Thrift Share Monday - March 14

Good afternoon, all! I've found some goodies to share.  I must say, this Etsy shop ownership is getting dangerous.  Whenever I'm at an estate sale or out thrifting I found myself constantly saying, "I can sell that!".  It's a fabulous excuse to take home way too much.  I should be banned from sales until I actually make a few more sales...

I just happened to drive by a partial "estate" sale (hello, yard sale) right down the street from my house on Friday.  I came home with this gorgeous chenille bedspread.  My husband's not crazy about it so it may end up on Etsy...

I strive to have a paperless kitchen so whenever I find clean looking linens I grab them.  I was also happy to have found the little service bell on the thrift store shelf.

The above office storage box was also at a thrift store.  25 cent sale on all office supplies? Yes Please!  This will be in the shop later, listed fairly cheap due to the original price.

Great assortment of mugs from various sales. The transferware set was made in Brazil and two of the cups are Buffalo China pieces.  Restaurant ware rocks.

Project Simplify: Closet

Closet, done! As I mentioned in the previous post, I've committed to joining "Project Simplify" with Simple Mom.  Although I didn't devote enough time to tackle my dresser drawers, my closet (my half at least) is complete and looks much better. Here's the brief run-down with photos!

Before

After

I must say I was relieved when I saw Tsh's post this morning.  Her closet re-do wasn't done by Martha Stewart and a magazine staff, it was a "real life re-do".  I didn't spend any money or make this a 12 hour endeavor.  I feel better when I open the closet door and know I actually want to spend a couple of hours and go through my dresser also.  A couple more photos below:

The hamper in the above shot was once out in our room beside my husband's chest of drawers.  It's not hideous but I'm glad to have the space to keep this in the closet!

I'd been hanging onto this skirt for years.  It's of good quality but I'm simply not going to wear a skirt that goes down to the floor.  bye bye.

These two photos above show what went to the thrift store.  Only 12 items total.  Hopefully I can say goodbye to more once I hit the dresser.

The above demonstrates my main housekeeping problem - STASHING! A bunch of junk that had no business being in the closet.

Thank you Simple Mom!  Wonder what's on the agenda for next week?

Simple Mom Spring Challenge

I thoroughly enjoy the blog Simple Mom.  Tsh and her group of contributors post an array of topics, the blog's subtitle is "Life hacks for home managers". Perfect.  Tsh gave the heads up about a Spring Challenge (I think it's called Project Simplify) a few weeks ago and she introduced the first "hot spot" yesterday.  It's the closet...
I'm on board. I wish I was excited about this.  I want to be excited about this.  I'm forcing myself to follow along because I really need some motivation.  The idea is more focused on your clothes than your closet, although it stands to reason that once you've gone through all your clothes your closet will obviously look nicer.  Before photos have been taken and three minutes from NOW I'll have published this embarrassing post and my messiness will be out there for all the world to see.  When I say "All the World" I, of course, am referring to my lone follower and a handful of stragglers.  Guess that's not so embarrassing after all!

Here goes:

The idea is to post your progress this Friday, March 10th.  Don't get too excited, it's already Tuesday afternoon and all I've done is photograph the mess!

Thrift Share Monday - Flea Market!

I ventured to the flea market!  My only disappointment was the fact that I didn't have enough time to take it all in.  That 3 hour preschool window can put a damper on thrifting, but I shouldn't complain...at all...I've got it good.  It takes 40 minutes to get to the flea so once there I scanned like crazy and tried not to stop too often.  Don't you agree that it would feel a little strange to whip out your camera at the flea?  Maybe it's just "the south", but this flea market breed is tough to read.  I decided to wait until I got home to snap my finds. Maybe next time I'll be brave and get some photos while I'm there.  Some of these will be in the shop...eventually.

Awesome military signal/flare box. It's a little rusty but overall in great condition, the hinge and latches work fine. Unique storage option.  The man at this particular booth was literally falling asleep on the job.  He had about a 50'x30' area full of stuff. Furniture, linens, glass, rusty farm tools, books, wood stoves, etc.  Whenever someone had a question they would have to say, "Sir", about 4 times to wake him from his cat nap.  I also scored the next two finds from this character (I'm not complaining, he was quite agreeable with his bargaining!).

These trays remind me of school lunches!  I also bought two more with a faux wood finish (they're listed in the shop already.  I think they'd make perfect crafting trays.  I also give my kids trays when they sit down to put a lego project together.

I already own a set of these Fire King custard cups but you can never have too many, right?  I think they are screaming to organize an office desk drawer or beading supplies.  There are quite a few of these already on Etsy...undecided about listing or keeping.

Something about these is just beautiful.  I don't bake, I've never decorated a cake, but I picked these up immediately.  They were made in Germany and are in surprisingly good condition.  This woman also had a vintage wood sewing needle display, the kind that would be found in a general store in the early 1900s. I believe it was "Boyle".  Any sewing experts would have surely loved it.

 

The bottles came from a man who said he dug them up in Virginia.  Interesting how something so beautiful was tossed out with the trash.  I guess we forget how the mundane can be lovely.  I had intended to list the Ball jar but upon closer inspection there may be a little crack.  I can't tell if it's a crack or just a pitch fork scratch.  I would be awfully embarrassed to put it in the mail and have it arrive broken on someone's doorstep.


Thanks, All! Can't wait to check out your Thirft Share finds.

Vintage Books

Apparently I've been bitten by the vintage book bug.  I was originally inspired by my neighbor's glassfront cupboard that anchors her living room.  She has a classic style, her home is very comfortable to be in. Lots of antiques and beautiful textures.  Everything is very calm and appealing to the eye, neutral colors, nothing competing for attention.
Think about a shelf full of modern bookcovers with bright colors and various competing fonts.  A rainbow of dust jacket colors sometimes tamed by grouping.  What feeling does that create in comparison to a shelf full of vintage books?  Brown, navy, muted red or soft green.  The titles, sometimes barely visible with a slightly gold shimmer.  Even the dust jackets' colors are muted by time and don't scream for attention.
I've picked up quite a few books in the last two weeks (about twice what is pictured below).  I also have gathered a great collection of vintage craft books and nature guides.

If you are a crafter, vintage books are a wonderful resource and great as supply as well.  A few items from Etsy crafters for inspiration:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62508208/love-toasty-brown-edition-vintage?ref=cat2_list_13


From Memory Dust on Etsy

By ShannonKayeDesigns on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/listing/69289463/folded-book-art-cascade?ref=sr_list_4&ga_ref=auto&ga_search_query=folded+paper&ga_noautofacet=1&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fart

Second hand books are affordable as decor, as reading material, or art supply.  Check the shelves at the antique, consignment, or thrift stores and find some treasures.  P.S. - There are plenty of current titles as well!

I'll be listing vintage books occasionally in my Etsy shop.  I've gotten lucky and even found quite a few first edition copies.

Thrift Share Monday - Feb 28

My camera is giving me trouble so I only have a couple of photos to share with you.  Two weeks ago it was my computer, now the camera. Bye, bye tax refund.
I've had some nice thrifting trips over the last few days, all small things but they bring a little joy nonetheless!

I have loved calligraphy since I was a child and my grandparents bought me a calligraphy set for my birthday.  This has been a fun book to flip through.  About a month ago I bought a book by Mortimer Leach ,Lettering for Advertising.  When I opened the paperback shown above the same owner's name was written on the inside cover!

I am falling in love with vintage books.  I can't understand how anyone reads on a Nook (Knook?) or other device full time.  The feel of a book in your hands is so comforting (sorry, cheesy, I know).  I put this set together from my recent finds from antique markets and thrifting.  I listed it in my Etsy shop on Thursday and it sold on Friday! They've only encouraged me, now I'm prepared to list endless books this week.

This poor platter was in horrible shape when I discovered it.  A little baking soda cleaning has it looking lovely.  It's from Buffalo pottery and has the raised buffalo mark on the back.  I'm researching when the various marks were used in order to date this platter.

This pewter cup was found at an "upscale resale" shop.  I got it for a great price, I suppose because it is already engraved.  Personally, I love silver and pewter that's been engraved.  If you have or are trying to create a collection I think the engraving makes for interesting conversation and makes your collection unique.

Cheers! Happy thrifting...

Affordable Rugs

I used to think of rugs as one of those big ticket items that I wouldn't be able to afford until the kids went off to college...which makes no sense, cause that's when you're really broke, right?  In the last couple of years I've started to change how I think about where and how to buy rugs and quickly realized that nice rugs aren't out of the question for a small budget.

These are two rugs I've bought in the last year:

This is a nice quality, hand-knotted wool rug that I purchased for $100.  It measures 7'x4.5' and lies in front of our bedroom seating area.  I attended a storage space sale that was advertised on craigslist.  A woman in her sixties was looking to clear out her many purchases from 20 years of travel and residence in Europe and the Middle East.  She had stored her excess treasures at a U-Haul facility and simply held a sale right out of the storage unit.   Read the details of garage sale advertisements!  You won't stumble upon the "jack-pot" every weekend but if you look consistently, a good sale will eventually come your way.

Last summer I discovered two great furniture consignment stores in our city.  I recently purchased this rug for $65, it measures 3.5'x6'.  Many design blogs and shelter magazines had been including beautiful, very worn, antique rugs in their spreads.  I commonly see similar rugs in antique stores for $300-$600 so I was pleasantly surprised when I confirmed the price.  Both furniture consignment stores in our area also carry a wide selection of rugs and small decor accessories and a handful of quality antiques.  Check out the stores in your area!  Go with an open mind and always try to picture the item in another setting.  It's common for consignment stores to allow you to try the item in your home before committing to purchase.

If I was educated in interior design I'd make some insightful comments about rugs anchoring the room, setting the tone, blah, blah...but since I'm not I'll leave it to the awesome design blogs out there:

Little Green Notebook
Pure Style Home  (really excellent post about her design process)
Urban Grace (she is shopping for rugs I can't afford, but good post anyway :))