Vintage Roadrunner Glassware

Can I just start by saying I love thrift store shopping? The thrill of the hunt, the possibility of finding a diamond in the rough, the low prices...I love it all. So when I had the opportunity to hit up a couple in small-town Virginia this past weekend, I couldn't wait to get started - especially since one of the places was where I found my vintage milk glass lamps several months ago. And boy did I find a few great things. I haven't had a chance to take photos of everything yet, so I'll start with my favorite find today: some vintage old-fashioned glasses.

When I spotted this set of eight glasses, I was immediately taken by their mid-century vibe and their shiny gold (adorable!) roadrunners. They were in almost perfect shape, and I thought they'd be a fun addition to a bar ware collection.

They have gold rims as well, which didn't photograph well, but they're there. They feel almost Mad Men-esque, don't they? I like that they're a little quirky and a little unexpected. I think they're something Emily Henderson would love. Or maybe Jaime from Furbish.

Besides the thrill of finding something fabulous at a thrift shop, my other favorite thing to do with my finds is to try and look up their manufacturer and era of production. Though these have no markings, I believe these low ball glasses were made by a company called Couroc, which was a popular maker of glassware, trays, etc. from the 1950s to 1990s. I'm going to guess mine are from the 1960s or 1970s? Total guess. I have no idea.

go roadrunner go!

I initially picked them up thinking they'd be a great "fun find" to add to my Etsy shop, but when I showed them to C, he loved them, and asked if we could keep them. So I'm 90% sure they'll stay with us. Now all I have to do is find somewhere to put them in our tiny apartment. Hmm.

I'm thinking we need an awesome bar cart to put these on display. Too bad we don't have the space. A girl can dream, right? Take a look at these lovely examples...

{Style by Emily Henderson}

{Society Social via The Glitter Guide}

{HGTV}

I clearly have a thing for gold - but I'm thinking those glasses would fit right in with any of these guys.

I'll be putting a couple more of my fun finds from this weekend up in my Etsy shop this week (once I have a chance to photograph them). Can't wait to show you!

How I Scored A $6 Rug

Last week I was perusing the dollar store across the street from work (as I often do...you never know what you're gonna find!), and I was just getting ready to leave when I strolled down the home improvement aisle to look for one last thing. I didn't find what I was looking for, but right under the clothes hangers, I spotted something totally unexpected: carpet squares.

I know what you're thinking. Ugh, really, Chaney? Carpet squares? From the dollar store? Are you out of your mind?

Maybe a little, but again, at the dollar store, you never know. So I did what any normal(?) person would do, I started digging through the pile of squares, just to see if there might be any interesting designs or patterns. At $1/square, I couldn't help myself. You know I love a good bargain.

So imagine my excitement when, under some ugly purple squares, there was a beautiful sky blue, tan and white batik patterned square. I pulled it out and took a good look at it, and instantly thought, ok, this is legitimately pretty. Please, please tell me there are more.

And there were. Five more. Making six total squares. Certainly enough to put together a nice-sized rug. 

I snatched them up before anyone else could try to take them (although I think the competition was slim), quickly headed to the cash register, paid my $6, and hurried home.

I found a nice home for them in my kitchen:

Pretty, huh? I think it adds a really nice pop of color and pattern against our white cabinetry and appliances. You almost can't tell they're squares when they're positioned all snugly against each other. The rug measures about 3'x5' with the squares assembled.

And here's what one of the individual squares looks like though, just in case you were curious.

They reminded me of FLOR carpet tiles when I saw them at first, so I actually did a quick search on their website to see if they had a similar pattern. Lo and behold, they had something, um, almost identical. 

Take a look and tell me if you can tell a difference between my dollar store find and the Hide & Batik FLOR tiles:

{sorry for the small-ish image - this is the largest one I could find!}

Eerily similar.

Let's do a little price comparison, shall we?

• FLOR tiles: $14/tile
• Dollar store tiles: $1/tile

Total savings: 92%. I'd call that winning.

Now in terms of quality comparison, we'll just have to see how well they hold up - especially in a messy, high traffic area like a kitchen. I did spill some corn/black bean/bell pepper salsa on it over the weekend and it seemed to repel liquid/stains like a champ. I think it's a keeper.

Have you scored any great items at a steep discount lately? Found a good knockoff for a steal? Let me know! I love hearing about great bargains!