I still think it makes a great string holder and think I'll suggest that when I list it on Etsy. Look at how good it looks with string:
Thanks for guessing! It seems that there's ALWAYS something new to learn!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
What is This? The Answer!
Well, faithful readers, what is it? Your guesses included an ashtray, incense burner, candle holder & bird feeder. I thought it was a string holder. It took a lot of google searching with lots of different keywords to finally find it -- and we were ALL WRONG! It's a Red Wing Pottery hanging planter. I NEVER would have guessed that -- especially since it didn't have any drainage holes.
I still think it makes a great string holder and think I'll suggest that when I list it on Etsy. Look at how good it looks with string:
I can just see that on the check out counter of some upscale store or on the work counter in the studio of a glitzy Etsy seller. Hopefully, they'll use nice baker's twine or something stylish and not white string from an old man's workbench at an estate sale...
Thanks for guessing! It seems that there's ALWAYS something new to learn!
I still think it makes a great string holder and think I'll suggest that when I list it on Etsy. Look at how good it looks with string:
Thanks for guessing! It seems that there's ALWAYS something new to learn!
Friday, May 18, 2012
What is This?
I went to a great sale yesterday and another today! I'm still cleaning everything up and snapping pictures, but wanted to share this little goodie with you and see if you can guess what it is. I'm not positive, but I have my own idea -- I'm not going to tell until I post about the sale tomorrow, because I want to see what some other people come up with.
I got it super-cheap and was sure it was mid-century pottery. When I got it home and looked at the bottom stamp under good light I found out it's Red Wing Pottery! It's about 8-9" tall...
What is it?
What is it?
Thursday, May 17, 2012
A Fast, Fun Sale!
Because my basement (and my barn) is starting to look like an episode of 'Hoarders: Buried Alive' and because my van gets about 23 MPG, I've really tried not to go to a lot of sales. Sometimes, though, you've just GOT to SHOP!
There was an estate sale in our own town last Friday, so I went on my way to the mall. I didn't get there at the beginning, because I decided to go on a whim, as I was driving past the neighborhood. I'd been to several sales with this dealer before and they're always really friendly and nice and, though their prices aren't dirt-cheap, they're fair.
Anyway, I came away with a few good buys. They always have sturdy strawberry boxes to use while shopping and I loaded one up with little odds & ends. Here's the prize of the day, though: an old Pixiano child's grand piano, with the bench! All of the keys but one work, though it sounds like it needs to be tuned (can that even be done?) I spent more on it that I usually do at sales, unless it's something for me to keep, but I really think it was worth it. Now I just have to decide if it's going into the booth or on Etsy. If I take it to the booth, I won't have to crate & ship it, but it might get payed with and broken (you'd be amazed at what people allow their children to do to items in the mall!) On Etsy, it would be safe, but I"m totally clueless about shipping something this big. Isn't it great though?
That was on the first day of the sale. I went back on the second day to see if some of the things I thought were too high were still there. They all were and I got them all at 50% off. One of them was this step chair -- $2. The seat was sticky with grime & grease and coming out at the back. I immediately recovered it with some oilcloth I had left over from another project. There was so little effort or creativity involved, it doesn't even count as a restoration... It's not really old (maybe the 90s), but it's useful. I might keep it or sell it -- more decisions!
On my way out, I saw this metal hamper, which I KNOW wasn't there on Friday! I got it for 1/2 price, too!
Pretty good buys for a quick trip through a sale...twice!
There was an estate sale in our own town last Friday, so I went on my way to the mall. I didn't get there at the beginning, because I decided to go on a whim, as I was driving past the neighborhood. I'd been to several sales with this dealer before and they're always really friendly and nice and, though their prices aren't dirt-cheap, they're fair.
Anyway, I came away with a few good buys. They always have sturdy strawberry boxes to use while shopping and I loaded one up with little odds & ends. Here's the prize of the day, though: an old Pixiano child's grand piano, with the bench! All of the keys but one work, though it sounds like it needs to be tuned (can that even be done?) I spent more on it that I usually do at sales, unless it's something for me to keep, but I really think it was worth it. Now I just have to decide if it's going into the booth or on Etsy. If I take it to the booth, I won't have to crate & ship it, but it might get payed with and broken (you'd be amazed at what people allow their children to do to items in the mall!) On Etsy, it would be safe, but I"m totally clueless about shipping something this big. Isn't it great though?
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| A 1950s or 1960s Pixiano Grand Piano |
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| Before -- YUK! |
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| After -- MUCH better! |
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| I love this hamper -- we're using it at our house. It has obviously been repainted, but even the repaint is so old that it's vintage! |
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
I LOVE Rummage Sales!
I'm still catching up on old posts, so jump into the Wayback Machine
and pretend that this one was posted 2 weeks ago (if you're too young to
get that reference, click here ).
I have to admit, I never met ajunk vintage sale I didn't like, but it seems like the best bargains are at rummage sales (and church sales are my favorites)!
Two weeks ago, I went to a local church's big fundraising sale of the year -- billed as the BIG Barn sale. I've gone there the past few years and always find some good stuff. This year, I got there before they opened and stood in line -- there were already 30-40 people in front of me! It's always hard to know where to go first -- they have the stuff divided into the usual sections (holiday, books, linens, etc), but they also have a 'collectables' (translate: more expensive) section and a back tent that's the 'bargain basement' of the sale. I headed there first, rather than the collectables. Except for collectables, everything was priced at $7 a bag and I loaded up one bag pretty quickly. The second bag was barely full, so they gave that one to me for $2. I got some good buys -- some of it has already gone to the booth, but here are a few of the goodies:
These were from the collectable area, along with a bakelite-handled frosting spreader, a vitrock shaker and some Made in Japan salt & peppers (all already gone to the booth):
I was heading to the checkout when I saw the box for this beauty under the holiday table!
Right above it was a box with these 12 Made in Japan Putz houses in it. I'm a little addicted to Putz houses, so I'm not sure that all of them will make it to the booth or Etsy this year...
It's never too early to think about vintage Christmas!
I have to admit, I never met a
Two weeks ago, I went to a local church's big fundraising sale of the year -- billed as the BIG Barn sale. I've gone there the past few years and always find some good stuff. This year, I got there before they opened and stood in line -- there were already 30-40 people in front of me! It's always hard to know where to go first -- they have the stuff divided into the usual sections (holiday, books, linens, etc), but they also have a 'collectables' (translate: more expensive) section and a back tent that's the 'bargain basement' of the sale. I headed there first, rather than the collectables. Except for collectables, everything was priced at $7 a bag and I loaded up one bag pretty quickly. The second bag was barely full, so they gave that one to me for $2. I got some good buys -- some of it has already gone to the booth, but here are a few of the goodies:
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| 4 place-settings of Harmony House melmac dishes -- square (so cool)! |
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| Some Christmas napkins and a FILTHY DIRTY rotary phone (the cord didn't match -- it was black, not tan -- so I took it off) |
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| A super slim Pyrex starburst carafe and a large strainer |
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| Two celluloid picture frames -- the monogram is either a J or an I. |
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| A 6' aluminum pom-pom tipped tree! The ladies gave it to me for a super-good price, too! |
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| They're tiny (each about 2-1/2" wide) -- they came with a white light cord and I think were supposed to be hung on a tree. |
Thursday, May 3, 2012
To buy or not to buy...
Selling on Etsy and at an antique mall (and the buying that goes with it) has definitely been a learning curve. Each new experience teaches me something. Like the one I had today...
I have lots of people ask me about selling on Etsy, and I often help them out with it. I had been writing my email or cell phone number over and over, so I finally had some business cards made up that had all the important information. The mall lets us put cards up in a central area for customers to take, so I mine there, too. Because of this, I get lots of calls from people who want to sell things to me.
I think everyone who likes old stuff or who has old stuff has seen Antiques Roadshow, Pawn Stars or American Pickers. AND they all think they have the next hidden treasure! They seem not to notice the part where the Pickers tell the seller they have to 'leave some meat on the bone' so they can sell it at a profit! Anyway, most of the calls I get are for fancy glassware, upscale Victorian items or expensive appraised jewelry, none of which are my thing. So I always thank the caller and politely decline.
Secretly, I'm relieved that they have things I don't want -- how's that for being a smart business woman! I'm so afraid of cheating someone, though, or offending them or hurting their feelings, that I've been a nervous wreck just thinking about these meetings. Last week I got a call from a lady who had 50s kitchenware. Really? I couldn't pass that up and went to see her today after work.
The kitchenware she had was, indeed, from the 1950s. It was NOS (New Old Stock) from the gift shop of her grandfather's motel up north. It had never sold and he couldn't throw it away, though her grandmother begged him to. The seller told me she wanted to get rid of it because 'it's just gathering dust' (I'll add: and grease and grime, too)! I have to tell you that I prayed my way to her house, asking for wisdom and that I a) wouldn't offend her and b) wouldn't get taken and spend more than I should because I felt sorry for her or was embarrassed!
I liked what I saw and I offered her what I thought was a fair price for her and me and purposely left some wiggle room for her to sweeten it (so she'd feel like she got me to pay more). She came back with a significantly higher amount, which I countered by upping mine a little. Well, I bought 4 pieces. The lesson I learned is this -- start lower! If the seller is going to come back with the moon & stars anyway, you may as well start lower so you only have to go up a little at a time! That's for next time...
Here's what I bought -- what do you think?
On the way home from her house (which was about 15 miles away -- on my gas, which PROVES that I'm a smart businesswoman!), I stopped at 2 or 3 garage sales and picked up these things:
So, that's my adventure in private buying! I went, I saw, I bought and I lived to tell about it! Do you think I did okay?
I have lots of people ask me about selling on Etsy, and I often help them out with it. I had been writing my email or cell phone number over and over, so I finally had some business cards made up that had all the important information. The mall lets us put cards up in a central area for customers to take, so I mine there, too. Because of this, I get lots of calls from people who want to sell things to me.
I think everyone who likes old stuff or who has old stuff has seen Antiques Roadshow, Pawn Stars or American Pickers. AND they all think they have the next hidden treasure! They seem not to notice the part where the Pickers tell the seller they have to 'leave some meat on the bone' so they can sell it at a profit! Anyway, most of the calls I get are for fancy glassware, upscale Victorian items or expensive appraised jewelry, none of which are my thing. So I always thank the caller and politely decline.
Secretly, I'm relieved that they have things I don't want -- how's that for being a smart business woman! I'm so afraid of cheating someone, though, or offending them or hurting their feelings, that I've been a nervous wreck just thinking about these meetings. Last week I got a call from a lady who had 50s kitchenware. Really? I couldn't pass that up and went to see her today after work.
The kitchenware she had was, indeed, from the 1950s. It was NOS (New Old Stock) from the gift shop of her grandfather's motel up north. It had never sold and he couldn't throw it away, though her grandmother begged him to. The seller told me she wanted to get rid of it because 'it's just gathering dust' (I'll add: and grease and grime, too)! I have to tell you that I prayed my way to her house, asking for wisdom and that I a) wouldn't offend her and b) wouldn't get taken and spend more than I should because I felt sorry for her or was embarrassed!
I liked what I saw and I offered her what I thought was a fair price for her and me and purposely left some wiggle room for her to sweeten it (so she'd feel like she got me to pay more). She came back with a significantly higher amount, which I countered by upping mine a little. Well, I bought 4 pieces. The lesson I learned is this -- start lower! If the seller is going to come back with the moon & stars anyway, you may as well start lower so you only have to go up a little at a time! That's for next time...
Here's what I bought -- what do you think?
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| Enesco 'Made in Japan' Humpty Dumpty oil shaker (from a vinegar & oil set), a Humpty Dumpty Cookie Jar and a Humpty Dumpty Teapot -- all never used & all grimy |
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| A Stanfordware corn teapot -- never used and really dirty! |
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| An Argus camera & case |
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| A little (4") white dog figurine that, though damaged, was just too cute to pass up. Thankfully, he was priced right! |
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| A sewing machine drawer with some interesting old-man-added features |
Friday, April 27, 2012
One Good Sale and LOTS of Frogs!
I've really missed getting to shop on Thursdays. Even if I have maxed out my hours on Monday-Wednesday, my boss wants me to make sure I have enough time left to be there on most of Thursday -- which means that I miss all the good stuff at the sales. Yesterday, though, I found one that was pretty good even by the time I got to it.
The husband's mom had passed away and they were selling a lot of her household stuff. I thought it would be a frog when I got there and a 1960s wood china cabinet (with lots of replaced sections) was priced at $300! Once I got into the garage, though, I found a few treasures.
These were a great find -- it took some research to figure out what they are: muddlers! I'd never heard of them, but a muddler is a masher or crusher used in bartending. These spoons have flat edges to crush the fruit in a drink. The smaller ones are new old stock, still in their original wraps in the box. These would have been used with tea, to crush the sugar cubes! Both sets are silver plate, made in Sheffield, England and have red knobs. I'm sure that the longer ones' knobs are bakelite, but I need to test the shorter ones.
Today I slept in (a little), got some things ready for the booth and set out for garage sales. They aren't my favorite way to shop -- I really hate all the short trips and going in and out of the car. Like all of the shopping trips, they're not as much fun when you're by yourself, too. A local small town was having a city-wide garage sales so there were LOTS. Unfortunately, besides lots of sales, there were lots of 'frogs' and lots of Little Tykes sets (no offense intended, moms of little ones, but when you don't have any littles in your life, there's only so much kid-stuff you can look at)! I made lots of stops and only got a couple of good things.
The best buy of the day was this Argus 150 slide projector! I recently bought a whole box of slides to sell on Etsy and it's really hard to see what they are with an old hand-held plastic slide viewer. This projector is so cool (actually, it gets quite hot...) and it works perfectly! It turns out that the slides I bought are from the 1950s and are from trips to Florida, some other coastal areas and Lapland, Finland and (I think) some Soviet bloc countries!
Here's a little of the slide show...
After I visited so many 'froggy' garage sales that I couldn't stand it another minute, I went to the mall and worked on the booth. That always cheers me up! I love catching up with all of my friends who work there and I really enjoy talking to the shoppers, too. It's so nice to hear their stories and talk about our common love of old stuff!
When I got home, I went out to do some 'farm' work (ha!) Our lilacs are just coming on, the girls are laying like crazy (even Pee Wee -- see her tiny egg in the upper right?) and I had to pick ALL of the asparagus because we're going to get frost tonight. Spring might just be my favorite season!
Well, now that I'm finding time to post again, I hope to keep it up -- I have so much to tell you! We went on a trip to Holland, Michigan (the home of all things Dutch) and I won a giveaway (my first ever). I've been doing some painting projects and, instead of straightening up the basement, making a bigger mess! So much to share and so little time...
Have a great weekend! I can't wait to see what you all did (and what you found) this week!
The husband's mom had passed away and they were selling a lot of her household stuff. I thought it would be a frog when I got there and a 1960s wood china cabinet (with lots of replaced sections) was priced at $300! Once I got into the garage, though, I found a few treasures.
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| A Capitol album carrier |
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| The cake carrier is a triple layer one -- can fit a cake plus 2 pies! |
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| These are two large pictures from the 40s |
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| A Hires rootbeer crate and an old 7UP carrier (with a metal frame) |
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| A bunch of kitchen odds and ends. The pyrex casserole has the original 2-burner warming frame! I really like the drinks shaker with the olives painted on and I've never seen a tiny Foley food mill like this, either. |
Today I slept in (a little), got some things ready for the booth and set out for garage sales. They aren't my favorite way to shop -- I really hate all the short trips and going in and out of the car. Like all of the shopping trips, they're not as much fun when you're by yourself, too. A local small town was having a city-wide garage sales so there were LOTS. Unfortunately, besides lots of sales, there were lots of 'frogs' and lots of Little Tykes sets (no offense intended, moms of little ones, but when you don't have any littles in your life, there's only so much kid-stuff you can look at)! I made lots of stops and only got a couple of good things.
The best buy of the day was this Argus 150 slide projector! I recently bought a whole box of slides to sell on Etsy and it's really hard to see what they are with an old hand-held plastic slide viewer. This projector is so cool (actually, it gets quite hot...) and it works perfectly! It turns out that the slides I bought are from the 1950s and are from trips to Florida, some other coastal areas and Lapland, Finland and (I think) some Soviet bloc countries!
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| The Argus 150 projector |
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| These are people at a lakeside in a central European country in the 50s -- I hope they aren't spy-slides! Sorry for the blur -- my camera was confused by the light & dark exposure. |
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| Stylin' men from the 50s -- they really know how to 'loosen up' at the lake, don't they? |
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| Check out the car! |
When I got home, I went out to do some 'farm' work (ha!) Our lilacs are just coming on, the girls are laying like crazy (even Pee Wee -- see her tiny egg in the upper right?) and I had to pick ALL of the asparagus because we're going to get frost tonight. Spring might just be my favorite season!
Well, now that I'm finding time to post again, I hope to keep it up -- I have so much to tell you! We went on a trip to Holland, Michigan (the home of all things Dutch) and I won a giveaway (my first ever). I've been doing some painting projects and, instead of straightening up the basement, making a bigger mess! So much to share and so little time...
Have a great weekend! I can't wait to see what you all did (and what you found) this week!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
A little blue, a little tired and a LOT busy!
I just saw that I haven't posted since March 22... I think that's a (bad) record for me! I've been so busy -- between my day job and the booth and Etsy, added to things to be done around the house and shopping for the booth and Etsy, I barely have a minute to breathe. A few years ago one of our pastors did a teaching on margins and how we all need some margins (white space) in our lives. Well, lately there isn't any margin!
Being too busy makes me a little tired and also I've been a little blue. I don't know if that's an expression used much anymore, but it exactly describes the funk I've been in. I feel like I just need something (maybe a string of nice weather, a good sale or two, a few extra days off or a visit from a moved-away friend) to give me a lift!
Anyway, I've got LOTS of blog posts in my head! There are so many things I need to tell about -- when I finally start putting them up, it will be day after day and most of them ought to start with "This should have been posted on...(fill in the date in the past 3 weeks). So, no pictures yet, or posts about shopping or things I've been doing, but they'll be coming soon (I hope)!
Thanks for stopping by, even though there hasn't been anything to read. More to come...
Being too busy makes me a little tired and also I've been a little blue. I don't know if that's an expression used much anymore, but it exactly describes the funk I've been in. I feel like I just need something (maybe a string of nice weather, a good sale or two, a few extra days off or a visit from a moved-away friend) to give me a lift!
Anyway, I've got LOTS of blog posts in my head! There are so many things I need to tell about -- when I finally start putting them up, it will be day after day and most of them ought to start with "This should have been posted on...(fill in the date in the past 3 weeks). So, no pictures yet, or posts about shopping or things I've been doing, but they'll be coming soon (I hope)!
Thanks for stopping by, even though there hasn't been anything to read. More to come...
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