Oui ou non?

I just purchased these antique wood church auditorium seats.  I really should have purchased a couple more since they fold up.  Anyway, I think they are pretty cool, but maybe I am wrong.

Nice bones

Sometimes thrift shopping can be a bit like looking at Lady Gaga.  Sometimes there are lots of over the top accessories and accoutrements that you have to look past in order to see the true beauty.

One needs the skill to detect what lurks underneath all of that crazy color and frippery.

Beautiful.

The same can be said when hunting for a specific item .  I am currently in need of a better lighting solution in my bedroom.  I do not know if it is that I cannot adjust to those CFL bulbs or if my eyes (meaning I) am just old, but I am having a harder time reading.  It could also have to do with the time I spend staring at my laptop screen.  All I know is that there is not enough light in there.  I decided I wanted some type of swing arm next to the bed.  I found a nice brass fixture for $2, but I found that it was going to be a problem trying to figure out how to hang it since the back plate was missing.  It was going to be so cool with an Edison bulb.  (No, that makes absolutely no sense since Edison bulbs give off almost no light.  I was still going to go blind, but my room was going to look cool while it happened.)  My search continued on.

Last week I was trolling a thrift shop when I spotted a pair of these beautiful sturdy silver swing arm sconces.  Now, I am sure that they were passed over due to those poor lamp shades.  The shades were beautifully custom made.  Mind you, back in the day I am sure that these shades were fantastic, but they would not be my choice today.  Anyway, I had to look past those shades and just concentrate on those beautiful fixtures.  The fixtures themselves  have a substantial feel and quality.  I figured that I could either work with them sans shades or I would search for some type of low cylinder drum shade.  Plus, there were two so I could place one on either side of the bed.  Thank you!

Naked.

So here is where the story gets really interesting.  After I got home I decided to try and find some info about the lamps and see if there might be lampshades available from the original company.  I came across the same pair in brass here on 1stdibs. Who knew?
  Once they are re-wired, hung and adorned with new hats I will post an after picture.

Bone

I have a soft spot in my heart for vintage leather Coach bags.  You know, the ones with the soft leather that were made here in the U.S. many years ago.  I  think that the styles I like best are from the 70's.  The March issue of Lucky magazine featured the bucket bag above.  Coach has re-issued it for around $400.  Well, that was never going to happen.  Once I set my sights on something I am like a dog with a bone.  It was instantly added to my wishlist.  It took 3 months.

I have patience.

I can wait 3 months if I am rewarded with such beauty for $20.

Color of the week

Have you checked out the color of the week on Saturdays at the Salvation Army?  Tags that are the color of the week are 50% off all week.  Fridays they are 75% off and on Saturdays they are all 69 cents.  You can find some incredible deals on Saturdays.  I recently purchased color of the week tags only on  a Saturday.  I came out with a $20 jacket for 69 cents and a bunch of kids stuff.  While I was there I noticed this big (30 x 40ish) vintage Lenny Kravitz poster.  It was marked $19.99.  I passed on it because even though twenty bucks might not seem like much, I really should not be spending my cash on it.  Later at lunch I was going over my purchases in my mind and a light bulb went off.  I think that the poster was the color of the week.  I was not really paying much attention when I originally viewed it because I was thinking that only the clothing was included in the color of the week.  I went back to the store to find out that I had been correct.  It WAS the color of the week and it WAS 69 cents.  The mat and the frame were in decent condition.  Only the backing board inside the frame had to be replaced, but it looks good.  Of course, the price for me to buy a new board to place in there was far more than the price of the poster.  Lenny in his youth.  Sporting his dreads and his boa.  I have not decided where I will place it.  I thought I would hang it on the ceiling above my bed....

Final 2013 Thrift

 

The whole purpose of my purging lately has been to make room and de-clutter.  I guess that going to the thrift store sort of goes against that whole concept.  Yes, it was stupid, but nobody goes thrifting after Christmas and before the New Year so there was a lot of good stuff to look through and nobody to fight you for it.  I scored the blue Dansk Kobenstyle saucepan which is a nice large size.

 

I love this fish mug, but I have no idea who it is made by.  There are no markings whatsoever so if you have any information it would be greatly appreciated.

 

And a set of teacups for serving tea in the cold winter months.

Circle of Sound

 

I have been doing some major purging and changing around the house so nothing comes in unless it is extra special.  For some reason I have wanted these Zenith Circle of Sound Speakers since the first time I saw them.  It is strictly a superficial love of its physical beauty.  It has nothing to do what's on the inside.  Sort of like my feelings for Keanu Reeves.   I could not rationalize the price so I have never even thought of purchasing them.  Until now.

I found a pair of them for $6.99 each.  Not bad for all of that mid-century sexiness.  I have no idea what they sound like.  Who cares?  Just look at them.  What is that, Keanu?  I have not heard a word you've said.

A very roundabout way that a sewing machine chose me

This is the story about how I spotted one thing and ended up with something completely different...by accident.  About a week ago I was at a flea market and I spotted this nice workbench that had been made out of the bottom of a treadle sewing cabinet and a nice thick butcher-block top.  I was easily seduced by its sturdiness and look.  I looked at the price tag $200.  It really did not matter because it was already sold.  Somehow I got it in my brain that I could just make one on my own.  I already had the butcher block, so all I needed to do was find the base at another flea market  No problem.  Plus, it would only cost a portion of that asking price.  Now I had it filed away in my brain with the thousands of other things to look for.  Recently, I have begun to attend auctions.  This is completely new to me.  The first time I actually sat there for several hours before wimping out.    I ended up leaving with nothing because the prices were just too high for me.  I was much more successful the second time around.  I realized that I just needed to leave an absentee bid.  First, I did not have to sit around there for hours on end.  Second, it guaranteed that I would never be tempted to go above the price limit  I had set for myself.  It worked.  I ended up with a box full of unrelated stuff that was actually a goldmine for me.  I guess you just never know.  Fast forward to last week.  Another auction.  I spy an empty treadle sewing cabinet at the preview.  I make sure to try and lift it myself to test if I will be able to get the thing home.  I leave my very low bid and I find out the next day that I have won with that very low bid.  Really?!

 

When I pick it up I realize that I had not really paid any attention to the condition of the cabinet because I was set on cannibalizing it for my workbench.  Well, that all changed upon closer inspection.  The cabinet is in such beautiful condition that I could no longer take it apart. Look at that wood.   Now what?  I decided I had to hold out until I found a sewing had to fit that cabinet.  Really, I was in no hurry.

on Friday I decided to drop off some donations to the Goodwill drop-off center.  When I leave it, the guy gives me a coupon for 25% off of my next purchase.  OK.  I go to lunch at Misoya and then decide to make a quick stop at the Goodwill nearby to look for some specific jars I need.  No jars, but something even better.  Sitting on a shelf was this beautiful Singer 15-91 screaming for me to take it home and put it in my new cabinet.  Plus, I had that newly acquired coupon in my pocket turning this find into a real bargain.

 

Look at how pretty she is with all of her gold accents.  The paint is in beautiful condition.

This was one of my best accidental and timely finds so far.  It seems to work fine, but I will eventually take it to the Singer place to have it checked out.  It was also converted to n electric motor, but I think I might have that taken off so I can use it with the treadle.  I will keep the motor for future use should I change my mind.

New Vintage Furniture...not what you think

Letterpress furniture.  Not what you expected?  If you look up the definition in Wikipedia, here is what you get - In typesetting, furniture is a term for pieces of wood that are shorter than the height of the type. These pieces are used to lay out type by blocking out empty spaces (white space) in a layout set in a chase.   Nowadays, furniture can be hard to find.  Even harder to find the furniture in a furniture cabinet.  Even harder to find all of these for a reasonable price.

All of these were accomplished at the very end of my Sunday trip to Cedarburg.  I did not intend on finding letterpress materials on this trip so I was extremely excited to land such an unexpected find.

I will clean this up and place it right next to my letterpress. 

 

Among my other finds was this English pottery dog bowl from the 70's.  I whipped threw that flea market like a professional ninja picker so quickly that I was done in record time.  So, I headed back to the Saturday flea market on my way home on Sunday.

 

I picked up the last two vintage  pull-down charts.

The paramecium.  Remember that?

The circulatory system and functional organs of the frog.  Oh, sophomore biology class.

Lately I have become interested in vintage kitchen items.  I had never seen one of these beaters with the bowl.  No whipped cream flying back onto you as you whip away.

Long time, no post

Wow.  Well I guess that was one long silence.  I have been very neglectful about posting anything here.  I have actually been doing a lot of planning for that big new project I have been working on for over a year now.  Really, it just seems like I have been being lazy.  I forgot to start posting things when the rummage season began which is about a month ago.  In fact, the flea market season has already begun.  I recently went to Cedarburg to find a few things.  I purchased these metal industrial drawers.  Originally, I was only going to buy one or two for myself, but the guy gave a price for the entire huge box xo I bought them all.  I am hoping to just keep a couple for myself and then sell the rest on Etsy. 

I think that people might be into having some of these old things.  Do you agree?

OK, this is one of  those times when I question whether I have lost it or not.  I was really interested in this wood bowl.  I think it is really cool and would work great for display purposes.

My Mom could not understand what I was thinking.  Do you think this bowl is interesting or have I gone over the edge?

Let There Be Light

  I did not have this on my shopping list this weekend, but I was happy to pick it up for $15.  It was marked $20 and I only had $15 in my pocket.  Luckily, I was able to bargain him down to my price.  This thing is HEAVY.  If you held it during a tornado I am pretty sure you would be well anchored and never make your way to Oz.  It has 2 bulbs.  There is a round tube bulb around the head as well as a socket for a regular bulb.  I am hoping it will be my work light on my bench.  I have never really worried about having a decent light source until now.  I would not want to mess with my eyesight in my declining years.   A little cleaning and this baby will be a welcome addition to my workspace.

Murphy

This weekend was the small (thirty or 40 vendors?) outdoor flea market that only happens twice a summer in the parking lot of an antique mall.  It is hard to predict what you will find at this one, but you can be sure that you will more than likely find something inside the mall if you don't score on the outside.  I found this outdoors.  I do not think I could have imagined it on my own.  I like to compare it to a Murphy bed.  I do not have loads of space at home, but I should not complain because I am one person in a space sometimes occupied by small families.  Can you guess what this is?  The two rubber stoppers on the top are a small hint.

Look!  It has wheels, too.  I can take it on the road.

That box on wheels unfolds to become this wonderful work space.  Those rubber stoppers were on the bottom of two legs that slide into the box when closed.  For now, it solves my workbench question.  I am currently avoiding moving my butcher block table up many flights from storage.  For now, this will do the trick and it will not take up much space when not in use.  How clever is this?  I will probably add another piece of wood on top when I am working so I do not damage the existing table.

All of that dedicated tool storage.  A notch and a hole for everything.

Below we have shelves for hardware and supply storage.  I now have no excuse not to get my butt moving and set-up my workspace.

Royal

I was looking through my picture files and found these.  I can;t believe I neglected to share this find.  It was many months ago that I found this.  It is in beautiful condition and the type is really nice.

Look at those beautiful keys.  I feel like I am accumulating a typewriter graveyard here.

But look at that color!  You didn't expect me to pass this up, did you?  If nothing else I owe it to Don Draper.

Cedarburg! Best find....ever!

Cedarburg was yesterday and I am so excited because I was lucky enough to find something I NEVER thought I would be able to find.  I am sure that nobody else will share my  excitement, but that's OK.  My greatest find to date is in the photo above.  It might not look like much, but it is going to make a huge difference in my work.  It is a custom made metal add-on table for my patch machine.  Below is what it looked like attached to another machine at the flea market.  I could not believe the guy was willing to sell it to me, but he did.  He is an iron worker and had made the table himself.  What are the odds that I would find the exact custom made item I needed at the flea market?

Why is it so important?  I am not sure if you can see it in the picture below, but the machine only has a very narrow arm as a sewing surface.  The foot rotates 360 degrees making it great for sewing shoes and around tight corners, and the arm makes it easy to patch shoes, sleeves, etc..  Since there is such a narrow base surface it makes it incredibly difficult to sew a straight line on a larger piece of material.  The table helps to alleviate that difficulty.  Now I am an even happier camper.

 

 

I also found that large leather tool bag.  It isn't very old, but I just really liked the look of it to store my tools.  Oh, don't worry.  This is not all that I found.  I had a nice haul in my car by the time I left.

Just the Highlights

This past weekend was the final push of rummage sales until September.  There were three to attend so I got my fix while I had the chance.  There were many finds, but I don't want to bore you so I am only posting the highlights.   I found this mid-century tension pole lamp for $6.  I think that one of the lights is touchy so I am going to take it in and have the wiring checked.  I love the shape of the glass shades.

What is that dresser doing on your bed?  Well, I am a dumb-ass and I forgot to shoot it outside before I carried it up a billion flights in the summer heat.  So, I threw it on the bed and took a picture.  This is a very Arne Vodder-like dresser and I love it.  It is going to look lovely in my bedroom once I clean and re-arrange it.  Right now, it just has small metal nubs for feet.  I think that there used to be legs that screwed onto these, but I am not sure.  I was hoping someone might see this and tell me.  If I cannot find the proper legs I may just replace them with the standard med-century tapered leg.  Oh yeah, $30.