Finally!!! They Are So Shiny and Brite!!!

Oh my goodness!  It finally happened...I found some vintage Christmas ornaments!  Wooohooo!!!  Now everyone can finally get a break from my whining about never being able to find any.
The Mom and I went to the local Flea Market for our first time yesterday and found these pretty things:

I found these with the first vendor we went to and she sold me all of them for a killer price!  They are mostly Shiny Brite bulbs with a few odds and ends mixed in.  Some of them I will keep to adorn my own tree (it's silver and awesome!!!) and some of them will go to the booth to be sold.  I "oooohhhh" and "aaaaaaahhhhh" every time I look at them! Do you think I should sell the full boxes as one piece or should I split them up and sell them individually? 

  

This box is my favorite!  I wonder if any of these are mercury glass...

I also bought this travel case.  The handle is missing, but people don't really use these for the original purpose anymore.  I have one that I use for my "currently working on"  crafts.  Looks nicer than my previous crusty shoe box.  It should sell just fine if I price it right.

And some more vintage cards...












That is it for my spoils.  The Mom purchased a neat cigar box and a cool 100 year old book.
So it wasn't a bad trip.  It's a small market full of "made in China" produced-by-the-billions stuff, but between those vendors we found a few really good ones.  It isn't anything like the ones I have seen through some of your blogs, but it was fun and I will certainly go again.  I will probably wait until it gets cold though because it wasn't even that hot today yet we still baked like potatoes on that hot asphalt.
How is your flea market?  Good, bad or meh...its ok.

Today I'm linking up with Sunny Simple Life for Sunny Simple Sunday.  Have a great week everyone!

Sniffle, Sniffle, Sniffle

The little dude is working on his first ever cold, and I apparently am going to help him by taking a little for myself.  He is such a tough little guy though.  He is in such a good mood considering the amount of goo leaking from his little nose.  I'm barely feeling it and all I want to do is whine!  But I'm going to take a hint from my sweet little dude and buck up!  I really really don't have time this week to be lazing about, complaining about not feeling good.  It's go time for me!

Monday is my first day in my new booth and I still have so much prep work to do.  

I have made new price tags with my website on them.  My previous location required you to use their tags that didn't really provide a lot of room for a description, so I really love that my new ones have a lot of space.  I have been writing fun descriptions and suggestions for use, a tip I got from Van at Thrift Core.  

I'm also working on the "Vintage" part of my Andromeda Vintage booth sign.  I purchased a chipboard bunting, garland, banner thing at my local craft store and asked the hubby to spray paint it turquoise for me.  Well, the paint went on kind of funny, so I'm not sure about it.  I think I can make it work though.  Any suggestions?

I also found some good items at the thrift shop yesterday.  No Pyrex though, which is making me kind of sad. : (

This pink kitty with the crazy eyes and creepy whiskers will make me feel better.  

And if that doesn't work than this Penguin Hot and Cold Server will do the trick.

Yup, that did it!  It worked!  I really really love this thing and will probably keep it for myself for a little while.  Last weekend I saw one that was being sold for $40, so I hesitated for a second but then put it back.  So when I found it at the thrift shop yesterday, I grabbed it up and hung onto it with a death grip!  I had been thinking about it since I saw the first one, so this one wasn't leaving my sight.  It was only $10 and in better condition than the other one.
I've found some pretty great items lately.  Is everyone else having the same luck?

Today I went to the flea market, which is the reason for the late post..  I haven't been to that market since I was really young, so I wasn't sure what I would find.  Let me tell you, it won't be the last time I go back!!!  More on my awesome finds tomorrow!  

So now I'm going to head over to How Sweet the Sound to catch the end of Pink Saturday.  Have a great day!

Friends and Family Friday

The Mom taught (and is currently teaching  me) me to be persistant, so here we go again.  Welcome to Friends and Family Friday!  Last week the lovely Erica at Golden Egg Vintage and super awesome Jill at A Little Bit of Everything joined in on the link party fun.  I was so excited to see them visit and to see their Friends and Family post.  Lets keep that going!  This is my original thought:

So roll with me on this...I'm considering on doing a weekly link up so that everyone could share vintage items that friends or family have given them or passed down to them. People really could share whatever vintage piece they want as long as it isn't an item purchased with their own money. I for example have a neighbor with an awesome collection of mid-century modern furniture that I would love to share with everyone. This will be a fun way for us to see different collections and also for us to see what people other than ourselves typically buy.
I'm willing to give it a go for a few weeks to see if anyone else is interested.

Pretty much every women in my family sews or has sewn, with the exception of a few (cough...Misty!).  My Grandma is really good at sewing clothes and has done that for years and years.  She would make her own dresses and make the kids' clothes, and then when she and my Grandpa got into square dancing, she would make those outfits too.  The Mom has made a few clothes but loathes attaching the zipper, so she generally sticks to home decor stuff.  She can whip up a mean roman blind wicked fast!  I like to dabble in both clothing and home decor, though I am better at home decor and small craft projects.  Back before the internet (such a time existed?!) contained everything ones little heart could possibly desire, they had great big books.  I still use books for tips and how to's, but I find I use them less and less now.  

I love the graphics of this book.  

Grandma gave me her  book because it is an awesome one stop shop for sewing tips, tricks and how to's.  "This is how they did it before the internet!" Grandma said.  "Amazing!!!" I exclaimed!  (I'm just goofing, I'm not that young, I even know what a card catalog is!)  

This is on the back of the book.  I love it!!!  "A wonderful world of choice of color and design is open to the women who sews."

















So that is what I have for Friends and Family Friday this week.  I hope a few of you are able to join in and show off your awesome vintage family/friend piece.

Have a great day everyone!  I'm going to go work on price tags and a banner for my new booth.  Painting begins this Monday!  Woohoo!!!
And I'm linking up with My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Checking In

Welp, it has been about two months since my first day as a re-seller so I thought it would be a good idea to update everyone to let them know how I've been doing. Honest answer: not bad, but not super good either.  Here is a picture of my case about a month ago next to a picture of that was taken yesterday.

I've sold a lot of Pyrex, but not near as much as I thought I would.  I can't believe the pink gooseberry bowls haven't sold yet!  And I'm a little offended that my knit one, slurp two mug is still sitting on the shelf.  Not really, but I am surprised by it.  It's so stinkin cute!
While these sales aren't huge, they are at sales nonetheless and I am thankful for them!  I mean, really really thankful!  This means that I am doing something right and will be able to continue doing this without having to take out a second mortgage on the house!
This also makes me believe even more that moving into a booth at a larger, busier antique market is the right move for me.
My friend over at Mad Maine Vintage Shop is working on an upgrade too.  Is anyone else changing the way they sell their lovely vintage wares?
I hope everyone has a wonderful day!  I'm going to head over to Colorado Lady to join the party for Vintage Thingy Thursday!  And for my first time I will be heading over to Brambleberry Cottage for Time Travelers Thursday.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Ch Ch Changes...

First of all, what does everyone think of the new name?  Be honest, I can take it!  Hear me out on this.  We have a really great vintage Andromeda road sign that I am going to hang up in the new booth (if I can pry it away from the Husband).  I was thinking then about making the letters for Vintage  in letters like these from Life as a Thrifter.  The whole point of this nonsense is to have some kind of brand as I begin selling my items in the new booth.  I also have a slight OCD lean, so I wanted everything to have the same name.

As with most change, we will have a few hick ups.  Some of my internal links don't work right now and I can't figure out the feed burner.  If someone has any advice on that thing, please help me!  I'm completely mystified by it!  

I'm really excited about getting into my new space and really making it stand out.  I move in Sunday so I will do my chalkboard paint then.  Over the next few days I will season the paint like they say to do here.  Then I will start my move in and arranging with help from The Mom. Counting down the days and getting excited!!!

Anyway, on to more lovely vintage cards.  I mentioned them here the other day.   

That bag of cards was the bag that just kept giving.  It was awesome!!!

These flowers are embossed onto the card.  I would feel so special if I got a card like this in the mail.

 Isn't she just so sweet!  The message would certainly cheer me up!















This one contains my favorite message.  It gets a little jumbled, but I like that because I can obviously be a little jumbled too!

The way this card opens is really neat and I just love how fancy she looks.   Happy flowers and giant hats are the stuff daydreams are made of...

I had a few more cards to show but Blogger is going to make me have a stroke, so I better just be done.  Oh my goodness that was insanely frustrating!  

I really appreciate all the input and support from everyone during this transition.  

I'm going to go hang out at Sue Loves Cherries for REDnesday.  Have a great day everyone!

Local Treasure

First of all, holy typo Batman!  Yesterdays post had an obnoxious typo in the title!  Embarrassing!

Moving on.  I was in the process of finishing my route at my favorite thrift store when I spied this for $2.99.

Looks like a blah plain black vase right?  Well it is, but it is keeping a little secret.  It is a piece (not authenticated, but I'm pretty sure) of Van Briggle pottery.  Now I'm not sure if this stuff is known outside of Colorado, but here where I live, most people know what it is and to me it is a part of local history.

Artus Van Briggle moved here in the late 1800's because he had Tuberculous.  Back in the day, TB patients came to Colorado Springs for the crisp, thin, clean air which helped to ease pained breathing.  His company became the longest running art pottery in the United States, but sadly I believe this era has come to an end.  The most recent owner who tried to bring the company back to its roots has passed away, so right now the fate of the company is up in the air.  I took my find to the shop they downsized to years ago, but it looked like it hadn't seen a person in a long long time.  Most Van Briggle pottery has a bright colored matte glaze, but there was a period when they played around with a glossy finish.  The stamp looks right and though the "original" on the bottom screamed fake to me but a lot of their pieces have that.  No series has the same stamp, which makes it hard to date and authenticate.
My pot is cracked so it really isn't worth anything but that doesn't bother me, it is a piece of my town, and I love it!

I also found this Verde cinderella bowl for a great price and in such great shape!  It will go in the new booth as a single piece.  I think someone is bound to need it to complete their set.

How cool is this little alphabetical organizer?!  The Mom said my Grandpa had one like it.  When it is closed you can slide the arrow thing up and down to the letter you want, then pop it open and boom, there is your letter.  I'm not sure why I am so fascinated with this thing, but I think it is pretty neat.  I'm using it to store all my passwords, important stuff and numbers for the blog and my booth.  The Husband always gives me crap because I don't have some number or password memorized.   I have to remind him that I don't have a big brain like he does, and that my memory space is limited!  I don't want to waste it with number nonsense!

What local treasures do you guys have?  Has anyone ever heard of Van Briggle Pottery?

I'm going share my finds at Thriftosaurus Thrift Haul link up at Sir Thrift A Lot.  Have a great day!

Update:  So after some thought, it has been decided that I will be changing my blog name from I Love Vintage to Andromeda Vintage.  This is what my booth name will be, and I believe in continuity.  I also think that this will help me grow my name locally.  Over the next few weeks I will begin to change the look of the blog and today I will change the address.  I have no idea how this will work, so please be patient with me!

In Love With Vintage Cards

Lately I have been loving the vintage cards.  The thrift store that I frequent puts all cards in big bags and sells them by the lot.  It's strangely exciting to open them because you never know what will be in your $2 bag.  Will they be cool and old, or boring and new?  I've been getting both lately.  This last bundle I got was packed full of more than 50 cool and old cards which made this little chick was super excited!  The old graphics and fonts are just fantastic and the message are so sweet it almost makes your teeth hurt.

Check a few of them out:


The colors of this one make it my one of favorites.  Maybe those flowers should become my banner on the blog...
The message is pretty great too!  I'm thinking it will appeal to someone in our big golfing community.

The drawing of this one is so girly and most everyone loves kitties.  Here kitty kitty!  The blue gingham border is great.  The bundle had a few of these same kind but in different colors.

These little children are so sweet it hurts!  They remind me of my Grandmas Hummel Figurines.  This was one of the few thank you cards that was in the bundle and thankfully I was lucky enough to get a few so I can keep one and put the rest in my booth.



Does anyone else sell vintage cards in their booth?  If so, how do you price them and do they sell well?

And this one is my super favorite of the entire bunch, pretty much of all the cards I have found so far.  The flowers are so mod and the little girl with her striped stalkings...so stinking cute!  She and I even have the same haircut, it was meant to be!  I'm thinking this would be a cute one to scan and use for the blog.  I'm not sure how to do any of that (button making and all that) so if anyone has any advice, I'm all ears!

This isn't all of the card goodness for sure, I'm saving a few of the really good ones for REDnesday.

I'm going to head over to Smiling Sally for Blue Monday and then over to Southern Hospitality for her Thrifty Treasure linky party.  I could spend all day looking through this blog, it's great!

A Little Bit of Yard Sale Stalking

It's 7 am, the air is crisp, the leaves are falling, and my adrenaline is racing.  Was I walking or participating in some kind of other physical activity?  Psshh, no!  I was sitting in my car outside of someones home waiting for a sale!  I certainly hope I didn't creep the residents out as much as I probably did, but read this little Craigslist add and tell me you wouldn't be excited!
Mid Century Modern, retro and vintage sale. Two collectors of MCM combining to have one sale to make room for new treasures. This Saturday 9-22 from 9-3 only.
Heywood Wakefield table, Turner prints, Kurt Versen floor lamps, Moe Honeycomb light fixtures. Art, fabric, accessories, jewelry, kitchen, china, linens, lamps, furniture, and several items salvaged from a mid century home. Including, shag carpet tiles, vct flooring, bathroom mirror cabinets, hardware, plastic tiles, cook top, light fixtures and lots lots more.
Doesn't that just scream awesome? It was in a side of town that is known for great mid century modern homes, so I figured there had to be something good. I was right!  A few things for the booth and a few things for me, just how I like it!

I approached the sale only after a crazy man dang near side swiped my car just to get to get to it himself and who also then took the lamp I had been staring at all freakin morning and really really wanted.  Oh well, I was trying to be polite and I know they appreciated it. 

I got these great clocks for a steal.  They will be really cool on someones desk or night stand.  

Check out this fabulous lamp!  I believe it is like one that Rae over at Say it Ain't So found a few weeks ago.  The silver star burst design is super cool!

And see that Fire King dish?  She sold it to me for $1.  It will look great with the little custard dishes my Grandma got me of the same pattern.  

These little elephant wall hangings are adorable.  They look to me like they are dancing!  Dancing their way into my house!  Haha, I crack myself up.

My most favorite find was this set of stained glass light fixtures.  I'm not sure how old they are, but they are really cool nonetheless.  They are meant to be hardwired into a junction box (not sure if that is the right name for the thing I am thinking), but I think I will change that and add a long plug so they can go anywhere.  Good thing I have a super handy Husband and an electrician brother!  

They will live in my sun room with this beastly lamp.  Pretty much everyone is scared of it, but I love the hideousness of it!  "It's so fuzzy I'm gonna die!" Despicable Me

So that is the tale of my yard stale stalking.  It was my first experience with getting up at the butt crack of dawn to go paw through other peoples stuff, but it probably won't be my last.  

I'm sure I'm not the only one who did a little sale stalking this weekend .  Did anyone find anything crazy awesome?

Today I'm linking up with Cherished Treasures for Sunday Blog Love and with Sunny Simple Life for Sunny Simple Sunday.  

Who Doesn't Love a Happy Pumpkin?!

Last night I went to the thrift shop since they always pack the shelves full on Friday nights to get ready for Half-Off Saturday and I like to get first dibs the newly set out stuff.  For whatever reason, the stuff I buy always has a yellow tag, and I knew that yellow wouldn't go on sale tomorrow, so I felt a little better about paying full thrift price.  But seriously, what the heck is going on with the prices?!  I saw another Pyrex piece that had been dishwashered to death  (may it rest in peace) with a tag that should have gone on a perfect piece!  Freaking nuts!  That's all I have to say.  Freaking Nuts!!!

Anyway, now that my little rant is over, I'll share some of my finds for the booth.  Only a few more weeks till I'm out of the ghost town where my case is!  Wooohoo!

This aluminum shelf will be used to help display items.  I found that the booths with lots of layers drew my attention, so I'm going to take a crack at that.

This black panther planter is super cool and in great shape.  Maybe one or two chips, but they aren't even noticeable.  It has rhinestone eyes that will sparkle again with a good scrubbing.

Don't you love this little deer!  Hanna over at The Adventures of Two (Pyrex Crazy) Thrifting Sisters found a bunch last week, so I think that is what drew me to this one.  

Now these tin containers are killing me because I love them and want to keep them, but dangit I don't need a canister set!  I'm thinking about using them to store buttons...am I reaching?

I've been making eyes at this pumpkin for a week now, and finally gave in.  I'm glad I did, she is really cute and will look great on my table.  That's right, I'm keeping her!

I delved into the world of yard sale stalking this morning.  I got there at 7, and waited around to start looking until they were mostly set up at 8:15.  I would have waited until they were ready, but some guy came in and started grabbing so I panicked.  More on my finds tomorrow!

Going to go join the lovely ladies and gents over at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday.  Have a great day everyone.  

Friends and Family Friday!

Lets take another stab at this link up for Friends and Family Friday.  I'm willing to give it a try for a little while because I think it will prove to be fun and informative.  This is from last week:

So roll with me on this...I'm considering on doing a weekly link up so that everyone could share vintage items that friends or family have given them or passed down to them. People really could share whatever vintage piece they want as long as it isn't an item purchased with their own money. I for example have a neighbor with an awesome collection of mid-century modern furniture that I would love to share with everyone. This will be a fun way for us to see different collections and also for us to see what people other than ourselves typically buy.
I'm willing to give it a go for a few weeks to see if anyone else is interested.

My Great Grandmother, or Big Momma, was a sweet, gentle southern women with strong hardworking hands and a soft spot for all her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She would make us the best breakfasts when we visited.  I can still hear bacon sizzling in a cast iron pan...  I could go on and on...

Big Momma left me this wonderful Shirley Temple colbolt blue glass pitcher and bowl when she passed away a few years ago.  I miss her and my Big Daddy dearly, but I look over at that pitcher and bowl sitting on my shelf and I think of her.  

I was able to find a little bit of info about these.  Cobalt Blue Glassware was cheap glassware that was made most commonly in the 1930s. During this time, the General Mills Cereal Co released cobalt Blue Glassware with Shirley's likeness on it as a FREE GIFT with the purchase of Wheaties cereal. A pitcher, cup, and bowl were released. (Source)

This is another one of those sacred items that won't be sold, but will be cherished for a long long time.  

Does anyone else have a vintage friend or family item they want to show off?  Hopefully a few people will join in on the party this week.  Don't make me sing my "I'm all alone song."  : )

I'm going over to My Romantic Home to check out Show and Tell Friday.  This is my first time with this linky, should be fun!  I'm also joining in the fun at Five Days...Five Ways.  She is waiting for the arrival of her twins, so stop by and wish her luck and a speedy delivery!

Put to Good Use!

This week has been fairly productive for me at the thrift shops.  Check out some of my finds:

I already showed these sweet zippers here.  I have made one really cool key chain already.

I have been looking for a good heavy duty tape dispenser for a long time so I was wicked excited to spot this for a few bucks.  Also got a Maine magnet (not vintage, but still cool to me) which is great because when I was there both times I never bought one!


I found some really great buttons that will make some cool jewelry to sell in my booth.  The ones that are outside of the bottle are my favorite.

How great will this ceramic mushroom container be as a pencil holder or some kind of organizing element?  It is so neat!  I'm a big fan of using your vintage pieces (unless they will get ruined), even if it isn't for their original purpose.
     

Like this Pyrex mug for example.  It doesn't hold the gallon of coffee most of the country is used to, myself included, but it would be great for storing crochet hooks!

               

  We use this cute t-rex jelly jar to hold Little Dudes spoons.  

We are getting closer to our move in date for the new booth!  I can't wait to get in there and try some of the great ideas that people have given me (check out these comments).  I love the internet!  So many awesome people all in one convenient location!  What could be better than that?

I'm going to try my Friends and Family Friday link up again tomorrow.

Today is Vintage Thingy Thursday so I'm going to head over to The The Colorado Lady and join the party!  Have a great day everyone!