"Salt & Pepa's Here and We're In Effect"

Ah, Push it!

Sorry, just had to complete that lyrical thought! ;)

This post is for one of my very best friends. A girl who put up with me in small living quarters for a whole year when I lived in Arkansas and who has continued to be one of my dearest friends ever since, putting up with many a long phone call full of giggles on both ends!

Kari likes to collect Salt and Pepper shakers. So lately whenever I'm in a thrift or antique shop I try to take a few minutes to look over the salt and pepper shakers. Mainly to get ideas so that I can make her some using my skills as a ceramic artist! 

But the Gulfport Beach Bazaar had soo many salt & pepper shakers that I just couldn't help sharing the images I snapped for Kari and any other collectors to enjoy! 

 This eggs in a basket is definitely one I'm going to recreate in my own style at the studio! 

 And I loved these petite little shimmery orange ones which in hindsight I kind of wish I had just gotten but felt like they were too much at $8. I know, I'm a cheap scape! But they were missing the corks in the bottom and were literally an inch and a half tall! Sorry Kari! 

Also, because the glaze was shimmery I am pretty sure it was a lead glaze on them which would have made them unsafe for food, and if I'm anything as a ceramic artists, it's that I am a stickler about food ware ceramics being food safe.

 I'm not kidding, there were soooo many! I could have stood there for an hour just trying to take in the individuality of each set... so instead I snapped a few pics! 

See anything you like Kari!? :)

Gulfport Beach Bazaar

No, despite the name this is not a festival or Bazaar in the it happens on Saturday mornings sense. In fact the Gulfport Beach Bazaar is a local retail shop right along Beach Blvd in Gulfport, the street that I showed pictures of in my last post. 

The location was originally the U.S. Post Office of Gulfport and the retail shop was added in 1972 and then most recently its been taken over by its current owners and turned into an awesome antique/thrift store! 

I had quite a bit of luck here, finding 3 elephants to add to my collection and a set of 6 small brandy glasses that were a match to the very unique one my parents were given early in their marriage by an elderly couple they were friends with who traveled all over the world. Needless to say I was SOO excited when I stumbled across the set. I hadn't been looking for it, but one of the glasses in my parents set had broken during the holiday and I felt it was fitting to just get the set as a replacement! Also, I have literally never ever seen them anywhere except in my parents house so it felt like one of those "you'll never find these again" kind of finds!

I'll do a post of my purchases later. For now... I just want to share all the eye candy there was to see! 

Thrifty Thursday: Class & Trash

Last Friday one of my college girlfriends drove down from NOVA to visit for the afternoon. 

It was so nice to see her and just have a girls day! We went for lunch at Proper Pie (which will be its own post) and then headed to my and now Gillian's favorite thrift store in the Richmond area. 

 It may not look like much to the unknown eye, but to me it is a thrifter/DIY/artist/ all around old things paradise! They had lots of old windows and doors if you ever had need of one for a DIY project as well as some great fixer upper lawn furniture. 

 Hello gorgeous wrought iron gazebo! If I could take you home and put you in storage until I meet the right guy, fall in love, and get married I would! You'd be so pretty to say "I do's" under!

And these pretty white metal chairs! A little elbow grease to clean them up and then a fresh coast of bright yellow or blush pink paint and they'd be just like new!

 Metal wagon wheel, wrought iron picnic table.. oh the possibilities! 

 I really loved this glass vanity set. It was so pretty with the insides blush pink and the gold detailing. I should have grabbed them at just $5 a piece but I couldn't think of where I'd put them because well I have many pretty glass things much like these so I passed. Sigh. I'm sure they'll find a good home though. 

 This bold black leather chair caught Gillian's eye. I agreed it had a nice masculine look. Personally it reminded me of a lot of the furniture that was in my Nana and Grandfather's house growing up. 

After testing it out... 

 And getting my opinion on comfort... 

 She decided to get it. I have to add that Gill and her husband just bought an adorable house... and suddenly have more rooms to fill so this was going to be Mike's "man chair". I can't wait to see it in their house!

 As you can see, the shop is just packed with great finds for the imaginative thinker. 

Gill really loves this big old lamp post and wants to put it on her back patio... someday ;) It was here the 1st time she checked out the shop on her way back from her photo session with me a few months ago.  

I found a great find for myself there too, but it's gonna be saved for another post. It was a fun day of catching up and sharing a mutual love of bargain shopping with Gill. If you have an afternoon to spend I high recommend checking out Class and Trash in Ashland, Va! 

Thrifty Thursday

If someone were to ask me my favorite places to shop they may be surprised to hear me say Goodwill is at the top of my list. But really, its one of my favorites. I never fail to find something relevant and useful and for a steal! Plus, I know its going back into a good cause.  Its also our families favorite place to drop off things we no longer use but know might have another life in them for someone else. Also, if you live in Richmond, we have one of the distribution stores... on Midlothian heading towards Chippenham... its at least 2 times the size of a regular Goodwill!

I make a point of only going once or twice a month and never spending more than $20 in a visit. Often though I only spend $10 or less.. like on my most recent visit. Which came to a wopping $8.57!

I stopped by after my daily visit to the gym just to browse as I hadn't been in for almost 2 months. And of course, found a few things that needed to leave with me! Like the pretty green mugs from World Market that I got for $3.25! Yes, all four of them together were just $3.25! They are dishwasher and microwave safe and add the perfect touch of spring.

Some people might say, but Sarah, you are a ceramic artist, why not just make yourself some mugs? Well, I do.. but being a potter I also have a love for things not made by me that are ceramic and these mugs were so pretty. I especially was drawn by the way the glaze pooled and flowed over the details on the outside of the mug. And while these are commercially made and therefore nothing unique or special they are slip cast and low-fired both of which are techniques I don't use as an artist so for $3.25 I was more than happy to add some pretty detail to my collection without having to make it myself. 

If you follow me on instagram @shedesignswithgrace, then you'll know I've been on a flower kick of late. Specifically keeping fresh flowers on my bathroom vanity just to brighten my day every time I see them. So when I came across this pretty glass vase that was just the right size to hold only a few flowers  and the pretty ceramic china painted one below... for less that $3 each, I couldn't pass them up!

As you can see I brought them home and immediately put one to work with some pretty camellias from my mom's garden!