Vintage Gloves Are Making A Come Back!

As fashion styles revolve and return...so do fashion accessories, and vintage gloves are making a come back! Whether to wear to an opera opening...
to a friend's wedding...
or to a photo shoot... Some people like something historically special, as these post WWII black kid leather gloves from the U.S.A. zone of Occupied Germany...
I had been amazed when I first saw the stamp inside... So...as gloves have returned to the fashion world...isn't it better to buy vintage? Vintage gloves are a wonderful accent to a special outfit, to make it stand out... Vintage Ladies Cream Hand Sewn Gloves Bead Trim Size 6 1/2
they come in so many color choices and fabrics... Vintage 1940s Ladies Long Navy Gloves MWT Size 6 1/2
and some have never been used. They are in mint condition...still with the original tags attached, as these two pairs of gorgeous vintage gloves! Vintage gloves, with a vintage hat and purse...now, don't get me started.... :O)

Luv2LuvAntiques 'The Vintage Linen Restorer' Is A Happy One Indeed!

I am a restorer of vintage and antiques, and I especially luv to restore the vintage printed tablecloths and tea towels of the 1930's to 1960's. It is especially gratifying to find others who appreciate vintage linens of the past, and really like using the lovingly used ones!
I found these two vintage towels at an estate sale, thrown willy-nilly, with a bunch of other linens on a long table. They had horrid stains, and most people would think they were destined for the 'rag bag', but not 'this' linen restorer! After hours of soaking, and suncrofting on the line outside, they had but a few very pale spots, and the lovely bright color of the Chicken Today towel caught the eye! The poor Carousel kitchen towel was so faded, but with the much needed TLC...the textured fabric just 'popped'! The lady who purchased them from my etsy shop, left feedback saying how much she loved the towels! :O)

Luv2LuvAntiques Will Help You Reminisce!

Luv2LuvAntiques is truly a 'vintage picker' with a passion...a passion for collecting! So, as I collect 'new' old things...I must part with some of the 'old'! Two of my favorites may take you back to the 1950's, and help you reminisce...or for the younger set, help you discover the fabulous '50's!



Vintage 1950s 45 Record Case to help you remember the start of Rock 'n Roll!






Vintage 1950s Decoware Picnic Basket to reminisce about a simpler life!



Those lazy days of summer...at the beach!

Luv2LuvAntiques The Finder of Lost Vintage?

I've had yet another heartwarming experience to share with you! A lady contacted me by phone, about this lovely Vintage Schumann Dresden Flowers_Empress_Demitasse Teacup and Saucer, that she had purchased from my website. She had been searching for it for a long time. Her cousin had found it on my website, as she had been enlisted in the hunt! Apparently the vintage teacup and saucer that arrived at her home today, will take the place of the one, that has a chip on the cup, and a lovingly glued together saucer. She has the teapot, creamer, and sugar, to go with the original teacup and saucer, that had been a wedding gift over 36 years ago! This gives her the chance to use her tea set again! Apparently the original is sitting on display in her china cabinet...too broken to use, but too loved to part with! :O)

The Vintage 'Picker' Finds The Perfect Match!

I've been selling antiques / vintage for years...I hate to think how long! LOL The most satisfaction I have, is finding the 'perfect fit'...matching the 'perfect' item to the 'perfect' person! Definitely, very few antique or vintage pieces are 'perfect', but it seems that way when an item is 'matched to a person in the most 'uncanny' way!
Take for example...the framed 1900's advertisement for an early typewriter, that was purchased by a teacher who had the very same typewriter! She was so happy to hang it up in her home office!
Another lady was thrilled to purchase a 1970's Tinkerbell lunch box with thermos, that was just like the one she had when she was a girl!
More recently, a N.Y. nautical designer purchased a vintage 1970's men's nautical flag bathrobe from me. It was the 'perfect fit', in more ways than one!
But the latest one touched my heart...a lady emailed my website asking me if my vintage 1940's rosary bracelet was still for sale. She said her home had been robbed while she and her hubby were out on a date! All her jewelry had been stolen except what she was wearing. One of the stolen items had been a vintage rosary bracelet with alot of sentimental value. She wore it to remember her deceased aunt. The rosary bracelet I had, looked just like it! It was a match! :O)

Luv2LuvAntiques Looks At Pricing Antiques / Vintage

Vintage 1960s Crocheted Bedspread Blanket Pastel Colors Handmade Shell Pattern SALE


I started to reply to a discussion posted at IAntiqueOnline.ning.com, one of my favorite social network sites, and found that my answer was becoming a blog...so here I am....
The question was:
What is the typical markup for an antique or collectible dealer between what they would buy an item for and what the asking price is? For instance, a dealer buys a cameo at an estate sale fro $20 - what will the price tag say on it in the store?


This is my answer:
With vintage / antiques there is no typical markup! The amount of mark up depends upon whether it is a 'brick and mortar' store, or an online store. When you are at a store in a certain locale, you may not be able to sell antiques / vintage for the higher price as in a larger city, or other region. Some items are not popular in one locale, and there is much supply, as in vintage linens, and in other places they are scarce, higher priced, and in demand.
With the example of the cameo: It depends on what type of cameo you have. Is it a vintage plastic or synthetic cameo, or is it an antique shell cameo? Is it finer quality? What condition is it in? And is it costume jewelry or fine gold?
There are alot of factors to take into consideration. I'm only selling online now, and I research what prices of similar items are online, at different venues. There is a wide range of pricing, from too low to very high. I try to price in moderation, unless I have a very rare item. You have to consider the economy right now, and whether you wish to sell an item quickly or wait for the suitable buyer. The main thing is to do your research!
Also, sometimes I find terrific bargains, and I certainly wouldn't price the item at 3 x my cost price for example, whereas other items I've paid more than I'd wanted to, and cannot ask 3x the cost price. Alot of it depends on what item you are selling, and how rare and unusual it is.
You cannot use the typical retail store markup, as retail stores may have a markup of 100%! Selling vintage / antiques is different.


I've seen alot of people listing vintage online at 'give-away' prices, that must be doing it for a hobby, as they certainly cannot be making any money, or need it. This practice is hurting the online selling market for small dealers, and devaluating vintage in this recession! People new to vintage expect deals like at a WalMart store. Also, vintage in excellent condition is getting harder to find. I have found that the mentality today is 'buy on sale' more than ever before! Most people are being very careful with their money.
If you are thinking of listing online have a bit of leeway in the pricing, that you will be able to put an item on sale. People luv sales! For example, at my etsy shop, I put different items on sale at different times, at different markdowns, just to make things interesting! Sometimes the customer may find a really great deal on an item, if I found it at a bargain price, as I like to pass the savings on! I like to think of myself as the vintage treasure hunter at estate sales, yard sales, and thrift stores, while my potential customer is 'treasure hunting' online!

Luv2LuvAntiques Luvs Buried Linen Treasure!

This is a surprise find from a few years ago! I purchased a 'Lot' of vintage linens on ebay. Among the linens was a barkcloth covered pillow. I thought I would remove the 1950's barkcloth pillow cover and wash it. My hubby volunteered to remove it with my seam ripper, while he watched T.V., so I could keep listing items for sale online.





I didn't list very much that night, as we both had our interest piqued, when the removal of the barkcloth cover, revealed a much older pale yellow ticking fabric beneath, possibly 1930's to 1940's!





As my hubby removed the ticking cover, the suspense was 'killing' us! Just like buried treasure...this 1924 Folk Art Pillow was revealed!





I have no idea of the value of this pillow, but I'm sure any Textile Museum would luv it! It is made with real velvet fabric pieces! As a 'vintage linen luver' I think it is priceless! I plan on passing it down in the family! :O)

Luv2LuvAntiques Quandary Live Model Or Mannequin?

Vintage Ladies Green Penoir Set Nightgown Nightie Nightwear at Luv2LuvAntiques.com


Luv2LuvAntiques has a perplexing question! Live model or mannequin?
I have seen many vintage / antique sellers using mannequins, to display clothing and accessories in their photos for listings. Others have used human models. I have tried both!
If you have an attractive background arranged, with your mannequin or model ready and in position, suitable lighting, and a good quality digital camera, you are all set to go! A great advertising 'gimic' doesn't hurt either! And you have to think about who your 'target' audience is.
A while ago, I was watching a vintage fur stole auction on ebay. The seller had used a very attractive female model, wearing blue jeans that fit 'quite' well! As described in the listing, the fur stole was not the 'true' "Autumn Haze" brand name, which is valued at a much higher price, but it still sold around the $400.00 mark! In my opinion, many of the masculine persuasion were bidding!



Vintage 1940s Mens Smoking Jacket Robe Mint at OldFashionedCharm.com


There are many variables involved with photography. One of them is to be adaptive when forces beyond your control are involved, such as dealing with 'Mother Nature' in taking outdoor photos!
Joan, my lovely mannequin in the penoir set, was still as could be, while I dealt with light breezes, and nightgown arrangement. My adorable hubby, on the other hand, began squinting with the sunlight in his eyes. Although I told him how handsome and dashing he looked in the 1940s robe...just like Cary Grant...it was to 'no avail'! He became impatient so I took the photo quickly.
I did receive comments from ladies, about my hubby modelling, but I don't think they were looking at 'just' the bathrobe!
The great thing about mannequins...they don't talk back! :O)

Luv2LuvAntiques Luvs The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guides!

I am a member of The Vintage List Online Directory, a website featuring the selling sites of many vintage shops, and their blogs!
Thank you Mitzi for featuring my items in your Holiday Gift Guide! :O)
Please visit The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide for Gifts For Him, Gifts For Her, Gifts For Cooks, and much more to come!





Gifts For Him - The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide


Gifts For Her - The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide


Gifts For Cooks - The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide


Gifts For Kids - The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide

Vintage Oriental Hand Fans...Great For 'Hot Flashes' or Old Fashioned Flirting!

Vintage Floral Hand Painted Oriental Hand Fan


Let's face it...vintage is coming back! One such item is the Vintage Oriental Hand Fan. Whether you are at work, or at play, a vintage hand fan will come in handy!
It is very difficult to 'lug' a plug-in fan to work, and sometimes it can get very uncomfortable due to the weather, or the A/C not working! A little folding vintage fan will circulate the air in front of your face, plus give you some much needed exercise! Also, if you're like me...in the menopausal stages...you may need your little fan, as your own internal thermostat is malfunctioning!
Let's not forget the younger gals...you may find your little hand fan helps you flirt with that great looking man sitting a short distance away! You can pretend to use your hand fan for the heat, but can peer over at him demurely, inbetween waves of the fan! Take lessons from Miss Scarlett O'Hara in 'Gone With The Wind'!



Vintage Cherry Blossoms Chinese Floral Hand Fan

Favorite Vintage Jewelry Doesn't Have To Match...

Sometimes the best vintage costume jewelry is not the most expensive, or a set, for that matter. It's the pieces we luv, and that catch our imagination! One of the eras that captures my imagination is the 'Roaring '20's'!
Two of these pieces may be from the 1920's, as they sure look old enough to be from a 'flapper'...the brass / bakelite bangle, and the long green beaded necklace. The green / blue beaded earrings, I am guessing to be from the 1940's, but this 'set' of three that I have put together is fun to wear! They complement each other!

The Benefits of Owning a Jewelers Loupe...

I had put off buying a jewelers loupe for quite sometime, but finally I did go to a gold and gem shop that sold them. I found the loupes to be very inexpensive; mine was only $18.00 + tax.
Since then I have used it constantly at estate sales, collectible malls, and rechecking my own collection of vintage costume jewelry. The print on top of the jewelers loupe is wearing off...I have used it so often! I'm pretty sure it was 10x magnification. The shopkeeper had said that was the strongest I would need for my 'treasure hunting'.
Just recently I have found designer names on some of my vintage costume jewelry, and I found a very tiny STG with a hallmark, for sterling silver, on the backings of a pair of rhinestone earrings! I'm so glad I finally bought my jewelers loupe! :O)









Vintage Sterling Silver Rhinestone Dangling Earrings at BlackRain4's Etsy Shop

The Fine Line Between 'Vintage Picker With A Passion' or 'Vintage Hoarder'!

Collecting vintage and antiques can become very addictive! I'm a 'case in point'! It is a very fine line between a 'vintage picker' and a 'vintage hoarder'!
As I was watching an episode of the 'American Pickers', on the History channel, it showed a man who let Mike and Frank come to his place with the expectation to buy, and it was like 'prying teeth' for them to make any purchases. The man was asking very high retail prices for his antiques and vintage!
That show can be a great lesson for all of us 'vintage and antique lovers'. Continue the 'hunt' for your all time vintage treasure, but part with some of the ones you have...share your finds with others!
Here is a great example of a costume jewelry find, that I will never part with...at least I don't think so! LOL It is a 1930s Coral Floral Necklace, that came in the original company box. But..I had to put a piece of jewelry in my 'selling' pile....

My New Facebook Fan Page for Luv2LuvAntiques.com

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Come Join A Vintage Picker With A Passion On IAntiqueOnline.ning.com !

I am not a poet but a 'picker' be,
I cannot rhyme for the life of me,
But let an estate open it's doors,
Or a dusty garage lay the 'old' on it's floors,
And I will be scrounging around in a whirl,
The 'Vintage Picker' will run like a squirrel!

Enough said of my sad condition,
My own truly state of perdition,
I need your help in my eternal quest,
In seeking knowledge I will never rest,
So I join with friends at IAntiqueOnline,
To search for the ultimate 'treasure' divine.


Visit I Antique Online

Interesting Vintage Linen Stories...

I recently sold a southwest / Mexican Missions tablecloth at www.blackrain4.etsy.com , that is going to be in a new Mexican restaurant in Africa! A lady who is over there for 3 months of the year, with a  a non-profit organization that works with street children and orphans in the small town of Kitale, Kenya, purchased it. She said she will open a Mexican restaurant for workers, and the residents there. Also, she said that the native foods there have much the same ingredients, as Mexican food, but are prepared differently.
Does anyone else have an interesting story about a vintage linen they bought or sold? I'd luv to hear them!

Linen / Textile Designers of the Past!

Many textile designers of the past are famous for their colorful tea towel and tablecloth designs.

One of my favorite designers is Luther Travis! I especially luv his bright fruit and floral tablecloths!

He is well known for many designs of the 1960s.

One that is most familiar to vintage tablecloth collectors is his grape vine pattern on linen.

I did an online search for Luther Travis, and found an article from 2001, about his cultivation of 2,000 orchids in Manhattan. He is an active member, and supporter, of the Manhattan Orchid Society, as he is listed as a member on their website.

I found it very interesting to know that his luv of floral continues!
I think it is so cool to find out how one of my favorite vintage textile designers is doing! That really 'dates' me doesn't it? LOL

 

You can see it at my etsy shop: Luther Travis Grape Vine Tablecloth

Those Estate Sales Are Calling Me!!!

It is really difficult recouperating after knee replacement surgery, and not being able to drive...especially a new car that looks vintage!!!
Not that I need to procure more vintage / antique items, as the ones I have are too great to count, especially with all the jewelry pieces!
It's the 'vintage picker' in me that is crying out...my collecting addiction...my search for the next special 'treasure' that pops up now and then! For now, I am attempting to update my social networks, list a few things, and advertise on facebook and twitter. Now, all I have to do is beg my hubby to drive me to the next estate sale!!! LOL
For now, here is a gorgeous 1950s tablecloth, to tempt you, that I've listed at Vintage Floral Baskets Tablecloth :

Mini Vacation and Car Buying!

It's funny, but a year later, my DH and I are back in Houston, staying at the same Hyatt Hotel, and revisiting the Houston Museum of Natural Science, but this time for just one night. We came primarily for car buying, but had to revisit our favorite museum!
I have to be practical, especially in this 'day and age', and I've traded in my truck for a small car. Now we are driving a slightly used 2010 Chevy HHR, that only had a little over 10,100 miles, when we bought it! With it's fold down back seats, and added storage room at the back of the wagon, when you remove the hide-a-way cover, you can probably fit a small piece of furniture in the back! It's supposed to get 32 miles on the highway, and it will keep track of the miles...so 'it' will let us know! LOL
The HHR is very roomy inside for seating, rides really well, and has great 'pick up' for a little car!
It's modeled after the 1938 Chevy Suburban, so it reminds me of a prohibition 'gangster' car! A vintage looking car for a vintage couple! I luv it! We'll drive it for awhile and let you know what we think!
It does have plenty of room for my estate sale finds in the back, and a friend to accompany me in the front! And it will sure save me miles on the road! My car is a cool looking charcoal grey with running boards! :O)

Luv2LuvAntiques A Vintage 'Picker' With A Passion!

'Just a little note to tell everyone that I've been busy setting up business blogs for my other vintage and antique websites, that are interlinked. I hope to showcase 'treasures' I've found on the websites' perspective blogs.
I thought I would change the headlining banner here, so it won't be so confusing with my Luv2LuvAntiques.com blog.
This will continue to be my personal blog, and will definitely contain the 'rantings' and 'ravings' of an 'obscessed' vintage and antiques 'picker'!
I have a coworker, and friend, who luvs to accompany me on 'treasure hunts'!
We make the rounds at garage sales, and thrift shops, and stand in line for 'numbers' early in the morning before estate sales! 'Such is the 'life'!
The only difference is that she collects 'almost new' items for use in her home, and vintage gifts for her family. This is her way of 'going green'!
I'm a 'certifiable' vintage and antique 'picker', who luvs to resell my finds on Etsy, Bonanzle, and my websites...those I can part with, that is! LOL
I Luv2LuvAntiques...I'm a vintage 'picker' with a passion!



Vintage Cotton Floral Pink Roses Flanelette Blanket at www.blackrain4.etsy.com
this lovely blanket is listed at my Etsy Shop, and is on Sale right now! It would be perfect for your Country Cottage, Romantic, or Eclectic Decor!