2021 Limps In…Time to Get Back to Work

On New Year’s Eve we got a nice gourmet pizza, opened a bottle of expensive fizz and watched a movie. By 9:30 I was in bed reading. By 10:00 fast asleep. So much for sending 2020 off with a bang! And for the first three days of 2021 I stayed home–which left me a bit stir crazy. (With the skyrocketing Covid numbers and the dwindling ICU beds here in California I’m trying to limit my contact with other folks as much as possible.)

Still the holidays are over and it’s time to get back to work. Since January is typically a slower sales month for me I’ve started adding items to a sale section (10-20% off) and am busy at listing “new” items that will hopefully kickstart orders. Listing is tedious work (we all know that) but sometimes I fuss around with the photos a bit. The photos can really make or break if the item sells.

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Etsy Store Additions

At the end of December I had bought a few items off of eBay to resell and they are starting to arrive now. One of them I bought was this antique Simons Bros. “Only a Thimble Full” sterling silver jigger, circa 1890. I have one in my personal collection and I was excited to get this one with a little meat on the bone!

Now this mid-century painting is one I bought early in 2020 for myself. It brought back fun memories of visiting Chinatown when I lived in San Francisco. Chinatown was (and is) so wonderfully exotic and delicious and for a few city blocks it feels like you are in another country. But I decided since we are swimming in artwork, I could let this one go. It’s signed but the signature is partially covered up and indecipherable. It’s a sweet smaller painting with lots of interesting details and a chunky carved wood frame.

Here’s a fab MCM watercolor painting of cable cars in San Francisco that I’ve also listed because my youngest daughter is not a fan of it! It’s signed D. Reymond, 1962.

I definitely need to start listing more of the vintage sterling silver charms I’ve bought over the last few years. I bought this Japanese-themed silver bracelet in mid 2020 with the intention of removing the charms and selling them individually or in small groups, but it was so sweet that I decided to keep it together.

Mechanical or movable charms are always desirable and this neat 1950s-era typewriter charm has a carriage return that turns and moves slightly side to side. (Any one else drag a typewriter to college? I think I went through gallons of “Wite Out.”)

I have so many loose charms to add to my store but some of them are damaged or not the quality I like to sell so I never list them. It’s time to move them on so I’m going to sell them as scrap. (I’m going to try a company called Garfield Refining.) Won’t be a big payout, but better than nothing! I’ll let you know how it goes.

First Mini Haul of the Year

I wasn’t planning on going to the thrift store on Monday (in fact I promised a dear friend I was going stay home to keep safe) but I had to go to the post office anyway so I caved. I caved and went to my neighborhood thrift store too. I wasn’t expecting to find anything as some of the shelves were totally denuded (Christmas stuff was being pulled), but by golly, I did okay and ended up with a nice mini haul.

I always buy brass bookends so I grabbed these duck heads, but I probably should have left them behind as it turns out they are fairly common and not selling for as much as other brass bookends. (The last two pairs I sold went for $68.) These are made in Korea and are likely from the 1970s and in better condition than some, but still….

I picked up this smaller crystal jug in the glassware aisle and was surprised at its heft (over three pounds) and delightful ring tone. I spent a minute trying to spot an acid-etched makers’ mark on the bottom (I was sure there was one) and finally found it–Waterford! Alrighty then!

I picked up this delightful little ceramic dish and felt it was something. You know that tingly feeling you get when you know something is good. It’s signed and marked on the back for Sascha Brastoff and turns out it’s a piece of mid-century wonderfulness in the “Star Steed” line. Yah!!! Sascha was prolific designer during the 1950s-1970s here in California.

But my most unusual piece was this Italian Florentine tray commemorating a Firenze 1975 Communist festival! So random. Haven’t found anything like it online.

Have no idea what I’ll list this for yet. It’s such an oddball item. I mean you’re a communist but you want a fancy gilded tray?? But I’m soooo glad I bought it.

I paid $17.29 for all four items, so I’m happy. And between staff and customers there were only about 10 of us in this small store and I tried to keep my distance from folks so I felt safe-ish.

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Today I’ll be dropping off donated food at a food pantry and listing, listing, listing. Yup time to get back to work!

Hope you are keeping safe and life is treating you well.

Karen