Crockpot Dulce de Leche

At the garage sale where I scored all my sweet Pyrex Butterprint, the seller threw in three of these Ball jars and lids/seals for free.

I was thinking they would be perfect for crockpot dulce de leche!

Did you know that you can identify the age of your Ball jars by looking closely at the logo font? These here are not very old - if the "B" has a loop in it, the piece is From before 1960. You can see an example at my post on Ball mason jars.

Back to the dulce de leche, just pour some sweetened condensed milk into your mason jars and screw on the lids. Pop them into your slow cooker and cover with water, then cook on low for 8 hours and you will have a creamy, caramelly treat waiting for you!

This should be kept in your fridge and should keep at least a couple months... If it lasts that long! I plan to drizzle some on vanilla ice cream and see how that works out...

Vintage Le Creuset Knockoff?

We were back in town for the weekend and happened upon a neighbor's garage sale! My dad was visiting, and tipped me off to what he called some Fake Le Creuset.

I scurried over to check it out and sure enough, Le Creuset flame colour, check. Phenolic knob, check. Enamelled cast iron, check! Le Creuset markings, nope!

For three dollars though, still a good quality, heavy vintage cast iron piece, so I scooped it up. I had buyers remorse afterwards, but I was able to sell it on craigslist to a fellow no knead baker who didn't mind the discoloured interior.

Linking up to ATG's Thrift Share Monday!

Farstrup Teak Chair Made in Denmark

One of my favourite finds from a while ago is this ordinary looking, humble chair.

Well... It is actually a great chair! I spotted it at my favourite church basement and thought it looked nice and sturdy. Then I flipped it over and saw the Farstrup made in Denmark tag. :)

I believe the back rail and spindles are beech wood, with a teak plywood seat. It is surprisingly comfortable - I have been using it as a nursing chair! I am so glad we didn't spend a fortune on a fancy glider at the baby store.

I bought this beauty for five bucks. Love how the sticker said "solid wood". I suppose if it read Danish Teak, it wouldn't have been waiting for me!!

Here is a shot of the chair edge. It is just so darn comfy. I have spent many hours in this chair over the last six months.

Probably one of my best $5 finds for sentimental reasons!

Linking up to Thrift Share Monday and Vintage Thingie Thursday!

Le Creuset Garage Sale Haul... from a Reader!

Nope, it wasn't me! A lucky reader emailed me some photos showing his epic vintage Le Creuset haul.

Each piece is individually priced but he scored this whole set at a garage sale in Alberta for $20!! What a deal!

He mentioned that the sellers were two ladies in their 80s. This seems to be often the case, where an older owner decides that the cast iron cookware is too heavy and passes the pieces on.

Look at the fantastic condition of the interiors. They must have taken wonderful care of these pieces.

I also like how some of the older vintage pieces have the enamelled, ribbed bottoms.

I am glad these went to a good home, as this SixBalloons reader really appreciates vintage goodies... But it kinda shocks me that no family members wanted to scoop these up! Le Creuset cookware should be treated like family heirlooms, shouldn't they?

Vintage Hagen's Travel Bag

I dragged my Dad with me to my old favourite church thrift shop the other week. He must give me good luck for finding vintage bags, as I found one in a style similar to my vintage PanAm purse.

Hagen's Travel is an old Vancouver business; they've been around since 1937. The beautiful blue colour caught my eye, and when I saw the $1 price sticker, I couldn't put it back down.

This bag has so many things about it that I like - the orange piping, grommets on the underside of the bag, and of course the Canadian maple leaf and Greater Vancouver city names. I feel like the guy on Antiques Roadshow explaning all those features with my long pointer stick!

By the way my Dad ended up scoring a Sea by Sweden "paper sack" glass vase. I'm not totally familiar with the company nor the name, but I understand they were later bought out by Kosta Boda. I really need to learn more about glassware if I'm going to consider myself a serious thrifter!

Linking up to Vintage Thingie Thursday!