Tasty Snack - Yum!!!

I think my boyfriend gets a little bored when he is taking photos - every once in a while he will write something goofy on the inventory sheet (the last one was a sheet he titled "Yet Another F*ing Picnic Basket"), or I'll find a photo like the one I just found when I posted this listing (click to enlarge):

This week's auction goodness...

I actually did manage to list some new eBay auctions last week, amidst all the craziness... Some cool things, if I do say so myself... let's have a look, shall we?

Mid-Century Modern Candle Holder Set

I'm so in love with these candle holders that if I had room for them anywhere in my house there is NO WAY they would be for sale...

Vintage Mexican Pottery Bird Candle Holder Set

I picked up over 20 vintage Mexican pottery figures at an estate sale a couple of weeks ago - I just love the detail on them, they are always hand painted with the prettiest designs! I have a buyer on Etsy who collects them and always gets first dibs, she chose these 6:

Cute huh? She has great taste! ;)

Vintage Mexico Pottery Toucan Bird Figurine

Painted Blue Floral Mexican Bird Figurine

I have lots more listed, clickety click if you want to check them all out!

Vintage Plastic Trash Can & Tissue Box Set

Another estate sale find, what a great (and practical!) way to accessorize a vintage styled bathroom! I love the blue, black and white color combo, and the butterflies and leaves are just perfect...

Vintage 1940's Table Globe

I love old globes - this is another piece that we would be keeping if we had room for it, because Will loves them too! It has some condition issues, mainly surface scratching - but that's part of the charm sometimes, am I right? ;)

Vintage Ucago Ceramic Bust Figurines - Japan

I love that these busts are of a little boy and a little girl - and all white! They would look so great on a bookshelf or mantle...

Vintage Chinese Wicker Basket Canister Set

I went to a really crazy estate sale a few weeks ago - the man loved to travel, and he collected all kinds of unique things - pottery, artwork, religious pieces... most of it I knew nothing about, so I didn't come home with much, but I did pick up this pretty wicker basket style canister set.

Vintage Kromex Metal Pasta Canister Set

I also got this really unusual vintage aluminum Kromex canister set from that sale - I've never seen canisters this shape from Kromex before, they would be perfect for storing pasta!

Vintage Ceramic Rooster & Hen Figurine Set

There's something about these that makes me love them - they are a larger size, which helps, but really I think its their shape - especially the rooster's tail... I'm hoping there is a collector out there who will give these beauties a good home! :)

As always, this is only a partial list... click here to see everything that is up for auction right now!

Planning for 2009...

Now that the holiday shopping season online is winding down, I am starting to think about 2009. I can't believe it is really almost here, first of all... Where did this year go?!? Seriously?!?

Ah well, there's nowhere to go but forward, so I've been trying to point myself in the right direction for the new year. That means deciding where I will be directing my energies, what my priorities are going to be, and where I would like to be at this time next year!

Here is what I have come up with so far:

Vintage Goodness

Right now Vintage Goodness consists of three online shops (one eBay store and two Etsy stores), eBay auctions, this blog, and half my house. It's the half my house part that is causing me the most trouble - I'm out of room!

I can't expand any more with the types of items I've been selling. It's just physically impossible. So I am going to focus the next couple of months on expanding into a few areas that I have been putting on the back burner for a while now...

Costume Jewelry

I have a huge stash of vintage jewelry waiting to be listed - easily 100 pieces or more. It's small, easy to store, easy to ship - exactly the type of item I need to be working with! So I have a plan... I am going to list them in my main Etsy shop, and cross-list them into my Vintage Goodness booth on Bonanzle.

Bonanzle is a great new selling venue, and I have loved becoming a part of the community there through doing the Brainstorming Bonanzle podcast with Walt. Listing is free, so I won't be out a dime giving it a try! Gotta love that...

Children's Books

I have a huge stash of vintage kids books too - I can't pass them up when I find them! They are destined for my 2nd Etsy shop, if I can ever find the time to get them listed! I will - think positive, right? - because they are also easy to store and easy to ship - and again, those are the two most important criteria right now!

Ephemera

The other thing I have a TON of is paper ephemera - I've experimented with listing some of it in my main Etsy shop and it has done pretty well, so it is definitely on the to-do list to get some more up there. And there is NOTHING easier to store and ship than paper - a big thanks to the USPS for offering cheap 1st class shipping and flat rate Priority envelopes!

The Vintage List

My little vintage shop directory that could is growing, slowly but surely. I've finally nailed down the membership pricing and structure, and the blog is gaining a bit of traction - just the other day Ina from AuctionBytes linked to it in her NewsFlash article! I was doing cartwheels. ;)

I've also made a couple of great partnerships, with the RubyLane blog and with RetroRenovation.com - both of which should really help getting some good quality traffic to the site!

My goal for 2009 is to devote more time and energy to the blog, and to continute to forge relationships that will grow traffic for the site!

Podcasting

If you check out my sidebar you will see two fancy new widgets - one for the AuctionWally show, and one for the Brainstorming Bonanzle show. Both are now on TalkShoe - it's a great platform that works well, and allows people to sign in and chat during live shows, follow their favorite shows, and access all past episodes in the archive. We can also upload recorded content, which is a big plus!

I think 2009 is going to be a fun year for both shows, with lots of great content and guests - stay tuned! ;)

Figure8Jeans.com

My non-vintage side project - selling plus size women's jeans - is coming along, I should hopefully be ready for an official launch sometime in the next month or so! I was debating on where to have my main storefront, but I've decided to put it on BuyItSellIt.com - it's a great platform that has everything I need to run a professional stand-alone store.

I am also going to do a blog, focusing on the business as well as on plus size lifestyle issues in general - fashion, media, health, etc. I am pretty excited about it, it will be fun to blog about something new that interests me (being a curvy girl myself!). I am trying out Typepad for that blog, hopefully it will do everything I want it to do...

BooksFYI.com

I think I have mentioned here before that I have taken on a freelance project getting some local dealers of antique and collectible reference guides up online. It has been quite an adventure, and we are coming along quite nicely - the website is up (on BuyItSellIt, using it for this project and liking it is what swayed my decision to put Figure8Jeans there!) - booksFYI.com - and we are listing on eBay, Amazon, and a few other book sites.

I would say it will be growing in leaps and bounds over the next several months... It's been fun learning more about the online bookselling market, and I'm excited to help them grow their online presence!

Hrm, is that everything?

Oh yeah - I guess I'll need to find some time to eat, sleep, and shower... Wish me luck!

Antique Week asks - is vintage on Etsy the future of the antiques trade?

I just found out about a truly amazing article from Antique Week about the vintage sellers on Etsy! I am so happy to have the hard work that all the vintage sellers are doing on Etsy finally be recognized... Most people still don't even know that you can sell antiques and collectibles there - it is kind of the site's best kept secret, really!

My favorite quote from the article:

"The growing legions of Etsy sellers and buyers are establishing an important Internet marketplace for vintage – as well as handmade – goods. This young and vibrant set may be the future of the antiques trade"

This is a very thought provoking idea - just like every other market, the antiques market changes and evolves over time. (The people who are active within it, as well as the items they buy and sell.) What worked 20 or even 10 years ago may not work now, and what no one was interested in then could now be the new hot thing...

Are the vintage sellers on Etsy helping to shape the market for the future? Have they tapped into what a younger generation of collectors are interested in, maybe things that older people (who have been in the trade for longer than some of us have been alive!) would never look at twice?

I guess only time will tell, but as a vintage seller on Etsy and a member of the Etsy Vintage Street Team, I can tell you that you will not find a more passionate and committed group of dealers - hard working, forward thinking, and completely in love with what they do!

This might be a good time to remind everyone that the Walking In A Vintage Wonderland holiday promotion from the EVST is still in full swing - we are giving away a $10 gift certificate to a different Etsy shop every day- click here to get all the details on how to enter!

Good Night, Bettie Page.

Bettie Page, the 1950s pinup credited with helping to spark the next decade's sexual revolution, died in Los Angeles yesterday from pneumonia. She was 85.

My Dad rocks.

I think I've mentioned before that my Dad likes to go to auctions and buy things for me to sell. He's getting really good at it! Look at the cuteness I've got listed right now that he found:

Vintage Lefton Owl Ceramic Cookie Jar

Vintage Ceramic Mama Squirrel w/ Babies Figurines - Japan

Vintage Karoff Federal Glass Shell Shrimp Cocktail Set

My Dad rocks. :)

New Favorite Link - Plaid Stallions

I just discovered a site that I can't believe I haven't seen before - Plaid Stallions. It's tagline is "Mocking the 70's One Catalog Page At A Time." Perfect. :)

Have A Very Vintage Christmas!

I'm a little bit biased, of course... but I have to point all of you who are looking for Vintage items to give as gifts this year to check out the amazing group of shops that are listed on my directory, The Vintage List... So much cool stuff I can't do it justice in words! Just click the graphic above to check it out! :)

Win a $10 gift certificate to my Etsy shop today!

Today is my day to be the featured shop in the Etsy Vintage Street Team's "Walking in a Vintage Wonderland" holiday gift certificate promotion!

All you have to do is head over to this post on the EVST blog and leave a comment that includes the url of one of the items that you like in my shop (it doesn't have to be the one you will use your gift certificate on) and your email address so we can contact you if you are the winner! Easy peasy.

So run over there and enter right now! Seriously, don't wait - you might forget, or your internet might go down, or you might suddenly stop loving vintage (ok, maybe not that one)...

Thanksgiving

Here are some photos of my family from our Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house - a good time was had by all!:

Left to Right - my uncle, Bob - my Dad, Steve - Mrs. Stratton (my aunt's boyfriend's Mom), my Mom, Mary Jane - my aunt, Joyce (Bob's wife)

My cousin Debbie talking to my cousin Kevin, who wouldn't let me get a picture of his face!

See? Well, at least I tried. That's my cousin Taylor's boyfriend and little baby boy in the background, whatta cutie!

My little brother, Darrell.

My brother's girlfriend, Tonya, who also wouldn't look at the camera - what is it with these people?

Here is Tonya's daughter, Jordan, trying to hide from me.

I found one person who couldn't hide - my aunt Gayla, snoozin in the recliner! hehe

EVST Shop Of The Day $10 Holiday Gift Certificate Giveaway!

As part of the Etsy Vintage Street Team's "Walking In A Vintage Wonderland" Holiday promotion, we are giving away a $10 gift certificate to a team member's shop every day for the next 30 days!

Here's how it works:

Starting on Friday, November 28th, the Shop Of The Day will be posted every morning on the blog, and all who wish to enter have until 9pm EST that night to add a comment on the post linking to one of their favorite items from the Shop Of The Day. (Don't forget to also leave your email address in your comment, so we can send you your gift certificate if you win!)

After 9pm we will use a Random Number Generator to pick that day's winner, who will receive the $10 gift certificate good to use toward any order placed in the Shop Of The Day!

Here is the first post - run on over and enter!

And don't forget, just search the tag EtsyVintageTeam in the Vintage category to check out all the fab items that are available 24/7 from team members - vintage makes a great (dare I say, the best?) holiday gift!

Buying Vintage Christmas Gifts - Tonight at 9pm EST on the AuctionWally Show!

Walt and I had a great time recording this week's episode of the AuctionWally podcast - after a good dose of news about each of our various projects, we discussed buying vintage, antiques and collectibles for Christmas instead of mass produced, Walmart throw-away junk. :) Tune in at 9pm EST to have a listen, or you can listen anytime after that in the archives!

7 Random Things About Me

I've been enjoying the 7 Random Things About Me blog posts that have been popping up around the blogosphere the last few days, but hadn't thought about doing one myself until I read this over at Vintage Indie "Now it's your turn! Consider yourself tagged with 7 Random things about you."

Ok, fine... ;)

1. I've had the same haircut my entire life, with the exception of a couple of bad experiments in the 7th grade. I tried growing my bangs out a couple of years ago, but hated not recognizing myself in the mirror every day.

2. I love watching reality TV. It started with Survivor, which I was devoted to until they did the all-star special a few years ago, which must have felt like an "end" to me, because I haven't watched it since. I don't watch the ones on network TV, just the cable ones - Bravo, VH1 and E. A girl's gotta have standards, right?

3. I eat peanut butter and jelly every day, and could live on it if I had to, as long as I had some coffee to go with it...

4. I have PCOS - Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome - one of the leading causes of infertility among women. I don't currently take any prescription meds for it, as I would rather control it naturally, but I struggle with "being good" and doing the things I should do (diet, exercise, supplements) for my health.

5. I want to write a book someday.

6. I used to be Wiccan, but now am more of an independently spiritual neo-pagan, if there is such a thing.

7. This is me as a baby - I was a month early, weighed 4 pounds and nearly died. None of those things really explain the alien head, though...

There you have it - 7 random things about Mitzi. I'm going to do to you what Gab did to me though - tag, you're it!

Changes to The Vintage List...

The Vintage List directory is about 6 months old now - in that time, I've tried a few different ways of handling membership, none of which have really brought the results I am looking for. (I've never run a directory before, so I am very much in the middle of the trial and error stage!)

Anyway... My most recent change - making blog listings free - seems to have had an unintended side effect - I haven't had one shop listing added since then! I think people decide "Well, my blog links to my shop, I'll just get the free blog listing and I'll be all set"...

There's nothing wrong with that line of thinking, of course, but the directory is slowly but surely turning into a blog directory, rather than the shop directory I want it to be. The whole point of the directory is to allow buyers to be able to come to The Vintage List and shop! And we do have traffic coming to the site - keywords such as "vintage shop directory" and "list of vintage stores" are bringing people to us...

So, I've made a decision that I hate to make - I am going back to treating blog listings the way that I used to, where you get to list your blog for free when you buy a paid shop listing. I feel mean for doing it, but I just don't see any other solution!

I am also going to lower the price of a shop listing at the same time though - $15 for a regular listing instead of $25, and $30 for a featured listing instead of $60. That's still a one time fee, and it really is the lowest I can go... So, this is (hopefully) the last change I'll make!

I have high hopes that over time, The Vintage List will become the first stop for buyers who are looking to buy quality vintage from dedicated sellers who are committed to offering the best items with the best customer service! With so many shops popping up all over the web on multiple platforms and on individual websites - having one place for shoppers to go that leads them to the things they are looking for has never been more needed!

Featured Collectible - Vintage Syroco

I got all the vintage Syroco items that I found last weekend listed - talk about a collection! I've been poking around eBay looking at the wide variety of items this company - The Syracuse Ornamental Company - made over the years... I was really surprised at some of the amazing things I found... but more on that in a minute!

First I want to give you a bit of history, the best I found was on a corkscrew collector's website that had this nice little description:

"The SYRACUSE ORNAMENTAL COMPANY, also known as SYROCO, was founded in the late 1890's by an Austrian woodcarver named Adolph Holstein. Initially the company produced ornamental carvings for the embellishment of coffins and furniture as well as the interiors of fashionable homes. As demand increased, a molding technique was developed where Syroco could create perfect replicas of their original carvings. These molds also featured a wood grain within the mold, allowing for a more detailed aesthetic. The recipe of wood flour, waxes, and resins combined with compression molding created an inexpensive, but high quality product. As the 40's approached, demand for Syroco was waning with the new popularity of Danish Modern with its clean simple lines and less ornamentation on furniture. Novelty items became a new venture for the company; focusing on housewares, barware, and items for the smoker, as well as other offerings.

During the 1950's, Syroco started to change directions again. And, while novelty items still appear in their catalogs of the time. Highly stylized wall mirrors, sconces, and decorations became the company's focus.

In 1953, Syroco introduced a process for obtaining the finish on these seemingly gilted home accesories, called "metalgold"; a process, as the catalog states, "...wherein real metal is deposited on the object and toned and shaded by skilled hand operations."

Interesting! It certainly explains the huge variety of Syroco items, and how Syroco Wood - which isn't wood at all, but just looks like it - came into being.

So let's look at some of the great stuff that I found, starting with my own pieces that are up for auction right now:

Vintage Gold Syroco Diamond Starburst Clock - All the Syroco clocks are amazing, with that perfect mid-century modern style!

Vintage Gold Syroco Floral & Fleur De Lis Mirror - I just love that this mirror has a fleur de lis design! This one is actually pretty tame compared to some of the Syroco mirrors that are out there...

Set of 4 Diamond Floral Gold Syroco Wall Plaques - I showed you these before, wouldn't they go perfectly with the clock?!?

Vintage Gold Syroco Rooster Wall Plaques - These are really interesting - I think they look like they are fighting, what do you think?

Vintage Gold Syroco Framed Floral Prints - I showed you these before too, I'm really having a hard time parting with them, they are so pretty!

That's all that I have, but it certainly doesn't even scratch the surface of what is out there! Here are some of my favorites:

Vintage Syroco Tie Rack - Does it get any cooler than this? Maybe...

Vintage Syroco Wood Zodiac Clock - This doesn't have the Syroco label, but the seller and I agree that it is probably a Syroco Wood clock - look at the amazing detail! It's on sale right now too, making it that much more tempting...

Vintage Syroco Wood Bartender Bottle Opener - I guess the corkscrews and bottle openers are highly collectible, it will be interesting to see the final bid price on this guy!

Vintage Syroco Wood Viking Ship Wall Plaque - I mean who doesn't need a 40" long viking ship for there wall? Seriously.

Gold Syroco Wood Clock with Matching Sconces - These are so pretty, I love the candles they chose to use too!

Vintage Syroco Wood Bookends - I think I could be quite happy with just a collection of Syroco bookends, they are so cool!

Ok, I'll stop now, I think you get the idea - Syroco = Awesome. :)

Vintage Melmac & Ransburg on Flickr!

I decided to create 2 new groups on Flickr - Vintage Melmac & LustroWare, and Vintage Ransburg. I was surprised there weren't already groups for these, pretty much everything else in the world has its own Flickr group!

Lovely Duraware Melmac

Vintage Ransburg Cookie Jar - for sale in my eBay store, if you can't live with out it ;)

Estate sale goodies!

I figured since I teased you all with the ad for one of the estate sales that I went to this weekend, that I had better take pictures of what I bought there!

I actually went to 4 estate sales this weekend - I filled up my car twice - that's back seat *and* trunk! I was feeling the pressure to shop shop shop, since for 2 of the estate sale companies, it was their last sale of the season - no more til spring! And of course garage sales are pretty much over now as well, so the next few months will be hard going as far as finding inventory is concerned... I acted accordingly, like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter! ;)

Anyway, of course the stuff in the photos for the ad was all long gone when I got there, but I did still find some goods:

A couple of weeks ago I found and sold two Syroco Wood lots - a pair of fruit wall hangings and a pair of horse bookends. I hadn't found or sold Syroco before, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is pretty collectible.

Well, of course, this weekend I found a bunch of it, at this sale and another one - isn't it funny how that works? I don't know if it is just because now it is "on my radar" or what, but it does seem to happen like that pretty often...

The mirror and the two framed floral prints are both Syroco:

And I also got a set of 4 diamond shaped floral wall hangings:

I think I will do a Featured Collectible post about Syroco when I get these and the other pieces I bought this weekend listed, so stay tuned!

Ok, let's look at what else I got:

A set of milk glass hobnail candle holders, and a pair of Kissing Angel figurines from Japan.

A made in Japan angel figurine, and a green pottery vase that I think is Haeger, but the stamp on the bottom is impossible to make out. :(

A set of 4 white plastic snack trays with cool black coasters that are built right in!

A pair of ceramic Japan busts - a boy and a girl, a little Japan bird figurine, and I think my favorite find of the weekend:

A Japan musical jewelry box - you open the lid, the music starts and the little ballerina spins! Too adorable.

I also bought three sets of dishes - Studio Nova, Tulip Blue - Towne House, Regency - and Syracuse Old Ivory, Arcadia. Yes, my back hurt when I got home!