Hello September…

I’m glad August is done and dusted. Such a strange month. My wonderful Etsy customers were more work than usual (questions, offers, cancellations, returns) and my long overdue trip back East to my hometown was, as expected, emotionally taxing. It’s always a bit strange seeing houses that were once so integral in one’s life, now filled with other people and serving as the background for their stories and memories. Stranger still is all the family who have passed. Some much too soon. After four days I was ready to leave.

So turning over a new page on the calendar felt good. Really good. I’ve always like September because it brings autumn–my favorite season. One of the first things I did this month was switch up our mantel decor. I removed all the stuff and put out my ceramic pumpkins by artist Hsin-Chuen Lin. I had bought these over a period of years at our annual Clay & Glass Festival. (After buying five, I stopped. I knew I had enough. Some would say too many!) I’ll display these through Thanksgiving.

I liked the minimal effect with just the pumpkins but decided to layer in a few other fall-toned goodies. The 1800s Chinese lacquer box was a Goodwill item that turned out to rather spectacular find and the moody 1969 San Francisco painting by Dean March was a Shopgoodwill.org purchase from years ago.

In the yard, I’ve been doing fall pruning and cleaning up while still leaving some seed heads and such for birds and critters to enjoy. This is not a very clear photo (taken through my front window) but it shows some of the smaller birds feeding on lavender seeds. As soon as I noticed the birds had stopped feeding (over a period of weeks), I cut the lavender back.

I use some of the leaf debris from our trees as a mulch which is both natural and thrifty! What I appreciate about our tiny yard is seeing all the wild life that is at home here even though we are in the heart of Silicon Valley.

But enough of my rambling, you’re here for the vintage stuff and here are a few fun finds…

Okay, I Think I Dodged a Bullet Here

Sometimes you spot something in a thrift store, get excited and then it dawns on you that maybe it’s too good to be true. This whimsical bowl/planter had the mark of crossed arrows on the bottom and a number. Possibly vintage/antique German Kalk. But there was NO wear or signs of age anywhere. I kept getting this niggling feeling about it so I left it behind.

Well, it turns out it’s a piece designed and imported by Arnart Creations, Japan. Nice if you like this sort of thing, but not Kalk and not worth much ($40-$60). As it was priced at $22 and would have been a nightmare to ship, I’m glad I didn’t buy it.

Fallish Finds

But here’s what I did buy. This thrift store blown glass vase sports a Brentano’s San Francisco sticker. Aren’t the colors just perfect for fall?? It would be great set in a window display with light streaming through it.

I thought this vintage hand-painted doll’s head vase, also a thrift store find, was a bit fun–equal parts sweet and creepy! Perfect for Halloween. Can’t you picture a toy tarantula crawling out of her head or a bit of dry ice sending up vapors? But if I were to keep her, she would store something more mundane like spoons or pencils.

I didn’t have to go far for these antique Scottish horn cups. They are part of my personal collection that I’ve been slowly downsizing. I bought these from a gal who used to take regular buying trips to Scotland. At 4″ to 5″ they are perfect for a bit of mead or beer. (I’m keeping my three smaller horn whiskey drams.) Not sure what I’ll list these for, but my initial research shows that they seem to have appreciated nicely.

Sadly today’s thrifting jaunt to two Goodwills for their 35% Labor Day sales was, for all purposes, a bust. Both stores were jam packed with shoppers and the few things I was mildly interested in were all chipped or broken in some way. Sigh! That’s how it is sometimes. But I did decide to take a chance on this small Etienne Aigner leather cross-body bag. Most Aigner purses don’t resell for much though it is considered a luxury brand. Still I rather liked the look of this one. (Coach and Dooney & Bourke have similar bags.) I’ll likely list it for $40.

I’ll close for now hoping your start to September has been grand.

Karen