Big E, little e

I've been in a buying frenzy now that my move-in date is imminent, shopping like crazy on eBay and dropping a few pennies on Etsy too. I'm starting to wind down, but I still have a few bids out. This is the fun part! Here are a few new things that will be making their way to the new modernist nest.

Vintage Danish candleholders
Don't let the nice picture fool you.
They arrived loose in a shoe box,
 without a speck of packing material...not even a little paper towel.
Luckily, they survived, but no thanks to the seller.

11" Scheurich bowl

Set of Dansk candleholders

Vintage handwoven wool wall hanging

Vintage carved bird

And a vintage folk art painted bird

And an Oiva Toikka Willow Grouse like the one we sold in the store months ago,

Signed de Simone bottle
When I looked back at a post I did on  Giovanni de Simone
 several months ago,I realized that I had included a photo
of the very same bottle as an example of his work.

Royal Haeger vases by Larry Laslo

Scheurich vase

And, yes, I'm so obsessive that I even have to have a spoon rest for my stove that I think is exactly right. Sad, I know...

Made in Italy, but probably new, from the looks of the stamp on the bottom

Bird fever

I've caught it again...bird fever!

We've sold some Oiva Toikka birds in the store, but I only have one of my own so far...a long-tailed duck that I bought back in July of 2011.

If you've never held one of these marvels in your hands or watched the amazing video about how they're made (first link above), I recommend that you do so. It's a beautiful experience.

Oiva Toikka Long-tailed duck

There are so many more I want...

Hiplu
panik-design.com

Grey Swan
2modern.com

Mirella
ratuken.com

Black Ibis
fancy.com

Fiskarina
uniongrantham.com

Curlew
finnishdesignshop.fi

Rusee Grebe
agilestcollections.com

Whooper Swan
iittala.com

A bird in the hand...

Forget two in the bush. It's worth a dozen at Design Within Reach.

Since I borrowed on a trite expression for today's title, I might as well continue in that vein and proclaim the theme of this post "Slow and steady wins the race." I've wanted an Eames House Bird by Vitra for ages upon ages, but I haven't wanted to pay full price for one. I pinned it to "Things To Buy Before I Die" on Pinterest. I have patiently and persistently searched eBay, Craigslist and Etsy for a bargain. I've seen relatively inexpensive replicas that ship from China, and I even considered buying one on eBay that ships from the U.K. (which, in spite of the seller's careful wording to imply that he made all ten of the ones he has listed by hand, I rather suspect they came from China too).

I was just about to give in and buy one of the fakes when a real one popped up on eBay at a great price. I waited patiently as two newcomers to eBay (with feedback of 3 and 34, respectively) jumped the gun and bid too early. But I didn't budge.

Remembering all too vividly the debacle of the other day when I forgot to bid on a Wirkkala vase I'd been watching for a week, I set numerous reminders and was poised on the edge of my seat as the final seconds of this auction ticked away. Then, at the last possible moment, I placed my bid...and BOOM! I won!!!

He (No name yet...I just call him "He.") arrived yesterday, to my great delight. The seller had said the only flaw was "a small paint blemish" on top of the beak, but it turned out to be so microscopic that it's almost undetectable by the human eye, so I was doubly delighted.

Hooray for eBay

How did we make it before eBay and Craigslist?  Aside from the obvious instant gratification it gives me, a self-avowed shopaholic, nothing makes my mid-century philosophy of "out with the new, in with the old" easier to put into action than having access to sellers and buyers from around the globe.

I miss many things about the days pre-Bay, but the limitations of using the classified ads section of the local newspaper aren't on the list.  Just this week I sold a Frank Lloyd Wright clock on Craigslist to a man from Dallas, which more than paid for my latest eBay purchases, a Raymor bowl from Hawaii and a great mid-century lamp from Oregon.

Here they are now, nestled all snug in their new home, just in time for the holidays:

The  $13 Raymor dish, alongside the Fenton piece I love so much

My "new" $29 lamp from eBay

Close-up of the lamp