Thursday Treasure - When & Where You Least Expect It

There is something quite elegant about this simple white-on-white shot. A while back, I was browsing the web for white dish inspiration, I spotted this photo on Country Living Magazine's website. I immediately added it to my "I Love This" file and went along my merry little way.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was out and about and decided to check out Value Village thrift store. I find it's always best to thrift with an open mind to eliminate any form of disappointment, and that's exactly what I did today. My first stop is always housewares and you're going to LOVE what I found!! I'll show you the receipt, then I'll share the goodies I secured.

As you can see, there's a $3.03 SPLURGE purchase listed there, but when you see the item, you'll completely forgive me for spending so much cash! LOL

These were 40 cents each.

These were 20 cents each and are the perfect inside joke for a friend. I presented them to him today and we laughed hysterically for several minutes non-stop!

And now on to that "major" $3.03 purchase....

I couldn't bear to leave in on the shelf!! I'm sure you understand. Yes, the white dish saga continues...and continues...and continues.

Don't you just LOVE finding great treasures when you least expect it?

Happy Thursday!!

Sheila Denise

Thursday Treasure - Goodwill Find

It's your resident thrifter checking in. I scored a deal at Goodwill last week and it will be used a TON during our warm weather days. As I've stated before, thrifting is one of my favorite pastimes. I love finding a deal on things I can utilize for years to come and this fits the bill perfectly! Notice the HUGE price I paid.

Here's my latest score...

Isn't it just darling?? I'm looking forward to serving mini desserts in these.

This will also be handy for condiments.

I'm very happy this Thursday evening.

Sheila Denise

Thursday Treasure - Travel Momentos

Y'all should know by now that I love thrifting and am always eager to share my latest acquisitions with you. I could barely hold out until today to reveal this fabulous find. I'm telling you, I hit the JACKPOT!!

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I enjoyed a great trip to London, Paris and Versailles in January and have been plotting my next trip since the moment vacation ended. I truly enjoyed my trip and as always, I purchased items that embodied the spirit of the city/cities visited. Little did I know that I'd travel to London and back, only to find the BEST souvenir known to man (or woman) right here in my own backyard! I'm telling you, you're going to pass out when you see this! Then, you're going to pass out AGAIN when you find out how little I spent.

Okay, I've gushed enough about my latest find, so here is my perfect reflection of the London portion of my trip. I couldn't have planned a better purchase!!

Aren't these the most adorably perfect cuff links EVER?!?!? I can't believe they were waiting for me at my local Goodwill store. Now the best part of this great find is, they were less than $2!! Can you understand why I was so over-the-moon excited to share my Thursday Treasure with you?

What steal of a deal have you discovered lately and what are your favorite thrifting spots? Maybe I should plan a TSE Goes Thrifting Tour. Stay tuned, the tour may be coming to a city near you.

Sheila Denise

Thursday Treasure - It's All About Green

Today's post is more a tribute than a treasure and I'm excited to share a TSE first with y'all. I made my first attempt at decorating cookies with Royal Icing. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, but I'm definitely in the "need more practice" phase. Please note...decorating is being used in VERY loose terms here, but, I had to start somewhere. I'm fairly pleased with my first go at this project.

I also wanted to share a few goodies with you from one of my fave magazines, Bon Appetit. Follow the link and take a peek at all the deliciousness you can enjoy!!

Grilled Corned Beef Sandwich & Dark Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Irish Cheddar & Stout Fondue

Blarney Cheese & Onion Tart


Lamb Shanks in Guinness with Country Vegetables


Irish Cream

Stout

If you're being a bit more healthy today, don't worry, I didn't forget about you. You can have as much of these as you desire:

What's on your Saint Patrick's Day menu??

Sheila Denise

Thursday Treasure - Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Today's treasure is travel...anywhere, anytime.

It's difficult to imagine what I'd do without these three modes of transportation. They allow me to engage in one of my favorite pastimes--travel. Regardless of the destination, be it a super-short road trip, a high speed rail trip, or a long flight, I simply LOVE to travel. The excitement of arriving at your destination as well as the encounters experienced along the journey, is extremely fulfilling.

I'm chipping away at my 2011 travel list and can't wait to check off each destination and enjoy the wonderful people, cultures, traditions and food that each destination offers. Having the opportunity to experience these things makes travel my Thursday Treasure.

What are your 2011 travel plans?

Sheila Denise

Thursday Treasure - Busaba Eathai

This week's treasure is Busaba Eathi, a small restaurant with great food and even greater service, that I visited during my January vacation to London and Versailles. Boy BFF, Chuck and I enjoyed our meal so much that we embarked on our own version of The Amazing Race to have it a second time. We left London and spent a couple of days in Versailles, but during our trip back to London, we decided that we needed a repeat performance. We got back to London at 9:40 PM, knowing the last order would be taken at 10:30, so picture two complete lunatics hopping on the tube, rushing to the hotel, dropping off bags, and SPRINTING in a mad race against the clock. I'm pleased to announce that we arrived at Busaba Eathai with EIGHT minutes to spare!! Running through the streets of London to one last meal, makes Busaba Eathai forever a TSE Treasure.

Here's a little snapshot of our first meal. Please pardon the photo quality, they were shot with my Blackberry.

Thai Calamari

Pad Thai

Pandan Chicken

Brown Rice

Chinese Broccoli

All washed down with a few of these

Sadly, there are no photos of that last meal, but believe me there were TONS of empty plates and bowls on our table. What a girl won't do for a great meal!! What are some of your restaurant treasures?

Sheila Denise

Thursday Treasure - Cake Stand

Noticing a trend here this week?? I'm working really hard on being a more consistent blogger and dedicating days to specific topics is really going to help. On Tuesday, I introduced Temptation Tuesday and today is the official roll out of Thursday Treasure. This thought popped into my head when I made a fantastic discovery today. Thursdays will feature great finds that I happen upon or a great find that you share with me. I hope you appreciate the direction in which TSE is moving.

While shopping in one of my favorite stores, Big Lots, I overheard two shoppers discussing a store called Value Village and their GREAT deals in the housewares department. Now as a person who NEVER passes on an opportunity to score a deal, I immediately wrapped up my Big Lots shopping and scurried to Value Village. I rushed to the back of the store and started my scavenger hunt. Glassware for 20, 30, 40 cents!!! I could hardly contain myself. The moment I thought I would simply pass out, I turned the corner and nearly DIED when I saw this vision of beauty.

This is a stainless steel rotating cake stand!!! I had just posted on Facebook last night that I wanted to enroll in a few cake decorating classes, and there I was... staring at one of the items I'd need when to help me become a proficient cake decorator. I love everything about this stand--the simplicity, the sleekness, EVERYTHING!! I was even more thrilled to see that it was a Crate and Barrel item!!

The only info I could find on this stand was from a Chowhound post. Apparently the original price was $20 and it was on sale for $16.95 at that time (2004). This is the closest I can come to obtaining a pricing information. I'm happy to announce that I paid a whopping $6.96 for my slightly scratched, but perfectly beautiful (after a scrub session with a little Bar Keepers Friend)!

I can hardly wait to debut my latest find with a beautifully decorated cake (or a few cupcakes). What treasures have you uncovered lately?

Sheila Denise