LATE SUMMER VINTAGE FINDS

As if the end of summer isn’t bittersweet enough, this is also the time of the year that garage sales start winding down.

Luckily I’ve hit a couple good ones of late — and now that the kids are back at school, there’s more time to hit the Goodwill Bins.

First up, these.

I love these little pocket “vin” glasses — they’re kind of modern and perfect when you just want a half glass of wine (like when a friend stops by before dinner and is feeling chatty).

I’m also loving these.

You and Me glasses.

The guy from S.F. who sold them to me said that they were his mother’s — but he didn’t know how old they were. They’re great for a small highball drink– like a fresh cherry Manhattan.

Oh, and then there were these– from a small thrift shop on Halsey.

They have the classic martini shape but clearly are for champagne — and I love the retro styling.

Neighbors popped by the day I picked them up, and that was all the excuse I needed to whip up a batch of Lemon Drops.

I’d made the simple syrup the day before, and I had half a bunch of herbs left from noodles the night before, so voila: Thai Basil-Meyer Lemon Drops.

Okay, I’ve got a couple other things to show you from the Goodwill Bins.

Take a look at these tiny little pastel pink scalloped trays; they’re just the right size for a cookie drop off on a friend’s porch (or an indoor tea party).

Oh, and I know my kids are way too old for Fisher Price little people, but I just can’t resist their charms.

So I don’t.

Next up, some odd bits and pieces.

I found lots of random cards.

It never ceases to amaze me when I’m at an estate sale or thrift shop and I come across the remnants of an owner’s collection of cards, sometimes going back sixty or more years (like some of the Christmas ones I’ve collected).

Was there never an occasion special enough? Or did the owner have too many? Or just forget about them?

And it makes me sort of sad to think of how much we lose as we move to a largely paperless world.

Emails and electronic cards (which I too have resorted to sending on occasion) just don’t cut it when compared to sweet little cards and the effort behind handwritten notes.

These cards are made to look like needlepoint and both look and feel like real linen.

These were all scattered at the bottom of a bin of old garden stuff, but were remarkably intact and clean (all these cards probably cost a quarter).

This vintage handkerchief is perfect for Charlotte’s lunch napkin (at bulk price, a penny?)

And this doily trivet makes me smile.

This little bin (and fabric) also made me so happy.

It’s that gorgeous 50’s aqua — a little tool box of goodness.

And I was happy to learn that it’s the ideal size for all those paper and vellum bags I collect for my baked goods and tiny treasures.

Some of these bags were on the spendy side, so I’m thrilled to keep them nice and neat in my bakery pantry (and one of these days I’ll get around to organizing them better by color).

And lastly, some holiday fun.

I had to laugh when I found these circa-1950’s candles; I onced owned a couple hundred of these Gurley candles. I had various ones for every possible holiday and I loved to decorate my porch, mantle and corners of my house with them.

That is, until our first year in our house.

I put them up in our attic for storage and when I went to look for them that first Thanksgiving, I was crushed. In the unrelenting heat of the previous summer they’d all melted together into one horrific blob. Damn!

Oh well, I guess it’s time to start anew– and welcome new friends into our home.

Man I love this town for vintage — and I hope for more Bin trips in the weeks to come.

Next up, I will show you our Firehouse visit

and our upcoming preparations for this Wednesday’s Firefighter Feast we’re making.

(Friends, have you suggestions for a meal for eight hungry guys?).