MOROCCAN GATEWAY TO JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE

I had this Moroccan gate piece for years. It is a great mix of green and rust.  It has found itself straight up and down in a staircase landing, horizontally above kitchen

cabinets and outside on the wall of a balcony. It has been passed along to a friend and resides as a trellis with growing ivy in her garden.

Tracy 

           

THE SHEEP THAT FOUND ITS WAY... TO THE 11TH FLOOR

Meet our family pet, Grazie. Since high rise living is not really conducive to pets, she is our best alternative to date. I picked her up(she didn't even wiggle) at an estate sale years ago. One of our daughters wants to adopt her when she is graduates from school. I guess the burden of her care will be ours for another four years! 

Tracy

BASKET OF FLOWERS AT YOUR BREAKFAST TABLE~DAILY

I have never seen a chandelier I love as much as this one. It has beautiful crystal and tole flowers suspended in a crystal beaded basket. Refreshing ,whimsical and graceful without taking itself too seriously. Love it!

My dear friend Mary Alice found this beautiful chandelier at the Paris flea  market and shipped home while her home was under renovation. It became the icing on the cake in her breakfast room.

I have made her promise if she sells the house she will gift it to me.

(now it is in writing and the world is my witness) Tracy                                              

WILL SHAKESPEAR ON DISH DUTY?

William Shakespear has joined me while at the kitchen sink for the last 15 years.  I picked him up at a yard sale years ago and he has kept me company while doing the dishes in four different homes. He is made of terra cotta about the size of a grapefruit.  I believe he was a under appreciated high school art project. I am not sure if I adpopted him or he adopted me. To me he is just Will. Tracy

THE PAGODA THAT GOT AWAY

For all of the great finds I come across there are always the  finds that got away.   When someone gets there before you and takes the item with them, ignorance is bliss. When it sits there with a sold tag on it, it can be painful!  

This good looking cement garden pagoda was not ancient but good old vintage and stood about 3 feet tall.(note past tense verbage)
The white sticker on top reads $10 with the word sold written over it. Grrrr, Tracy

IRON EUCALYPTUS LAMP WITH ALABASTER BASE, A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

 This refreshing lamp resides in our guest room.(Please disregard the yet to be made bed in the mirror, thankfully our guest room gets lots of use!) It is hand painted iron with a alabaster base. I thought it was cheerful without being too cute. I found it at an estate sale for about $45 and as with most lamp finds had to replace the shade. 

Tip- Always check the wiring of "found" lamps to be sure they are safe. Also, if you are buying to resell always buy lamps in pairs!
Tracy

SIMPLE CAPODIMONTE, WHO KNEW?

For Capodimonte this mirror is as simple as it gets!  I had never seen  a piece as streamlined  before. I have always admired Capodimonte before but since my taste run toward clean and easy, I had never run across a piece I had to have , until now. It is 24 inches round and I picked it up at a consignment shop for about $95.  Tracy 

COFFEE TABLE TURNED BENCH, MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE!

At consignment stores and estate sales coffee tables are abundant and not usually quick sellers.  This makes for a good selection and pricing to match.  Benches on the other hand are not as abundant and usually gone before you get there. (did I mention I have a weakness for benches, I use them everywhere)   I bought this coffee table turned bench at a consignment store for $40.00.  It had a thin and chipped piece of glass on it which I promptly discarded, sent it to the upholsterer spent another $100 or so and now have this great looking bench. I am ready to change the fabric on this again so I will post an update when I do. One good thing about recovering benches or stools is that they don't require much fabric so you can either splurge on something more expensive than you normally would or the other extreme, you may have a remnant left over from another project that would work well with you you have. Tracy

MASSIVE ALABASTER LEAF

Have I mentioned I have a thing for alabaster?  It will be a frequent visitor here on Urban Picker. Unlike the grapes which you can find now and then, this is the only alabaster leaf platter I have ever seen. Trust me if had found another it would also be mine!

It sits in front of the window atop our built in computer workspace. The light coming through sets it aglow. It measures 18 inches long and 12 inches high. Some tranquility amidst the madness.

I found this several years ago at an estate sale. It was in the garage and a little on the crusty side and it was $4. This leads me to a "hunting" tip.
While at an estate sale always head for the garage not last, but first. All those things in the living room that are all spiffed up and known treasures and will be priced accordingly. But unknown treasures lurk (albeit a little crusty)in the garage and are usually priced to get rid of!  If anyone has something like this or runs across one I would love to see it!
Happy hunting, Tracy

FABULOUSLY "SERIOUS" ALBASTER GRAPES

If there is  any such thing as serious fake grapes these would be the ones.
They are vintage(probably 1960s) made in Italy of alabaster and are large.  The large bunch is 15 inches long the smaller one 10 inches with beautiful natural stems.  I bought these at an area consignment store for $40 or so.

You can find alabaster grapes at high end antique shops as well as kitchy inexpensive shops.  They usually range in price from $95-$295. Many of them are dyed funky bright colors and have a thick coat of shiny varnish which is not easy to remove. I have tried to strip grapes in the past and it was not pretty, nor did it work very well. So hold out for ones that are ready to be seen. I like to save the color for the many fun acrylic grapes that you can find. Check out my older posts for a good example.

What I love about grapes is that the only truly serious ones are rippening in vineyards, I am grateful for those too! Tracy

TALK ABOUT BANG FOR YOUR BUCK....

I picked up these four paintings last weekend at a sale held at modest home for $10, that is $10 for all four!  They appear to be mixed medium, oil and pastels signed Ross. Now I don't venture to say Ross is a known artist but he does have some talent.

They are good size measuring 26"x26", 2 are framed and 2 are back mounted frameless and ready to hang.

All I have to say is that while taking them out of my car our neighbor  talked me out of the one on the upper right.

They are photographed and posted so Teddie bring me $2.50 and come get your painting!

Click on any image for a closer look!

Tracy

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MY NEW WHITE LINEN ANTIQUE DAY BED

Now this is a keeper! A freshly reupholstered (in white linen no less)antique day bed which just happens to be perfect for under my oil painting in our study! The best part is I found it on craigslist for $350!

Love, love, love, Tracy
PS...M.A. Recognize the painting?

EVEN A WHITE FORMICA COFFEE TABLE CAN BE CHARMING

The good news: the round coffee table has great lines.

The bad news: It is made of formica and ply board.
The good news: the cost is $20

More good news: The formica is white
(goes with everything) and the painter in our building painted the base a great green color for just $10.
Viola, Tracy

VINTAGE CAKE PLATE-JAPAN

I know this looks like the raspberry oat loaf I made for my husband for Valentine'sDay, but this post is really about the plate under it. It is hand painted-Japan, adds a splash of color and 100% adorable. An estate sale find that I am sending to my high school friend Teri in Chicago! Tracy 

FAB VINTAGE STOUT CANED CHAIRS

Found two of these vintage caned and iron chairs at a area charity shop(thrift store) for $40 each! A designer friend sold them to her client for $595.  Maybe I should have kept them!

THE MOSAIC MERMAID WHO REIGNS OVER MY BLOG

Mermaid was a gift from a good friend who thought it reminded her of me!(lucky for me the mermaid is blonde headed)
She is by well known mid century artist Evelyn Ackerman made in 1957, 60"x13". My friend found it a an area consignment shop and I am glad she did.  Tracy 

THE BEAUTY OF BEING SNOWED IN.....

Some beautiful things warm my heart, even when covered in snow.
These Peacocks are on the grounds of our building. They are beautiful on any given day but a rare snow storm made them magical. 

I just had to share them with you
Tracy

VINTAGE ACRYLIC GRAPES....WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?

I have a bunch of vintage acrylic grapes in every room of the house!

They are bright, whimsical, and do not take themselves too seriously!  What is not to love?  This is probably my favorite bunch, an estate sale find for about $15.

GREAT VISTA ALEGRE FIND

                   I found these three VISTA ALEGRE figurines at a sale last Saturday for $5, I mean $5 for all three!  Along with that miracle is the fact that none of them are cracked or chipped and all of their digits are intact. One recently sold on Ebay for $129. While they are not exactly my thing and I do not know exactly what I am going to do with them, I still think they are a great find

I did not know what they were so I looked up the stamp on the bottom which said VA Portugal in my book of marks. I came up with Vista Alegre and then the research on the computer was easy!                                       Tracy

VINTAGE SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS

These hand turned wooden pear and apple S/P are 3 1/2 inches high and have little brass stems.  Modern and earthy all in one, love them!
        $6 at a consignment shop!

OBJECTS THAT I HAD TO HAVE .....even if they are not overly useful

3 Sherbets cased in sterling. Possible uses, Champgne or votives.
I myself like the idea of champgne in 2 and a candle in one!
Cost $7.00 at a Charity shop