Picking this weekend- the big art show

There were so many good sales this weekend with great art. The sale I purchased the most from was the Estate of Barbara Evans. I have known of her work for many years and from the article in the Birmingham News in 2008, she lived a life as colorful as her art. These paintings span her trips to Europe and the High Sierras.

I am excited to own this collection! I think I might keep at least one of the six pieces I purchased... but how to pick just one!

Estate Sales- The craziest house yet!

I go to a lot of older houses by going to estate sales. Some are incredible, some marginal, some just plain crazy. Yesterday's house was crazy. I was not the only person keeping down a chuckle at the total oddity of the place. Obviously, the owners were wild about an Asian influence in the 1960's, when the house as built. The property has a pagoda gazebo, and a matching red bridge over a water folly. One of the five bathrooms, besides the foil wallpaper with bamboo, had outlines of Chinese buildings on the back wall. There is even a goldfish lever on the toilet. The really outstanding part of the house is the indoor pool and water features with the very incongruous child's coloring book like stain glass of animals from Africa. The front door has the same coloring book look at the stain glass image of geisha girls.

These are some of the detail in the house

You may ask if I bought anything after taking so many pictures. I did, two brass figures and a luggage stand. In all the ostentation of a 1960's "new money" look, there was actually very little there. This house hasn't been touched, design-wise, since it was built in 1963. I wanted to find some fantastic Mid Century jewels or really good Asian pieces there, but either the family took it all, or they never had it. Left was strange things like a standing popcorn popper that still had a lot of popped corn in it. It was like the people just walked out.  A little disconcerting, actually.

Pick's this weekend- early weekend shopping

I hit an early tag sale today and found some winners! I am in the process of researching and deciding where I will sell the items- Online or locally. Here are some of my early finds.

Vintage Gustavsberg Argenta vases available HERE.

Adorable brass rabbit!

I love this "Hostess Set" of fruit forks that display in a pineapple base.

I cannot pass up an inlay box!

Fantastic handpainted T & V France large trinket lidded box. From Limoges around 1880's to 1907, I cannot find a comp on this box. I'm holding it until I can. Dutch schooner scene on a "powder box" seems to be quite rare.

Tag, I'm it! The best of the tag sales this weekend.

Tag sale, estate sales, etc. They are the best for shopping for special pieces. This weekend's sales netted a great find. And though I will be bringing it to Hanna Antiques this week, a part of me want to re-upholster it into something fun and keep it for myself!
So, I am super excited about this vintage to antique settee below. I would love to see it at the end of a bed for putting on shoes, in a wide hallway for a great reading area, or in a limited space home. The exposed wood provides a smaller profile to fit into smaller spaces. And, it is comfortable. Oh, if only I have a client right now that needed this item!

Note how much space is left in the Prius!

Love to think that I can easily fit a settee into the car. Prius' are the best!

Pretty carved leg, that is lightly bunged- easy fix.

Check out the pretty and simple upholstery! I think it is the second upholstery job on the piece.

Original tied springs and burlap webbing underneath the dust cloth on the bottom.