Thrift Haul: Truck Be a Lady

Let's get to it, shall we?

Gorgeous amber Bakelite beads from the 1930's, for sale here.

Vintage cotton orange and green stripe throw/tablecloth, for sale here

Metal recipe box

Got another pillow for Blixa and I found another Opening Ceremony make up bag in a different style and print!

I think Queen Blixa likes her new pillows

Knock Knock personal library kit, for sale here

Acrylic "J" picture holder, for hubby to make beads out of

Cutler cherry blossom tray

To go with the highball glasses I got awhile back.

Vintage Eaton floral scarf

It's polyester but I loved the print. I found a very functional use for this guy.

I have no idea what this is but I thought it was neat. Anyone have any clue?

Striped cork board and a wood frame

"Earth's Treasures" by Susan B. Schumacher. Original. I love when a stranger and I have the same affinity for a theme, this one being the Southwest. 

I always collect ceramics made by people vacationing in Mexico or anything Navajo, for instance, and this painting is a perfect encapsulation of the Southwest: cacti, Navajo ceramics, chili peppers, and a sombrero with a thunderbird on it.

Chair for hubby. Wood w/ mud green leather seat.

Reproduction Greek ceramic plaque.

Vintage Conway carafe

Vintage Fieldcrest muslin sheet set, for sale here.

Wood frames

Marble bookends made in Mexico

Wood coat rack

Finally got The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy, the last book I needed in my collection of Vintage editions of early McCarthy novels. Vintage only did 5 books and The Orchard Keeper was the rarest of them so I'm pretty glad my set's complete.

Got this dresser at an estate sale for a steal. 

I love the USA color scheme and I almost wanna leave it the way it is and keep it for myself but I've been looking for a dresser recently so I could do this...

Hand-painted Otomi print

I definitely have my work cut out for me, what with this dresser project and finishing my shelf project but painting for me is the best part, I actually find it fun.

Some pieces I saw at Bibles for Missions that I didn't purchase but liked.

Wood nightstand for $12

An Art Deco waterfall dresser for $89. This guy's a good price and if I hadn't purchased my current Art Deco dresser recently, this would be sitting in my bedroom right now.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

-J

Made in Mexico: Primera Parte (Part 1)

I adore Mexican decor, especially their furniture. Natural wood, rustic, robust, simple. And I love their whimsical use of color. Unfortunately, not a lot of used stuff from Mexico makes its way up in these parts of Canada.

Lots of untouched, unfinished wood. I love the natural finish but as I learned from hubby, the climate is too humid up here to not seal pine as it will eventually rot, but say, somewhere in the Southwest where it's dry, you can let the beautiful natural wood shine. 

I've seen some upcycled antique Mexican pieces on the internet and I think it's a shame. I feel the same way about a lacquered wood hutch as I do about a beautiful woman getting a nosejob or collagen injections.

Talavera pottery and ceramic tiles. I actually collected a couple vintage ones when I was in California but I can't wait until I have a full collection. NB: Talavera uses a lot of blues and warm colors. The more kalaidoscopic colors are most likely Spanish.

Hand-painted furniture and bowls.

Otomi textiles.

Oaxacan textiles.

Chiapas textiles

NB. There are some lazy bloggers out there, particularly ones who are in the professional field of home decor, who don't pay attention to the origins of the items or subjects that they write about. They feign knowledge and throw around information like it's last season's accessory. Not only do I think it's lazy but I think it's irresponsible and egotistical on the part of the writer. These people clearly have the confidence to spout out bullshit without doing a self-imposed fact check.

For instance, women who write a post about how to add color to your home; they dedicate an entire section to Mexican fabrics and how much they love Mexican blankets, and they'll post a photo with a source link to a website, and the post on that website will be titled "From Peru" and it will discuss textiles...you guessed it...from Peru!

Here's the photo that I see gets mislabeled the most, mostly on Pinterest, but also on several lifestyle blogs.

Peruvian blankets.

And then you get people who see this photo and make comments like "I love the Mexican blankets! The ethnic look is really in!" And it makes me wonder, perhaps the author is at fault but isn't the reader also? 

I mean, I saw the photo, I questioned the caption, I looked into its veracity, and I learned that the author was incorrect, and I, as the reader, have done my due diligence. Unless these people don't actually give a shit and are simply distracted by bright pretty colors! As long as ethnic is in, Mexico and Peru are just interchangeable nations, I guess. 

Part 2: The Mexican coffee table I found!

- J