Saturday, April 30, 2011

Sunday Dinner

This is my latest treasury! I needed a little sunny color in my life!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Easter Weekend Garage Sale


Due to the fact that Easter is tomorrow I thought I'd start this weeks virtual garage sale a little early and let it go a little longer. Happy Easter everyone!

Please add one item only and it must be vintage. Make sure you use the link to your item or website. If you use the link to the blog by mistake please feel free to submit it again and I will delete your first one. :)

Gold Arnels Pheasants


This is a beautiful pair of vintage Arnels pheasants. They are gold with a distinct orange fleck overall. I was very excited to find them but when I got home and inspected them closely I found a good repair to the tip of the male pheasants tale. It's not noticeable but to a collector it could be a deal breaker. I do a pretty decent job of looking over an item prior to purchase but I missed this one. The repair blends in perfectly with the rest of the piece as it has an overall cracked and rough texture to the piece. Blends in so well that it does not distract from the piece at all. It's for sale but if it doesn't go it'll make a great centerpiece for our teak dining room table at our chic woodland retreat! I never buy anything that I wouldn't use myself. It's available for sale HERE and priced accordingly.

SOLD

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Is it summer yet?


This is a photo of part of my backyard garden area from last summer. It's the only evidence I have right now that summer is on its way because the weather sure does not feel like it.

CraIgslist Finds in Fort Wayne Area








This
is a stunning dining room set with inlaid wood with Asian influence. I don't believe I've seen one like this.
They are asking $425.00 for this set and it looks like it is well worth that price. It's located in Bryan, OH.

Listed HERE.


This Chippendale dining room table and chairs is located in Warsaw, Indiana for 150.00. People you cannot find dining room sets for this price anywhere!Recover the seats and enjoy a wonderful meal around this table.

It's listed HERE.



Available for sale a 3 piece Mid-century Modern bedroom set: chest, dresser and night stand. It's listed for $125.00 and is in Time Corners, Indiana.

Listed HERE.



This is a very cool Homecrest patio set! Just in time for that patio party! This set is in Fort Wayne, IN.

Listed HERE.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Miller House and Garden IMA



Miller House and Garden is owned and cared for by the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Tours at Miller House and Garden are made possible through the Columbus Area Visitors Center, Columbus IN. One of the greatest modern designs of the mid-twentieth century, this extraordinary complex was created by the legendary architect Eero Saarinen, interior designer Alexander Girard, and landscape architect Dan Kiley.

If you love architecture and design Columbus is the place to go. Columbus is ranked 6th in the nation for architectural innovation and design by the American Institute of Architects on a list that includes the much larger cities of Chicago, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Summer Lasagna

The difference between Winter Lasagna and Summer Lasagna is the fresh from the garden herbs. I cover the oregano with leaves every fall and in the early spring when I remove the leaves there is oregano. If you don't cover it it won't be there. The garlic chives are 6 inches tall and ready for this years cooking season! This was the first of many home made Italian meals I make with fresh herbs every summer.

Mid-century Wrought Iron Table and Chairs OH MY!

Last March a friend asked me if I would be interested in going with her to a couple of antique stores in downtown Fort Wayne. There is one antique store on Broadway, a used furniture store and a couple of thrift stores that I like to visit once a year but I wasn't sure how to get to them as my husband always drives on the Fort Wayne excursions. So off we went, two directionally challenged women without a Garmin but we had a Google map and a cell phone. Needless to say we got very familiar with Fort Wayne with all the wrong turns and circles.

I found this cute little ice cream set from the 60s or early 70s at the antique store called Antique's On Broadway. I must say I got a very fair price of 50.00 and was excited that I finally found a set for our front porch. The chairs were covered in 70s orange velvet fabric, (not pictured), which I thought was surely covering some damaged fabric. I have recovered many chair seats but never a circle. What a wonderful new experience awaited me! NOT!

I shopped at several local fabric stores for a newer fabric but finally ended up purchasing a nice forest green fabric with a small yellow and red stripe off Ebay. The color fit right in with our home, an old 3 story Georgian, and popped but didn't scream.

After the fabric arrived I removed the old stained and worn orange velevet fabric. Much to my surprise the original red and white striped vinyl was in perfect condition. The original owner had simply covered the seats to match their own decor. Maybe the red and white was a little to much. Aside from the nail holes in the back, the chair covers were better then perfect. Althought the fabric was in good condition the red and white was too much of a "scream" for our front porch and the nail holes that once held the dingy orange fabric in place was not helping either.

Recovering a dining chair is easy. Simply unscrew the screws on the bottom and remove the seat. Use a staple gun to secure the new fabric. Stretch it in the same way you'd stretch a canvas for a painting. One side and one staple at a time. When securing fabric to a circle you'll need to pleat as you go. The top half of the chair was much more time consuming then difficult. Once I secured the front of the chair pad I found out quickly that I would have to hand sew the back part of the pad to the front fabric because the staples took up just enough room that the back would no longer fit into the ring. This was not an easy task but maybe I just don't have the proper equipment. The fabric was thick because it had to be folded over. I used a thick piece of cardboard to push the needle through each time.

With one chair down I have one chair to go. Thankfully the weather hasn't gotten terribly warm yet so I have time. Hopefully I'll have it done before May 1. Happy days!!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Sunday's Virtual Garage Sale

It's late Saturday night and it's time to start Sunday's virtual garage sale for Etsy vintage shop owners. Please submit only one item and don't forget to add a comment! Happy sales!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Garage Sale Finds for Today

I never go to a sale with anything in particular in mind. I just look for what strikes my fancy and what the potential is for the piece in any setting. Today's first find is a cute little green vase with gold stripes. This vase is what I call a "pop" piece. These are small items in a room that make people want to get close and look at them. It was pretty dusty. Well VERY dusty but it cleaned up well with very little wear to the gold.

It's available for sale HERE.



I have always felt Anchor Hocking to be a little under appreciated. I love it. This is a pitcher and juice glass hobnail milk glass set. What a mouthful. Very nice for a vintage kitchen or country decor. It can be used or set out for display. It's available HERE. SOLD

Sunday, April 10, 2011

It's Official Garage Sale Season is Off and Running!

I always enjoy going into rural America to locate unique vintage items. This piece came from an 1872 brick farm house. The owner told me this was a rare Fire King baking dish signed by "Culver". I'm always hesitant when people tell me they have a rare piece but I began to believe it when I began searching for a similar piece. Nada. I came up with nothing. So if anyone out there has any information on this piece I'd appreciate your help. It's for sale HERE.

SOLD

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Thrift Shopper Hook Up


The Thrift Shopper is a great little site that helps you find thrift shops close to your area. Search for thrift stores using their national thrift store directory. Hook up and discuss thrifting on their forum. I've already found 2 shops I didn't know about. Indiana zips can be found HERE.

Monday, April 4, 2011

The House in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is FOR SALE



Yes you heard that right, one of the coolest mid-century modern homes in the Midwest, Rose House and Pavilion, is for sale. I wonder if I can raise a cool 1.65 million via my Etsy sales in the next few weeks so I can buy this one! You can check out the listing HERE. The house was designed by architects A. James Speyer and David Haid.


Sunday, April 3, 2011

Kendallville Indiana & the Brass and Silver Punch Bowl Set


I usually stick to thrift shops, garage sales, auctions and estate sales but with winter as long as this one has been we decided to head out to Kendallville, Indiana for a day of antiquing. They have been hard hit by the recession and I wasn't sure how many of the antique shops had survived. When we arrived we were glad to see several were still there but some were gone. There are 2 very nice antique shops, 1 vintage shop, 1 large used furniture/thrift shop and a used clothing store. I purchased this gorgeous punch bowl set in brass and silver from the smaller vintage shop. The price was right and the owner was in need of a sale so I bit. I have not been able to find a makers mark but I am guessing it's Indian. I found the identical set on Ebay for 250.00 with an appraisal of over 1000.00. I am not sure if the pricing is accurate. The only difference was that the set I purchased has silver plating on the insides of the cups and includes the dipper. I don't have this set available for that price. I'm keeping it reasonable just as the dealer did for me. It's available for sale HERE.

SOLD

Introducing Mr. Goodwill Hunting


I get this man's style! His thrift sale finds aren't just found they are purposed in a meaningful and thoughtful manner that even the best designers would envy. So please allow me to introduce Rashon better known at his blog as Mr. Goodwill Hunting.

Check out his blog for some incredible inspiration for your your own thrift store adventures.



The Garage Sale Warrior

I stumbled across this blog, Garage Sale Warrior maintained by Diana Durkes and thought some other garage sale enthusiasts in Chicagoland might enjoy her adventures. Diana features a wonderful Google map of all the garage sale happenings in the Chicago area for your convenience. Diana also shares some of the best places in Chicago to thrift and gives tips on how to upcycle your finds!