Bringing French Country Home : Goodwill Hunting!

There I was. Cold hard cash in hand. At my weekly check-in at Goodwill. 

 I quickly scoured the housewares aisles and came up empty. Drat!

Saturday was a big sale day and they usually stocked the shelves a day or two in advance. 

That's when I usually found "it." But I just didn't see anything I couldn't live without.

I wandered down the housewares aisle looking sad.

I knew exactly what I was looking for, well, sort of. (Anything white, silver or ironstone).
Very specific, I know. I'm a "know it when I see it" shopper.
And I hadn't seen it. Yet.

I wasn't about to leave the store without thoroughly checking every single space
so I went downstairs and began my usual search pattern.

Not looking for anything big like a couch so I skipped that area.

 On to the smaller furniture where I'd found some treasures in the past 

like this curvy little side table that I'd painted white and distressed.

But wait! What's that?
There. Back in the corner with the plastic chairs and garden tools.

Looks like a ... a basket!
I picked it up gently and inspected it further. 

It was big. From the looks of the carved wooden handle, I thought it was old.

My heart jumped a little.
Woven splint wood sides and bottom in fair shape
(a few broken bits on the corners but that just gave it character). 

And now, a peek at the bright pink sticker: $5.
Sold!!!

I didn't know where I'd use it but it had to come home with me.

I realized I had to stick to my self-imposed anti-hoarding rule to get rid of something
every time I bought something new. So I donated a belt.
Hey, that counts!

I took a picture of it and emailed it to my antique go-to galfriend, Rusty. 

"Look what I found at Goodwill! What do you think?" I asked, then tapped the "send" key.

While I waited for a response, I logged on to Ebay and searched for antique baskets. 

I soon found a near twin of my basket. It was labeled "Shaker Laundry Basket, early 1900s." 

And the price was several hundred dollars.
Could it be a Shaker? I held my breath.

Rusty replied promptly, "Oh, my gosh. It's Shaker . . . Probably late 1800s, early 1900s. 

You did good!"

Wooo Hooo! I didn't really care if it was valuable.
Okay, that's not totally true, but mostly I was just tickled to know it had some history.
And I realized its less-than-perfect condition affected the value. But I didn't care.
I loved the different-sized splints on the sides and bottom. 

And how the wide vertical pieces wrapped around the bottom.

Once home, I spent the next few hours playing with my new toy. Trying it here and there. 

Finally, I settled on the top of the fridge and leaned
a silver tray in one corner and my favorite chicken in a basket in the other. 

The inside held some large domed plate covers and a big cake stand. Yes!

Then, I draped a pretty crocheted scarf over the edge,
accenting the old wood nicely and covering a broken splint.
Perfect!

I love the richness of the wood splints and the hand-carved handles. 

You just don't find that color or craftsmanship on something new.
Sigh.

Wonder what I'll find next week when I go Goodwill hunting?

***
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Linking with:
Designthusiasm, Thoughts from Alice, Redhead Can Decorate, Rustic & Refined, Dwellings,
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The Vintage Nest, Peonies and Orange Blossoms, Poofing the Pillows, Adirondack Girl at Heart,
Rooted In Thyme, Charm of Home, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage