We're bumming around the Salvation Army in Clearwater off US 19, which we'd passed a dozen times but always figured wasn't that great (SAs are so hit or miss nowadays.) We'd been thrifting earlier in the day and I'd found some cute daisy glasses I would have purchased, except that they were $2 -- each! For a used, paint-peeling-off tumbler! I remarked -- for the millionth time -- about how if you really wanted to get rid of something, you'd price it to move. Ever since eBay, thrifts are so pricey. Not everything is worth a ton of money, you know? Anyway, I was impressed with how reasonably priced everything at this SA was. Obviously, this was a thrift that didn't care about the provenience of their merchandise -- I saw Candlewick stemware for 50 cents a glass! There was an unusually great collection of both dining room suites and china sets. If you know me at all, you know I am obsessed with china. I would have 10 sets if I had the room (and I already have three complete sets!) So I was wistfully looking at each classic pattern when I stumbled upon one of the most amazing things I've ever seen -- an entire set of green Blue Heaven!!
Now, I've collected Royal's Blue Heaven china for almost 10 years. I have a built-in Blue Heaven radar: I can actually find the lone Blue Heaven plate at the bottom of a huge stack of mismatched dishes with just a glance. And between thrifts, antique stores, and (heaven forbid) even eBay I've managed to amass 10 place settings and almost every additional piece -- platters, pie plates, coffee pots, even juice glasses. But after all these years I've NEVER seen the pattern in green. The set includes seven almost-complete place settings, a sugar bowl (with lid!) and two great serving bowls.
The photo only shows part of the set -- the rest is drying after a good wash. The berry bowls also have an unusual feature -- a cool side handle. I was so excited I was speechless (another first?) Tim hasn't been thrifting with me for that long so he didn't really understand the magnitude of the find. I ended up with over 50 pieces for $29.99 (no tax in Pinellas County?) When we got home I raced to the computer to research my score. Apparently the pattern is called Mojave Green and is relatively rare (not on eBay, not mentioned on Royal's site, listed on Replacements Limited but with no pieces in stock, etc.) It made me smile all night, even through the Gators' ridiculous loss to Auburn. Now that's powerful!In blog news, I'm working on getting my Flickr site updated, which means I'll be able to share more fun photos. I'm also trying to figure out how to customize my heading. Hopefully by the time October is over everything will be set up the way I want it. Stay tuned...
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