The box or instructions should have a date?? Maybe even the bottom of the unit?? Much cooler looking than your words described. Sooooo jealous. I never "got" the fondue thing much but my dh loves it. He is 6.5yrs older than me so I think he enjoyed more in his youth than I did. He got me a really nice one and we used it once. It has a bunch of little cups around it for toppings and cubed stuff. Hmmm now I am hungry again. As for Goodwill, you are better off shopping in nicer neighborhoods to get good stuff. Here in Sacto area there are plenty of dives. The one Golddust went to is in nice area but stuff is so so. I remember when I lived in Atlanta when dh was in school I went to yard sales and thrift stores in the really ritzy neighborhoods. Got amazing deals. I think my best score ever was the 1941 Oneida King Arthur silverplate silverware I picked up at a junky antique store back in 1985. Service for 8 in original box. Everything was half off so I paid about $20. The entire set is worth over $1500 and pieces are hard to find so a serving piece can run over $40 IF replacements unlimited has one. The pieces are hard to find because they stopped making it because of WW2. When I divorced my practice husband that set was only thing I made sure judge gave me out of all our belongings. He never cared about it anyway, it was my special find and I treasure it. Gold, now you got me itching to go thrifting. And yes Fly, where is the quilt?

OMG, OMG, OMG, Joanna---that is the IDENTICAL table! Is it listed as a Milo Baughman?? I can't believe this--I'm only on my first cup of coffee and I'm already having heart palpatitations! I am so glad I decided to post on this site and that you happened to be reading! I don't think I ever would have known what I got, because I have limited knowledge of modern furniture. Reading everyone's delight at my serendipity is almost as much fun as finding this was! Here's the story: I got it at a nearby Salvation Army. I've been on vacation since Christmas so I've been indulging my thrift shop addiction (and it truly is!). Over the years I have found some incredibly fabulous things there but stopped going because about a year or two ago a new manager was hired who appeared to be robbing the place blind (this is not unusual at these thrift shops--sometimes corrupt employees sell all the good stuff out the back door). He and another antiques dealer who got herself a part time there no longer seem to be employed, and the good stuff is coming back out on the floor. I think successfully shopping charitable thrift shops involves persistence and tenacity. My house is truly full of treasures I've found over the years, yet any friends or family that I've directed to these stores scratch their heads and say they can never find anything. Maybe the stuff just finds me, because like a stray dog, it knows who will love it! Regarding the frames on the print, I think I do agree that I should leave them as is. I do agree with Flyleft and dillydally that they are part of the art--it's even more clear IRL. But if I were to paint them, I do like Les's suggestion of a wood tone from the burl. I think I'll leave them for now--they have a real mid-century bohemian feel that helps balance some of the elements I have in this room. Amy, I can't help but think of your gorgeous decor when I look at these red prints, so I am even more inspired to keep the original frame color. And yes, we should talk--I've been meaning to check out a couple of the places I think you're referring to. I also recently found a cool little consignment shop in your town that I was thinking of consigning some stuff to. Oh, what a way to start the New Year! Thanks everyone for boosting my excitement! I wish you all similar luck in 2009!

I presented the quilt to him today and he loved it! His reaction was even better than I expected and his questions and comments showed he really 'got it'. He showed everyone and explained the whole thing to them each time: shirts from the stores, the label, the RVs, the time it took to make it, etc. I always enjoy giving my quilts away but this one was just about the most fun ever because of his reaction. Kate

I like to collect housewares: dishes and glassware and centerpieces like vases and candleholders. I find tons of stuff at thrift stores. I brought home 3 large ceramic vases on my first spree, and I keep going back to try to find more. They are getting harder to find. Glass vases are plentiful, probably because of floral deliveries. I buy things on 50% off days for $1-3 that I would never pay full price for because I don't need them that badly. A footed bowl, a fish griller, teapots, a variety of stemware (cheap stuff and nice stuff), any set of four dishes that speaks to me (yesterday it was palm trees, other times it was sushi plates, oval multicolored glazed salad plates, williams sonoma tuscan style low bowls). I've picked up candles and holders from crate and barrel, pottery barn, a nambe bowl, wooden candlesticks and a vase. Lately I have been finding these realistic looking faux apples (pink ladies, red delicious, granny smith) that I had never seen before. I have a whole closet full of fun stuff to set the table with now. It's fun to go down the street to my local thrift store and see what I can find. It's almost like you can find things that you have been searching for that are not currently available in retail stores. You also see a lot of repetition, so you can find things that go together if you visit a variety of thrift stores regularly. I get the best finds when the staff is restocking the shelves. Otherwise a lot of the stuff is picked over. Now I am at the point where I have to get rid of something to make room for something new, so I only buy if I want to upgrade or if I can make a space for it or stack it. I still want to find some amazing blue stemmed wine glasses though. When I see a beautiful one, there are only 1-3 and I need four. Or irish coffee mugs - ceramic or glass without seams, in sets of four. Those are harder to find.