Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall... Who Is The Prettiest Of Them All?

...this 4-Foot, 50-pound, hand-carved, solid hardwood, magnificent mirror is of course!

These pictures do not even do this mirror justice, it is a must see in person!

On my way to one of the estate sales, I stumbled upon this mirror at a small yard sale. I literally saw it thrown over in the bushes, off by itself, and thought that for sure it was already sold to someone, who was coming back to get it later. I made a comment that I was jealous of whoever purchased that mirror. Ironically, the man said that people were interested all day, but everyone thought that $30 was a bit steep......A BIT STEEP, WHAT?!

I am going to give you a quick lesson in mirrors if you ever...EVER find a mirror of this magnitude for $30, buy it. The 4-foot glass mirror itself is about $50, by itself! A frame of this quality is easily going to run you around $300. Then add in the fact that this is from the late 1800s early 1900s, 4-feet tall, solid-hardwood, and hand-carved, you are looking at a $500 mirror, easy. This was a NO BRAINER!!!! I snatched it up in a heart beat, and that is why this was the find of the week!!! You could say that I am in love with this beauty and I am thankful to all those interested people who thought $30 was to steep. Your loss was definitely my gain!

Ms. Sommerfield's Estate...

Ok...getting back on track, now that I have loaded up my trunk with a stunning mirror and beaming from ear-to-ear about my find, it was time to get to the first estate sale, Ms. Sommerfield's estate! Rarely do you go to estate sales, and actually have people there that knew the person who once lived there. Families usually outsource estate selling companies to do all the pricing & liquidations. It can feel very impersonal as you are rifling through some random persons treasures. This pick was different. The women who were running it were all Ms. Sommerfield's close friends, and they were delighted to tell me a few tid-bits about this sweet woman.

Ms. Sommerfield was 85 when she passed. The home that was hosting the estate sale, was her parents, and she had lived in this home her. entire. life... They said that when she was born, her parents brought her back to the very house that she had eventually grown old in, and that I was now standing in. I closed my eyes and imaged that it was 1926, the front door that I was sitting next to had opened with her parents walking in carrying their new infant, Ms. Sommerfield. The thought gave me chills. They also told me that she was a a secretary at Duniway Elementary School, when she was in her 20s. She then later went on to be a teacher there and loved that school with a passion.

These bits of information made this pick all the better. As I was walking though the house things started to make sense, the puzzle pieces of her life were beginning to come together. In the kitchen, I came across two little Vintage Farmhouse Salt and Pepper Shakers, that I thought had the sweetest little charm to them. They are nothing fancy, they are dinged, but they are perfect in my eyes.

Being imbedded in a school environment for years, she had collected many old books. Now if you know me, you would know I have a thing for old books. There is something so exhilarating about opening a very very old book, hearing the cracking of the ancient pages being turned, the tickle in your nose from the musty smell and dust - just to see the date of when this relic was published. Kind of weird, I know. As I was flipping through the pages, I found great little surprises shoved between pages of all the books. Little notes, homework assignment, writing lessons, recipes, things that were important to her and had been there from her days as a student.

I also found the Duniway '85 pendent in there, which after hearing their stories about this woman, I had to have. They other unearthed treasure was the 1942 Collection of 40 - 16x20 Rand McNally maps! I had just been talking about getting some 1940s maps to hang, so it was ironic that I would stumble upon something that was more than exactly what I was searching for! The 1940s Eskimo fan (not working, but still looks cool) and 1930s Flower Chamberstick were also great finds! Ms. Sommerfield can rest assured that her once treasures are now going to be in my precious collection, kept safe.

Since this estate pick, became so personal I decided to only sell the Salt & Pepper Shakers, Duniway '85 Pendent, and Ceramic Flower Chamberstick in my Etsy shop! Here is the link to find them: sweet pea and poppy's - eclectic*reclaimed*treasures, you can also click on the link under the photos of the items that have been listed for sale in my shop.

Vintage Farmhouse Salt & Pepper Shakers***12 Vintage Books***1940s Eskimo Fan

Duniway School '85 Pendent***1930-40s Ceramic Flower Chamberstick

1942 Collection of 40 Large Rand McNally Maps of the World!

The Hoarder's Estate...

I hate to say it, but more-often-than-not an estate sale you go to is like walking onto the set of the show Hoarders, but on a softer scale. People get old, and accumulate a lot of stuff in their days... a lot of stuff. Again, more-often-than-not, it is a lot of junk. That brings me to the next estate I visited.

There are times, when houses have been kept in pristine, and there are times when I feel like if I touch something I am going to catch SARS... literally. Well, this house was the latter of the two. I was disgusted to say the least. This old man was such a hoarder that one house was not enough, even two was not enough, he had three houses next to each other... three houses! I would say that you have a real problem when you need three houses on the same block, just to store your junk!

Luckily for me, I scored big! Using a long ruler I found, in a pile of 100 other long rulers, I poked and prodded all of the boxes seeing what I could find, but keeping my distance in the event I came across something I did not want to find. I first found this Vintage Wire Locker Bin Basket, and started to fill it with things that I came across and thought were safe to touch.

The ice cream scoop was among the first of the items I found, and I instantly fell in love with the simplicity of the design. I have always loved the look of a collection of old baseballs, so when I saw these four, it was a no brainer. When I got home and saw that some had old faded signatures, it was an added bonus! Then came the 1910 Battery Ammeter! I had no idea what the heck a battery ammeter was, but after doing some research, I think it is pretty cool. Turns out that these ammeters were attached to a chain and carried the same way a pocket watch would be carried. The purpose of the compact ammeters were for testing a company's telegraph machines, that were often located at railroad express offices. Therefore, they needed to be compact, light, and easy to travel with.

The 1920s Kennedy Cantilever Red Toolbox & 1950s Library Chair, were like pulling teeth with the woman who was selling the junk. I had to have them, but I wouldn't take them for over $10 each. After much going back and forth, she finally let me have them. The toolbox was a little birthday present to my husband who has been searching for the perfect vintage toolbox for his rapidly growing handyman collection. Needless to say, he was in love when he saw it! The chair is going to fit perfectly in my office where there is a little nook perfect for the chair!

Finally, the last item from this pick are the pair of old Bank Safety Deposit Boxes. The woman had said that when her family moved here from New York a long time ago, her father had gotten these from a very old bank in New York that was shutting its doors. She wasn't sure how old they were, but knew that had to be from the early 1900s. Her father had used them for many years in his garage shop to store odd ends and bits.

Vintage Industrial Wire Locker Bin Basket - SOLD**1932 Myers DeLuxe Disher

1920s Kennedy Cantilever Red Toolbox**Vintage Safety Deposit Boxes**1950s Library Chair

Collection of 4 Very Old Baseballs with Autographs***1910 Elite Battery Ammeter

Well, that concludes this weeks finds, and I hope you enjoyed the post! Stay tuned for what shows up next week!!!

sweet pea and poppy's - eclectic*reclaimed*treasures

It has been a while since I have been on here, but I have been in Utah for work these past several weeks. Considering there was not a whole lot to do there but go for walks and surf the internet, I managed to come across a few amazing websites!

The first, is called The Foundry, which is a "Groupon-esque" website with AMAZING home decor finds. The treasures they feature are at incredible savings, for a short amount of time. All the items are new, but sometimes you can find pieces that are of reclaimed wood and such. Think that is cool? Well then you haven't seen Etsy's website yet!

Etsy, is a very unique website that is similar to eBay, but 100 times cooler. There are three things that make it better from a buyer & seller's perspective.

1.) eBay charges $0.50 to list an item for 7 days, plus all the added fees makes it really about $1.50-$2.00 to list an item. Makes you feel as if you are checking bags at the airport with all those hidden fees. Then on top of that they charge you a 5% selling fee of the final cost. Now, as far as Etsy goes, they charge $0.20 to list, no other hidden fees, 5 FREE pictures, and only 3% final cost selling fee. That is unreal!

2.) Etsy is a niche market where collectors, artists, designers, and people with specific needs come. There are not a billion clustered items for sale. You cannot buy 1998 tube of chapstick for $1.00, like you can on eBay. Everything has to be either Handmade, or at least 20 years old.

3.) eBay makes you sit there and bid and wait for an item to end. Etsy, only sells things at fixed prices, therefore if you want it, you buy it...No dilly-dallying waiting for the item to come to its end in "eBay-land". When it is on there, it stays there for 4 months, not four days, if it doesn't sell right away!

After all of these great points that Etsy brought to the table. I pumped myself to open up my own "Etsy Store". I have so many random things that I have found, collected, and discovered in my days that I thought it would be fun to share with others, and see if I could make a buck or two off of it! First thing first was to come up with a name. I wanted to something sweet, but with a punch. I thought Recology...but then saw it on a dumptruck a few days later, and thought that is not what I want associated with my little treasures. So it was back to the drawing board....Reclaimed Treasures, nah, to simple...Modern Patina, already a company. Then, I was talking to my dad, whom I always call Poppy, and realized that since he has always called me Sweet Pea, it would be cute to name the store Sweet Pea and Poppy's! Has a sweet country vibe to it, and knew right away that it would be perfect!

Then the hard part came...what to part with and what to keep. What did I want to continue to decorate my house with and what to share with others! I did some picking after I returned from Utah, and found some great additions that I posted in my "Store". I hope you enjoy the findings!

Pair of Bears & Eggplant Olympia Typewriter *** 1950s Airguide Nautical Barometer

1950s Pink Elephant & Scale *** 1950s Dog Coin Bank *** Vintage Painted Brass Candlestick

14" Hand-carved Horse *** 3 French Novels & Replogie Globe*** 24-Piece Heirloom Flatware

You can find all of these except the Airguide & Horse on my shop's website for sale! Here is the link and I hope you enjoy!

sweet pea & poppy's - eclectic*reclaimed*treasures

China, and Silver, and Gold! Oh, my!

Ahh... the weekend has come, and time to see what estate sales are going on. Sundays are our favorite days to go, because people are ready to just get rid of everything that is left. This particular Sunday, we only went to one estate sale, but were pleasantly surprised at all of the treasures that we were able to find!

Driving to the house, I was not expecting much at all, the house was in an OK area, but not one where you would imagine a bunch of beautifully kept items. Upon arriving at the house, I suddenly had a feeling that this was going to be a good pick! My first place I always like to look over first is the kitchen. Since I started my other blog, Cooking Through Lost Recipes, I always like to see if I can find any old recipes lying around, plus a good old Pyrex bowl doesn’t hurt to look for either! This particular home was full of unique finds, well kept, and unlike most estate sales and was NOT full of a hoarders dream – massive piles of junk. Instead, there were silver sets, china sets, quilts and ornate antique items – even a 1930 Boy Scout Uniform still in its original package!

I was in heaven…

The first item was an 80-piece, 1928 Rogers & Bro. Majestic Pattern Silverplate Set with Art Deco Cutlery Box.

When I saw this I fell in love. I felt as if I had literally stumbled upon a treasure chest of silver! There is something so intricate and ornate about silver patterns. The amount of detail that can be carved into one small space is beyond me. For some reason, this pattern reminds me of something that was on a Spanish fleet in the 17^th century. There is something very architectural as well as regal in the structure of these pieces, from the crest to the very angular column that leads down the handle, they are defiantly one of a kind pieces.

I was also in awe when I started to think about how these items must have truly been treasures in the Depression Era, when people were living off rations and had little to their name. The idea makes these unique pieces all that more special to me.

In this set there are eight place settings with each of the following: knife, salad fork, dinner fork, teaspoon, tablespoon, iced-tea spoon, oyster fork, and butter knife.

There is also a whole serving set with the following: master butter knife, two serving spoons, serving fork, casserole spoon, ladle, and sugar spoon.

I wish I could only let the woman who once treasured them, know how much I now treasure and value them!

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The second item that we were able to find was a 5-Piece, 1835 R. Wallace Anjou Pattern Silver Demitasse Spoons.

The filigree scroll pattern at the end of the spoons had me at first glance – then I turned them over, and saw the antiquity in the stamping on the back and knew they had to go home with me.

The pattern almost has a fleur-de-lis look to it with a garland that cascades down the sides like curled hair strands would fall down a face. They are in stunning condition and like the other silver set they will be treasured, for sure!

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The third item was a single Wm Rogers & Son Orange Blossom pattern fork. On the reverse it is stamped, “Pat. Nov. 29, 1910 Wm Rogers & Son AA”.

The detailing in this piece is simple out of this world. I have never seen a fork with the kind of embellishments that this one possesses. The amount of intricacy near the tines of the fork is undoubtedly gorgeous.

There are three orange blossoms delicately splaying the sides all of the way down to the farthest outer tines. The handle of this beautiful piece is also equally worth note, because there are even more orange blossoms adorning the top half.

The only disappointing note with this item is the sheer fact that there was only one!

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The final item that we were able to find at this estate was a 22-K Gold Gravy Boat by National Brotherhood of Operative Potters.

The pattern is called Sylvia, which is adorned around the top with 22-K-Gold wheat stalks olive branches surrounded by an art deco-ish circular pattern. The bottom is interesting as well, because it is a asymmetrical square that just adds to the style of this piece, as well as, the fluting at the lower half.

This is probably dated around the 1930s due to the art-deco styling. The amazing thing is that this is in perfect condition as well. More often than not when I find these pieces, they have spider cracks, discoloration spots, nicks and dings – but this one is perfect. Isn’t it hard to believe that a piece that could be 75-100 years old has been cherished and taken care of as well as this! You can be sure that this thanksgiving this gravy boat will be parked on our table right next to the turkey!

Broken Leg…Fixed by the Doctor!

Unlike most of our finds at estate sales, Jared’s mother gave this piece of furniture to us this past week. She had been keeping this for years, because of it beauty, but did not have the time to repair it and clean it up.

When Jared received this table, it was literally in pieces. With a little hard work and elbow grease, he was able to replace the legs, sand it down, and whip it back into shape! Here is a detail of the ornate wood carvings!

As you can see in the first couple of picture, the table has been repaired. At first we were going to sand and stain it a dark wood color, but I got a great idea to lacquer it in a saffron high shine!

Seriously, could there be anything more divine than the warm yellow color of saffron?! We ventured to Home Depot and sure enough I went straight to the color, and it was litterally called Saffron Splendor. Here are some photos of the painting process:

Jared has managed to coat the entire piece with the exuberant yellow, and now that piece from the early 1900s has been brought into the 2000s! I am so excited to get some beautiful summer flowers in a vintage aqua mason jar on that table!

For those of you that live in Portland, you know you need to do anything you can to help cheer up the dreary fall and winter months that we have! I find this to be the perfect solution of adding color to unexpected items in the home, as a reminder that summer is around the corner bringing bright yellow sunshine! Here is a photo of Jared with the finished product:

THE 1956 Refrigerator

About a month ago, Jared and I were on our normal estate sale search. We were over in the Milwaukee area when we happened to stumble upon a quaint little 1950s home. There was not to much as far as small items, but what we did find in the basement was huge (literally)! We had stumbled upon the homes original 1956 General Electric Combination Refrigerator & Freezer. The best part was that it was a steal of a sale for only $50.00!

This big guy is now known as…The Refrigerator. I do not even know where to begin my excitement for this find. From the sleek rounded corners to the foot pedal that pops the bottom freezer open to the shiny chrome that beams your reflection back to the most wondrous chrome REVOLVING shelves... this piece truly is like something from another worldly place!

Not to mention when you open the refrigerator the inside is lined with a soft butter yellow and the bottom freezer has a soft baby blue hue. This was not just a refrigerator; this was a statement piece from its era. Could you imagine walking into someone’s home and seeing this?

We did so much research into the fridge and were able to find the original advertisement for it that was in a 1956 National Geographic Magazine.

Now I know what you are thinking... big energy hog, right?! Well interestingly enough when I did research into vintage refrigerators I found that they are actually very energy efficient before defrosters were placed in them (anything pre-1965). Since ours is a 1956 and has no defroster it does not have a constant motor that is defrosting the whole unit all the time. Therefore, it runs on very low energy. To my shock, I found it very fascinating that I never realized appliances that were made around the Depression-Era HAD to be energy efficient because people could not afford the high-energy costs due to the tsunami of after effects the war. Therefore, manufacturers set out to make the most economical energy saving machines for that time. Sounds familiar to today’s standards, right?

Right now, we are keeping it in our Garage as our BBQ & Beer fridge! We have enjoyed having it so much, stocking it with Big Flats and Brats, and look forward to many more years of this stylish beast that lounges in the garage. Maybe I can even get Jared to sandblast the big lug and lacquer it in a turquoise (or saffron yellow..ha) one of these days!!

For The Love of Old!

Jared and I both have a love for all things old! From homes to architecture and random industrial pieces to ornate furniture we love it all. That is the joy of an estate sale, because each picking experience is new…and different. Sometimes they are just full of junk, and other times it is like stepping into someone’s private world that has since gone by, and now open for everyone to see.

Most of these homes are residences of elderly people who have recently passed, or been moved to assisted living homes. A lot of times you can really get a feel for the person who once collected items over the span of their life. It is like putting together the puzzle pieces of their life and creating a story about who they once were.

Our biggest attraction to finding things at these estate sales is that they come from a time when everything was NOT manufactured in China, but rather actually created by hand. Those are two things that you can no longer find, and if you do it comes at a very costly price tag. I also love the history behind things. When Jared and I come home from finding our little treasures, we love to sit on the back porch, and research the maker, the date, and other various elements of each piece!

Sometimes the pieces that we find are of no value at all, but I (speaking for myself) get so attached to the idea that these were once someone’s prized possessions, like a pre-1940s recipe box chockfull of handwritten recipes. I want to carry on their importance in my surroundings, appreciate them, and share them with everyone so that their history and significance can continue on. I hope you enjoy our findings!

This is an image of a vintage Cast Iron Uncle Sam Piggy Bank that we found back in a corner of an old collectors junk pile. We think it dates to somewhere around the 1960s. Jared saw this and had to have it when he saw that Uncle Sam drops a coin into a "US Bank" money bag that opens, as well as his opening and closing mouth like he is laughing. It is a great piece of nostalgia, and was only $9.00!

Happy Findings!

-Anna Kate & Jared