Thrift Week Round Up

This past week started off slow and after many rounds of the thrifts and two estate sales, I was pretty disappointed with the yield by end of day Friday.  Adding insult to injury, it appears the best sale of the week was about 2 blocks from my house and I only discovered it right as it was closing the first day.  The house was amazing and I don't even want to think of what I missed, but I did manage to find a few things.  Luckily, my daughter was invited to a birthday party in Weatherford, TX so I used the opportunity to hit some of the antique stores.  Alas, things picked up.  Herewith the loot:

Of course, I picked up some brass pieces.  The little whale was a GW find and the planter/basket and box were picked at an antique store.

The soup mugs are Pottery Craft, the salt and pepper are Takahashi "Le Chef" and of course a Taylor & Ng Moose mug.

Dansk!  The tapers are purple, complete and unused - I picked these up at Goodwill and the tray and candle holder came from the estate sale by my house.

Enamel!  The Copco skillet was an estate sale fine and the Cathrineholm kettle was picked up at a little antique store in Weatherford.  Sadly, the inside is in bad shape, but the outside is lovely. 

That's it!  Thanks for visiting.

Linking up with:
A Living Space
Sir Thrift-A-Lot
Remnant PDX

Thrift Break Round Up & A Sale!

I know I should be easing up on the thrift rounds considering we're moving in 22 days, but one sale this week seemed promising so I couldn't resist.  Of note, none of the online photos revealed anything in particular I wanted, but I've had great luck in the particular neighborhood, so I took a chance.  As a mental compromise to myself, I ran some errands before the sale and got there 10 minutes before the 10:00 a.m. start time.  I was 6th in line so I was happy that I didn't yield to my inner-crazy prodding me to arrive at 9:00.  Herewith the loot:

The first thing I picked up are the three little dishes.  It turns out they are Royal Copenhagen and designed by Beth Breyen.  They are lovely.

I quickly moved on to the library and literally lunged at the Abraham Palatnik goose/swan/duck.  I need to brush up on my fowl.  Palatnik has been at the top of my list of "things to find before I die" and I'm glad I did not have to wait that long. Coincidentally, I did find a piece a few weeks ago, but it was locked behind glass at Tim Love's live music venue, The White Elephant.  It taunted me ALL night!  Anyway, here's a close up the one I brought home.

 The little Foo dogs were another find, and too cute and cheap to not scoop up.

After the estate sale, I decided to hit an antique mall nearby and one of the booths was liquidating so I got this little Danish sugar bowl pig for a steal.  His sticker reads, "EVA Made in Denmark".

Finally, the best for last.  I drove my mother to DFW airport on Thursday and could not resist stopping at a nearby Goodwill where I picked this up:

Luckily the impressed mark is still legible because I never would have pegged this as a Dansk ice bucket.  I've seen plenty but had never come across this particular one.  Thanks to Twitter friends, I was able to learn that it is from the "Cane & Teak" line and was not in production for very long.  Evidently the cane did not hold up well and was prone to warping , but this one is in very good shape.

One last thing!  Sabine Vintage Home is moving and everything in the shop is 20% off with coupon code "Houston".  Lots of Cathrineholm and other fun mid century goods in the shop.

That's it!  Thanks for visiting.

Linking up with:
A Living Space
Sir Thrift A Lot 
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Knick of Time

Thrift Week Round Up

All of last week's thrifting took place in Dallas. Despite the fact that Dallas is only 40 minutes away I rarely make the trip and before now had never  been to a Dallas estate sale, but alas the Cathrineholm siren song was too strong to resist.  It was not at all hard to spot the bright yellow pieces in a badly lit kitchen shot and that's all she wrote.  I knew I was going.  What I didn't know was that I was going to be able to convince my husband to go with me SIX hours in advance of the 3:00 start time and that were were going to have a blast hanging out together!  We clearly need to get away without children!  Anyway, herewith the loot:

Cathrineholm, Cathrineholm, Cathrineholm!   I also picked up some Bennington trigger mugs, Heller loafs and personal souffles, and a little collection of birds.  In addition to scoring the loot, we had a great time getting to know some of the others in line.  One guy (we actually spoke on the phone today!) was a former art dealer and kind of a nutty collector.  He owns the original "Price is Right" doors from the original set?!  He bought them at an online auction and had them delivered in an 18-wheeler.  He was only there early because he was mistaken about the start time, but then said "Well, if you're here this early, there must be good stuff." So he stuck around and a friendship was struck.  Mr. Number Two in line was also quite friendly, but it was clear we were all kind of dancing around the subject of what we collect not wanting to alert anyone to the good stuff or create tension.  About an hour before start time I texted my husband (standing right next to me) "He knows.  He's after the same stuff we are.  Run!" As crazy as that makes me sound, it turns out I was right!  He made a run for it, too and was able to grab one pot, but he was so nice I didn't even mind and may have even felt a twinge of guilt.

I had to go back to Dallas on Friday so I couldn't resist a quick thrift break.  I was excited to find this little Hans Bolling piece in very good condition.

That's it!  Thanks for visiting.

Linking up with:
A Living Space
Remnant

Thrift Week Round Up

I have an ambitious listing goal for today so I'll keep the post short.  A picture's worth a thousand words anyway, right?!  The long and short of it is that the estate sales have been plentiful but not so great.  Consequently I had to visit some antique malls and some thrifts outside my usual rounds with some very modest success.  Herewith the loot:

This little group was picked up at three different spots, but I've grouped them together as kitsch.

The kokeshi nodders were the only thing I managed to grab at the first sale I hit.  Some dealer from Dallas kept beating me to everything I had my eye on - so frustrating!  Anyway, I made off with these and was happy.  Imagine my surprise when I went to photograph them and realized this:

I had no idea they were nesting!  And in fact, it was only after I thought I was done photographing them that I noticed that what I thought was the smallest doll opened to an even tinier doll.  What a treat.

These horses are ceramic and made by Thun Italy.  They are really big and I think meant to hold pillar candles - they remind me of Swedish Dalas.  These are my favorite find of the week mainly because I've never seen anything quite like them.  And they're red.  And massive.  And I really wanted to list the below photo on Etsy, but chickened out.....

Pony porn!  Sorry, I digress.  Next up.....

Two sets of Georges Briard old fashioned glasses - these always sell well.  Unfortunately the red and white have chips on THREE of the four glasses so back to Goodwill they go.  So much for the eagle eye I pride myself on.

All of this minus the "El Senor" came from the same sale in Haltom City.  Haltom City is outside of Fort Worth on the way to Dallas.  I generally don't hit this area often but I've had some luck recently including that big poinsettia Finel bowl.  Also, there is a huge Vietnamese-American community there and this city has some of the best Vietnamese restaurants I've ever tried and I like to plan my thrift breaks around lunch. Back to the loot.  The ash tray is stamped Ceramic Arts Calgary and is really lovely.  The candle holders are stamped "made in Sweden" and may be Ivar Alenius Bjork for Ystad Metall, but I think those are typically stamped as such. And Mr. Brass Snail, of course, needs no introduction.  Only a home!

This was a fun find at a Haltom thrift - a complete Rosti Denmark salad set.  This is already listed in the shop.

Also from the Haltom sale: I think these mother's day commemorative plates by Danish porcelain manufacturer Bing & Grondahl are some of the prettiest I've come across.  They are for years 1978 and 1979.  And finally, I saved the kitschiest for last:

This trophy was awarded to someone at the 1960 Texas State Fair for "Glamor (sic) Costume".  I've never sold anything like this, but I think someone will appreciate this silly gem.

That's it!  Thanks for visiting.

Linking up with:
A Living Space 
Sir Thrift A Lot 
Remnant PDX

One Estate Sale, A Thrift, A Yard Sale and a Flea

This weekend yielded really diverse finds in the oddest of places at really great prices so  I think I have to call it my best week yet.  This is a good thing for obvious reasons, but was especially important in consoling me at the bust that was the Flea Market at which I decided to set up Saturday and Sunday, but more on that later.  Herewith the loot:

On Friday morning I attended the second day of an estate sale and found a few things.  These two teak trays are huge and in great shape - no markings though.  I also picked up a pair of Bjorn Wiinblad playing cards in mint condition but left behind a ton of Kosta Snowballs still in their box as well as some lidless Arabia and danish tiny tapers.  After that I went to the Apple store to buy a Square in preparation for the flea market.  On my way home I passed signs for a yard sale.  I almost never stop at yard sales, but this particular area has beautiful  MCM homes so I took a chance.  At first I was perplexed because there were only a few things in the very long driveway, but when I got to the garage  I suspect my jaw dropped.  It was PACKED and I mean packed with amazing things that I was able to ID at a glance.  Turns out, the owner of the home had recently passed away and for whatever reason the family was going the yard sale route instead of having a managed estate sale.  I don't get it - most things were very fine, but whatever. The first thing I picked up were these:

While unmarked, I have no doubt these are Krenit.  They are about 5" across and have a slight angle to them.  They didn't have a price tag so when I asked about pricing,  the lady said they were were a set and that the orange cheap LACQUERED tray they were sitting on had the price tag - I went back and there it was $1.00.  Um, ok.

Next up - every size Chemex you can imagine.  The smallest and the largest have the green stamp and feet.  To date I've sold two of these in my shop.

I found the Dansk peppermill in a sealed box.  She said I could open it! Anyway, there it was and she sold it to me for a buck.  The little piece of pottery was just cute - nothing of note.

There were about 3 huge tables COVERED in brass.  Have I mentioned I love brass?!  What's that?  At least 20 times? Pfftt.  Anyway, I kept it under control and only picked up 4 pieces.  The canister is a vintage Indian tiffin (evidently the owner spent a lot of time in India), a brass box with heart (love!) and two Danish wall candle holders - these pieces have SP Denmark etched onto them.  All will go in the shop.

Earlier in the week (maybe Thursday and sorry I'm jumping around!) I stopped at a thrift and picked up the brass candle sticks (they're huge - the Cathrineholm bowl is 4") and the Dansk Kobenstyle fondue set.  The base has teak feet and is really cool.  The little butter warmer came from the dollar store- I mean yard sale.

So the flea was kind of a bust - it was cold and rained the first day.  Fort Worthians are not down with temps below 60. Anyway,  I sold about 25-30 things, but I had a TON of stuff and I DID NOT want to pack it up and bring it home so I went around to some of the vendors I thought would like my stuff and made super deals!  $5.00 for a box of shiz that was going straight to the Goodwill otherwise.  And I even made a great trade of a Mexican owl that I never got around to listing for this beauty. 

This is only the second piece of David Stewart I've ever found, but I have to say it's by far my favorite form.  So while the fleas was a bust, had I not gone to the Apple store for the Square I never would have driven by the yard sale so it all turned out just fine.

That's it!  Thanks for visiting.

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A Living Space

Thrift Week Round Up

The end is in sight.  We have our first viewings of the house tomorrow and with any luck it will sell quickly.  There's so much anxiety around this because my husband and I have been living apart for the last eight months so any delay in the sale is a delay in our family being together.  Not to say that I don't occasionally love having our giant bed and the remote control all to myself, but eight months is a long time for our little girls to not see their father every day.  So what's one to do to cope with the stress?  Thrift, of course.  It's better than drinking!  Herewith the loot:

On Wednesday I made the rounds of some thrifts and antique malls in the Mid-Cities (the area between Dallas and Fort Worth).  I didn't find much except this little crew of brass animals, which of course I love.  The giraffe is quite large and the little nesting bird is two pieces.  They'll all go in the shop soon.  I was pretty disappointed with the antique malls and was headed home when I noticed a Goodwill.  I made myself stop in the hopes of finding something to make the 5 hour venture worth it.  Sure enough, all was not lost.

I have a small collection of these Finel bowls, but they've all been eBay purchases.  In fact, I almost bought this one recently so I was glad to find it at $2.15. 

And a rather unspectacular angle photo of my collection of four - soon to be five thanks to a fun trade with a fellow thrift breaker.

Friday there were two estate sales within 2 miles of my house so of course I went.  The first was ok and the only thing I made off with was this collection of Danish Christmas "pixies".  They are Anne-Beate and they are definitely vintage.  I picked them up thinking a fellow thrift breaker might collect these.   Around 12:30 later on Friday I was on my way to Target for the 123rd time this week and I spotted signs for an estate sale in my favorite part of Fort Worth.  I followed the signs and the home was right next door to the home that my husband and I have coveted since we arrived here.  We even talked to the elderly owner who promptly informed us that she planned to die in that house.  Once inside, it was shocking.  The house was amazing.  Really beautiful, but it reeked of cat pee.  Truly beyond comprehension how anyone could live like that.  The smell was so at odds with the beautiful home and amazing taste of the still living owner.  This was not a hoarder situation - but apparently she had 23 cats!  Where is the family?!  Anyway, here are a few of my finds:

A 6" Heath ashtray, which I'm told sell.  I have to say it really is lovely despite its intended use and it's in mint condition - I don't think it ever "received" an ash.  Also some Dansk tapers that have never been burned and a couple of design books.

I'm a sucker for design books so I couldn't leave these behind at $2 a piece.  The "World Design" book is an encyclopedia and is terrific eye candy.  I admit I enjoy the synopsis nature of this book considering all that's going on.  My last score from this estate was this table.

I don't know much about it other than the obvious - solid wood top on chrome x base.  The underside indicates that it was bought at Storehouse, which is a now defunct furniture company.  Evidently they imported a lot of European furniture, but that's all I know.  It was a great deal and I got to it 5 minutes before another woman who had gone home to measure before buying it.  We'll pick it up today.

That's it!  Thanks for visiting.

Linking up with:
A Living Space
Sir Thrift A Lot

Thrift Week Round Up

Last post I may have said something ludicrously absurd and along the lines of "I'm taking a thrifting hiatus."  Since then I've realized that when the Universe throws you an amazing estate sale, it is not to be ignored.  So I've modified my hiatus status to controlled estate sale thrifting within 15 miles of my house.  With modification in place, Friday I attended what I knew would be a fabulous estate.  The home was in one of the most lovely areas of Fort Worth and they were providing FREE VALET.  Ok.  Um, suck it, hiatus.  Herewith the loot:

The estate was indeed lovely, but much of the art and home pieces were Asian and completely outside of my scope of knowledge.  It was also clear that it was all fabulous and out of my price range so I stuck with the kitchen.  The Pyrex piece actually came from a sale last week, but I've used it here for scale (It's called Cosmopolitan and I paid $8 for it to replace the one my daughter accidentally broke a while ago.) This little Dansk Kobenstyle pot was priced reasonably, but not low enough for my taste.  It had a little bit of scuffing on the exterior too, which I couldn't be sure could be removed so I left it with its chippy roaster pan mate. When I went back Saturday for 50% off day (I was 5th in line) I headed straight to it and snapped it up.  I will likely keep this piece for making rice. Incidentally, Barkeeper's Friend removed the scuff right away.

I also picked up these brass coasters on Day 1 because brass sells very well in my shop and they were priced to move.  They were made for Neiman Marcus and are quite substantial.

Also picked up, Day 1, was this little wine bottle holder.  I know nothing about it,  but I find it very appealing.  Using my new trusty magnify-small-letters-inator (more to follow), I was able to read that it's nickel plate and made in England.  If anyone has any information on this piece, I'd love to hear it.

This little bird was the only true steal of the whole estate and I love him!  I'm a sucker for these little planters.  I've only ever found one David Stewart piece so these help fill the void.  ;-) He's already in the shop because I'm not a hoarder.

Another piece so whimsical that it was love at first sight.  I generally don't use enameled utensils for fear of damaging my pots, but I couldn't resist this silly spoon.  I'd love to meet the person who came up with this wicked idea.

This is the tool I alluded to above.  It's a hallogen battery wand attached to a magnifying piece made by Eschenbach.  I used it at the estate sale and for $10 bucks I thought it could come in handy down the road.  It still has the old price tag on it, so I knew it was worth something at some point, but I was shocked to learn when I got home that together these pieces still retail for $200 or more.  If I don't have a need for it within the next 3 months - it's going to eBay!

Finally, my favorite piece from this estate - this little pillow with Sister Corita Kent's needle pointed message of love.  My daughter's birthday is Wednesday (7!) and this will be among her gifts.  I like to imagine this pillow moving along with her through all the stages of her life reminding her that her mother loves her very much.

That's it.  Thanks for visiting and happy thrifting!

Linking up with:
A Living Space