Wibbly Wobbly Time & Mastering It All

I just read an article on Yahoo news about how time is subjective. Police officers can see bullets in slow motion when their adrenaline is running high. I believe this. I know that time goes all wibbly wobbly around the holidays, planning a wedding and when children are around. Apparently Dr Who was right. 

The biggest contributors to wibbily wobbly time! My 3 girls. 

I'm pregnant with our fourth child at the moment. It honestly feels like each day is 32 hours long. I don't think my due date is ever going to arrive! And then on the flip side, we just celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary and it seems like college wasn't that long ago. Time isn't static. 

I swear this is at its worst! Add this to the goal list: clean office

On that note, I have some major goals before the new baby presents itself. Like many vintage sellers/collectors, I have more inventory than I can quickly manage. So this summer I've decided to get it all listed, come baby or high water. So far I feel confident: this past month my assistant Hannah and I have added 310 items to our Etsy shop. Now only 2500 items to go!! 

Organizing aprons and assessing condition is easy with the right tools

This vast buildup of inventory sounds dramatic I know. You're likely picturing one of those hoarder houses from the Discovery Channel. So far, it hasn't affected the house too much. The biggest item in our home is the many bookshelves that are overflowing but I don't see those as a problem. To me books are as necessary as oxygen! But my garage is a different story. Wander into it and you could be seriously delayed by antique oil paintings, 1920s coffee grinders, old tin wind up toys, more books, and tons of more estate finds. You wouldn't starve though-my freezer out there is full and the pantry is full of summer canning. 

How I tend to negotiate with myself to get things done! 

The biggest hurdles that I've had to argue with, climb up and conquer have been motivation & consistency. Researching, describing & listing 3 similar items for sale is fine. But when faced with 40 like items, the fun seems to evaporate. I keep trying to remember this when I'm out buying from an estate. All that red & white 1940s enamelware looked so cool-but hauling home 12 boxes and inventoring it all wasn't much fun at all. Funny how our minds work! 

So tempting at the estate sale, but harder to deal back at the office

So now I'm opening a box and not stopping for any reason until it's cleaned, researched, photographed, listed on Etsy and put away in inventory. This has been a challenge, but for the last month I've been sticking to it and look at the progress! 310 items is nothing to sneeze at. If I can get it all listed by October, I'll be tickled pink. 


How do you deal with the fluctuations in time and all those tasks you've set aside? Or are you already basking in the glow of accomplishment having tackled your goals? 

Entering the World of Live Estate Auctions

It's been a long time since I've been to a live auction. For 12 years I attended them weekly and often more than one a week. I was part of the gang that hung out at the back, trying to bid undetected.

That changed when I had my first daughter. I learned that auctions are great for newborns that sleep all the time but a disaster for wiggly toddlers. I soon stopped attending and just got used to having my weekends to myself again.

These Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls sold for $1300.

This past Sunday I reentered that world I'd once held so dear. (My husband was hanging out with the kids for the day) My uncle & I drove 2 1/2 hours to an antique estate auction being held by one of my favorite auction houses. The auction was due to start at 1, so we arrived at 12:15 to have time to preview what was being offered.

Very old Georgian Period doll sold for $3500

The auction contained a toy collectors estate. Dolls of all kinds, dating back to the Georgian Era of the 19th century. Black Americana toys, Victorian mechanical toys, & lots of old teddy bears.

Folk Art doll that went for over $5k

The doll collectors came out in force. I watched as folk art dolls made around 1910 went for $5000. (note to self: pay attention to old folk art toys!) I saw the Black Americana toys get skipped over for lack of interest. (which illustrates how subjective value is-with the right audience these toys should have gone for thousands)

Black Americana folk art dolls didn't sell

I was surprised to see a Victorian mechanical rocking chair toy not getting bids. The auctioneer kept offering it lower and lower. Just as they were about to pass it I raised my paddle. I won! I wasn't planning on buying her, but I'm sure glad I did. She has the sweetest hand painted porcelain face. Her body has the original clothing, all her arms & legs and she sits in a wooden rocking chair. When gently wound she rocks back and forth with a loud tick tock sound.

Victorian Mechanical Toy that I won! 

Then they came to the teddy bears. I watched as the ones 12 inches and under in height sold. I waited. I checked out my competition. Two women were behind me bidding but they seemed more interested in the dolls. I listed and watched as they bid $11,000 between them on dolls. When the next bears came up, they were all spent and didn't even try to bid.

Small bears that sold for $300-400 each

I was waiting for the large bears. The largest was 38 inches high, giant for a bear. Perhaps he was a studio model for a store display? The others all ranged from 17 inches to 27 inches. When each one came up for bid, I waited for the British auctioneer to start. "Who will offer me $2000?" "Okay then, who will offer me $1000?" "$500?" "Come on now, no price for it!" "$250?" Okay then, who will give me $100?" Then the bids started to fly. I was able to win them for under $200 each. I couldn't believe it.

Here they are! For size I've included my 23 month old daughter. She's posing since I told her smile big.

Vintage & Antique Dolls: What To Do?

Huge 1930's Madame Alexander Doll

One of the areas that I enjoy but know little about is dolls. As a girl I tended to play with my older brothers Matchbox cars and build fairy houses in the woods. Dolls just wouldn't have survived outdoors on the 350 acres my parents were caretakers of.

Hard Plastic Baby Doll

I think dolls know this and thus gravitate towards me. They turn up in most estates and while I'm thrilled to see them lurking in trunks all wrapped up in quilts, I never can say "oh look, it's such & such." Pulling a doll up out of that steamer trunk means hours on the web and reading in books trying to identify her.

1930's Shirley Temple Composition Doll

Add to that the emotional ties owners have to the dolls and the pressure ratchets up. I hear sweet stories about the doll being a favorite given by Daddy that is rare, one of a kind, and very valuable. When I hear these stories I get so nervous. I want the dolls current value to live up to the high emotional price the owner has put on it.

1920's Frozen Charlotte Doll

I don't like to have things restored, because I know most collectors would rather be in charge supervising that task themselves. So I end up with old dolls in gently played with condition, old dolls in horrid condition and old dolls that were never played with and just admired. I offer them in as found condition.

Antique Ideal Doll, Metal Eyes

When it comes to vintage & antique toys, I am in heaven. I just need to take the time to learn more about dolls so I can smile when I see them instead of worrying. It feels like a massive task, but I'm going to try!

1970's Madame Alexander Doll

Where is Everyone?

I've been working round the clock lately to get things up and listed. Estates have been coming in like hotcakes and the wonderful women that help me list have been in hyper drive. Great items too-some hard to find antiques, some cool mid century & and of course, our foray into vintage fashion.

With all this work I was expecting results. I mean, it feels good to list items, get the shop organized and have business coming out of my ears. Those are great results. But I was expecting customers.

What's happened? Is it Spring? Is everyone outside all of a sudden, Etsy long forgotten? Is it the sad reality facing people around the world with wars and disasters? Are we not blogging enough? Not Facebooking enough? Or is it something I haven't really considered, like pricing or quality of items?

Are you buying vintage now? If you're not, why not? I have to admit, I'm not really buying much now. I'm more into purging and cleaning up than adding things. Plus I've just been spending my time finding items, working with estates and growing the business. Add in caring for the Baby, keeping up with my 6 & 8 year old daughters & trying to find time to sleep and you'll see why I'm not lounging around browsing the web.

Friday I took the day off and went out hunting for treasure. Found a bunch of great items. Tonight I'm working on getting them online.

While it's tough not to see business booming, it's still a great job. I love being surrounded by all these beautiful things.