with strikingly beautiful yet simple white leaves. Unfortunately the ice bucket caught others' eyes too, and the bidding was already up to $68 by the time I rolled around.


Back to the present - I'd always been hopeful about finding another piece with the simple paper sticker reading "Made in Norway" with this great pattern, but no such luck.


I believe this might be an authentic round pan based on my flickr "research"... Too bad there is no lid! Perhaps readers like Jeni from In Color Order can help ID this? The underside of the pan is a dark cast-iron-ish material but has weathered to a grey in some areas. The pan is actually in quite good condition. Even if it turns out not to be Cathrineholm, I think it would serve great as a roasting dish for potatoes and such. At $5, I think I made a safe bet.

Vintage Le Creuset Saucepot

If you've visited this blog before, you have a rough idea that vintage Le Creuset makes me swoon. As I was scouring craigslist the other day, I saw a listing for a vintage white #16 saucepot with no photos! The seller lived quite close to my workplace, so I stopped by after work yesterday to have a look.


I was quite pleased to see the nice condition, especially of the wood (teak?) handle. I happily paid the $30 she was asking. Some I have seen on ebay have dull-looking wood, or scorch marks. This handle is even engraved/etched with "Le Creuset". There are some light surface marks on the interior but I think I can make it work. :)


I previously blogged here on a previous post about a great #16 flame coloured pot that I found for a steal at Value Village and now it's got a cousin!

Thrifted Basil Windowsill Planter

I was running some errands on the weekend and noticed that a church in my neighbourhood had a sign outside for a Saturday thrift sale. I screeched to a halt and popped in for a look. It is hard to believe from the outside, but the church has basically converted their auditorium/gymnasium into a thrift shop! The stage was being used for storage of stock that hadn't been sorted yet. It was much bigger than I imagined from the little sign outside on the street. Even though I love thrift shops, I found it a bit sad that they closed down a useful space and replaced it with a store.

The number of looky-loos confirmed that this is a popular hidden gem with the locals. I spotted a bundle of beautiful colourful fabric in a nice floral pattern. It was two drapery panels in a previous life and a lot of fabric for the $6 I paid. I'm still trying to figure out what I can make with them... I mean, have someone make for me!


I spotted a nice vintage red flour sifter too but I put it back since I'm not much of a baker. I did pick up a little wooden kids' stool for $1.50 since I think this will be nice to have in the garden when weeding. I might also paint it white and have it in the kitchen so I can reach the upper shelves!


I scored a nice aluminum vintage loaf pan which is now repurposed as a basil herb planter. It'll look great on the windowsill when my seedlings grow into larger plants. It was 50 cents, a great price for a new planter!