The Hunt for Vintage

Mid Century Bullet Planter (Sort of)

2012-02-15T14:43:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting a fiberglass bullet planter for a long time now, even though I've never had a great spot for one. I've only come across two in the wild. One I saw in a photo for a garage sale and I really tried to be at that one first thing but it didn't happen and I lost out. I did find quite a few other fantastic mid century items there though. The other one I saw was at an estate sale and was unfortunately already in the hands of a dealer. Major bummer!

Now that I have the perfect spot for a planter I've been trying to justify the cost of either buying one on ebay or buying a reproduction one. Neither one are inexpensive options! Then I remember I actually have a metal tripod planter base. I found it last summer at an estate sale. It was only $1 and came with a plant, but no planter. The plant was in a nursery pot and I stuck it in a clay pot (that didn't quite fit) and used it on my porch last summer until my son knocked it over and broke the pot. After that I stuck the base in the garage and forgot about it. Until now!

It took me forever to locate the base. I was beginning to think it had gotten thrown out. I went to Lowe's and picked out gorgeous bright aqua pot to put in it and brought it home and...it didn't fit. So I got smart, took the base with me to the store and bought the only pot they had that fit. It is made of bamboo and I think has the right look for the stand. Just wish it was a different color. In all, I spent $1 for the stand, $10 for the pot, and $9 for the plant, so just $20 total. It's not my dream planter but it's a great compromise until I find a good deal on "the one."

Gerd Lange Swing Chair

2012-02-13T12:33:00.002-06:00

I found one item over the weekend but it was a pretty good one. And the price could not be beat - FREE! When I first saw this chair on craigslist I honestly thought it was pretty ugly. Then I saw that it was free and it started growing on me pretty quick! It was first come first served so I quickly went to pick it up. One other person had called before me but either they didn't come and get it or I beat them to it. Luckily it wasn't too far from home.

Now that I have it home I really like it. It's very comfy. It was designed by Gerd Lange and made in West Germany by Drabert. The vinyl is torn but I'd have replaced it anyway. I've been looking at fabric but I can't decide just what I want. I think a bold pattern might be fun. Any suggestions? I don't want it to be too matchy matchy with the rest of the room but I don't want it to stick out like a sore thumb either.

And now I have to sell a couple of chairs to make room for this one!

Linking up this week with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday. Check out the fantastic lights she scored this week.

Family Room Updates

2012-02-07T21:07:00.002-06:00

I've finally started changing up my family room. Previously this area looked like this:

I've really enjoyed it like that but I was ready to move away from the cottage look. The transformation started with the vintage Kroehler chair. I got really lucky on that find. It was a First Friday find a couple of months ago. I got to this shop first thing in the morning and was immediately drawn to the chair. It was only like $85 but I hesitated because I just wasn't sure how it would look in the space, if it had any hidden odors, if the family would like it. In the end I left it there. Of course I couldn't stop thinking about it so later on I called the shop to see if it was still available. They said it was and put it on hold for me. Hooray! I drug my three kids (who were home from school at this point) down there and my husband drove from work to meet me down there with the truck. All the way home I was thinking how the chair was just meant to be mine since it was still there. A lot of people had been inquiring about it while it was on hold. Well, as soon as we get home and sit down to eat I have a call from the shop saying they messed up and the chair had already been sold before they put it on hold for me! They had apparently sold it and not put a tag on it or something. I couldn't believe it. They offered me a $25 gift cert. for my trouble (which honestly wouldn't have been enough to cover the gas or my trouble.) I told them I needed to sit and eat and think about it before making the decision to send it back. I really felt for the other individual who bought the chair, and for the shop who made an honest mistake, but at the time I gotta say I wasn't feeling very charitable about it! The chair fit so darn that it was going to be hard to send it back. Still, I *probably* would have sent it back (though not for $25) but they never called me back. I expected a call all weekend but when it never came I declared the chair officially mine and sold the old one. I still feel bad for the other buyer but hopefully they got some good karma (and a good gift cert) out of the deal and found something even better.

The next phase of the transformation came with the danish console. We've been wanting to upgrade to a flatscreen for this room for a while but I haven't been able to find a credenza to put it on. This one was another First Friday find from one of my favorite shops, Liberty Belle. It actually has a hutch that goes on top with glass doors and looks killer set up like that (I failed to take a picture.) I'll store the top and hopefully they will be reunited one of these days. This wasn't cheap ($335 I think) but so much cheaper than something new and it really fits the room perfectly.

There are still plenty of changes I'd like to make. I'd love to find a tall bullet planter to put to the left of the credenza (fat chance) and the floor lamp could be switched out. I'd like to change the curtains too - maybe just by adding new fabric to the bottom. But for now it is a great start in the right direction.

First Friday Finds

2012-02-06T14:16:00.001-06:00

There are a ton of antique shops in Kansas City that are only open on the first Friday (Sat & Sun) of the month. When I first started going to these there were just a few shops and now there are tons - seems like a new one opens every month. The majority are located in Kansas City's West Bottoms area. There isn't usually a ton of mid century available but you can find a little here and there. Prices are generally pretty reasonable. One of the most popular shops gets so crazy busy you can barely walk through all of the people. I tend to avoid that one. It's way too crowded and they sell a lot of distressed, painted furniture, which isn't my thing. One of my favorite shops to hit is Urban Mining Homewares, which is not in the West Bottoms. They usually have a smattering of mid century goods. I skipped that one this month and stuck to the Bottoms. Here are the pieces I picked up:

I really didn't need to add another painting to my collection but I loved this one. The signature is hard to read. It looks like Scott Kahnev, '71 but I'm not sure. It's pretty big at about 2'x3'. I bought it at Bottoms Up, which has a bit of a flea market setup. You buy directly from the individual vendors.

This Scheurich fat lava vase also came from Bottoms Up. This vendor had an awesome booth. Tons of great mid century items. This piece was a little spendy for me but I had to have it.

Another Scheurich West German vase. This one was only $12 and came from a shop called Nook & Cranny.

Gorgeous green hand blown glass decanter. I'm not sure of the maker. It came from Stuffology, a one owner shop. This place has tons of neat stuff, but it can be a bit pricey. This was really reasonable at $19.

I'm linking up today with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday. It's always fun to see what everyone else is finding!

Cleanup Post

2012-01-24T15:37:00.002-06:00

Here are a bunch of things I've found, photographed and never posted. Random stuff, mostly bought at different times and places.

Pair of brass whale bookends? They are around 8.5" long and very heavy. I fell in love with these at an estate sale last fall. A bit of a splurge for me. I think I paid $28 for the pair. I still haven't found a good place for them.

Blenko vase. This is my first piece of Blenko. I've never researched it before and now that I have and know what to look for - I'll be looking for it! This isn't from the collectible period, but it's a nice vase and I like it. Came from an antique shop for under $10

Nice pair of Danish candlesticks. $12 each from an antique shop. They had a goldenrod color pair too that I probably should have picked up but I was buying a few other items at the time and didn't want to go overboard.

Big splurge at an overpriced estate sale. This is by Colorflo. I totally love it but didn't notice until I got it home that one flower was missing a petal. That's what happens when you are shopping with a 4 year old! As it is probably not worth the $30 I spent on it, but honestly the thing is awesome so I don't regret it too much.

$2 Marushka from the thrift store.

I don't remember exactly what this lamp cost but it was definitely under $20 (from an antique shop.) It replaced a lamp that I had grown tired of. Love the bright yellow. Darn lampshade is always crooked though.

I've got a thing for old metal lawn sprinklers. I'm starting to grow a bit of a collection of them. I think this one was $1 from a garage sale.

This old metal fan was $2 or $3 from a garage sale. Works even! These things would scare me to use though. I picture chopped fingers flying everywhere.

Holt Howard mug. $4 from an antique shop.

Small W. German pottery planter by Scheurich. This one isn't too old or very collectible but I love the iridescent glaze it has. Very shimmery. $5 from an antique shop.

Pottery Craft vase. This was a couple dollars from an antique shop.

Handmade mustache pottery. The glaze around the top rim is flaking off but it was still too awesome to pass up. It was a few dollars from an estate sale and came filled with paint brushes.

Framed owl photograph. $5 from the thrift store.

Digsmed teak candle holder. $1 from an estate sale.

C. Jere Artisan House Skier Sculpture

2012-01-06T14:26:00.000-06:00

I bought my first Jere sculpture! Unfortunately it's not one I'm all that fond of. The subject matter just isn't for me. I've only skied one time and I can't say that I liked it. I have a bit of an aversion to cold and snow and falling down. I found this at a thrift store for just $7. It will probably be headed for ebay to pay for the other items that I purchased today!

Christmas Gifts

2012-01-05T14:48:00.000-06:00

I only had a couple of items on my Christmas wish list this year and I was fortunate to receive them plus a fantastic bonus gift that I wasn't expecting. Just days before Christmas my husband saw me looking at W. German pottery and I mentioned that I'd like to start collecting it. I was shocked to open this lovely 10" tall (Roth?) vase from him Christmas morning.

I can't remember ever seeing any W. German pottery around this area and was amazed that he was able to find this at a local antique shop - one that rarely has anything of interest. This was my one surprise gift and my very first W. Germany pottery piece. We are supposed to take a trip to Germany this April and I hope to pick up some more pieces there.

My other main gift from my husband was this small painting by my favorite artist, Bob Mildrexler. This was the only item that I asked for from him and he did not disappoint. A fellow collector tipped me off to this piece (thanks Jarrod!) The framed size is 12x15" and it is dated 1970. It is the smallest piece in my collection. The mat is overall a bit dirty and I first thought I might replace it and repaint the frame but I actually really like the way it looks on my wall as is.

I added two other paintings to my art collection this Christmas. They are both by the same artist, Edith Ferullo. She was born in Germany and moved to Florida after marrying a US airman. I first came across her paintings a couple of years ago on ebay and I fell in love with her work. I've kicked myself many times over for not buying one of the first ones I saw. When I came across this small painting of a flower girl I knew I had to have it. My inlaws bought it for me for Christmas. It has damage to one corner that I need to finish repairing but other than that it is in wonderful condition.

My final new painting is also by Edith Ferullo. It was a little gift to myself for selling a bunch of stuff on ebay. The photo of this one just does not do it justice. Her paintings (at least the two I have) are very textural. I really wasn't sure how well I'd like this one when I bought it but I had to have it - especially since it was painted in my birth year, 1972. I'm so glad I did because I love it. It is 16x20" on canvas. It is unframed and I had planned on framing it but for now I really like how it looks as is. The colors are amazing.

I had a great Christmas and am looking for to a new year of thrifting!

De Simone Pottery Bell

2011-12-08T17:47:00.001-06:00

I found this funny Italian pottery bell at an antique shop today. I didn't recognize the maker but for $5 thought I'd take a chance on it. It turns out that I made a good buy. It was made by De Simone pottery. Giovanni De Simone studied under Picasso and his works definitely show that influence. This piece is in perfect condition except that the original clapper is missing.

Restored Herman Miller Shell Rocker

2011-11-09T10:29:00.000-06:00

I finally finished my orange Herman Miller rocker and I'm very happy with the results! Click here to see how this shell started out. It actually looked a lot worse in person than in the photos. It was a mess! I ordered a new shell and shock mounts from Modern Conscience. The shell only need one quick coat of Penetrol to bring back the shine. Overall it was a pretty quick and simple restoration. The hardest part was removing the two remaining old shock mounts and adhesive. I was worried that the dent in it would stick out like a sore thumb but it is barely noticeable and if anything just gives it a little more character. Of course now I once again have the dilemma of having too many chairs!

Vintage Cordey Porcelain Bust Figurines

2011-11-07T17:39:00.002-06:00

I've always had a weakness for porcelain figurines. I've been very good in recent years and not only have I not bought any new ones, but I've sold or given away a large part of my collection. But, I still have a weakness for these things so when I came across these Cordey figurines this summer I couldn't resist. They have an almost comical air of superiority about them that I love. My daughter was with me at the time and begged me not to buy them because she thinks they are creepy, but of course that only made me want them more! I was originally only going to get the two "wicked stepsisters" in the front but the seller made me a deal on the lot that I couldn't pass up. I paid $15 for an instant collection of these lovelies. They are all in perfect condition - which is surprising with all of the delicate little parts that they have. I believe they are from the 40s or early 50s. I've seen people asking quite a lot for these but realistic prices look to be not very much. They are rare enough, but nobody wants them. Can't say as I blame them, but for $3 a piece I will enjoy these immensely!

Auction Finds

2011-11-04T16:18:00.001-06:00

It's been forever since I've been to an auction. I love them but never have the time to go. I finally got to one last weekend with my 14 year old son. At first we thought we might not stay because there weren't many items of interest. But, then he found a few things he liked and there were so few people there that we decided to stay. Things went giveaway cheap and the auctioneer worked super fast - a great combination! We spent a grand total of $13. They had several really cool mid century furniture pieces that were unfortunately in horrible condition. If I were an upholsterer I definitely would have picked them up but since I'm not and didn't want to mess with any more junk I left them sit (unsold.) Here are some of the things I did buy:

Carter's Brothers Scoop Chair - this is in pretty decent condition. The buttons on the seat have some rust on them and need repainted and the vinyl has some splits along the front welting. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep this or sell it. I'd probably have it reupholstered if I keep it.

Matching walnut coffee and side table by Bassett Furniture. These are in excellent condition. I don't really have the space for the side table so I'll probably sell them. Cost for the pair was $5.

I loved this funky piece of driftwood. It was covered in unfortunate fake flower junk but looks great now. Cost was $1

Neat old horse lamp with laced shade. This will be up for sale. Paid $1.

Fiberglass shade in great condition. This came with a lamp but the lamp really didn't go with it. Another one for the sell pile. Cost was $1.

These spice racks came out of a box lot that had some stuff my son wanted. I wish my cabinet doors were wide enough for them but unfortunately they are not. Box lot was $2.

Robert Maxwell Pottery

2011-10-24T15:15:00.001-05:00

Up until a week or so ago I had never heard of Robert Maxwell pottery. I found these two critters at an estate sale a couple of months ago but the makers mark were faint so I couldn't make it out.

Aren't they cute! Well, ugly cute, and awesome in every way. Unfortunately the one with the upturned nose has a broken tail. Still he looks fantastic on display and he was inexpensive enough that I can overlook it. I paid just a few dollars for the pair. Then a couple of weeks ago I came across these awesome Robert Maxwell mushrooms on A La Modern. Right away I knew I had to have some so I starting searching for Robert Maxwell, and boom - my critters were identified. I'd love to add some more to the collection at some point. On the mushroom front I didn't have much luck, until I quit searching for Robert Maxwell and started just looking for mushrooms in general. And then I found this pair on ebay:

Awesome! I paid a little under $15 with shipping. I have no idea what they generally cost but considering these are the only ones I could find, I'll call it a bargain. They look great with my critters. Thank you A La Modern for helping me with identification and curse you for tuning me onto yet another collection!

What's in the Box?

2011-10-10T15:27:00.005-05:00

Gotta love box sales. You know the kinds where you dig through piles that are 99% garbage, pick out some random goodies and make a deal. I went to one this morning but unfortunately I got there a couple hours after opening due to school schedules. Still, I managed to fill a bit of a box which I paid $5 for.

My $5 box of junk.

Before I get to what's in the box I'll show you what I found at my local thrift store. I rarely find good stuff there so I'm always pleasantly surprised when I do. So today I found a trash can! Okay, not just any trash can, a white Kartell trash can. It was marked $4 but half price today so just $2.

So here is what I put in my box. Some good stuff, some just okay stuff. Some of it will probably head to ebay (provided I ever get around to it.)

Tonka trucks for my youngest son.

Fantastic Wormser vase. I'd never heard of this company before but it turns out it's pretty rare and valuable. By far my most valuable find of the day.

Coco Joe's Tiki, Kanaloa, the God of Long Life.

My favorite find - a small David Stewart Lion's Valley Stoneware alligator.

Small Frankoma vase and a 2" cabinet vase by Broadmoor (supposedly these are rare.)

A funny purple art glass whale, huge, heavy glass frog, and a porcelain ring holder.

Set of three Vera bibs.

Orange vase, cup holder, and a tray.

1950s silhouette, a pair of funny squirrels, a turtle and an egg slicer. My oldest son likes egg slicers for some reason so I pick them up whenever I find them cheap.

Lot of jewelry. The buckle is .9 oz of sterling. The turtle necklace is really big (over 3") and marked Art. The gold pin is Monet and the Christmas cat is Tancer.

In all not a bad haul for $5. I'm linking up today with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.

Almost forgot this vintage Tuskin Raider Star Wars action figure. Missing his cape and a bit dirty, but I couldn't leave him behind.

Vintage Finds

2011-10-07T17:41:00.003-05:00

Thursdays have been really good to me lately. I had another nice haul yesterday. Here are the best of my finds.

Cosco fiberglass shell stool. Perfect for my youngest to use at the table. Cost was $20. And it swivels.

One of my favorite finds of the day - a Jere-esque brass bird sculpture on a marble base. It's not Jere but it is really nice - super heavy. Paid $8.

$2 cutting board. Looks like it has never been used. That pattern is awesome. I may have to hang it on the wall somewhere.

Nice original painting signed Toby Waldner. It's a nice size at 15"x24". Love the colors and the price was just $5.

My other favorite find. This is gorgeous in person. It's only about 6" tall. Price was $3.

This pottery vase is pretty weird but awesome in person. It's at least a foot tall. I think it was $4.

Bargain piece of the day. A nickle bought this adorable little orange egg cup. At least I think that's what it is. It's only a few inches tall.

Nice little 25 cent pottery vase.

$2 Gailstyn-Sutton teak bowl.

Rorstrand Kavalkad Wall Tile Plaque

2011-10-05T12:36:00.001-05:00

I stopped by an estate sale in my own neighborhood Friday. They had pretty much what I'd expect for this area - a whole lotta not much. The only standout in my opinion was this Swedish, 12"x12" heavy ceramic wall plaque designed by Olle Alberius for Rorstrand. It was marked $60 though - too pricey for this cheapskate. I ended up picking it up on half price day for $30. Still a little much for me but it is really pretty awesome in person. My family didn't share my enthusiasm for the piece but I hung it up anyway. I even like it with the funky onion candle holders. I couldn't find many of these tiles online but I did see one for sale for around $350, which makes me feel a little better about the 30 bucks I paid!

Orange Panasonic Clock/Radio

2011-10-03T10:26:00.001-05:00

I found this awesome early 70's orange Panasonic clock/radio at the thrift store for $2. It is in perfect working order, makes no irritating buzzing noises (my biggest pet peeve of electronics) and is a fantastic size (6" wide, 5.5" tall.) Love it!

Vintage Finds

2011-09-30T13:07:00.003-05:00

I drove far from my normal hunting grounds yesterday to hit an estate sale that had tons of awesome danish furniture, sculptures, etc. only to find prices at full blown retail. And not Kansas City retail either. They had really really fine pieces but if I really wanted to spend $2200 on a wall unit I'd shop on ebay and save myself the drive! Of course if the prices had been reasonable I'd have never had a chance of getting anything anyway because I'd have had to be there 13 hours early to be first in line. I'm so not that hard core! I did walk away with two little things that I will post eventually. After leaving the pricey sale I stopped by a huge garage sale that had all kinds of old junk and none of it was priced. The pitcher and glass set above is the first item I picked up and when the seller said it was $2 I knew it was going to be a fun sale! I made a big pile and ended up spending a whopping $13.50 for all of this stuff. None of it is terrible valuable or anything but it is all fun stuff and I really needed a sale like that!

At one time I would have shunned plastic "unbreakable" ornaments, but ever since my 3rd child, aka Destructo, was born I have grown to really appreciate and love them!

Fun two toned ceramic bottle. It looks like it was squished.

Weird little brass onion? candle holders. I can't decide if I love them or hate them.

Great old pop carrier.

Adorable pottery deer.

German "Melodica" instrument.

Orange swirl Fireking bowl. So shiny!

Chunky hand blown art glass piece. Ugly but awesome at the same time.

Really nice painting of a collie. The back had a sealed envelope and picture of the actual dog with her owner. The envelope asks the finder to please make every effort to get the painting to a certain lady who also loved collies. The letter inside was dated 1984 and talks about her dog "Misty." I guess I will make a cursory effort to find the lady the original owner wanted to leave the painting to but I don't have much info to go on.

Freaky little pewter cat. I think it's a ring holder.

Cool looking Sears clock radio. Haven't tried it out yet.


And my favorite item - a great mid-century lamp. I've been wanting one kindof like this. Of course now I have to find a lamp shade. Ugh!

Master Bedroom Updates

2011-09-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

My bedroom has undergone some minor changes lately so I thought I'd post some new pictures. It's still a work in progress - I like a lot of the parts but the overall room is just kind of ok. My favorite change is in the artwork. Love the new Mildrexler over the bed. That piece fell in and out of my hands several times and I'm very happy it is finally mine! I added the blue throw to match the painting but that probably won't be there for long. I've got a wool throw to switch it out with. I'm starting to rethink the curtains, though maybe all they need is a proper hemming. I love the chrome ball lamp but it needs a new shade and I still need to rewire it. It has some blemishes but they don't bother me much. The thing I want most is a new night stand. I'm thinking something round and maybe painted white. I also want to try doing away with the box springs to lower the bed and get rid of the bed skirt. It really doesn't bother me much in person but in the photos I hate it! What changes would you make?

Drexel Declaration Credenza.

2011-09-19T16:37:00.000-05:00

I had an unexpected find on Thursday. After getting a few smalls at an estate sale with some great advertised mid century pieces (mostly snagged by much more dedicated hunters than myself who camped out the night before) I ran by a family run estate sale that really had nothing advertised of interest. I almost passed it by altogether. But I'm glad I didn't! This Drexel Declaration piece was sitting there waiting for me. It was the only remotely mid century piece in the sale and my only purchase. It 6 foot long and is in incredible condition - also has a nice slab of glass on the top. They also had a matching mirror but I had no interest in that. I paid $200 for the credenza and since they are so hard to find around here in any condition I consider that a steal. It is currently residing in my basement, replacing our old entertainment center. Unfortunately we haven't yet upgraded to flat screen t.v.s so our old hulking monster is perched on top of it - hopefully to be replaced in the near future. Now I just need to find one more credenza for the upstairs!

Before and After Herman Miller Shell

2011-09-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting an orange Herman Miller shell with a rocker base for quite a while now. Finally ran across a baseless shell on craigslist this week. It wasn't too pretty but it was a descent deal at $20 and cleaned up pretty nice. I'm not sure what that black stuff all over it was but a magic eraser couldn't touch it, and those things take off everything! I had to resort to fine steel wool. I used barkeepers friend to get the major gunk off and then switched to powdered Oxiclean with a little bit of water. That stuff really seems to do a good job cleaning out the little cracks and crevices. The last shell I used it on was just about as dirty but not quite as rough and I was able to get it looking like new scrubbing with a dish sponge rather than the steel wool, which kept the finish from getting dull. This one will need a coat of Penatrol to restore the shine. The only major problem with the chair is that it has an unfortunate dent in the front that bulges out a bit in the back. It doesn't hurt it structurally and really doesn't look all that bad so I can live with it. I'm not sure when I'll get a base ordered. I think I'll go with a black base with walnut rockers. Need some new shock mounts too. So much for a bargain!

Living and Dining Room Curtains

2011-08-29T12:53:00.000-05:00

So this post by Dana reminded me that I hadn't yet posted a picture of the new curtains I made (I used the same fabric that is on those chairs.) I kept thinking I'd take some better photos - but who knows how long that will take me! I've been hoping (for like 5 years now) to find some pre-made curtains that I like but that just didn't happen. So I finally broke down and made some (lined and everything.) Wasn't as bad as I thought it might be but still a major pain. While reading online direction I came across a post by a lady who said making your own curtains would be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. She was either completely insane or a great liar! I'm just glad they are done. I used fabric from IKEA and made new curtain rods out of plumbing pipe. I did large grommets at the top of the curtains (a look that I love) but really it's a pretty big design flaw with the pipe rods. In order to get them down you have to take the whole rod off the wall. But, I don't plan on taking them down, like ever, so it's okay with me. Hopefully I won't get sick of the pattern anytime soon!

Bob Mildrexler Painting

2011-08-20T00:10:00.000-05:00

The craigslist god's smiled upon me again this week. I found a painting by my favorite artist - Bob Mildrexler. I posted about my first painting of his here. My collection now has six of his paintings in it and I love each of them more every time I see them.

I was super lucky to find this one on criagslist. I wasn't searching for paintings but it happened to be at the top of the page simply listed as "Vintage Sunflower Painting." No artist was listed but I was 99% sure it was a Mildrexler. I had a 45 minute drive to pick it up but it was so worth it. The price - a whopping $10! Crazy! And it's a pretty big piece at 2'x3', dated 1977.

I've been lucky to have learned a lot about Bob Mildrexler directly from his son Craig, who is also an artist. Knowing more about his life really gave me an even stronger connection to his paintings. I really love that he was local to my area too. One of these days I'll try to get photos up of the rest of my collection.

Desk Lamp

2011-08-02T00:03:00.000-05:00

I've added several "new" lamps around the house lately. This is one of my favorites. It started out brass colored (which I actually really liked) but the brass colored coating was dinged up here and there so I removed it all. It took a lot of work to get it all off but I love the result. I really should have taken a before shot (got to get better at that) but I didn't. It also got a complete rewire and is now illuminating my computer desk. Cost was $5 for the lamp plus a new socket and cord.

Selig Z Chairs

2011-07-25T18:07:00.000-05:00

The craigslist gods have smiled upon me at last! Without fail anytime I see something I really want on craigslist I am the second caller. I hate being the second caller. I'd rather be the tenth caller than the second. Anyway, yesterday that distinction fell to some other poor soul for it was my day to be first. And what day it was!

The score? A pair of Selig Z chairs in very nice condition. And on top of that a bonus end table (not shown in the ad) which turned out to also be Selig. These are of course my dream lounge chairs and I never thought I'd actually own one, let alone a pair! They were super dirty but cleaned up nicely. They aren't perfect of course but close enough for me. I polished them with some Howard's Feed and Wax and they look stunning.

The cushions in the photo are not the ones that came on the chairs. They go to my set of American of Martinsville lounge chairs (which are now relegated to the basement.) I think the Selig really need a little lighter fabric so I will be getting a new pair of cushions made (the cushions they came with are too dirty to use and while they would potentially clean up the fabric isn't my favorite either.) They also both need new straps. Unfortunately each chair has a different style of bottom so each needs a different type of strap. I thought that was pretty odd. I'm guessing it'll cost around $300 or so to do new cushions and straps (depending on the fabric I choose and whether or not I reuse the old foam.) I think the foam would be ok to use except that the cushions smell a bit and they aren't as cushy as I'd like.

The cost of my new additions - not near enough! I doubled the asking price for the set and still only paid $50. As cheap as I am I don't generally feel like I didn't pay enough but this time I don't think I paid enough.

Mid Century Dresser and Side Table

2011-07-18T20:49:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a week in Florida. I'd say it was hot but it's actually much hotter in Missouri right now! Right before I left I just missed out on a fantastic deal on a Brasilia dresser. I found it at my local thrift (which never has anything remotely interesting) but it was not priced. It took me a few minutes to track down someone to get the price for it and she told me another lady was already at the register trying to get a price on it! I kept my fingers crossed that she wouldn't want it but for $40 she snatched it up. I can only hope it's not now sporting some awful new paint job.

So since then I've been hoping to have another descent furniture find. I found two at a garage/estate sale in my home town. They aren't as awesome as the Brasilia but they aren't bad either. The dresser is fairly small, which I like. Actually I'd like it even better if it was night stand sized but it's working out well in my bedroom. It was made by Harmony House. Price - $20.

The side table is Lane and I'm loving it in my basement. It was just $10. Both pieces were a bit rough so I did a quick fix with Howard's. They are still far from perfect but they look pretty darn good for the small amount of effort I put in. In some alternate universe where I have more time on my hands I'll do a complete refinish. I wish I had thought to take some before shots of these.

Vintage Finds

2011-06-23T11:12:00.001-05:00

A few estate sale finds from last Thursday. The tray is my favorite find. It is plastic covered with what looks to be fabric that is sealed. It is pretty big at 15"x21" and is marked Georges Briard. Cost was $2.

I picked up this painting for $3. It is signed Anastasia Ramos. It's around 12x18". It's pretty funky but I'm liking it.

This rectangular vase was $1 and is signed Gotek, Venezuala. It's really tiny - like 2"x3".

And finally a bright yellow plastic table for $3. I still need to see if I can salvage the top. They had a couple more of these but with the dirty condition I didn't feel like taking a chance on more than one. Plus I don't know what I'm going to do with even one, let along three!

Vera Neumann Art Print

2011-06-12T22:41:00.001-05:00

So as it turns out the day I found my Herman Miller chairs I also had another great score. I found this print at a garage/estate sale for 50 cents. It was in an old acrylic frame that was pretty grungy and really I figured it was just a cheap print that wasn't worth a whole lot. But, it was cute, it was marked Vera, and it was dirt cheap so I picked it up. Then after finding my chairs I promptly forgot about it. When I finally got back to checking it out and taking it out of its frame I realized it is a really awesome screen print on nice heavy card stock AND it isn't just marked Vera - it is hand signed in pencil by Vera! Turns out these things are pretty rare. I've only been able to find one other example of a similar item online. They were supposedly given out to buyers and customers as gifts from Vera. Pretty neat. I have no idea what the value may be but the other one sold for around $100. I debated whether to sell this or keep it but I think I'll hold onto it for now.

Check out other great finds at Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.

Herman Miller Pair

2011-06-02T20:37:00.000-05:00

I was just lamenting yesterday on the fact that I have barely hit any sales this season. I've only bought a few little odds and ends here and there. It has been soooo long since I had a really big score. I only had one sale on my agenda today and that wasn't very fruitful, but after leaving that I stopped by a garage sale and BAM! These bright red-orange babies were sitting right at the curb just waiting for me! I almost never find anything mid-century modern in my little home town and certainly nothing this nice but the thrifting gods must have been smiling today. The chairs are in fantastic condition and are a red-orange color. The bases are the swivel variety. I'd love them on rockers but really swivels are way more fun than rockers so why mess with a good thing? The price - just $30 for the pair! They've taken up home in the corners of my dining room, replacing the Baumritter chairs I had there before.

Van Briggle Vase

2011-05-09T13:24:00.000-05:00

An estate sale just isn't complete without a bunch of ugly, dusty, fake flowers shoved into a vase. Typically ugly fake flowers are stuck in an ugly cheap vases, but I always check them out just in case. This time I got lucky! I was able to score this gorgeous Van Briggle vase for just $1.

Check out other fun finds at Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.

Retro Kitchen Finds

2011-04-25T16:33:00.000-05:00

Very little hunting going on my way. I've been too distracted with a new dog, spring planting, and a whole heap of other stuff. But I did manage to squeeze in an estate sale a little over a week ago and found just a few more retro items for my kitchen (not that I needed any!) The spice rack still has its original price tag attached - a whopping 25 cents! I paid a bit more at $3, but still not bad. The yellow and white plastic pitcher was also $3 and the red Pyrex bowl was $2. I'm thinking I'll try and see how long it will take me to complete that set.

I'm linking up with Apron Thift Girl's Thrift Share Monday this week. Love her blog! Check it out if you haven't already.

Cathrineholm

2011-03-26T11:21:00.000-06:00

I stopped in at River Market Antiques last week to browse around. The only thing that caught my eye was this Cathrineholm tea kettle. It's not in perfect condition - there is a chip on the spot, some rust around the spout on the inside, and some marks on the design. But hey, for $10 it looks pretty darn good!

Surprise Gift

2011-03-23T15:01:00.000-06:00

This fantastic Danish condiment set arrived over the weekend - a surprise gift from a friend. And what a great surprise! It was made by Lundtofte, is stainless steel and wood and is in terrific condition. I hadn't seen a set like this before and am very happy to add it to my collection. Thanks Micki!

Lotte Lamp

2011-03-07T19:24:00.000-06:00

A recent addition off of ebay. This fantastic vintage Lotte lamp is in pristine condition. I've been wanting one for a while now and while this one certainly wasn't dirt cheap it was over half the price a new one would be. And I'll take vintage over new any day!

Kitchen

2011-02-28T20:53:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my kitchen! I've noticed that I've pretty much ignored this room on my blog so I figured it was time to fix that.

The kitchen was done before I fell in love with MCM but I wouldn't change it anyway - it's bright and fun and I love it. I decorated around my Fire King red dot bowls. Love them, and obviously lots of other red and white kitchen collectibles! We did really minor renovations in here. Took down some weird moldings off off of the cabinets, painted and added new hardware, new laminate countertops, lighting, bead board backsplash, and new hardwood floors. Stainless appliances weren't all the rage when we bought ours but I like the white just fine. Stainless and little kids fingers don't really mesh well anyway! This is the one room in the house that really doesn't change much. I would like to get some different chairs but I haven't yet found any that I like (that are cheap) that can withstand my youngest child. He's a little hard on kitchen chairs!

On the Hunt Again

2011-02-18T17:40:00.001-06:00

Here are a few smalls I've found in the last week. Feels so good to be on the hunt again! The teak trough bowl is marked Sowe-Konst, Sweden and is 21" long. It is in perfect condition and was $12 at an estate sale.

The Little America penguin may just be one of my favorite things ever. It's legs move so he wobble when you touch him. It appears to have been a souvenir from the Little America hotel chain in Wyoming. Just $1 from an estate sale.

The hand made pottery vase is one of my rare thrift store finds. I have such bad luck at thrifts! It was 99 cents.

And finally a couple of orphan candle stick holders. They were $3-$3.50 from antique shops.

So Sick of Snow!

2011-01-24T14:49:00.000-06:00

I will be so happy when winter is over! I can't stand the snow. We've had way too much lately. At least we got our new porch railing installed before anyone went sliding off the edge of the porch. We had all new stairs and a new porch put in over a year ago. The railing didn't go up until a few months ago. We are still waiting on the matching hand rail to go up the stairs. As soon as spring is here I'll get a new light and house numbers put up. I'd love a different front door too, but this one isn't very old and (darn it) is in perfect shape. This certainly isn't my dream house, but it works for us and it's nearly paid for. Can't ask for much more than that!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T14:10:00.000-06:00

I must admit I had a really hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I always love decorating for the holidays but this year I think I would have skipped it altogether if I could have. The only picture I've taken is of the mantle. I couldn't bear to take down the painting so I didn't add much. Here is last year's display. I really liked that one.

We drug out the ugly old fake tree this year rather than getting a real one. It's too ugly to photograph. It is decked out in Target bag glory along with tons of other non-breakable ornaments. Can't wait till I can start using glass again! Hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season!

Panther Wanna Be

2010-12-10T14:12:00.000-06:00

Wow, long time no post! I've done pretty much no hunting for the past couple of months. I've barely even looked at craigslist for weeks. I typically fall off this time of year anyway with few sales and getting ready for the holidays, but this year has been even worse than usual. For a good reason though! Tomorrow I leave for a week long vacation with my sister. We are going on a 6 day Caribbean cruise - my first ever. Can't wait! Going to be a long time away from the kids but I guess I will manage.

I picked up the ceramic kitty above at a sale this summer for a couple of bucks. I think he's fun sitting next to his bigger cousin.

Desk Phone

2010-11-09T14:38:00.000-06:00

I have done no hunting over the past several weeks. I spent the better part of the last two weeks sick as a dog. So glad that is finally over! This phone is one of the last things I picked up, from probably the final garage sales of the year. I was wanting a vintage desk phone to use on my new Steelcase desk. This one certainly isn't my top choice - a nice shiny black rotary would be super - but the price was perfect. Free! Can't beat that. And it is in great condition and works perfect.

Boston Vacuum Mount Pencil Sharpener

2010-10-18T07:55:00.002-05:00

I picked up this old vacuum mount pencil sharpener at the same estate sale where I bought my desk. They just don't make pencil sharpeners like they used to! It works fantastic and looks great too. I have a thing for old office supplies. I bought an old stapler at the same sale. You just can't find that kind of quality in new stuff. Cost: $2.

Be sure to check out more thrifty finds at ATG's Thrift Share Monday.

Ooops!

2010-10-16T15:15:00.000-05:00

My apologies to all of the Pyrex lovers out there. I picked up this bowl with lid for 50 cents at a garage sale on Thursday. It WAS in very very good condition. Then I went put it in a cabinet and accidentally dropped another dish on top of it. The dropped dish was just fine but the Pyrex did not fare well. Boo! This is the bowl that it was. In better news, the lid did not take a hit so I'll save it for another orphan bowl.

Vintage Steelcase Single Pedestal Tanker Desk

2010-10-07T13:25:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite buy from last week. I've been keeping my eyes open for a new desk for my computer for quite a while. Previously I had one of those giant particle board monstrosities. A couple months back I bought an old metal desk for my office (which is really more of a craft and art studio - no computer in there). I almost used that one for my computer but it just wasn't the right fit.

Enter the Steelcase tanker desk. This is definitely the style of desk I wanted for my computer. I've only run across the double pedestal style desks before and really didn't want something that massive. This one is just 45" wide which is perfect! And I love that it has three regular drawers rather than a file drawer. I've got the filing issue covered already.

I found the desk at an estate sale. On day one it was priced at $40 - not bad at all! But, it was pretty grimy and I had no idea how it would clean up, plus my 3 year old was running loose so I just couldn't make up my mind. When I got home I kicked myself several times for not buying it! Fortunately it did not sell on day one of the sale and I went back and picked it up the next day for half off. Just $20 for the perfect desk! And to top it off it cleaned up really nice. The top is in near perfect condition and the drawers glide as smooth as butter. The color works perfectly with the color of my basement walls. (The lighting is wretched down there so the photo colors are a little off.) One more item checked off my wish list! Of course now I need a different light, a cool old desk phone, and ...

Vintage Finds

2010-10-04T07:46:00.002-05:00

It's been so long since I've done any real vintage hunting. Seems like forever! I finally got out to a few sales on Thursday and Friday. I didn't have a ton of time so I only went to a few places. Things started out a little spotty at the first estate sale I hit. Every time I touched something someone immediately snapped at me that they had already claimed it. Some seriously grumpy old men, I tell you! Anyway, after the grumpy men had already picked through stuff I still managed to find a few things. The best of my finds are not going to be in this post - I still need to take some photos. But here are a few of the items I bought.

My daughter has started a collection of miniatures. These were all a quarter each except for the biggest one which was 50 cents. The little toadstools are my favorite.


My youngest son loves everything trucks and I tend to be a sucker for any old rusty metal truck I come across that isn't priced sky high. I bought him this trailer for 25 cents. I assumed that with all of the vehicles he has that one would be able to pull this thing. I was wrong. He immediately asked where the truck was to go with it. Just can't win with a 3 year old.

This is a floor lamp - sort of. Someone married the two pieces together. The light is marked Acme-lite and the stand is Victor. I still need to clean it up and rewire the light. It has a great industrial look. I'll try to take a better photo once I get it all fixed up. I paid $5.

This is my favorite item from this post. I used to think this style of vase was just hideous. It's crazy how tastes change! The vase is really hefty and is marked Viking. It's nearly 20" tall. This was a splurge for me at $6, but I'm loving it.

Cook's Paint and Varnish Co.

2010-09-30T23:29:00.000-05:00

Recently I helped my mother-in-law clean out some of her storage area. We had a big garage sale at her house. I ended up getting rid of a ton more of my stuff too. One of the items I sold was an old cabinet that housed a lot of toys in the basement. My mother-in-law was going to sell this great old crate from Cook's Paint and Varnish Co. My husband's Grandpa had worked there so this had belonged to him. I decided to adopt it for extra toy storage in place of the cabinet.

I thought this was going to be an easy task but it turned out a little more involved than I planned. The crate was super filthy and no amount of scrubbing could come close to getting it clean. I had to scrub, then sand it quite a bit to remove both the grime and the splinters. The metal binding was fairly rusty so I had to take a wire brush to that. Then I gave it a clear coat of stain to revive the wood a bit (it soaked it up like crazy!) Finally, more sanding and three coats of polyurethane. Casters on the bottom completed the project. It doesn't hold near as much as the cabinet, but it's a lot more fun!

My mother-in-law also gave me this old Cook's shellac can. It was coated with grime but cleaned up very nice. I've got it on a shelf above the toy box.

Book Review

2010-09-26T13:50:00.000-05:00

I read tons of books. Way too much sometimes. I have a bad habit of getting sucked into books and not being able to put them down until I finish. It's especially bad when I get into a series. One of the last ones I got into had like 11 books or something in it and I got no rest until I finished them all. (Series are evil!) Seems like almost every book I pick up anymore is a series and usually I just want to read a self contained novel.

I tend to stick with authors I know but yesterday I pulled this one randomly off of the new shelf at the library. The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley. I have pretty spotty luck when I do that but this was a definite hit! I would say this is easily one of the best novels I have ever read. I didn't start this book until late last night (like 10:00) and that was unfortunate. Because I read the entire book straight through in one sitting! It's that good. I literally could not force myself to stop turning pages. It was after 4:00 before I finally crawled in bed and then I couldn't stop thinking about it.

The book is basically the story of one family as they try to survive a pandemic that is sweeping through the world. I love apocalyptic type stories so this was right up my alley but I will warn you that there is a lot of death in this book so if that bothers you the book might not be for you. It seems like so many page turners that I read end up having wretched endings but this book nails it straight through to the end. It's not a 100% everything is roses and gumdrops kind of ending but it is a very fitting ending that wrapped up everything nicely. I wasn't left feeling like there was more to the story that I was missing like I am at the end of many books. I may even go back and read the entire thing again just because I flew through it so fast the first time. It is that good.

Bottom line - if you love to read you must pick up this book!

Filing Makeover

2010-09-07T17:25:00.000-05:00

I've been looking for a new lateral file cabinet to replace two smaller cabinets for a couple of years now. Ok, so I wasn't looking toooo hard but I've been keeping a look out for a descent one at a descent price. They are always so pricey! I stumbled across this one a couple months ago (little behind in my posting!) for $40 at River Market Antiques. I couldn't believe the price! It doesn't actual hang the files laterally - it has two front facing rows in each drawer - which is even better. I was planning on shoving it into my storage closet where the old ones were but it actually looks nice enough to be out in the open where it is more accessible. And since I don't really have a side table for that end of the couch it works out great for now.

To make the deal sweeter the same day I bought this I found an old metal desk in great condition for FREE off craigslist. It is a cream color with chrome legs and a light brown laminate top. I failed to get a picture before I put it in my office and that room is too tiny for photos. My old desk was one of those assemble yourself particleboard jobs and I was so tired of it. It also had a matching lateral file cabinet. The file drawers in my new desk are so deep that I was able to fit everything from the old lateral cabinet into it. Then I sold the old desk and two of the file cabinets for $35. The final cabinet I donated to the DAV.

Net cost for my filing makeover: just $5! Love it.

2010-08-27T09:27:00.000-05:00

Here's a description for a sale in my town this morning:

Big Sale These are New Items Not Used Clothing all Sizes All Ages ,Human Hair Weaves and Some Wigs ,Belts,Underwear,Socks,Shorts,Purses,Wallets,Infants to Adults,
Automotive,Paper Goods, Paper Towels,Trash Bags,T Paper, Chainsaws and Bars ,Lights,Lot of Everything.

Now I don' t know about you but a sale with human hair AND chainsaws? I think I'm gonna pass. Bad Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibe going on there.

Back to the Bedroom

2010-08-25T21:14:00.001-05:00

I have finally gotten around to taking pictures of my bedroom in its current state. You may remember months ago I was trying to find a black blanket to put at the end of my bed (see before blanket look here.) I had several mishaps trying to find something I liked and ended up with the Vilme from Ikea. I lucked out and on the day that a different blanket I ordered arrived and I realized it was awful, my husband just happened to be out of town right near an Ikea (we don't have one near KC.) I had him go pick this one up - the last one in the store! And the price was like $20. Waaaaay cheaper than any of the others I was looking at. I think it works pretty well. I made a pair of throw pillows to sort of match. There are still plenty of things I want to tweak in the room (definitely need new night stands) but I can live with this. I still would like to try removing the box springs and see how I like a lower bed but just haven't gotten to it yet.

And just for fun, here is what the bedroom looked like at the beginning of the year. Quite a change!

Mid Century Modern Chair Infusion

2010-08-23T15:21:00.000-05:00

Enough with the chairs already! I've got chairs up to my eyeballs. I bought three of these chairs last week at auction for $25 total - the shell chair, the danish style wood chair, and the retro stool. The pod chair with the swivel base came from the thrift store earlier this summer for $7. I had planned to possibly use it in my office but it ended up being too big so I sold it on craigslist for $40. Not sure where the other three are going yet!

I really wish I'd taken a before shot of the fiberglass shell chair before I cleaned it up. It was a mess. The metal looked all rusty and pitted and the fiberglass was seriously nasty dirty. I really thought I'd have to do a complete sanding job on it but after a good scrubbing it really looks great! The metal is not rusted or pitted and the fiberglass is still nice and shiny. Not sure what the nasty substance was that was coating it and it's probably best that I don't!

The wood chair is in pretty nice shape. So far I haven't found a spot to put it so I may end up having to sell it. If I keep it I might put some fun fabric on the seat.

The stool had the same nasty dirty issues as the shell chair. I really thought this thing was too trashed to salvage. But, whatever was on the chrome came off and it is in fantastic shape! Wish I could say the same for the seat fabric. I actually quite like the crusty old fabric against the shiny chrome but the massive rips around the side are a problem. Haven't decided if I'll put on new fabric or try some funky patch job of the old stuff. Any suggestions?

As always don't forget to check out the latest edition of Thrift Share Monday at Apron Thrift Girl.

From Curbside Trash to Ebay Gold

2010-08-18T17:02:00.000-05:00

I am totally bumming right now. I just missed out on a pair of Danish wall units on craigslist for a steal. I've been searching for one for *ever* and they are impossible to find. DRAT! Kicking myself for not checking cl earlier in the day like I usually do.

In happier news I've been doing a lot of ebaying the last couple of weeks. Mostly a lot of vintage toys and collectibles that have been packed away in boxes for too long. I don't sell very often as it always ends up consuming too much time (and making me miss out on Danish wall units) but once in a while I'll list a bunch of stuff at once. I've done well this go around with over $1000 in sales so far. Hurray! My favorite sale items were these old airline and railroad ticket stubs and jackets. The photo only shows a portion of what I had. I made over $100 total on them. The best part? I found them curbside this Spring on big trash day. Someone had literally thrown them in the trash. Even better than the money I made, I love that I was able to get them to people who would really appreciate them.

And on that note I have a small item to giveaway that I picked up at the same curbside heap. I will send this NIP vintage pair of Glamalon nylons to the first person who comments that they want them. I love the graphics on the package.

Mid Century Modern Floor Lamp

2010-08-09T12:30:00.001-05:00

I've been looking for a floor lamp for living room for quite a while now. I arrived at an estate sale a few months ago to find someone walking out with an awesome pole lamp and kicked myself for about a month afterwards for not getting there just a few minutes earlier. That has to be the worst when you see the item you've been searching for and it's already sold.

So I was out on Saturday morning hitting a few sales. I came upon a little going out of business sale that wasn't particularly interesting but it was inside of a little building and I was looking around for probably 10 minutes or so. When I came out it was like I had stepped through a time portal or something. The street that I was on that had been dead just a few minutes earlier was teeming with people. There was a house a couple of doors up from this business that I was in that had a driveway loaded with really nice, high end furniture that had been empty when I had pulled up! Milling around were tons of people, all dressed nicely (not the usual garage sale crowd) and they all were just hanging out watching these guys pull stuff out of the garage. Everyone seemed to know each other and there was a real party-like atmosphere to the place. I kept expecting someone to bring around cocktails and cheese on silver platters. Obviously this must have been a by invitation only sale as there were no signs and everyone but me seemed to be in the inner circle. But whatever, I didn't let that stop me from buying this awesome mid century floor lamp.

The bottom of the lamp is a fabulous speckled golden ceramic. It's sandwiched between pieces of teak. The shade isn't anything to write home about but it is original and in good condition - can't ask for much more than that! The lamp is really in terrific condition. I paid $65 for the lamp - not garage sale prices for sure but I think it was still a really good deal. Unfortunately I didn't have that much cash on me and had to run to the ATM because they told me they weren't taking checks. Of course when I got back the lady checking out in front of me was writing a check. Go figure. Course they seemed to know her and I was an obvious outsider at the event.

I guess it was just the morning for odd garage sale experiences because at the first sale I hit there was a crew videoing a guy looking at stuff at the sale. He was explaining what each item was -like it was for some show or something. I guess I should have asked but I didn't want to interrupt them. Plus I wanted to leave ASAP before I was caught on camera or something. Hopefully I'm not in the background of whatever they were taping.

Be sure to check out Selena's great mid century finds right here for thrift share Monday!

Los Angeles Pottery "Cookies All Over" Cookie Jar

2010-08-04T14:12:00.003-05:00

This morning I ventured out to an estate sale that looked promising. The area it was in typically has really good prices. They ended up having some descent items but almost everything was way way overpriced - most things well over what they would be at an antique shop. And on top of that the signage to the place was terrible. I drove by it like five times before I figured out which house it was at. Needless to say there weren't a lot of shoppers and the couple of other people there weren't buying much!

All that said I did manage to find a treasure. This may have been the only item in the place that was an absolute steal. We had one of these ~~Napco~~ Los Angeles Pottery "Cookies All Over" jars around our house when I was younger. I always thought it was the ugliest thing ever. Oh how things change! Well, the sellers obviously thought it was the ugliest thing ever too as they had it marked for just $3. And they looked at me like I was a freak for buying it. They can easily bring 10 times that on ebay. And this one is in great condition - no chips or cracks at all, just the normal crazing you would expect.

Thrift Share Monday

2010-08-02T11:44:00.000-05:00

How about a thrift share Monday! I picked up a few fun things on Friday. This set of blocks is my absolute favorite find. They have different activities on each side of the block. Some sides have little puzzles or sequencing, one side is the alphabet, colors, number, shapes. They were $1 from a church garage sale. Everything else was 50 cents a piece from an estate sale. I just couldn't pass up that prissy little red octopus!

Fab $5 Friday Find

2010-07-30T16:35:00.000-05:00

I bought this fab aluminum rocking chair at an estate sale this morning for $5. It'd be a great chair for kicking back with a cold glass of lemonade.

Antique Shop Buys

2010-07-12T11:06:00.000-05:00

Garage sales were a complete bust this past week. I didn't buy a single item. I did pick up a few items at one of the first Friday antique shops so I'll share those instead.

I found the large size bowl that was missing from the set of Pyrex I bought a few weeks ago. It was more than the other bowls put together but at $7 it was still pretty cheap and I couldn't pass up the chance to make it a complete set. The plastic clock was my favorite purchase. After the discount it was $8 and works perfectly and more importantly quietly! Most older clocks I find either have a horrible hum or tick obnoxiously. And finally, the tall vase was $6. It's probably around 18" tall - hard to tell from the picture. Actually the photo makes it look slightly obscene but in person it looks perfectly decent. If you haven't stopped by Selena's yet (and you probably have) go check out her latest installment of thrift share Monday.

Before and After - Webbed Aluminum Lawn Chair

2010-07-06T20:25:00.000-05:00

I picked up this old child's lawn chair a couple of weeks ago at an estate sale for $3. The webbing was in sad shape (although not as broken as it is in the picture after my 3 year old got a hold of it) but I had to have it when I saw that it is a glider. It's hard to tell in the photo but the base is stationary and the seat moves back and forth. I haven't seen a child's chair like this before.

The project was really easy once I got the old rivets removed that held in the original webbing. That was a chore! I ordered new webbing from this site. There is also a pretty good selection of webbing on ebay. I rubbed down the chair with steel wool, attached the webbing with new screws, and it is as good as new! It probably took less than 30 minutes to put on the new webbing. And now that is complete and sitting on the patio I don't think my 3 year old has sat in it one time. Figures!

Pyrex

2010-06-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

It's time again for Thrift Share Monday over at Apron Thrift Girl. I only went to a couple of sales on Thursday and none over the weekend so I didn't have a lot of finds. But I did pick up a few pieces of Pyrex. I bought these in a lot along with a few other items and spent around $1 a piece. The pair of refrigerator dishes aren't my favorite color and there is only one lid, but I want to replace all of my crummy old plastic containers with glass so I was happy to find them. The stack of three mixing bowls are in perfect condition. It's funny I found a similar set a couple of years ago in the same color (for only 50 cents!) and turned around and sold them because I didn't like the color. I'm loving it now and these will be staying with me! My only other mentionable find was an adorable child's lawn chair that needs a little TLC. I'll be doing a before and after post on it very soon.

Art Pottery Pitcher

2010-06-15T14:43:00.000-05:00

I found this great hand thrown pottery pitcher a while back at a garage sale. I have no business starting a new collection of anything at all but I have a bad feeling it is inevitable. I love it so much! Price: $2.00.

An Owl and Some Bowls

2010-06-14T09:18:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of recent finds. I bought This little owl painting a couple of weekends ago for 25 cents. I inadvertently left him out of my cheap art post. It's not exactly fine art but the whole thing is only about 4x6" which makes it really sweet.

The glass bowls were my only find of the weekend. It started pouring rain while I was out which cut the hunt short. I love the colors on these and for 50 cents a piece I couldn't resist getting one of each.

Refinished Concrete Table Top

2010-06-10T15:42:00.000-05:00

One long overdue project is finally finished! I bought my dining table off of craigslist a couple of years ago for $75. It wasn't really what I was looking for but it was just the right size for my space. I had been looking for something forever so I decided this one could work at least until I found just the right thing. It supposedly came from Pottery Barn. The table has really worked out better than I had hoped. It is the perfect size and the top is concrete - which is great for kids! The bad thing is the previous owners had painted over the concrete. I have no idea what would possess someone to do such a thing. You really can't tell in pictures but the paint job was pretty poor (old pictures here). The brush strokes were really bad and there were tons of chips. I thought it would be a pretty easy job to strip and refinish the concrete. Turns out I was way wrong! It ended up being a major pain and took forever to get the surface smooth. But now it is as smooth as can be and it coordinates with my entry tile. Overall I'm really happy with it and I think I can live with it for as long as we live in this house.

Ring, Ring!

2010-06-09T11:10:00.002-05:00

My three year old loves to play with old phones. There is a booth at an antique mall that we go to sometimes that has a bunch of them and I always have to drag him out of there. So when I found this old phone at a garage sale this weekend for a quarter I snatched it up. We hung it on the wall in the dining room at kid height and now he can play with it to his hearts content.

Art on the Cheap

2010-06-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pieces of art I've picked up lately for super cheap at garage sales. This gorgeous lady was also $1. She is dated 1959 and is done in pastels - very nice work!

The gravel art was $1. I'm not a huge gravel art fan but I decided for that price that my home should really have a piece. The little foot stool it is leaning against was $2.

The street scene is an oil painting and is also extremely well executed. I think it was around $3. It's still waiting to be hung along with a pile of kid art that I've framed.

Peacock Chenille

2010-06-07T15:48:00.000-05:00

Here's my fab find from last Friday. This fantastic chenille bedspread was wadded up in a garbage sack along with a bunch of other blankets at a garage sale. I nabbed it without even opening it up for $2. I was really surprised at how good of condition it is in. There is one small tear and one ink spot on it but other than that it looks great! The colors are so bright and the peacock is killer. It's going in the closet for now but I might break it out every once in a while when I need a bit of cheer.

Vintage Office Chair

2010-05-26T23:20:00.001-05:00

I can probably count the number of items I've found at thrift stores on one hand - not many! Maybe I just don't go often enough or maybe the ones I've been too are just crummy, I don't know. I recently came across the blog Mod2Mod. The author finds the most amazing stuff at thrift stores! I am totally jealous. I did have some minor success at a local thrift today. This old office chair is in fantastic condition and was a steal for $2.50. Not bad!

Yellow Elephant Bank

2010-05-26T00:02:00.002-05:00

My new blanket arrived today! And it totally sucked. It looked terrible on the bed and the quality wasn't what I expected. Boo! Back to the drawing board. In happier news I've bought some fun things lately. This guy is super cheery. Found at an estate sale for $3.

My Happy Corner

2010-05-19T23:19:00.002-05:00

My favorite little corner of the master bedroom. I bought the tulip chair off of craigslist for $40 (after selling some curbside chairs for $40) and found the Basset Hound paint by numbers at an antique shop for $8 a piece.

Bedding Choices - Opinions Wanted

2010-05-18T20:30:00.001-05:00

Well, my bedding woes continue. The blanket I ordered is out of stock and the only other places I can find it are in Sweden and I don't think they will ship to the US. So I've been trying to decide on an alternate. Here are my top choices right now. I'd love opinions on which one to go for.

I love this one but it is charcoal rather than black. Not sure if it will look faded next to the curtains.

Option number two is a nice wool blanket. I'm not totally sold on it but it would at least add the punch of black that I need. You would think it would be easy to find a black and white blanket but it's turning out to be quite the chore! I did at least finally find a duvet I like:

I'm not buying it - too pricey. Plus then I'd probably need to repaint the headboard or it'd be too much yellow. But I do really like it and it would likely fit the down comforter I bought. Most of the duvet covers I found were way too small for my comforter. Very frustrating!

Command Performance Peony

2010-05-17T21:50:00.000-05:00

It's been raining for what seems like forever and it finally quit this afternoon. I came out to find the first ever bloom on my Command Performance peony open and simply gorgeous! It was the bright spot of my day.

Thank You, Thank You!

2010-05-15T19:50:00.000-05:00

Thanks everyone for your input on my bedroom! It's great having a fresh perspective. I've decided to stick with the "curtains" and bedding that I have and take Julie's suggestion and add a black and white blanket at the end of the bed. I had thought about adding some bold felt accents to the top of the duvet but wasn't sure how washable it would be so I'm going with the blanket. I ordered this one:

I found it on sale but it was still pretty pricey - I think I paid around $135 with shipping from Australia. Way more than I've ever spend on a blanket before! I had a big garage sale this weekend and did really well so I decided I deserved the splurge. We ended up making over $500 at our sale, which shocked me! And to think I almost didn't participate (it was a neighborhood sale) since I thought I didn't think I had enough stuff to put in. Now my closets are lighter and I'll hopefully have a great blanket for my troubles. I'll post an update when it gets here. Next on my wish list for the bedroom are some different night stands. The hunt is on!

Master Bedroom Update - Opinions Wanted!

2010-05-12T11:09:00.000-05:00

I've made some progress in the master bedroom and would love opinions on the new bedding and curtains. I can't decide if I like it or not. I definitely don't hate it but then again it's not what I originally pictured either. So give me the good the bad and the ugly!

The duvet is Thomas O'Brien from Target and the "bedskirt" is a sheet from the same line (definitely needs ironed!) The curtains are Dwell Studio tablecloths from Target. I couldn't find actual curtains that I liked anywhere.

Eventually I want to add more art to the wall. I want to have just original paintings there. The one at the top left will eventually find a different home but I needed it here for now. I'll hopefully get photos of the rest of the room taken soon but I'd love to here what you think so far - good or bad!

Curbside Headboard - Before and After

2010-04-26T15:23:00.000-05:00

After abandoning the idea of buying an upholstered bed from Room & Board I decided to see if I could find something curbside on big trash day that I could makeover. At worst I'd end up hating it and it could go back out to the curb. At best I could save myself spending hundreds of dollars on something I wasn't thrilled with. After a long city wide search I found this 70's vintage beast in my own neighborhood. Just the sort of thing I was after. It was actually in not too bad of condition. It is solid (heavy) oak except for the raised detailing which is that fake plastic stuff that was painted to look like wood.

I painted the beast with Sherwin Williams Gambol Gold. I think it turned out fun and it's something I can definitely live with until the perfect bed comes along!

I also finally painted my formally raspberry walls gray. The color is Cobblestone Path from Benjamin Moore. I have to say it is not exactly the color I was going for but I think maybe it's growing on me. It has a little more purple in it than I was expecting. I'm working on getting new bedding and curtains and then I'll get the whole room photographed.

Trashed! A Mid Century Adjustable Length Slat Bench

2010-04-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

It was big trash day this week and like the true junker that I am I was on the lookout for trashed treasures. My big mission was to find an old, ugly headboard that I could salvage for my master bedroom. And I found it! But I'll save that and my other finds pulled from the curb in another post. This one is dedicated to one of the greatest travesties of justice I have ever seen perpetrated against a piece of furniture in my life. The purple painted slat bench!

I don't know what this slat bench ever did to anyone but surely it did not deserve this! Painted purple, left out to the elements, and then plopped on the curb under a cruddy old tv like a common piece of trash. Oh the humanity of it all! I was passing by this house when out of the corner of my eye I spied what looked like slats. Purple slats, but slats. I screeched to a halt, back up, and pulled this baby out. The ends weren't extended and it had about a dozen more layers of filth on it than it does in these photos, but I could tell that at one time it was a beauty. I tossed it in the back of the truck and happily hauled it home.

And to my surprise I brought home more than just the bench. As I was cleaning it up I noticed what looked like a bracelet in a groove along the bottom of the slat. I went to pull it out and it started moving! Turned out to be an itty bitty snake. Yep, a snake was living in this bench. It was hard to get him out but eventually I did and set him free in the garden.

I've got a lot of work in store to restore this old bench, but I'm going to give it a shot. My biggest worry is that some of the slats are warped. It is definitely going to be a challenging project but I can't stand to see it trashed. It'll probably be quite a while before I get to this project, but when I'll post an update. Happy hunting!

Minneapolis Road Trip

2010-04-15T14:25:00.002-05:00

My husband and I took a little road trip to Minneapolis last weekend. It was the first time I've been gone overnight since my almost three year old was born and probably only the second overnight trip we've had together since my almost 13 year old was born! It was long overdue but it's always a bit worrying to be so far away from the kids.

A big part of our trip involved hitting the Room & Board outlet store. I've been thinking about getting one of their upholstered beds for our master bedroom but definitely do not want to shell out $1200 for one! I wasn't totally sold on the ones at the outlet and they were still $900. I've pretty much decided to go with plan B and find something vintage that I can adapt. We did almost buy a desk. It was at least half off, maybe a little more, but I couldn't decide if it would be just right for our space or not. So in the end all I ended up buying was a small glass round for $20 (90% off). The glass table tops were definitely the best priced items in the place!

I had to do a little hunting while I was there and found a few things to buy at an estate sale. It was one of those sales where everything is either super cheap or reasonable and I so wished I had been there when it opened! Here is what I brought home:

A pair of super cute Swedish lamps for $1 each.

A set of 4 Holt Howard mugs dated 1962 for $2.

Adorable cut outs of a boy on masonite for 50 cents.

A pair of comfy folding chairs for $4 each (we needed some).

And a framed felt art piece for $2 or $3.

The last item I bought on our trip came from an antique shop. I bought this pink Mr. Sprinkle laundry bottle for $8. I had to have it to go with my blue and red bottles. I'm pretty sure I've seen green and yellow Mr. Sprinkles at some point so I'll be on the lookout for those!

Swedish Candlesticks and a Big Blue Vase

2010-04-07T23:24:00.004-05:00

Just a quick post to share a couple of recent finds. The awesome candlestick pair are Swedish. I got them off of ebay. I think the total with shipping was around $13. They look so much like red tulips - my favorite flower this time of year!

I picked the glass vase up an antique shop on Saturday for $12. The lightening for my picture was poor but this is a really great blue color - it is really tall at over 15" high.

Baumritter, Viko Dining Set

2010-04-02T16:43:00.003-06:00

I came across this Viko Dining Set by Baumritter on craigslist for $150 and even though I didn't need it, I had to have it! The set has four swivel chairs with dark blue vinyl seats and a round table. I couldn't find a use for the table right now so I took the top off and have it stored away. Two of the chairs found a home in my dining room and the other two are being used in the basement for now.

Metal Sunburst & Geese Wall Sculpture

2010-03-19T10:18:00.003-06:00

I've seen these sculptures quite a few times in antique shops and they've really been growing on me. Not enough to shell out much for one but when I found this one for $3 I decided to nab it. Unfortunately it was not in the best condition. You can see in the bottom photo that it had tons of surface rust and the geese are all wonky. I figured the only way of making it presentable would be to paint the whole thing - a nice bright yellow. But after taking some steel wool to and straightening up the geese and rays it looks a million times better! It's a long way from mint condition but I kind of like it this way. I have it hanging over one of my new dressers and it looks great there. Can't wait to get those walls painted!

Danish Modern Candlestick Holders

2010-03-16T15:38:00.003-06:00

Here are two sets of candlestick holders that I picked up recently from local antique shops. The white pair was $12 and the set of three purple ones was $22. Love them!

American of Martinsville Table and a Thrifted Brass Lamp

2010-02-18T13:45:00.004-06:00

I found this little American of Martinsville side table/night stand last month on the same day as I bought my new dressers. I found it at Grandpa's Used Furniture (thanks Kris for the tip on that place!) This was the first time that I was *finally* able to check it out. I paid $50 for the table - a little more than I would like but it is the perfect size and I have been searching for side table for so long! I still need a couple more.

Unfortunately my cork lamp is a bit too tall to sit on this table so I had to move it across the room. In its place I found this old brass lamp at the thrift store for $5.50. It has a mate that I am still working on. They are from England and were in quite a dismal state when I found them. It took a lot of Brasso, steel wool, and elbow grease to get this one shiny and new. And then of course new wiring and a new shade from Target. And like all old lamps once all is said and done they are no longer cheap finds. But at least they aren't cookie cutter and I'd say I'm totally in love with them but really I just kind of like them. But, I'm happy to have saved them from withering away on the shelf at the thrift store and they suite my needs for now so it's a happy ending all around!

Broyhill Forward 70

2010-01-25T14:47:00.005-06:00

Last year at this time I was starting on the redo of my living room. This year it's the master bedroom that is in for a makeover. Our first major purchase after getting married was a master bedroom suite complete with a four poster bed, two dressers, and two night stands. Now, almost 15 years later the set still looks brand new. That's a good thing I guess but it has kept me from feeling like I could get rid of it! It is still a beautiful set but I've really come to hate entire sets of matching furniture. A lot!

So two Saturdays ago I was out and ran across an estate sale - the first one of the year for me. It was near closing time on half price day so I didn't expect to find anything. But this pair of vintage Broyhill Forward 70 dressers was still there and was calling my name. They are in amazing condition! I've really been wanting some pieces from the Brasilia line but the few I've come haven't been in anywhere near this condition. I paid $100 for the dresser with mirrors and $80 for the other. I missed out on the night stand that had already sold but I guess I don't want to get too matchy matchy again anyway so maybe that is a good thing.

Next on the redo list is to sell the old furniture. I need to find a queen bed frame to use while I look for new bed and then I'll list the set on craigslist. I'm leaning towards getting an upholstered bed, possibly the Hoffman from Room & Board. I think if I bring in a wood one it will just be too much wood again. We really have to have two dressers with the lack of closet space in the house.

After that the raspberry paint has got to go! I'm thinking of going with gray walls and yellow bedding. I love that color combo. We will see. Right now I'm just happy that the room is starting it's transformation!

Bob Mildrexler

2010-01-19T15:31:00.003-06:00

Last summer I went to an art auction and feel in love with the paintings of Bob Mildrexler. I don't know much about him other than I believe he was local to the KC area and all of the paintings I have seen were from the mid 60s to 70s. There was one large painting in particular at the auction that I really wanted and bid pretty high on but ended up letting it go. And I regretted it! The only bad thing about that painting was the size. It would have been way too big to fit over my fireplace - which is where I have been wanting a painting. And then today at River Market Antiques I found this! The size couldn't be more perfect (it is 2'x4') and the colors are awesome. It was painted in 1977 and has a similar look as the other painting I loved. It didn't come cheap but it was worth every penny!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T00:20:00.003-06:00

I had grand plans to post a ton this month. Didn't happen! But I couldn't let the year go by without at least one little Christmas post. I went pretty light on the decorating this year and even lighter on the photo taking! That had a little bit to do with my camera nightmare of thinking my old digital was bad, getting a new one, realizing it was my lens that bit the dust, ordering a new lens, and having it arrive broken. Fun times! The bonus is I now have two great cameras. Still waiting on a UPS claim to get a different lens. I was also without my mac for a while after my favorite two year old shoved paper (and who knows what else) into the disk drive. They don't work so well like that.

We went with a real Charlie Brown tree this year. I overfilled it with lights and draped on tons of plastic ornaments. A few awesome vintage ones I picked up this year plus a ton of new ones I got dirt cheap after Christmas last year, and a bunch of my Target bag ornaments. Destructo boy has so far managed to break two of my oldies. The kid has talent.

Finishing up the Christmas shopping seemed to take forever this year. I usually wrap it up in about August but I just found the last gift on my list today. Whew! I kept very busy the past two months selling a ton of stuff on ebay. Lightened my Christmas decorations a lot! Feels good to have more room to breath.

Have a wonderful Christmas!!

Brown Stuff

2009-11-20T15:00:00.012-06:00

An assortment of "brown" items I picked up at a sale recently. It was about $4 total for everything here. My favorite is the Bojesen style monkey. Not near as nice as the real thing but not bad for $1!

Vinyl Chairs and Family Room

2009-11-05T15:24:00.014-06:00

At the same time that I had cushions made for my mid century lounge chairs, I had a pair of blue vinyl chairs recovered. I bought these about 5 years ago at an auction for $5. They were in okay shape but they had been used outside at some point and the vinyl was very brittle. One day one of them burst a giant hole in the seat. I had planned on recovering them myself but decided it was well worth having someone else do it! I had them upholstered in the same color vinyl that they were originally. I also refinished the arms and repainted the legs in the original copper color. Good as new! One sits in my family room and the other is in the basement.

I know I've shown bits of my family room before but here are some shots of the entire space. I really love this room. The colors definitely make me happy. This room was in BHG's Do It Yourself magazine a couple of years ago. I think the deposit box shelves have been in there a few times. I like to change up what is on the mantle every now and then and lately it has been gathering a bunch of red and white signs. I'm getting kind of tired of that but in a few weeks it'll be time to Christmas it up.

Seems like whenever I see anyone with a tv armoire like we have they are painting it up but I still love mine the way it is. If we ever go to a flatscreen tv I'll switch to a vintage credenza but we don't plan on doing that anytime soon. The metal coffee table is one of my favorite pieces in the room. I found it for $15 at an estate sale. It was filthy dirty when I bought it but it cleaned up very nice!

Mr. Sprinkle and Whistle Guy

2009-10-29T22:13:00.005-06:00

I.popped in an estate sale last week and picked up a few things. Mostly junk for the kids but I did find a red Mr. Sprinkle laundry bottle to go with the blue one I got at estate sale a long time back. I paid $1 for the red and I have no idea on the blue. I know they came in other colors as well so I'll be on the lookout to add to the collection! I also paid $1 for the plastic Avon "Clean as a Whistle" soap bottle. The little dude's head is an actual whistle. How cute is that?!?

Before and AFter Lounge Chairs

2009-10-13T00:28:00.009-05:00

I finally have new cushions for my lounge chairs! They had been at the upholsterers for over two months and I just picked them up last Thursday. They were well worth the wait - she did an amazing job on them. After living with the gold/orange cushions for so long I really had gotten used to them. If both chairs had been identical I might have kept them as is. The cushions weren't even the same size on each chair. Plus while one had super comfy filling, the other was not so great. I really stressed over the new fabric choice but I really like it so far. It is a Knoll fabric that I bought off of ebay for much less than regular retail.

Below is an overview of what the living and dining rooms look like now. I still have a few things on my wish list. The first thing I want to do is change out the curtains. While I like the curtains I don't think they work real well in here. I definitely want to go floor to ceiling, possibly a pinch pleat drapery, with a nicer rod. So far I haven't found anything that even comes close to working. I'm definitely open to suggestions!

Egg Heads

2009-10-06T10:30:00.002-05:00

Two cutesy little Japan egg cups found for $1 at a garage sale. It's been weeks since I've done any hunting. I need to get out soon before the sales completely dry up!

Hooty Has a New Home In...

2009-10-01T23:59:00.003-05:00

Taiwan! I pulled Julie K's name out of my basket. I hope you enjoy him Julie!

Before and After

2009-09-28T11:49:00.003-05:00

I found this cruddy little garage work stool at a sale a while back for $2. I was going to pass but my daughter thought it could be neat fixed up so I thought I'd see what I could pull off. I gave it a good scrubbing, wire brushed it, and spray painted. I recovered the (very gross carpet covered seat) with some Amy Butler fabric and some padding. Now it is an odd little book reading spot for my wee one. I kind of wish I'd painted it a different color - maybe a yellow. Not my best project ever but it was fun anyway!

Calling All Owl Lovers - Adopt an Owl!

2009-09-24T16:33:00.004-05:00

Wow, it's been way too long since I posted. I've got lots to post but all of my recent projects are unfinished. I spent most of the last two weeks sorting through my scrapbooking and craft mess so that I can work in my office again. I had a big sale last Fri and Sat and sold all of the scrapbooking stuff I weeded out plus other misc stuff. It is so nice to be lighter!

This poor little owl that I bought earlier this summer has still not found a nesting spot in my home. If you think you have a spot for him in your house then leave me a comment by the end of the month and I'll enter you in a drawing. I'll pick a name on Oct 1. Good luck!

Daytona Charger

2009-08-31T13:51:00.005-05:00

One area where I don't skimp is on my car. We live in smaller house than we can afford, I always shop sales, use coupons, and obviously I buy most of our home furnishings second hand. But my husband and I like to drive nice cars. We just brought this new Daytona Charger home over the weekend. My previous car was almost identical minus the Daytona graphics. I loved it but this has a few other minor details that my old Charger didn't have like a touch screen radio (so awesome) plus a better warranty and - more horsepower! You can never have too much horsepower.

I'm working on a few minor projects and hope to have at least one finished soon so I can post a before and after. Now I have to go play with that new radio!

Thirft Store Find

2009-08-20T14:11:00.003-05:00

I very rarely go to thrift stores. I've never had much luck at the ones around here. Every once in a while the kids like to go in and look around at the toy selection at one local shop. Last week we went in and I finally found something! This shiny black pottery rooster was $5. I don't know anything about it (it is unmarked) but he is very fun.

Toy Storage

2009-08-16T23:46:00.007-05:00

The hardest thing about decorating when you have young kids is finding a place for all of the toys! Our home has limited closet space so I'm always on the lookout for new storage solutions to keep toys handy but out of sight. I can't stand the clutter of toys strewn everywhere. Almost every room in the house has a basket or bin of some sort to keep toys tucked away.

I picked up this little locker at a garage sale recently for $8. It had obviously been used by kids before as it was covered in stickers! Took a bit of work but now it is looking good as new. I'm not real sure the original purpose for the locker. The emblem on the front says "Hot N Cold" which sounds like it would be a cooler of some sort but it isn't at all insulated so that surely isn't it. It is only 3' tall and has little slanted shelves inside. Whatever the original intent it is perfect for holding some of my youngest son's cars and trucks. He loves anything on wheels! I did have most of these piled in an old locker basket but now he can see just what he has. And best of all, when you close the door - the clutter is gone!

Pottery

2009-08-10T10:03:00.002-05:00

I haven't been out hunting for the past two weeks. It looked like I missed out on a few good sales while I was away on vacation. Bummer! Here are a couple of pottery pieces I picked up a while back. I can't remember what I paid. 50 cents to $1 I think. I don't usually like brown drip pieces but I love the shape of that bud vase! It's a nice addition to the stuffed to the gills china cabinet.

I am a Conservative

2009-07-31T17:25:00.007-05:00

I just had an anonymous comment about my addition of political links and so I am writing this post to address that comment. I figure if one person makes a comment it is likely that there are others who are thinking the same thing. So here goes!

This is not a political blog but I have very strong political views. I believe the country is currently headed in a very very very bad direction. A dangerous and destructive direction that will certainly hurt this great country and its citizens. For that reason I have recently added a number of useful links to political sites that interest me. I added them with the hope that just one person might click on them and that one person might have their views swayed to what I believe is right. I read a lot of decorating and vintage type blogs and it seems that the majority of the writers of these blogs assert liberal views if they assert any at all. I think this is a travesty. The majority of Americans are not liberal. In fact conservatives greatly outnumber liberals. I am very proud of my conservative beliefs and have no qualms about asserting them now. If that offends anyone - eh, I really don't care. If I lose readers because of it - so be it. My goal in writing my blog has never been to see how many people I can get to read it. It is something I enjoy and it helps me to keep track of things. And if other people get some enjoyment out of it - great! Feel free to add or delete my blog from your rolls as you see fit. I do not intend to write a lot of political commentary but it may seep in occasionally as it is a part of me. Also if you have any other great conservative links that you think I might enjoy send them my way. I've only just begun! Some things are worth fighting for and the heart and soul of America is certainly one of those things.

Perfume Bottles

2009-07-28T23:18:00.007-05:00

I picked up a little collection of cute little perfume bottles a couple of weeks ago and one not so cute little perfume bottle! There were hundreds of bottles at this sale. The owners had a relative that had a perfume store at one point. These aren't very old but they mix well with the vintage ones that I have. They were selling them four for $1 so I picked out eight. I would have loved to have bought the whole lot and spent a week sorting through them! The ugly blue bottle is Chapeau Bleu and is based on a Picasso painting. I've never been a Picasso fan but for some reason I felt this bottle was too ugly to pass up. She doesn't get to live with the rest of my collection though!

Twemco Clock

2009-07-21T09:30:00.002-05:00

I have been wanting one of these clocks for quite a while and I finally splurged and bought one. I almost never know what the date is so I have this hanging in my bathroom where I will see it first thing every day and that will *hopefully* fix that problem! My husbands reaction to the clock was that it is ugly but neat and he liked it. I suppose it isn't the prettiest clock ever but I'm really digging it!

Before and After Basket

2009-07-20T15:42:00.003-05:00

I can't resist old wire baskets. I picked this one up Saturday morning for a quarter. Normally, I prefer them in their original crusty state but not so with this one. It was very rusty and the original paint remaining was a dull, ugly, dark green color. It actually looks better in the photo than it did in person. After a quick coat of aqua blue spray paint this basket is better than ever! As for that big blue patch of grass outside on the lawn - I have no idea how it got there!

Landscape Watercolor

2009-07-19T21:20:00.002-05:00

I bought this painting a couple of weeks ago at River Market Antiques for about $40. It was done by Pottinger Landscapes in Ft. Myers, Florida. I did a search and they appear to still be in business and have been for over 30 years. I would guess this would have been done at least 30 years ago. It looks really neat in person. I tried to resist buying it because I don't really have just the right spot for it right now but I couldn't pass it up. It has found a temporary home above my bed.

Hoot!

2009-07-17T18:44:00.020-05:00

You'd think I was really into owls with all of today's finds but really I'm not. One sale we stopped at had tons and tons and tons of owl stuff. Probably hundreds! They were cheap enough that I couldn't resist a few items. Everything here was between 25 cents and $1. My favorite is the little wood owl with fondue picks. And I really like the reddish orange owl. He is actually a box (his head comes off) made in Japan in the 50s. My daughter had to have the sea shell covered owl for her shell collection.

"New" Living Room Light

2009-07-16T15:21:00.002-05:00

I'm finally done updating my lighting! It is so hard to find interesting lights with multiple bulbs that work with low ceilings. I bought this fixture off of ebay for a little over $100 with shipping. I'm really liking it. It is in absolutely perfect condition and works well with my dining and entry lights. I don't think I ever posted my entry light but is nearly identical to the dining room light. It was made by the same manufacturer and is smaller and more oval instead of round.

I'm starting to get used to the mac. There are still some details with photo editing and general filing of documents that I still need to figure out but overall I like it. Honestly so far I don't see that it is really better than a PC, just a little different. Maybe that will change as I get more comfy with it.