Fun Finds: 'Yellow Drawers'

I went to the antique mall last week to restock, take in more Christmas and 'fluff' the booth.  One of the other dealers there, Giselle (who shares my love the truly odd and kitschy), showed me a little chenille & pinecone gnome ornament she was buying.  (As if I need MORE vintage Christmas!)  She thought that I'd want one, too -- she was right!

Actually, she was wrong...I wanted three.   She bought three, as well and we stood at the checkout desk for a long time discussing their various merits:  they were all part of a gnome orchestra set and each had a different instrument and different colored hats, chenille legs and spun cotton feet.

The other employees were laughing at our discussion about which ones we wanted to keep and which to put back, especially at my final observation:  "I just have to keep this guy because I'm partial to his yellow drawers"!

Here are the other two guys...

 And here's old 'yellow drawers, himself" (isn't he cute?):

Fun Finds: Madame Alexander Baby Doll -- Complete!

I found this sweet Madame Alexander baby doll at the local thrift this week and couldn't pass her up!

She still has the hang-tag tied to her wrist and all of her clothes -- from her hat down to her shoes and socks are original!  She even still has a basket with millinery flowers tied to her other wrist.

Her outfit is tagged 'Precious' by Madame Alexander.  I think she's composition and she looks like she's the same age as my Effanbee Dydee baby from the mid-1950s.  Her clothes, though, look more like 1940s.

She has a sweet face and perfect eyelashes (no bare spots)!

If you read this post and know anything about this baby, please let me know!

Two Sad Truths...

Sad Truth Number 1:  The second that Halloween is over, Christmas starts showing up everywhere -- too soon!  Well, because people start shopping then, too, I made a promise to myself to really stock up my Etsy shop, so all I've done this week is work, work, work.

My goal was to get 200 items listed in my Etsy shop by November 1 (today).  I didn't make it -- but I gave it a good try and am now up to 189 items!  Hopefully, I'll hit 200 tomorrow.

Sad Truth Number 2:  Working is not as much fun as playing (or shopping)!
There were some good sales this week, but I determined that I wasn't going to buy anything new until I got lots of things listed and ready for the mall.  It was so hard not to go shopping yesterday or today...

I did buy something great last week -- these two 1950s lamps with stovepipe fiberglass shades.  They're small and would be perfect as bedside or vanity lamps.

Sunday is Dealer Day at the antique mall (when it's open to our dealers 2 hours early so we can work on our booths) and I'm planning to start bringing in a little bit of Christmas.  I think it's just wrong to push the December holiday when we're still 4 weeks away from Thanksgiving, but people start buying now to decorate later, so I'll try to make them happy!  By the way, if you live in southeast Michigan, the first Sunday of the month is a great time to shop Livingston Antique Outlet, because so many dealers have just stocked their booths!

Speaking of shopping and selling on Etsy, I think thrift shopping is contagious!  My youngest son has just opened an Etsy shop specializing in vintage records, vintage barware andall things rock & roll.  He's like me -- can't pass up a sale or a thrift shop -- but he's also a musician, and has been the go-to person for rock knowledge around our house.  So he's decided to turn his love of music and old stuff into a small business.  If you get a chance, check out OldTimeRockNRoll -- it's a good place to find old records in good condition and at good prices.  If you're looking for something in particular, let Dan know and he'll search for it for you.  Don't forget to tell him 'Mom sent you'!

That's it for today -- back to work!  Next time, I hope I'll have some more thrifty finds to share...

What Do You Think This Was?

I picked up this very interesting table at the local thrift -- I paid more than a 'thrift' price, because I loved the styling and thought buyers in my booth might, too.

It's all brass (I think) with a wood inset top -- even the legs and shelf on the bottom are brass.  It has casters and they're little metal ones like they used years ago.

The detail on the drawer is lovely.  The drawer is wood and faced with a brass sheet that's been folded around it and nailed in place.

The top is inlaid and looks like oak to me -- it's joined wood, not veneer.

I could see this as a bedside table in the hospital sets of Downton Abbey, or as a bank or cashier's table in The Sting.  It really looks like 1910s to 1930s to me, and the quality speaks to that era, too.  It could be newer, just made to look old, though.

What do you think?  When do you think it was made and what do you think it was used for?  I'd love it if one of you could identify its era and use!

New Life for a Sad Jack-o-Lantern

I finally finished one of the projects on my list this weekend (a rare occurrence, lately).

I bought a blow mold at a rummage sale a year ago, planning to sell it at a bargain price, because of its condition.  It was a black cat sitting on a jack-o-lantern and the orange on the pumpkin was faded to almost white.

I decided to keep the cat & pumpkin and paint the pumpkin a renewed orange (thinking that new granddaughter might like it in a couple of years).

I've seen blow molds that people have brush painted and you can always see the brush strokes -- they look really bad.  I bought Rustoleum spray paint that is made to bond to plastic.  The toughest decision was neon or regular orange?  Since I could barely see the old finish, it was impossible to know which it had originally been!  I opted for regular, as the neon was too much like landscaper's orange...

I didn't take a good before picture, because I thought I already had one... The pumpkin was almost the color of the cat's mouth, though.  I think that was originally orange, too, but I didn't try to paint it.

Taping off all the black and masking the cat was the biggest part of the job (it took almost a half hour to make sure it was perfect.

I made sure it was completely covered, but didn't want it to be too opaque.

I think it turned out pretty well!  Now all I need is the granddaughter! :-)

September = Spend, Spend, Spend!

Now that we're through the first week of October, I'm looking back at September and all I see is spend, spend, spend!

I knew it would be like that to some extent, because both Greenmead Flea Market and Michigan Antique & Collectable Festival in Midland, Michigan (affectionately called just 'Midland' by all of us who love it) are in September.  Those are BIG 'merchandising' opportunities.  Thrown into the mix, though, was a great estate sale that I would have missed if my friend Bargain Hunter hadn't text me to ask me about pricing a typewriter...

I was invited this year to go, too, to the Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, Minnesota, but I just couldn't make it work.  I definitely want to visit my friend and fellow picker, Kally, there in April next year!

So I almost had the basement completely organized, but have sabatoged all my efforts by bringing in the sweet things I've bought lately.  But who could resist finds like these?

West Bend Hallite Casserole with great Bakelite knob

West Bend Hallite Casserole with copper lid & handles

I can't resist pennants and I picked up some great old ones!

Two vintage Brownies in boxes.  One has film, too

Can't resist melmac, either.  These are cute little serving pieces

From Midland -- I LOVE this picture of 'Bob', painted by his Aunt Ev in 1951.  She really captured his personality!

From the estate sale -- this is the typewriter I helped price for Bargain Hunter

This is from the estate sale, too -- I'm excited to put it together and turn it on before I list it on Ebay.  I don't think I've ever seen one work -- just as display or for sale in antique malls

This print is really big -- 18x24 or larger

This little kitty holds a pen as his tail

A hard-to-find Teetertot Shoofly bouncer by Delphos Bending Co.  I hope it will sell better than rocking horses do at the mall.  It has a seat, which makes it great for displaying vintage stuffed animals or dolls (but it's NOT for real babies any more!)

Art Deco kitchen clock

Wood shopping list from the 1960s

These flocked cats, made in Japan in the 1950s are wonderful

A made-in-Japan asian planter from the 1950s.  I might keep him, he's just so cute!

Pantry Parade tomato range salt and pepper shakers

These made-in-Japan 1950s cats are great, too.  I see a made-in Japan, mid-century and cat theme developing...

With Spending-September gone, I can concentrate on listing on Etsy to get ready for the Christmas shopping season, which has already begun!  I can also (hopefully) get the basement organized (again)...I'm afraid that will turn out to be a never-ending task.

Maybe I'll even have time to post on the blog more often!

But, before you go, what do you think about Bob -- would you have bought his portrait?  I'm thinking about resurrecting 'Would You Buy It Wednesday' since (I think) Junker Newbie doesn't do it any more.  I would definitely have contributed Bob...

What about Bob -- yes or no? 

Greenmead Fall Flea Market

I was able to go to one of my favorite events last week -- Greenmead Antiques Flea Market in Livonia, Michigan.  It only happens two Sundays a year and it's a don't-miss opportunity to find some great stuff.

A beautiful, sunny day!

I always get there early (by 9:30, at least, for the 10:00 start).  At $2 admission, it's a bargain!

I've usually filled my granny cart and also had some large items to go back to pick up.  This time, though, I filled my granny cart, made a trip to the car to empty it, went back and filled it again and then STILL had big items to pick up.  Three trips to the car -- WOW!

Here are some of the neat things that I found:

Two old bed-spring pieces.  I'm going to mount these to the wall and hang things off of them.

Felt Christmas tree skirt -- it needs a tiny bit of mending

The green breadbox is pretty shabby, but I liked the polka dots.  The chalkware kitty bank is shabby, too/  I couldn't believe I found a red Pyrex 401 bowl in great condition!   The black salt & pepper are pretty cool, too.  

Do you see the pink Pyrex fridgie?  SO excited about that one!  My son and his wife have already claimed the 1970s giant glasses -- I knew someone would love those...

I know I don't need any more Christmas tins, but Santa (who you can hardly see) is very friendly looking.  And I can NEVER resist souvenir pennants or cameras!  Can you see the mid-century Coronet thermos jug -- it's so cool!

Franciscan Desert Rose salt & pepper, Christmas aprons & more dish towels

Love these tablecloths (the songbirds are a dish towel).  I got the rooster & hen cloth for $1 because it's so stained.  I'll see if lots of soaking will work on it...

I wish I knew who manufactured the big soup mug with the lid.  It's ringed like Bauer, but I don't think it is Bauer.

I just had to have these funky corn dishes.  They're hard plastic (celluloid?) and very thin -- I think they're popcorn dishes

This is a Westinghouse roaster base or cabinet.  I think it would look cool set up as a bar

Lots of storage room for bottles & glasses inside

The suitcase is a project piece.  It's been completely stripped inside, so I get to line it!  

Here is one of my favorite things from Greenmead... I bought it to sell (and still might), but I love it so much that I'm tempted to keep it:

This is a pretty big picture -- maybe 18x24.  It's a 40s or 50s photo of a girl blowing bubbles and she just looks so joyful

 And the BIG STAR is this globe -- it's a Repogle game globe from the 1960s.  I was very excited to find it and when I asked the vendor if he could take any less for it, he dropped it by a lot.  I was doing the happy dance away as fast as I could, before he changed his mind.

 If you live near southeast Michigan, try to go to Greenmead sometime...you won't be disappointed!