Hunted::Gathered: 02/28/11

ATG Thrift-Share Fun Time

This past week my finds were all over the place. For instance, I found this pair of boots. First of all, I LOVE this shade of brown so that was the first appeal.  I took a closer look and they were a size 8 1/2N. "Hmm, that could work. But I really don't need another pair of shoes..." I left them behind to continue my way to the housewares section. I ended up making my way around the store and found a piece of fabric with a neat pattern. I made my way back to the boots, they were still there. I took them off of the rack and saw the price tag.. $2.99! "For that price, I HAVE to try these on." They fit perfectly!

 

Cobbies Vintage Boots- 8.5N

The piece of fabric that I found is actually a dish towel made by Funktion. I was planning on cutting it up for a project that I had in mind but now I'm not so sure. We'll see. At another thrift I found this little wooden bird. It has a mod look so I couldn't hold back. It is one of my weaknesses. I am also having a hard time figuring out the wood it is made out of. On the bottom the grain looks like mahogany, but the finished part of it doesn't look like mahogany at all. I plan on applying some wood conditioner to it to really make the wood sing.

After the rain subsided, I went to a garage sale. There i found a beautiful vintage table runner. I actually don't know whether to call it a knit/ crochet/ or lace table runner but what I do know is that it is beautiful. I picture using it at my wedding, it has the perfect blend of romance and vintage. My pictures really don't do it justice.

One of the most offbeat finds for me I think is this unicorn that I found. It reminds me of David Stewart for Lion's Valley but I've never seen a unicorn in his line. It pulled at my heartstrings because as a child I was fascinated by unicorns. Something I had long forgotten about. It may have been sparked by the My Little Pony craze at the time, also by the fact that the only How to Draw book at my local library was a Learn to Draw Horses book. I spent countless days drawings horses as a child and would try to get my friends to draw them as well. They always grunted at the idea but conceded because I was very persistent.

Last but not least, my favorite find of the week are my little warriors. I found these two little vintage vikings as I was paying for the unicorn. I am glad that I saw them because they were easy to miss amidst all of the figurines behind the cashier. They both measure in at about 4", so they really aren't that big but what they lack in size they make up for in cuteness.

I don't know about you guys, but I am really grateful for ATG's thrift share. It makes mondays a day to look forward to and it also motivates me to maintain a record of my purchases for the week. I'm sure the Listing Challenges will help as well once I get to that phase. Thanks Selena!

Happy Friday! Happy Weekend!

Photo by friend and photog Jessica from BeYouImages

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! For those without saturday plans, this saturday is the premiere of Secrets from a Stylist at 9pm/8 c and I am uber-excited about it.  

I also figured I'd give a little update on the brooch bouquet. I've been having problems getting it to be wider, right now is has a six inch diameter and needs to be fuller on the underside. I've been reading about different ways to put it together and am somewhat conflicted now.

I'm keeping this post really short because I am late going out for my hunt as is!! Happy hunting!!!

Bummer...

Being just a tad bit too late has been happening to me a lot lately. I am 99.9% sure that I just missed out on a stellar craigslist find from an LA vulture. What bums me more is that it is soooo close to home! So while this person is going to trek about an hour or more away from their turf, I am only 15 minutes away.

I've been looking for a sideboard too which is the real kicker! Just so that you know what I am talking about, I am including a picture of the matching side tables because I can't find a picture of the actual piece. The designer is Jens Risom and I LOVE those drawer pulls.


1st dibs- Belvedere Antiques


Oh well... I know there will be others... but it does sting a little bit. This early to bed and early to rise can hurt sometimes.

Houston... I have a problem

This week was a good week in terms of selling a few special pieces and then buying many more. Sure, the goal is to make a little money, but who can help but spend it once you have it? I surely can't. This week as my thrift-share I have some thrifted items and a few swap meet ones.

For starters I picked up my very first Cathrineholm piece. I had been searching high and low for one and *BAM* there she was right before my very eyes. I wondered how long she'd been sitting there because I hadn't been to this particular thrift in well over a year. I had to look around for the matching pieces and couldn't remember what else came with the set, it turns out I am missing the burner.

On friday I had set my mind to attending my first storage auction. The boy decided to come with me. We didn't bid on anything, but it was a good experience. I just wanted to get an idea of what was out there. The cheapest locker sold for $20 and it contained a whole sofa set.  After the auction we hit up a nearby thrift and I left with the retro print, Franciscan starburst saucers, and a Russel Wright for Steubenville Vegetable/ Baker set. ( I don't know about you guys but the Russel Wright reminds me of the flying nun.)

I also picked up some jewelry pieces, which I normally don't look for but sometimes a little sparkle just catches my eye. Take a look at these vintage Givenchy earrings, they are in very good shape and still have the rubber backing. One thing that I found curious was the logo on the clasp/backing. Imagine walking around with the Givenchy logo imprinted on your ear...

I decided to swing by a local swap meet on sunday just because I hadn't been in several months. I was pleasantly surprised despite the massive puddles throughout because of the rain that we had in previous days. There I found a vintage rug, which according to one dealer is from Iran and is about 70 years old. I also bought a Wirkkala for Rosenthal vase just because I wanted one and the price seemed fair. It was more than I usually pay for a piece of pottery, but I thought it was special. I also picked up the little silver-plated Dansk bunny, I don't know why but I cannot resist little metal creatures.

Last but not least... more jewelry! I don't know what I was thinking, this dealer must have been a used car salesman in a previous life because the only reason I kept looking and buying was because he kept chatting. I couldn't walk away. I could have done a lot of damage but luckily for me it was early in the day and I was being cheap. I ended up buying two rings from him, two rings that I bought for no reason especially since I'm not into jewelry... yet. These are the two rings that I bought from him for $2 and $3 respectively.(the bunny came in handy for these) I ended up liking the first one so much that I wore it on my drive home.

I hope you enjoyed my week's findings as much as I did. I'll be hopping around some of your blogs (thanks to ATG) to check out yours.

(btw. sorry for the awkward formatting, it's a work in progress)

Field of Dreams

To maintain this new blogging kick I have to keep uttering these words... "If you build it... [they] will come". 

Even with that in mind I didn't do very well with the upkeep this week. I've just been at a loss for words. I have a lot of things going through the noggin' and am paralyzed by them. So many projects I want to finish and many that I want to start.

To be honest though, I think the paralysis usually stems from having to write follow-up emails for job applications. Its incredibly frustrating when you don't hear a peep from firms you send work out to and even have interviews with. Sure they are overwhelmed by applications, but having a little courtesy for the other side should not go out the window.

It makes me wonder if I should take the hint and see it as a blessing in disguise. Maybe I'm not cut out for a 9-5 (or in my profession an 8-8 on a good day). Maybe I can really start my own business and be my own boss doing some of the things that I love to do. Will I be considered a failure for not technically using my two Ivy League degrees? Or am I a more typical case for making my OWN work? I would love to continue to pursue my independent business but reality strikes and I have to face my massive loans. What a bummer. How long will it be until I can live comfortably with my income, can I really wait for years? When would I be able to start a family... how long will that have to wait?

I'll stop the introspection right here... what was I thinking... IT'S FRIDAY!! Time to wrap up the week, turn the page and start afresh. It's time to continue finding inspiration in the things around you.  It's time to start making things. I don't know about you all but I am at peace when I create. So here's to a productive weekend!

As a start, here is a group I am inspired by. Below is one of their pieces. 


nervous system- ring

 

 

Below is a little something I made when I was bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

In honor of V-day

Shadow Fun with the boy

Hunted::Gathered: 02/14/11

Alright... I've made it to post #5 for 2011. That's already 2 more than 2010. I'm off to a good start. Last week I didn't do a thrift-share monday because unfortunately there was nothing to share. This week is a little different. Not great, but better. I'm also including estate sale finds in this post.

I found a campaign style dresser which I have been looking for in a fun yellow. It needs some work but I couldn't pass it up. A few weeks back I missed out on Dorothy Draper dresser which broke my heart. This dresser patched up the wound just a little bit.
I've also been looking for native american textiles so when I saw this small rug I couldn't pass it up either. It is in the kitchen for now. I also found a vintage Bamboo ottoman/stool that I want to spray paint. I originally wanted to paint it a mustard color but now with the dresser I'm thinking maybe a fun split pea green. If you look closely there is also a little planter which I believe to be a David Stewart planter for Lions Valley. I had passed it up weeks ago and figured it wouldn't be at the thrift anymore but to my surprise it was, and at 50% off no less.

Last but not least I found some more vintage costume jewelry for my bouquet. Behind it is a small piece of fabric that I found that is just large enough to make a round cushion for the bamboo ottoman/stool. Now if only I had a sewing machine...

(if you made it over here please don't hold it against me that I misspelled my own blog name in the link... I am having all kinds of issues today!)

Is it wrong to want a chair that costs upwards of 10K?

Ever since I saw this chair I have envisioned having one in my *future* nursery. Goodbye unstylish gliders, hello Papa Bear Chair. I mean, even its name suggests something warm and fuzzy. Sure it may get spit-up all over it which will pain my heart, but I just really really want one. Kind of how I really really want a job already.
 

Image: 1st Dibs- Converso
















I actually saw one yesterday at one of the Mid-Century modern boutiques in Palm Springs and told the boy of my plans to have one in our *future* nursery. He saw the price and couldn't contain himself. Then after a little while he reasoned and said... "I guess it's not that bad if you really think about it, I mean I just bought a $4K bike." I jumped on it and said, "yeah it's not that bad especially since we would keep it for our lifetime." (smiley face) He then followed with, "why don't you get a job already so you can buy it?" (proceed sad face)

Anyhow, If I were ever to find one in the wild, I would probably keel over. Kind of like I did when I found my little duckies, but at a much grander scale.

The story of my little duckies is as follows. I decided to wake up early one day to check out a *not so local* swap meet. (It usually has a pretty small turn out and since having found the duckies I haven't found anything else worthwhile.) I was just strolling on by when I noticed these two wooden duckies sitting atop of an old toaster. I looked around in disbelief, I skimmed the rest of this space and realized that the seller must have just stumbled across these at an estate sale or some random and obscure thrift store that collector's haven't found. I had an idea of what they were because I had been coveting these little duckies for a while, but retailing for a couple of hundred dollars I couldn't justify buying teak ducks that would just gather dust. I walked over to them, picked them up, turned them over, and was excited to find the Hans Bolling imprint on both! Trying to contain my excitement I asked the seller how much she wanted for them. When I heard $5 I couldn't whip out my cash fast enough! I even had to ask if it was for both or just one! She must've thought I was crazy to want them. They now sit proudly in my bookcase, gathering dust in all of their glory. The boy wants me to sell them, but I repeatedly tell him that these I can't let go. I consider them my introductory lesson (pun intended) into the world of Mid-Century goodness.

Gocco Love....

When I was recently engaged I became obsessed with wedding websites. Two of them being Style Me Pretty and Weddingbee. While perusing through the latter I learned about a nifty little printing machine known as the almighty Gocco. A nifty portable silk-screening machine that was no longer in production. NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION.... but I just found out about it!! How can that be? Well, I managed to get my hands on one locally with a decent number of screens, bulbs and ink. I couldn't have been happier! Well, then I started looking for gocco prints and compiled a long inspiration list. The Gocco was getting dusty just lying around. Thankfully my niece's birthday was coming up.

 Lo and behold my first gocco print.

It was my niece's 15th birthday, which in hispanic culture is a big deal. Very much like a Sweet 16th mixed with a coming of age debutante ball. A time when a young girl gets introduced to society as a young woman. I chose a peacock because they symbolize knowledge, kindness and the ability to thrive under adverse conditions.

Latest Design Book Finds

Yesterday I mentioned that I am obsessed with books. These are some of my latest acquisitions:

Architecture Inspirations (weighs in at over 10 pounds)

City Living: Inspirational Homes in the Heart of the City

Private Places: Creating a peaceful space of your own at home

Scandinavian Living

The Organized Home: Design Solutions for Clutter-Free Living

Urban Eco-Chic: How to Create an Eco-Friendly
Home Without Compromising on Style