It feels right to start the new year sprucing things up, so I spent part of Saturday in our front yard pruning roses, whacking back overgrown salvias and trimming some of our mature escallonia bushes. (Lots more to do but my two large compost bins are full!) And I finally took down our very dry Christmas tree and put away all the ornaments. Later I worked on cleaning out a kitchen cupboard and managed to cull our water bottle collection. (I swear those things multiply like rabbits.)

I’ve also been sprucing up my inventory with some good vintage finds this month. Here are some of my favorites.

Wonderful eBay Finds

I stumbled on this auction in its last 30 minutes and managed to score this fabulous heirloom sterling silver Victorian hair comb. And this sweet old rhinestone flower pin (with C clasp) was a snip of a price. (My photo here does not show the sparkle in the stones.)

Goodwill Scores

Well, honestly, who doesn’t like a big, onyx lidded jar? This one is 8″ tall and has a lovely translucency. And I fell in love with this vintage Wedgwood Etruscan jug (this is the first time I’ve found Wedgwood in Goodwill). It’s not rare or particularly valuable, but still beautiful. The mini Nemadji Pottery vases were also a sweet, very collectible find. But I think the funky terracotta Chinese warriors statues (which came in a silk box) are heading back for exchange. Turns out they are not vintage and are still being produced. I would keep them to sell on eBay if they had been cheaper, but I just don’t think there will be enough profit to make it worthwhile.

Quirky Library Book Sale Buys

I found a lot of great books at the sale, and bonus, all books under $5 were half price!!  It was hard not to go a bit crazy. I bought cookbooks, calligraphy and handwriting books and fiction. The little blue book of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales was printed in Odense, Denmark, his hometown and comes with it’s own slipcase.

Truth be told though, I’ve been rather neglecting my bookstore, Second Life Books, so I’m going to be spending more time adding lots more books this month and promoting it. (If you love books, do check it out. For purchases over $15, you can use the coupon code BOOKLOVERS15 at the checkout for a 15% discount.)

So all in all, some great finds and a great way to start the new year.

Here’s hoping you’ve had great finds too!