Yard Saling Away

Hello Friends, it's good to have you here!

Finally, the weather has warmed up and yard sales are sprouting everywhere! I had some great luck this past week. I hit a couple of rummage sales Thursday first.

I found a couple of vintage Hawaiian shirts at the first rummage sale- I thought it was going to be a bust for the longest time because I started in the housewares section and there was literally nothing but crap. I scoped out the clothing as a last resort and came up with a couple good ones- they are already listed in my Etsy store here.

I got to another rummage sale later in the afternoon just before it closed. And that means it was bag day- everything I could fit in a paper bag was $2. It also means that stuff was kind of picked over, so I definitely didn't pack the bag full. But I picked up a couple books and puzzles:

Also grabbed these art pieces. The oil painting is another vintage landscape for my collection at our cabin. That is really coming along, and I should probably do a post on that sometime. The empty frame is a simple but elegant art deco picture frame, which I always pick up whenever I find them. So much nicer than the frames they have at Michael's!

The little Hazel Atlas Moderntone sherbet glass was part of the bag sale, as were the cute fork and spatula. The fork is the Corningware Country Festival pattern. The speckled bowls are actually confetti Melmac, and are the first I have ever seen in black and white. Maybe they are "RARE HTF"? LOL  They will be listed in my Etsy store eventually too. 

This was another item I put in my bag- I'm going to let you guess what this is and then show you what we did with it later!

My husband took the kids to our local bike rodeo Saturday morning and I got to go driveway shopping. My son won 2nd place for his age group; I think he hasn't taken off his medal since then. But my prize was these pieces of Guardian Ware. I got all three for $1 each. The roaster is really huge and will bring a nice bit of $$ online.

I got these PBN horses at the same sale- it was a dollar sale, so everything there was $1. So, 5 paintings, $5! I am hoping to sell these as a group, I think they make an amazing "instant collection"!

More from the dollar sale- the Shiny Brites, lampshade and Homer Laughlin bowl. That bowl is the most stunning piece of stoneware I have ever seen. It's got a raised pattern of trees all around it. I don't know much about Homer Laughlin other than Fiesta, but I want to know more about this style. The only bad part is it has a bit of a chip on the rim and a crack there, but will be beautiful holding fruit on the table.

The Ponderosa plates are the only pieces of Pyrex I found. I have never seen the plates before, only the mugs. I'm sure these will go quickly in my Etsy store when I get them listed. The little brass swans were only a quarter; I actually have a couple of these already, they used to be my mother-in-law's.

It is hard to find bakelite radios anymore. I used to see them all the time and now they are definitely few and far between. I bought one a couple of months ago and now found this one- the only ones I've seen in a long time. It's an Admiral- doesn't work, but for $5, will definitely look great on a shelf. The alarm clock was only a quarter and that one works!

So that's the wrap up of my first real good weekend of yard sales, now here's what we did with that mystery item:

It's a bike rack! My husband painted it white and put it on my bike as a Mother's Day present. ;)

A Radioactive Red Fiestaware Find

Last weekend was our community-wide yard sale. My son (aka "Eagle Eye") and I had been looking forward to this for weeks, and it didn't disappoint. We were up and at'em by eight and many people were still just setting up their stuff. Perfect- we didn't miss anything!

At the first group of sales (in the churchyard) I bought this flamingo pink Pyrex casserole for $1. I love this size and to find one in pink was sweet!

 

I also bought these two awesome light-up religious icons. (I seem to have cornered the market lately on religious kitsch!) They're headed to the antique store booth.

 So is this Stangl ashtray:

I bought this vintage ring box from the same lady. I paid $5 for both the ashtray and ring box.

These 2 sets of salt and pepper shakers were $1 for both.

Remember my Kustom bathroom scale project? I found another one to work on this winter. It's all there and works fine, and as you can see, the price was right. I'm thinking about doing this one black and silver. 

But this was the find of the day:

This orange pitcher caught my eye. Of course, I picked it up and turned it over and noted that it said "fiesta Kitchen Kraft" on the bottom. Now, I know next to nothing about Fiestaware. I have some, but it's modern. (And truth be told, I actually like the HLC Riviera line stuff better, if I was going to collect it.) But my instincts told me it was going to be worth a lot more than the $3 price the lady had on it. I immediately walked over with money in hand (didn't even try to haggle on it) and she asked me if I wanted the 2 little pitchers as well. She was asking $3 for all three. 

The 2 little guys are not Fiesta and aren't in the greatest of condition, but are cute. But once I got home and did some research on the pitcher I knew I had a gem. It is a 2 pint covered jug, produced a few years after Fiesta was first launched, in about 1938-39. As you can see it is a bright red-orange color. This color was produced by HLC in the late 1930s using uranium oxide to develop the color. It contains a radioactive isotope and there are a couple YouTube videos out there that prove it with a Geiger counter. (More info here.) It is safe to use, and certainly won't hurt me sitting pretty on its shelf. But apparently, once the radioactivity of these pieces became known in the 70s and 80s many of them were destroyed, which makes this quite rare. I'm happy with my find, and it's a perfect color for fall. I think I'll keep it a while!

It Can't Hurt to Ask! (Secrets of the Hunt, Pt. 3)

Lately I've been doing a little thinking about the difference between being a "thrifter" and a being a "picker". I think with the popularity of shows like "American Pickers", those of us that buy vintage to resell want to glamorize it a little bit and call ourselves "pickers". After all, who doesn't want to travel the country and dig through piles of "rusty gold" for hidden treasures and then make some serious $$$ with a TV show, right? Yeah, me too.  :)

But for the most part, we stick to yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores. And buying stuff cheap that we can resell is still the name of the game and we do alright with it. (See my previous "Secrets of the Hunt" posts on how to do this, if you don't know already...)

But that's not really "picking"; that is, buying things that aren't actually for sale with a price tag already on it. To me, to be a picker, means that you have to find the vintage that's not already for sale and get the seller to part with it. You have to get to know people, knock on doors and just ask around to buy stuff.

More and more, I think this is going to be the way to go for those of us in this business. We all know that it's getting harder to find good stuff in thrift stores and yard sales. Stuff from before 1960 is just no longer that abundant in the second-hand marketplace.

With that in mind, try to think a little bit outside the box when it comes to buying vintage.

1) Make conversation with people. Oftentimes, even close friends and relatives don't realize how into this stuff you are. Even acquiantances and friendly people you see at thrift stores or yard sales. Remember my Giant Lamp? Well, it turns out the lady I bought that from invited me to go through her house and pick out some of the furniture that wasn't for sale yet. I've got an incredible late 1950s hi-fi coming my way from there.

2) Have a business card made. Even in this tech-crazy age, the act of giving someone your card strikes them with a permanence that they remember. They put it aside and when they have something to sell, they can pick it up and give you a call. I had 200 business cards made online for less than $20, and I think they've paid for themselves many times over.

3) Ask, Ask, Ask! The other day I stopped at a yard sale. It was two ladies in their 70s selling a bunch of kid stuff. Now, the last thing I need is more kid stuff. But more than anything, it was the incongruity of the situation that made me stop. I walked through all the tables of toys and racks of clothing and realized this was two ladies who had a children's consignment store they were liquidating. Not really seeing anything I needed, I did notice in the back of the garage was some items covered in old bedspreads. Obviously, they had covered the tools/snowblowers/etc. that were not for sale to keep people from trying to buy them.

However, it wasn't the tools, but the bedspread itself that I wanted:

I think the ladies were dumbfounded when I asked to buy the bedspread they covered the snowblower with!  I offered them a few bucks and they happily took it- they had no idea anyone would want something like that. To them, it had no value at all, so to get $3 for it was a bonus- and a win for me! It's a large full/queen  art deco pattern chenille, and in a tan/burgundy color scheme- perfect for my bedroom! (Sure beats covering up a snowblower!)

What's atop your dresser?

Just popping in for a quick post on how my new frames turned out! You may remember the other week when I thrifted a bunch of 1930s frames for a couple of bucks. Well, since I don't have a lot of 8x10 modern photos with a vintage look, I decided to put in a couple of my favorite 1930s celebrities, big band leaders Harry James and Glenn Miller.

I got the original B&W photos from Etsy seller Chihuahua Snaps, for $5 each. That's a great deal if you look online. Though I was sorely tempted by this autographed photo of Miller in GravelGertie's Etsy shop.

I didn't want to risk hanging them on the wall- I'm not sure how sturdy the hanging hardware is after all these years- and just propped them up across my dresser. 

On the left is my other 1930s frame- a blue mirrored one I've had for years- with one of our wedding photos. Without actually intending to, it appears I've created a blue and silver theme. The silver dresser set was my grandmother's, and the red embroidered cloth was done last year by my mom (thanks Mom- I love it!)

*xoxo* Glenn! I know he's not the stereotypical Hollywood-handsome guy, but I just have a thing for him- plus, we share the same birthday.

How dreamy is Harry James in this photo? I know he wasn't the most like-able guy, but lord, could he play. As a trumpet player, I only wish I had half his talent.

So what do you have atop your dresser! Feel free to blog about it and post a link below!

Trash-picked Tuesday: Framed! (again)

I don't know know what it is about me and framed pictures lately. While driving to my weekly allergist appointment this morning, I spotted these out by the curb:

I pulled over so quickly a police officer stopped behind me to make sure everything was OK. (That's alright, officer, I'm just curb shopping!)

At first, I thought it was some sort of Hollywood star- the gentleman does bear a resemblance to William Powell (who was a Pennsylvanian- although not from this area.) They are definitely 1930s/early 40s. 

But there is a stamp for a local photographer on the print, so I'm guessing these are perhaps some aspiring local actor, or just a real hep cat. 

They are huge- the photos are probably 11 x 14, and the frames 24 x 18. Unfortunately , they have some significant water damage. The one below is probably salvageable, and I can probably still use both frames with a little touching up. But the photo above might be too far gone.

So, any ideas about what to do with them, or who they might be? I love a good mystery!

Framed!

My kids had a day off of school on Monday, so we did what comes naturally- thrift! Ostensibly, it was to pick up a few things for the cabin and to look for a new media cabinet. (There's always an excuse to thrift for something, isn't there?)

Well, I'd like to say that I found the media cabinet, because I did. But it was painted an unfortunate shade of green and was too small. Stylistically it was pretty close, but I'll keep looking. I also struck out shopping for a liquid measuring cup, colander and toaster oven. I couldn't believe I couldn't get even one of those things, but the store had just had a giant half-price sale on Friday and was kind of picked over.

I did find some really neat clothing in the bargain bin, where everything is 99 cents. I got a red wool Boy Scout shirtjac that has the most awesome appliques, a women's tweed jacket and a men's windbreaker for the store. Other than that, the pickings were slim in housewares and furniture.

But apparently no one is buying picture frames and wall hangings! 

I finally found an art deco reverse painted frame! For 99 cents!!! 

The other two are an 8x10 silver painted wood frame ($4, wtf?) and a lucite frame (99 cents- that's more like it.) Anyway, when you average it all out, it's $2/per. Sometimes thrift shop pricing just makes you stop and go, hmmmm.

I thought this Victorian print was cute and seasonal for Easter. I really bought it for the frame, because it is nice and big at 14 x 17. I thought it would make a nice cottagey/shabby chic print for the cabin. I'll probably keep it. It wasn't a bad deal at $6, but more than I would normally pay for something. 

Not that I really do shabby chic, but it seems to find me, so I roll with it. This is a cute chalkware wall plaque (again, 99 cents) that needs a little TLC. Or I might just sell it in the shop as "chippy" LOL. I know someone out there is going to love this more than I do.

This one ain't going nowhere. As you can see, I've already hung it. I've been on the lookout for a photo of FDR for years. I've even searched Etsy and eBay pretty much for this exact image. I can't believe there aren't more out there; after all, they probably hung in every school classroom and post office in the country for 13 years. It's got nothing to do with my politics, just the iconography of it. It's big too- 12x14- with nice wavy glass. For $4, and I got a double bonus- there is an image on the reverse of a construction project (WPA, I'd imagine) that someone stuck in there. (Which begs the question, who framed FDR?)

A peek inside Chez QT: Kate's room

In my last post I mentioned I had a full bedroom set of Art Deco furniture. I wanted to take a moment to share it with you all, because it is really something special. It is in my daughter's room, and will be her furniture as she gets older.

This set consists of bed, nightstand, vanity, bench and high boy dresser. All the pieces match and are made of burl walnut and mahogany, with bakelite pulls on the drawers. I inherited them from a family member who passed away in 2005 at age 97. She had bought them new in the early 1930s. (Family lore says 1929, which is not out of the question, but to me the style is a few years later, and my relative would have been in her early 20s by that time. She would have just graduated from college with a degree in business- very unusual for a woman at the time- and had a very good job, even though it was the Depression.) The set is extremely high quality; the burl veneer is over solid mahogany with dovetailed joints. Since I am just the second owner, everything is in great condition.

This is the view as you walk in the door. The bed is a full size bed. At the far right is the vanity. You can see some of the detail in the veneer work.

The waterfall chifferobe on the left is a cedar closet. It is not part of the set, and is a few shades lighter. I bought that years before getting the rest of the bedroom set.

The nightstand. Kate's room has a "Vintage Rose" theme, so all the accessories, like the lamp and the art are rose. The wall color is a dusty rose (not as pink as it appears here). Hopefully it will grow along with Kate, who is almost 4, because it is a pain to move all this furniture to paint! :)

  

The vanity and bench. I like the tall tombstone-shaped mirror- it's not your usual round one. I recovered the bench with brown and gold Asian fabric- it originally had a needlpoint cover which was quite worn (but I still have in storage.) The crib is in the foreground and was hard to photograph around. In a few months that will be gone and Kate will be sleeping in the big bed.

The high boy dresser. You can really see how luminous the veneer is and the neat bakelite and brass pulls. This would have been the man's dresser (the woman got the vanity) and the top drawer has small lidded compartments for cufflinks, etc. My relative never married, so it was all hers! The bottom of the chest is actually two large doors which swing open, instead of a drawer. I suppose it would have been used for shoes or purses, but I keep my collection of quilts in there.

I love my Art Deco furniture, and if money was no object would likely have a house full of it. I hope you enjoyed this part of our tour!

Style Envy

I don't know about all of you, but sometimes I get a really bad case of house envy from looking at others' blogs. Perfectly put-together homes with consistent styles get me every time. Those homes also tend to be the polar opposite of what mine looks like - a carefully curated museum exhibit, rather than the museum storage room! Makes me want to sell everything on ebay and start fresh!

My house is such a hodge-podge of styles, sometimes I fell like it's everything and nothing all at the same time. I'm not sure if I could even limit myself to one particular style of decorating. But if I could, I would have a whole house of mid century modern decor. Or maybe vintage industrial. Or maybe cottage chic.... I guess that's the problem, really, I love it all!

Literally, I have all these styles and more in various rooms of my 1800 square foot house:

Shabby chic/cottage style:

Rustic Adirondack:

Mid Century Modern:

50's Atomic

40's cute

Art Deco:

At this point I think I'm too set in my ways and too much in love with all my stuff to ditch everything and start over. A lifetime of collecting vintage items will do that, I suppose. But it still doesn't deter me from dreaming about owning and furnishing a 1950s Eichler, or a 30s Frank Lloyd Wright, or an industrial loft, or....

What about you? Can you stick to one style or is it a mishmash?

The 1930s Project

I've been kicking around an idea here for a couple of years, and perhaps by making an official announcement  on this blog I can jump start it. Please join me for the adventure!

I have always been fascinated by the 1930s. Ever since I discovered big band swing in 7th grade I have been enthralled by the Art Deco era. All of it- the history, politics, and economics as well as the lighter side of entertainment, fashion and culture. Seriously studying the 1930s has been my avocation since I was in college. Even as an undergrad music major, I spent far more time with Paul Hindemith and Weimar Germany than I did with many of my friends. As a graduate student, I focused on early 20th Century material culture- the artifacts of technology, transportation and manufacturing from the period. And while I may know a lot of facts, I have always felt that I was missing the experience portion of the equation.

I have always wanted to know what it would have been like to truly live during the 1930s. I would like to do an  experiment in which I put aside most of our modern conveniences and live as a Depression-era housewife. Of course, I do have a family and their needs will have to be accounted for, but I will try to do my best to accomplish all of this in as authentic a way as possible.

Perhaps some of you have had similar thoughts. For some reason I haven't talked about it a whole lot on this blog, partly because most of my readers are into the 1950s. And while I like that time period, I have never really felt the pull to live it like I have with the 1930s-early 40s era. I am also aware that there are other people who do this as a lifestyle (some of whom are my good friends) and have been doing so for years. I admire that and I am by no means considering myself an expert on this- I just want to see if I can do it for myself!

So I am announcing the start of this project in which I live as a 1930s housewife for two weeks in August of 2012. The adventure will start with background posts leading up to it at my other blog:

http://the1930sproject.wordpress.com/

Or you can join me facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The1930sproject/


See you later, gator!