Junk In, Junk Out

My usual rule is that if I add something I have to get rid of something. With the recent changes in my kitchen I found that I just had too much stuff that wasn't getting used, too, so some things had to go. And then there were these recent finds:

for two years I have been searching for one of these--a Simplex copper tea kettle, made in England. Usually they go for around $70 on eBay, too high for me. This one with its spring-rimmed bottom that is made for use on gas stoves, was listed as "copper kettle" with no brand name and I was the only bidder at $24.99.

The funny part: I found another listed in a similar way for $13.49 so I bid on it too, figuring I'd lose on one of the other--both auctions ended at the same time. Up until two hours before the end, I was winning both! Then the other auction took off while this one did not. Whew! These kettles have built-in whistles and wood handles that do not get hot. Mine was pretty dirty, and you can see the water spots where I hadn't quite finished buffing it out after cleaning it. Some people like to the look of the tarnish, but I prefer the bright copper gleam.

This colander was another eBay find. I was looking for a gray graniteware colander actually, but was using a variety of search terms to see if one was listed, like the kettle, in a way that made it harder to find. Mis-spellings, incorrect placement of the brand name in the listing, or using wrong terms can make an item invisible to searchers. This turned up in a search on just the term colander, as a "Dutch" colander. It too was very tarnished but cleaned up beautifully. My kitchen now has the added glow of copper with these two pieces. And I'll have the added chore of keeping them clean.

With the reorganizing I've been doing, I've had to make decisions about what to keep and what to send down the road. While sorting my cooking tools drawer I was surprised to find I had two egg slicers, three cheese slicers, myriad wooden spoons, two meat thermometers, two biscuit cutters, three graters...you get the picture. The fun of buying odd boxes of miscellany at auctions is that you find all sorts of things you weren't expecting--and of course a lot of duplicates for what you already have.

Fortunately most of the dishes and other extra items are finding new homes with friends and family. I bought the Dazey butter churn in this photo for the jar--the top needs repair but I thought the jar would fit my current churn that does not have the Dazey logo on it, even though it is a Dazey churn. My daughter-in-law will take this one and Aaron will fix the lid.

The old colander with its bent leg is really not old--I bought it at a department store called Heck's in the late 1970's. It's small and chipped but it will find a home, I'm sure, with a happy Goodwill shopper. A few items in this box have already found homes. The rest will end up at my favorite donation center.

Are you doing spring cleaning and getting rid of stuff too? What's the oddest thing you've ever found as you sorted? I suppose mine is the broken foot from a milk glass cat figurine I've had since I was twelve. The foot broke soon after I received the cat as a birthday gift, and for over 50 years I've kept it, thinking that one day I'll glue it back on. The day just hasn't come yet.