Heads Up Frock Ladies!

This is a late addition to my blog this morning but I came across this and HAVE TO share.  It's from a wonderful blog called Madam Guillotene by a writer & student in France.  Here's the tip of the iceberg

Need I say more?!  Get thyself there!

And thank you to the young lady at Madame Guillotine for this breathtaking peek at Empress Josephine's STUNNING wardrobe.

My Weekend Booty!

Funny how the definition of words changes through the years, so no, I'm not going to moon you today - that would be grounds for capital punishment - but show you instead some great recent treasures.  Some this weekend, some here & there during the week.  First is the estate sale I went to on Saturday which had this

And this...

Beg and plead as I might (and I did :- ), she would NOT let me have them!  But boy I would have come in with a wrench and unscrewed that toilet in a hot minute!  How bout that pink flocked wallpaper! 

This was a fun estate sale.  There really wasn't much left after the family treasures had been distributed but it was definitely a little walk through time.  It was a house built in the early 50's and owned by a couple who'd lived in it from day one till recently.  A cozy little home where you could see they'd lived a good life, and also each era was evident from the pink 50's to the orange 60's with this

Now this she did let me purchase!  I love the style & color & it swivels & rocks, but it's in pretty rough shape.  The "bones" are great - solid & sturdy and the fabric is not torn or very worn but the seat cushion is REALLL crunchy and the back fabric is stretched.  So I'm in a dilemma about having it reupholstered and keeping it for ME (because I really love it) or just taking it to the store, selling it for a song and letting the new owners do the reup.  Hmmm.  Gonna have to think on this for a while.

Elsewhere I found this - I'm a freak for vintage barware - it's so reminescent of days when cocktail parties meant actually wearing GLAMOUROUS cocktail dresses!  I don't know if this is actually vintage but I was taken by the amathyst color and the frosted pattern (the pattern you can't really see in the picture).  When I got home & was washing it I noticed a pretty  etching of a bee on the lid & it puzzles me.  Is it the mark of the maker or just a "pretty".  If anyone knows, please let me know.  There is no mark on the bottom so maybe the bee is the maker mark???

Also picked up this way cool phone from the 70's. 

 
And these very cute, teensy-tiny salt & pepper shakers - I LOVE em - they're poodles!

And this Mitterteich Bavaria tea/coffee set

And since it's Monday morning & we're thinking COFFEE!  How bout this I got from Frank a couple of weeks ago!  Is this THE "star" of all percolators or what?!

Not only does it have the razzle-dazzle starburst design, the darn thing lights up from the bottom of the pot while it's brewing!  What DIDN'T they think of in the 60's!  Oh it was a grand time!

So that's it for now.  A very colorful weekend "booty" I'd say! 

Now for that yummie cup of coffee - and believe me, these old percolators made one mighty fine brew!

Cheerio!  Have a great week & can't wait to see what y'all came up with!

~Vickie~

Update And A Treasure For ME!

This will be just a quick update for today because I wanted to show you the table I purchased last Friday from an un-borrowed picture from Hepcat as I showed in the last post.  I had my son Sean pick it up at the estate sale and take it DIRECTLY to my space in Folsom.  Had it come home first for the usual "spit & polish" cleanup it would probably NEVER have left.  So here it is, the GRAND SERVER (which is already causing a stir!) at my space in Folsom.

Is it stunning or WHAT?!

One doesn't even have to leave the couch to get another "refreshing beverage"!  

PARTEEEE time!

And here is the "ME" part.  Hepcat and the Adorable Mz. Kitty were by my place Saturday morning to pick up a stunning but needing a full "face lift", 1950's desk by Paul Laszlo for Brown-Saltman that he is going to restore & use in their new bedroom.  It's a project I'm going to be watching carefully and with great anticipation.  Anyway, they told me there was a yard sale around the corner from me - HOW did I miss that?!  So I cruise on over only to find a few old toys and a ton of plant pots, none of which I was a bit interested in.  Disappointed, I headed back down the driveway when the lady asked me what sort of things I'm looking for.  Nothing in particular I tell her but not toys or planters.  But she for some reason persisted so I told her my interest is mostly mid century furniture and accessories.  Wellll, says she, let me show you something in the garage.   I thought it odd that she was so persistent about what I was looking for, and still do, but I'm thinking it was a divine blessing and meant to be.  Here it is, MY new kitchen light fixture!

Is it FABULOUS or what?!

I tend not to keep the treasures I find because well, I just can't - I'm supposed to be downsizing, not upsizing!  But this is the exception.  It pulls down from a cord on the ceiling to any length you desire and It will go in the kitchen breakfast area over the table, front & center of a large window facing the front of the house - so everyone can see it and be jealous ;- )

So that's my "partial" story of the weekend.  I'm off to Folsom to work the day.  It's GORGEOUS weather in Sacto., CA today (SEVENTY-FOUR degrees!!!) and I suspect it will be a busy - (and hopefully lucrative!) day.

Later gaters!

~Vic~

Congratulations To Brian In Colorado! And God's BLESSING to Donna In Texas

Okay, this isn't really Brian.  I have no idea what Brian looks like,  but we're congratulating him today for being the LAST person on planet Earth to received a LARGE, odd sized item from A Twinkle In Time on Etsy (AKA the little kitchen in my sweet, humble abode)

Do you remember my delight at finding the mid century, popcorn wall art?  Ok, I'll refresh your memory

                                                          I no longer think they are cute, fun, unique or interesting

And here's why..........

Picture Forrest's sweet little grama (that would be me) with a box nearly the size of the kitchen floor space she was packing these monstrocities in, with a roll of bubble paper nearly the size of a monster truck tire and a sack of packing peanuts nearly as tall as herself.  The wheel of bubble paper scared the tar out of the weiner dog & had him barking every time I STRUGGLED to reach around the giant egg of a wall plaque to wrap it securely.  Me again with a sauce pan bailing peanuts into the box & having them fly all over the floor as they pass from the bag to the box.  The box being a bit too big & having to SAW it down with a butcher knife because I didn't have a box cutter.  A chain saw would have been better.   But I did manage to get it all packed up & sealed with 45 yards of packing tape, sweating by this time (and swearing) only to see out the corner of my eye the dear little weiner dog ingesting a PACKING PEANUT.  That will of course mean a bazillion dollar vet bill if he swallows it.  In panic I yell, "Duke!" (that's the little bugger's name) & of course he takes off at a dead heat for under the bed.  I MUST be calm or he will not come.  He will eat the peanut under the bed.  And Brian will NOT pay the vet bill.  So while I'm screaming my brains out inside my head, I am cheerily calling the little menace to "come now Duke-ee - cookie time!"  Of course when cookie time is mentioned the pit-mix (Lucy) goes into dead run like the devil's on her tail into the kitchen.  Pandemonium has happened & Duke wants a piece of the action & saunters out, very sneaky like & I grab him like a flash of lightening, Lucy think's I'm attacking her best pal & is barking as I'm attempting to pry open his jaws (you thought a pit bull had strong jaws??? - HAH!) and dig the hunk of styrofoam out from his gooey throat.

                              This is of course not Duke, or me, but I wanted to be as graphic & dramatic as possible

Ok, I'm fine (sweating, shaking and wishing it was 5 o'clock instead of 4 o'clock & on my way to the post office so I can bust out the hard liquor).  I make it to the P.O. without incident in the rush hour traffice (dog saliva still on my shirt cuff), drag the DAMN box that now weights 100 lbs with packing materials, fill out the "Delivery Confirmation" and "Insurance" forms, get in line with the ALBATROSS that takes up at least as much space in line as 2 people, wait patiently for my turn only to find out I  MISfigured the shipping cost - HEWWWW knew the post office has a MONSTER SURCHARGE on "oversized" packages?!?!?!   Who knew they keep smelling salts at the post office?  And that the nice man at the counter also knows CPR?  I survived, but I would ask you ALL to give Brian a BIG pat on the back for his status of being the LAST person on the planet to recieve a large, odd shaped, heavy item from A Twinkle In Time at Etsy, bless his soul.

And, as we congratulate & bless lucky Brian's soul, let's DO send blessing's to Donna in Texas for...

Her order today of one teensy-tiny juice glass that only took a couple of sheets of leftover bubble paper & a tiny box.      Blessings on you - if you only knew!
I would like to close this with a word that I LOVE and ADORE my wonderful Etsy buyers.  In spite of this and the last post, they have been very, very good to me and I appreciate them, truly.  I'm thinking of today as well, a lesson learned, or perhaps...BAPTISM BY FIRE in the land of internet selling and postal fees.  Pardon me if I have NO IDEA why the U.S. Postal Service is going belly-up! 

Oh!  One more thing...as I was going to my shipping supply store today to purchase the EIGHT dollar box for Brian, I caught an estate sale sign, did a sharp left, followed it and made a FANNNTASTIC find!

WOWZA & WHOOPEEEE!  How bout that!  And THANKYOU Hepcat for (unknowingly) letting me snag this pic from your blog and for your expert advise from my SOS call this morning! 

Oh my gosh, it's now 6 o'clock!  One hour late for Happy Hour!  *pop goes the brandy cork!*

~Vic~
 

 



Aardvark! A Rummage Sale and TREASURES!

This is ME today after 4 - count em - FOUR failed Etsy sales.  THREE of which were international which means I had to go cross town to my shipping supply store, buy special boxes (for double boxing), run home, pack them for shipping to take to the post office to stand in line to get postage fees to run home, notify the buyers of their fees, to have them CANCEL for various (NUMB-NUT) reasons.  I guess I should have figured that the "buyer" from Australia calling herself MZ. EMBALMO (Ribbons Rigormortis) just MIGHT have been a HOAX.  But oh no - trust everyone in the world, after all some people are very proud of their professions, right?  Etsy has been GREAT - I can't complain tooo much, but really folks, wouldn't you look like this after such a week?!  Actually Ardie looks much better than me at this particular moment in time.  It's before noon here :- )

Onto bigger & better things - like the church rummage sale last Saturday.  I ADORE church rummage sales & hadn't been to one in ages so I was looking forward to this even though by happencestance it was the church I'd been married in once upon a nightmare on another planet but we won't go there right now.  Shoulda been an omen I guess.  And the gall of me to ask Big Daddy to accompany me - but I did and didn't tell him that news until we got through the door (and after a missed-step by him), everything was okay when greeted by this...

Sister's Candy & Lollypop shed their "usual habits" and become CAKE LADIES!

Oh yes, this too should have been an omen.  Get the sweet stuff before you go through the next doors to the rummage sale from HELL!

Okay, it wasn't REALLY hellish, Big Daddy hit the tables like a man possessed! 

(Not bad for an old guy, eh?!  He was particularly ravishing at the recent Scottish Games in his plaid kilt which I told him looked positively WRONG with tennis shoes & golf sox, but would he listen?  Neuuuu.  He thought all the gawking girls were praying for strong winds.  HAH!) 

Anyway, here he is leaving with a *grin* and a brand new pair of Etonic golf shoes & some other such nonsense

And, (I'm going to hell for this)...I stole these from Sister's Candy & Lollypop (JUST KIDDING of course) - not bad, but not the LOAD I was hoping for

Then for being a good soldier I offered to take him to my favorite breakfast place for THE best French Toast in town - maybe the WORLD - the Tower Cafe which is located next to the old and one of the two gorgeous deco theatres left in Sacramento, the Tower Theatre

Inside the also lovely Tower Cafe

Breakfast was GREAT but my mind wanders sometimes

Hmm, margaritaville.  Strawberries are healthy food, right?! ;- )

Okay, I'm stuck in "center" mode so this is how it's going to be till I get unstuck

The week wasn't a complete loss, truly!  I had a FANNNtastic trip to my friend Frank's house who allowed me to pick through and purchase some of his INNNcredible treasure trove of GREATNESS.  And here is just a "sneak peek" at the greatness I was lucky enough to bring home.

 

Getting ready for the spit & polish!

And this

Icart!

And this

1930's LALIQUE!

And more!  But there's a preview of my next blog!

And about that Aardvark who I so cruelly (to him) compared to how I look this morning, It's actually a set of two I found on my way out of one of my favorite thrifting haunts.  Odd little critters by Robert Maxwell.  Never heard of him or seen these but they oddly caught my eye & called to me.  A most odd choice for me, but they just sucked my heart right outta my chest so they came home with me.  A bit of internet research told me Mr. Maxwell is quite a well known artist & his "critter-beasties" as they are known, are also very well known and collectible & I was VERY lucky to find a numbered PAIR!  Lucky me!  Here they are, Ardie & his little pal Vark.



  



Just A Thought For The Day...

* I woke up,
I lifted my arms,
I moved my knees,
I turned my neck....

Everything made the same noise:
'CrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaccccK!'

....I came to a conclusion:

I am not old,
I am crispy!!!

Got this in an e-mail & couldn't resist.  Have a great weekend & be crispy instead of old! ;- )

An Orangeday Afternoon

I know I've been a lousy blogger since Christmas but it's been a slow "bounce-back" from the holidays & being sick, etc.  Also, I expanded my space at Folsom & I tell you, that was nearly like a whole house move!  Also consolidated two storage spaces into one (another epic project), and taking care of my Etsy store is, I think, nearly as much work as my space in Folsom.  Whew, who knew!  Anyway, it's been a long road back to "normal" ("Normal" - In my lifetime?  Who am I kidding!).  But of course I've been picking since then - that's what keeps the old ball rolling, right?  Last Saturday was a particularly good day as I managed to find TWO great estate sales NOT run by those scabby robber liquidation outfits.  These were family run and those are my favorite kind.  Not just because the prices are right but also because there is a more personal feeling and interaction, and I like that.  I hit the jackpot!  And it was particularly orange! 

First is a beautiful Red Wing decanter.  I've found a couple of other of this style by Bauer but haven't found one with a lid so I felt very lucky

Then this pretty Oxford Stoneware pitcher - I love this 40's style

(Sorry it's a dark picture - I had to re-take it because Blogger doesn't allow pics that are taken vertically which I had done earlier & now it's late & don't have natural light but either way it sure is pretty isn't it!)

Next is an adorable Cat Tail pitcher from old Sears & Roebuck. 



Then a pretty little orange tea pot.  I don't know the maker but it was orange so it came home with me :- )

And some things were orange and green, like these waaay cool Pyrex dinnerware sets I couldn't live without

And well, some things were blue and green, like this very groovy Mikasa set that called to me :- )

                                                           (I definately have a problem saying NO to dinnerware)

And some things were just brown, like this ADORABLE trio of Howard Pierce birds.

Hiccup...OKAY, these are obviously NOT Howard Pierce birds but I screwed up and I'm terrified of trying to edit and losing everything so let's just ignore this, k ;- )

AhhhhhhHem....Introducing my new Howard Pierce birds

                                              So sweet!  I'm going to have a hard time parting with these little guys!

Oh!  And green again.  I absolutely adore this tiny little wishing well lamp which says on one side, "Oh wishing well" and on the other side says, "Grant a wish to me".  I love it.  I may keep it and tell it my wishes each day & see what happens.  I'll be re-wiring it because the cord is pretty crispy.

Well, I guess that's enough "catch-up" for tonight.  I'll try to do better & not let this go so long.  It's not all that exciting but sharing treasures is fun.  Gotta get ready for BACHELOR BEN night with my wonderful, adorable neice that joins me every Monday night to drool & Oooo & Ahhhh over THE hottest bachelor EVER!  And to think he only lives a couple of hours from here :- )  So I leave you with this verrra nice "wish" for tonight...

(Old ladies aren't supposed to have EVIL thoughts you say?!)

HAH!

Love & Sweetie Pie Dreams

~Vic~