Second Hand Rose, Black Friday and a Schuffle Across the Aisle

I'm ready for the December sale but it was a struggle this month.  The time between the November sale and the December sale was the shortest it can be.  Then it was decided that we should be open on Black Friday which shortened the set up time by another 5 days.  And I moved this month, a short schuffle across the aisle, but the entire November had to be disassembled and reset.  I was at the shop getting set up until 8:30 PM on Thanksgiving, but I was ready for the Black Friday sales.  Since then I've added a few pieces and reset a few pieces and hauled a few pieces for outside the shop.

 

 This is a cool 100 y.o. homemade ladder.  I wouldn't crawl up on it, but it will make a great decorating piece leaning on a wall or suspended from the ceiling.

 I really like this sleigh bed, it will make a cool Christmas tree stand.  (Kris did point out that the two curved uprights in the front look like cobras).

 Two of the school locker units made it to Buffalo.  This on is outside and has great festive holiday color.

 The buffalo and deer mounts are on top of pieces of old tin siding.

 Chilly Willy sits between two homemade Christmas candles from 1947.  They are all atop an antique desk that has been cut down to coffee table height.

 The other locker unit sits on the border with the next space.

 Nice stained glass window also hangs above the line.

 The coat is Labrador seal.  I tried to convince Babe that this is what happens to naughty Labradors, but he knew that he isn't a seal.

 The State had 100's of these signs made for the old rural burning permit program.

 A very weird box covered with a 1938 license plate.

 Gooseneck soup.

 The best stove topper that I've ever owned.

 School map of the World circa 1964.

 The red sign on its side is the tail of an old battery charging windmill.

The stop arm from a school bus.

Mr. Flannery

More Furniture Dancing This Week

I did it to myself again tonight.  I bought 9 heavy steel locker units from an on line auction.  They are beautiful but will involve a bunch of lifting and tugging to get them on my trailer and to the shop.

 

I also bought a pallet filled with 12 vintage stage lights.  I guess that I will be making industrial lamps this winter.

Mr. Flannery

I Do Like the Swans

The weather's getting colder and many of the denizens of the Great White North are headed south for their winter vacation.  The lake that I live on is deep and usually remains open well into December.  This means that many of the birds headed south congregate on the lake.  My favorites are the swans.  They feed right off my shore and are probably less than 50 feet from my office.  Right now there are about 100 swans, hundreds of geese and ducks and a couple of Artic loons right outside my door.  The swans are fearless in their element.  Babe will charge to the shore barking.  The swans will slowly paddle another 2-3 into the lake and honk at Babe.  Babe, who has learned that trying to swim after them is a losing proposition, walks away and the swans paddle back the 2-3 feet that they given up.

The photo was taken from my office door.  Sunny, but cold here on the tundra.  And the swans are wonderful to watch.

Mr. Flannery

The November Hog Pen at Second Hand Rose

It was a tough weekend for me.  I spent most of the day both Saturday and Sunday getting my space ready for the November 2013 sale at Second Hand Rose in Buffalo, Minnesota.  The other dealers have their spaces in their usual spectacular holiday order.  And as usual my space has the hogs lined up from wall to wall and floor to ceiling.  I have one of the most diverse presentations ever.  There is the strange, the unusual, the one of a kind and even a great big "what the hell is it".

 

I have 5 blow mold Christmas candles, four lamps that I assembled myself, 3 vintage Christmas tree stands,  2 cream can top urns and a heavy steel horse sign.

 

 A hundred year old buffalo head mount.

 A steel double sided Appaloosa Horses sign

 illuminated by a homemade spotlight on a steel stand.

 A cello in front of a steel ledger desk and

 next to a table that I made.

 Maple top work bench with a tray full of deer

 antlers and other cool things.

 The "tree" on the slab top table is a US Forest

 Service message board from 1937.

 This great old green cased clock is atop

 two coffee tables and under two end tables.

 Cast iron pot belly stove topper will make a great

 center piece on a holiday table.

 Four cast iron stands painted blue, pink,
yellow and white a long time ago.

 5 vintage blow mold Christmas candles next to

 2 big school roll up maps.

 Another great old wall clock atop a milk/butter mixing calculator.

Leather suitcase.

Everything is ready for the sale. So I can do some real work this week.

Mr. Flannery

Two Industrial Style Lights

I have been working on a few lamps for the November sales at Second Hand Rose and Gypsy Lea's.  I've assembled them out of picking and auction finds and they have a definite industrial vibe.

The first lamp is assembled on a the base from a DeLaval Cream Separator.  It is has galvanized pipe and a recycled socket stacked on the top.  The shade was on a lamp I bought at an auction.

 The original brass plaque is still attached to the base.

The second lamp is an industrial spotlight from the iron mines near Gilbert, Minnesota and the base is a tripod from a surveyor's transit that I got at a garage sale about 1/2 mile from my house.

 The 300 watt bulb still works after a year banging around in my garage.

I already have two made up lamps at the shop and hope to have one or two more built by sale time.

Mr. Flannery

October at Second Hand Rose in Buffalo

It's been a long end of the month here on the tundra.  I had set up at Second Hand Rose and prep for the Antiques Show in St. Paul happening at the same time.  Well I got a preliminary set up at SHR and the trailer loaded for the St. Paul show.  The show was OK but we were set up outside and it rained most of the day on Saturday.  I finished my set up at SHR on Monday evening.  I am very pleased with the way that it looks.

 

 Snowshoes atop fretwork, a typical hog pen display

 

 Pat and I share the over the door space.

3 members of the herd made it there

for the sale.

One of my favorite pieces.  A 1948-50

internally lit globe with a cast airplane base.

 

 A milk can top cut off and turned

over into a great primitive urn.

 6 Franciscan goblets c. 1975.

 The top globe is also lit and from about 1970.

 The back from an antique National cash register.

 Handy Junior Button Machine.

 New old stock milk pails from an old hardware store.

It should be a very good sale.  The other spaces look wonderful with the Roses doing their usual glorious job of arranging.

Mr. Flannery