Selling Vintage

Getting Started on Etsy

2010-02-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

I initially started Selling Vintage on Etsy back in May after being laid off from my sales position at a local Los Angeles magazine, (yes, I'm one of those statistics which fits in well with checking cliche after cliche off my list of things to be, do, feel), and so to supplement my income I started Selling Vintage. First I took a booth at a local antique mall and then eventually I took to the internet. When this comes up in conversation with other lovers of vintage the response I often hear is one of 'I thought of doing that, is it easy?' or 'how do you get started?' - but it took the question coming to me as a blog comment from Linda over at A La Carte to get me to write a response to this question often posed.

Usually my response is 'it's easy, just go to Etsy and follow the directions'. And well, that is basically what you need to do to get started. You can register for an Etsy account here. But before you do learn from my mistake and think about what you want to call your shop, your username will ultimately become your shop name. I ultimately wound up starting a brand new account after having already gone through the motions of posting items to the incorrectly named account.

Once you get your account set up you can login to Etsy and start selling - seriously, it's that easy! It may take some trial and error but eventually you'll get used to the layout and can easily share your pretty vintage goods with the world.

When you login to your account look to the top of the screen where you'll see a shopping cart and to the right, about center page, you'll see YOUR ETSY, click on this to get to your account and start selling. Then you'll see a navbar on the left hand side, you'll just have to play around with these different features as you go along but they're all pretty self-explanatory. The one you need to be concerned with initially is ADD NEW ITEM. Go through the motions and list your item for only $.20!

When listing:

Be sure to describe the item as best you can and use words you think people may search for when they are looking for something similar to what you are selling.

Take full advantage of the key word section, you'll click down to Vintage first and then narrow it further and further. Use words that describe the style, the color, the designer or similar designers, what the item is, where it's made - anything that you were not able to mention in your text.

I cannot stress this enough - TAKE GOOD PICTURES. I bought two large pieces of foam board from my local art store to use as a backdrop and I always go outside to take my photos since my house is lit for mood not photography.

You can add up to five pictures, if you can use them all. Get creative and have fun! And always be sure to photograph the label or logo if there is one.

Shipping is trial and error and sometimes you lose a little money on shipping. I always try to be fair but list my shipping a little high so that I am covered and able to ship Priority Mail with Tracking. Tracking is important and so is packaging, be careful, buy bubble wrap and pack your items well. I recently, so far only once, shipped something and had it chip in the process. That made me feel real bad and the biggest bummer was I was so sure I had done a stellar job packing that one - not the case.

Another note on shipping, make a trip to the post office and take advantage of the FREE Priority Mail boxes. I don't usually send items flat rate which is what these boxes are intended for, instead I wrap them in brown bag paper from Office Depot. The rate is usually cheaper than flat rate, I only use flat rate when something is really heavy. If you don't feel like visiting the post office initially you can order your FREE Priority Mail boxes on their website.

Marketing is a whole other beast but start following the official Etsy Blog, Storque for ideas and tips. And I'll write something on that... next time someone asks!

Thanks for the question Linda, I hope this is enough to get you started and wish you the best of luck. Let me know if there's something I didn't cover that you may be wondering - that goes for everyone.

Happy Selling Vintage!

"Louden" Hand Painted

2010-02-07T23:32:00.000-08:00

Finally, I've decided to list for sale these gorgeous hand-painted small china plates that I've been holding tight for months now. I love them so, the warm orange flowers and bright green leaves tied together with black stems just pop against an ivory backdrop. But if I held on to everything I love nothing would ever leave my humble abode and things really need to start moving so reluctantly I'm ready to let them go.

Not wanting to make the CatherineHolm mistake I hit the web early this time and found the maker of these plates, Alfred Meakin England has been operating since 1875, the ink printed logo on the bottom of these plates signify a production date from 1930 onward. Having been in business for over 100 years there are several logos you can look out for by this manufacturer most of them pre-1930 but a few have been created since.

You can see the logos and information on the company at the website Antique Dynasties.

As for a value I guess they're worth what anything you don't see a lot of is worth - whatever someone is willing to pay. Selling on eBay is a platter of the same design for $14.95. Maybe I should just buy it and become a "Louden" collector!!

; )

See my Etsy listing for this item here.

Fiestaware Identifying Marks

2010-02-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

Any lover of the thrift knows to scoop up Fiestaware if found on the cheap. The rare find being an exciting score for it's vibrant colors, distinguishable style, and if you know how to spot vintage, its lucrative possibilities. New or old Fiestaware is a welcome and uncommon thrift store find, it just so happens the latter won't bode well for resale.

As it typically stands I'm one to find out how to recognize a valuable piece post sale and a not so valuable piece post purchase. And so it goes with the recent score of Fiestaware mugs and saucers. They sure are pretty but a SwagBucks search later and I discover I could head right over to Macy's to complete a nice little breakfast set.

Take a look at this logo, it's an ink printed logo and the letters are all capitals. According to the blog Discount Fiestaware this is a tell tale sign that my Fiestaware is not that rare bird created before 1973. What you're looking for is an ink print in lower-case letters or an imprint.

Something else to look out for when buying Fiestaware are the colors. There were fourteen colors total before production temporarily halted in 1973, but the six original colors introduced in 1936 are: Cobalt Blue, Light Green, Ivory, Red, Turquoise, and Yellow. And it's those original colors that are most sought by collectors.

As for my newly acquired Fiestaware, I'll give them a spin on eBay but from the looks of it these vibrant pieces will be keeping me and my morning coffee company for a some time to come.

New Year, New Happenings

2010-01-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

Before I say anything else I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. It's a little late, a whole week and a half, but I've been MIA and this is my first post of 2010. I should probably make it good!

The holiday season had me happily running to the post on a daily basis. Between that, my own holiday shopping, a decent couple of weeks off, and an attempt to organize, I am backed up on listings and will be posting new stuff to Etsy this week. I will also attempt to utilize eBay more. If anyone has eBay suggestions please do share as I'm terrified of not getting my products worth but eager to expand my options and move my product a little quicker.

Finally, I am so excited to share with you a new venture that has fallen into my lap - Consignment sales! I was recently passed a client from a great friend, and now have the opportunity to sell some fantastic vintage couture pieces. Beside the sheer excitement of having some of these pieces in my home I'm thrilled to see how this venture works out. To see photos the 1930's Chanel dress, velvet Dolce and Gabbana, Badgley and Mishka cocktail dress and more visit SellingVintage on Facebook. And if you're not already a Fan become one! I'd love to have you.

Here's a snippet of my favorite outfit.

Stunning don't you think! The shirt is mine, should I buy the skirt? I have no idea where to wear this but it doesn't hurt to have something pretty in your closet!

DIY Christmas Tree in Action

2009-12-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

Remember that cute little DIY Christmas Tree project I learned from Martha Stewart's show? I've been passing them out to friends as part of my holiday gift and they've been such a hit! Check this one out, it looks so good incorporated into Morgan's holiday decor.

Christmas Countdown a.k.a Wish List

2009-12-16T18:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,

A bathroom should never be boring, and because mine is so small and because I've been such a good girl this year I think I deserve a new modern-feminine shower curtain, even if it is a hefty $98.

It's available at Anthropologie. Look I even made it easy for you!

Christmas Count Down a.k.a. Wish List

2009-12-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

I recently picked up a copy of Elle Decoration UK. The magazine wasn't inexpensive but I fell in love with these amazing retro "TrimPhones" while browsing at the magazine stand. It comes in four colors - this pretty turquoise, a powder pink, red, and white.

Not only am I dying over these phones but I'm insane over this magazine. I think my entire Christmas list could be filled from decor pulled straight from these very pages!

Weekend SALE - Home Decor

2009-12-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

WEEKEND SALE on all Home Decor - 25% off for all of my Twitter, Facebook and Blog followers starts now. If you see something you want convo me through Etsy or email me at SellingVintage@gmail.com and I'll adjust the price for you.

Sale goes live on Etsy tonight, late night!

Happy Weekend Shopping.

This Weekend in LA

2009-12-10T23:51:00.001-08:00

If you're in Los Angeles this weekend there is some good holiday presents to be had. In fact, even if you're not in Los Angeles there are some great sales to be had! Just check out this jewelry by Sage Jewelry.

Bracelets and earrings from $25 and some beautiful necklaces from around $45. I haven't bought mine yet but that's because I'm waking up early tomorrow and heading to the "Blow Out Estate Sale" The Estate Sale Company is hosting for the designer. Everything from vintage clothing and jewelry to candles and soaps.

The Estate Sale Company is busy this weekend, they're also hosting a sale in Hancock Park that looks to be full of some fine antiques. Just check out the link above for these sales and next weekends as well.

Also this weekend are a whole slew of sales, most with sweets, drinks and even the Grilled Cheese Truck is going to make an appearance at the Bust Holiday Craftacular in Echo Park at The Echoplex on Saturday from 10am - 6pm, the truck will be there between 4-6pm in case you'd like to schedule your visit accordingly.

You can find a list of the many great sales around town this weekend on Apartment Therapy's Event Calendar.

And if one were so inclined they could trek to Chatsworth for all the regular sightings in addition to a doll and birdcage collection and old sci-fi magazines from the 50's!

Saturday & Sunday
8am-5pm
21335 DOVE PLACE
CHATSWORTH, CA. 91311

Happy thrifting this weekend ya'll!

Winter Blues

2009-12-09T20:37:00.001-08:00

At a chilly 55 degrees with showers on the horizon winter has finally hit Los Angeles and as it always does, just in time for the holiday party season, the cold season has caught up with me. One would think after all these years fighting the dreadful little bug I'd have my routine down pat but I don't. I never remember from one year to the next what works for me, most likely because nothing ever does.

Enter the 1801 Home Remedies book that's been housed deep under my bedside table for the past several months since acquiring it from me mum.

A good reference book not because it's helped cure my ailing cold, I'm going on day four, but because I learned a thing or two I didn't already know. Let's just say good-bye hottie-tottie, hello hot lemonade! Alcohol and caffeine will dehydrate your system and make symptoms worse whereas gargling with a squeeze of lemon juice and some warm water will create a "hostile environment" for the bacteria and viruses. And mixing the juice of half a lemon with warm water and a teaspoon of honey can relieve the pain and has become my new favorite nighttime elixir.

The remedies in this book mingle between slightly strange, suck on garlic it has a natural antiseptic, to the obvious "Jewish Penicillin" aka chicken noodle soup baby!

It's down to curing this cold so I get back out there and start thrifting again, oh and let's not forget styling myself for those fancy schmancy holiday parties!

Clothing SALE This Weekend ONLY

2009-12-03T18:19:00.001-08:00

SellingVintage is having a weekend clothing and ACCESSORIES sale. The sale will start tomorrow but for all my lovely readers it starts now! If there's anything in the store that you're eying send me an email: sellingvintage@gmail.com - 30% off for my blog readers, Facebook Fans and Twitter followers. That's more than I'll be offering once the items are marked down!

Also be sure to check the already on sale items for clothing and accessories to be marked down even further.

Because I love you!

DIY Christmas Tree

2009-12-03T16:19:00.000-08:00

I can honestly say I've never watched the Martha Stewart Show, I mean, that is until today when I was channel surfing and writing my previous blog post. Like I said... gushing over Martha today!

I don't think you know but one of my favorite DIY projects is using pages of magazines to make CD covers for the CD's I burn and give away around the holidays. They're also great as hip wrapping paper, and now I have a new way to use my old magazines - as Christmas Tree decor.

Here's the low down I learned from Martha and her guest.

Step 1: fold each, yes each, page from the upper outer point in like below.

Step 2: now fold each page in again, the page you're folding should look like a tie. Do this to EVERY page, no one said it wasn't a time consuming project!

You're hard work is starting to payoff, once this is done you'll see the tree starting to form.

Step 3: fold each bottom up so that it's flat and then tuck it in.

Now for the easy part.

Step 4: get out your paint, I used white because it's what I have on hand but they used gold on Martha's show and it was sooo pretty. Glitter is nice too. NOW spray away!

And voila, you have a pretty little Christmas Tree for your holiday decor.

Do this while you watch TV, play online, whatever. It took me about an hour, done and done. An hour and a half if you include this blog post.

Holiday Decor & fun DIY

2009-12-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

Admittingly it takes me a while to get into the holiday spirit, admittingly I am still NOT and so it's pretty surprising, to me anyway, that I have hosted a holiday party every year for the past three years. I love doing it but this year it just ain't happening. I'm sad about that but planning a post New Year's party instead!

So, I was putzin around my blog roll yesterday trying to get my groove back in this here blog-o-sphere when I came across this post, titled "Return of the Martha Balls" by i suwanee. This spiraled me out of control into the world wide web where I found a couple of fun DIY projects for the holiday season.

I have a vision of my living room covered in "Martha Balls" sometime after the new year. DIY instructions for these Tissue Paper Flower Pom Poms, I like the sound of Martha Balls better, can be found here on Martha Stewart's crafty little website.

Along the way I came across instructions for how to make these Japanese inspired surprise balls. What a fun gift idea for the person who has everything! As you unwind the ball little fun gifts fall out through the layers. Imagine it, you're left with a pile of confetti at your feet - FUN!

I snagged the below photo from fellow blogger Sandra Juto who received one of these as a gift, check out her site for pictures of this lovely ball as it unwinds.

In the instance that you are just too busy to sit down and make one of these or not feeling crafty you can purchase them at Kisok for $45 or at TOPS Malibu, prices vary but are significantly cheaper.

But wait, I'm not done - I told you I got lost in the World Wide Web!

I hate to say it, I really do, but I'm totally crushing on Martha Stewart today. Check out these classic "fabric balls" aka Christmas Ornaments that you can make sans sewing machine. I see in my future Mulled Wine and glue!

Anyone care to join me?!

Palm Springs Vintage

2009-11-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

Palm Springs is a meager two hour drive from LA but it feels like another world entirely. The desert air, the sunsets on surrounding mountains, the sea of stark windmills all wax off the denseness of Los Angeles. This little desert town where the yards all have pools and the architecture transports you back in time to era of casual glitz is one of my favorite places.

Full of Mid Mod Vintage stores and gay men with fabulous taste leaves the thrift stores here either scoured or sorely expensive for a reseller but I always try my luck because you never know what may have just come in the door, and the furnishings like the architecture pang me with jealous delight.

Ever since my stay in Paris a little more than a year ago that had us holed up in the quaintest studio apartment I've been a fan of vacation home rentals vs. hotels. So when my friend Amy decided to host her birthday bash at a desert pad I was in. We stayed in 50's Palm Spring style, the way it should always be.

I was able to get away for a couple of hours on Saturday and hit up two of my go-to thrift stores, Revival and Angel View Thrift. Both are a bit over priced but I did manage to come home with some cool new decor items and some fabric for a DIY project I have lined up.

As usual readers of this blog get first dibs on items seen here. These will be posted on Etsy tomorrow so if you see something you like send me an email at: SellingVintage@Gmail.com

DIY: Paint Side Table

2009-11-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

Supplies: Thin Grit Sand Paper, Rust-o-leum White Primer, Rust-o-leum White Gloss Spray Paint, and the ever-so-useful Rust-o-leum "Comfort Grip", Painter's Tape

BEFORE:

These pictures were taken after I sanded the table down, this took about an hour and my wrist was killing. I'm totally investing in a power sander.

You can kind of see the awful color someone had painted this pretty little table in the past, it was the most hideous beige. They failed to even take off the hardware which worked out okay against the white paint I used.

It was so easy! The whole process took about two days but that's only because I got a late start on day one. You could easily have this done within 24 hours.

AFTER:

First sand the entire unit. Prime and paint. Oh, and don't forget to use painters tape to cover the areas you don't want to change, like the mirrors on this piece. And please remove the hardware, it takes about five seconds.

One thing I'll do different on the second unit - tape up the mirror BEFORE sanding the table. I can't wait until they're both done, but I am going to wait long enough to get that electric sander!

Topanga Beach Photoshoot

2009-11-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason I tend to stray from acting as my own model. I think that's why I lean toward acquiring home and kitchenware vs. clothing and accessories. One of my favorite things to do with all these items is to photograph them, to put them into some kind of look book, aka blog, that I can ogle over even after the goods have long disappeared. But my love for clothing and accessories topped by great deals has the goods piling up, and me getting in front of the camera vs. behind it.

Yesterday Scott, Lucas and I took a trip to Topanga Beach and found an opportunity to put Scott behind the camera. I dragged along a few warm weather accessories and with the beach as a backdrop we snapped some shots.

Scott was more interested in playing with Lucas than photographing me (ugh!) but he managed to get a few good shots. I went home with less than I had hopped but pleased none the less.

Do you just love these vintage Charles David's? There were my Grandma's. I wish they'd fit me but they don't. Boo Hoo.

If you're interested in any of the goodies you see here they'll be on Etsy soon but you can send me an inquiry before that at SellingVintage@Gmail.com.

*All photos taken by Scott Dudelson

Social Network Happy

2009-11-15T18:06:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone.

I just signed SellingVintage up for not only a FaceBook page but it's on Twitter now too! We're all Social Networked out over here. And I'm planning something that I'm really excited about too and I hope you can get behind as well.

Become a fan of SellingVintage on Facebook and/or Twitter and you'll be notified when I'm about to pass up something great. The cool thing about this is that if you "tweet" or message me back in time I'll buy it on your behalf!

What are waiting for? Become a fan of SellingVintage now by clicking on the above links.

x's and o's

Melissa

Rain Rain Come Today

2009-11-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

I have something beautiful to keep you away!

I live in LA. As most anyone knows rain is hard to come by in this tiny little corner of the world. But an Angeleno has got to prepared for that one dreaded storm of the year and what Angeleno in her right mind would fail to be stylish when the clouds cave in on our sunny little bubble?

I'm already prepared with the dominatrix of all umbrellas but... I could also use another sale on my Etsy store so in contemplating the sell of my beloved umbrella I decided to hunt around Etsy and see what these things are selling for. To my delight they're mostly on par with what I thought I could let this stunning piece go for.

And since I was at it, and since I found the cutest little "umbrella bags" that I just had to share with you, I decided to do another What's Available on Etsy post! But before I get into that let me just show you my sexy little find.

First of all it has a CASE!

And look at that handle.

Va Va Voom! What do you say, keep it or sell it, it never rains in LA!

Drum roll... On Sale at Etsy now.

51VC is selling the umbrella bags, two for $60! Aren't they so mid century? I just love them!

TheVintageThread (don't you just love that name?) is selling this lovely set of three vintage umbrellas for only $45. Only one of them, the orange one, which is also tote size, is in excellent condition. But the other two are still good and you have to see the white one fully open - so pretty.

Here's one that's compact and reasonably priced. StudioStebbylee's is selling this pretty aqua thang for only $19! I'm drooling over the chain wristlet.

This 1940's Damask Print Umbrellas is so feminine and sweet it's just to die for. JessJamesJake is selling it for $48.

Suddenly I have an itch to see a little pitter-patter on my window pane.

Lucky ME!

2009-11-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

Everyone drives in LA. We don't have much of a choice. Walking in LA is like walking in the suburbs, the blocks seems to go on forever, there's not a whole lot to look at, and barely a person walking beside you, it's cars just racing by. Cars with grouchy people in a hurry to get somewhere that barely have the patience to let a pedestrian pass without hollering *profanities, at least that was my experience today.

The surprising thing is people actually DO walk in LA. We walk through quaint neighborhoods with well landscaped yards to look at and we see other people walking too, walking home from school, to the Farmer's Market or their local coffee house, walking the dog. It's really quite pleasant when we get out of our cars and hit the pavement. But it's tough to accomplish much this way and so we're chained to our cars.

There is a great thing about driving in LA though. Driving in LA means when you pass by someone's "trash" and you see something you like, like say a really cool pair of retro metal lawn chairs you don't have to ooh and ahh over something you can't take home. Sorta like The Elegant Thrifter had to do just the other day on the streets of NYC! Instead you come inches away from causing a car accident, speed around the block and jump out of the car asking ever so kindly if you can take this person's trash home.

At least that's what happened to me today and it was glorious!

I had thought about refinishing the street finds but was convinced otherwise by my friends at the Antique Station where I was conveniently on my way to when luck came my way. Don't you just wish it had been you?! I know I would.

*slight exaggeration though profanities are easy to come by in LA

I Spy...

2009-11-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

Something graphic. Something smart. Somethings I want today.

I recently stumbled across a new-to-me blog that I am absolutely loving! I'm loving this blog so much that I spent close to an hour scrolling through old posts. What I love most about Little Green Notebook is her DIY tips, inspirational DIY projects, and her post on these most amazing re-covered classics.

Some of the titles available include: Picture of Dorian Gray, Alices Adventures in Wonderland, Little Women, Crime and Punishment, Emma, Treasure Island and more.

She's even so kind as to have done the research and shared where we can buy them online, and at a discount no less! Indigo books out of Canada is selling them for a mere $14.99 and apparently the dollar is strong somewhere in the world - eh... Canada!

I haven't pulled the trigger just yet but I'm going to, soon. I'm dying to hide these beauties away some place until I have the means to display them just right.

You should check out Little Green Notebooks post on these here if you like what you see, and how couldn't you?

Sizzling Servers

2009-11-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of months since I mentioned my mad crush on Sizzling Servers. I picked up these visions of a kitchen beautiful when visiting an antique mall in Redding, CA. Naturally they weren't my idea of a deal but I just HAD TO HAVE THEM!

You can check out my previous posts on these oven friendly servers here and here.

Since these posts I've noticed a fair amount of traffic to the Selling Vintage Blog from the keywords Sizzling Servers and Caravelle, and in my own research I've found these items to be few and far between. But I've also found some knock-offs and other manufacturers of a similar product. Though I know nothing of the history I favor the Caravelle brand of Sizzling Servers for it's rounder bottom and higher, easier to grasp handles, and in my opinion superior craftsmanship.

The other brand you see in this photo above is a close second but I could be saying that from the pure bliss I felt when I found it in an old box of my Nana's stuff. I've always felt a oneness with her though she passed in the early 90's and was delighted to see we share a love for this vibrant kitchenware. Nana's Sizzling Servers were Imported from Italy vs. my Caravelle Sizzling Servers which were Imported from France.

Periodically I do a search for "enamel" on Etsy as I did today when I found a couple listings for this type of serve ware. I'm going to share those listings here in case anyone wants to see their purchasing options!

Retroology is selling this set for only $18! You can see that these ones have a silver rim vs. the black rim on the Caravelle brand, but for $18 it's easy not to be too picky.

CrankHeartPony has a set from Yugoslavia, also with silver rims, for $35.

ModishVintage is selling this single red one for $25.

And that's it for Etsy. I also have a set that I'm willing to let go of. It's a set of the Caravelle brand of Sizzling Servers.

They're in booth right now but the next time I'm down I'm happy to grab them and sell them to any of the readers of this blog at a 20% discount. I'm asking $45 for them so that would be $36 with the blog discount! And of course the cost of shipping which I estimate to be another $12. If anyone is interested email me at: SellingVintage@gmail.com First come, first serve!

Busy on Etsy!

2009-11-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

New items in the shop - check 'em out!

In Review: The Find

2009-11-04T17:19:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I enjoy a good thrift store and decorating with these finds, and so naturally "the find" a book about decorating with thrift store finds is right up my alley. But I had no idea that not only would I love this book and read it page for page the entire way through, but that I'd actually learn a thing or two as well!

You see, with these kind of books - big beautiful pictures, do-it-yourself text, it's completely my style to flip around, find what interests me and leave the rest for another day. Stan Williams, aka The Elegant Thrifter, held my attention as I'm sure he could do yours by sharing tips for everything from ensuring quality to painting a piece, alongside inspirational home interiors and fun vintage parties he's personally attended.

It's no doubt that it can cost a pretty penny to reupholster furniture and the minute you decide to hire someone to get the task done that inexpensive find can turn expensive. With loads of inspiration in this book you don't have to break the bank to decorate your home, as long as you take it at just that, inspiration. If you have the money, go for it, replicate the methods that others have used to create a unique home interior, with the cost of modern furniture these days you'll still be saving your wallet and you'll have a blast doing it.

Either way if you're interested in thrift store shopping and/or decor buy this book, it's fantastic... five stars.

CA Highway 99

2009-10-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

As a last minute decision while driving from Los Angeles to Sacramento I forwent the uneventful I-5 route for the uneventful Highway 99. I-5 is a long stretch of highway right through the middle of nothing while Highway 99 runs through the valley cities of Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto and many other little towns you didn't know exist. Highway 99 takes only a little while longer and is the ideal route if you're concerned about your car breaking down, or in my case interested in thrift store detours.

My little thrift stops tacted on a good hour and a half to the already long six hour drive, which if I had actually had any luck whatsoever may have been more like a nine hour drive. But as it turns out thrift stores in uninteresting towns are pretty, well... uninteresting. Quite the bummer since the last time I ventured up to northern California along Highway 101 I went home with a few of my favorite finds.

Let this be a lesson to anyone interested in a thrift store road trip that will take you through CA, forget about Highway 99 and head straight for the 101. It's a much prettier drive and definitely more prosperous.

With that said, I continued from Sacramento to Red Bluff the following day along Highway 99, it's a horendous two lane road with many-a-stop lights. This stretch of 99 is scattered so frequently with thrift stores that it may very well be worth the headache. If you ever find yourself this far north in California that is.

Exploding Pyrex

2009-10-15T18:04:00.001-07:00

Have you received this email that's been going around about Pyrex? The one that's been going around for about three years and states that Pyrex "explodes" - EXPLODES! As I understand it this is the result of moving your Pyrex from the freezer to the oven, the extreme change of temperature has been known to result in some pretty scary stuff (I'll let you Swag the results rather than show pictures here, because frankly, they're disgusting and I like to think of Selling Vintage as pretty).

As we're currently witnessing we lose a lot more than quality when we export labor to only import goods that were already being made in the USA, but the concern here is with the loss of quality. According to my measly amount of research, literally an hour tops so if I got anything wrong correct me PLEASE, it isn't clear if the 1998 buyout of Pyrex by World Kitchen resulted in the export of labor to China, according to Wiki it is and according to Snopes.com it isn't. But what really matters is that vintage Pyrex is made of Borosilicate Glass and modern day Pyrex is made of Soda-Lime Glass, Soda-Lime Glass is apparently cheaper to produce and the result is quite the explosion.

Let's break it down, not only does buying vintage save our precious resources but it saves our asses as well. Vintage Pyrex is prettier than it's modern day counterpart, just check out all of the fantastic vintage Pyrex Patterns over at Pyrex Love. And it's cheaper! Tell me, why do we buy new when we can buy old?

Estate Sale Things

2009-10-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Friday I was able to find time between jumping downtown to the flower mart and designing flowers to hit up the Estate Sale of an Encino women who recently passed. She clearly lived alone for many years, there was not a sign of a masculine figure to be had. All three bedrooms had closets packed full of clothes, the dressers were bulging with accessories, she had more handbags than I care to ever own, if owning too many handbags were a possibility. Clearly this was a women who entertained, spent formal evenings out, and had the money to do so.

Frankly, I was overwhelmed! If heading back on Saturday were a possibility I would've taken full advantage, but alas it was not. So I spent hours weeding through closets, drawers, boxes, bedrooms and bathrooms. The house threw up half it's belongings in the backyard, where I met an old man from down the way who fathomed over the plausibility that one person could have owned this much, to which I let him know I am well on my way. I don't know if he was more intrigued by the fact that I planned to resell the things I was buying or "watching" me rummage through the junk.

Most people tend toward courteous, some actually friendly, so its hilarious when you encounter the grabby people, like this women didn't collect enough over the decades to go around. There was this one women who literally lied to me when she said a whole box of items were hers, really she had yet to go through them - oh SNAP! But boy was I pissed when I saw the rockin' green and blue pairs of elbow length gloves she pulled from that bin.

I have a real soft spot for anything that pretties up an outfit, namely purses, scarves, gloves and jackets. But I have a hard time selling these things, and it's not because I want to keep them all. Actually, maybe it is, but it's also because I don't know what I can sell them for, nor how to display them. The cost of vintage clothes and accessories run the gamut mainly depending on who's selling them.

But look at the clasps on that green silk clutch, so cute, and I don't know if you can tell the blue one is suede, it's blue suede from the 50's! I had to buy them. And even though it was expensive it was impossible to let the beaded emerald clutch go. I bought six purses in all and I probably should have kept digging but I didn't want to be greedy.

Ah, what better way to whet my palette than to dive right in.

Dirty Thirty

2009-10-13T13:34:00.001-07:00

What a week! I turned Thirty on Thursday last week and designed the floral arrangements, including bouquet and corsages, for my friends wedding on Saturday. I was crazed. And in such a great way.

On Thursday my Facebook, email, and phone were out of control with many loving messages from friends and family. I went into Thirty with zero expectations and came out of the haze smiling from ear to ear. The gifts I received were memorable. My auntie made me a quilt, my friend in NYC sent me a flower arrangement, my boyfriend bought me the coziest robe just in time for the cold days ahead, and my mother searched out a beautiful piece of jewelry for this special day.

In a sense quilts and vintage goodies are designed from the same cloth. There's obviously a lot of hard work and love that goes into a quilt. This personal touch isn't something that attaches itself to many inanimate objects, and by no means does another persons used cookware compare to the dedication that goes into making a quilt, but they both tell a story.

This quilt tells a couple different stories. For me it holds memories of the baby blanket my aunt made for me, the one she finished while on a plane from southern California to Ashland, Oregon, the one I slept with until I moved out of my mother's house. It's an extension of the blanket I out grew, my grown up version of a safe haven. For her, it's a piece of many quilts she made over the years. Each of the fabric swatches come from a different blanket she selflessly made for someone else.

There's an unknown story that lies with the vintage goods we find at thrift stores, the things that have been used and discarded for whatever reason. These items can take on a story all their own, whatever you might imagine or whatever the future holds.

For instance, the items you see below or have seen throughout the summer months as I've entertained in the backyard abode. They'll all go on to be owned by someone else, they're all for sale, but for now while new memories are being attached to them I can't help but think that a 50's housewife was responsible for the purchase of this aqua ice bucket.

Or wonder for whose backyard this chair entertained.

For my friends and I they were perfect accompaniments to round out my birthday week. The Sunday Birthday Bash went off without a hitch. Everyone contributed a yummy dish or something to drink and me, the birthday girl didn't have to worry about a thing other than what I do best - pretty-ing up the house!

Thanks to all for a wonderful birthday week. Your presence either in person or digitally made turning Thirty a breeze!

On the Lookout: CatherineHolm

2009-10-06T23:29:00.000-07:00

The funny thing about this thrift shopping gig, at least for me, is that half the time I have no idea if I'm walking right past a lottery ticket or buying up everyone's trash. And as much as I love the act of digging through other peoples junk in search of my treasure, the real rush isn't even in sight.

I always thought it would be fun to act, I have no talent in this department -- let's be honest, I can cry on demand but that's as far as it goes; I have no interest in the celebrity of it -- well, there are those... gifting suites but other than that forget about it; what I envy from the outside looking in is the research that goes into becoming someone else, the hands-on education. That's the rush I get from thrifting.

I come home having bought up the goods that caught my eye, those I considered priced reasonably enough to make a profit from or to justify keeping. And even when I know what I have in my possession I promptly hit the web for a quick value search. Sometimes I score, sometimes I strike out and sometimes I find a new obsession. That's the real score, when I find something from a designer I have never heard of, someone whose entire collection makes me yearn for more, to learn more, and typically spirals into several new obsessions.

You've seen these orange striped bowls before, I found them several months ago during my "orange period". Like many of the items I found around that time they sat in my home collecting dust, I loved them so much I couldn't part with them. But I also have no place for them in my tiny little home so I recently decided to do it, I put a few items in the store and a couple on Etsy. It was hard, I was mellower but something like what I imagine a child is when you take away their favorite toy - resistant, and vocal. And not two days later did I sell these... TWO!

They're cool, but that's quick. I obviously didn't charge enough, but with no label I had trouble finding this one online... originally that is. I had learned about CahterineHolm maybe a week ago when I was researching Dansk, I hadn't come across this design and it didn't hit me until this very moment but THAT, that CatherineHolm that I had just been obsessing about slipped right through my fingers. I would've had to let go anyway, right?! I mean, they were just collecting dust. But still, I'm sad.

So, I introduce to you what will be a fairly regular post, "On the Lookout". You can learn from: A.) My mishaps, B.) My research, and C.) I can learn from you - feel free to write in with designers you'd like me to know about, ones you're on the lookout for!

*All designs on this page, to the best of my knowledge, are CatherineHolm designs by Grete Prytz Kittelsen a Mid-Century, Scandinavian designer. All photos that are not mine (mine are the orange striped bowls) link to the web page I "borrowed" them from.

**In the future I'll try to share more information about the designer and less about me!

On the Lookout: Graniteware

2009-10-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

It's not that I love Graniteware, my home can sometime teeter on "shabby" but it's far too modern to accommodate such a country ware, but I am interested in it and in some instances I can image Graniteware looking modern in a mid-century styled home. But what I really like about this collector's item is that it's not the easiest to distinguish and that makes it fun to look out for. You see Graniteware, also known as Enamelware, was first produced in the late 1800's, production seized in the 1940's, but in the 1970's production started up again and these items are still being produced today.

It's said that the modern day productions are thinner and lighter, and that seems to be the best way to distinguish between the two. But take this spoon for example, how much could a spoon possibly weigh? Fortunately purchasing "these" spoon (three for $.95) didn't take much thought when I found them at a thrift store in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Maybe you've noticed, maybe not, but these greatly resemble camping supplies made today hence my even greater apprehension when deciphering their value. Take this teapot and the bowl below for example, I was at a loss when I saw them in the thrift store, and again I purchased them based on the fact that the price was right. It wasn't until recently that learned about the weight factor and I'm convinced that both of these items were produced after the 1970's.

I could be wrong, I don't know. I guess that's for the bidders on ebay to decide. But if anyone readers this has information to share that would be really nice.

R.I.P Gourmet

2009-10-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

I love vintage, I love shopping, naturally I love thrift store shopping but I really don't have to tell you that do I? What you may not know is that my love for magazines goes back much further than even my love for vintage, to childhood, mother would shop and I would divulge in eye candy. Embarrassingly, my interest at that time didn't stray much from the Teen Beat and Seventeen genre, but Teen Beat quickly faded and Seventeen turned into Vogue, to Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, and culturally exciting titles.

I love Vanity Fair though it's going to be amiss without Dominick Dunne, the New Yorker remains on the subscription list, as do Architectural Digest and Dwell.

My third love, there is no order, is food. I wouldn't call myself a foodie -- just like hipsters don't consider themselves hipsters I'm sure -- but really, if I am it's amatuer hour at my house. Over the years the cost of dinner has increased with the development of my palette, and my interest in food and food related interests has increased as well.

Today foodies across the country are mourning the demise of Gourmet magazine. I have long subscribed to this magazine, the photographs are mouth watering, recipes inspiring, and the articles are educational and interesting... were. It's a sad day when a title close in age to my grandparents announces that it can no longer continue publishing.

It's long been newspapers fearing extinction but with 1,116 magazines having folded in 2007 and 2008 alone, not to mention the list piling up in 2009, and now this, it's apparent we'll be mourning the closure of many more titles as time goes on.

I never imagined this day would come, I've refused to acknowledge that print is on it's way out but it's starting to look like I'll need to hoard the magazines I love in order to keep them alive, even if I'll be living in the past.

R.I.P Gourmet

Oh! So, Blue...

2009-10-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

Remember how I was telling you that my thrifting luck comes in color? Orange was full of enamel ashtrays and, oh those Fiesta Salt & Pepper Shakers. Most recently I've happened upon yellow but in between one of my favorite colors was forgot... blue. Here it is in all it's glory, you may have seen some of these before so I feel words are not necessary, just pictures.

I hope you enjoyed!

Sunshine

2009-10-02T22:44:00.000-07:00

When I embark for a thrift adventure it's not typical for me to have an agenda. Usually it's a spur of the moment decision, albeit one that occurs on a fairly regular basis, that takes me on something of a cross town scavenger hunt. Granted I'm always on the hunt for furniture, it's a big love of mine but rarely is there an agenda. However, I do find the thrift gods shine down on me when it's most appropriate.

I'd been wanting a set of Pyrex Primary Color Nesting Bowls for about a month when I came across an incomplete set for what I thought was a little more than I would like to pay, but I sucked it up and bought 'em knowing very well that I may have to bid on Pyrex Green at auction or hold out until I got lucky. Fortunately for me luck was on the horizon, I picked myself up the missing link in Colorado for a mere $.25 making the $20 I shelled out previously worth the investment.

Recently I packed that drawer beneath the stove a little too tightly and now I can't open it (suggestions are more than welcome). What made me sadder than the fact that Scott now has trouble baking a dozen cookies is that ever so pretty cast-iron enamel casserole I found so recently it hadn't been photographed is now trapped, TRAPPED! But you know what? Within a week I came across a yellow Le Creuset pot AND that beautiful Dansk Paella Pan. The luck!

What I find interesting is that there seems to be themes, color themes, in the majority of items I find during a period of time. I never did get around to posting Blue, but you remember Orange? It was awesome! I loved so much of the stuff I found that was orange, it would've been great in any color but orange was the theme that month. Maybe you've noticed that yellow seems to be the most recent theme. Most of these ever so fun finds I came across in the recent weeks past.

Isn't it funny how that happens? Do you notice consistency in your thrift store finds or am I just looking for it? It's looks like the sun is shining down on me this month.

Fan-tas-tic!

A Birthday Present

2009-10-01T22:26:00.001-07:00

It may be that I'm a bit self-obsessed, you see my birthday is coming up, it's a mere week away, and naturally I love my birthday. I've always looked forward to the big day, and like most things in childhood it never could come quick enough, but boy it sure was gone in a flash. Still, I can't say I've always LOVED my birthday. But that changed when I met my friend Morgan who introduced me to the concept of Birthday Week and broke wide open the most delicious can of worms. I learned that during birthday week I always get my way, and I like getting my way, because who can't give into a sweet plea of "but... it's birthday week!". There aren't many gifts better than that.

In fact, how often do you remember what you got for you birthday years after it's passed purely because it was the most unexpected and perfect gift? I'd say I've received a few, and that's being generous, in my pushing (I'm just going to say it) thirty years. One of these gifts I was using just today and decided it would be an appropriate time to share this with you. A beautiful set of green three leaf clover teacups in just my taste.

All I can say is three maybe four years later I still pull these out of the cupboard thinking LOVE LOVE LOVE. Thank you Julie! Verbatim. Yes, Julie is thought of often.

Julie I've known a very long time, we talk infrequently but she knows what her friends like. She's sweet and creative and well, her birthday is the day after mine so it makes since that she's all honey and graffiti rolled up in one. This is turning into quite the ode to Julie but her birthday is coming up too and she deserves it. I have only one more thing to say about Julie and that is, she was hitting the yard sale circuit and turning a dime long before myself, and you guessed it, maybe, did you guess that Julie got these pretty little clover teacups at a yard sale?

She did. Look, these dainty green teacups are from Neiman Marcus and were made in Japan! Awesome, I know.

So... yup, my birthday, October 8th, yup, 1979! It's... strange. It's even more strange to think that it's strange, because age has never mattered much to me before, but for the first time in ten years I could give it or I could take it. I guess I'm not taking full advantage of the birthday week. It's high time I start!

What's the most memorable, favorite, worst, whatever, birthday present you've ever received? Now, now, it's birthday week people, don't even THINK about leaving me high and dry! After all, I know who you are.

XOXO

ShopGoodwill.com

2009-09-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

At the sake of sounding like a boy crazy school girl I'm going to take this moment to gush over how totally in love with my iPhone I am. Because I lack the ability to trust my instinct when it comes to the value of thrift store finds I love that my handy iPhone is there to search the web at the drop of a dapper little hat. Ready to say "that Dansk Paella Pan you're looking at for a whopping $7.00 is selling on Etsy right this moment for $52.00, are you crazy BUY IT!"

I discovered ShopGoodwill.com somewhat in that fashion, seeking out the going rate of some item I possessed or longed to possess. It was several months ago, and upon this shocking discovery I weeded through pages and pages and then promptly forgot all about shopping Goodwill online the very next day. Until today while starring lovingly at my iPhone and going through the motions of the above scenario.

My reaction was much the same as the first time, that is until I realized I was midway through today's session of deja vous. First shock, then excitement, (insert deja vous), followed by horror - "I just bought that at Goodwill for $7 and it's selling online for $65 - it's cheaper on Etsy". Upon second glance it was two paella pans in varying sizes making it a bit easier to breath, and finally I'm able to remove my hand from my heart when I notice the set up is an auction format similar to that of eBay.

Don't get me wrong I'm all for the Goodwill making money but I also love a good deal and anything that get in my way is at first a bit jarring. The starting bid of this auction was $3.00 and it's all good, let the people set the price! Beside further research found this same pan selling for $95 so even at $65 that's a damn good deal.

Skeleton Keys

2009-09-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

As it turns out El Rastro wasn't a total bust. After the old man changed his tune I turned him down and kept on digging, finally settling for this lot of rusty old keys. They're missing the sparkle and lack detail in the cutout but cost half the price, and I have to admit I'm a sucker for a bargain. And what they lack in sparkle they surpass with a mood of antiquity.

I've been thinking about hitting the jewelry supply stores downtown and making a first attempt at creating some necklaces, key in hand. Or maybe wall art. If I'm feeling lazy I could always dump 'em in a bowl at the booth but what fun would that be?

If you have suggestions please let me know!

El Rastro, Madrid, Spain

2009-09-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

It is said Madrid's El Rastro Flea Market is the largest in all of Europe. It certainly appears to be the busiest with tiny merchant lined streets packed from 7am to sometime close to 3pm when locals and tourists alike move from the streets to the bars, and if they're in it for the long haul stay out until some time nearing on the next morning. Note to anyone looking for two thumbs up: it doesn't take much more than flea markets, good food and inexpensive delicious wine.

Not that it's possible but even if you don't want to buy a thing, I didn't come home with much more than several bottles of wine and one little flea market goody, a visit to Madrid's El Rastro Flea Market is worth the effort. Hold your purse at your front preferably with a cross shoulder strap and push your way up the hill through the crowded streets.

There are a couple of main avenues, a small plaza, and several smaller streets to weave through. If you're looking to buy it would be best to A.) speak the language, B.) have a friend who speaks the language, or C.) you could probably buy my friend for a day! I'm kind of joking... kind of.

In addition to the mass of street vendors you'll find store fronts flowing out onto the streets and interestingly the Policia patrolling the streets for unregistered merchants. After all, it is something of a free-for-all when you take away the gates that control our flea markets here in the states. Without these it's the honor system, merchants could sneak in and the public wouldn't have to pay to shop - it's barbaric!

In all it's glory there is one major problem I have with the El Rastro Flea Market. The finds here are wonderful, had everything gone my way I would've taken home one of those ancient purses above, a fine Parisian alarm clock, an electric fan from the early 19th century that had been a prop in a Brazilian playhouse, and all the skeleton keys I saw. But the euro makes the dollar look like a peso and due to the low number, zero, of second hand stores in Spain vintage goods are more expensive than their modern day counter parts.

And so when we were told we could have anything in this tin for two euros I didn't get too greedy, I picked through it and found ten skeleton keys that I really loved, no joke, I have dreams about them, and I almost cried when the mean old man told me he meant two euros for each item in the tin! It didn't seem smart so I said no and caught a picture of him removing my shiny keys from Ivett's hand.

Still, it's my take that Sunday is Madrid's finest day.

I'm sorry, so sorry.

2009-09-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Dear SellingVintage(dot)blogspot(dot)com and it's sometimes readers,

I am terribly sorry for my recent lack of attention to you. Upon returning from Spain I encountered a bout of the blues that left me without words or moxie. I hope you'll understand and visit me regularly once again, after all it's your love that keeps me typing on.

Fortunately for us all my blues are easily cured with a little retail therapy, and fortunately for my pocket book LA has plenty of thrift stores to aid in my rescue. I've traversed the perimeter of the city, I've hit the Valley, OC and Pasadena. Regretfully I passed on some premium products but I found myself a bargain or two along the way, and now I have plenty of newbies to share with you next week.

But let us not forget that I have only recently returned from Spain and I have a debt to pay you - a review of Madrid's El Rastro Flea Market. I know you were waiting on pins and needles for so long, eventually you must have questioned if my computer was stolen along the way (it was not, but on day one my purse almost was!). Tune in tomorrow for photos and more on Spain.

Goodness

2009-09-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Churros y Chocolate

Needs Improvement

2009-09-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

For a while, I’m talking a while, now I’ve been meaning to post about the Antique Station. In the beginning days of our booth I spent time browsing and snapping photos (with the handy iPhone) of booths in the mall with the intention of highlighting this space to share with you, and for inspiration in my own endeavor. In the end I posted these images on Flickr, linked my Flickr account in the sidebar here and called it a day. I’ve failed you in this endeavor until today, today I post about the Station.

Regretfully I honestly say that we by far are the winners of the Ugliest Booth Contest. Of course there’s no such thing as a booth contest, there should be but there isn’t, but in my own mind there is and we LOSE. After all that’s what I do to facilitate improvement on my part. I compare my blog to yours, I compare my booth to yours, I see things I like in mine and in yours, and I improve, that’s my intention anyway. So in this non-contest in which I am the only judge, the winner of the coolest, what I aspire our booth to achieve is - da…dadada….

S/he conjures within me a longing to sit a while, a miniature of how one may desire their living room to appear, if said living room was say in NYC and a closet. In my opinion it’s possible that a person could walk into this booth and walk away with practically everything. They would most definitely need to reupholster those chairs, and it helps that I aim to collect just this style for my own home, but admit it they created a real good retail space in this little 10 x 10 square.

There are many people selling kitchen-wares, same as me which may contribute to slow booth sales of my stock (Scott’s stock lacks nothing, we’re killing it with the Star Wars toys and Baseball cards). But the Station is stocked through with Pyrex and kitschy 50’s thingys!

Though I aim to bring home mid-century furnishings I still lean toward loving the “Shabby Chic” look and I’m not the only one. Ever since I made a small, very small, not even close to a fortune, off of that blue Shabby Chic picture frame I’ve been on the hunt for more.

Shabby Chic can be modern and it can be cool, and I don’t think this booth pulls off either of those adjectives. But if you’re going to buy one of these pretty in pink items you’re probably going to buy a few, and that my friends is a great sales technique.

I’m going to follow that last paragraph up with an, I realize this is for a little girls room, but I don’t have kids and when I do I don’t plan to create a little princess.

Something else that we’ve recently come into way too much of is stuffed animals, and that something is something that does not sell. We’ve not sold one and it’s a little upsetting considering we have two HUGE garbage bags full at home. Cute too, real cute, charming and old, Disney, exactly what you may guess someone is looking for but nope, whatever it is it’s not enough. Others sell these as well, others sell baseball cards too but those sell, and in all of these other booths that sell stuffed animals I see a good set up. Which leads me to wonder what am I doing wrong? Why, oh why must we win the Ugliest Booth Contest?

With all this talk about how ugly our booth is you may be thinking, it can’t be THAT bad, but trust me, it is. And you may wonder, maybe you’d like to see a photo of the booth as of late, but I will leave you to imagine if you can, a booth overflowing with junk, lined with bookshelves, filled with junk. The Star Wars toys neatly fill half the back wall, and Scott is proud and they do look nice. No furniture fills the space, a suitcase full of tee’s sits on the floor beneath our “Shabby Chic” (there it is again) table, yes we have a table but it doesn’t help. The floor is lined with junk (there it is again), hanging from the Baker’s Rack is a dress, sitting in a pot there are many ties, and in a basket some belts. The only item in which I have to be proud is a white bookshelf that presents itself outward to passersby in the aisle, with my goodies and my goodies alone. There is a lot to be desired of this booth, and though I will be critical of myself no matter, I know it's bad when my buddies who work the station confirm it's truth. And so my friends that is what you have to imagine.

What I have to imagine is what it will be.

Jewels Dahling.

2009-09-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

What do you think, do dogs sell jewelry?

That there is Gilles, the hard working doggie model. He likes cheese, high-fives, and tolerates being dressed in jewels.

This is Nadia, my very pleasant "human" model. I'm so lucky to have a friend that will put up with my antics while everyone surrounding her frolics in the sun. To boot she is amazingly photogenic!

I decided recently to start selling vintage jewelry, which I know not a thing about, when step-momma Sandy unloaded a few pieces upon me.

They're so darn pretty! And there's more to be photographed, and more to be had.

Originally I was to sell these in the booth, Sandy sent me home with a display case and everything, but with the current state of that booth it's going to be utterly impossible to find a proper place for it to shine. And shine these babies must do so it's off to Etsy we go! More photo sessions to come - joy joy.

Vacaciones en España

2009-09-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

I probably should've told you sooner but it just didn't come up until yesterday, and guess what... we leave tomorrow!

This summer has just flown by, every little bit lending to a perfect summer break. Okay, slicing my finger open yesterday sucked but only a little, and now with my neon colored band-aids I'll be rockin' a pretty cool thumbs-up all through Spain.

With all the excitement I still find time to miss our little man who we dropped off just today at the "sitter" and will now push him upon you in all of his cuteness. All together now, ahh... whatta cutie! Lucas, mi amor, yo le pierdo.

Swag Bucks, aka Google, has presented me with quite the thrifting predicament. You see, it appears there are very few if any "second hand stores" in Spain, giving me one, maybe two, no three's-a-charm chances of bringing home some serious loot.

Primera Oportunidad: On Sunday morning in Madrid you will find me photographing the streets of El Rastro, vying for the goods to make my suitcase burst at it's seams and to claim upon entering US Territory that I bring back nothing worth taxing. I hope to have such luck at the properly titled El Rastro Flea Market which is said to be Europe's largest!

Otra Oportunidad: Second is not always best. Salamanca, a 2 1/2 hour bus ride north west of Madrid also boasts an El Rastro Flea Market, also on Sunday mornings. It's a pity I'm unable to clone myself, to be in two places at once, or to fly at the speed of light, and it's really a pity I won't be in Spain for longer than one week. But it just so happens that the one, I mean it, one thrift store I learned about it my meager online search is in Salamanca. And to my luck Scott and I will be venturing here on Thursday and Friday. Can you believe it?! In just a few days! To my dismay, that was posted on a message board in 2001. Eeek.

Forgive me now for few blog posts over the next week, I'll blog as I can and will update you for certain upon our return to our home and to our doggie.

That's all folks.

* on second thought - the photos above are of El Rastro Flea Market in Madrid. I stole them from Flickr and have linked the images to the Flickr pages.

My Labor Day (weekend) Soiree

2009-09-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

We're really lucky to have a fantastic backyard for entertaining, and to live in LA where the weather permits its use more months out of the year than not. Unfortunately in these hottest months when pool days should be booked to the max I'm never home. So when a friend decided we were overdue for a little soiree I was all about offering up the pad, after all there's only one thing I love more than hosting a shindig - breaking out the vintage goodies for said shindig.

As mentioned, as you know if you read this blog regularly, as of late, traveling has been a regular on the agenda. Though one of those trips was a thrift adventure the rest have been a bit slow producing the goods - my way of apologizing if you've seen some of this stuff before, because you definitely did if you read my last soiree post.

Like that beautiful table cloth, I have but one if you can believe it! The easiest thing in the world to store and I have ONE. Not to worry, someday I may have two. In fact, if you didn't know already I'll be a away again... in Spain, and on the hunt for just that - the easiest of things to store. And at the next soiree there may be a new beauty to debut!

But it's not all old news, how about those primary color Pyrex nesting bowls and those shiny green and gold glasses, aren't they gems?

These Bascal tin cups take me back to those summers in the hood, temperatures souring around 120 degrees (it gets that hot in some places!), blue bicycles and broken fingers, cricket and cactus splinters. Some how that equates to good memories.

Are there vintage goods that invoke memories of summer for you? Do dare to share!

The Hunt.

2009-09-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't it the pits when you have an exact image of something you want but you search and search and never come close to A.) finding it or B.) finding it within your measly little budget? Eventually you wind up with another item in it's place that hopefully puts a smile on your face when you walk into the room - what I'm ultimately striving for in a new credenza/media center.

I am utterly fed up with the blonde Jetson-esque piece currently hogging the attention in my living room. When I first purchased this piece a couple years ago I was thoroughly ecstatic about it but it's just one of those pieces that, at least for me, doesn't have lasting power. Plus in my defense I looked at when it was dark and was easily pushed over by it's price.

Around that same time I found the media center of my dreams, a long and low credenza with beautiful dark wood and playful white doors mixed with a wood face. Unfortunately I thought about it to long and some lucky soul beat me to the prize, after all that's what happens in the world of Craigslist. Now the closest thing I can find to it is this George Nelson credenza. As it stands I'm kicking myself on a pretty regular basis, if it actually was this credenza then I'm kicking myself even harder.

Front.

Look at all those drawers!

The other side.

I love love love how it could sit center in the room - a good backside it always a plus!

Okay, so it's beautiful, it's perfect and it's nuts expensive. I cannot, I will not spend that kind of dough... not now anyway.

In searching for a new credenza I came across some pretty cool ones that I thought I'd share with you here. These finds come via flickr so if you like what you see click the photo to visit that persons flickr page!

Found on Craiglist (can you tell... I'm obsessed!)

And then there's Silica Three in North Hollywood - I'm so obsessed, I want to BE them, I mean I want to buy and sell THEIR goodies!

Isn't it all so lovely? Doesn't it make you want to go out an buy a new credenza?!

My Ode to Apple

2009-09-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Oh Mac how you are the Apple of my eye. Without you I would be lost beyond despair, I would literally wind up in the hood somewhere. With the 'Around Me' app you help me to find thrift store after thrift store, and when I'm hungry we stop and lunch. With Google Maps you get me there. And with your camera I take pictures for my blog, top-notch I would like to add. Thank you Mac, I love you for creating the iPhone.

I'm no poet as you see, was that a poem? I didn't intend for it to be. I guess I'm just in a rhyming mood, to an extent obviously. I decided months ago that it would eventually be necessary to blog about my love for the iPhone, my thrifting companion as I like to say. I finally downloaded my first app in January, ever since I've held the world at my fingertips. I don't even KNOW how I would go about discovering thrift stores in new neighborhoods if it weren't for the 'Around Me' app, which conveniently links up with Google Maps. I certainly have things I would approve upon it but that's neither here nor there as I'm happy as can be.

As well you should know that every photo on my blog beside the staged photos of finds was taken with the iPhone camera. Not bad, right?!

So don't you think I should probably buy my companion a gift soon? Maybe this pretty little cover you see above. Or the customized one below.

If you like either of these click on the image and you can check it out yourself. If you don't have an iPhone I'm telling you DO NOT WAIT ANY LONGER, they are rad! But you've probably heard that before.

More on MoMA

2009-08-31T22:59:00.001-07:00

Maybe you couldn't tell from the previous post about MoMA so I'll say it again, beside my friends this museum is up there as my most favorite thing in NYC. Sure it helps that the first thing I saw beside the garden, an oasis between buildings, could have been some kind of ridiculous Estate Sale, but then the second floor was dedicated to Design & Architecture, two on my long list of favorite things! And there was this, a room, four white walls inked with the names and dates of all, or at least most, who have entered.

And then there was every Smiths album cover turned art exhibit...

Some graphics. But I'm a bad, bad girl - no artist names. Oopsy.

And like I said, the second floor.

Notice, it folds - created for PUMA.

Now this... right up my alley.

Okay, if memory serves me right this is a play on today's obsession with security. Whatever it is it's cute, and cute I love - love it!

With a little bit'a foresight I would have taken more pictures of the things I admired but alas I didn't *sad* so I guess you'll have to.

Gone. Gone. Gone!

2009-08-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Lately my booth at the Antique Station has been the cause of a small percent of my routine anxiety. Contributing to this in a major way is the very first piece of furniture I loaded into the booth, a mid-century style veneer desk purchased from my holy grail of a thrift store. Initially this desk looked like a steal at $25, it still does, but as we hauled in collections that spanned decades the booth filled past capacity and the desk quickly became a space hogging burden.

Considering the Antique Station is conveniently close to Chapman University I've been telling myself for months to be patient, to wait for the school year. My patience started to run its course back in July when I grabbed the red pen and slashed the price, and still I waited.

So last week when I was in New York my buddy from the station who sympathizes with my urgency for the banishment of this desk phoned me up, he had good news - trumpets played and angels sang, and the person next me maybe considered me an escapee from Bellevue. It was a glorious moment!

Waste Not.

2009-08-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Finally back in LA and just a little rested after, I'm not sure how or why I did it, being awake for nearly 24 hours after leaving NYC. LA is home and I love it here, but I can't help but be a little jealous of all those New Yorker's walking everywhere, drinking in sweet little pubs, eating so decadently if desired and well no matter where they may be. And... I'm really jealous they have MoMA.

I spent hours in here and would've been happy to go back another day and do it all over again!

In the main lobby is an art installation titled Waste Not created by Beijing artist Song Dong and his depression-esque era mother. The Chinese principle, wu jin qi yong, that equates to “Waste not” is the basis for the exhibit.

The mass of his mothers belongings, even a structure from her home layout a maze of a cityscape. At first thought I wished for the luck of walking into this as an Estate Sale vs. an art exhibit. However, the era resonated with me as I meandered this makeshift city of an old Chinese women, an era that called for a principle of thrift - it's fascinating, and sad.

The photos below and the first image above come to me courtesy of 16 miles of strings flickr photostream

Below photos courtesy of abfall111's flickr photo stream

Besides time spent with all my New York lovlies our visit to MoMA was the highlight.

Colorado

2009-08-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

Things I've learned:
Zion National Park is a mere day-LONG drive from Los Angeles
The Rocky Mountains are humbling
The Salvation Army has the best prices in every state

We were rewarded after a day of some serious truckin' with a day of few but seriously good thrift store deals. Amanda with a great winter coat for $20 and me with the missing link to my Pyrex primary color nesting bowl set for $.50.

As far as we're concerned the day began in Colorado and ended in... Colorado.

Rising early as was possible in Green River, Utah the day began in Grand Junction, Colorado where we hit up four thrift stores, had lunch and continued on our merry way.

The flats of the valley quickly faded as we moved our way into a ravine, wound along the Colorado River and squeezed through the appropriately termed, majestic rocky mountains.

I'm posting this blog from a hotel room in North Platte, Nebraska, night having fallen upon us as we crossed over from Colorado I can imagine the similarities between north-eastern Colorado and Nebraska and though beautiful I can't help but desire to turn around and drive through the Rockies once more. Like a roller coaster ride - again, again!

And so we plan to do it again tomorrow, awaken early with loads of ground to cover all for the sake of a good Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, a beautiful face, gorgeous scenery and adventure. Nebraska being the home of my grandfather's youth we'll have a lot of history to be a-lookin' for.

Road-Side Photographer

2009-08-16T21:42:00.001-07:00

"The best camera is the one you have" - said by my friend Ivett Chicas before I embarked on this cross-country trip.

It's day one. Not only have we made excellent time but we have displayed the soul of true road-warriors, driving an eleven hour haul from Palm Springs clear to the middle of Utah.

On the road by 8am we lost an hour and arrived in Green River, Utah at 8:15pm! Smaller but far more alive, even with the boarded up gas stations and cafes along the one mile strip than our original sleepy destination of Richfield, Utah.

On a minor level I'm obsessed with Green River. The bright lights of Vegas reign throughout the town, a slow quiet river runs along the middle, half the town has been boarded up, keys tossed to the side due to our delightful economy and a majority of the population are tourists looking for some solitude.

The drive here was a long, pleasant journey through the familiar desert outside of California. Towns popped up along the way like a mirage, a place known only by those who never want to be known of again. Pink plateaus turned into green rolling hills, into vibrant red clay molds dashing toward the sky and back into pink plateaus.

The sun set just as we rolled into town.

And not once did we stop for a thrift store but twice we stopped for coffee. Tomorrow is another day and we've vowed to take it slow. A morning detour off the main highway and a thrift store or two along the way. Oh what the day beholds!

The Chairs are Mine - all Mine!

2009-08-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

I just got home and unloaded two of the coolest chairs I now own - woot woot! Absolutely LOVE them. GoodForm is like the Cinderella of mid-century furniture - beautiful and under appreciated. Who knew, obviously someone, but seriously, who knew?! Go now, find yourself some. You WILL NOT live to regret it.

That said, it's my last little gift to my home before I leave for the cross-country adventure. I don't know how often I'll be able to post from the road but I promise to try. Until then, happy hunting ya'll!

x's and o's

GoodForm

2009-08-13T23:38:00.002-07:00

I decided several years ago that the only way to buy furniture is to buy vintage. It was something like an epiphany when I discovered the sleek, clean lines and rich woods of mid-century furniture could be purchased for a fair cost and sold for the same fair cost years later. And for us hunters out there we don't only get to enjoy great design but at times we can even profit from it.

Even better than vintage resale value is the plethora of designers and manufacturers to be discovered. It's an all too consuming past time that I try to engage in only once in a blue moon, or maybe more like once a week. Lately though I've been on a roll. I guess that's what happens when you kill hours on end online. In the last 24 hours I've discovered two, one of each.

The talented designer Ben Seibel was brought to my attention while reading back blogs posted by Apron Thrift Girl.

Apron Thrift Girl's collection of Ben Seibel for Mikasa

It seems she has been a fan of his for years and I'm thrilled to have been turned on to his designs. You can check out her post here.

This new discovery of course led to at least another hour of research on the designer himself and searching Ebay where I discovered two pages of Ben Seibel and various designs. If your interested in learning more about this artist a good place to start is www.abenseibeldesign.com.

And what's a day of searching the net without killing a couple of hours on Criagslist?! Naturally I found many-a-things that I want and hardly-a-thing I should buy. I was however driven to learn about the manufacturer GoodForm when I discovered these beauties.

The website www.pastpresentfuture.net has terrific examples of GoodForm chairs and a little bit-a history to go along with it. It's amazing that these chairs were produced sometime between the 1930's and 1950's. By the looks of them I can only imagine they'll easily last long after we're gone and still look pristine. Can you say... LOVE!

I couldn't resist I'm going to "look" at them, umm... buy them tomorrow. Aren't you excited for me?

A Whole Lotta Blogging Goin' on

2009-08-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

Someone once told me that the internet may very well be the cause of her ADD. It's the affect of sitting down to read the days news and having an hour later purchased a pair of shoes. Or deciding to check out a friendly fellow Blogger to having passed three hours blog-hopping. Is that focus or not?

Feeling richer in blog buddies but slightly brain-dead this evening I thought I'd share with you some terrific blogs I've run across. And we can thank Sonya over at Dime Store Thrift for getting me there one way or another.

I'm really looking forward to following Apron Thrift Girl on a regular basis, her blog, her site... inspiring. I spent quite some time scouring it all and learning that someone has actually implemented ideas I've had! Oh, what a great thing.

Then there are bloggers like Bohemian Vintage that have terrific finds, and Imperfectly Beautiful with great DIY ideas - I never thought it possible to LOVE a fake pumpkin!

I also really like Thrift Candy and Vintage Rescue Squad if not for the great blog names then they must be doing something right!

Oh, and Found, now home.

The great thing about all of these bloggers is that they (we) all have so much in common. There's the obvious love for vintage but it's apparent that when a girl loves vintage, she loves her home, her family and friends, she loves to cook and to eat and to garden, and there's a simplicity and creativity that is invigorating.

You can thank me later for helping you kill the next three hours.

Cross Country Road Trippin'

2009-08-11T21:14:00.001-07:00

There were days not to long ago when a road trip involving moi driving across the country would've meant, at the very least, a plan set in place one month in advance and a suitcase packed 1-2 weeks prior. Those days are so far gone I can't even see them in my rear view mirror.

Here we are going on the Wednesday before the long-haul begins and I can barely conjure the excitement to plan said route, I still haven't UN-packed my suitcase from northern California not to mention packed for five days across the country and five in NYC. And I need to be ready to go by Saturday!

Please forgive me if I sound as if I'm complaining, I certainly am not, honestly I couldn't be more excited. I'm merely stating my awe over time and how it gets the best of us - just another cliche ringing true as they all tend to do.

But I digress. I finally sat down and mapped out the trip, and even though we won't be venturing along any of the routes on the above map (Route 66 was considered) I thought this website, www.roadtripusa.com was worth a mention. It's the only place I was able to find on the web that lays out optional routes. On top of this places of interest in the various states are highlighted. I only wish someone would do THAT for my random route.

Here you have it, and any suggestions along the way are welcome!

I-15 through Nevada, Arizona and Utah
I-70 through Utah and Colorado
I-76 through Colorado into Nebraska
I-80 through Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio
I-90 through Ohio, Pennsylvania and we're almost there!

Any thrift store suggestions are VERY welcome.

Orange is My Favorite Color

2009-08-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

Orange really is not my favorite color but these fantastic finds may have me converted.

I'm having trouble giving any of them up!

Just Smurfin' Around

2009-08-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

Who loves a smurf?!

I do! It's been a whole lotta years since I've seen one of these cartoons and I'm curious, is it like watching Loony Tunes again or Duck Tales? Because if it's anything like Duck Tales, spare me, but Loony Tunes has only got better with age.

As a kid I owned one of those traveling record players in a Smurf motif, and if ever I find this again watch out because I'll fight you for it. But how I did not know about these fantastic Smurf Trading Cards I just don't know. I'm in love, they're so fun, so cool!

I have Scott to thank for the intro to these. Like the New Kids on the Block trading cards, like the Elvis trading cards, like the Beetle Juice trading cards, etc, etc, etc... total randomness.

So what do you think? Do you share my nostalgia? Wanna trade?

Let me know... maybe I can convince Scott to spare a set for some lucky lurker.

Too Tired to Write

2009-08-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

My brain is mush. I've been sitting here at the helm of my computer for well over an hour deleting sentence after non-sense sentence and coming up no good information to share with you. All I can say is that I'm tired, it was a long fun day with the family and I couldn't be happier the good 'ole family reunion is over.

I'm thrilled with how everything turned out from the name tags and the dessert spread to the family photo displays contributed by all but really I couldn't be more excited about my floral arrangements. It's so fun working with flowers and getting creative with thrift store finds was a hoot - flowers are just awesome.

Thanks to the wholesale LA Flower Mart that's open to the public and some good thrift store luck I was able to make eight centerpieces for under $100. And I present to you... some more of them.

Nighty-Nite.

TGIF

2009-08-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Ya'll! I hope whatever you're busy doing this weekend is as delightful as these Red Velvet Cupcakes Miss Meli Homemaker here is busy cookin' up.

Tomorrow's the big day - family reunion! I am utterly impressed with the ease in which the whole thing came together and even more so with the level of expertise my aunt brought to the table. I guess that's what happens after three kids and all their parties. I have a lot to learn but definitely contributed my share to the party and will have pictures of the cool flower arrangements made from thrift store "vases" to share with you tomorrow, not to mention these cupcakes so long as I can keep sticky fingers across the table from snatching them up when I'm not looking.

Here's to great weekend for everyone. Cheers!

A few of my favorite BLUE things

2009-08-06T23:43:00.000-07:00

Is it August already? Wow. I do this every month, have for the past five years but really, we're already a full week into the month? The family reunion I've been hard at work on is only a day away (more of that to come this Saturday), I'm still reeling from the trip to northern California, and heading out for a cross-country road trip in only a week!

Finally there are so many photos of favorite road trip buys that I've decided to break them into color categories and spread the love out for a couple of days.

I thought I might just let the pictures speak for themselves but I can't help but rave about how in love I am with these nesting serving platters made in France by Carvelle. They're called Sizzling Servers and have the cutest little picture of the Eiffel Tower in the logo on the bottom of the plate making these my favorite newest find. Unfortunately I didn't have the insight to photograph the bottom but I will.

It seems so obvious now that these are a pair of egg cups, the cutest pair of egg cups I must add. But it wasn't so obvious to me in Solvang when I knew I was buying them but was clueless as to what it was I had decided to buy. I promptly figured that out with the help of the sweet older lady I got to chatting up.

These here salt & pepper shakers come courtesy of Sandy and are believed to be Fiesta however if they are I can't find evidence of this design anywhere online. Do you know?

Just a cute large Made in Japan Mikasa platter.

Suddenly I have three egg baskets! Where this obsession came from I have no idea but I definitely look out for them these days. And this one... it's a little bit of adorable don't you think?

Part of a Lazy Susan that will make great hors d'oeuvres plates. Still though I can't help but be a little sad I was unable to dredge up all three.

I don't think you can tell from this picture but these four bowls managed to make it all the way to the Goodwill without a ding which is an amazing feat considering I'm terrified to even pull them apart without breaking them. And yeah, managing to chip one in moving has opened my eyes to the need of bubble wrap. Not sure who made these but they definitely have that 50's flare I love!

What do you think thus far? And... thanks for looking!

A Potted Garden

2009-08-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

In southern California succulents can be found adding a bit of texture to practically any garden. They are a perfect plant needing little water (have you seen a lake near you lately?), and not only are they tough to kill but if my momma Aloe Vera is anything close to typical they reproduce like weeds AND it makes a great source for soothing sunburns because there ain't nothin' like the real thing. Hence my obsession.

Thrift stores are filled with great pots for planting fun little succulent gardens. Naturally during the most recent thrifting adventure everything had potential to house succulents, from ceramic to copper plated and aluminum pots I found a flurry of them. And have momma Aloe and momma momma to thank for the plethora of plants available for all my gardens!

And what a great gift.

Home. Sweet. Home.

2009-08-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

It sure is hard to get back in the groove of things having been away for the past week. While driving 1,000 plus miles I thought a bit about what to post on this blog and came up with a few good ideas, it's just too bad that one of those good ideas wasn't to write it down pen to paper. Because now that I'm home in LA all I can think about is the truck load of goodies that need to be sorted and priced and photographed for your viewing pleasure.

And what a truck-load it is! In the past week I was able to conquer fourteen thrift stores, one antique mall, and one flea market. Not to mention my step mother's home and garage where I gained a lot more than goods - good-knowledge and insight.

For now I leave you with the above photo - my favorite antique child's teacup of probably 50 sitting in Sandy's (step-mother) dresser drawer. And the promise of soon-to-come photos of favorite finds and a thrift store breakdown city guide of sorts.

Road-Trippin' the 101

2009-07-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

It's only Tuesday yet this week is shaping up to be a great one. It's week one on a long list of getaways through mid-September and already I've thrifted some great finds. The normally long drive along Highway-101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco increased by five hours yesterday when my detour to the Danish community of Solvang turned into a three hour excursion and the need to thrift pulled my car into two more towns along the way - Paseo Robles and Gillroy.

It was a long day filled with self, beautiful surroundings, good music and the periodic thrift store. As of Wednesday I'm going underground for some good times surrounded by good people, a camp fire, and lake-side adventures not to resurface until after the weekend.

For now I'll leave you with the 101 play-list inspired by my good friend Nic, down-loadable here. If you're interested in receiving one of nicsmix's on a regular basis let me know and I'll make it happen!
; )

Enjoy!

Etsy Selling Bloggers

2009-07-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

As of late I've been helping to plan a family reunion for close to one-hundred guests. Some of the many things this has had me doing is scouring Etsy for a guest book and thrift stores for basically anything that can be used as centerpieces - success on both accounts.

A favorite thing about shopping on Etsy is the level of service. It has been an amazing experience in working both with buyers and sellers. And I highly recommend working with Julia over at Red Otter on any guest book needs you may have.

But I digress, that's not what this blog entry is about.

In my searching naturally I am pulled off in unintended directions and to my satisfaction I have discovered some inspirational Etsy selling bloggers.

She Can't Decide was featured in an Etsy Finds email - congratulations to her! Coming across this blog was like learning of a long-lost sister, let's see..."I am girl who can never decide." - dang why didn't I think of that. I wonder if she has a birthday in October too?!

And then there's the quirky blog of Sweet Love Vintage. This girl is just adorable with her writing, really you can't help but love Sweet Love Vintage.

Well, what are you waiting for check these ladies out. You can thank me later.

The Novice

2009-07-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

It was three days ago when I completed my first eBay sale that I decided I would post about the ease of selling on this platform. For years I've considered eBay but even after the decision was made procrastination set in. It's the procrastination that you get from the prospect of wading waters unknown. I'll spare you the boring details and tell you this, I have these fantastic yellow wedges that have been sitting unused in my closet for over a year now because they pinch my fatty feet and so I gave them a go - no reserve, just sell.

And sell they did! A steal at $24.50 for a $135 pair of shoes. But you know what, two emails and three days later the bidder still hasn't paid and I'm heading out of town on Monday. So I'm wondering, is this normal? I've always been a prompt pay and I've assumed that's the way to be. Guess I assumed wrong.

This probably happens all the time but it's my first encounter since I'm new at this an all. Do you sell on eBay? Is there anything I should look out for?

xoxo

Lazy Days of Summer

2009-07-23T21:47:00.001-07:00

Days spent lounging poolside with good people has made this a most enjoyable summer. But the heat of the day makes me the most lazy of entertainers and invitees have been kept to a minimum. Usually a friend or two will join me poolside on the cuff but just last week with more notice and a gathering just a tad larger the entertainer within was released.

It was only recently when I could stand these fantastic pieces perfect for summer sitting at the Antique Station no longer that I brought them back to the house for their shot on Etsy and a possible party highlight.

And so the first opportunity I had to whip it all out I did and it couldn't have been more exciting. Forget the fact that I had wonderful friends on their way, I had vintage goodies to dress up the place.

These cups with carrier feed the longing to keep everything in it's place. They're a beautiful presentation in use and just sitting around the home waiting for their day in the sun.

In truth entertaining poolside is a heck of a lot easier than a dinner party but when you're so busy having fun in the sun it's hard to get to the store for even the simplest of treats.

But then again it's so nice to have friends to be lazy beside. Really, I must do this again. Maybe next time I'll have new goodies to pull out!

If you see anything here you like check out SellingVintage on Etsy, most of it's there and if it's not it will be soon. Or you can just ask me to put a rush on it! Summertime...

What a Week, and it's only Wednesday!

2009-07-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

There's a rule - bad things come in threes. I only hope that applies to good things - threes, fours, fives, but I'll take the two thus far!

After a month of selling nothing on Etsy the tides have turned and this week I sold one item 5 minutes after I posted it, and the crystal ashtray that I absolutely love, hate to see go and conflictingly am so excited about.

And the winners are:

Le Jardin de Mon Ami

2009-07-20T20:58:00.001-07:00

The rustic metal cluster represented above has been the inspiration behind what I consider a whimsical LA garden. My good friend Morgan has taken what once was a naked, sad, non-maintained yard and turned it into an unexpected getaway surrounded by apartment buildings and concrete by adding only potted plants, innovative garden decor and naturally her creative ability.

Everything you see in Morgan's yard was purchased cheap from her favorite Drug Store and various thrift stores, or like any good thrifter found on the street.

Below are pictures from mon jardin créatif de l'ami.

This backyard was in complete shambles when it was inherited, fortunately it did come with a few attributes - concrete table and fantastic metal umbrella, not to mention storage shed and clothes line!

Something about Mo: accident prone - she managed to break the glass on the coffee table you see in this tree. That was the beginning of a transformation for this rustic garden.

The entire space progressed slowly and then took off in a matter of weeks. This entry garden was one of the first enhancements.

This is the only picture you'll get to see of the women behind it all and I was lucky to grab even it! Notice all the lights in the background - imagine night!

I hate to say it but I can't begin to describe what crosses my mind looking at this potted cactus. That to the right is a solar gnome home.

An adorable basket with potted flowers hangs from the clothes line which is now covered in Christmas lights but was once used by her boyfriend to dry clothes.

This DIY idea was found in a gardening book and is oh so simple - if you can't figure out how just ask!

Shh... don't tell dad that the BBQ he bought for my birthday is now being used to home Aloe!

I believe this wooden pot filled with peppers to have been bought at Rite-Aid sans peppers.

The shed really didn't take much with the already shabby door and climbing plant life, but the addition of this bronze wall art created a nice focal point and incorporated nicely into the rural vibe.

Succulents are an absolute favorite of mine - I really love this hanging succulent pot.

Last but certainly not least is the kitschy tree man brought over from her previous garden.

Oops, missed one! Once in a blue moon comes a freebie find that takes you on an adventure. In the case of this extremely heavy table it took Mo and I on a three, maybe four block push-me-down-the-middle-of-the-street-and-try-not-to-die-of-laughter adventure, memories... in the corner of a yard.

I hope you got a little inspiration from Morgan's garden, have fun and it'll all come together!

One Grandma's Junk

2009-07-19T14:40:00.001-07:00

Around two months ago my grandmother invited all the ladies to rummage through her junk before it made it's way to the good 'ole Goodwill. Barely a thing made it's way out of her house, and up until last week not a thing sat on a shelf waiting to become some other souls treasure. To my good fortune my grandmother is a procrastinator which made way for me to swoop in and collect her junk before she had mind enough to pack it up and hall it out.

All of her items now sit on a shelf at the Antique Mall.

A teak salad bowl set.

This thermos reminds me of the circus!

I think Grandma was quite partial to this since she kept going on and on about the fact that it will carry a cake AND a pie - which is frankly wonderful!

I love the the design element to this chopper, it's too bad one of the blades broke off.

Someone is selling this coffee pot on Ebay for around $20!

Of all the coffee dispenser's I've seen this one's pretty cute but not the ultimate, still, it beats the boring black and silver ones.

I've seen this coffee warmer around infrequently so I can't say it's rare but this one is definitely in better condition than most.

Dude... this is so cool! Can you imagine having to crush ice like this regularly?

A popcorn popper - need I say more?!

For a women who doesn't drink coffee my grandmother sure did have a lot of caffeine related items in her home.

This 70's beverage dispenser brews tea and is ready to go, perfect for a summer BBQ.

A Case of Me Helping You.

2009-07-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

I'd reason to believe that most anyone gets a little high off of a good deal. Personally I can't help but tell the first ears that will listen what a great deal I received on the days item of choice. This may sound like I'm bragging and some times I suppose I could be but more than likely I really just want to help my fellow shopper save a dime. Kind of like my dear friend Rosalba informing that the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale started Friday, and that I could even shop it online!

Or me telling you that Saks needs to be had immediately - Go now, run to your closest department store, it's high time to support the economy and your closet.

I'm just sayin'...

Goodies!

2009-07-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

As of late my collection of goodies for sale has been growing but as a result of little time and souring temperatures I've slacked on the photography front. That is until this week, and so for now I will hold out on you no longer. I present to you more goodies from my day trip to Ventura and thrift store and yard sale finds from weeks past.

Love Love Love the graphics on this brown and white teacup set, and I love even more that there's four sets not one!

I know it's nice to have new things in your home, things that show no wear but wear is one of my favorite aspects of buying vintage. It says a lot about these glasses that their original owner cherished them enough to actually use them.

As luck would have it I never find vintage shoes that fit, if I did it would be impossible to part with these cuties.

It turns out this iron isn't anything too special but it works and that's always a plus.

This tin owl may not be not vintage (who knows) but it's quite adorable. Realization: I have a thing for owls.

It's pretty well agreed upon that practically anything made mini is far cuter than it's counterpart and these Martini glasses are no exception.

I've actually been trying to sell this thermos on Etsy for a while now but just got around to taking some decent photos, however even these do no justice to the fantastic lines and contemporary black and white.

Back when I hit up the Rose Bowl I bought a couple of aprons that sold very well at the Antique Station. This isn't my favorite but it's pretty cute and I'm officially on the look out.

There you have it, that wasn't too bad.

On another note, I'm heading to N. California in a couple of weeks, if there's anyone up there reading my blog who's interested in purchasing anything you see here or on the lookout for something in particular please let me know, I'd be thrilled to share these goodies with you!

XOXO

Oopsy - Busy!

2009-07-15T00:32:00.000-07:00

Oh gee, I've been busy and neglecting my blog - the shame! What's that you ask? What have I been up to?! Well... let me tell you: shopping, sorting, photographing, moving and listing.

It's so much more fun to show you though!

I love to entertain and have a very real affinity for any item that makes my job as hostess easier. These low ball glasses are gorgeous and the mid-century style carrier is just right to stun your guests. I just hate to let it go!

Pyrex is one of those items that makes cooking down right delightful hence the popularity of this vintage kitchenware. I was so lucky to find this casserole dish in mint condition.

Isn't this the cutest?! I haven't a clue about it's use but I just love it.

This is a vintage AVON piece. It's really pretty but I mainly bought it because I know there must be someone out there who wants to buy it from me - I just know it!

All of these goodies were bought on recent thrifting trip to Ventura. There's more but I haven't shot those items yet. And a city guide to come!

TMI

2009-07-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Partying with B&E

The vanity space I shared with you in the previous post verged on becoming a wee bit personal after all it's the intimate space I have for myself, but today's post feels to me like it may just be too much information. The difference being regression.

It all started around three years ago with the ever so crotchety Eeyore. I picked him up at Disneyland and have since managed to acquire four stuffed animals - for a women verging on thirty four may be four too many. But just yesterday this humble collection managed to grow by, oh... seven! And I have to say eleven is definitely too many. But they are cute, vintage, and have sentimental value.

As you may know if you've been reading this blog from the beginning Scott and I are helping his parents clean out their home of twenty plus years, and with this comes a lot of stuff. Most of it has been taken to the Antique Station but when I showed up with a garbage bag full of stuffed animals there were some we just couldn't part with.

They gossip - I work

It's fitting to perch a monkey surrounded by music atop a 1930's chest, don't you think?

Ahh... Goofy

Boudoir

2009-07-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

The morning ritual of pulling the chair away from my vanity and saddling up in front of the mirror surrounded by pretty things while I leisurely beautify myself conjures up a feeling of connectivity with past generations of women. For those couple of minutes that I sit at that table before the rush of the day ahead I feel like a lady. I spritz on perfume, powder my face, work at my hair, and rummage through four generations of jewelry.

My personal vanity once belonged to my Nana on my mother's side of the family. Back when Nana owned this piece of furniture it acted as a sewing machine, today it's covered with a large scarf to soften up the boring wood below and crowded with womanly goodies and remembrances on top.

Claudia over The Paris Apartment is collecting photos of vanities from women around the world for a new book that she is working on. If you aren't already a visitor of this blog take a minute to check it out, and if you have a vanity take pictures of it to contribute. You can get in touch with her here: theparisapartment@gmail.com

Be Safe and Have Fun!

2009-07-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Uncle Sam on top of the world

I love birthdays and what's not to love about America's birthday?! It's when the entire country is on vacation, the day is filled with BBQ's and pool parties, friends and fireworks, and the roads are packed with cars headed out-of-town filled with people on one mission - to have a great weekend!

Happy 4th to everyone, be safe and have fun.

x's and o's

Collecting

2009-06-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

Hundreds of Star Wars toys from Scott's collection packed for the Antique Station

The habit of collecting is a hobby I never fully understood since I never thought of myself as a collector. But when you break it down I'm willing to bet that everyone is or was a collector of something at some point. Two obvious types of collectors are those like myself who don't fancy themselves collectors and those like my now live-in-boyfriend Scott who border on hoarding.

Although I do feel like a complete fake calling myself by the term collector, it's been quite the epiphany realizing the collector of my childhood. Isn't it safe to say that all children are collectors? I collected Barbie Dolls and Cabbage Patch Kids, granted they were my toys and I did play with them, unlike Scott who has hundreds of unopened Star Wars toys and boxes of unopened baseball cards, I had more than three and in one bloggers opinion that constitutes a collection. The difference - his are pristine and mine, well... they were sold in a yard sale years ago.

Early Birdies

2009-06-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

Prepping for an early morning tomorrow, rise and shine is 7am - hitting the sales with a gang by 8am! I've just compiled a gnarly list of yard sales from WEHO eastward, three pages to be exact. Why you ask, I'm unsure, it's far to many for one day! And since I hate to be selfish with my time I thought I should offer to share - if there's anyone out there in LA who'd like join my yard sale email list (so far it's just me) hit me up at SELLINGVINTAGE@GMAIL.COM and I'll forward it along to you whenever I compile one! It's not every week but hey, why should we both do the work.

Also, the list will change weekly, some days I'll be hitting up Santa Monica and others the Valley or OC so you'll never know what you get. Surprise, surprise lovelies.

Vintage Mag Ads - Oh My!

2009-06-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA this week my darling readers, really there is just no good excuse. But I'm coming back at you with this fantastic collection of magazine ads ranging from the early 1900's to the 1970's. They're inspirational, they're fun, and... they're for sale! Most anyway.

Wrangler 1978

Foster Grant 1967 featuring Woody Allen

Carlye 1952

Liliann 1954

Peck and Peck 1952

Ship 'n Shore 1952

Monte Sano and Pruzan 1949

Himelhoch's 1949

Acme Gloves 1949

Revillon 1925

GD Corsets 1902

Aren't those little gems fun. I can't tell you how much in love with magazines I am - always have been. It's such a shame what has happened to that industry due to this "recession" that we are in, all of these fantastic magazines have gone under. I can only dream that when things pick up again we'll see a swarm of new and wonderful titles hit the shelves.

Ojai - City Guide

2009-06-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was finally able to mark Ojai off of the day trip agenda. After living in LA for five years, after wanting to visit Ojai and always visiting Santa Barbara instead the clouds parted, the sun shown through and I finally made the pilgrimage to the artist enclave North/East or West/East according to signs on the 101, of LA. I picked up my new-to-me Jeep Liberty on Friday and bright and early Saturday morning Scott, Lucas and I packed up and headed out.

As with a trip to any town it started out with a quick perusal of my Iphone Yelp application to scope a fine eating establishment and local thrift stores. Here's what we found.

WHERE WE ATE:

Jersey Mike's Subs
423 E. Ojai Avenue
Ojai, CA 93023

We ended up here for two reasons, one - it was cheap, two - they had tables outside and Lucas could join. There were a lot of restaurants on this little strip in Ojai but only two others had outdoor seating and Scott wasn't feeling Mexican that day. Jersey Mike's is simply a great sub shop with freshly saved meet, basic ingredients and a heavy helping of olive oil and vinegar.

WHERE TO SHOP:

Second Helping Thrift Store
108 Fox St
Ojai, CA 93023

Don't mind if I do take seconds when they're coming from Second Helping Thrift Store. The prices are great which is number one on my list of a good thrift store, as for the selection of clothing, it was as if no person with an ounce of taste had stepped foot inside. I found three purses, three wool scarfs, two silk scarves, two pairs of gloves - one leather, the other felt, and two shirts. What a day!

Hidden Treasure Thrift Store
Located a couple blocks past Fox Street on the opposite side, it's right on Ojai Avenue.

A little overpriced but fun quirky items - I didn't buy anything but it's worth a visit.

Community Thrift Store
North of Ojai Avenue on Montgomery

Closed after 2pm.

TO DO:

Old Creek Ranch & Winery
10024 Old Creek Rd
Oakview, CA 93022

Great things were said about this winery when my girlfriends learned I was trekking to Ojai, it has excellent Yelp reviews, and given more time it would've been a necessary stop along the way. Even so, it's still on the list for another day, another time.

WHERE TO STAY:

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa
905 Country Club Rd
Ojai, CA 93023

Having never visited the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa it's surprising that I am able say it has an aura about it. Of course that's a direct effect of advertising but it also receives rave reviews through and through. I'm longing for a romantic visit with a stay here... hint, hint - Scott you better be reading this. ; )

FINAL SAY:

A real artist community with cute shops and restaurants. If you're looking for a great day trip from LA visit Ojai, the air is fresh, people friendly, the town is peaceful - a place to breath. And if you're looking for thrift stores they are plenty, but Ojai has a lot more to offer.

We ended the day with a drive past Lake Casitas and back to the highway home.

Oh la la - vintage dresses!

2009-06-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

Traditionally I have two rules when shopping for a vintage dress, these rules also apply when shopping in general:

1. Do I like it?
2. Does it fit?

Pretty simple. But now that I'm Selling Vintage I'm finding myself considering and making myself crazy over clothes that fall under "other".

Things that go through my head:

It's cute but has shoulder pads (a loud shriek ensues).
Doesn't fit.
Would someone like it anyway?
Is it worth anything?

The frustration over having these questions and the inability to promptly locate the item on my Iphone gets to be too much - I toss it all back and leave. That's what happened today anyway.

Below are a few photos I took before jumping ship, I would love to hear what you think.

Cindy Mancini spilled red wine on her mother's white suede dress, could this be it - died to cover it up!

Paired with a belt and pretty tan flats this vintage dress could be the closest thing we have to a winner.

A little electric blue number could add a lot of fun to any closet but this one isn't worth it's $7 price tag.

Those are separate sleeves with what I assume looks like a necklace on, and the dress... velvet. Need I say more?

Promptly upon arriving home I jumped online to see what I could find out about some of these dresses, and promptly I was side-tracked by the dance dresses at Posh Girl Vintage. The images in the collage of photos above are taken from their website - merely a handful of the goodies available.

I have one last question for you - bring back the 50's mom with me?

DIY: Camera Strap from Design Sponge

2009-06-17T16:35:00.001-07:00

Anybody who knows Design*Sponge loves it, maybe that has something to do with posts like this DIY for a camera strap cover - tops.

Mission: hunt down camera straps at thrift stores. Make a run at this DIY. Let you know how it turns out.

Father's Day

2009-06-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

With Father's Day around the corner I decided to browse Etsy's section dedicated to just that and see what the handmade folks had for me to choose from. I have to admit that I'm slightly disappointed with having searched one hundred pages to find seven items but, you know what your taste could be different than mine, and there really is all kinds of great stuff just waiting to be discovered.

But maybe you'll like the items I picked out.

My childhood was spent on a boat, my father loved to fish. The go to gift for my dad has fish on it, or Harley's, Levi's, Rock 'n Roll. Too bad he doesn't drink coffee but if yours does I LOVE this mug.

Gift baskets are always really terrific gifts, and this particular one was so well thought out for the man in your life. Okay, I'm just sold on the "Bites Stings Burns & Ouches".

If only my dad were this adorable, or my boyfriend - these caps are plain nice.

My boyfriend received a guitar strap for his birthday last year, possibly his favorite gift from me in the three years we've been together. This one is vegan, and oh so cute. It looks comfortable and so very hippie.

A great looking laptop bag for the man who's always working.

Nothing says I love you like a card that says I heart U.

Adding to Etsy

2009-06-15T23:19:00.001-07:00

Opening an Etsy account has been a very exciting thing so far, not in the rah-rah kind of way of course but in the something new to work on kind of way. Adding new items to the store has kept me busy, in fact deciding which items to sell on Etsy kept me pretty busy today.

I made a pilgrimage to good 'ole Antique Station to load up and out, choosing a few new items for Etsy that I don't mind gracing the house. The Etsy store is up to a big eight items, check them out: www.sellingvintage.etsy.com.

The photo above is of one of those things I REALLY enjoy around the house. It's pure crystal and super heavy, I had to guess $20.00 to ship it! Wows ah.

Rose Bowl Flea Market

2009-06-14T23:45:00.001-07:00

No matter how hard I try you just can't get me out of bed early enough. It's said by most people that you need to hit the yard sales early, hence why I don't hit them all to often, and the same goes for the flea markets - they even have a special VIP-extra-expensive entrance fee for the early birds. I'm of the school of thought (and I may be the only person who belongs to this school) that it's good to hit up flea markets later in the day, because the later you go the more likely vendors will be to haggle with you on the price, after all they don't want to load it back up and take it home.

Today I packed up and headed to Pasadena's Rose Bowl Flea Market on the early side of noon. The $8 entrance fee allowed access to an overwhelming number of dealers slinging goods, most of it too expensive for me to resell, however a little searching did result in a couple decent deals.

If it weren't for a girl holding this condiment tray flat in her hand and contemplating it's purchase far too long for my patience I may have past right by my favorite find of the day.

For more information on this condiment tray check it out at http://sellingvintage.Etsy.com.

I actually paced around this lamp while waiting to pounce on the above condiment set, and finally decided to haggle the women down from $25 - she took it because "what the hell I don't want to pack it back up".

Also bought a couple of aprons which I have yet to photograph. I'm really excited to see if these will sell at the Antique Station.

Here are some items I passed on up:

Here is an incomplete lot of dishes designed by two different California pottery companies that I'm quite sad I didn't go back for - only $25!

I own one of these cups - it was kind of fun to see the set.

Ooohh... Ahhh...

Old books are just way too cool.

Now that I own Milk Glass it's catches my attention but I saw no deals to be had.

These brown chairs, all four of them, are "one of the first prototypes" and valued by their owner at $1200!!

80's stickers - sweet.

I just love this suitcase for the stickers.

And there you have it, a Sunday after noon.

Etsy

2009-06-13T17:36:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited about the Etsy account I just set up! It was an easy process and it's reasonably priced - only $.20 to list and Etsy takes 3.5% of the sale. Check out my store: www.sellingvintage.etsy.com.

Vintage Giveaway

2009-06-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

There's one thing I love more than a great deal - FREE stuff, actually, great free stuff! It's a little jarring how much you can find online for free, given the time of course, but the problem I find with most of the stuff most of the time is that, frankly, it's all crap I don't need nor want, and if it is desirable you find yourself competing with thousands of other people.

Every now and then there's the gem of a "contest" that pops up and you find yourself with a good chance to take home the prize. If you're into that, if you like good-looking vintage goods and you like getting them for free then you should check out Sonya's giveaway on her blog Dime Store Thrift which you should check out anyway.

Good Luck!

Barter

2009-06-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

Time is a commodity I have a lot more of than money these days, a theme that resides with much of the country, and with time has come the opportunity to put more effort toward discovering new interests. Obviously I have focused some of my time on scouring thrift stores and yard sales, and writing about my discoveries on this blog.

Unfortunately or maybe fortunately for me my interest in design doesn't mean I'm good at creating design, and as mentioned previously my friend Tony and I entered into a barter agreement - he designed the logo you see here and I've been ever so periodically on the hunt for vintage tee's. The enjoyment I find weeding through thrift store bric-brac does not relay over to thrift store clothing but a deal is a deal. Hitting up the racks attempt number one left me empty handed but once again thrift store Mecca paid off, here are the finds, some better than others.

This here is the shirt Tony likes - HALLELUJAH, I found one!

This shirt is cool but looking like it was purchased from a department store within the last couple years isn't all THAT cool. I contemplated it but unsure what I was looking for gave it a go.

This would be great if it wasn't made by the Gap - same issue as above.

Love this shirt. It's not Tony but I think it might be our friend Chris.

What girl doesn't love herself a fire-fighter, really, just wear it.

Hacienda-Green

2009-06-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

The one constant question is a matter of price - am I marking items too low or too high? Price guides certainly exist, and I should be referencing them just in case. However many of the items I am trying to sell are not in these guides and determining their worth is a personal judgment, one that I've seen is different for every person. Easy? I think not.

Today I finally found information online on dishware I found and promptly fell in love with (I'm easy) a couple weeks ago. It's a partial 8-piece dinner set with dinner plates, bread and butter plates, cereal bowls, cups and saucers, a serving platter and vegetable serving bowl, and the cutest salt and pepper shakers. Naturally I wanted to keep it for myself and rid my kitchen of the boring dishes I currently use, however I thought it wiser to try and make some money so I put it up for sale and now I sit here nervous that someone actually bought it because if they did they got a deal!

The pieces I have though incomplete are selling for a grand total of $360 online! Here they are:

Found at the Salvation Army (my all time favorite).

The style is Hacienda-Green even though it's yellow and cream. The quality is amazing, things aren't made like this in China - thank you California!

As you can see here I've priced this "partial" set of Franciscan Earthenware to sell!

The price guide I used is here.

"Opal Glass"

2009-06-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

Milk glass is an opaque, milky white or colored glass, blown or pressed into a wide variety of shapes.

Originally it was know as Opal Glass but today the widely collected glass is commonly referred to as Milk Glass.

I only started researching Milk Glass today when I received a small box full from my Step Mother Sandy - a collector with a great eye and a sense of value. I would likely have turned my nose up to these items in the past but now that my home has been graced with the soothing creaminess and texture of this glass my eyes have been opened.

These pear shaped trays are, I assume, hors d'oeuvres trays. They're apprx. 4" long and 2" wide, and my favorite of the Milk Glass received today.

They have a different pattern on the bottom than the inside and look great sitting either way.

The design of this bowl is pointedly called the "bubble" pattern. It was made by Hocking between the 1940's - 1960's, and very popular. Some of these are harder to come by than others.

A beautiful little vase about 4" tall, this would look gorgeous with a full, round bouquet. I know nothing of it's origin but I have yet to pick Sandy's brain.

Here's a goblet. I'm not to sure what I think about it - the square base is interesting but it's also out of my realm, which is never a bad thing. Still...

This cute little bowl is about 3" in diameter, it's too small to not be adorable.

It's hard to tell in these photos but the texture to this glass, typically through the pattern or the scalloping is a nice juxtaposition to the soft color in the glass. You'll know Milk Glass when you see you it!

A Mint Condition

2009-06-03T23:38:00.000-07:00

In the previous post I highlighted passes for last week, yes, I'm a bit behind on my posts and as you can see from the passes I was not busy last week therefore... I don't know, the dog ate my homework?

Under normal circumstances I would wait to post about a pass and I'd do it with many more, but I'm finding it difficult to wait on this one because I cannot get it out of my head. I really like this table, on the verge of mint condition it was way worth the $46 The Salvation Army wanted. I'm sure it will be gone when Friday rolls around and I make my way back to the OC but I'll check - should I buy it? Remember, I have to "try" to resell it.

Pass.

2009-06-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

This two-door cabinet with a flare of Hollywood Regency sat at the Salvation Army in Canoga Park for at least two weeks before some lucky soul picked it up, unfortunately for me the price never did get low enough to make it a good resell.

So cute, and almost as light as a feather. There was no question whether this would sell it was more of a question whether it would sell for a profit.

A personal pass, I'm sad I didn't go back for it.

SOLD!

2009-06-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

Finally, we sold somethings!

The antique stall originally began as a way to help my boyfriend Scott help his parents rid their home of years, decades actually, of collecting. Mainly they collected baseball cards, three very large closets full of many unopened packs, boxes, and sets, we're also selling tons of Star Wars toys and Beanie Babies, in addition to a little movie memorabilia. Deciding Ebay was a bit over saturated led us to the Antique Mall, after shopping for additions outside of the teen geek world I wonder why I didn't start doing this years ago - I could be a pro by now.

Instead my prices are iffy, Scott's are not, I actually walked in the booth last week and shocked that I had the audacity to price some coasters at $50 I promptly changed it to $15. But that 20% off sign I put up the week prior helped bring in some sells - five to be exact. Two of those were "sets" of baseball cards, two were items I pulled out of my closet and one was a pair of shoes I bought at a thrift store... YES!

Instinct

2009-05-27T00:15:00.000-07:00

It's said that one should follow their instinct, that wisdom lies here, that logic can be trouble - trust your gut, follow your heart. I say, easier said than done, but try. That's what I was doing when I bought this cookie jar, I was trying to following my instinct. It was a little more expensive than I would've liked and that's where logic came in, but since initially I thought this plantation style slightly racist cookie jar was some kind of adorable I ignored the cost and bought. My question is, was I ignoring my instinct when I bought?

As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think. - Toni Morrison