Craigslist and thrifting are of course, very hit or miss.  It’s better to go into a store with an open mind and a general idea of what you’re looking for or hoping to find.  Occasionally, I make a big score, like our camel leather sofa, but larger pieces have been elusive lately.

Aside from a pair of fantastic chairs, all of my finds have been small accessories.

There are a few items on my list that I’ve been looking for, mostly serving pieces, which thrift stores are chock full of.  Not only are they useful, but look pretty on display in our hutch.

 

Most recently, I picked up a three dollar silver platter and two brass flower bowls from different places.

A $5 silver teapot, three buck marble and glass cheese dome, 5 dollar brass footed bowl fill in the right side.  I’ve had these gold striped glasses for several years now, and just found a matching pitcher for a mere $4, total score!

For two or so years, I’ve looked for a wooden bowl big enough to hold our Costco quantities of fruit.  Finally, spotted this big, dark guy for ten dollars.

I almost walked out without this smaller hand carved bowl, but in the end, the grain had me hooked.

It’s so interesting and makes a great catchall on my desk.

The silver platter was dirty and tarnished, so I picked up Tarnex to make it shine again.  In my excitement to get it done, I spaced and didn’t take pictures.  Since it worked so well, I used it on the other silver pieces in my collection, including the silver teapot.  It certainly wasn’t terrible, but did have an even layer of patina.

A few light swipes of a Tarnex soaked cotton ball made it all go away.

Not sure why, but the platter required more muscle and scrubbing, while this swiped away with little effort.

Then I tried it on the silver bowl we keep Lego minifigures in, but it barely changed this harsh tarnish.

Any tips or products to polish up really stubborn silver stains?