Good Luck is finding something you love, true fortune is finding a PAIR!
Was out shopping this morning and bumped into another dealer who I always call with "heads ups" on the things he looks for, and he steered me towards these lovely babies. Nice pair of patio chairs to go with our other Van Kepple and Green loungers.
It sometimes pays to let other people know what you love.
I do try to steer clear of the parasitic types who want to sit on my shoulder and drain me for info. I'm not a library or a price guide. It's a pet peeve of most dealers to have someone expect a guide to identifying and pricing items. Especially when the parasite is another dealer.
Recently a dealer called about a pair of chairs I had on the site, she wanted to know who my restorer was, where I bought the fabric, who the maker was, how to tell who the maker is, who I used for shipping, and how much she ought to price hers for. Umm.. obnoxious much? Do your own research lady, geez!
It's common though.
When people see that what you have is selling, they want to know all about it. I used to be more than happy to share info, but after a while you realize it's not usually a two way street.
*sigh*
HAPPY DANCE for the chair pair!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
This weekend we painted the front door and even though it is the brightest juciest jungle red/coral orange.. it was still missing something.
Like a giant brass Lion head door knocker.
And there happened to be one in the partially demolished guest bath masquerading as a towel ring.
Total time to sand, clean, repaint and rehang the door: 2 hours.
Total cost: under $20.00
We used Montana Gold in Blood Orange. Montana Gold cures in 2 minutes. It's amazing stuff.
Also took some of the succulents that were getting sunburned and brought them down to the lower level of the planter and replaced them with golden barrel cactus as well as adding a few more aloes.
Like a giant brass Lion head door knocker.
And there happened to be one in the partially demolished guest bath masquerading as a towel ring.
Total time to sand, clean, repaint and rehang the door: 2 hours.
Total cost: under $20.00
We used Montana Gold in Blood Orange. Montana Gold cures in 2 minutes. It's amazing stuff.
Also took some of the succulents that were getting sunburned and brought them down to the lower level of the planter and replaced them with golden barrel cactus as well as adding a few more aloes.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Athena came for a sleepover weekend while her dad was out of town...
It's all fun and games until someone ends up dressed like Alice in Wonderland.
Fergus decides "playing MakeUp" is stupid. Athena is the tiniest little golden retriever.
She's just small, delicate and mildly dopey.
This weekend was "the Lamp Show". Some of my favorite lamps sold this weekend including the 4 ft chrome anglepoise lamp, the GIGANTIC yellow ceramic ginger jar with Faux Bamboo piping, and a fab 1980s Memphis Design group lamp. Nice.
There's a great store in CA called Rewire, wonder if something like that would work in Austin? I love lighting....
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Multi tasking
Fergus takes great delight in barking at the mailman, it's his Joy. Nothing makes him happier than going full tilt barking mad in the front window as the mailman makes his rounds.
Fergus gets to do this twice a day, once for the neighbors across the street and once for our own delivery. He's fanatical about letting the mailman know he's under surveillance and every move is noted. Fergus is Gladys Kravitz!
Today we're opening another Etsy store for all of our fabrics and vintage patterns. 20thCenturyStitches... that name is sooooo original!
Sorting through 4 decades of dress patterns is a trip, I'm tempted to pull all the patterns I like and run them to a seamstress. We kept a lot of patterns on hand for the costume department of the local film studios. Though I think my taste for 60s A lines definitely made that section overly large.
So many people love vintage dresses but can't wear them because the sizing is TINY. There is always someone who is looking to replicate vintage clothing in today's sizes. I think it's a lovely idea and bought some fantastic ready made A lines over Christmas and Spring.
The Maxi Dress is killing me. At 5.4' I cannot find one that doesn't make me look... well.. odd.
I love them but they don't love me back. A-line minis are for me!
So since I work from home or the warehouse I often have the tv on in the background. Three things that I've noticed on the "design" channels:
1. When demo-ing a house they rarely make mention of Habitat for Humanity and most often throw out fixtures and items that should be going to a salvage store like Habitat. Surely the people on these home shows have got to know that there is an entire market of people looking high and low for a 50s jadite bathtub???!? I don't get how they could just toss something like that. About 8 years ago I passed on a custom HOT HOT ORANGE bathroom suite with sink, tub, and toilet which would have been totally nuts with Panton wall paper. Still regret that.
2. The DIY masses have started using Mint, Chocolate, and Robbins Egg to excess. Time to move on. By next spring Chocolate and Robins Egg will be soooooo dated. It'll be next years metallic glazed Crimson and Canary combo. Bleh.
I'll confess I love decor and design but keep our walls at home stark white because I'm not into painting everything a color and and then having to change it the next year.
3. This made me really sad.. I dig Color Splash. Who doesn't like a flamboyant man who thinks he can paint and really shouldn't.. but is actually quite a good designer?
So Mr. Cute (I don't watch it enough to know his name..) is in a home goods warehouse and he's talking about how it's his favorite store and how it has such great stuff.. Blah blah "I love this pillow, I love this chair, I Lah-ve this table.. but I love the look of THIS even more!" Camera pans back to reveal the oh so common these days "Going Out of Business" sign.
WTF?? Now I know what he was trying to say "love this, but love a bargain even more... " but really? I'm also turned off by (Steinmart, Marshalls, Bealls?) weird little commercials celebrating the demise of tiny bespoke dress shops and indie designers so that they can snap up everything at a 25 cents a pound rates and pass the savings on to you..
I am ALL FOR savings. I'm downright miserly sometimes, but I don't celebrate businesses going under. This might be a "there but by the grace of god goes I" sort of reaction, but it is short sighted and disappointing to celebrate a Going out of Business sale. If only because next time you need something unique or bespoke your options will be that much narrower.
I will admit that I thought the "funny little European 1s that look like 7s" commercial was funny though.
Fergus gets to do this twice a day, once for the neighbors across the street and once for our own delivery. He's fanatical about letting the mailman know he's under surveillance and every move is noted. Fergus is Gladys Kravitz!
Today we're opening another Etsy store for all of our fabrics and vintage patterns. 20thCenturyStitches... that name is sooooo original!
Sorting through 4 decades of dress patterns is a trip, I'm tempted to pull all the patterns I like and run them to a seamstress. We kept a lot of patterns on hand for the costume department of the local film studios. Though I think my taste for 60s A lines definitely made that section overly large.
So many people love vintage dresses but can't wear them because the sizing is TINY. There is always someone who is looking to replicate vintage clothing in today's sizes. I think it's a lovely idea and bought some fantastic ready made A lines over Christmas and Spring.
The Maxi Dress is killing me. At 5.4' I cannot find one that doesn't make me look... well.. odd.
I love them but they don't love me back. A-line minis are for me!
So since I work from home or the warehouse I often have the tv on in the background. Three things that I've noticed on the "design" channels:
1. When demo-ing a house they rarely make mention of Habitat for Humanity and most often throw out fixtures and items that should be going to a salvage store like Habitat. Surely the people on these home shows have got to know that there is an entire market of people looking high and low for a 50s jadite bathtub???!? I don't get how they could just toss something like that. About 8 years ago I passed on a custom HOT HOT ORANGE bathroom suite with sink, tub, and toilet which would have been totally nuts with Panton wall paper. Still regret that.
2. The DIY masses have started using Mint, Chocolate, and Robbins Egg to excess. Time to move on. By next spring Chocolate and Robins Egg will be soooooo dated. It'll be next years metallic glazed Crimson and Canary combo. Bleh.
I'll confess I love decor and design but keep our walls at home stark white because I'm not into painting everything a color and and then having to change it the next year.
3. This made me really sad.. I dig Color Splash. Who doesn't like a flamboyant man who thinks he can paint and really shouldn't.. but is actually quite a good designer?
So Mr. Cute (I don't watch it enough to know his name..) is in a home goods warehouse and he's talking about how it's his favorite store and how it has such great stuff.. Blah blah "I love this pillow, I love this chair, I Lah-ve this table.. but I love the look of THIS even more!" Camera pans back to reveal the oh so common these days "Going Out of Business" sign.
WTF?? Now I know what he was trying to say "love this, but love a bargain even more... " but really? I'm also turned off by (Steinmart, Marshalls, Bealls?) weird little commercials celebrating the demise of tiny bespoke dress shops and indie designers so that they can snap up everything at a 25 cents a pound rates and pass the savings on to you..
I am ALL FOR savings. I'm downright miserly sometimes, but I don't celebrate businesses going under. This might be a "there but by the grace of god goes I" sort of reaction, but it is short sighted and disappointing to celebrate a Going out of Business sale. If only because next time you need something unique or bespoke your options will be that much narrower.
I will admit that I thought the "funny little European 1s that look like 7s" commercial was funny though.
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