Last day of June, our 11 month anniversary

Thanks to all who have made our first 11 months possible, fun and on-the-way to profitable :^)

The last day of each month often holds a special blessing for us; not sure why that is, but I guess we are a "last days" shop.

Today, our blessings included (1) our best sales day yet, and (2) on grand impulse, I began to rearrange the tea area, making more room for window displays and tea drinkers. Sorta lost my vision mid-way into it, and then regained it too late in the day to finish. So the first day of our 12th month will be gloriously busy bringing the vision into focus. Shoppers who like to hunt through chaotic shops will love being here in the morning; shoppers who love a more restful environment will enjoy being here in the afternoon. It's my goal to have the tea tables ready for your afternoon tea!

Maybe the upheaval can be glimpsed in the background of this photo. Lord willing, I will have an "after" shot to show you tomorrow.

[Doesn't perspective have some surprising effects? The chair in this photo looks huge and the table looks to be floating into it. The chair measures 24" wide and the table is 42" in diameter.]

Knick Knack Attack! And other news...

Two recent consignments have released an unusual volume of the knick and the knack into our little shop.

After hours of logging, dusting, and pricing, we've got about 8 boxes worth of new-to-you pieces ready for display. The rest (yes, there's more!) will wait under the Shroud of Anticipation for just a day or two till we can get to it. Meanwhile, please plan a visit to The Living Room to enjoy our new Small Things:


Other News!
The Broyhill Emphasis Collection dresser is clean! See updated blog post of June 21. Now it can be enjoyed by people whose sense of smell is still functioning :^)

Yummy News!
Shortbread from Outrageous Offerings, oatmeal cookies and NORDY BARS from Treats by Anne Marie to go with your tea or coffee:


More News!
Here's a corner of the 3x6 wool rug from Hamadan region of Persia, in like-new condition:
(SOLD 7/2/2010)


Bold, swirly vintage lamp! Makes me think of a circus!

Ceramic base: ~14" diameter x 22.5" tall
When 20" diameter shade is attached, lamp stand 47.5 inches to top of shade.

In the mood for a "10% off" sale?

This Saturday, June 26, everything for sale in The Living Room will be 10% off the last marked price. Just because.

For those of you who specialize in finding things that haven't been priced yet, stay away from the tea table closest to the sales desk...it's loaded with new goodies that aren't ready to be put out. Other than that...

...come take your pick:

Aisles are nice...

Kathleen and Chris helped recreate aisles today. Such a relief. We've found customers prefer aisles to climbing over stacks of furniture.

And speaking of furniture, here are a few of the pieces that came in today:

A very practical and handsome pine table with 4 chairs:

Don't know if you can see the sweep of the table legs; they've got a sort of Asian flair to them.

This little wooden chair was brought in by a woman who bought it at a garage sale in Wedgwood about 30 years ago from someone who'd gotten it secondhand over 70 years ago. The short legs are the original design; it was to set by the fireplace.


Beautiful maple quilt rack made by Tell City:

Another Monday's catch (updated 6/29/10)

Held The Living Room's doors open today to bring in consignments from 3 households. Too much to post here just now, so please look at the flickr updates (just click on George the Cat over in the right column).

Thought you'd like to see this handsome dresser from the 1960's:

Strikes me as sort of a gentleman's armoire.

It's from Broyhill Furniture's Emphasis Collection. Measures 54"x19"x43" tall.
8 drawers plus 3 bins. When they're all open, looks ready to take off!


Sadly, it's from a smoking household. We're working on that, and if you have any sure-fire methods of taking out cigarette smell, please let us know!

Meanwhile, if you know someone with anosmia, this gorgeous piece of furniture would be perfect for them.

I think we've got it cleaned! Repeated washings and anointings with various cleaners (Murphy's Oil Soap, Restore-A-Finish, Oxygen Power, Orange/Beeswax oil...), each one bringing up another layer of nicotine. (Wow, please take care of your lungs! I've read that using black pepper essential oil can help overcome nicotine addiction; if you have personal experience with that, I'd love to hear about it.) So, come and take a test sniff; I think this beautiful dresser is ready for a home anywhere!

Honor your father and your mother, that it may go well with you...

It gets easier as we get older,
as we give up on expecting perfection this side of heaven,
as we learn more of what it means to be human,
as we understand the prophet's exclamation, "I am not better than my fathers!"

Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. And a blessed and happy Father's Day to all fathers!

Meanwhile, back at the store, here's a handsome and luxurious living room set to consider:

Made by Town & Country, all the seat cushions and pillows are stuffed with a feather and down blend. $995 for this 3-piece set.

A 3rd posting in 1 day? Yes, for Plum Crazy!

Plum Crazy is a not-too-spicy chutney created by local chutney-wizard Tom Starostka of Kenmore. [Yes, Kenmore, Washington, the city of life!] Tom calls his tasty sauce an "orchard spread": think spicy-sweet salsa or chunky chutney, and you'll be close. Better yet, came buy a bottle and get even closer.

Tom was handing out samples here the day he came in with his first delivery, instantly creating quite a following. We also learned about the mysteriously hot "Ghost Pepper" of India, one of Plum Crazy's subtle influences.

Where will you find Plum Crazy in The Living Room? No, not blogging on the computer! In 10oz jars next to Grandma Ethel's Sweet & Sour Dills, of course! But that's another blog post for another day.

A queen bed worthy of a second posting (SOLD 6/19/2010)

2 posts in one day, but I think you'll want to see this. A queen bedframe came in yesterday and doesn't seem destined to be here long, it's just too beautiful:

It's carved mahogany made in Indonesia. The bedrails are clearly plywood (lots of layers!), but I think the head and footboards are solid wood, with a subtle sunburst pattern in veneer. Come and see what you think.

The bedframe is 64.25" wide, headboard is ~56.5" tall, footboard is 34.5" tall.

Click any photo to see more of our inventory on flickr.

New things today...

New consignments that must hustle out to make room for more...



Glamorous handcrafted porcelain jester or harlequin dolls by Camelot QVC. Stunningly costumed French clowns. The one in red is tagged, "Pyrena".
About 16.5" tall, kept in clear plastic boxes on metal stands. $29 each or $49 for the pair.




1966 Barwick Clock by Howard Miller Clocks. 7"-diameter clock face reads "A Stitch in Time Saves Nine".
Chalet-shaped clock cabinet is 24.5" x 14". $18





Charming, ivy-decorated mirror by Edward Art Products, high quality beveled glass. Mirror is 17.5 x 21.5 in frame 27.5 inches x 33 inches. $33




Beautifully crafted chess table at an incredibly low price. Queen Anne style table. Parquet inlaid chessboard. Measures 30" square by 28.5 inches tall.
Wood has been carefully stripped and is ready to be refinished. $67





Petite wooden bench with caned seat. 24.5 x 11 x 17.25. SOLD





Sweet wooden rocker, very comfortable and secure.SOLD





Click any photo if you'd like a brisk jump to our Flickr inventory gallery :^)

Abounding in Hope...

Here's the view from The Living Room's door:

Spotlight on New Treasures

Here are a handful of goodies that deserve your attention. They're on our flickr site, but in case you haven't been there lately, or missed these in the wealth stored there, here they are in the blog spotlight:


A child's baby buggy for a favorite doll. This is a faithful reproduction, not antique. Without my tape measure here, I recall it's about 30 inches long, maybe 18" high at the basket edge.


A rustic pine shelf, made in Mexico. In our shop, this not-new but like-new bookcase is less than half the price of new.


Margo got this set up and oiled today, so we know it can sew. Again, a faithful reproduction, not an antique.


Anne Marie's Treats are so cute and so cleverly packaged, more than one customer has asked if they are real cupcakes. Yes, they are real! We're keeping our cupcake price low to reward our hard-working shoppers...after 3 strolls around the store they are still discovering new treasures to exclaim over.

Our latest consignments...

Come by to see what's new. Here are a few views to whet your interest:

A Philip Reinisch corner curio cabinet (Update: Sold...twice!):


A brass chandelier with custom-designed dragonfly lampshades:


Twin curio cabinets, an odd Jetson-retro mirror-top boomerang coffee table, an extraordinarily tall lamp, the odd recliner...


Handblown cobalt glass flowers:


A shabby chic bench:


And did you know we have more stemware than Target?? Well, almost.

A beautiful place-holder...

"Ode to the Chrysanthemum" by Sallie Patterson, watercolor

Just wanted to put up something beautiful during our days off (Sunday and Monday).
Thankful for a very busy Saturday (goodbye to the Amish jelly cupboard already).

Blessings to you all.
See you Tuesday!

Some atypical starter furniture

A queen headboard with 2 dressers, mirror, and end table:


Well, the furniture is not atypical in and of itself, but it's not typical for our store.

Is there a polite word for particle board furniture? Inexpensive, that's for sure, and not too hard on the eyes in this case. If you know someone looking to outfit a new apartment or home inexpensively, these 2 bedroom sets, made of a combination of wood, pressed wood, and molded resin, will help stretch your budget. Here's the second set:

A king headboard with long dresser and mirror:



And back to more of our usual fare: a pre-1960's, real wood, full bedroom set by FS Harmon Mfg. Company of Tacoma (City of Destiny, according to the KING-FM radio announcer):


Clicking any of these photos should take you to our flickr gallery. See craigslist links to the right.