Awesome Handmade Vintage Basket

 I've already mentioned that moving is in our future.

Time to get rid of some things that have been hanging around.

I've had this large vintage basket forever.

It sits on top of a bookcase that is not moving with us.

So beautiful, but no sentimental value.

Time to see what she is worth.

 Even her condition issues are really gorgeous,

it shows that she was used - not just admired.

 I love the oak handle and

patina on the nails ....

but most of all I love all the tiny "ribs" that

the artisan laboriously wove around.

Going to ebay soon.   (Sold for $50.)

Selling My Native American "Collection"

You know how you are drawn to some things, but they never really come your way?  I am drawn to native American items.  Baskets, beaded items, pots, jewelry.  Basically handmade native American items.  I have been collecting for three decades.  And I have two such items.  Pitiful.

We are trying to thin out some of our personal collections as we think about moving.  Painful.  I cleaned our massive bookshelf lately.  In addition to books (many cool ones) it showcases Ozark Pottery, white matte pottery, antique coffee related items, and porcelain doll heads.  Oh, and my little basket and pot.  Not enough of a collection to make the cut.

I picked up the little pot from a garage sale many years ago.  It was made by a member of the
Acoma pueblo in New Mexico. Sold on ebay for $21.

As for the basket, I remember vividly where I got it.  We have a nun retirement home in our community.  I am sure there is a better way to say that, but there it is.  They used to have a FANTASTIC fundraiser sale every year.  I was browsing at one of those annual sales when a cute little nun shuffled out and told the lady in charge she wanted to donate this basket.  I scurried right over and said I was interested.  I don't recall what I paid for it, but not much.

Years later we went to one of the Antiques Road Show locations, and took the basket.  This was the information I received on it: It was made by the Klikitat tribe in the state of Washington.
Sold on ebay for $145.

4.4.14 Fridays Vintage Finds

Got up early Friday morning to hit a couple garage sales, despite temperatures in the 30 degree range and wind.  Here are some of my finds:

The plain basket is already painted & price. 

The cat head jar is scheduled to go on ebay.

I paid $13 for it and it brought $26 on ebay.

I wish the calico on the book had been in better condition.

Both books going on ebay.

Sewing cabinet is wood and begging for a coat of paint.

Awesome original milk paint on the firkin.

Wished they could have located the lid.

I paid $20 for the firkin, and it brought $83 on ebay.

My two favorite finds.  Decades old paint on the basket.

An intricately patterned quilt top in tip top condition.

Spent $25 for the quilt top, sold for $50 on ebay.

Gotta love garage sale season.

Stocking and Fluffing My Booth

I only have one (indoor) booth at an antiques / decorator mall.  It suffered some neglect during March while I held some stuff back for the Topeka Antique Show.  Time to show it some love this week.

I added the dripping lace header. 

But looking at it now I think I'll take the branches off.

The Italian tole flower chandelier is already sold.

  

Cameras from last Saturdays sale in the only pool basket I have left

from the Topeka show.  I bought a bunch for $10 each, 

and sold them for $24 each..

Took In my last two Easter baskets. 

I added feedsack fabric to the handles.

Spring Basket Bonanza

I had the itch to use the hot glue gun, make a mess, paint, stamp, drag out all my misc stash... and walah!  Spring Baskets!

I had about 40 peat pots, picked up with a peck of garden junk at an auction

 last year.  So I painted the exterior of all of them an ivory or turquoise.

  The rest is history.

Since I am trying to stick with vintage or vintage themed items for my booth;

that is basically what I tried to go with.  Vintage photos, buttons,

 "scraps", millinery flowers, jewelry, postcards, lace. 

Even the letter stamps I used were vintage.

Mostly stuck with neutral or pastel colors for spring.

 Decided to stay away from an Easter theme because I want to be able to

 sell them around Mother's Day too. I have a huge spool of wire

so the handles were no problem.

So I made 40 of them.  Each one very different.  One of a kind.

Filled with easter grass or shredded paper. 

The ones I am taking to the Topeka Antique Show will have eggs too.

   $4.00 each, which I know is cheap - but I want them to sell.

Vintage Easter Items To Sell

I try not to save a lot of seasonal items to sell from year to year.  And if I do keep something, try to "reinvent" it for the next year.  

So I had this glass egg left over from last year.  Someone had decorated it decades ago with old millinery flowers.  I thought it was stunning all by itself, but apparently I was the only one.  (How do you like my green chalk paint on my thumbnail?)

 

 For the 2014 Easter season I put it and two additional unadorned

glass eggs into a metal basket with a sheer antique hankie.

 

Last year I was inspired by the little millinery egg.  I had this

large glass egg which I almost entirely covered with millinery,

jewelry and other misc.  I enjoyed it myself last year, and this year I will sell it.

Last year I was purchasing "Easter Egg Chicken" eggs by the dozens from a

local farmer.  They came in hues of aqua, olive (my favorite!), tan and blues. 

I would carve a dime size hole out of the bottom and use the yolks.  The empty eggs I simply washed, put back in the carton and sold.  I had one dozen left from last year, so I painted this basket a complimentary color and loaded them in. I'll be taking them in next week sometime.