The Gift of Thrift: Have a Dotty Day!

Every time I get one of Michael Quinn’s fanciful, handcrafted invitations, I immediately start counting the days until his always-memorable get-togethers. This year’s Christmas event would certainly go down in party-planning history with its request to bring along a $5, grab-bag gift that started with a “P” and ended in a “T.” Peanut? Parfait? Pocket? Post-It? I decided upon a bottle of Pert shampoo, but since I always like to take a hostess gift, I wanted to find a pretty, thrift-store cooking POT to offer him.

When I hit the thrift stores, all I found were crusty, icky pots with burned on stains, missing handles and unappealing dents. But since the thrift gods never disappoint, I was rewarded by my last stop was at a fantastic new store, the Cure Thrift Shop (www.curethriftshop.com), and was agog at the utter variety of high-quality wares on hand. Immediately, I became transfixed by a gorgeously merchandised dining table with a lovely Fire-King, two-quart casserole dish as its centerpiece.

I’d never quite seen a Fire-King specimen as amazing as this amber- and gold-tone variety. Usually the pieces I run upon are of the white variety decorated with flowers or are of clear glass. And the bonus? Retro polka dots encircling the lid! A keeper for sure! I loaded it with classic dimestore candy -- orange slices, butterscotch covered nuts, gold wrapped Rollos and Werther’s Original candies -- and offered my host a really sweet dish!



In May 2009, Clarkson Potter will publish my book, The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details. Pre-order now on www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.