Restoration Lane

It's been a while, I know.  What can I say :)  

I found this Mid Century Lane Desk today.

For $20.00.  And he threw this in.

For Free.
Yeah, I know.  It was a very good day, which included some other equally amazing finds.

But back to the desk, it's a little beat up so I am going to attempt my first restoration job.  If you've got any tips let me know.  I'll be sure to post pictures of the after - I think this desk should clean up to something pretty spectacular.

And here's a big favor, if you know which line this desk is part of please share.   I have gone down the rabbit hole of the internet searching for this bad boy - trying to get a glimpse of what the desk might look like when it's supposed to look like what it looks like.   Based on the serial number I know it's from 1958.  That's all I got.

Do you have a catalog from 1958?  A matching piece?  I would love any suggestions of where else to look.  I'll be back soon with some of my favorite finds of the weekend, and hopefully some excellent after pic.  

Happy Hunting!
Janell

What I found: Jan. 24

Even with all my griping about thrift stores, there is still many a treasure to be found.   Below are the items I brought home this week.

My obsession with Mid Century portraits continues.   I call her Margot.

Brass animals, I can't quit you.

How amazing is this lucite and brass desk organizer?!

Almost amazing as this Sterling mid century candle holder.

I love this Dansk salt shaker and pepper mill.   I also brought home another larger somewhat matchy Dansk pepper mill that were planning on keeping to replace one that isn't so pretty.

His and Hers record album sorter

I love a good thermos and both of these are clean as a whistle.

 This is a gorgeous ice bucket, ready to party.

I'll be adding this beauty to my growing milk glass collection.  I've never seen a piece quite like it.

Love seeing what others find? visit: Nifty Thrifty, Sir Thrift a Lot, We Call it Junkin, ThrifterMakerFixer

Thrift Store Gripes

Just popping in to air some grievances.

Salvation Army:
$2.50 for a children's book!?
$3.99 for a small milk glass bud vase!?
$24.99 for 1 brass horse head bookend!?

AmVets:
Why must you use black sharpie to price your items, directly on the items.   WHY????

Random mega church thrift store:
Printing out what an items is listed for on Ebay, then offering your item for 25% less does not improve your chances of me purchasing that item.

Random family run thrift store not associated with any charity:
Looking up individual record albums on Ebay as a pricing guide, at the cash register, during check out makes my head actually want to spin off.

In spite of all the above I had some decent finds this week...I'll be back tomorrow to share my loot.

What I Found: Dec. 8th

Half of doing well at a pick is timing.   This week I had very good timing.   Below are just a few of the items I picked up from one sale Friday morning.

Some of the artwork I might be keeping so I'm trying it on for size.  Our weather has been cold and rainy most of the weekend so everything is still hanging out in the garage... I tried to style them a little for you, but well for the most part my photos this week are crap and I can't figure out the lighting in the house either.   One day. 

I don't think this photo captures how very big this abstract oil painting is.   Neither me or my husband could fit it in our cars. He ended up walking it home about 1 mile.  Thank goodness this sale was in our neighborhood and that they lived at the top of the hill, and us at the bottom.   He's a good man.

This is an original serigraph by Victor Vasarely - considered to be the leader of the Op-Art movement. Unfortunately there is a little water damage to the lower right corner which has caused the paper to wave a little.  There is also a small puncture in the center of the piece.   Im going to guess these 2 flaws destroy any value it once held. 

I love the shape of this mid century chair and it's found a nice home for now in the boys room.

Our newest Eames style lounge chair.  We've already got a brown one in the living room and a camel colored one you'll see poking out a few photos down.  Time to make some decisions and let one or two go.

My vintage luggage hoard continues.   Luckily I found this cheerful Steelcase swivel chair so i'll be able to fill a room with all the luggage and spin around to my hearts content.  I also picked up that square mid century table holding the luggage.  It is teak and much nicer than the above photo implies.

This is where I just got lazy.   What I am trying to show you is the beautiful and very long Lane Coffee table full of all the smalls I picked up, including some more pieces of the Midwinter Sun plate set.   There are also a few more pieces of art behind the Vasarely that you can't see.  Oh and a white feather Christmas tree, but that is already inside by the fireplace.  

Love seeing what others find? visit: Nifty Thrifty, Sir Thrift a Lot, We Call it Junkin,ThrifterMakerFixer

What I found: Nov. 30th

Nov. 30th...as in one day before Dec... as in the last month of 2013.  Oy Vey!

I'm not sure how sale'n around the rest of the country was but the sales were few and far between for us this holiday weekend.  Below are a few things I picked up for the Etsy shop.

This 1920's Kodak No. 1 Pocket Camera is in remarkably great condition even more so when you consider this beauty is almost 100 years old.   The leather carrying case she came with is a bit worse for the wear, but she did a bang up job of protecting this camera so I'm not so concerned.

Pro Tip: Always grab one of these metal storage containers if you find them.  If you're looking, they will be in the garage, usually full of nails, screw and other garage type bobbles.   I've had about 5 or so listed in my shop over the last few years and they always sell quickly.

This Dorothy Thorpe lunch plate is the real deal- complete with original foil sticker label.   With the success of Mad Men and the obsession created over mid century barware the vintage market is flooded with Dorothy Thorpe "style" plates and glasses.  It's tough to firmly identify if you don't know exactly what to look for, mainly that the sterling silver rim should be approx. 1 inch thick.  And sterling silver.

Love seeing what others find? visit: Nifty Thrifty, Sir Thrift a Lot, We Call it Junkin, ThrifterMakerFixer

What I Found: Nov. 23

After a few weeks off it felt good to stop by a some sales over the weekend.   With the exception of the 2 paintings below, read more about those here, all items were purchased at 2 estate sales.

I love this 1960s Panasonic Radio.   It's clean as a whistle and works great! If it was blue I wouldn't think twice about keeping it.

This wood table lamp is almost as great as the gold metallic shade.  The lamp was hand made in the 60s by one of the sons of the lady whose sale we were shopping.

I will always pick up brightly colored pyrex.  Always.

And I won't shy away from picking up vintage luggage either.  I guess this means it is time to plan a weekend get-away to palm springs ;)

How great is this old chinese checkers board.  I'm thinking it will be a fun decor piece hung up in the boys room.

A jar of old buttons is always nice to have around.  Full of hidden (sparkly) gems.

This chair. THIS CHAIR!  The owner was in her 80's and it was hand carved by her grandfather. It is soooooo good.  Oh, and it was only $10.00.  Yeah, I know!! It's so good, that I will probably devote an entire post to just photos of this chair.

I love finding old Fire King mugs.  Some are super valuable, most are not...it's a fun gamble. 

These are the 2 painting I picked up at the SD Vintage Flea Market, where I was also a vendor.   I still have piles of art waiting to be hung, but that will never stop me from buying more.

Love seeing what others find? Be sure to check out, Nifty Thrifty, Sir Thrift a Lot, We Call it Junkin, 

San Diego Vintage Flea Market

Last Sunday I had the honor of participating in the San Diego Vintage Flea Market.  The market is hosted 3 times a year and is amazing.  Seriously, if you live in San Diego and you love vintage/mid century/industrial you must go.

I was able to unload so many amazing items I'd been hoarding but weary of listing online because I didn't want to deal with shipping.   We more than covered our entry fee, start-up costs (pop-up tent and tables), lunch and had much left over to pick up a few treasures I was eying from my booth.   Sadly I have no pictures to show of our booth but feast your eyes on the two paintings I picked up.

It turns out I collect nudes now.  This is my 4th nude painting, 6th if you include 2 I've sold in the past.

You'll get a slightly better idea if the size in this picture, it's a statement piece for sure. The frame is separating from the canvas a little along the top which should be an easy enough fix.

And then there is the painting of the rooster.  There is a really raunchy pun in here somewhere...but I'll leave that alone for now.  I love so much about this rooster.  Mainly the bright colors and the thick textured paint.  

I can't wait to get these guys hung up.  I've found a great place in our living room for the nude.  I don't know if its frowned upon to have so much nude (this chic is large and in charge!) greeting visitors as they first enter our home.  What do you think??