I went to an auction

 I had to have this sign. Maybe I should start selling hot dogs in the store. Of course they'd have to be locally sourced, no pesticides, no antibiotics, grass, (organic, of course) fed, humanely slaughtered hot dogs. :)

 The graphics on this side of the sign were singing to me.

 This racy green Haeger cornucopia vase was a steal.

 Hand-colored lithograph, probably mid 19th century. Butterflies and birds never go out of style.

Pantry Queen bread box, tea caddy, and sugar tin. The sugar tin is missing its top, but I think it would look nifty with a jar filled with wildflowers in it. There is a green milking stool peeking out beneath the bread box.

I leave early for the Catskills. The store is now open every Friday. Just letting you know, in case you're in the area.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jen

auction fun

I went to an auction Monday. That's where I got the paintings in my last post, and also a large framed photo of a canoe, which I cannot get an acceptable photo of because of glass reflections. (Photo tips welcome.) Also:

 A child's rocker. I've sold quite a few of these, in various styles, often to grandparents.

 Twig tables. This style is often called Adirondack, named for the wilderness region north of the Catskills, known for its camps, lodges, and handmade rustic furniture, mostly from the early 20th century.

Remember the duck sleigh I got a while back?

Now we have a rocking duck of similar vintage.

Enjoy your weekend!

Jen

what lies within

What do you call a quilt that isn't quilted (like a duvet whose cover is sewn shut)? Anyway, I bought one along with a lot of vintage embroidered tea towels like these, which was probably a mistake. I find them whimsical and charming, but almost nobody who comes into my store seems to.

Back to the quilt that isn't a quilt. One side has this adorable fabric, which looks like it's from the 1940's or 50's. (edited to add: It's big enough to fit a double bed.)

The other side is covered with embroidered animals.

There are many more. Pretty wonderful, I thought. However, whatever it was stuffed with felt weird and lumpy. Raw wool? Old sweaters? Weird enough that I couldn't contemplate selling it as is. It took me months before I finally unstitched it to see what was within, fearing what? Fleas? Bad smells? Monsters? This is what I found:

 A lovely quilt, in great condition. The reverse side is flannel.

It's in the store now. I haven't done anything with the cover. I think I will sell it as is. Someone can use it as a duvet cover. It would look cute in a retro-style bedroom.

things people like

I'm back in Massachusetts after our lovely long weekend in the Catskills and a couple of days in Manhattan. Thinking about the store... and what people like.

A nice story: A couple of weeks ago a woman put down a deposit on this cottage dresser--she was buying it as a surprise for her daughter. Saturday she came in the store with said daughter (who looks to be in her late teens/early twenties) and the daughter went straight to the dresser. She loved it! And she had no idea that her mother bought it for her. When she found out, she was very excited. Which made me and her mother very happy.

Little things: When cleaning out the storage room I came upon a bunch of these tiny figures, many of them on ice skates. I cut out some cardboard, glued sparkly paper on top and arranged little scenes. I guess people liked them, because several sold right away.

This sign has gotten plenty of laughs and comments. It's not for everyone, but somebody will fall in love with it and take it home.

Postcards, magnets, vintage banners, birds. Does it look appealing or junky? I sell a lot of them, so I guess people like them. I spent all day yesterday, walking through Manhattan, looking at stores. I found four that were very inspiring and gave me much to think about. I'll be writing about them here, but not today. Today I have post-holiday, home from a trip, fatigue. So I'm drinking tea, and doing this and that. I'll tell you this: I'm glad I didn't close the store. And you know what else? In December I sold 48 of those kooky potholders. Someone I know bought 10 for his friends and he told me that one woman liked hers so much she was going to take it to bed with her.

vignette in process

Inspired by Steve's analysis of a vignette he composed, I decided to look a little deeper at the way I put things together. I was in the store all weekend, so played around there. In October I did this:

I was thinking rustic and autumn colors inspired by this walnut commode.

Last week I took away the pumpkin, and added the jug and berries with the little picture leaning against it. Yesterday, thinking about Steve, I added the pinecones and wood blocks, moved the small vases and added some green ones. I decided the theme would loosely be woods/trees. I had the log cabin birdhouse. The tall jugs are kind of like trees. The small vases--shrubs? Well, I'm not a strict constructionist--just liked the way they look.

I really like this little picture of the girls gathering wood. (I don't have much natural light in the store, so the flash makes these pictures less than optimal.)

Here's the full effect, except the berries are cut off in the picture, and they add nice height and color.

On the other end of the chest I added a woodcut of wood and a saw and what looks like part of a cabin. Too literal? I also added a book that has a picture of a tree on the cover. It looks more crowded in the picture than in real life. 

Today I switched the book. This color is much better. Then I added a red wood bowl with painted acorns. Now it looks too crowded and symmetrical.

Better. Still a little too symmetrical though. I think the woodblock should go.

It was a good exercise to think about theme and composition in the way that Steve laid it out. This week I'm going to try one at home. Maybe I'll even do a little sketch like he did.

one person's junk

You know the rest, right? (...is another person's treasure.) All taste is personal, but I think vintage is especially so. Like when I was brainstorming with Lisa about the giveaway on her blog I fretted that it would be hard to find something with broad appeal. We settled on a sweet apron that got a lot of love in the Etsy shop, and  a candle that comes in a reusable container. (And was that a sexist choice? Was it okay to assume a woman would win? And do I ask a lot of questions?) A vase might have worked too, but even that is tricky. I have a lot of vintage pottery in my store in the Catskills. I thought it would be popular, but that hasn't been the case.

Take this painting:

I got a box of old Adirondack frames at auction about a month ago, which I was thrilled about, and this was in there--the only picture. When I got home I took a good look at it, and oh my, I fell in love.

But I decided to be good and put it up in the Etsy store, because I want to fill it with things that people will fall in love with, and if I feel that way surely someone else will too, right? So I took a bunch of pictures and started writing the description and so forth and when I was choosing pictures this

scratched area really jumped out at me. Like maybe it's a ding or two beyond "in good vintage condition" or even "shows some wear, but that only adds to its vintage charm". And then I saw some damage to the frame I hadn't noticed. One of the leaves was broken.  And none of this bothered me in real life, but looking at the pictures I freaked out thinking people would say I was trying to sell them junk.

Or was that just an excuse so I could keep it?

Jen

post post

At auctions, postcards almost always sell for crazy money. Some items really get the bidding going: duck decoys, whirligigs, anything the auctioneer calls folk art. When postcards come up I go for coffee. One day though, I got a big box of them for very little $ so I could see why.  This is what I saw (click on the pictures to enlarge):

How beautiful some of them are.

That they are snapshots of history.

 Hotel architecture for example:

Then there are the messages:

What?

New Hampshire 1909. Is she a teacher at a one-room schoolhouse? 

Does she live in the wilderness and go to town for the school year? Is she going to college?

Where they ate:

Where is it that he cannot get home from?

I would stay there too.

Enjoy your day.

jen

feedsack love

I just spent a whole lotta time looking at feedsacks on Etsy. The pretty prints are calling to me. I'd like to make pillows or place mats from them. But then I'd have to take my sewing machine out of the closet. I do have a quilt in the store made from feedsacks. Remember childhood books (Little House on the Prairie?) where the mom made dresses out of feedsacks? From here, here and here.