Thrift Haul: September Madness

September was a very busy month and I stocki up on tons of product. Lots of new items for sale.

Audubon bird clock

Wood die paperweight/bookend. For sale at Memory Lane

Pair of two vintage mirror art pieces. Made in Japan. For sale on Kijiji here or at Memory Lane.

Handpainted Russian bread box. This one's for keeps.

Beriokzka (Берёзка) was a chain of state-run retails store in the Russian SFSR that operated in the 60s to the 90s.

Wine carafe w/ hole. Made in Poland. For sale on Kijiji here.

Corningware Ultratemp amber kitchen utensils, for sale on eBay here.

Vintage Bizerka scale from Yugoslavia. Not for sale.

Giant glass Pyrex vase. For sale at Memory Lane.

Handpainted Rosemaling decorative wood plate. Not for sale.

Argyle (brand) 100% wool motor rug. For sale at Memory Lane.

Vintage Electrohome turquoise fan that I bought for myself awhile ago but I have no use for it anymore so it's up for sale at Memory Lane.

Also bought this old industrial steel cabinet with the fan but after bringing in the new desk, I have no need for this. For sale on Kijiji here.

Excellent working condition Remington 1956 "Letter-Riter" typewriter. For sale on Kijiji, Etsy and at Memory Lane.

Diane von Furstenburg leopard glass charger plate.

Wool geometric blanket

Vintage Le Creuset #23 skillet. Also a keeper.

Love this pan. Got this for $10 at Bibles for Missions in St. Thomas

Lot of Shillcraft yarn

I'm going to amass a ton of these and then sell them on eBay eventually.

Wood nightstand w/ turquoise interior. I added the turquoise enamel hardware. For sale at Memory Lane.

B12

-J

Custom Chetki Beads

Hubby and I just completed some custom made tortoiseshell chetki (Russian worry beads) for a man in the UK. Well, hubby made the beads and I did all the admin.

The client saw them in the movie Eastern Promises; Viggo Mortensen's character has this particular style of bead and he looks badass when he plays with them, so the client did some research and came across them on this blog. I'm thrilled that someone sought me out for a product and I invite queries/requests for anything listed on this blog. Although we do have to make some changes if we're going to make any more since the current operation is unsustainable.

My boyfriend and I have talked it over and discussed how we'd love to corner the market of these types of beads in North America as it's very hard to get them from Russia, particularly from Russian prisons, which is where most of them are made. There isn't a large demand here. David Cronenberg fans aren't chomping at the bit for authentically hand made worry beads.

Here they are.

1) First bar of plastic.

Hubby got a really pretty pattern out of them, way more intricate and nuanced than the first tortoiseshell set.

2) Second bar.

The client pointed out that they look like Cola ice pops, which they really do.

3) Individual beads that have been cut and sanded. Just before holes have been drilled.

They just look like rocks

4) Threaded and polished. Photographed against different backgrounds.

A few more touch ups were made after these photos were taken but they already look stellar. See them against light.

Looks like tiger's eye

I'm incredibly proud of hubby. He got some gorgeous swirls and coloring in this one. We both love the effect achieved.

See them in action.

Slow to fast

As of right now, this client will be the last person to receive both the unique swirl in the plastic and the low cost of $65 per set. If we're to do this again, we'd definitely ask for more due to the amount of labor involved. But we're glad the client gets to have a unique item and we really hope he likes them as much as we do.

-J

Manmade: Worry Beads

I'm not much of a maker. I can paint and draw and bedazzle the shit out of things, but my boyfriend is the one who really creates things out of nothing. It's a good system: he builds it, I decorate it.

He is quite good at making worry beads or prayer beads. A few years ago he was churning these out every week, and recently, he suggested I sell some of them. 

First beads he ever made me. Carved from a solid chunk of brass. Will never be for sale.

I also love these frosted transparent chetki he made me. Looks like a snake.

Tortoiseshell Russian chetki. SOLD.

Multicolor "Galaxy" Russian chetki. SOLD

Large Russian rosary, for sale on Ebay.

Cherry red Greek Komboloi, for sale on Ebay.

-J

Thrift Haul: Southwest Palette

I leave for California tomorrow!!!

I shouldn't have done so much shopping before such a big trip, especially since I know I'll find a million things in the Southwest that I'll want to bring home with me. And the other irony is that most of the things I buy are Southwestern themed, so, I'd be much better off just waiting until I get to the real thing.

But I can't resist bargains so here's some stuff I hauled last week.

This was my favorite find.

A beat up wool rug with a very Navajo Ganado-inspired print and color scheme. It's missing some bits but personally, I like the exclusions. 

Blurry shot. I might leave the rug where it is; I like the layered look.

Lots of frames. New artwork includes the horizontal Spanish piece in the top left hand corner. I also put some Mexican tarot cards and Mexican amate paintings in some frames.

Sucker for bowls, especially the 90's clear bottom Pyrex bowls (blue bowl). This is actually the last color in the Southwest set and the only one I was missing.

Now my set's complete...kind of. Mine don't nest. My new blue one is the same size as the pink one, so I guess what I really need is the large blue one.

Photo courtesy of The Rusty Nail Pail. 

Mexican water jug w/ gold plating and a little terracotta pot with glazed steerhead.

These super 90's porcelain canisters. I couldn't resist the Southwest trim and the turquoise lids.

Hubby got me this cute little coral pink patio table...

 

...and I got hubby this military green Russian mailbox.

- J