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!

A new Goodwill opened up in Pierre. They built a big new building. Yesterday was the first time I was in it. It has been open for 2 weeks now I think. There weren't very many people in there. I probably won't be going back either. I know they brought loads of stuff in here that didn't sell any place else. They have racks and racks of clothes. I had found a couple of tshirts, but I held them up and you could see through them. So I put them back. all of there odds and ends stuff is on top of the clothes racks. I am short and I am not going to try to look at stuff that is not even organized. Looked like it was just thrown up there. Hardly anything was marked and if it was it was overpriced. I wanted to use the bathroom but I couldn't find one. There was one door that was marked employees only. I am sure that was probably it. If they built that big of a building you would have thought they would put a bathroom in it. A lot of the clothes looked old. Even the games looked old. There were a lot of ashtrays too. I can't even think of anyone even wanting to buy an ashtray. I haven't seen one for years. Maybe I was too picky I don't know. I will go to the other thrift store. All the clothes are clean and newer. I have bought sets of sheets there for 4.00 and they have them marked if they are deep pockets or not. It may not be as big put I think it is cheaper and the quality is better. Their help is all volunteer and the money goes to help the needy. I have heard that Goodwill gives very little to charity. I can't remember what their sign says. I know one part says something about employing people. I heard on the radio one day they had 13 employees and were looking for 2 more. WOW so they must each get a few hours a week.

Our town used to have an arts & crafts co-op that also had a small lunch room, serving 'home cooked' type meals. Lunch only, of course, it was very popular with people that had jobs downtown, also became 'the place' to go to meet your friends for lunch, or maybe just dessert, whatever. Anyhow, when it first opened, the dinnerware, etc., was all donated by members of the co-op. Not new things, but dishes they no longer wanted or had use for at home, but were still in good condition, no chips or cracks. Everyone seemed to donate fairly complete place settings, but mostly only a few place settings from each donor, so there was a great variety of styles and patterns. It made some very attractive table settings! In fact, the look became quite popular, and we kept it for quite a number of years, even after we could afford to get 'real' restaurant ware. It was such a cozy, homey look. Sounds like an ideal answer for your informal log home! And all the fun of a real excuse to go to garage sales, thrift stores, resale shops, estate sales, etc. I agree with sunnyca, the field is wide open! Have fun, and I hope you will come back & show us pictures of some of he treasures you find! Rusty