It's Aloha Friday...

In the spirit of Aloha, I did a good deed today. After all, do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.

I HOPE YOU DO TOO. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Good Deals

During my scouring of ebay I think I've found a hidden gem. If anyone liked the hippos from my recent finds then you should check this link out! For only one day left the price is low and the number of views is low too. If you bid, let me know how it goes!

and on etsy... I've found a sweet set of what look to be Russel Wright eclipse tumblers. A set of 7 for $40... I think it's pretty good.  I couldn't take the guilt... I told the seller what they had. After all, we all continue to learn in this biz. Sorry folks!

via oldluxe

check it out here!

{ MADE }:: When in Rome ...

experimenting with lines

...angel on the bridge leading to castel s. angelo in Rome

Hunted:: Gathered: 06/12/11 Part I

IT'S A DOGGY-DOG WORLD  (love Modern Family)


Hey fellow thifters! I hope everyone had a great week this week. My week's adventures were like that of a comedy film. It all started early on a Saturday morning. I had planned a route of garage sales. Well, I happened to find one just around in my neighborhood as I was headed to the first place. Of course I had to stop by. I didn't find anything there but as I was leaving I found a little white fluffy dog wandering the streets. She looked lost. I pulled over and got out of my car. I walked over to her, close enough for her to be curious but far enough as to not scare her away. I kneeled down and called to her. She hesitated and then walked over to me. She was a friendly little thing. She didn't have a collar and her coat was heavily matted.

I picked her up and put her in my car. What was I going to do with her? I hadn't figured that out yet. Since it was early I decided to go to a couple of the sales I had planned out. I drive a HondaFit and the backseats were folded down so she had free reign over the entire back of the car. I arrived at the first place which happened to be a hoarder's estate sale. There were tons of vintage furniture, lamps, suitcases and other housewares. I saw a few things but didn't get them because I was worried about the furry little girl. I made my way back to my car only to find her sitting in the driver's seat!

As I drove around I had the back windows open. I love seeing dogs sticking their heads out the window enjoying the ride and this little girl was no different. It warmed my heart. I went to another estate sale and this one was filled with promise. The lady who lived here loved crafting and hippos, and I thought I loved hippos. There were several tables filled with all of the possible hippo figurines you could ever imagine. The walls were riddled with hippo prints, cartoons and paintings. Hippos were everywhere! I was tempted by a couple of the figurines but ultimately decided to leave them.

As I tried to quickly make my way around the house I got stuck in your usual estate sale traffic jam and was next to a bookshelf. That is where I found these two lovely teak hippos. 

I had seen the Zoo-line hippos before and I thought these were them but I didn't see a mark. I loved them regardless. I had seen the lady hippo before but I had never paid attention to her pearl earrings. How fun are they? Upon further inspection at home I found that the lady hippo has the Zoo-line copyright and the male one has a J.V. Orel copyright. The Zoo-line hippos don't typically have the drilled holes in them like my male one does. I'm assuming that it is J.V. Orel's contribution to the line since I've seen other adapted figurines by him that hold cocktail utensils/ desk accessories. There was a third hippo but she was in bad shape so I left her behind. After buying these I went back to the car to check on the little girl and she was in the driver's seat... AGAIN!

It was getting close to the time that most businesses open so I needed to find a way to take her to the local no-kill animal shelter. The problem was that I didn't remember how to get there! The boy was on a bike-ride so I couldn't call him to tell him to look it up. Well, I did what any thrifter would do. I went to the local Goodwill and asked one of the ladies at the register. Luckily one of them knew where it was and I wasn't too far from it. Phew.

I arrived at the shelter and asked them to check her for a microchip. No Microchip. I then told them the story and they proceeded to tell me that they don't take dogs in until Tuesday. That is when she would be checked out by a Vet. and Behavioral Specialist. I start to panic because I never thought I'd be bringing her home with me. They ask me if I can keep her till then and I say yes even though I am trying to figure out how I am going to get away with it. (My apartment complex has a strict pet deposit and monthly pet rent.) What else was I supposed to do? Luckily they were more than willing to provide me with a pet kennel, dog food and a leash. Off she goes with me again, this time in the kennel.

I was on my way home when the boy called me and asked me what I was up to and where I was. How am I going to explain this one?! I tell him where I am and that I've picked up a dog. I heard the shock and disbelief in his voice when he asked "You did what?". I told him that I was on my way to the other no-kill shelter to see if they could take her and he breathed a sigh of relief. Turned out they didn't want to take her. Home we went. The boy was there as he had just gotten back from his bike ride. He saw that I didn't have the dog with me and asked if the shelter took her in. I told him that she was in the car. I grabbed a really quick snack because by that point I was starving. He walked down with me to take a look at her and I could tell that he liked her. She jumped all over him and gave him kisses. I briefly imagined the time when we would get one of our own. As a final resort I decided to drive by the area where I found her. A few kids were playing outside and I asked them if they recognized her. One of them said "yes, I think that's princess". He pointed me in the direction of her home and I knocked on the door. It turned out the owners didn't even know she was missing. They thanked me and I left. Meanwhile I was left wondering if I did the right thing. She was matted, she didn't have a microchip or collar, they didn't know she was missing and who knows if she is up to date with her shots. I tried to be positive and reasoned that she did seem like a happy little girl and that she was better off there than at the shelter.

Sorry about the doggy story but I haven't had a doggy in years and so I treasured those few chaotic hours with Princess. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

I ended up going back to the hoarder estate sale and brought home a rocker and ottoman set that was designed by Takeshi Nii in 1958. Since the chair was outside I had no idea of the smell that it had until I drove around with it. It was the 'my cats have done their business all over it' smell. I picked it up as a restoration project. I thought it just needed some deep cleaning and conditioning but boy is it turning out to be complicated. Some of the screws need to be replaced but I can't even find them online! I've taken the chair apart and scrubbed the canvas over and over and still can't manage to eliminate some of the stains. Does anyone have any suggestions? Does Oxyclean work miracles?

I also bought a HUGE painting and a couple of vintage suitcases. That's my queen headboard at the bottom for reference.

The blue and gray suitcase are the latest acquisitions. They are perfect for hoarding storing the goodies I bring home.

Would you have said no to this beautiful decanter? I really should have but I have high hopes for this baby.

That's it for this week. Now it's your turn and you can do so here if you haven't already:

It's Aloha Friday...

In tribute to the boy and I's time in Hawaii several years ago...

Driving Around The Big Island- Waimea (Paniolo Country)

... and if you've never heard the song.

  Have a great weekend!!

Designer Love... {Eva Zeisel}

I've been endlessly debating about starting a designer series that includes spotlights on some of my favorite designers. I figured I would at least do one and so I chose one of my absolute favorites... Eva Zeisel.

Eva Stricker (Zeisel) was born in Budapest in 1906. In 1923, she began her painting studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest. During her studies, her mother convinced her to learn a trade and so Eva began an apprenticeship with a traditional potter.

In 1928, she designed several dinnerware pieces for Schramberg. Pat Moore, a member of Modish (a great source) published a book on Zeisel's work for Schramberg.

In 1938, she moved to New York as a newlywed with husband Hans Zeisel. The following year she begins teaching at the Pratt Institute and creates a curriculum for Industrial Ceramics. She creates designs that are manufactured by Universal Potteries, Castleton China and Red Wing to name a few.

Town and Country Line via British Museum

The shmoo that I have is unmarked but the shape is so unique and recognizable that I knew what it was right away. I found it at an antique store for .50 because it was unmarked and didn't have its pair.

Town and Country shaker for Red Wing- shmoo (schmoo)

One of the lines that I haven't been able to gather much information on is the one for Monmouth Pottery. This blog features a 1954 article on some of her pieces for them. You can also see some of the pieces here at Modish.

Eva Zeisel for Monmouth Pottery

I found a shaker that has the form of her Pals line for monmouth but it does not look like the blueberry glaze to me. It actually looks like one of the glazes for Red Wing. I also found this one (at the same antique store as the shmoo shaker) for a mere .50! It took me ages to figure out what it was but I thought the shape was really neat and the price was just unbeatable.

Eva Zeisel- Hallcraft Classic Century

 

One of the lines that I've been lucky to get my hands on is the Classic Century Dinnerware for Hallcraft. It was originally designed in 1952. In 2004, it was re-launched by Royal Stafford and is carried by Crate & Barrel. That alone should be a testament to the beauty and understated elegance of the set.

Luckily for me, I found a 32 piece set in pristine condition at a local Goodwill. The thrifting gods were looking over me because I had never been to this Goodwill and the only reason I went that day was because I dropped the boy off for a bike ride. I was looking through the housewares section and I always look at the white dinnerware. I liked the shape of one of the serving bowls and so I picked it up. When I turned it over I almost fell over with excitement, not only because I read Eva Zeisel but because it also read set of 31! I momentarily panicked because I didn't have a basket. Well, somehow I managed to carry all (32 not 31) of them to the register.

Later in the year I came across a hard to find 4 part relish dish in the Sunglow Pattern. The line is Classic Century for Hallcraft. If you feel so inclined, I would take a gander at some of her patterns for Hallcraft. They are quite stunning. 

I love her work so much that when I was browsing craigslist for her stuff I found the large set above listed in the Bay Area. The price was unbelievable and I immediately sent an email to a dear friend of mine about the find. Luckily, she was in the market for a tableware set and snagged it right up!

She also made designs for the Riverside Ceramics Company, United China & Glass, Sears, Clover Box Co., Salisbury Artisans, Federal Glass Co. and so on. You can see a complete chronology of her life and work here.

I badly want to find this book at a thrift!

It is nearly impossible for me to cover all of her work because I haven't even seen most of it. She is one designer that I continuously pursue. She has an incredibly extensive body of work that continues to amaze me. She is over 100 years old and continues to work and inspire. As a result, she was awarded a lifetime achievement award in 2005 by the Cooper-Hewitt.


You can see some of her pieces at UNICA, Klein Reid, The Rug Company, The Orange Chicken, Crate and Barrel and Design Within Reach.

My only hope is that after reading this you have added one more designer to your list of notable designers. You can continue learning about her through the various links that I've provided. If you have anything to add please feel free to comment below. If you want to share some insight on some of your favorite designers I would love to hear it!

Information was extracted from the Eva Zeisel Forum and MODish.

Hunted:: Gathered 06/05/11

THE ADVENTURES OF SHARK SCARF WEEK!

Hey lovelies, I hope you've had a great week. I know I did even though I spent a lot of my time preparing for an interview. I managed to do some thrifting earlier in the week and so I have some goodies to share. I hope you enjoy them!

I found these two beautiful cotton Vera Scarves. The red one has a silk? detailing/threading along the edges which is a nice subtle detail but I have to say that I just LOVE the black and white one. I don't know what it is about black and white and geometric patterns but they get me all the time! The dots gradate in sizes from one corner to the other.

I found another Vera Scarf that is a rayon/silk blend. This one still had the vintage Nordstrom price tag on it! The scarf was priced at $6.00 originally but was marked down to $2.90. Oh to buy scarves at those prices nowadays!

If you're curious, there is a fabulous blog post by the Vera Company that helps to date vintage Vera Neumann scarves. I believe mine are from the late '60s to early '70s.

Continuing with scarf week, I found a vintage Diane Von Furstenberg scarf that also has a gradated pattern. This one has green squares that expand to almost a solid fill pattern towards the middle. Look at that leopard that would be crawling up your back or side, how wild!

Last but not least (for scarves), I found a Richard Allan scarf with a beautiful flower pattern. The pattern reminds me a lot of Oh Joy!'s wallpaper design for Hygge & West. The colors are splendid and it feels oh so luxurious!

This week I acquired my first piece of Weller Pottery. It isn't nearly as 'valuable' as their typical pieces. It seems that a lot of the utilitarian pieces created by well-known potteries don't command the same prices as the 'art pottery' pieces do. It is something to keep in mind if you plan on reselling them. I must say though that I really enjoy the cradle on this casserole. I love the Art Nouveau Styling of the handles.

I'm excited to share this next piece because I love enamelware! Even though this piece has some damage on the lid I could not pass it up. Due to finding my first Finel piece, I knew what the bottom of their pans looked like so I had an idea of what it was even though it was not stamped. I also knew I had seen the same style of handle on the lid before. I had to do some research when I got home but it is always nice to have some idea of where to start. It turns out that this piece is designed by Seppo Mallat for Arabia/ Finel. I just love the teak handle on this baby!

In keeping with the enamelware, I found a couple of fun colored enamel bowls. One is in a bright yellow and the other in a great teal. Did you know that these bowls come with a detachable handle? Neither did I! Unfortunately mine did not have the handle and for the life of me I can't remember where I read about it so I can't even link to it. Don't you just hate it when that happens!

I also found some more LP's, I'm temporarily hooked! I just had to pick up The Cure's Quadpus there on the top left. The LP on the top right is another album with the cover design by S Neil Fujita. *(update) I believe the bottom two are designed by Sam Suliman.*

This last LP has a cover designed by Barbara Brown/Peters. Like Josef Albers and Gerry Olin, she designed album covers for Command Records under the direction of Charles E. Murphy. There was an Exhibition in New York at the end of 2009 which included several notable album covers by the aforementioned designers. You can take a look at them here.

Also, if you enjoy album cover designs then just take a look at this Flickr profile, they have so much eye candy... its incredible! I love Phillip Glass and I'd never seen his album covers. They are amazing as well!

*I know that I throw a lot of random names out there. I promise I will get around to making posts about particular designers with larger samples of their work. *

I'll be linking up with two lovely ladies again and I'll be popping around to see what you've found!