Collecting vintage jewelry as a hobby

I love finding old vintage antique jewelry at estate sales, yard sales and on eBay.  When shopping online for vintage jewelry it is best to shop from reputable well known websites such as Ruby Lane, Tias,  Tocadero, and shop goodwill.  Vintage jewelry from different era's are really old gems, many pieces are intricate with the art nouveau period, and art deco era from 1920s to 1940s.  Design is very streamlined, bold and geometric in design. 

There are many different periods of jewelry designs in history, a lot of times the jewelry will tell its age because of the design and the wear on it.   Beware of fakes on the market from China;  it is better to shop on well known online antique shops, not the auction sites.

On auction sites there is a small risk of jewelry being reproductions; if purchasing for only private collection it would be risky but okay.  If you are purchasing vintage jewelry as a reseller than the jewelry should be verified as original piece regardless of price.  

Here are some photos of some of my pieces, I really don't spend a lot of money on these pieces but it makes feel good saving a piece of unique vintage jewelry history.



Chinese blessing charm http://www.savingshouse.blogspot.com

1920s scarab earrings http://www.savingshouse.blogspot.com

1933 worlds fair ring   http://www.savingshouse.blogspot.com

1940s era delft jewelry lot   www.savingshouse.blogspot.com

tiny delft ring really cute,  http://www.savingshouse.blogspot.com

1940's era travel gift Cuban wood pin  http://www.savingshouse.blogspot.com

Reproduction cameo pieces and 1970s era pin/pendent tiger pin.  Http://www.savingshouse.blogspot.com

Jelly Belly Spider Pin, starfish pin, vintage clip earrings http://www.savingshouse.blogspot.com

1960s Parrot pin  http://www.savingshouse.blogspot.com

Silver claddaugh friendship ring  http://www.savingshouse.blogspot.com

 

DIY Disaster Painting furniture

In today's current economy, many Americans are finding ways to save money and help the environment by recycling and up cycling vintage furniture and other items.  

There are many websites, magazines and cable TV shows that teach people to decorate using vintage furniture pieces.  Many of these resources teach how to paint furniture, change hardware and even create a totally different furniture piece from the original intended use of furniture.  An example would be TV armoires; these TV cabinets are no longer used because of Plasma TV's that could be hung on walls.  

These TV cabinets are being up cycled for other uses; some have been converted into craft centers, home office center, linen cabinets, even into wardrobe/ guest room closet.  This is a creative way to reuse good quality furniture that no longer is used as a TV armoire. 

Although, these articles and shows make furniture painting look easy; there are disasters that occur when furniture piece is not prepped properly for painting.

Many furniture pieces have a sealer or shiny finish on the furniture piece.  Most furniture pieces need to be sanded until the shiny finish is off; some furniture pieces need to be primed before being painted.   An example; furniture with a lacquer finish need to be primed and should be painted with a similar lacquer finish paint. Chalk paint is used as a preferred medium for furniture because there is no priming needed and can be sealed with soft wax.  I found amazing video painting on furniture with chalk paint.

After the furniture piece is painted; allow for two days to dry; then use a sealer to protect paint finish.   If painting furniture pieces for outdoor use; make sure the proper outdoor paint is used for the elements outside.  

Sometimes the best way to learn is trial by error; learning what works and what doesn't is the best method to learn and fix vintage furniture. 

Amazing video on using chalk paint for furniture

Start a Travel USA small town campaign

Congress is failing the American public; the tea party conservatives have control over John Boehner who is one of the worst House leaders in the history of Congress.  When the leader allows a loud minority control his actions, by allowing what would be brought to the floor to vote.; it demonstrates how ineffective a leader he is.   The job as a leader of the House is to allow legislation on the floor to allow members of both parties to vote, Boehner will not place Immigration reform on the floor because he knows that east and west coast republicans will vote for the bill.  By not allowing the vote, he is keeping these Republicans from voting on this bill, and the Democrats from ultimately passing the House. 

President Obama has taken actions on his own because republicans are determined not to pass any legislation to sabotage President Obama's agenda and weaken the US economy.  By Congress obstructing the President, the GOP has slowed down the economy; but hasn't succeeded in destroying it.  President Obama managed to pass tax increases and now after a decade of tax cuts; the US economy is slowly creating jobs about 9 million in the past six years; and the US deficit is dropping for the first time in over a decade.  President Obama has not been given credit for this by the media or the public; instead the media tends to allow the GOP criticism, false scandals to cloud Obama during his Presidency.  

With the inaction of Congress and the economy still not as robust as it could be if it weren't for all of the obstruction by the GOP; American towns should consider creating their own stimulus.

ABC started the made in America campaign about three years ago, since then Americans have shopped specifically for American made products creating new jobs in America.

What if small towns in America started a "travel our small town campaign" to attract Americans to spend their vacation dollars in America instead of foreign countries.  There are methods for small towns that may not have tourist attractions to attract Americans to visit their towns by creating tourist events such as art fairs, unique annual events created specific to that town.  An example is Roswell, Arizona where UFO enthusiasts have come to visit because of the story of UFO parts being found in a farm. Americans were told that the parts were from a weather balloon; many conspiracy theorists believe that it was a real UFO that crashed because of individual stories from citizens in Roswell area .

Another idea would be for neighboring small towns to pull resources together to form travel packages where tourists can visit each town where visitors can stay at these towns for a set number of days.   Local businesses could offer discounts as incentives for visitors to shop, and spend in local economy. 

There are many free methods for local towns to advertise their events or local travel deals; such as twitter, face book, You tube, other social media.   Press releases are free and is a great way to get media attention if press release is very news worthy.  Many media outlets and journalists use Press releases to find news to write about and report . 

American towns should give themselves a stimulus, because as long as Congress has obstructionists interested in power and politics and not the good of the country; Americans are on their own. 


Side note:  House republicans refuse to pass VA bill unless there are offsets to pay for VA Hospital reform.  Funny, when Congress sent Americans to fight in two unpaid wars, they didn't ask for offsets back then. 

GOP House demands offsets for VA reform bill

How to organize home with reused items

There are creative ways to save money by using items around the home intended for other uses and recycling them for a new purpose.

Shower hooks could be hung on the closet clothing hanging rod to hang purses, scarves or belts. 



 The empty cardboard toilet paper holders can be reused to hold and store unused electrical cords and label the outside of the cardboard. 



  The cardboard cylinder tubes used in wrapping paper rolls could be reused by cutting them into 4- 5 inch sizes to reuse as wrapping paper holders. By slipping the cardboard over the wrapping paper on both ends to keep paper from opening from storage.

   Reuse old ice cube trays to organize jewelry in drawers.

  

 Reuse old checks boxes to organize a desk drawer to store clips, rubber bands, odds and ends. I use it to organize my junk drawer and it works well. 

 Use a small magazine rack as a pot lid holder on the inside of a cabinet door. 

  Some of these ideas were from the Simple Dollar Blog. 

 I love that blog.

How to Spring Clean your porch

The best way to clean your porch is to use a solution of warm water and a
safe cleaner named Simple green on the concrete patio, leave the mixture on for
15 minutes scrub with a brush then rinse. Let the concrete dry naturally.  After power washing, the concrete should look very clean afterward. Use simple green on the light fixtures too, it should get it all clean as well. 

To get rid of stains on concrete add 1
cup of bleach to a 10 x 10-foot patio. Another trick to remove mildew stains is to get a pool cleaning stick used to remove calcium stains.  Wet the concrete area and the stick then rub the stone stick on the stain, it should remove the mildew rust stain.  Use a pressure washer to clean steps to remove dirt, mildew. 



If you have a teak wood patio deck it should
be washed, then dried, then a teak sealer should be used for protection. A teak sealer will protect the teak wood from rotting and the elements.

To clean wicker furniture use a soft brush
and a mild dish detergent soap to wash the surface without damaging it.



Wipe
down outdoor lighting fixtures with a damp cloth. 

Clean outdoor cushions
with a sponge, water, and mild soap and let dry in the sun.