Mother Goose Chalkware "Book"

Occasionally you find something that you JUST HAVE TO HAVE. I saw this at an auction and decided it was mine even before bidding started on it. I've looked everywhere and can't find another example of it. When you can't find something on ebay, or Google images there's a definite shortage of said item.

It's 40 years old (c.1972), it's a bit worn, but it's fabulous.

When It Exceeds Kitsch . . .

and moves into the land of tacky I start to take notice. But once it gets so tacky that it's almost cool, that's when I buy.

I have no words a few words to describe my love for this piece. It is molded resin or plastic so I think it might have come out of the 1970s. However, the blades of the swords are metal. So someone's job was to stick metal blades into the still warm plastic. What a great gig.

The detail is good in that "we're going to make it look like it's a clay sculpture" kind of way. The trying so hard to make it what it's not - is what makes it so good. I love it and it's not for sale.

Presented in all of it's tackiness.

Enjoy.

We'll be right back with . . . more stuff.

Faux Bamboo is better than No Bamboo

A popular, well run thrift store needs to be fed several hundred pounds of stuff a day. As old stuff goes out new stuff needs to be brought in, and on and on it goes.

Sure wish I had a popular, well run thrift store. But I don't. I have a so-so, fairly decently run thrift store, and it only requires being fed a couple hundred pounds of stuff a week.

Interestingly, some of the last several hundred pounds have been faux bamboo. I found myself in possession of a 10 piece set of Henry Link - Bali Hai bedroom furniture, and having sold most of that I now find myself in possession of a Thomasville Faux bamboo dinette set.

How 'bout these apples?

Somebody Help Me!

Wonder Woman and I were made the beneficiaries of some leftovers in a house after its owner fled the heat, humidity, and flying insects that give SW Florida its charm.

Anyway, I've been trying to price it. I've looked high and low for something like it and just can't. Is it possible that this stuff is from the wonderful 50s or swingin' 60s?

I don't have the readership that most of my blogging contemporaries have, but I know some smart people check-in here from time to time. So... everybody... what is this... old, or just hard to identify contemporary stuff?

I think you would call this rattan.

It doesn't have the traditional look of wicker with wrapped pieces.

The diameter of the cane is 1/8". And man, there's a lot of it.

The cushions may be new, but the chairs themselves have a bit of "patina".

Actually I would love to have these around our pool.

The problem is we don't have a pool.

So what do you think? Ever seen anything like this before? We'd love to hear read your thoughts.


We'll be right back with . . . more stuff.

Look What I Found - Lane Acclaim Tables

So since the thrift store is just two weeks old, and people aren't donating in mass quantities, we find ourselves in auctions somewhat regularly.

Last Friday we hit one of our usual spots because we saw these pictures on their website:

My thought was: no big deal on the end tables, but I MUST have that articulated coffee table.

Ode to an iron

Okay, if you've been following along you'll know that Wonder Woman and I opened a thrift store here in good 'ol Fort Myers Shores, FL.

We're a charitable non profit so people donate things to us.

Look what came in.

There it was lying in a donation box.

Probably Not C. Jere, But . . .

I like it anyway. And in the end that's all that counts. As an extra added bonus it only cost me fifteen bucks. And as an extra extra added bonus I got a neat 'ol lamp at the same place for five bucks.

It's about three feet across, maybe a few inches less.

Henry Link Bali Hai Faux Bamboo Furniture

I've been fooling around with Mid Century Stuff for a couple of years and it seems every day or so something pops its head up to remind me of how little I really know.

Today's example: Henry Link's Bali Hai bedroom furniture.

Here's some right here.

Looks Like We Made It. A Sneak Peek At Our Inventory.

The thrift store that would not be born has met its match. Wonder Woman, her sister (still haven't thought of a clever title for her) and yours truly have all been pulling (hard), and now there's a big 'ol fat thrift store head just about to pop out.

The thrift store opens on Monday, September 24th and I've thrown together a  very limited sneak peek. Dave's MidCentury Stuff : The Retail Store won't make its appearance for awhile, but we're working on it.

Here then is a limited sneak peek at some of the thrift store stuff.

We're Getting Closer

Look!

We have a sign.

We must be getting close.

Please come inside and read all about it.

The (slow and painful) Birth of a Thrift Store

Once upon a time there was a nice boy from the Midwest who married a nice girl from the Midwest. Let's call him Dave and let's call her Wonder Woman. After several years of marriage (and having moved to Florida) one day Wonder Woman came home and cried "Dave, I'm going to have a thrift store" and the labor began.

This story is one of pain and hardship. Of bleeding (money, that is) and compromise. Only the brave and strong of stomach should continue. But if you dare come in you might one day cry to your spouse "I'm going to have a thrift store."

One of the boxes waiting to fill the shelves.

Thrift Store Birthing News

It's nice to get what you want once in a while.

But as Sir Michael Philip Jagger said: You can't always get what you want.

Okay, I didn't get the phone number that I wanted for the thrift store. But I got close enough. The way things have been going - I'll take close.

The number in question? I'm a 60s Rock and Roller. Music from the 80s really didn't do much for me, but for decades whenever I've gotten a new phone number I've always tried to get 867-5309. This was of course Jenny's number.

The new thrift store's phone number: 267-5309.

Imagine the following conversation:

Customer:   Hey this is a great thrift store, Dave. When I get home I'm going to have my husband call you about those Harley Davidson spoked wheels. What's your number here?

Me: Two six seven five three oh ni-ey-yine.
Then my backup singers pop up from behind the counter and, standing back to back and in funny clothes, sing in harmony,  Two six seven five three oh ni-ey-yine.

Suppose the customer will remember our number after that? Yeah, me too.

And in other good news: Wonder Woman's sister (I haven't thought of a clever name for her yet) has flown down to help in the birthing of this obstinate thrift store that doesn't want to be born. Good thing too.

I went to the Florida state Department of Revenue to get our sales tax account set up. It was my first full day out of bed since the major surgery crap from a few weeks ago and  . . .  

I thought I was gonna die!

 Thanks to Dana at Mid2Mod for the spelling of ni-ey-yine. Follow the link to see the Tommy Tutone video of Jenny.


Well be right back with  . . . more stuff.

Do You Sometimes Get The Feeling The Path You're Following Is The Wrong One?

- Or -

Labor Pains in the Birth of a Thrift Store

Tropical Storm (soon to be hurricane) Isaac.

If I were a superstitious man, I might start thinking "Hey, what's going on here?"

Wonder Woman and I have been planning this Thrift Store / Dave's MidCentury Stuff retail location in a big way since the beginning of July. Let's see what's happened since then.

July 4th - Dave takes an emergency trip to the hospital to get stuff fixed that he knew was going to have to get fixed sooner or later anyway. Getting old sucks. Dave out of the loop for about 10 days.

Aug 10th - Stuff installed in July to fix Dave fails. Two more weeks in hospital. This time no laparoscopic or minimally invasive technique. Regular old sharp knife - big incision - lots of healing time. Getting old really sucks. A lot. Dave out of loop for about 13 days, and then stuck in bed healing for a couple more weeks.

Aug 26th - Tropical Storm Isaac sits about 240 miles SE of me as I write this. It is threatening to become a hurricane as it draws nearer to Key West. Once it passes Key West and starts moving NW up along the west coast of Florida (where we live) it might very well become a category 2 hurricane. It's going to be off our section of the FL coast at around midnight tonight. Yeah, thanks for that. Midnight.

Add to this the fact that even though we've had possession of the leased building since August 1, we really can't start setting up because of improvements that the building owner has promised but not yet delivered.

Man, I can't wait until this baby pops it's big fat thrift store head out from between our (the continuation of this metaphor could get weird. I'm going to just move on) and we can begin to plan for its first birthday party.


We'll be right back with . . . more stuff.

. . . and we're gone again.

Seems like it's been two weeks, doesn't it?

I was back and was going to be even better than before. Good ol Dave Two Blogs is back. (Dave Two Blogs.That was going to be my mob name. Hey, it beats Johnny Cheese Balls)  Dave's Mid Century Stuff and Friends of Abandoned Animals Thrift Store. Two blogs for one. Then something happened.

The three new parts I had installed? The ones I mentioned in my last post? You know the ones that work in two out of every three people in the average population, the ones that would have cost one hundred and thirty eight thousand dollars to install, (thank you insurance co., but why did you feel it was necessary for me to actually see the bill?), the ones that I depended on to pretty much keep me alive - failed. I guess I'm the one in three in which they don't work.

I just spent the majority of the last two weeks back in the shop.


Here are two things I've deduced:


Getting old sucks.

and

I need about three weeks of posts to put in the queue before I come back again.



Until then I'm putting up the test pattern. We are experiencing technical difficulties
and will be back fairly soon with . . . more stuff.

. . . and we're back

Seems like it's been forever, doesn't it?

If you'll recall, my last post mentioned checking my mid-century butt into the shop for some repair. I did so, and now have even more non original parts than I did before.

Now that I'm up and around Wonder Woman and I (well, mostly Wonder Woman) have been working on getting the thrift store open. Grand opening is scheduled for September 3rd, Labor Day.

We've been hitting the auction houses pretty hard, and have a fairly decent amount and mix of stuff so that we can appeal to a broad segment of the thrifter population.

There will also be a "Dave's Mid Century Stuff" section of the store where I'll be selling my excess.

I won't be posting every day for probably a month or so. Do keep an eye out for my multi-part post of "The Birth of a Thrift Store".

The blog for the thrift store is here Friends of Abandoned Animals Thrift Store

We'll be right back with . . . more stuff.

All MidCentury Stuff Needs Some Repair From Time To Time

Hi all.

Back in the early days of this blog I defined my terms. My definition of MidCentury is stuff made between 1946 to 1966.

As rugged and durable as stuff is that comes from this period, someday it will all require some work. As it turns out some of the stuff made between '46 and '66 (some of the charming and handsome stuff, that is) is me, and I'm going to have to check myself into the shop for some major repairs.

The sporadic nature of my posts for the last several weeks is totally my fault. I just haven't been able to summon the energy to do the job right. So rather than embarrass myself further I'm going to sign Dave's MidCentury Stuff off the air until I can get some of my critical parts repaired and/or replaced.

So even though there is no technical problem with the Dave's MidCentury Stuff  blog, there are technical problems with Dave, and I'm going to put up the test pattern until I get back. Look for us in late July.

Mid Century Industrial Design

Much is said about the industrial design expertise in place at Apple Inc. iPods and iThis and iThat. Fine. But industrial design really flourished in the 1950s. Have a look at these pictures and tell me they're not beautiful examples of design. It doesn't really matter what the product is - today it's all about design.

Looks like a stool with the business end of a shoehorn stuck on the back.

(The) Adventures of Superman

I'm a child of the 50s and 60s. That gives me certain rights: Cheap entrees at Denny's and to decree that the best Superman is and always will be George Reeves.

Care to disagree? Care to step outside? That's what I thought.

Come in and let's have a look at REAL television excellence.

Yeah, I Smoke. So What!

Dig it, Cats and Chicks. The world is coming down hard and fast on we, the last few rebels with a cause. And that cause is freedom of smoking. I've been smoking since the mid 60s, and I look just as good as I did the day I started. My skin is very, very clear, the nicotine stains wash right off, and fortunately the smell doesn't stick to me either so the chicks dig my cologne instead of that ashtray smell.

So being a full time, heavy smoker, I have a fair amount of smoking accessories - and, of course, they're from the good old days.

Come. Enter my world. The world where smoking is still a cool thing to do and I'll show you just how cool it's been through the decades.

Kind of looks like I have one of those thin Clark Gable mustaches in this picture, doesn't it?

Vintage Cannon Towel Ads (or) Some Things That Make You Go Hmm!

I wasn't alive in the 40s. But apparently being alive in the 40s wasn't as straight laced as I thought. I'm on a vintage advertising kick right now, so bear (or should I say bare) with me. Cannon, the towel people, made some pretty risque towel ads back in the 40s. I couldn't resist sharing them.

Hey guys, wanna watch me take a shower?

A Little Something From The Male Chauvinist Pig Department

I've said before things were better in the old days. Okay, not everything.

I'm sure some other blogger has already done this (and probably better) but here is something worth having a laugh over.

No offense intended, just a poke in our own eye at how stupid we used to be.

Today: Sexism in advertising in the old days.

A Quick Drive Around Vegas With Bob

When I got here in the 60s things were different. For one thing What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas was so obvious it didn't need saying. The other thing was - the mob ran things. This town was safe, you could eat for pennies, and drink for free. The mob wanted you to leave all of your money here so they made it very enticing for you to stay. The longer you stayed the more money you lost. Ah, the good old days.

Hey, did you ever see the film Casino with Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone? It was filmed here.

I'm Bob. I'll be your guide through Vegas. Sit back and enjoy the trip.

Let's go drive by the house that appeared in the movie as DeNiro and Stone's home.

See ya inside.

Talk To Us About Thrift Stores

Talk To Us About Thrift Stores

Wonder Woman and I are starting the process of creating a charitable organization dedicated to the financial support of local abandoned animal and rescue organizations, no-kill shelters, and free spay/neuter clinics by opening a combination Thrift and Consignment Store.


We're incorporating as a non-profit and applying to the IRS for tax exempt status. When approved donations will be tax deductible, and we will be considered a charitable organization.


Having to pay no taxes, our profits will go towards cash and food grants to local organizations that are directly involved in the rescue, care, sheltering and adoption of abandoned animals, primarily dogs, cats, and horses.


We Want Your Opinions

We've been in dozens of thrift stores and have developed a fairly good idea of what we want to do, but we can't ignore the expertise, and accumulated knowledge of all of you thrifters.

Our business model calls for a combination thrift store / consignment shop.

The thrift side will include most of the everyday items you would expect to find in a thrift store with the exception of a large clothing section. We will have space devoted to clothing, but not the acres of racks that you see in most thrifts. Household items, furniture, dishes, kitchen items, small books and toys section, you know the usual stuff.

The consignment section is the area where we will sell our mid-century stuff, antique-ish  items, things a bit more expensive than you would expect in a thrift store, and actual consignment items from other people.

We would love to hear from you with regard to your opinions on what makes a great thrift/consignment store.

What about operating hours and days of the week open?
What about inventory items? What do you see too much of? Not enough of?
What about prices.
What about atmosphere.

Tell us what you love and hate about the thrift stores you frequent.

Please leave as many comments as you wish. Leave one today, and if you think of something tomorrow leave another one.  There are no right or wrong ideas. We just want to know what ALL of you think.


This post will also be available on the Tab Bar at the top of the Home Page


Dave
Wonder Woman

Warning to Clown-O-Phobes Clown Content Below

First my sincerest apologies for not being as regular as I have been. I'm still on the road and sometimes I get a little tied up.

So I happened by a Goodwill when I was home last weekend. I found a fifty two year old Quartite clown lamp. Had to share. Oh yeah, I bought it.

 A face only a mother clown could love.

Live From Las Vegas - It's Bob Oster

Hey you groovy Cats and Chicks, it's me - Bob Oster, coming to you live, and in living color from Sin City, Las Vegas, baby.

I have it on good authority that these chicks can spin their tassels in different directions at the same time.

Hey, I know some of you dig the old mid century architecture. So I took a special trip out to the old part of town. The old part of town! Ha, seems like just yesterday when it was the only part of town. Man, you could come down here and drink and gamble and I'd have to beat the chicks off with a stick. Ah, the good old days.

Now it's all these posing want-to-be's who wouldn't know what a swingin' good time in Vegas was if it came up and bit 'em on the (edited by Dave). And nobody dresses up anymore. Why, back when I was a young mixologist if you weren't dressed three ways from Sunday you didn't get in the place. Walking around here with their kids, and their khaki shorts and their tennis shoes. Kids! Hey people this is Vegas, not Disneyland. Leave the rugrats at home, and let's get down and party like it's 1959. Excuse me. I fell off the track there for a moment.

I got good lookin' pictures of some old motel marquees inside and a few of my own treasures. See ya inside.

Something New Today and . . .

. . . things will be back to normal in a week or so. I'm wrapping up some loose ends involved with the road trip and pretty soon I'll be back in Florida blogging on endlessly about boring things like china cabinets and thrift stores. Thrift stores? Did I say thrift stores? News about a new one coming soon.

In the mean time - Remember this?

The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn.

Ever wonder what happened to the boat - the African Queen. I know what happened to it, and if you want to know and see what it looks like today I suppose you'll have to come on in and read more.

Earl Scruggs, 1924 - 2012

Earl Scruggs died yesterday and the world has lost an extraordinary musician. If you're not a bluegrass, or banjo aficionado you might not think you know who Earl is, but I'll bet you've heard his music.

If you've ever seen the movie Bonnie & Clyde you've heard this next piece of music. If you haven't seen that movie, no sweat, I bet you've heard the theme song to The Beverly Hillbillies. Earl did that too.

Nothing I can say will do justice to this legendary performer. Just watch the video and appreciate how skillful this musician was.

Love ya, Earl. Rest in peace.

1951 Magnavox Console Television

I've had this old television for quite a while. Somehow it never seems to quite reach the top of the fix it list. There is some allure to having this 50s television sitting amidst my other 50s pieces in kind of a throwback 1950s tableau. Come on in and see what you think.

Finding A Deal In Vegas

When I'm not singing to the ladies at my part-time gig downtown, or mixing up the best drinks in the desert, I might be sneaking through a thrift shop to see if I can add some early days elements to my pad.

Here's a quick peek at what you might see on our first date.

This is the Liberace Museum and Lounge. I'll meet you here for a quick drink.

Introducing Bob "Solid State, Baby" Oster, The Dave's MidCentury Stuff Las Vegas Correspondent

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Bob "Solid State, Baby" Oster.

Bob in his kitchen.

I've known Bob a long time. We go way back, and share a lot of common interests. We met Bob in Vegas. He was performing off the strip in an "old vegas" club. He saw us in the audience, and after the show came over to our table and started laying some pretty smooth lines on Wonder Woman. They might have worked too, except Wonder Woman is pretty close to six feet tall, and Bob is . . . well, . . . vertically challenged.

Come on in and read the rest of the story.

Stuff That Didn't Get Its Own Post, Issue #2

Sometimes I'm sitting here late at night. Nobody's up except me. It's quiet. It's dark. The only illumination is the glow coming off of my computer screen. And since that's directed right into my face I'm blind as to the rest of the space around me.

One night I felt something at my leg. Must be one of our mini Schnauzers. I reach down to do an ear scratch and I feel the edge of something hard. I turn the monitor around to shine some light toward whatever this is, and I see several little thrift store finds standing on the floor next to me. Some of them are carrying signs saying "We Want A Post". Some of them are carrying torches and pitchforks. Well, okay they're carrying matches and Taco Bell sporks, but from up here it looks like torches and pitch forks.

Their leader steps forward, it's Winter from the new set of MetalCraft Four Seasons wall hangings. He says to me "Hey, Mack, we're tired of sitting around wrapped up in newspapers and plastic bags. We want an article written about us and we want it now". When he called me "Mack" I thought he sounded a little bit like one of those gangsters from the old Black and White, Adventures of Superman TV show.

We negotiated a while. Here's their article. Issue #2 of stuff that didn't get its own post.

This is Winter, the spokesman spokesfind who called me "Mack"

Let's Identify: These Odds and Ends

Fridays have traditionally been about identifying something unknown to me. Might as well continue the tradition. Today it's not just one piece, more like a few. A diverse few. So without further ado.

It looks like it should "be" something. Is it?

Let there be more light.

I'm not afraid to say it. I am a lamp addict. I have desk lamps, table lamps, floor lamps, pole lamps, pull down lamps, pendant lamps, TV lamps, 50s lamps, 60s lamps, danish modern lamps, a George Nelson designed lamp, and now I have my first sconce.

This posting is all about the three newest lamps in my collection. I'm fond of saying if you have at least three of something it ceases being clutter and becomes a collection. What does it become when you have about forty of something? Collection just doesn't seem to be a strong enough word for that much of anything.

This baby just came in from an ebay purchase. Come on in and have a look at my new lamp stuff.

Philosophical Yin & Yang, Biomorphism, or Cool Dish. You make the call.

The center of the Korean flag, the symbol for Yin and Yang, Bio-morphism. All of that is outside of  my of particular education. I'm a simple man. I have simple tastes. And I break things down into the simplest terms.

The shape of the object below could be interpreted in any number of ways. But here in Dave's world of mid century madness this is just a cool candy dish. With a lid.

Yin and Yang? Temporary lodging for Milk Duds? You make the call.

The One That Almost Got Away Didn't

One week ago today I ran a post called I hope this isn't the one that got away.

It was about a cool old danish modern china cabinet I found in a thrift store just outside of Orlando at the beginning of my road trip. It was stuck in a narrow aisle and I couldn't get any full on pix of it. I've solved the not getting any full on pix problem. Come in and see how.

Stuff We're Working On

Good Monday morning to you.

Long story short. Several weeks ago I found an interesting lamp on ebay. It had only one picture, and only a two word headline. It looked like this:    

The ad read:                  RAM LAMP         and that was it.

It just seemed so mysterious, so interesting, I had to do something. So I bought it. Find out more inside.

Something for the Car Guys or Car Girls

It's Sunday, and I don't work too hard on Sundays, especially after the exhaustion of the road trip finally set in.

The road trip is over. I will be spending the next few months up north. My posts may thin out a little, but I'll try and keep up as best I can.

I spent yesterday in Saint Louis, and in the company of Mr. Modtomic and Nick Armadillo of Mid-Century Midwest. Great couple of guys. And for those of you who follow Mr. Modtomic pretty closely, I also got to meet The Girlfriend, and Frank - the car. Thanks to all of you for your hospitality and generosity.

I also did a little business with Rocket Century in St Louis, and in the process met Kristina and Michael, the proprietors of Rocket Century, and Pluto the Dober Doodle. A Dober Doodle is a cross between a doberman and labradoodle. Nice people, and a great dog.

So now on to something for you car people. We ran across a vintage car warehouse store and I snapped a few pictures. I'm a little rusty on my classic car identification, but I give it a shot. This won't be on the list of top 10 posts, but the car people should like it. See you next week.

'63 or '64 Coupe DeVille

Old Albums. Where's the value - Music or Cover Art?

Before I left home last Monday for the current road trip I did a little yard sale thrifting. I'm not crazy about yard and garage sales. You have to wade through lots and lots of yards and garages to find one or two treasures. But I did find a stack of albums that I picked through. Every one of these albums has either decent (to me) music or cool cover art.

I have a couple of old stereo consoles with record players. I'll try some of these to see how they sound, but really and truly I think displaying them as art and having people thumb through them is the real value.

Gee, do you think the space program of the late 50s early 60s was big?

Road Trip Day 4 - The Mother Load part 2

Since these words don't write themselves I suppose I better get busy.

It's day 4 of this road trip. It's 8:00 pm as I'm sitting here. I have a big day planned for tomorrow, I have some decent posts coming in the next week or so about other things that have happened on this trip, and I'm going to spend the weekend in St Louis, home of some very famous midcentury bloggers.

Yesterday I showed you half the pictures I took at the Springfield Antique Center in Springfield, OH. Today you get the remainder.

Somewhere around 36 more photos inside.

Road Trip Day 3 - The Mother Load

As I write this it's Wednesday evening about 10:30 Florida time.

Spent the night in Columbus, OH Tuesday night. Headed out about 10:30 Wednesday morning and only made it about 40 miles before I saw a huge 750 dealer antique mall.

Full disclosure time: I dislike antique malls. In general stuff is overpriced, there seems to be a lack of what I'm looking for, and the individual owners of the stuff for sale are generally absent. The only people available are the mall owners and staff. You can't strike as good a deal with an intermediary. But I stopped anyway. Good thing. Great googly boogledy. You should have seen all the stuff.

This is Springfield Antique Center in Springfield, OH. It's just west of Columbus. I recommend it. There is about two and a half acres of floor space in here. I saw most of it. I took about eighty pictures. Here's the first half.

Cool kitchen table and chairs and stuff.

I bought a couple of things, but those pictures are for another post. This post is pretty much just mid century modern objet d'lust. Thirty nine more pictures inside.

Road trip day 2 - the pickings are slim

It's a good thing I don't work with Mike and Frank, the American Pickers. Two reasons actually.

1. I'd probably punch Mike in the face everyday 'cause I really don't like him.

2. I suck at free style picking.

To be fair to me, I think most people would like to punch Mike in the face. Especially Frank and Danielle. And I'm not really free style picking. I'm just stopping every time I see a thrift store sign. And once you get on the interstate highway there aren't many thrift stores.

Been on the road two days. Long distance driving just wears on you, doesn't it? I finally picked up my ebay purchases in far eastern Ohio, and now we're all resting at the Red Roof in Columbus, OH.

Pictures inside.

I hope this isn't the one that got away.

This might be the shortest post in my short blogging history.

Let's see, if today is Tuesday I've been on the road for about 24 hours. I'm a road warrior for the next few days. Taking a road trip to pick up some purchases I made on ebay that I didn't want delivered. It's 11:20 pm as I'm writing this and I'm beat. Tomorrow I hit it hard again.

Of course I've already hit five thrift stores. Purchases come later. Today's post is about what I didn't buy. As I said, I hope it wasn't something great that I let get away from me.

DIY Project - How to turn a pendant lamp shade into a functioning lamp

Remember this shade from the George Nelson Bubble Lamp shade post a couple of days ago?

George Nelson Bubble Saucer Lamp Reproduction shade.

Follow along and watch it get turned into a functioning lamp. I'll list all the parts and tools you'll need.  DIY project inside. Come on in, I'll wait.

Stuff That Didn't Get Its Own Post, Issue #1

When you go out thrifting multiple times per week you tend to bring home a lot of stuff that's not worthy of its own post. So you lump all the images together in a folder and drag them out for Sunday. Well, it's Sunday. Guess what. It's time to read issue #1 of Stuff That Didn't Get Its Own Post. Oh, and just because I've written this every Sunday since the beginning -

Hey, it's Sunday and I don't work too hard on Sunday.

Here's issue #1

A little colored glass thingie. Wonder Woman thinks it's Murano. I think not.

J.E. Tramel Dream Tree and P.G. Tiele Painting

Okay, here's how the story goes - as I've read it. Someone named J. E. Tramel was sitting under a tree dreaming of one day having a lot of gold. Apparently this was going on in Baton Rouge, LA.

Fast forward X many years later J. E. Tramel has trademarked "Dream Tree", and someone is producing these neat little trees made of twisted wire with tiny little foil leaves. Kind of reminds me of metal bonsai trees. The Label Reads:

DREAM TREE

It doesn't do anything, just sits there

looking pretty

AN ORIGINAL DREAM TREE

and then a hand written registration number

They look like this. Wonder Woman found this last Wednesday when we were out doing the thrift store thing. There's more. . .

Let's Identify: This Chair

If it's Friday it's time to try and identify something.

Do I have a Dreamy Danish Designer chair or a dud?

A couple of weeks ago I was making my rounds of the major thrift stores and I saw this chair. I could imagine it had potential so I fired off a couple of cell phone pictures to Mr. Modtomic or as I call him, Superman.

A while later Supe got back to me with a "pretty close".

Here is what I sent him:

And here is what he sent back:

This one is spot on in much of the detail. The arms might be a bit different, and this one is a high back, but close enough. This one is for sale by Cain Modern for $795. So of course since the day Mr. Modto Superman got back to me, I've been referring to this frazzled piece of wood and sheep skin as "the 795 chair".

Come on in and see what happens next.

Saarien Tulip Style Knockoff Table

If you'll remember, I was out thrifting one day and found these smoked acrylic tulip style chairs.

I had no illusions that I would ever find more and I figured to flip them. Then I found a table. Hmmm! What to do?