Monday, July 29, 2013

Thrift Share Monday - July 29

A lovely reader (Quilting Fiesta) is giving away one of my headbands on her blog this week. 
Enter here.

I've had some pretty good vintage luck the last two weekends at some estate sales.   Where I've managed to get some of my favorite type of vintage goods.

I'm obsessed, possibly, with snack sets.  I think they are the cutest things ever.  Which is really weird since I'm not a big coffee or tea drinker.  It just that I love how they have that little circular ridged area to place the petite little cup on the plate.  One weekend I got 16 pair of these clear snack sets,



and this weekend I got 8 pair (new in box) of these Crystal snack plate sets.


You can see some of the other snack sets I've found in the past here, here, and here.  Some of these have been sold, however, that hasn't stopped me from having this strange envision of having a cute little vintage-y coffee/tea shop where you can sit relax sipping some tea with a desert on one of my many different snack set dishes. 

Anyways, onward to another one of my favorites, that I have a thing for - carts, or little rolling tables.  I think I have 8 in the garage right now. Let's say 9 adding this folding, rolling cart.



This is the third folding cart I've found.  There is this black one I haven't wanted to part with (yet) and then this brown one that I sold last year (at a pretty good profit).

I'm really digging this small, narrow drawer industrial cabinet.



Well, I think I'm acquiring a thing now for TV lamps too.  Adding to my hoard collection is this Mallard Duck lamp.



The other TV lamps I have are Siamese cats and a panther.

Hmmmm, it looks like I have a thing for wine racks too.  I don't drink wine.  Well....I do if I put some 7-Up in it.



This is the 4th one I currently have (in the garage), and two others have been sold.  Maybe these are signs hidden at estate sales that I should take up heavier coffee, tea and wine drinking.

Well, this wasn't my complete haul. There is about a dozen other small items I purchased like scarves, vintage sheets, a goose neck lamp (to add to the other 4 also in my garage), vintage gloves, and a stool. 

Don't get sad that I have so much stuff hoarded in my garage.  Some of these items along with a huge chunk of my other vintage finds will see the light of day soon.  I'll be sorting through stuff over the next few weeks in preparation of the 2nd Annual Austin Craft Riot Summer Show.  So if your in the area and love handmade goods and vintage you don't want to miss this event.  




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Monday, July 15, 2013

Thrift Share Monday - July 15

(I'm having a giveaway on another post, head on over after this post)  


Yup! I'm writing a Thrift Share Post after almost 3 months of no Thrift Shares.  My last attempt at a Thrift Share post was in May.  I lost most of my pictures transferring them from my camera to my computer...and that was it.  I had the whole post written, with only 1/4 of the pictures for it.  I had intentions of re-taking photos, but that didn't happen.  For me taking pictures of my finds is a good chunk of getting around to a post.  Lugging everything to be ready, out of the car, into the house, out to the backyard, or living room.  Sometimes things only make it out of my car and onto the porch, then a week or so later it vanishes.... into the garage (mom puts it away). 

Well, anyways this post will be a collage of various thrifting finds since May.  My ventures have been to a minimum due to working Fridays and Saturdays (yeah, I know I've said this a few times before), but I've had a few awesome finds here and there.  You may have even seem some of my favorite finds since I've listed them in my Etsy shop, but I'll be sharing them with you here just in case you've missed them.

This weekend I scored a few good items including a vintage suitcase and train case. I think the train case is mad because it is so dirty.  The outside should clean up nice, but I'll have to figure out what to do about the inside. 


The suitcase is also a bit rough, but I have a makeover for it in mind, and let me tell you getting this suitcase was a bit frustrating.  Online this estate sale pretty much had nothing that really interested me, but I stopped by because it was on my way to work (and I ended up going by all three days). The first day I saw this suitcase in the garage by the $1 table, so yeah of course I grabbed it for $1, then to be told at the register it was $5.  That's ok, I don't want it. And left it there.  Kinda regretting that decision I went back on Saturday, and found it was still there (strange), but now marked $10.  UGH!  I take it to the register, to ask about it, and the young girl remembered me from the day before and gave it to me for $5.  Sunday I went back to see if this  birdcage was still there...


and it was. I have a project in mind for the birdcage as well.  Pulling out all the junk inside and putting in some different kind of birds.

Backing up about a month we head to a hoarders sale.  Yes!  Third day of the sale and we still find some awesome stuff.  What we missed the prior two days of the sale who knows, but it's all half off now.  However, I did miss the second part of this sale a few weeks later, where the whole back yard was opened up, but I don't want to think about it.  Let me just show you what I missed.


This hoarders back yard was FULL, just in case you missed the picture above :-) .  We didn't have access to 90% of the yard, but there was someone, momentarily, grabbing stuff we saw from afar ....like a donut shop.  Mom scored this enamel Dansk bowl, and pan.  Yeah, these were out in all that mess.  Oh, and it had just rained that morning.  Can you imagine the mess?  This sale made me giddy.  :-) 

Listed in my Etsy shop.

My favorite find from this sale was this metal chair frame.  I'll more likely attempt to sell it, but if no luck then maybe I can make an awesome cushion for it for myself.


After that sale we went straight to another estate sale, even though we didn't have any more room in the car; unless I kicked my kids out of the car we strategically rearranged all the stuff we just bought. Luckily for the kids there were only small finds at this sale.

A whole bunch of random stuff packed into my car.
This sale, also on it's third day, had a few awesome finds left too.  Like these gorgeous, risqué, framed pinup prints.  When I first saw them I did love them, but couldn't decide on one and didn't want to drop the cash for all of them, so I passed them by. Then my mom saw them and loved them as well, but she couldn't decided on just one either, but didn't want to pass them up.  So we went half in together and bought them all. 

Listed in my Etsy shop
I really do love these.  They are sexy, and tasteful.  They would be a gorgeous accent to a bathroom or man-cave.   There were originally part of an Esquire calendar. My favorites are the orange one and the towel in hair.

Another happy find for me at this sale was this little England Pyrex casserole.  My first stop at most sales is the kitchen,  I have a dish thing I guess.  I was very surprised when I saw this Pyrex marked England.  I hadn't seen one of these in person, let alone even remembered if I'd seen a foreign Pyrex online.


It makes me smile.

These tall drip glass lovelies were found right on my street.  On my way home, after work, on a Saturday I spot a garage sale and turn around to stop by, and these were waiting for me.  How they were not snagged up earlier that morning is beyond me.  They really brightened up my Saturday. 

Listed on Etsy.
Here are some of my finds from that May post, that never got completed.  Some of my most gorgeous finds.

A jadite, converted, oil lamp.  Gorgeous!!!


And this wonderful, Krom, Siamese cat lamp.


De ja vu?  Well, yeah, I have one of these already that I bought last year, but I haven't wanted to part with it since it was so awesome.  However, now I have two so I may be letting one go soon.  This one isn't wired, so more likely this will be the one I keep.  I can put a little flame-less candle inside it for the same glowing eyes effect, as seen here with my first find. 

Ok, I can go on and on and on, since I do have a ton more I can share, but maybe I can get another Thrift Share post ready for next week.  :-)

Until then check out the giveaway I'm having this week to win an stylish fabric headband.  Three headbands are up for grabs. 

Have a great week!

I'm linking up with Sir Thrift A Lot
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Sunday, July 14, 2013

Giveaway!

It's time for a..... giveaway! 

Why?  Because it's been so long since I've had one, and also because since I've picked up my sewing machines from being serviced I've been sewing with no issue.  So, I'm happy.  My finicky "Brother" has been sewing gorgeously. 

As of now I've been sewing mostly headbands for next months Austin Craft Riot Summer Show, and my
"Brother" has been doing the work, since I have the rolled hemmed foot for this machine.  I've gathered tons of fabric the last 7 months so I'll have a large variety of headbands to choose from, and three of you can have one for FREE.


Yup, I'm giving away three headbands, and if you win you'll get to choose the one you want.   To see some the fabrics available, see above, and go to my Mystery Headband listing on Etsy.  The last two photos show some of the fabrics I'm currently working with.  You can also choose from the headbands I already have listed here.


Don't want to wait to see if luck brings you a free headband?  Well, then how about 20% off a headband?  Use coupon code GIVEAWAY to get 20% off any headband listing.  You can still choose the headband you want by using the Mystery Headband listing, just indicate which fabric you want in the comments.

You have up to 5 entries for a chance to win a stylish fabric headband, one headband per winner. To enter I'm trying out Rafflecopter for this giveaway.  Let me know if you have any problems with it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open within the United States from Monday July 15 to Saturday July 20 11:59pm CST.  The winners will be announced on Sunday July 21.

And if you are in the Austin, TX area mark your calendar for the 2nd Annual Austin Craft Riot Summer show where you can find me with my vintage finds and handmade items made from new and upcycled fabrics.

Oh!!!  One more thing.  Are you interested in another giveaway?  If so head on over to one of my Austin Craft Riot buddies, Fartsy Arts, to win a pair of awesome cat-eye glasses earrings.  She designed them herself and then got super crafty with a laser cutter.  They are awesome!!!



(7/18/13 added link up)

I'm linking up with Someday Crafts Giveaway Thursday Directory


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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Meet my machines

Hi!

I'm excited.  Really!  After fighting with my "Brother" last year...and some the year before I decided I needed an overhaul.  It's been a debate many times if I should just have my "Brother" examined, and fixed, but every time I thought this it then led me to thinking about getting a new one.  "Might as well buy a new Brother since this one was only $130, and servicing it would be $75".  Makes sense....right? It made perfect sense to me...every time I thought it. 

The long debate of not wanting to spend money on a new machine or to service my current one would begin, then choose to do neither, therefore I continued to fight with my "Brother". Every time thinking it was something I did that led to the continual issues. What am I doing wrong?  I have a new needle,  I switched out the bobbin, I cleaned out any visible lint. Sigh.  Then like any fight it led to ignoring.... I didn't want to spend time with it, because it was just to frustrating.

Then along came cutie Atlas, and a hunky strong Singer.  Both very swoon worthy, but they needed some TLC.  They were both picked out during my thrifting adventures and I had no idea when either of them last had any attention....let alone serviced.  So their age made me leery of wanting to use them, worried a belt would pop in my face, therefore both were put aside unloved.

Now I had three machines I couldn't really use.  Water....water....everywhere....and not a drop to drink.  Well, sewing machines everywhere and not one to actually sew with.  Oh, and let's not even think about my Great-Grandma's machine, Morse, that had been lost and forgotten about, buried deep in the garage.  This machine was last used about 5 years ago (pretty much the only time I used it since inherited).  I  remembered it working really well, but the belt was super worn and I didn't want to break this machine.  It was also so big with it's table, and heavy.  It wasn't practical to lug around.  So this is when I bought my "Brother"

This is also sooooo sad to admit, I don't remember Morse being cute...at all.  In all honesty I really didn't get in to "vintage" until early 2011.  So I remembered Morse being old, plain, and the table was really dated, not a cute table....at all.  So when I decided I couldn't stand having sewing machines around that weren't usable and debating about buying a new one I pulled out all three machine from my garage, including my Great -Grandmas to have them all serviced, and I was shocked at what I saw when I lifted Morse's lid.  Morse was a super awesome vintage blue and tan cutie-pa-tootie sewing machine.  It wasn't "old and plain"...it was gorgeous!  Eh-hem....still aside from its table.  Maybe I should paint the table?

How sad, and strange how your perspective of things can change over a period of time.  This is how I remembered Morse looking.
 

And this is how I see Morse now.


Now, here is the whole family including my finicky "Brother".  My "Brother" is eh, on the cute scale.  Do any of you think your "Brother" is cute? 

                       1947 Singer



                  1959 Atlas


I did decide to get my "Brother" tweaked, in hopes it would be a minimal fix, it had deep interior tension issues, and it wouldn't be a big expense since I was getting the other three overhauled.    Plus I figured I can tow him around when I needed a lightweight machine to move around, plus my daughter could use it.

 So, here is what was done on all of these machines.  My "Brother" had tension issues, so the tension was adjusted.  Morse and Atlas needed new belts.  My Singer got some rewiring done, the cords were old,  better safe than sorry.  Plus all three vintage machines were officially fully services, oiled cleaned, tweaked. 

See?  Morse's table is not on the cute at all scale.


Now what?  Sewing of course.  I've made a whole bunch of headbands so far for a big craft/vintage show I'm preparing for in August, Austin's Craft Riot Summer Show, and I've bought way to much fabric lately.  I need to start making some sales, so I can pay down what I just charged on my card to get these machines serviced.  Yikes!  In reality though the cost to service these four machines was probably the cost of one really good  home machine, but it's four working machines and not just one.Yay!

I have no excuses now not to sew, aside from being sleepy, and maybe space to place all these machines in my room where I can actually use them. 

Anyways, let Sleeping or Sewing recommence. 






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