Bring on the Yard Sales!

Now that Easter's over, I'm ready for the yard sales to start popping up -- aren't you?  The weather has been so cold and rainy, though that there just haven't been many.  Last week there was only one local one -- ONE (not the best cure for cabin fever)!  There was the first church rummage sale of the year, though, so I headed out for that.

Here's what it looked like when I left for the rummage -- really foggy & chilly...

The pickings were slim, but I found a few little goodies.  Next I went to an estate sale that about 10 miles away and 2 miles down a wet dirt road -- what a waste of time.  It was WAY overpriced...most of the items were even higher than they would be at an antique mall.   I got there an hour after it started and the tables were full (no surprise there).  I did find a New York World's Fair souvenir glass and a really cool glass coffee table, though.

Very appropriate for a Catholic church rummage sale -- Jesus on the Mount of Olives

Not great finds from the rummage sale...plus the World's Fair glass from the estate sale

I think this coffee table is pretty cool -- it looks like it should be on a sun porch or with casual furniture, though.

Finally, I went to the only yard sale in town (and wished I'd gone there before the estate sale).  It was family run and the prices were all over the place, but the house had been decorated in the 60s and not updated since.  It turned out to be a day for wall decor, as I got several bits of 1960s plastic (Syroco-type) and some oh-so-lovely metal peacocks.  Not my taste, but I know that they'll sell.

Three seasons of a four-season Syroco set from the 70s

My big investment of the day (still not much)!  The frame is plastic, but these convex mirrors are always popular

Here are the beautiful peacocks!

Here are two things from the thrift last week that I forgot to share, and they were really sweet finds!

aluminum food tote

Red Regal aluminum cake carrier with a bakelite handle -- so cool!

It's been near 70 for the past two days and it feels (and looks) like spring!  Maybe the yard sales will be better this week -- I hope so!  I hope you have better sales where you live, too.

A Girl's Gotta Play Once in a While!

If you think I haven't posted in a while, you're right!  There just isn't enough time in the day.  Shopping takes time away from prep work and prep work takes time away from working online and blogging (and then there are dishes and laundry, too).  For the past 10 days, we've had the annual Spring Sale at the antique mall, so all my energy in the weeks leading up to it was focused there and everything else has had to wait its turn.

Still, a girl's got to play once in a while...
My friend Bargain Hunter surprised me last Monday with an invitation to go shopping -- she normally works on Mondays, but had the day after Easter off.  I had to choose between shopping and doing housework and booth-prep work; a hard decision, I know, but I chose shopping!

We went to several shops north of us and found that many of them were closed on Monday...not fun!  Still, we found some good stuff at Swan Creek in Perry and Battle Alley in Holly.  We ended up at the mall where I have my booths, Livingston Antique Outlet, and shopped the Spring Sale.

Here are my goodies from Monday...

I'd never seen a round canister like this before  -- I'm in a yellow & white phase.  The little paper hat is from  Pickin' Chicken in Miami, Florida

These paint by numbers are wonderful!

Another horse item...I'm into western stuff lately, too

No shopping trip is complete without vintage Christmas!  (The pose doll's not Christmas -- she just looked cool sitting on the box...)

In other news, here are some things I've picked up in the past 2 weeks at my local thrift and at the antique mall's sale:

Such great finds!  The royal family and the soap pitcher will stay here, I think

I found all this on one quick dash to the thrift.  A pink gooseberry 444 bowl -- score!

Now it's time to get back to work.  I've listed 10 things on Etsy in the past 2 days, so I have to keep going while I'm on a roll!

Road Trip! Replacements, Ltd

I love a road trip -- especially to places I haven't been before.  AND I'm a sucker for a factory tour -- offer to show me the behind-the-scenes operation and I'm on it!  Maybe the fascination goes back to the factory tour segments on MisterRogers and the old Sesame Street look at how they make crayons (remember the one that started & ended with the little girl looking at the crayon)?

So, a few weeks ago, we drove down to Florida and went by way of North Carolina so we could stop at Replacements, Ltd -- you've probably heard of them and may have looked up china or silver online.  I was excited to see the brick and mortar building, which (according to their website) is " 500,000 square foot facilities (the size of 8 football fields!)" and home to "an incredible inventory of 12 million pieces in more than 400,000 patterns."

I had some china to sell them -- odd plates, serving pieces and place settings.  Being a seller is quite a process!   The first step is to send them your pattern name and they send you an 'offer to purchase' which is good for 30 days.  It names every piece made in the pattern and what price they're currently paying for that piece (or 'not buying' if there's no demand or a backlog).

Next, if you're delivering you china like I was, you make an appointment and then check in at the sellers' entrance.  They take your china to a table (there were rows and rows of these tables, with many workers evaluating) and look what you brought.  They'll either pay you full price from the 'offer to purchase', half price (if the item has wear) or refuse it outright (if they find a flaw or something they don't like).

Evaluation tables ... The colored plastic cups represent their evaluations -- some are for 'full price', some for 'reduced' and some for 'refused'.  

Boxed pieces on skids, waiting to go tot he storeroom

Shelves & shelves of evaluated pieces, just waiting to be put away.  The brown 'stacks' at the back are the ends of rows of shelves.

You can either wait or go away and return later -- they'll call you or text when they're finished. I learned that Replacements has people all over the country who are certified suppliers for them -- some of them were delivering while I was there and had full pallets of boxed china, silver & crystal, piled 3 & 4 boxes high, so they didn't hang around!  One of the workers told me that many of the suppliers shop all year and then deliver their items once or twice a year instead of shipping it.  The certified suppliers get a higher price for their stuff than I did as a one-time seller, but they have to pay a fee to be certified and get the master catalog of purchase prices.

There's a retail store with lots of china, silver flatware and silver pieces.

Retail store

Fiesta at the retail store -- the tour guide told me it's one of their best sellers, which I found odd since you can get this at most department stores

Rows and rows of silver at the retail store

More silver

I loved the silver there (can't you tell?)  I got my first pieces of vintage silver when I was in high school -- I know it marks me as a nerd, but I used to ask for it for my birthday & Christmas, even as a pre-teen, and I still love it.  Their silver was amazing!

Can you read the price on this sterling tea service?!

Most of the china was either too new or too 'frou frou' for my taste.  I was surprised at how little mid-century was on display.  I know that they have it, but it apparently isn't as sought-after.

New china and collectibles

My favorite part of the retail store is back in the back -- Bob's Corner.  It's called that for the owner, Bob Page, and had lots of little bits of kitsch, all priced at $10 or less.  Some had flaws and some was perfect and it was fun to look it over, but almost all of it was newer than I like.

The storerooms have really high ceilings -- maybe 20-30 feet and rows of shelves that go all the way up, completely packed with merchandise.  They even sell newer collectibles and Christmas ornaments (Christopher Radko & ones like that).

They have one huge warehouse area (the original one) that's full of every pattern and item that they sell.  Then there's a second warehouse addition (recently built) that holds the backlog of those items!

There's a silver restoration service, a crystal restoration service and one for china, as well, but I didn't get any pictures of those areas, as they were behind closed doors and could only be seen through little windows.  I was amazed at how they could reclaim really worn dishware and completely restore broken crystal.

Their researchers are experts, too, at finding pattern names and identifying look-alike-but-not-the-same patterns (like some of the Noritake Occupied Japan ones).  I think they have the most fun job in  the whole place!

The last thing you see is this hallway, where they have their most popular china patterns on display.  Pretty impressive!

The most popular china patterns

Would I take china to them again?  Maybe and maybe not... In the end, I didn't get as much for the china as I might have liked (nowhere near the amount they charge online) and not enough to justify shipping it to them, though it was fine for delivery, since we were going that way regardless.  There were just so many mid-century patterns I have that they weren't buying or not paying much for.  Still, it was better than donating it to the thrift store and I made a little money on it...plus I had the bonus of a new experience!  

If you're passing by Greensboro, North Carolina, stop by the store (and take the tour, if you have a half hour free) -- it's fun to see the operation behind the online site!  

Pyrex as a Learning Tool -- Start Them Young!

We have one cabinet in the kitchen with glass doors where I keep all a little of my Pyrex, Coronation & kitchen glass collection.   Ever since my granddaugher (now 13 months) was old enough to hold her head up and look around at things, I've carried her over there and shown her the all the goodies inside. At about 6 months, she started really paying attention, but I didn't realize until this past week how closely she'd been watching.

I open the cabinet and say 'Pyrex!' and then start on the primary set first (don't all Pyrex collectors?)... 'Yellow, green, red, blue  (then, moving to the right) -- turquoise, pink and Flamingo pink!'  I take out the 'There'll Always be an England' glasses and the Coronation glass and the little flamingo on the bottom shelf and show them to her.  If I forget to go back to the little maple leaf cream and sugar on the bottom shelf and say 'yellow', she points to them to remind me.  I think it's a good way to teach colors (though her parents think it's pretty funny that I've been teaching their baby turquoise and flamingo pink).

So, last week, Mr. KV was holding her in another part of the kitchen and I said something about Pyrex and she turned around, looked right at the cabinet and started grinning!  If you ask her 'Where's the Pyrex?', she immediately looks at it and gets excited.  Only 13 months, just starting to walk and talk and she already knows the good stuff -- that's smart!

I can see a great time treasure hunting with my little buddy in the future -- I'd better save a granny cart for her!

Mystery Stetson China Pattern - 1957

When I first began selling at the antique mall, I bought lots of odd place settings of china: dinner plates, cups and saucers, creamers and sugar bowls.  I thought that people would buy them -- after all, both Martha AND Flea Market Finds had said on television and in print that mismatched china was cool!  If they said it, it must be true, right?   Not so...most people don't want one or two plates unless they need that particular pattern.  Mismatched china IS cool, but people don't buy it!

So, I've been hunting and gathering in my junk inventory in the basement -- looking for all the odd bits and pieces of china that I've bought over the past 4 years.  We're planning a road trip to Florida and I'm planning to make a side trip to Replacements and sell them most of it.  What they don't want, I'll sell in a bargain basket at the mall or donate away.

I found several serving bowls in this mystery pattern.

It's clearly backstamped Stetson and is dated 1957.  I think it's pretty cool -- especially for spring entertaining!  I'm crazy about research, though, and a real perfectionist when it comes to identification and I can't find the pattern anywhere.  It's driving me crazy!  It's not on Replacements or any of the other china websites and a picture of it doesn't even come up in a general Google image search.  I searched Marcrest, too, because they distributed a lot of Stetson china.

Do any of you know the pattern name?  Was it distributed by a company other than Stetson or Marcrest?  If I can't find it, I'm going to have to resign myself to not knowing, but I hate an unsolved puzzle.

Have a great week, everyone!  (And, oh by the way, if you need any odds-and-ends dinnerware, just let me know -- I've got you covered!)

First Flea Market of the Year -- Cowboy Cool!

With the holidays over and nothing but snow and cold here in Michigan, cabin fever has really been setting in!   I haven't been out shopping since December, so when my friend Bargain Hunter asked me if I wanted to go to the Ingham County Indoor Garage Sale & Flea Market today, I jumped on it.  We had a great time -- lots of laughs and catching up on news, plus finding some treasures to take home.  

I found was this great mid-century cowboy ceiling light cover as soon as we walked in the door.  

I didn't know it at the time, but 'cowboy cool' was to be the theme for the day.  I found three western-related treasures, which are always really popular on Etsy.  There was a lot more western stuff there today, but this is all I got.  As usual, I got some mid-century and a few linens, too (as if I needed more!)

Here's what I came home with:

Wonderful 'shop class' project lamp with a western saloon scene and original cowboy lampshade

The cowboy and saloon keeper at the bar have hand-cut detail

A kid's holster set from the 1950s.  I remember having a red one very much like this...so cool!

Sweet made-in-Japan kitty figurines

The aluminum drink spoons are still in the original package!

Love these black and white spatterware shakers

This barkcloth drapery panel has a big stain in the center, but was bargain priced.  If I can't get the stain out, I can use it for pillows

An unusual India-themed tablecloth.  I'm not sure how old it is, but it's the first elephant tablecloth I've seen

Pre-Disney Florida tablecloth -- also bargain priced!

Roosters & mid-century color scheme -- hard to pass up

This black Americana tablecloth is in great condition

I think this tablecloth is going to end up going to live with Bargain Hunter.   She needs tablecloths

You'll probably see some of these in my Etsy shop soon.   Did I get anything to keep?  Maybe this terrific, tacky musical mushroom with gnomes!  I haven't decided if I should keep it or sell it.  What do you think?

Yikes! Where did 3 Months Go?

I just looked back at the blog and realized that I haven't posted in almost 3 months!  It seems like November, December and now January have blown by in a whirlwind of activity....New booth...Thanksgiving...Christmas...and the super-busy holiday shopping season on Etsy.

I went all out decorating for Christmas this year!  It was fun to go to the antique mall holiday open houses and sales and to buy even more vintage Christmas (as though I don't have enough already...).

I got this sweet wooden elf at Williamston Antiques.  He was originally part of a set of 13 or 14, but he's the only one that came home with me.  I put him inside the big (four foot) lighted wreath that my dad made for Mr. KV and me about 35 years ago.  The elf looks like he belongs there!

At Little Red Schoolhouse, I got this great bottle brush tree with a music box base.  It's in mint condition with ALL of its ornaments and mercury glass candles.  (I didn't take a picture of it all by itself -- it's the little tree on the right, next to the beautiful baby).

We found this big wood NOEL at Jeffrey's Antiques in Findley, Ohio on the way home from Thanksgiving.  It looks great in the kitchen.

I picked I added several Japanese pose dolls to the growing collection.  If you grew up in the 50s or 60s, you will remember these -- they have stocking faces and are wrapped over wire bodies so they can be posed.  I got a Santa and an elf this year.

I was lucky enough to get three big blow mold Santa faces this summer and couldn't find a place on the front of the house for any of them.  I'm going to sell one or two of them, but hung one on the back porch, facing the kitchen.  I love being able to look out and see him there -- he makes me smile every time and our little granddaughter loves him.  Maybe I won't take him down.  Is it weird to have Christmas light up all summer?

We found the perfect place for the plywood Santa that I got last year -- next to the fireplace in the living room!  He kept blowing over on the front porch last year, and I was afraid he'd break.  He looked just right there.

After Christmas, I went back to Williamston Antiques with my sister, because it's one of her favorite malls.  I got this great angel display from a dealer who used to be at our antique mall.  It's big -- about 4 feet tall -- and really fragile, because it's that thin celluloid plastic from the 50s.  I don't think it's ever been out of the box.  Isn't it great?

The new booth has kept me really busy.  Two weeks AFTER I moved everything in, I decided I hated the wall color that was there and couldn't live with it.  So I moved everything away from the walls and painted.  Not the easiest way to do it, but where's the fun in doing things the easy way?    It's been a lot of work to keep both booths stocked (that's good news, though, because it means things are selling).  I don't think I realized how much more planning and prepping would be involved with just adding one more booth.  The furniture is starting to thin out a little in the barn and garage, though, and Mr. KV is very happy about that!

The 'Etsy Every Day' project was a real success.  I listed almost 400 items in 2014; well beyond one each day.  I've been keeping it up so far in January, but have really enjoyed not having the every-day commitment to deal with.

I know that there will be lots of flea markets and sales coming in the spring, so I've been trying not to buy now, but rather take a look at what I have and get it listed and in the booth.  I've bought some great stuff in the past few years and completely forgotten about some of it!  It's sort of like a treasure hunt (for free!) or an archaeological dig, going to layer after layer of cool vintage finds.

I found this really sweet tin Valentine candy box from the 1920s.  It was made by Tindeco for the Sanders Chocolate Company, which was a favorite confectioner in the Southeast Michigan area, but are now gone. The box has great Art Nouveau styling and is in excellent condition.

I'd also forgotten about this Franciscan Coronado demitasse set that I got in Kentucky almost 2 years ago.  It's really beautiful!

I looked in a back corner of one shelf and found lots of blue transferware that I'd bought at a sale almost four years ago.  I think I moved it to the back in a 'safe place' and then didn't remember where I put it (have you ever done that?)  How could I completely forget about 3 covered vegetable bowls, a gravy set, 10 plates and a platter?  It boggles the mind!

I'll update more often now and will post pictures of more treasures as I find them in my basement.  I also know that there will be a few sales that I just can't miss and some shopping adventures with my friend Bargain Hunter, so there will be new things to find.

I'm really looking forward to getting back into routine.  In a way, January, February and March are a relief, with no outside work to do and no holidays to plan and just lots of time to get inside jobs done.   Am I the only one who feels like this?  Do you get lots of inside work done in the winter?