Friday, July 17, 2009

MY CLOCKS THUS FAR...

I've taken a liking to vintage clocks, so much so I've decided to collect them as availability and money allow. There are many striking clock designs from the 50's and 60's, and I'm interested in all of them!

This first clock in my "collection" is a "sunburst" clock made by Welby, which I believe might be German? The clock is beautiful, with brass and walnut rays. The clock does not currently work, though it is battery-operated and therefore should be an east fix. This clock was purchased on the Goodwill auction site, I think I paid around $30 for it.







This clock is my personal treasure! It is a vintage Linden clock with a walnut or teak face, a brass pendulum, and porcelain ring. It has, for lack of a better description, a "cuckoo clock movement" (and in my defense, Linden is famous for making Black Forest cuckoo clocks, from what I can tell). Which is to say it works by moving the weights up an down. The clock at this time does not stay running, and I'm sure it needs servicing. I will wait until after our move to have it adjusted, though, because I'm sure the move will knock it out of whack again. This clock I paid a bit more for, in the $60 range, but it is so gorgeous I couldn't pass it up! It also has chimes, which I'm anxious to hear!







This clock I happened to find at an indoor flea market-type place here in Colorado. It was leaning against a pile of old pictures sitting on the floor and quite dusty. It caught my eye as I browsed because of it unique shape and unmistakable retro look. It was made by Sunbeam, a general small appliance company. The unique thing about this clock is that you can display it either horizontally or vertically, and there are instructions on the back just how to do it. I chose to hang it vertically, because that was the space I had. I love the hour hand's "Jetson" look to it! This clock runs on a AA battery, though it eventually becomes 5 minutes behind. May just need an adjustment? This clock is approx. 24" long. I paid $10 for it.

CANONSBURG TEMPORAMA DINNERWARE & SERVING PIECES

After contemplating finding a dinnerware pattern to collect for years, I finally found one that I loved and was somewhat difficult to find, making searching for it all that more rewarding and exciting. This is "Temporama" made by Canonsburg. The pattern features lovely atomic designs in great colors. I started out by finding some dinner plates, some bowls, and the creamer at ARC. I added more pieces through eBay, including the hard-to-find gravy boat with underplate and the deviled egg plate. I have been on the hunt for a butter dish in excellent condition, but that is proving very hard to find. I picture dinner parties and BBQ's using this pattern for my guests...just for the retro "funness" of it all!
Here's a lovely little condiment server from Denmark! It's only fitting that someone with a little bit of Danish in her blood ought to have a little bit of Danish in her home! I found this condiment server at an ARC for $3.99. It's in excellent condition however it's missing one of the clear spoons. It rotates on ball bearings so that guests could easily access whatever yummies were inside. Relish, mayonnaise, pickles, etc.

"OWL"

Look at the owl face! Look at those owl eyes! This is one of my favorite MCM finds so far, it's a woodblock print signed simply "Owl" and "Alex Cowan". I haven't been able to locate any info about the artist online thus far. This was FREE...the best kind of find! I had gone to look at a sofa, and this picture was leaning against a wall in a storage area. I didn't like the sofa much, but my eye caught this picture as I walking out. I asked how much he wanted for it, he said I could have it for free. I love those kinds of finds!

NEEDLEPOINT MCM!!

This wonderful piece was found at the Goodwill in Woodland Park. It was stuck on a high shelf in a corner...I almost missed it! This work of art is handmade with paint and needlepointed yarn. The colors are wonderful, bright and cheery. On the back is written "Cathy Bixler made this for mother Loraine - March 68". This piece was $2.99!!!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

TODAYS FIND...A CHICKEN LAMP???


This lamp was found at Goodwill today, a place I hadn't intended to go, but I ended up there anyway. I wasn't quite sure of it at first, but as I studied more closely, I started to think this could be a MCM lamp. The hairpin legs give it away, along with the older wiring. I'm not sure about the chicken though, maybe a kitchen design? The body of the lamp is made in a cream crackle glaze with a somewhat abstract-looking rooster. No makers marks are found. Both the shade and lamp are in excellent condition, and I hope to find out more about it. I'm not sure if I will keep it or not, it doesn't really go with my decor. I paid $9.99 for it.

LANE COFFEE TABLE

This coffee table was another Craigslist find. I had been searching for a coffee table for a while, but unable to find one I liked. This one was posted for $25 and I thought it might be the one. I drove out to see it, and thought it was beautiful. I believe the wood is either mahogany and teak, or mahogany and walnut. The pattern on the top of the table is absolutely beautiful. There are two drawers on one side which are lined with green felt. The legs are square metal, brass in color. Unfortunately the downside of this table is that's it's perfect bulldog height, which means I'm constantly wiping Dozer drool from the top of it. Still, it's a little pice of MCM that I love.


A FUNKY VINYL OTTOMAN


This awesome find was from a thrift store called ARC. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, which makes it the BEST kind of find! I paid $3.99 for it. Note the tapered legs with brass caps. Very retro! And perfect in the livingroom! There are no makers marks or labels.

THE CURRENT SOFA...aka MACARONI & CHEESE

This was the first MCM sofa I cam across on Craigslist that I could actually afford. Many have been listed (mostly in Denver), but they are VERY hard to get and can be quite expensive. The poster was asking $40, a steal for such a cool looking piece of furniture. I was THRILLED to learn I was one of the first responders to the ad, and quickly arranged to see it.

It is incredibly solid and heavy, no makers labels, unfortunately. An ornate geometric pattern is woven throughout, giving it an awesome look. The legs are square and tapered, with a design carved into them. I believe they are original but I'm not positive. No history available on the sofa, other than it belonged to a roommate that left it behind.

The color is more accurate in the middle picture. My oldest son calls it the "macaroni & cheese" sofa, lol. It is in excellent condition, with only a few loose strings here and there.

STURGIS CHAIR CO. EAMES STYLE CHAIRS

Craigslist strikes once again! I found four of these chairs being offered with a table for $15. Since I don't need a table, but really wanted the funky chairs for the patio, I emailed the gentleman and asked if I could have just the chairs for $15 and he agreed. A few weeks later, I saw the same chairs posted again as a set with a table, only this time there were two of them. I emailed the poster again, only to find it was the same guy! He offered me the two chairs for $7, and I agreed. So a total of six chairs for $21, not too shabby. These chairs were probably made in the very early 70's or late 60's. I haven't been able to find out much about them. They will look perfect as a patio set once I find the perfect table. They have a fiberglass shell and steel legs. They are a FAB shade of orange!

THE LAMP


This is the lovely lamp J. gave me...another treasure as I have actually been keeping an eye out for a lamp JUST like this! How did he know?

This is a vintage tension pole lamp, very retro in it's spaceage design. The lamp is brass in color, with three cone shades to house the bulbs. There are no markings on this lamp other than "underwriter's laboratories inc." which I believe was an inspection company as I've seen many older lamps with this sticker.

I cannot wait until we have ceilings low enough to use this lamp. Currently we have 22ft ceilings, that won't work. But when we get military housing in Hawaii, I know we'll have perfect ceilings for this lamp.

These are the BEFORE pictures. I will be cleaning and polishing this up so it shines like it did back in the 50's

A 50's Sofa and Lamp...my latest treasures!!!


Ok, so another one of my favorite hangouts (besides thrift shops) is Craigslist. I routinely check my local CL 10 times a day (okay, 20).

Just the other day, this sofa was posted in the Free section of CL. It has damage, and needs some restoration, but the moment I saw it I knew I needed to have it! I emailed the gentleman, and was graciously told it was already promised. My heart fell. I emailed him again and offered him money for it, but a true gentleman, he wouldn't go back on his word. I resigned to letting it go.

Then that night, I got another email. The lady was unable to make it, it could be mine! Hooray! I made arrangements to pick it up in the morning. The sofa was in Woodland Park, I was in Peyton. Somewhere inbetween I needed to rent a van to get it home safely.

I managed to do it, and get to Woodland Park as arranged. J. led me through a winding dirt path deep into the woods (ok, I'll admit, I got nervous for a second!) and then out to a beautiful clearing with horses and a pond. His house was past the first house on the road, and I couldn't help but look around at all the peaceful and beautiful landscaping.

We came up to garage, and there it was. Just as beautiful as I had hoped with it's turquoise and cream plush goodness. And in dire need of some lovin'. J. helped me load it into the van and then declined to take the money I offered. Bless him! What a generous soul! He told me to use the money for the rental van, which I did. We took a ride in his golf cart to an old barn to look at a chair (which unfortunately didn't go with my decor) and then we stopped at his stocked pond while he fed them. I almost didn't want to leave, it was so beautiful out there. Before I got ready to leave, J. gave me one more present...a 1950's pole lamp he had stored. More about that later!

THE SOFA
This piece of history is a three piece sectional which together form a rounded corner sofa. The fabric is hard to describe, it's a knobby woven material, possibly wool? The legs are square and tapered. There are no markings or labels on this sofa like I had hoped, so I have no clue who the maker might be.

The sofa unfortunately was attacked by a dog, hence the badly torn arm. It also has a broken piece of framing where the legs are on that same side, so that will have to be fixed before it can be used.

MY PLAN
I plan on having a professional upholsterer look at the damage and see what it might cost to fix. There is possibly enough of the torn fabric to repair, however some fabric may need to be taken from another place.

The cushions need to be replaced, as I think they are made of the original foam. I have removed the seat covers and will wash them gently in Woolite. The body of the sofa needs a good steam-cleaning as well. The legs of the sofa either need to be replaced or refinished, I haven't decided yet which to do.

I am convinced that this was was an absolute treasure of a find, and I cannot wait to show the after photos with it fully restored!


FIRST THE BAD...


MAYBE ENOUGH TO FIX?


DOGGIE DOINGS


LOOK AT THIS GORGEOUSNESS!


COULD YOU SEE MARILYN MONROE ON THIS SOFA ENJOYING A MARTINI?


HOW THE END OF THE SOFA SHOULD LOOK
THIS PICTURE BEARS REPEATING, IT IS JUST THAT GORGEOUS

MOST OF THE LEGS LOOK LIKE THIS OR WORSE, REPLACE OR REFINISH?