Hunted::Gathered: 02/18/12

Hey lovely readers, I've had quite a week so I'm sorry for not getting back to some of your comments and messages but I will, promise.

I did want to share some of my latest finds. Luckily I photographed these last week so I have something to share.

I found this little mod candle-holder tucked away at an estate sale. Unfortunately I missed what seemed to be great finds on the first day of the sale because of work but I did manage to pick up a few things. The individual teak pieces swivel. They are also made in Denmark but I've been unable to find the designer.

Also tucked away in some boxes outside was this cute little needlepoint purse. The things I picked up weren't priced so I worried when I went to the register but the lovely lady gave them to me for a song. Phew!

The estate was pretty amazing, it was a custom built mid-century post and beam home by a local architect. Since I am looking for a home, I was curious about the property but I learned it won't be coming up for sale for a few months (hopefully). It is a modest sized home but for the most part was in great condition.

I saved a copy of one of the preview images for the sale to see if anyone could help id one of the pieces I wanted. It's the white spherical ceramic container. Anyone know what it is?

At another estate sale I found my first Swedish Dala horse. This one measures in at 8.5"! The dansk spider candle-holder was from a local thrift and was manufactured in Denmark.

I'm still debating about this find. I was excited because it is a vintage Dansk ice bucket with the four ducks logo on the bottom BUT it is missing the lid. I asked a couple of employees if they would look in the back and none of them would. I went back to see if it popped up but I had no luck. What do you think, was it a good buy?

Lastly, I am really excited about these finds. These Iittala Festivo candlesticks have six rings and add to my collection. The largest one I had prior to these has 5 rings. They have a vintage sticker and are marked with Timo Sarpaneva's initials on the bottom. This estate had a lot of good furniture that I missed out on. There was a family of 5 that took the tags off of all of the teak furniture...drat! They did miss these candlesticks though.

How was your week? I'll be linking up with Selena and Sophie.

Hunted:: Gathered: 01/22/12

This week's theme: Put a bird on it !  (also as a celebration of Portlandia's new season)

I started thrifting religiously when I learned about California pottery; and being in California, the chances were that I'd eventually find some California pottery. The things that I bring home have greatly evolved but when I come across Howard Pierce I find it hard to resist. Above is a rooster and hen set that I found recently.

The holiday season has passed, but I could not pass on this enamel by AnneMarie Davidson. 

This littly guy has a sweet disposition. It's my first piece by Pigeon Forge pottery.

I'm using this last piece as a trivet/ spoon rest. I find it hard to resist that rich blue hue. It is signed by the artist but I cannot make out the name.

Though this last piece has nothing to do with birds, I wanted to share something Scandi that I found recently. It was signed on the back but I didn't recognize the signature. I thought one of the letters was a B so I looked at Bjorn Wiinblad and Arne Bang. Well, on one of the websites I stumbled upon Danish pottery signatures and learned that the bowl is by Eigil Hinrichsen.

So that's it for my goodies. I'll be hopping around to take a look at your finds. Did you link up with Selena and Sophie?

Hunted:: Gathered: 07/02/11

It's that time again! The time when I get to share my treasures of the week. I hope you had a great week and for the americans reading this, I hope you're enjoying the long weekend in celebration of our independence!

In my part of town, summer has definitely arrived! Temperatures reaching the 100 degree mark. Though I don't particularly enjoy the extreme heat, I was inspired by the thought of pleasant and moderate summer outings. I thought a sweet little set of teak snack bowls would be great with a vintage set of Vera Neumann napkins. You can't leave out the pyrex pitcher to be filled with iced tea along with some Dorothy Thorpe style glasses!

How sweet it would be to have this Arabia jam jar filled with something homemade...

If you're into refreshing with something a bit more boozy you can use this little teak guy with a built in bottle opener and corkscrew.

Antonio Vitali- Creative Playforms, Zoo-line? Monkey, Hans Bolling Optimist

If you're in a cooler part of the world, how about you snuggle up with a fun pillow and play some games with family.  Remember... the glass is probably half full!

Blenko Heart Vase

Express your love...

Nambe Heart

... and you'll likely be loved in return.

Jacaranda Hippo made in Zimbabwe

... and well... do some things just because you love to...

See you at Sophie's and Selena's!

XOXO

Eye of the Tiger...

It was a friday afternoon. I was running some errands for the boy (buying bike food) while he was at work and decided to swing by the nearby thrifts. I only happen to go to these thrifts when he needs bike food because they are located on the far side of town. I also hadn't been having much luck at them recently.

It just so happened that it was 50% day. Alright time to find some goodies! I made my way around the furniture section out front and saw a really fabulous rustic coffee table... already SOLD. Oh well. I was walking around the housewares section, always keeping an eye out for some Ulthima Thule. No luck. I went through the plastics section and found one thing which I'll reveal in the week's roundup. *This post is dedicated to a solitary find. *

I continued making my way around the store and ended up at the back, where the books are along with the large exercise equipment. There, next to the exercise machines, I saw a chair. It was low lying, made of teak and very much in a Danish style. I went to take a closer look but it didn't have a price tag. Oh no, someone in this store has beat me to it! I waited around (like a tiger stalking his prey) and saw an employee walking towards the chair along with a couple. He was going to help them with the purchase... did they buy it? Turns out they bought the exercise machine next to it. Phew. I continued waiting around to see if someone would take the chair but alas nobody did. I asked an employee if he knew about the chair and why it didn't have a price tag. What a helpful fellow, he asked his manager and then he got on the loud speaker and asked if anyone had the price tag for the chair. Nobody did! Yay! The manager then came by and told me the price tag was taken off since the time they brought the chair out the night before. That's odd. In any case, since nobody bought it he told me the price of the chair was $50, since it was 50% off Friday it would end up being $25. "Was I interested? ", he asked. Heck yeah!

I always wanted a Danish style lounge chair and for $25 it couldn't be beat. I failed to mention that the chair was wrapped in plastic so I couldn't thoroughly inspect it. I looked underneath and everywhere you could think of to find a mark but didn't find one. I figured it was a chair reproduction from Plummer's because the wood seemed to be in pretty good shape. The upholstery didn't look original and needed to be replaced too. It was also really light which I found odd. However, it was $25... what more could I ask for. I paid for the chair, had someone put it in my car and off I went.

The boy called me to see where I was and what I was up to. I told him I found a chair. A chair, that in my mind made up for an amazing mid-century sale that I was going to miss the following day. You see, we had already committed to a father's day bike ride. Even though the boy isn't a father yet we wanted to go. 

When I got home I started unwrapping the chair. I took off the bottom cushion and found a mark. No Way! That's always a good sign. However, I didn't recognize the mark. Blasphemous, I know! So off I went searching on the interwebs for France + Teak + Mark. What do I find? It is the manufacturer France & Sons of Denmark. Sweet, an authentic Danish chair! So I continued searching with my new bit of information and what did I find... the chair that I thought was a reproduction is actually a chair designed by one of the most notable Danish designers, Finn Juhl! Holy smokes!!

This certainly makes up for missing the sale the following day (the boy actually wanted me to go but due to the high publicity of the sale I didn't want to fight off any hardcore dealers). 

Lo and behold my find: (sorry for the bad pics but I'll re-photograph when I have the new upholstered cushions)

These folks found two of them 3 years ago, at $10 each!!

Just look at the thoughtful detail at the end of the armrest.

... and look at the soft curves and the beautiful color of the teak.

 

You see where the mark is? It was hidden underneath the cushions! Since I love anything teak, MCM or Scandinavian this is like finding the Holy Grail. Unfortunately the boy wants me to sell it as does la familia. The only way I would even *think* about selling it is if it was to have money for my papa bear chair. Wouldn't you agree?

As far as the cushions are concerned, I'd like to get some distressed leather upholstery like so...

 

What do you think?

Lessons Learned: 
1. Don't assume that a large item is sold because it doesn't have a price tag.
2. It doesn't matter at what time of day you go to a thrift store, you may just be lucky that day!
3. Maybe there is such a thing as Good Karma.
4. There are still GREAT deals to be had.

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

Hey thrifting friends, this is part II of my finds for last week. I decided to (try to) take a week off from thrifting but that didn't last the whole week. My poor little apartment needed a break. The boy needed a break too but in the end I am glad I went out! I'll be sharing that next week! I used the time earlier in the week to work on some of the lingering projects that I have. Status on those... still working on them.

Without much ado, here are the rest of my finds:

I found this wonderful abstract exhibition poster for Esteban Vicente printed by the Andre Emmerich Gallery. Andre Emmerich hosted several exhibitions for Esteban Vicente and this one was held in 1965. He was a big proponent of abstract art in New York City and apparently had one of the most extensive archives of the pieces that went through his gallery.

I found a Mid-Century Danish game called Roll-ette. It was designed by Skjode Knudsen. I am missing the rosewood balls that are used to score points for the game but I didn't know what it was at the time. You can read the instructions here. Short end... you spin the rosewood top and score points according to the where the balls fall into.

I went to a local rummage sale where all of the household items were 25 cents unless otherwise marked. There I found this Dansk decanter... and walked out without the teak stopper. The cashier forgot to pack it when she was wrapping up the glass. :( Since it was close to home I went back and they were holding it for me. :)

... and this beautiful combination Salt and Pepper shaker designed by Dan Droz. I originally thought this was just a pepper grinder but luckily one of the ladies behind the pay table exclaimed that it was a combination shaker that was 'very popular in the '70s'.The top piece (that looks like a button at this angle) pops off so you can pour in the salt. The knob on the front pops off for the pepper and voila...

... and this cute little 'feeder' (for people). It was such a charming hand blown piece that I couldn't just let it sit there. I did not know what it was at first but I imagined putting a cute little terrarium in there or even using it as a creamer. Well, after some research I found that it is 'the feeder' (for people). They suggested using it for candy, sugar, peanuts or even as a desk organizer. It was manufactured by the M.E. Duncan Co. You can see the box and other uses for it here. If I had the larger one I would love to use it as a creamer and sugar set. For now it works perfectly with my pistachios, you get the perfect handful.

I hadn't found any more bisque porcelain items in a while so I was pretty excited when I saw this. It is from the Do Not Litter line for Rosenthal. The line also includes ceramic crumpled bags and milk cartons. I think it's pretty clever and the boy happens to like this one too.

... and this sweet little hand painted trinket box that was made in Mexico.

What better than to find a mod brooch to go in the little trinket box. This is a sterling silver brooch by Orb (Otto Robert Bade).

That wraps up my goodies... What did YOU find?

Check out all of the amazing finds at Sophie's !

New link up this week with: 

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:

Bummer....

Illum Wikkelso- Moreways to waste time

Just another piece that got away. This is a rocker by Danish designer Illum Wikkelso.

I was walking around my local thrift/ antique shops while they were having a sidewalk sale. Rarely do I find mid-century items there but you never know. Well, by the time that I arrived, someone had already purchased this chair. I wasn't aware of that. I was inspecting the chair, looking for a price tag only to find out that this lady standing nearby had already bought it. She didn't say anything, she just watched me as I drooled over it. I didn't know who the designer was at the time. I stumbled upon the designer when I was doing research for something else. Does that tend to happen to anyone else?

Lesson Learned: Never assume your local antique shop won't have MCM items.

Hunted:: Gathered: 03/28/11 Part II

Here is the follow up post with the rest of my thrifted items for the week.

I saw this piece peaking through a small space behind other frames at the thrift and was curious. I wrestled it out of its confines to get a better look and was instantly in love. It's a glass mosaic, but instead of the individual pieces of glass being set on the flat side, they are stacked on their sides. It is quite heavy too. Someone went through a lot of trouble to put this piece together only to later have it given away.

When I brought it home, the boy couldn't believe I bought another piece of art. He asked me what I thought the image was of and I said Maybe somewhere in Europe? He told me he thought it was somewhere in California. It turns out, he was right! We believe it to be an image of San Francisco. The artist took some liberties with the Golden Gate bridge You can see the Bay Bridge (thanks carolyn & stephanie) , Coit Tower in the background, as well as the bay.

I also found a Kosta Boda Snowball votive. It is solid and quite heavy for its size.

I usually don't look for ribbons or fabric because I have too many crafting items as is but this pattern caught my eye. Funnily enough the pattern is called Copenhagen, so I brought it home.

This is a cool Trifari necklace with a pendant that looks like a bird in flight. I like its mod look. Now does anyone know what a Caco Sterling mark means?
 

Next up is a Danish Teak Salt & Pepper set by Digsmed. They weren't sitting too far from the Copenhagen ribbon. Maybe they had the same home previously. They are in great shape and the price was right. I haven't been able to find any comparables but the Jens Quistgaard shakers can go for a pretty penny.

I went by a local estate sale only to find overpriced items that I didn't really care for. As I was on my way out I decided to stop by the patio. They had some wicker patio furniture and a table with random pots and plastics. Boy was I glad I stopped by the patio. There I found this Cathrineholm Dutch Oven in the lotus pattern. I was surprised to see that it wasn't overpriced like everything else. I took off the lid and it was in great shape. I honestly think that the only reason it wasn't overpriced is because it wasn't labeled. As I was walking out, the estate sale ladies were remarking on how cute it was. I couldn't agree more and I tried really hard to contain my excitement!

I must admit, the pot had some gunky stuff on the lid and the area around the holder. It almost looked like rust but thankfully it wasn't. After a good scrub it looks brand new.

This next item is a first for me. I usually leave the vinyl search to the boy but for some reason, it was calling out to me that day. Now I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, or in this case a record by its cover, but I am a highly visual person. I've only studied design for the majority of my life. I can't help it. This album cover was designed by Josef Albers and while it isn't a rare find it was fun discovering it. He actually designed several album covers related to Percussion. They are all modern, bold and graphic.

I enjoy this one because the dots give the sense of movement and reverberation. Instead of being inline with the rest of them, they appear to be bouncing along with the sounds from the album.

As if I needed to collect more china, I picked up these four Eschenbach cups which I don't think are vintage. I've had a hard time finding any information on current designers and patterns. After doing some research on the logo I believe it to be from 2000+. The designer's name is inside the cup which is fun but it doesn't make it easier to decipher. The pattern is playful with a touch of whimsy.

Last and certainly not least I found this fabulous book by Hans Peterson with pictures by Swedish designer Ylva Kallstrom.

The book isn't in the greatest shape but it didn't matter to me. I love the representation of the homes in the village. The colors are fantastic. The story is adorable. Really, there is nothing not to like about it.

 That wraps up my finds for the week. Am I greedy to wish for more weeks like this?

Pairing up again with :