Awaiting the Autumnal Equinox…

I’m a fall girl. I love the colors, the cooler weather, the crispy leaves, the comfort food, the holidays and the cocooning. With the nights getting longer my youngest daughter and I are already lighting the candles on the mantel. And soon I’ll pull out the warmer, cozier couch throws. (But not today…it’s going to be 90 fahrenheit!)

And this fall I have the joy of the reopened monthly flea market just up the road. Gosh I had a blast two weekends ago. Looking forward to the next one. In the meantime I’ve been perusing the estate sale ads. I was so tempted by one but it was further away involving a toll bridge and in the end I decided not to go. Alas one of my favorite estate sale companies has not returned to in-person shopping but is selling everything on Instagram…which means you have to be darn quick to get anything and of course you’re not seeing it in person beforehand. Sadly I no longer shop with her. Still I’ve been popping into my local thrift store and finding a few good things.

Crystal and Glass

I can’t help myself when it comes to crystal. I know it’s not the most popular, on-trend category, but still it is beautiful and functional and does sell. So when I found this Waterford creamer and jam jar at the thrift store it was a no brainer. Both are in perfect condition, in fact the jam jar still has its stickers.

And this lovely crystal vase captured my attention. So far I haven’t found a maker’s mark and sadly I did find a bit of damage on the foot after I got it home. Drat!! I will file the chip down to eliminate the sharp edge, but given the vase’s shipping cost I’m not sure it will be able to sell it online.

And I found four Villeroy & Boch pressed glass claret glasses in Miss Desiree pattern. I’ve tried them out (naturally!) and they have a wonderful feel in the hand. They are the perfect everyday glass. Replacements.com sells them for $23.99 each. I will list my lot of four for $80.

Handmade Pottery

Another favorite category of mine! It is the one art area I’d love to learn to do. I was attracted to this neat abstract vase made in Italy for Pottery Barn. Not my style, but I can see someone loving this.

This little shell dish shows a lot of work and skill. It’s signed on the bottom, but I haven’t been able to decipher it. I’m thinking it’s a soap dish, but could work for keys, candy, coins, etc. It’d be perfect for a beach house. (Gosh, I wish I had one of those!)

Clay Storyteller Figurines

Storyteller figurines originated with Cochiti artist Helen Cordero in 1964. Her first were female figures with children that she called “Singing Mothers.” With their popularity other Native American artists undertook making them. (You can find out more at Pueblo Direct.) Some of these run into the hundreds of dollars.

This one has a has a handwritten tag on the bottom for known artist Joyce Lucero. But I can’t verify that and the figurine does have a tiny chip on her foot so I’ve priced it modestly.

This storyteller was bought on a different day! It’s more intricate, but one of the babies has a damaged foot not seen from the front. Still I’m hoping she’ll find a home!

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What’s Selling…

So far this month my most notable sales have been three unique little wood boxes (all had been in my store 18 months or more), two Waterford jugs and two lots of lab glass. Of the 16 items sold, seven were bought at my neighborhood Goodwill. No huge profits, but it all adds up!

I’ll close for now wishing you happy and safe hunting,

Karen