stock up the shop: classic christmas

Well, we can all feel the buzz in the air of the holiday craziness descending upon us. Today's post is just to share a few holiday goodies I have in the shop...some old, some new, all fun and festive, and of course super styley. Forgive me for the Christmas-specific post, but it's a theme for the moment! Have a look:

Another Taylor and Ng Christmas mug from 1980. I had a similar one sell a week or so ago, and guess what...this one sold to the same customer! That feels nice!

I love this pink and turquoise retro angels metal tray. In great condition with  the original sticker on the back, it might be too pretty to serve drinks on, but I think it would be perfect in somebody's swanky pad.

This I've actually had for a while, but have hesitated to post since it's a single. It's a Libbey glass. If you're like me, you're thinking, "Really, Libbey?"  Yep, and it's way cool with its nighttime cathedral scene and mid-century style. The neato thing about it is that it looks pretty amazing with a candle in it. The church and stars in the sky glow from within, contrasting with the black background. 

OK, so there are about a million and one of these listed on Etsy, but I couldn't resist. As a  midwestern-blooded girl, I've enjoyed many an Egg Nog over the years. No, not plain old Egg Nog. I'm talking ice, Brandy, Egg Nog, and nutmeg sprinkled on top. Oh yeah.
So, I really couldn't resist this cute set and have it priced quite reasonably.

Nativities? Yeah, that's pretty hard core for me, but I really do quite love these two. The top one is by Goebel of West Germany from 1983, and the bottom, well, it's full-on glittery music box kitsch from Hong Kong...playing a song that is a very odd version of Silent Night.

Finally, a while back I found these wooden Swedish candle holders. They're big, about 9" tall! I'm always unsure about this type of item, since so many similar items continue to be produced in Sweden. I of course strive to meet Etsy's "Vintage is 20 years or older" rule. It is hard to tell if these are old are new. Plus, these pieces are in pretty impeccable condition! Luckily, they had a sticker on the bottom:

Google searching showed lots of similar candle holders by this company, but no definitive evidence of age. Deeper into Google, I finally found the actual company website, in Swedish of course. Anyway, I found an email address, emailed the company, and they emailed back to tell me that yes, they still produce these, but this particular set is from 1970! Love that. Doing the right research feels so satisfying.

I hope you all are enjoying your holiday preparations, and if you are a vintage seller, a surge in sales. I've had quite a little rush lately which has been so fun. Hope to blog again before the holiday break from school, but I've been finding it tricky to get it done. Stay busy!

~ Jenny

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl and A Living Space and Sir Thrift A Lot

a coupla things

Here we are nearing the end of the Thanksgiving week, and heading full speed into the holiday season. I've decided to offer a Black Friday through Cyber Monday discount on everything in the creekhouse shop! Just enter coupon code 20OFF at checkout to get 20% off any purchases through midnight on Monday night.

Enter 20OFF at checkout

to get 20% off

all purchases from the creekhouse shop

through Monday, November 26th!

Also, remember last week when I mentioned a new shop? Well, have a peek into:

Jolly Friends!

It's a little shop full of vintage children's clothing, along with some games, toys, and books! Sometimes I can't resist grabbing this kind of stuff when I'm out "picking" so I thought it would be fun to have another shop. This blog and the bulk of my efforts will still stick with the creekhouse shop, but the Jolly Friends shop is a side, side project. :)

~ Jenny

stock up the shop: scandinavian sale

I want to tell you all about a sale I went to a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday morning. It was listed on Craigslist as a sale with vintage items...nothing too noteworthy in the ad, but it was in Arvada. Funny word, Arvada, but I like Arvada. I like Arvada because it's kind of an old-school suburb that hangs between Denver and Golden and Boulder..amazing views of the mountains from many spots...and lots, and lots, of mid-century ranches on interesting, hilly streets.

I headed on down thataway (that's ranch-speak..and that's a stereotype.) Anyhoo, I pulled up and a friendly man outside made fun of my phone talking to me from inside of my purse. (It was actually Siri telling me in her robot-voice, "Arriving-at-destination" as I was walking up the driveway.) Funny moment.

So I walk in and there is pretty much nothing. Oh dang it! I asked the lady when the sale started, she said, "Thursday." Arggh...that was not mentioned in the Saturday ad. For us 9-5ers (or 7-3ers) these early starts make it hardly worth scouting out the estate sales. But as I looked around at the remaining piles in the corners, I noticed a few interesting little tidbits left behind.

Scandinavian Snowflake Trim

Swedish Blue Candle Holders with 12 Candles

 

Danish Nymolle Cups and Small Plates

The Christmas Cookie Book by Virginia Pasley

Blue Elephant Trim
(Not for sale...using for little girl's skirt!)

Swedish Christmas Linen
(Not for sale...reminds us too much of the creekhouse cabin!)

Well, hello Sweden and Denmark. 

I asked the woman running the sale about the homeowners. 

She told me that she (the homeowner) is a 95-year-old Danish widow named Marta who has happily moved into a nursing home. The home was so pretty, overlooking a little reservoir with paddle boats parked along the shore, mountains in the distance. Sigh.

So here's to Marta, her continued long life, and lovely home. And selfishly people...if this is what was left on Saturday morning. What did I miss? What was in this house alllllll day Thursday? Allllll day Friday? Oh, it pains me. But I won't dwell.

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I'm ready. I'm going to be spending some of my time off listing lots items in the shop...and getting ready to share a new project. Curious? Hint: Another Etsy shop! More soon, promise.

Thankful for family, friends, and of course everyone who pops by here now and then!
~ Jenny

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl and A Living Space and Sir Thrift A Lot

stock up the shop: getting out of hand

As all resellers are probably doing right about now, I'm really wanting to increase the inventory in preparation for the upcoming holidays. Unfortunately, along with increasing inventory comes... increased inventory! I've been shopping a lot and have many wonderful thing to put in the shop, and I think it has reached saturation point around here.

It drives me a little crazy to have unlisted inventory sitting around, so I have quite a bit of work to do. But what great things!

Just to show you how slightly crazy-making this can be, thought I'd share with you exactly what I'm dealing with here.

This reminds me of my kids' I Spy books. What favorites of yours do you spy? Do you see Big Bird? (Insert political statement...or not.) Oh, silly me, that's not all. Pan left:

And, I forgot a few things that are soaking in the sink. Clearly, this has been piling up over the last few weeks and needs immediate attention. Bit by bit it's all making its way to the shop. Well, maybe except for the little Norwegian fisherman and the Swedish Christmas linen in the first photo - waffling on those two a bit. 

Did I mention that we have a very, very small house? 

It's so fun to see all this stuff together and think that these little gems will be heading out to be appreciated in someone's happy home. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and the upcoming week. Happy Halloween!

~ Jenny

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl and A Living Space and Sir Thrift A Lot

stock up the shop: lucky star thrifting

Ever have your best friend (who lives 1,000 miles away in Minnesota) show up on your doorstep one Thursday afternoon unannounced because your husband got you both Madonna tickets as a surprise? No?

(See what I just did? I did that annoying thing where someone asks you a really specific question to which you respond, "No," which then opens the door to tell his/her own story.)

So, guess what? My best friend (who lives 1,000 miles away in Minnesota) rang my doorbell Thursday afternoon unannounced because my husband got us Madonna tickets as a surprise! It was really kind of surreal and confusing. We're not super Madonna fans really (frankly I had no idea she was even coming,) but I do admit to listening to a LOT of Madonna over the years and was totally thrilled to go. So, Thursday night was dinner and concert (in all her over-the-top, slightly offensive, super crazy fun 54-year old glory.)

At one point, as we backed up into our seats to let a man walk by, he made a reference to being "up here with all the 40-somethings." The nerve! How insulting! How rude! Oh, waitaminute...we are 40-somethings. Yeah, that's right! Damn right!

Power to the 40-somethings! 

Then, we spent the rest of the weekend hanging out...which included a fantastic thrifting trip. If you've read this blog for a bit, you might know that I go for a few hours on Saturday mornings usually. Well, this past Saturday we left at 8 am and got back at 4 pm (OK, lunch with wine was involved also.)

She's a good luck charm for sure (or maybe it was her 6-month old who rolled along with us.) I don't know, but we scored.

So first off, I need to tell you that she is going home with her own totally amazing finds which she will soon be listing in her own shop, Hyggeligt Genbrug. The things I snatched from right under her nose before she even saw them will be heading for the creekhouse shop (well, most of them at least.) Far to many to share with you here...honestly, I am surrounded by piles. Here are a few of my most favorite goodies:

This is one of those Lisa Larson copy-cat Chia Pets! It's an outright copy of her designs, and may very well be the closest I get to to finding the real thing. 

Here's a shot of the real deal for comparison:

 Weird, right? Why a Chia Pet? I really don't know, but had to grab it.

Who is this bald fellow? Well, it's a Laurids Lonborg toothpick holder. Don't know how to pronounce that name properly? Neither do I, and despite my friend (who is fluent in Danish 'cause she mostly Danish) telling me over and over...yeah, my throat doesn't work that way.

See? Cute, huh? It's a hedgehog. If you're American you might be tempted to call it a porcupine or if you're Australian you might be tempted to call it an echidna, but it's a hedgie.

One last shot of a few more cuties. A Viking owl, a mid-century (I think) candle holder, and a pretty printed Scandinavian style runner. Some more items not featured include...Marimekko, Pacific Stoneware, MA Hadley, Dansk, Taylor & Ng...I know! Epic I tell you!

One more funny bit; at one point during our thrifting day, my friend texted her husband from a Goodwill to tell him what a great time we were having thrifting, finding lots of treasures. He texted back, "That sounds dirty." Confused, she looked back at her text and "thrifting" had been auto-corrected to "thrusting." Oh geez...cue the time machine, instantly laughing as if we were back in high school, trying not to pee our pants. Funny stuff right there.

So, here's to good old friends, good concerts, and of course, good thrusting.... Oh and how could I forget a shout-out to my awesome husband and awesome kids who made this all easy and super fun (for me!)

~ Jenny

stock up the shop: things are piling up

I haven't posted for a few weeks, but of course that doesn't mean I haven't been shopping for the shop. So many great goodies here...sitting around just waiting to be shared. I don't know about you other re-sellers out there, but I really don't like stuff sitting around, not listed. The piles are getting a little too deep, so I'm on a mission over the next few days and will be listing things like crazy. So once again, here's a big eye-candy post for you.

And, I have to admit that along with a couple of not-posting weeks has come a couple of not-reading weeks, so my apologies to you those of you whom I regularly visit out there in blogland.

Can you believe stuff from the 1980s is considered vintage? I find it slightly upsetting since I, myself, am pre 1980s. But, when I see things like the items in the next few photos, I do get that little nostalgic twinge for the "old days," so I guess that counts.

These Marimekko Christmas mugs were produced by Pfaltzgraff I believe in the early 1980s. These three are in perfect condition. I like the simple brush strokes. Man, odd numbered sets sure bug me. I dug and dug for that fourth cup but no luck.

Another classic collector's item from the 1980s (and 1970s) is anything by Taylor & Ng. Their mugs and other items are really popular right now, and I remember thinking, "Oh yeah! I remember that stuff!" when I first saw it being sold on Etsy. In Madison, these types of items were sold in cute little boutique-y home and kitchen stores. They are San Francisco based, produced in Japan. They have re-issued some of their most popular mugs and a few other things, so be sure you're finding the real "old" stuff (old - sigh.) This tile-topped box is really fun and perfect for recipes or other treasures.

 Another Taylor and Ng item. A "Rascal Rabbit" trivet.

I know! Two more Marimekko mugs, again in perfect condition. Hard to let these cuties go, but someone will be very happy to have them.

Remember these no-spill mugs for your 1980s dashboard? (Whoah this picture is kinda blurry.) Haven't researched these or the artist yet (T. Taylor.) Waitaminute. Taylor? Could it be the same Taylor as Taylor and Ng? Hm. That's an interesting thought. Will get back to you on that if anything interesting pops up.

OK, like totally enough of the 80s. Excited to show you my mid century finds:

This is a cool mid century ceramic box (probably officially a cigarette box) with enameled copper inset. Haven't figured out the maker yet. Anyone recognize it?

Here's another view. I think it would look so pretty on a teak coffee table or end table...maybe to hide your remote.

 Fun Libbey glasses with retro window-pane style pattern.

 A Gay Fad cruet bottle by Hazel Atlas glass company. Love the super atomic design in red and gold.

What a great find this was! Four cups and saucers designed by LaGardo Tackett for Schmid Porcelain. So whimsical and fun. Originally called a "Hot Chocolate Set." Love the shape of the saucers.

I know as soon as I do some poking around, I'll figure this one out. No markings, but definitely a distinctive pattern. Anyone want to save me some time?

And finally, there's me waving to you in the reflection of a lovely silver fade Roly Poly. Not Dorothy Thorpe, but surely Don Draper approved. I actually have eight of these beauties and they are in perfect condition. Please note my giant hands and my 7 year old peeking through the sliding door. :)
This and more will be in the shop soon.
~ Jenny

stock up the shop: get into the groove

Hi y'all! Time for me to get back in the groove of things after a summer of road trips and spending time with family. I picked up a few treasures along the way on our summer adventures, but you'll just have to check out the shop to see the summer finds. Have I mentioned how much I love the midwest, and Madison in particular? If I haven't, I sure do, and I feel lucky to have such a great hometown to go back to and loving family and friends who welcome us with open arms each time we head back. And, Octopus car wash welcomes us with open arms each time, also.

Mostly, shopping and stocking up the shop took a back burner to summer fun. Now that school has started, I'm back to being a full-time-working-mom-of-two-with-an-etsy-shop-on-the-side. The school year is off to a  busy start (as usual.) The kids are happy to see their friends and teachers again. I'm happy to see my students and coworkers again. I like to complain about how early school starts here in Colorado, but then again, summer fun continues for weeks after school starts, so maybe it's kind of a nice transition after all. As the school year starts, we have enjoyed an amazing air show at our local airport, we're heading to Red Rocks to see Mumford and Sons this week, watching the Rockies play on Labor Day Monday, and we are hoping to squeeze in at least one more precious camping trip before the chilly winds begin to blow. So yeah, school has started, but oh yeah, we're still having fun.

Headed out on Saturday morning, and it had literally been weeks since a real thrifting trip for me! Can you imagine my happiness when I saw this at my second stop?

I know! A huge set of Heller plastic dinnerware, designed by Massimo Vignelli. I didn't have a cart, so I ran like a 3 year old calmly walked to get a cart, in order to ensure that these would be mine all mine. It is a set of 32 pieces - 8 large plates, 8 small plates, 8 bowls and 8 cups in each color (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white.) The two white serving bowls are not Heller, but marked "Oblique by PMC." Don't know about this company, but I got them because they fit right in and are of the same excellent quality.

 I could have snapped pictures of these all day.

 Matchy-matchy...

 Or mix-and-matchy...

 Enough already? OK fine. 

Are you thinking about Christmas? I sure am...in the way that I am putting extra effort into preparing the shop with Christmas and other holiday items, and boosting my inventory overall. I'm excited to see what the holidays will bring for the creekhouse shop. This little Marimekko mug was the perfect reminder to keep it up.

Isn't this gorgeous? I think it is Danish or Norwegian. The mark on the back is soooo familiar, but I can't for the life of me place it. Any thoughts?

It's funny how I've found several of these around and about. Love these interDesigns swivel storage containers and I think this cherry red one might be my favorite so far.

Finally, I like this item probably way more than I should. It might have something to do with the fact that we've started to get farm milk delivered to our house and I am finding great pleasure in pouring milk out of those icy cold, thick glass milk bottles. This is a milk glass milk bottle made by Carlton. Complete with a lid and some super cute graphics, I couldn't refuse picking it up.

Well, this was a long one, but hopefully you enjoyed this bright eye candy from my finds this week. I found a few more lovelies this week, but I know there's only so much you can take. Keep your eye on the shop for these and the rest of the new finds.
Fall is just around the corner, enjoy your last summery days!
~ Jenny