auction — Page 2

A Cold, but Sunny, Sunday

January 16, 2011 at 12:30 pm by Claudia

What’s that? Sun flooding the living room with light? Yes, the sun is shining. It’s still very, very cold…but the sun is shining. Is it only January 16th? That means at least 2 more months of winter, doesn’t it? I keep reminding myself that harsh winters are what make spring all the more beautiful and appreciated.

I used to live in Southern California. Where it was in the 70’s yesterday. What am I, nuts?

Did I ever share this find with you? I don’t think I did.

I won this vintage doorstop at auction a couple of months ago. I bid on it thinking I might offer it in an Etsy shop someday. Of course, I also fell in love it.

And it’s really heavy. I mean, heavy. The shipping costs would be prohibitive, don’t you think?

I’d better keep it here. It’s the smart thing to do.

I’m going to resume work on the dollhouse today. It has remained in the same state it was in last February when I had to stop work on it to start my prep work for the Shakespeare Festival in San Diego. It needs another coat of primer and then, gosh darn it, I’m going to paint the rooms and start furnishing this baby. I will have to remove the crochet that is currently on the roof. I put it there each evening so that a certain furry boy who loves yarn cannot get to it.

When we adopted Riley we were living in rented cottage in Westchester County. At some point during the first night he spent with us, he wandered into the office/studio and ate some of my yarn. Luckily, there were no side effects. Whenever I have yarn out, he immediately comes over, sniffs around and tries to lick it. That boy.

I’m off to get some work accomplished. Tuesday, I will post a book review. It’s a new mystery that I think you will like.

Auctions and Crafting

November 10, 2010 at 10:24 am by Claudia

I was at an auction on Monday night, hoping to get some little treasures I’d seen in the preview. I did get a couple of the things I wanted, but the others? Well, the auction was packed and therefore the bids multiplied and soon they were out of my price range. I’ve learned a lot about auctions from observing my friend Heidi in action. So I went in with a list of things I was interested in, set a price limit for each one, and then stuck to it. Oh, it was hard to lose out – so hard – but I’m proud that I stuck to my guns. (I’m slowly accumulating some treasures because I’m thinking very seriously of starting my own little Etsy shop. Maybe. In the future.)

I’ve been fortunate to get some great deals at auction in the past. One of them was this framed print:

which hangs above the sofa in the den.

I fell in love with this print for two reasons. As you already know, I love flower paintings. But the frame – oh, the frame. When I saw that scalloped edge with a hint of green, the obsession to own this took hold. We sat through a long night (this auctioneer was very slow) and it almost didn’t come up for auction. I think it was around midnight and the auctioneer was starting to wind up the evening when I realized he might not get to it. So I shouted out that I wanted to bid on it. I was the only bidder and got it for $15.00. Take a look at the frame:

Isn’t it beautiful? It’s quite heavy, by the way. Do you see the touch of green on the edge of the frame? I love it. And I have the perfect view of it from my blogging chair. As happens so many times in my life, I realized it went perfectly with another piece I already had.

We found this little vintage shelf several years ago. I’ve never seen another like it. The finish on the wood is the exact same shade as the finish on the frame. Meant to be.

I’ve been crafting a bit. Here’s a little work in progress:

I found a paper cone at Michael’s and thought I’d play a bit. So I covered it with some sheet music and then added some vintage crochet. Then some vintage seam binding at the top and a millinery flower (yet to be attached.) I’m not done yet, but what do you think of it so far?

I’m off to Heidi’s shop today to help with Christmas decorating. I missed her decorating party on Monday night, so I’m going to do whatever a girl with an achy back can to help out. Have a great day.

Linens

January 3, 2010 at 1:23 pm by Claudia

I went to an auction last night with Heidi. This particular one runs once a month and is way out in the country. Oh my gosh, was it cold last night – wind chills were way below zero and as Heidi and I packed the truck, we felt like our faces would fall off from the cold wind. There wasn’t much there I was interested in, but I did get a box of linens. The box is full to the brim with wonderful old napkins, some tea towels and doilies, neatly pressed and obviously taken good care of by someone.

I love these damask napkins – I am a sucker for anything damask.

These are wonderfully retro.

Delicate crochet and cutwork.

This is my favorite – I’m in love.

There are lots more. I have to sort through them. You know, we usually eat our dinner on trays in the den. It’s not as if I use linens at my table – but I can’t resist them. I have many of my Grandmother’s linens and I can’t bear to use them in anything craft or sewing related – but these? I just might.

Today is so, so cold and snowy. We’ve had to keep our roman blinds down in the kitchen to keep the heat in. But I miss the sunlight: I feel as if I’m in a cave. Maybe I need to read my book or work on the dollhouse….or watch an old movie. I’ll get to work on it.

A Cold, but Sunny, Sunday

Auctions and Crafting

Linens

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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