stock up the shop: spring break!

Yippee! Some down time ahead of us this week as the kids and I have a week off for Spring Break. Kicked it off with a quick getaway up to Estes Park for a little creekside cabin/hot tub/Rocky Mountain National park-style relaxation. On the way back from a little snowy hike, we happened to drive by a little thrift shop in town. I dropped off the family at the cabin, and headed back to poke around. I wasn't expecting much in such a tiny touristy town, but I was pleasantly surprised...

Sitting quietly amongst a pile of crap random figurines I spied this little beauty.  A Howard Pierce owl...my gut thought so when I saw the coloring, and turning it over to see the name on the underside confirmed it. Have learned about Howard Pierce via my #thriftbreak friends on twitter and at Etsy, so I was excited to finally find a piece.

A-S Sweden stainless tray. I've been steering clear of the Scandinavian stainless trays as they are sooo common and sell slowly, but something about the style and quality of this one caught my eye.
In the shop soon!

Love this timer so much. It works perfectly, by spinning the entire top. The "white" is actually a bit yellowed, but I think Etsy folks will love the Helvetica!

This is a cute German calendar wall hanging from 1975. Possibly made by Kolf of Austria, but no markings to tell me so. Love the vivid colors and folksy style.

Here are a couple of other highlights of goodies I found over the last couple of weeks:

Pyrex Decanter with Ball Cork

Jackson China restaurant ware platters, shape by Paul McCobb. In the shop soon!

Ultima Thule serving bowl by iittala of Finland

Happy Spring to you all!
~ Jenny

stock up the shop: eek, where does the time go?

Well, I knew it had been a while, but over a month? Geesh. I haven't been out and about as much lately as the "real job" has been extra busy. I did reach a milestone recently with the creekhouse shop; 300 sales! Woot! I feel so lucky to have a hobby I love that earns a bit of extra cash to take us on little getaways now and then.

Here are a few recent goodies I've found:

Morgantown Normandie Smoke Martini Pitcher
I love the shape and color of this pitcher, so I grabbed it without  knowing exactly what it was. My twitter #thriftbreak friends confirmed my thoughts that it was made by Morgantown of PA. We've been known to enjoy a martini now and then, so hubs was kind of wanting to keep it.
We decided that a whole pitcher might get us into some trouble, so list it I did.

Heller 10" Mod Dinner Plates
I have some others of this seemingly popular Heller plastic ware designed by Massimo Vignelli in the 1960s.  It's not selling super well for me, but these plates are in such great condition I decided to list them and see what happens. Here's the link to my other Heller listing: mod heller vignelli plates, mugs, and bowls

Dansk Jens Quistgaard Board
I was so thrilled to find this Dansk by Jens Quistgaard teak board. It is in amazing condition and soooo beautiful with the "staved" style (vertically cut pieces create the lovely visual texture in the center.)
This piece sold in less than 24 hours, and quickly heard from the customer that she adores it. 

Dorothy Thorpe Roly Polies
These also sold right away as they were priced right due to a bit of missing silver on the interior. That is the nice thing about these glasses, the silver is on the inside and the outside so any damage is mostly concealed. We have been loving getting all caught up on past Mad Men episodes, getting ready for the new season starting March 25th.
It really is quite an amazing show!

Mid Century Vase made in Isreal
I don't know much about this vase except that I think it's absolutely beautiful! There are touches of lemon yellow thrown into the earth tone stripes which add a lightness I love. It is marked "Made in Israel" and has the signature "Rachel" on it along with another somewhat mysterious mark. I would be just fine if this beauty didn't sell...it's waiting on my living room credenza and looks mighty lovely right there.

Frankoma Native American Mug
This one isn't listed yet, but I thought I'd throw this into the post. Frankoma is one of those things that could sell, but might not, depending on if there are folks out there looking for specific lines. This one is from 1992 (which actually IS vintage according to Etsy...I must be old.) I see Native American and Aztec motifs being quite popular right now, so I thought I'd try listing it since it seems a bit out of the ordinary.

Trucker Belt Buckle
And finally, how can I not share this? Hubs and I went on a little hot springs getaway to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. The little eclectic mountain towns here in Colorado are really something to experience if you never have. Picture little Victorian towns at 8,000 ft and above sprinkled with gun racks and dreadlocks alike. We spent some time in a pawn shop in one such town, checking out guns, taxidermy, elk hides, you get the picture. Saw this beauty in its original packaging and had to get it. Debating whether or not to put it in the shop...I don't think it really fits in as "stylish vintage for your home." But you gotta know some hipster out there wants this.

OK folks, that was a long one. Hopefully it makes up for my slackage. Happy Spring...it's coming, I can feel it!
~ Jenny

stock up the shop: the blues

No, I don't have the blues, but I found lots of blues this week...and browns. Glad I went out early in the week because that allowed me to just stay put and do some listing instead of heading out in the twenty, yes twenty, inches of snow we got over the course of Friday, Friday night, and Saturday. The moisture was much needed around here, and of course the skiers, sledders, and snow-cave-builders are quite thrilled. I actually quite enjoy driving around in the snow, but today I was happy to stay put.

Found these pretty pottery candle holders made by Brayton Pottery of Laguna Beach, California.  Didn't know anything about them until I did research at home. The company existed from 1927 - 1968, producing mostly glossy figurines, some for Walt Disney. Later in the 50s and 60s, they made some more modern home decor items using this "wood tone" finish. Nothing super valuable or astonishing, but an interesting tidbit of history - and actually a couple of really pretty pieces!   

These turquoise blue and gold spatter High Ball or Iced Tea glasses are from Federal's Prestige line. Made popular by Eva Zeisel's contributions to the line, the heavy knob at the base is an indicator of these pieces.
As for the spattering, not sure why, ,when or how that happened, but they're interesting for sure!

This is a really lovely puzzle of Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Signs as painted by artist Marilyn Marshall. In excellent condition with 500 pieces...made the whole family work on it for two days and we got it all together with ...499 pieces! Can you believe it?? It's soooo pretty, I just can't bring myself to list it with one tiny piece missing. What would you do? 

So, I won't list a damaged puzzle, but I did list this beautiful blue
Michael Lax for Copco Denmark spouted sauce pan.
Despite some significant chips around the edges, I just had to pick it up because I adore this blue color. Hopefully someone out there will appreciate picking it up for a great price - it's still very usable!

Just a simple set of teak salad servers...lovely and unmarked.

Is this inappropriate? Found one of Taylor & Ng's Animates mugs with some
let's say, frolicking, bunnies.
I think these are hilarious. Hubs realllllly wants to shock his workmates with it, I'd like to sell it. 

Kinda country, kinda mod... In awesome condition and excellent quality, I just had to grab these pretty farm scene canisters. Made by Anchor Hocking and "signed" Nina 1982.

Superbowl? Anyone care? I don't, now that the Packers are out, but I'm going to use it as an excuse to sit and drink beer at home on a Sunday afternoon...wait, I do that every weekend... Well, enjoy the rest of the weekend, football lovers and haters alike.

~ Jenny

stock up the shop: just a coupla things

Ran around for a bit this weekend and found just a few things. Left several places empty handed, which is disappointing and satisfying at the same time. I've been on a listing frenzy lately, and now actually feel "caught up." So, now it feels good to be able to take my time, be selective, enjoy the process, and take time to learn as much as possible.

OK, on to the finds:

Yes, I already have some similar, Yugoslavian, versions of these in the shop.
After hemming and hawing, I finally decided to grab these  because of their matte undersides... I thought
perhaps Krenit by Herbert Krenchel of Denmark. No real proof that they are unfortunately,
but they're so nice and have great style. Listed here.

This Kolf of Austria fabric has such a cute folksy design to it. I recently sold some Kolf linens, I think they are so fun although I don't know anything about the company. This is a nice large piece, in crispy clean, never-been-washed condition. Vintage fabrics are still so intriguing to me. I have ridiculous amounts of fabric, waiting to be used.
One of these days I'll do a sewing post! This will be listed as soon as I get it measured.

Sometimes I just can't resist the Japanese stoneware. There's a lot of it out there, that's for sure.
Something about these fluttering butterflies caught my eye.

Finally, this is a rare Corning Ware 10" skillet. It coordinates with the classic Cornflower Blue pattern, but it is that beautiful solid blue with a white interior, and nice black and stainless handle. I've only been able to find one listed on Ebay, and nowhere else. I'd like to list it in the shop, but hubs think he might like to cook eggs in it. We'll see.

Have a great week y'all!
~ Jenny

stock up the shop: fantastic plastic

I told myself to take a break from shopping until I list the items listed that are sitting on my "to list" shelf. But, hubs twisted my arm and sent me on my way this morning... Mind you, this gives him an excuse to plop in front of the TV watching Euro soccer highlights while the kids play. And now as I research, photograph, and list...he's enjoying his Liverpool match. It's all very symbiotic around here. We are very lucky to have super self-entertaining children! (Cheers to Montessori.) Don't worry, we do engage with them from time to time.

I've mentioned this before in my posts, but I think it's funny how many of my treasure hunting runs end up with things that kind of "go" together. So, here are some of today's plasticky pick ups:

Soehnle of Switzerland scale.
Can take up to 11 pounds (5 kg) and does it with style.  Have to  do a bit of research to
determine age. If its 20+ years old, it'll go in the shop. If not, it'll stay right here with me!

I feel like I remember my Twitter friends a while back chatting about Ingrid plastics, but can't remember the specifics.  Definitely in the style of the popular plastic Heller pieces, but based in Chicago. This is a "picnic ball." A large set of 6 cups, 6 dinner plates, 6 medium plates/shallow bowls, 6 small bowls/plates, 6 tumblers, a serving platter, and two serving bowls. Put it all together in just the right way, and you have THIS:

Kind of brilliant, huh?
My 7 year old thinks this is just about the coolest thing he's ever seen and
would like it to come along with us on our summer camping trips... We'll see.

And speaking of Ingrid, at a completely different shop I found this little snack set of four plates and four short cups in its original mesh packaging.  The plates have little indentations for the cups to sit in. The plastic Heller pieces I have in the shop haven't been selling, but I thought I'd grab this and give it a try since the packaging is pretty eye catching!

Cute little pink paper sorter.
Not much to say about it except that I just had to pick it up because it was made by
"Rogers" (my dad's name) in Madison,WI ( my hometown, where my parents still live.)
So retro, huh?!

Interdesigns swivel storage/sorter.
I was happy to see this since I recently listed one that sold in just a few days.
The last one was white, but I'm loving this blue.

And last, but not least, yet another Kokeshi. I'm crazy!
This one is a bit older, in the "traditional" style. You can see my others in the background...
Suddenly I'm a collector. I just can't part with them! I have much to learn, and there's lots of information out there. Maybe a future blog post. For now, it's a magical little "rush" when I see one calmly standing there
waiting for me on a crowded shelf. See, I'm crazy.

Now on to the task of listing, listing, listing...have lots of other cute stuff (not all plastic) to get in the shop before the work week starts again. Enjoy!

~ Jenny

stock up the shop: catch up and fantastic finds

Happy New Year everyone! Oh wow have I neglected this little blog. I've been neglecting my internet duties, but have NOT been neglecting my stock-up-the-shop duties. This post will be mostly eye-candy rather than content, so here are some of my favorite new finds for the new year! Everything's in, or on its way to, the creekhouse shop!

1960s Playplax building toy

Mid Century Plata Moderna Silver Mexican Bar Set

Interdesign Storage Container

Mid Century Loma of Arizona Desertware Mugs

Retro Heart Valentine's Day Mug

Harlequin Mauve Blue Covered Sugar Bowl

Hallmark Japan Danish Modern Style Candle Holder

Cute Japanese Planter

Polish Enameled Stock Pot

Mod Flowers Thermal Coffee Carafe - Not Listed Yet!

Unipet for Upjohn by McCoy Pet Treat Jar
(Lid is a bell! So cute!)
Not listed yet, because I think my dog and cat really like it.

Amazing Rotary Dial White Phone - Not listed yet

Whew! This is a nice sampling of the stuff that I came across over the past few weeks. Forgive me for the somewhat lazy post.
Hey, did I tell you I'm on Twitter? (@thecreekhouse)
Have you checked out Pinterest? So cool, and so tempting to spend hours...but I'm just getting started.
By the way I'm also on Flickr
And Facebook!
I have found some pretty fun stuff that I'll spend more time posting about because I think you'll think it's pretty cool, too. Cheers to 2012!
~ Jenny

stock up the shop: beginning to feel a lot like a vintage holiday party

Lots of retro holiday goodness this week! It really gets me in the mood to decorate for our Christmas...or maybe next week. ;)

Instead of the group shot, I'm trying out the individual shots of some of my favorite finds:

Inland Glass Snowflake Casserole with Lid and Warming Stand.
I was so happy to find this complete set. It's super adorable and I can just picture it
filled with some warm unhealthy dip of some sort at holiday party.

Pyrex "Mod Kitchen" Decorator Casserole
I haven't been buying much Pyrex lately, but this one is soooo cool!

1983 Alan Wood for Houze Christmas Mugs
Set of 3

Waechtersbach style Glasses
Coordinate with the popular West German Waechtersbach pottery pieces.

West German Glass Angel Candle Holders
I love these...so thick and sturdy and pretty. Like blocks of ice. 

All of these items, and more, are listed or will soon be listed in the creekhouse shop. Having fun listing lots of new things and gearing up for holiday cheer.
Life gets pretty serious, with busy-ness, worries and serious stuff popping up here and there, so I'm grateful for the holidays approaching to keep us focused on family, friends, and the good things in life!
~ Jenny