Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Yet Another Coffee Table

I know what you're thinking.  How many coffee tables does this guy need?  Let's just say I drink a lot of coffee.  Plus I can't pass up a steal on a midcentury piece like this.  I found this table at an estate sale about a month ago.  I paid $4 for it.  Unlike most of my finds, it didn't require a full restoration. 
The feet were fairly corroded.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

A Major(s) Find

I found this Thermo-serv mug featuring Farrah Fawcett Majors from 1977 for 50 cents at an estate sale this past weekend.


Midcentury Coffee Table

Earlier this Summer, my wife and I attended the garage sale of a friend of hers.  One of her sisters was selling yet another Mid-century coffee table in less than ideal condition.  It was topped by a matching glass top that was cracked.  We ended up buying the piece for $7.  I brought it home and began restoration.

The first to go was the glass top.  There was nothing I could do with it and I think even if hadn't been cracked, I would have gotten rid of it since I liked the look of the table better without it.

After disassembling the piece, I taped off the white tile inlays (sorry, apparently, I failed to get a picture of the top prior to disassembly!)



The leg looked like a dog had chewed it


Completely sanded



After adding a few coats of Minwax Provincial stain and polyurethane.



The dog bites are barely noticeable


In place in our living room.






Saturday, September 7, 2013

A Very Cool Midcentury Estate Sale

Today was the annual Canterbury Place Subdivision sale in Affton.  It's been a tradition to attend it for at least the past 10 years.  While it isn't a grandiose as it once once, it still delivers great finds and today was no exception.  Now to be fair, this estate sale was actually in the subdivision next to Canterbury Place, Saxon Manor.  At one time, Saxon Manor also held it's subdivision-wide sale on the same day and you could spend the entire day roaming the joined neighborhoods.

At one time, garage sales were a good source for midcentury items, but as that generation ages, sadly the best source has become estate sales.  This sale was private, so the prices were reasonable and the crowd was low.  Here are a few of the finds I made (and a few I had to let go).

First up is this fun Danish Modern barware set. Labeled E60 St Park Ave, it features a mixing spoon, a garnish fork, bottle opener and ice tongs.  Oh, and a fine gentleman complete with top hat and cane dru...ahem...sleeping in a rubbish basket.  He was priced at $1.


Wednesday, September 4, 2013

A New Vista

I went to an estate sale in Affton with a specific piece in mind.  I've been looking for a Midcentury Modern piece which I could convert into an audio/video component cabinet.  I saw this picture on estatesales.net 

What's in a Name?

It's not often that I get more mileage out of the same find, but the cache of photographs I found of Shirley White proved even more interesting when I began researching the photographer who took them.