Vintage Spotlight – Stripey Splatter Painting
Found this super cool oil painting with original wood frame at The Vintage Collective in Long Beach. Signed Rhyne ’74
Vintage Spotlight – Folk Art Carved Penguin
Another vintage find! This super cool carved modernist penguin with brass beak and feet made of pine soft pine. Reminded me quite a bit of Hagenauer’s carved pieces. Love the sectioning of the different pieces of wood.
Vintage Spotlight – Carved Folk Art Partridge
Found this cute lil mid century guy recently. Reminds me of the Partridge Family! He has oxidized legs and little feather on its head with carved eye. I originally thought the body was inlaid but it seems that it was artfully stained in sections.
The Rare and Elusive Boxing Glove Squirrel Tailed Cactus
So my hubs and I were browsing Marukai (formerly super 98 cents Marukai) and found this totally kickin’ fake cactus. It totally had arm-like looking appendages ripe for decorating. So we brought him home, made some clay boxing gloves for him and stuffed a little brown squirrel tail for his backside. Although it looks like he is outgrowing his planter enclosure as it’s cracking down one side. Hopefully I don’t have to re-plant him.
Vintage Spotlight – Original Uten.Silo New In Box
Snagged this super cool original Uten.Silo at opening day of the LA Flea Market! I’d never seen one in person and this one was still in it’s original box with original mounting hardware. It wasn’t a very interesting box otherwise I would have taken a picture. Even the silver “Design M, Ingo Maurer” label, was still attached in the lower right corner. I’d never heard Ingo Maurer’s name associated with this before, only Vitra but apparently they were the original manufacturers.
It’s one of the most fun things do decorate with. I loaded it up with Walter Bosse and Auböck brass along with some Ikea paintbrushes, leftovers from the wedding and my Andy and Conan dolls.
Walter Bosse Hedgehog Dishes: How to Spot the Differences
I’ve been collecting Walter Bosse items for a few years and have decided to compile a guide. Here’s a list on spotting the differences between all the stacking hedgehog ashtrays out there. Remember, Bosse spent most of his later years fighting copyright cases for his items, mostly over this set of hedgehog trays. They were among his most prolifically stolen designs. As far as I know, Bosse only produced these trays in brass, never in aluminum/pewter or ceramic, though he did work with aluminum later in life.
First off, the only image out there I know of a real Walter Bosse set of hedgehog ashtrays is a picture of a Bosse catalog page from the book Walter Bosse: Leben Kunst und Hanwerk 1904 – 1979. Though it’s almost 100% in German, even if you can’t read German it is an amazing resource on Bosse’s work. Also, check out ModernViennaBronze.com for more history on Bosse.
REAL – In the catalog picture above, note the length of the nose and shape of the spines. They are all rounded and polished to a slight fade as opposed to a sharp polished line. This set seems to be most like the set of hedgehogs pictured below. In my experience, the quality of these trays is the highest out of all the hedgehog trays out there. This version’s nose seems to be shorter than the one in the picture and the slope of the trays seems to be shallower; I have seen similar sets of trays with a slightly longer nose and higher sloped trays. In my opinion, both long and short nosed sets of trays were probably made by Bosse but with different molds. Bosse’s work tends to differ greatly from mold to mold even within the same model as everything was handmade. The smallest hedgehog is less detailed in this set, with the legs just being a incised X on the bottom. They also come in an all polished brass version.
REAL – Also, the above hedgehog dishes seem to be more consistent Bosse’s later more “rough” and rounded works (less sharp angles and a more handmade look). He used a clear coat on most of the trays that tends to yellow a bit over time and become brittle but can be polished off. On the note of polishing: I am all for polishing brass areas of tarnished pieces as the play between light and dark for his so named Black Golden Line, was Bosse’s original intent for the pieces. I use Wright’s Brass Polish.
REAL – Second set of trays is the “sharper” version. This set is less consistent with the catalog pictures. It is slightly lower quality in my opinion (spines often come pre chipped and pitted from the factory) but still very much consistent with Bosse’s style of production. Note the sharpness of the polishing lines on the nose, ears and spines. There is very little fade between gold and black and the polishing on the nose does not continue on the underside. The shape of nose and spines are very sharp and not rounded. The smallest hedgehog is also much more detailed with more elongated legs. Also, the interior of the eyes are drilled out and polished inside, which was not done as often. Also, notice the slight dip in the underside of the nose of the dish, not straight like the first set.
This set also comes in a green oxidized patina, which either happened over time to the trays or was added at the time of production (not sure). In my opinion, this style could still have been produced by Bosse but possibly at an earlier time as it is more consistent with his earlier more sharply polished figures.
FAKE - Next come the Aluminum sets. From what I have read, this aluminum set was done as a promotional giveaway for an airline. They are marked on the bottom with some sort of “MB” mark which is apparently the mark of the airline that gave them away. Most people think the “MB” is “WB” intials for Walter Bosse… not true. I have never seen an original set of Bosse hedgehog trays with markings. If you see a set that is marked beware! They are also considerably lighter (being made of aluminum) with polished nose and spines and incised fur, eyes and ears. Still very cute but not produced by Bosse.
FAKE – Next up is another set of aluminum trays. These are usually marked “Greece”. These are the lowest quality I’ve seen, with some having large cracks or fragments from casting that were not ground off. A bronze colored patina was usually applied over the aluminum to give it a darker and less silver color. The aluminum makes them much more light weight than their brass/bronze counterparts. They look very similar to the other aluminum ones, having the same incised details and body shape, but there are usually no polished parts. As far as I know, these were made as souvenirs and often come with their original cardboard boxes.
NOT BOSSE – Next comes the ceramic stuff! These trays were manufactured in Italy by Este for Bonwit Teller, a New York Department store. They came in white and yellow, with the white version having a 6 set and 4 set version while the yellow only had a 4 set version. The trays often have paper labels and makers stamps on the bottoms. All bowls have raised dots for eyes and rounded spines but no ears. Not made by Bosse but very good quality. I don’t say these are fakes because they are different enough from Bosse’s original designs to be considered separate.
FAKE – Next is a set of 4 ceramic dishes. They are glazed with black and sprayed at the tips with gold and have painted red eyes and noes. As you can see from the photo, the craftsmanship in these is not top quality (with the red paint for the eyes and nose ending up on the cheek). The gold spraying is an interesting take on the original Bosses but is very inconsistent from dish to dish (some have a lot and some very little gold). They are made in Japan by “Our Own” and sometimes include a paper label. Not made by Bosse.
And that’s it! If I find any more trays I’ll make sure to update this entry. If you have any info I’ve left out or made an error please drop me a line! Thanks and hope this helps! Keep collecting!
Vintage Spotlight – New Desky Bits
After going to PA and hanging out with our friends Eli and Amy we saw this super cool clock on their table. It is said, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (hopefully) so we bought one too! Funnily enough I had an Ebay saved search going for one of these already. It’s a United brand clock lamp from the 1950s with starburst parchment lining the sides, metal pierced front and gold ball feet. The sides have two bulbs that light up with the flick of a switch in the back. Not sure who came first but Snider makes something called the “Bowtie” clock lamp that looks very similar. It’s great mood lighting for a nice bedtime read.
Also in the pic are some new friends:
To further my owl habit, welcome this carved oak Owl with stained top by Matt Pugh. Love the mid century styling!
Stylized German painted teak Osterhase or Easter Bunny. It looks like a very early Erzgebirge model.
Another German teak, this time a giraffe. Reminds me of other Bojesen pieces or possibly even Zoo Line stuff. Has little black painted eyes and a hemp tail.
Vintage Spotlight – Sascha Brastoff Alaska Ceramics
A few original Brastoff ceramics from his Alaska series. The painting is so ahead of its time, it totally fits in with Fleet Street Scandal, Shag, Adam Cruz from House Industries and Sanjay Patel from Pixar. Even looks a little pinstripey and spray-paintey with the beautiful gradients. If the cool painting wasn’t enough, most of his items also have gold gilding throughout.
Brastoff seemed to be quite a prolific and interesting character and fellow Los Angelino! He was an aspiring film star and quite the socialite in the 50s. He is still relatively undiscovered as of late so you can get items pretty cheaply. I definitely see sky high prices in the near future as more people discover him!
Tiki Mug
Tiki Planter
Igloo Bud Vase
My New Business Cards!
Printed up some awesome new business cards at the International Printing Museum with metal type! I can’t get enough of the museum. It’s my new playground. Check out the full post on my husband’s blog HERE.
DIY – Hand Latch Hooked Psychedelic Shag Rug
Diagram from Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement - 1 (A-AME) pg. 92-93
I don’t know if anyone knew this, I used to be a hook-er. Latch hook-er that is! Har har. Last year I decided to take on my first real rug hooking project (besides the happy face rainbow ones from childhood). I got the idea while looking through one of my Good Decorating and Home Improvement books. In it was a guide on making a rug into a back-lit wall hanging. I knew I had to try and make this rug! So I bought some precut acrylic yarn, a dense 5 mesh 36″ x 60″ canvas and grabbed my old latch hook tool. I printed the design at full scale, gridded it out, traced it on the canvas and made a color legend so I knew which colors went where. The finished rug took about 9 months!
Vintage Spotlight – Enzo Mari 16 Animali Puzzle for Danese Milano
I’ve always wanted one of these puzzles and was SUPER excited when I finally found one! It’s definitely the epitome of mid century design.
This is the 1972 expanded resin version for Danese Milano and is stamped on the elephant. It even came with the original lid to the box! I definitely prefer this to the wood one because of its more durable nature and the pieces have a nice weight to them. Plus the resin makes a cool swirly pattern that you don’t get with the woodgrain. Definitely LOVE the fox and the camel shapes.
Vintage Spotlight – 12″ Glass Orb Terrarium with Teak Tripod Base
Lately I’ve really been obsessed with terrariums and wanted to try my hand at creating my own, but I was worried my “brown thumb” would get in the way. I decided to push on anyway and found an awesome mid century teak tripod base (originally went with a giant salad bowl) and went on the hunt for glass orb to fit. ShopGrounded was the only one that seems to have big glass orbs so I grabbed their 12″ one and it worked perfectly! For the cacti and succulents I tried some IKEA ones but I think I over watered most of them and only one survived. So I used SucculentsGalore on Etsy for some small guys and soil mixture and headed to Home Depot for the rest.
I then topped off everything with a layer of small river rocks and made some tiny mushrooms and a little house out of clay. I liked the look of an angular white object juxtaposed with all the organic growth so I bought a Gigaminx puzzle cube for the empty corner. Then my Amanda Visell Tic Toc Apocalypse Griffin and Gnome decided to move in… VOILA! It keeps really well inside by the window and I water it every once in a while with an eyedropper. Is my “brown thumb” sprouting some green leaves?
Messing Around at the International Printing Museum!
So my newest favorite place in LA is the International Printing Museum in Carson, CA! I can’t believe I grew up in LA with this in my backyard and didn’t know about it. So the Hubs and I are now regulars and help out every Saturday that we can. Come down and visit us there and visit their Etsy store HERE
Anyway, I couldn’t resist grabbing this little flourish and making something out of it… it looked like an awesome little calligraphic pile of poo! So I grabbed some little lightning bolt border for stink lines and a star for the background… AND VOILA! I tried putting “PU” on one but not sure if it enhances or detracts. I’m still pretty crap at letterpress (I did try registering on a tabletop Vandercook hand proof press) but it’s SO MUCH FUN! I only wish it was bigger so I could make a poster of it for the bathroom.
Vintage Spotlight: Carl Auboeck Collection!
I’ve been lusting over Carl Auboeck’s brass hand and foot paperweights ever since I found out about Viennese Brass. Finally, I couldn’t wait any longer so I decided to go on a hunt for them. The foot was purchased at Hagenauer Gallery (if you want ANYTHING they have it!) and the hand was purchased directly from Werkstaette Carl Auboeck.
Funny thing happened… when the hand arrived it came in an AWESOME wooden box with a percentage sign on it. So I emailed and asked if the boxes came with everything and if there were more designs. Turns out the boxes are old-stock and they have a bunch of different patterns and sizes sitting in the back. So I decided to grab a few! Check out the boxes below, along with art-postcards of Auboeck’s work and the little surprise keychain that came with!
Vintage Spotlight: UPDATE – More Walter Bosse Brass and Display Case!
After visiting a friend’s letterpress shop we acquired an awesome old type drawer used for sorting metal fonts. The perfect place to store all my figurines! Some of the little guys are so small it can be hard to display them but I think type drawers are perfect for displaying them! You can find them on Ebay or on Etsy.
And… welcome the newest Editions to my collection. Two owls with “Baller” markings and a brass set of hedgehogs!
Owl Bottle Opener
Owl Letter Holder
Hedgehog Family Ashtray Set of 6
Vintage Spotlight: UPDATE – More Taxco Brass!
Please welcome the newest additions to my collection! All are marked with “Taxco” or “Hecho in Mexico” on the bottom.
Zebra Figure
Big FireHorse
FireHorse
Big Whale Ashtray
Whale Ashtray with Spout
Bambi Deer
Giraffe
Small Dachshund next to Biggie
Tiny Deer or Llama
Go Team COCO! CONAN O’BRIEN and ANDY RICHTER with Snake Dolls
Go Team COCO! Body and suit are made of 100% wool felt. Features black glass bead 3 button suit with white shirt collar and cuffs. Ties are hand painted on silk ribbon. Snake is hand painted with white on its belly, metallic green diamonds on its back and a red string tongue.
Conan is 15″ long x 4″ wide and Andy is 6.5″ tall x 7.5″ wide with 10″ long snake
Want more? Check out my store!
Walter Bosse Fox Featured on Ninon!
My Walter Bosse Brass fox was featured on Ninon in the “Special Wish List” post. Thanks so much to them for promoting my vintage wares and repping my Etsy store!
Check out the original post here and animals on Etsy here and get a piece of history =)
Black Friday thru Cyber Monday Sale! 15% OFF CODE INSIDE!
Come check out my Etsy shop on Black Friday thru Cyber Monday and get a 15% off coupon good for everything on the site. Just use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY10. Good until Monday the 29th at Midnight PST.
Vintage Spotlight: C Jere Enamel Owl
I have a thing for owls and was finally able to nab myself a blue enamel owl by C Jere. I was surprised at the beautiful detail and large size. I’m obsessed now and might have to get an orange owl friend for the opposite wall!
Remember… BUY VINTAGE!
Vintage Spotlight: Wooden Elephant Hidden Trinket Box
I recently found this super cute Elephant Trinket Box on my expeditions. It reminded me a lot of the animal boxes by Karl Zahn for Areaware.
His head opens up to reveal a little place to put small items. He has a mark on the bottom that I’ve not been able to find anything out about. Any guesses? I know it’s probably German.
Remember… BUY VINTAGE!
Twinkle Petit Star Letterpress Print On Haute Whimsy!
My letterpress Twinkle Petit Star Printwas featured on Haute Whimsy today! Thanks so much to them for promoting my DIY printmaking abilities and repping my Etsy store!
Check out the original post here and animals on Etsy here and get a piece of history =)
Vintage Curio Rope Pendant Necklaces On GENERAL MERRIMENT!
My red string pendants were featured on GENERAL MERRIMENT in the “Holiday Goodies” post. Thanks so much to them for promoting my vintage wares and repping my Etsy store!
Check out the original post here and animals on Etsy here and get a piece of history =)
Vintage Spotlight: My Vintage Walter Bosse / Hagenauer / Taxco Collection
I’ve been getting quite a bit of requests lately to put up pictures of my Vintage Austrian Brass and Walter Bosse collection. Ever since seeing the reproductions on DWR I fell in love with Bosse’s design! Rather than grab a repro I decided to do a little research and find out what Walter Bosse was really all about. Turns out, not only did he work in brass, but with pottery and ceramics as well.
And now… after A LOT of patience, learning a bit of German and 3 years of my life I’m pretty psyched with my collection! It’s been great and fun and an exciting journey. Always buy vintage I say!
Check out my ever growing collection here…
THE WHOLE COLLECTION!
Walter Bosse Pottery
Hedgehog Ashtray Copies by Este Italy
Vintage Taxco Figures
Marked Majolika
Marked Taxco
Marked Taxco
Marked Taxco
Marked Taxco
Walter Bosse Ribbon Prototype Bell – Authenticated by Bosse-art.com
“Handmade in Austria” sticker
Salt and Pepper Shaker with Donkey Holder
Newer Reproduction
Marked “Made in Austria”
Want to Start a Successful Etsy Store?
Want to set up your own Etsy store but feel overwhelmed at all the things to learn? Well no more! As the owner of one of the fastest growing new shops on Etsy, I’ve learned a great deal of what works and doesn’t work on Etsy and exactly the right mix to get those buyers biting! I’ve helped launch stores for businesses of all kinds with their own beautifully branded and successfully curated Etsy shops and would LOVE to help you too.
Here’s where I can help you:
-brand marketing and consulting
-store branding and merchandising
-analytics and tracking
-how to get the most from your listings
- professional pictures in a snap
-using tags and categories wisely
-AND much more!
Etsy Shops are super rewarding and once established, are great way to get your products, name and point of view out there! And a good shop can be almost 100% self sufficient. I want to help you get there!
… I’m giving out FREE consultations to anyone who thinks they may be interested in starting their own store. I am also available for consulting on existing stores that want to freshen up their look. Just contact me!
YAY, Front Page Featured Seller on Etsy!
In June (right before getting married) I was the featured seller on Etsy’s front page!!! Check out the Article below…
Before and After – Mr. Broken Turtle Stool
BEFORE
AFTER
THE BACKSTORY: This little turtle guy has been sitting around at my grandparents house for as long as I can remember. The story I’d always heard about him was that he was a project for an upholstery class that my grandparents took back in the 70s. So when I heard they were thinking of getting rid of it I decided to take him home. My husband wasn’t so happy about my decision to adopt this new member of the family, especially because I failed to realize the turtle’s leg had pretty much split at the screw. After a quick fix with some wood glue and a nut and bolt combo he was still banished by my husband to the garage cabinet for a few years until I could figure out how to make him presentable.
THE PROCESS: For some reason my grandparents thought it would be a good idea to upholster the turtle in tablecloth vinyl, which slowly deteriorated and became sticky… but I figured if my grandparents could upholster it than I could probably fix him up too. So, after looking through one of his favorite Etsy stores, my husband found a Union Jack footstool and fell in love. Just as he was about to buy it I suggested we save a little cash and try to make Mr. Turtle a new Union Jack shell. Knowing I would never find upholstery fabric with the right sized Union Jack I bought some Off White Bull Denim and fabric paint and got to work. The old fabric was only held by upholstery tacks on the front and tiny nails underneath. After removing everything I used the old stuff as a template for the new fabric. It just needed to be tacked and pleated every inch or so. Once the fabric was on I taped off the same-colored sections of the flag with painters tape and sponged on the color. After drying for about an hour I made a decorative band from extra Bull Denim and nailed it in place with the upholstery tacks! We’ve decided to name Mr. Turtle “Jack” and are looking for a suitable nametag to hang around his neck.
Vintage Walter Bosse Stacking Hedgehog Ashtrays On johnny&stacie!
My Walter Bosse Stacking Hedgehog Ashtrays were featured on johnny&stacie in the post “from the favorites”. Thanks so much to them for promoting my vintage wares and repping my Etsy store!
Check out the original post here and Fox on Etsy here and get a piece of history =)
Bonjour Tee On Rachelle D!
My BONjour Tee was featured on Rachelle D today in the post “Sailorific Adorned!!” … a perfect little collection of sailor inspired stuff! Thanks so much to them for promoting my DIY shirtmaking abilities and repping my Etsy store!
Check out the original post here and animals on Etsy here and get a piece of history =)
Vintage Walter Bosse Brass Bunny Candle Holder On Irene Design!
My Walter Bosse Brass Bunny Candle Holder was featured on Irene Design in the post “Wedding Cake Toppers” … a perfect application for the little bunny friends! Thanks so much to them for promoting my vintage wares and repping my Etsy store!
Check out the original post here and Fox on Etsy here and get a piece of history =)
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