Monday, April 5, 2010

The Early Bird Catches the Worm (or a Silver Tray)

Last week I was running early for my nail appointment so, to kill a little time,  I  made a stop in the Salvation Army thrift store across the street from the nail salon.  
When I spotted this tray I think I gasped out loud because, for at least a year, I have been looking for a large rectangle shaped silver tray to use on my coffee table. 

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I almost never see silver trays in the thrift stores but on the rare occasions when I have come across one at Goodwill, they usually aren’t in very good condition, plus they were priced between $18.00 and $22.00, which was more than really I wanted to spend.
This one is  big, ornate… and heavy.  The thing weighs SIX pounds!  Yes, I actually weighed it when I got it home.
And  it was just FIVE bucks!
Ooooo baby!   Being an early bird really paid off!
After a couple hours of polishing, I could see that some of the silver has worn off in a few areas but overall, it’s in pretty good condition. 
Good enough for me.

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I’m quite pleased  with my thrifty $5.00 silver tray and the coffee table vignette I created with it so I’m linking up to these parties :
Today’s Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality

SouthernHospThriftyTreasurescopy

and
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

and
Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Table Top Tuesday

49 comments:

Pink Roses and Teacups said...

OOOH, how pretty is that??? Whooo!!
Love it!! Hope you had a nice Easter.

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Oh gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I love it. What a wonderful tray and such a great find and price. I love the pretty vignette you arranged on it too. So, don't forget to link it up to Table Top Tuesdays too. I will have Mr. Linky up by 5 PM. Hope to see you there. Hugs, Marty

Anonymous said...

Ooh...love the tray and the other accessories! You have an excellent eye. I'm intrigued by the little bit of sofa that is shown in the photo...is it covered in matelasse fabric? I apologize if you've shown it and talked about it...I'm new to your blog! I'll catch up one of these days. Have a wonderful day.

Ellen

Simply Domestic said...

Beautiful tray!! Your picture looks like it is from a magazine. I love the look of white and silver together. Found you from Today's Thrifty Treasures.

Adrienne said...

What a gorgeous piece of silver! And such a bargain. I love silver and would love to find a great buy on a previous-loved silver tray. Yours looks wonderful on your table.
~Adrienne~

Becky said...

That doesn't even look like the same tray...great job! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

Lindsey said...

Wow! That looks great! I like it polished by I even liked the patina. Great find, and thanks for the compliment on my table!

I am really happy with it, and I'm starting to get movement back in my fingers!!

Lottie said...

Beautiful tray! I just read the Old White Cottage blog today about dipping silver in water and soda to clean. Check it out. http://www.theoldwhitecottageblog.com/
Now I'm looking for silver! Love your arrangement on the coffee table.
Have a great week!

Sonny G said...

its looks fabulous.. what a wonderful find and you certianly put it to a beautiful use.. good for you ~!!

Sonia said...

What a steal you found! I love silver trays and your vignette on the coffee table is so elegant! So pretty!

Miss Bloomers

joyh82 said...

Beautiful and what a great find!

Ms. Bake-it said...

What a beautiful tray! Looks fabulous!

~ Tracy

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

It looks beautiful all cleaned up! It really did pay to be an early worm!

Manuela

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

That silver tray is outstanding and only five bucks. Wow! I love how you have it displayed. I have just started looking for more silver pieces while out.

Mari said...

It looks gorgeous. I don't know if I have that kind of patience. What do you use to polish? How do you know it is real silver and going to polish nicely. Sorry, I'm a novice in this dept :)

Kim @ Starshine Chic said...

I love silver trays!!! Yours is fabulous. I've pretty much given up on polishing mine. Too much work. Plus I like the patina of tarnish. Who am I kidding, I'm just too lazy to polish mine. lol. I lucked out, I picked up most of my silver trays years ago before thrifting became so popular. I did have hubby buy me one particular one at an antique store once for Christmas. It was $30 & much more than we would ever pay, but I was in love with it & it was Christmas. Most of the time, I've not spent over $5.00 for mine.
Kim

Dena Pickle said...

WOW! What an awesome find. It obviously was meant to be yours!

Nancy's Daily Dish said...

You got a great deal. It's absolutely stunning! Those heavy trays are hard to find...unless you want to pay hundreds of dollars! Looks beautiful! Come and visit me...I'm having a $100 giveaway!

Sandi (Meme) said...

That tray is gorgeous! How fun it is to find things like that! Have a great week, and stop by to visit me sometime!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous tray! Oh, and what a bargain too. It shined up so prettily! You did good!
Be a sweetie,
shelia ;)

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

I just love your tray and on the coffee table with a vignette, I thin it is stunning. Thanks for joining the party. Hugs, Marty

Tricia said...

So gorgeous! Elegant, too, with the other items you've included in the vignette. What a find!

Jane said...

I can see why you are so pleased with that $5.00 purchase. The tray looks beautiful all shined up and it is perfect on your coffee table. I love the vignette you created.
Jane

Debbiedoos said...

Silver sure is pretty all cleaned up!~ Your tray looks like a mirror it is so shiny and clean! It is beautiful:)

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Wow ~ that is really beautiful! You could just see the detail in the first picture, but cleaned up she's a swan! Great deal, too. I've seen some at my Goodwill that are also very high in price.

Unknown said...

I love silver and white. So very elegant. That tray is just spectacular!!

~Liz

The Decorating Diaries said...

I have to say I'm a little jealous.
Such a beauty at such a great price. And I love your arrangement on top.

Janet

Unknown said...

What a score, Shari! Are you still doing *happy dance*?!

I'm so jealous! It is a beautiful piece! $5.00??!! I'm gonna have to hate you now! ha!

Cheers!
Tina

Marigene said...

Beautiful tray, I think I have it's twin sitting on my coffee table with a silver coffee pot, sugar and creamer!

Michelle @ Sweet Something Design said...

Nice job Shari! Great find and it looks beautiful!

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Shari,
She sure did clean up well! Luv how you displayed her:) Thanks for coming to NTT...hope you are having a great time!

Blessings,
Linda

The Charm of Home said...

Wow! Now that was a find. I never see any in that good of shape for that cheap. Great find!! It looks fantastic.

Lynn said...

Lovely tray, great price, beautiful look - enjoy!

littlethings1 said...

WOW , for $5.00 you really did score ! Very pretty , looks fabulous on your table !
Eunice
The Little Things

Sherri said...

Gorgeous! Love the combo here - glass, silver and white. Stunning. Great find for $5 too!

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

Oh my...this looks so beautiful! What a find! I am going to take time for me today and catch up on your lovely blog!

Creations By Cindy said...

Beautiful! Just beautiful! Be blessed. Cindy

Sherri said...

Thanks for stopping by! Wanted to let you know I've made that trifle recipe in a regular bowl MANY times! :-)

Elizabeth and Gary said...

Hi Shari,
You hit the jack pot on this find!. Wow it really shined up nicely! What did you use on it. I have a coffee and tea set in sliver along with three serving trays that are in need of some spring shining.
It looks so lovely on your table really pretty!
Take care and enjoy your day,
Hugs, Elizabeth

Sevenbeads said...

How gorgeous with the roses! Lucky find but you made it beautiful again.

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

Stunning!! I just love it and it looks gorgeous on your coffee table!

You were SO lucky!!

Lou Cinda :)

Blondie's Journal said...

What a beautiful tray! It looks like night and day after you spent all that time polishing it. And I think it looks lovely on your coffee table with the roses and candle!!

So glad I stopped by!

xoxo
Jane

Victoria said...

Oh my goodness, that is a gorgeous tray and what a great price!!! I love your blog, I'm not sure I've seen it before but I added myself as a follower:)

Atticmag said...

Heirloom alert! That's what it looks like. Wow, what a find. And it cleaned up perfectly. P.s. We have a really useful giveaway this week. -- Jane F.

The Decorative Dreamer said...

Wow! That shined up beautifully! Sure looks like a fantastic deal to me! Lovely vignette too! Beautiful!

Debra@CommonGround said...

WOW Shari, what a fabulous find! It's amazing, and I love how you accessorized it. Just gorgeous!
Debra

Cindy said...

I don't know how I missed this post, sorry I'm so late in leaving a comment. Yours is one of the blogs that I try to visit every time you post. I love that tray. That is the kind of thing that is very plentiful here in Winnipeg. I think you would enjoy shopping our Goodwill Store here. Their silver pieces are always very inexpensive. Hugs, Cindy S

ThriftyAnnabella said...

Oh wow - it polished up nicely - great find!

Sandra said...

Very pretty! It doesn't even look like the same tray! I love it!
Sandra