Living Room Update

As promised, I am now just getting to updated living room pictures.  Remember when I painted the wall here? Or got the new chairs here? Good times.  Everything else in the room I already had so it is a truly work with what you’ve got room.  A lot of the stuff is temporary but I am pretty pleased with results until something more permanent is created.  Is it close to finished? Of course not!

I brought these throw pillows in that I re-covered for a pop of color and used the ottoman from here as a temporary coffee table. I also used my sand hurricane from my coffee table update, and the electric insulators from this post. 

My amazing bird finds, and globe that was a gift from my sister in law work well with the texture of the woven tray.  My sister in law bought the globe at a rummage sale when she was, like 7.  I think it is very charming!

These old keys were salvaged from a friends Grandpa’s garage and are placed on top of some vintage books.  I used a lot of different shades and colors of blue to create a monochromatic effect.

I used this vintage basket as a holder for all my magazines.  I like how the basket brings a rustic and vintage touch to the room to create an eclectic feel against the more traditional cottage looking chairs.

I transported this pale blue Ball canning jar that holds my sentimental wine corks to the mantel.  I tried to keep the mantel color pallet very basic with blues and whites as to not overwhelm the room.

 

I love that you can put a starfish almost anywhere and it will look great!

 

As we think about what we want this room to eventually look like we are going to be adding the couch, possibly DIYing a coffee table, and adding a funky rug.  We will definitely be giving the back wall, which is still wood, a makeover and adding some bold curtains.  A new side table is potentially in the works and something needs to be done with that mantel.  There is a lot I have going on in my head for this room, and I am excited to see how the vision comes to life!

Antique Garage Treasures

Recently a friend invited me to rummage through her Grandpa's garage for antique decor goodies.  Remember when I rummaged through my own Grandpa's garage here?  Ya, Grandpa's are great.  I came home with a few treasures....for free.  Don't get me wrong, I tried to give her money, compensation, heck I even begged, but she was having none of that.  So after the tenth time I asked "are you sure?" I gave in and accepted the awesome treasures I found.  It didn't hurt that she was egging me on saying "you're not taking enough stuff!".  I went home with this awesome Bridgeman Russle Co. milk glass with deep orange graphics. I thought this would make a great eclectic vase for a bunch of wildflowers!

I picked up a pale blue Ball canning jar, similar to this one, but with a little different lettering.  I also picked up two blue electrical insulators that will match the ones from here. 

I wasn’t sure what I would do with this old style medicine bottle, but I felt it had a lot of potential.  And the fact that it actually stored medicine at one time pushed me to take it home! 

I also picked up these fabulous keys and locks.  I was amazed at the variety, and I am in love with skeleton keys.  I was also infatuated with the post office lock, and the fact that it was still attached to the key!  I love pieces with character and these definitely have it!   

One of my favorite picks with this old rail road lantern.  Can we pause for a little history lesson?  Okay, you don’t have to beg, we will.  This lantern is a product of the Adams and West Lake Company.  They manufactured this lantern for the D.M. & N. Railroad.  That stands for Duluth, Mesabi, and Northern Railroad.  There was a merger in 1937 between the D.M. & N. and the Spirit Lake Transfer Railway to create the D.M. & I.R. Railroad, which was the Duluth, Mesabi, and Iron Range.  The northern region of the state of Minnesota is called the “Iron Range” because of the huge mining industry of iron ore.  Those who live there (or grew up there), including me, are dubbed “Iron Rangers” or “Rangers” for short.   Soo..that puts this lantern as manufactured pre 1937, AND it was used on railroads in my hood! It was amazing to think that I have a little piece of rail road history sitting in my house!

After a little cleaning this baby shined!

My last big steal, and tied for my favorite, was this beverage crate.  I wasn’t as successful finding the history of this crate but it was used to carry and distribute Clicquot Club soda.  There is a little Eskimo child on the side holding a big bottle of club soda.  When I first saw this little child I thought they were holding a bottle of champagne.  I was confused the say the least.

The best part?  It was manufactured in my birth city! Boo-yah!

That rounds out my amazing journey to pick another Grandpa’s garage.  Anyone else had any amazing finds, free or otherwise?

Antiquing Adventure: Journey to St. Paul

Several weeks back amidst the chaos of moving I had an antiquing adventure with my sister-in-law Desiree and cousin Ellen.  We traveled to the antique malls of South Saint Paul and hit up a couple of shops with much success!

On this trip, as I often do while shopping, I used the picture taking method to decide what I should buy.  This consists of taking pictures of all the things that I possibly want and reviewing them at the end of the trip through the store to determine the item I want most and what fits in the budget.  It allows me to reduce buyer’s remorse and impulsivity by giving me time to think about where I would put each item and what its purpose would be.   I would show you my cell phone pics from this trip, BUT I am too cheap to get internet on my cell phone so you will just have to imagine all the wondrous treasures I found.   

At the end of the trip I had pictures of vintage yellow license plates with black letters, an antique fan with a turquoise base, a pre-prohibition Schmidt beer crate, a wire basket, and a white street sign with black lettering.  And the winner was…….

The wire basket!  I have been lusting after one of these babies for awhile now and have been hard pressed to find a wire basket that isn’t sectioned off as a milk crate.  The license plates are pretty common so I passed on those and the Schmidt beer crate was just a window shopping lust and out of my price range at $100.   The street sign idea was awesome, but this particular one had too much white space between the words, and the fan was good but not as stellar as other ones I have seen.   

I love the rustic touches of actual rust on this basket.  I initially thought this may be a basket for an old bike, but I really have no idea.  The lady at the antique store wasn’t much help for filling me in on the possible uses or dates, so I guess it will just be a mystery. 

It has several breaks in the wire, so I asked the nice lady at the counter for a discount.  She told me that the basket would already be discounted 15% due to a sale so I wouldn’t be able to get any more off.  That brought the total down to $16.00 so….I took it!  I think the breaks add character to the basket, but if I ever feel the desire I can have the hubby go solder it together. 

I am thinking this piece will be a great place to store my magazines!

And to top the whole day of shopping off, my sister-in-law Desiree gave me a monogrammed coffee sleeve she crotched.  After seeing this, I think I need to add crocheting to the list of crafts I am attempting!

A Quail of a Tale

I went on another antiquing adventure with the pops and I cannot wait to share what I found.  It was a find that was so monumental it was deserving of a “GET OUT” push by Elaine from Seinfeld…..yes that epic!  Let me give you some back story.  Several months ago I stumbled upon Young House Love’s crash of the Bower’s pad.  This ceramic bird shot had me green with envy.  It was a bit like my brass birds that are perched on my coffee table, but I was drawn to the white ceramic-ness of it. 

And guess what….I FOUND IT! I did a happy dance in the store that to an outsider probably looked like I was having a seizure. 

But wait, there’s more……it had a baby!

AND it was only $6.00 for the pair! Probably not as good of a deal as Katie Bower got, but it made me all warm and fuzzy none the less!  My dad informed me that they are quails.  He also told me  that when I’m driving I take turns too sharp….it was an interesting day. 

I also ran across some large antique Ball canning jars with pale blue glass.  As I’m going up to the counter the pops casually says “Ohh I have some of those out back I’ll give to you when I get home”.  Score! So I walked away with these bad boys for free!  With just a little elbow grease I am confident they will shine. I am thinking I need a larger home for my wine corks (from here and here) to live and this seemed like the perfect solution, but only time will tell.   

Your Guide to Scoring Thrift and Vintage Finds

Why buy used when you can buy new?  That is a valid question.  The great thing about buying thrift or vintage is you will gather unique pieces for your home that won’t look so commercial or ordinary and typically at a better price than retail.  These pieces will be unique to your home, and your friends and family be impressed with your creativity. 

In the case of antique and vintage buys there is a lot of history that goes with those pieces, and you can just imagine all stories that go behind your find.  With thrift buys these are really great for using as intended, but you will also feel great about painting, upcycling, and reworking your item because the cost is so low! 

For all thrift and vintage shopping, it’s essential to know what you are looking for and once it is purchased, what you will do with it!  Don’t buy something just to buy it, make sure you will have a place to display your treasures when you get home! 

I have/will continue to post my vintage and thrift finds as they come my way, and how I incorporate them into my home.  You may be surprised by some finds and I hope it inspires you to buy antique/thrift!  Below is the essential guide to buying antique, auction, thrift, and rummage.  I have acquired this knowledge through a childhood and adulthood of being dragged to vintage and thrift stores by my parents.  Now it has become a passion!  I hope these tips and tricks will help you on your adventures!

Antique Stores

What is sold in an antique store is generally………old.  These are pieces that have value for their age, quality, and collectability.  Typically, the rarer the piece and the better the condition, the more money it will cost you.  This is one of the pricier options to buy your accessories and pieces.  The benefit is you will get something truly antique with a lot of history.    

When looking for an item it can be overwhelming to look through all the glass cases and displays filled with stuff, you will be looking at literally hundreds if not thousands of items.  It is really important to know what types of accessories, colors, etc. you are looking for.  This is really helpful to have in mind so you can use a scanning technique when looking over the cases and booths.  Quickly scanning all the items will be a real time saver for you!

The way typical antique stores operate is that they are composed of different sellers or dealers.  Each seller has their own booth or a nook in the store, so all similar or like items will not be placed in the same area.  Don’t be afraid to ask if you are looking for a particular item, if not happy scanning!

Pieces that you look for in an antique store should be purchased for their unique look, feel, antique value, or sentimentality.  Since antiques are the priciest way to buy used I do not recommend altering these items.  It is senseless to spend $50 on a figurine that you will just end up spray painting white.  For those items that you are going to alter buy thrift or rummage sale. It’s also very important to check the prices.  Sometimes one small thing about an item makes it really valuable, such as the year or the color of a feature, and if you are purchasing the item for aesthetics and “cuteness” rather than for it’s antique value you can often find something similar at a cheaper price. 

Auction

An auction is where items are up for sale do not have set prices and are sold to the highest bidder.  The content of the auction items can vary so read the description and know what types of items are up for bid.  If you had your heart set on vintage furniture you will be outta luck if you show up at a farm tool auction.

Come ½ hour early so you can look over, touch, and hold all of the items you are interested in bidding on.  It usually varies from auction to auction, BUT typically once you win a bid it’s yours and you can’t change your mind if you find something you don’t like about your piece after the fact.  You will usually get a sheet of all the items up for auction.  Use this sheet to mark items you are interested in.  It is easy to tune out of the bidding (an entire auction can last for HOURS!) so by circling the numbers of the items you want you can keep checking in to see if the bidding is close.

Set a price, know what you are willing to spend on an item and stick to it.  It is easy to get caught up in a bidding war and spending a lot more than you had planned on.  Also, make sure to do your homework on your items and make sure you know what they are worth!  Usually you can get a good deal and will pay less than antique store price, but there are those instances where an item goes for considerably more than it is worth.

Sit in the back.  This seems a little contrary because for everything else the “good seats” are in the front.  If you are in the back you can see everyone who is bidding on an item and how many people you are bidding against.  You must have a number to bid, and you hold it in the air to place a bid.  There will usually be a person that will either point or gesture at you or say “YEP” really loud to indicate that they have taken your bid.  If you are in a bidding war after this generally a nod to the auctioneer will indicate that you are upping the ante.  If all else fails just watch everyone else and you will pick it up fast.

The auctioneer (who talks VERY fast so pay attention) will typically start out with a higher number, so avoid holding up your number to bid at the very beginning.  The numbers will keep going lower and lower until someone makes in initial bid.  I think it’s best to let someone else have the first bid so you don’t start your bidding to high.

Very important: If an item up for bid says “choice” that means that the bidding is for only ONE item, your choice, not both or all items.  Typically if you win the bid for choice you will have the opportunity to buy the other items in the choice for the same price. 

Goodwill/Thrift Stores

Items found at thrift stores are used items that people have donated or sold to the store.  However, at some thrift stores you will be able to find new items in the packaging.  Typically these items aren’t old enough or have enough value to be considered antiques, but sometimes you can find hidden treasures.

I will first say that it takes courage to walk into a thrift store.  Yes, it may smell weird in there.  Yes, some people have a phobia of used items and only want new.  And yes, you may encounter some unique individuals and ugly sweaters in the store.  BUT concentrate on the good prices and deals you are getting, and after a couple trips there you will get butterflies in your stomach at just the thought of going!

Thrift stores are a GREAT place to get items that you want to repurpose, paint, tear apart, etc. because the prices are also great.  I found an amazing chair (which I couldn’t buy because it violated my rule of “you need someplace to put it”) for $3.00!!  Some new upholstery and it would have made an amazing desk chair!  Thrift stores are also an excellent place to get glassware.  You will often find jars, vases, cake covers, etc. at excellent prices.   Also, a lot of people, as I mentioned before, only like new items.  These are the people that continuously buy new accessories and if you’re lucky give their “old” (meaning older than 2 years) items away.  You can buy these items for a great price at Goodwill and benefit from their foolishness.

One thing to consider when shopping thrift is what neighborhood the store is in.  Items donated or sold to the thrift store typically come from the people living in the community.  A poor community may have less “good buys” than a neighborhood that is more wealthy. 

Most times you can bargain and negotiate at these stores and get them for slightly less than sticker price.  Also, some stores have sales on certain days for certian types of items so it is good to get to know the workers and find out what days the deals are offered.   

Rummage Sale

This is probably the cheapest way to buy.  People are looking to get rid of there stuff and are more likely to give you a bigger discount and make better deals for you to haul their stuff away.  However, sometimes you do run across sales where people think all their items should be worth their weight in gold.  Bargaining with these people is typically senseless.  They key to getting a good deal is bring cash, and by that I mean small bills and change.  It's easier to bargin when you have smaller amounts than it is to talk your guy down $5 and then having to ask for change from your $50 bill.  Also rummage sales may not have enough change to give back to you and you will either have to pay more or not get your item.   

Like buying at Goodwill, you can feel good about painting, cutting, chopping, re-doing your pieces because you don’t have too much money invested.  With rummage sales also adhere to the neighborhood rule.  Those neighborhoods with wealthier people will be able to afford items with more quality therefore selling their used quality items to you!  And like at auctions, make sure to read the description in the newspaper or online.  If the advertisement is for baby clothes and toys, it is unlikely you will find the cheap furniture you are looking for. 

It is essential to go early.  To get the deals you have to be the person lurking five minutes before the thing opens.  Your creepiness will pay off in the form of cheap bargains.  It is also important to pay attention to what days the sale is being held.  If you are planning on going on Saturday morning and the rummage sale started on Friday, no matter how early you get there on Saturday the good stuff is probably already picked over.  For your rummage sale adventures, it is always good to have a plan of attack.  Map out a route of sales in the same area and conquer! It saves time and energy to hit all the sales in one area before moving onto the next area.  Otherwise you may find yourself running across town for each sale you go to! 

I hope this guide helped and happy thrift and vintage shopping!  Does anybody else have any tips and tricks they would like to share? 

Going Once, Going Twice, Sold! My First Auction

I went to an action this weekend with my dad.  I will first tell you that auctions are in my blood.  You bet on your life that you will find my father and grandfather at auctions, rummage sales, and antique stores every weekend and some weekdays.  It never fails.  Since these activities were the only way I could bond with my father as a child I have developed a love of antiquing and rummage sailing.  However, I had never been to an auction and I desperately wanted to go after seeing an episode of Sarah’s House on HGTV where she got amazing furniture she restored at rock bottom prices. 

This particular auction didn’t have any furniture but it did have fast talking men yelling out numbers.  Also, the bar opened at 11:00 am so I figured it was a win win situation.  The auction was put on by Bronk Auctions and all images below are from their webpage.  There were several items that I thought were amazing such as this Baker’s Cocoa shipping crate (It would be an interesting piece to use as side table with tons of bonus storage), the yellow cracker tin on the left (for the spare bedroom to add a touch of vintage), and the unique Tom Moore cigar jar (on the left hand side and second in). 

I decided what item I wanted the most (the cigar jar) and held out for that, because my budget was exactly $23.00.  If the price was right for the other items (ie under $15.00) I would have jumped at them, BUT they went for way over that. 

I can tell you that nothing gets your heart pumping like bidding on an item!  I bowed out at $17.50 against two other people for the cigar jar, but then impulsively jumped back in at $22.50 to seal the deal.  I just couldn’t let it get away!  It was a victorious feeling taking home my jar, and very sentimental. Here is my brand-new-vintage cigar jar:

Continuing on the theme of sentimentality I wanted to know the history of a jar like this and looked to the internet to help me find my way.  It turns out that the internet failed me.  I could only find old Tom Moore cigar boxes/humidors and it doesn’t appear that this jar is a humidor because it is not big enough to hold cigars and the thingie (technical term, I know) that keeps the moisture in.  The hubs thinks it may be a display for the cigars.  We couldn’t find anything about where the factory was located, beyond in Minneapolis, MN, what happened to the company, or anything about Tom Moore.  It is a mystery not even Wikipedia could solve!

Check back in for the fate of the jar and where it ended up in our house.  Any ideas?