Bella Rosa Antiques: October 2015

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Vintage Finds of the Week #20: A Wonderful Time for Selling!

I've been finding a ton of "new" vintage...

mostly packed in attic boxes!

I stashed away lots of Christmas

goodies and I'm pulling them all out,

which is great fun!

Plus a few other treasures, too.

There are a couple of things I picked

up this week while hunting with

Joyce from The Quilted Nest.

We really enjoy rummaging

but this wonderful Mid-Century

Nativity set called my name so I

really didn't have to rummage too

much for it. There are 17 pieces!

Found this in my jewelry stash.

And when I mean stash, I mean,

waiting to be photographed!

I think it is a dark amber intaglio.

Interesting "cameo" of a Roman soldier.

The Hubs bought this rhinestone heart

over the weekend. Would look

gorgeous on a coat lapel. Why wait

'til Valentine's Day?

And speaking of coats, I couldn't wait to pull this

mink coat out this Fall. It feels so nice on!

Hard to sell it, but I think I'm gonna try!

I researched this silver plate ladle and discovered

the pattern is called "OXFORD" from 1901

by WM Rogers and Sons.

If it doesn't sell right away I have

plans for it.

Here is a story you will get a kick out of...

I had to turn this photo upside down. Yes, I was

in a fog earlier this week and thought these pretty

butterfly beaded ornaments were Angels! I was

trying to have them stand on the two "legs" which

turned out to be antennae!
That is almost embarrassing.

Almost.

Chalking it up to baby brain.

(Shhh... don't tell anyone, Bebe is 7 now!)

These little guys are perfectly

shabby just the way they are!

Just add the candles (or not)

and they are good to go.

I was excited to pull these bells out

to photograph... even though the box has

seen better days and some of the bells

are M.I.A.

Still neat to see how they were originally

presented to the buyer in the 1950's.

Is this kitschy tablecloth cute or what?

I love it.

Sometimes I wish my English

Tudor décor was a bit more cottagey.

This makes a great kids table

covering... it is too small

for my dining room set and was

made for the typical

"4 member family"

of the 1950's.

I fell in love with Diorama ornaments a couple of years ago when I found my first one at the "Secret Shop Around the Corner" from my house.

(By the way, it just closed. Bummer.

Brick and mortar shops have

a hard time, don't they?)

I have to confess, I stopped going.

Their prices were just too high

and when I asked if they could do

any better I received a "NO."

Such is this vintage life! We all have a

difficult time buying at the right

price and selling at the right price.

I digress!

On the other hand, I have so many books to list I decided if I can grab a book a day I might get through the boxes in a couple of years. Seriously though, I have a lot.

I LOVE OLD BOOKS!

I enjoyed reading some of Ogden Nash's poetry, above.

One in particular about the seaside.

Will try to use it for one of my summer posts.

(If I can remember. Think upside down beaded

angel ornaments)

How about a little King Arthur,

Launcelot, or Guinevere?

If I'm going to buy old books,

I might as well find the classics, eh?

I"ve had this cute velvet bow pin
for two years. I actually missed getting it

listed last year... but made

sure I had it up this time around.

I can picture this on a 1950's

sweater or on a pair of ice skates!

With mini pin ornament pom poms! So cute.

Did someone say pom poms???
This tablecloth brings me right back

to my childhood in the 70's.

Litsed this in my

AntiqueRetroactive shop on Etsy.

This sweet couple made it there, too.

I just love their "Dickens" appeal.

Slightly shabby, too.

Hope you enjoyed my ramblings

today ... and well, my finds, too.

My two Etsy shops are

getting stocked:

BellaRosaAntiques

AntiqueRetroactive

Enjoy the weekend!

Linking with:

Vintage Inspiration Party

What's It Wednesday

Vintage Charm

Pink Saturday

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Let's Talk Vintage #55: Tools of a Vintage Seller's Trade

Welcome to Let's Talk Vintage!

This week I am taking a closer

look at the tools of the trade for

online sellers. I know my

fellow dealers will know exactly

what I am sharing already!

Before I start, I just want to

mention the four of the most important

items you need to choose before you start:

* How you will get your store online:

Computer, tablet, or Smart phone?

* How will you take your photos:

Smart phone or digital camera?

* How will you edit your photos?
Editing software or online website?

* Where will you sell your items?
A site like Etsy or maybe your own website?

Back in the early days of

online selling... I used to take

photos using FILM and have

them developed! Oh yes!

Then, a friend scanned

them for me and resized them.

I had to pay to have the photos

uploaded to the internet.

Crazy! Not to mention I was

borrowing my roommates

computer and paying half of

the monthly internet fee.

Fortunately, things have progressed

technically! Now it is MUCH easier!

So, if you're thinking about selling online,

these are some of the basic tools

you will need to make things go smoothly.

Magnifying glass, sharpies, hole punch,

mini screw drivers, pliers, and a measuring tape.

Also, a ring sizer.

I use the sharpies for blacking out

words or symbols on (used) shipping

boxes that I don't want to interfere with the

buyer's destination... and the red sharpie

for writing "FRAGILE" on the

outside when shipping breakables.

In my humble opinion, the boxes

have to used. If I had

to buy them, I'd be out of business.

Screw drivers and pliers are for

anything from a vintage toy

with a battery compartment

to broken jewelry clasps.

The pencil is for erasing marks

that were made inside old books

or for removing old dealer prices.

I use the hole punch for keeping

my copy of the invoices in a notebook.

And speaking of invoices, you will

need a printer and plain old copy paper.

This measuring tape is what I have draped

around my neck all day long. It

is like my doctor's "stethoscope."

I give measurements for practically

everything I sell. It is one of the top

questions people have when buying online.

"What size is it?"

I like to place vintage books, ephemera or clothing

in plastic bags... you just never know

what the weather is going to be

like where your send your items.

A calculator for when I have

online sales and need to take discounts.

And don't forget weighing packages!

This is the postal scale I use.

We bought it years ago on

Craigslist. This thing has been

a tough little bugger.

"It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin!"

(Who remembers what commercial that was for?)

And of course, now that I've said this,

it will conk out on me!

I can't tell you how many times I use

Windex a week. Clean items are a must!

Jewelry looks better when

placed on a stand... I have

several in white and black.

China plates or smaller framed

prints look great on a plate

holder or easel. Sometimes

I use them when taking

pictures... but also when

selling at an antique show

or flea market.

When a package needs to

be wrapped up ... my

shipping tape holder

is my best friend!

You'll also need things like

tissue paper, bubble wrap,

shop labels, business cards etc.

This handy dandy loop is perfect for

finding hallmarks on jewelry.

I will need it soon, as

the crazy jewelry sale I wrote

about here and here, is coming up.

Also for jewelry:

A scale.
If I need to describe the weight in

grams, I use this.

For taking pictures of long jewelry,

clothing or accessories, a dress form

is a huge help.

I'm looking forward to using my

Etsy reader more...

I haven't done too many shows

but this will be great for accepting

credit cards.

When the hubs and I had a booth

we needed things like Liquid Gold

for cleaning furniture, paint for

updating furniture, fabric for seats, etc.

I've also recently started checking

plastic items to see if they are bakelite

by using Simichrome polish.

Hope you enjoyed a peek into

the tools I use for my trade.

It has been eye opening, even

for me, I didn't realize how

many things I use!

If you are really interested and

just starting out, here is a

list of what I mentioned here

today so you can copy and paste it:

1. Computer

2. Camera or smart phone

3. Printer and paper

4. Magnifying Glass

5. Measuring Tape

6. Postal scale

7. Jewelry Scale

8. Ring Sizer

9. Shipping Tape

10. Shipping Tape Dispenser

11. Used Shipping Boxes

12. Bubble wrap

13. Newsprint Paper

14. Tissue Paper

15. Pencil with Eraser

16. Plate Easel

17. Simichrome Polish

18. Windex or other cleaner

19. Black and Red Sharpies

20. Hole punch and Notebook

21. Mini Tool Set
22. Dress Form
23. Jeweler's Loop
24. Plastic Bags (various sizes)
25. Business Cards or Advertising Postcards
26. Calculator
27. Jewelry Stand
28. Paint or stain for updating furniture
29. Photo editing software or website
30. Credit card reader

Now you know Rome wasn't built in a day. I didn't start
out with all of these things. They are what I have acquired over the years. Hope you can use any or all of the tips I gave. I still meet people who say they want to sell online but are not sure where to start. May this be a boost to someone... happy selling!