The Hidden Library

XMAS CARD

2011-12-04T18:57:00.001-05:00

Bright Merry Cheer Christmas Card

Turn your favorite photos into your favorite Christmas cards!

View the entire collection of cards.

still crazy after all these years...

2011-02-28T22:03:00.006-05:00

Glad to see that folks are still finding the $20 Blueprint deal through this blog. While I haven't been a terribly good blogger, you'll be happy to know I'm still a very good thrifter. :)

Above, various ephemera, photos and New Year's noisemakers from the 26th Street flea market in NYC.

I guess I'll take them all.

2009-05-25T22:16:00.001-04:00

colored milkglass mugs
Originally uploaded by flimflimflam

Acquired over a couple of weeks, and decided to group them all together. Wow. This is officially a collection.

Carousel and a Townwide Garage Sale

2009-04-20T13:09:00.004-04:00

So I have the day off, and I had big plans to do a big etsy update by taking awesome photos in my boyfriend's apartment. Well, the day is gloomy and sunlight is nowhere to be founds. Great. So now I'm playing the Carousel soundtrack on lp (newly purchased at the Metuchen Townwide Garage Sale) and trying to once again clean my room.

Feast your eyes on this:
I've also started a Flickr group for such photos called Thrift Haul s. It's just up a junker's alley to want to look at the scores of other people, so it's been fun inviting other members and watching the pool grow. Not fun, however, to see those hauls just pile up in my room. Help.

Ordering Blueprint Magazine Back Issues

2009-04-13T12:45:00.003-04:00

Or, Learning How to Indulge Myself. (Or #2: Faith's a Year Behind, But Whatevs.)

Do I really need to explain? Fine, my little back story: the first time I saw Blueprint was in Penn Station, waiting to take a train to NJ to visit my parents. I can't remember what was on the cover, which issue it was, but I remember showing it to my mom and my friend and each went out and bought their own. It was just That. Good. Beautiful shelter/lifestyle mag with cute fonts and cuter photo spreads. Sigh.

Blueprint was shut down in 2008 after only 8 issues, and it was one of those things that was well-loved (as in, fervently) but had only a brief time in this world, and liking it "before everyone else did, when it was too late" makes you Tragically Hip. Or something. This list also includes:

Freaks and Geeks
Arrested Development
...that's all I can think of for now.

Anyhow, a quick call to 1-877-747-1050 for $20!!!!! (don't go on ebay, people!) you get all 8 issues shipped to you in about 10 days without grease stains or ripped pages of old, pre-read copies. {But let's be real, Blueprint readers don't eat things with grease.} I know I'm a million years too late, but stragglers/those who deny themselves pleasure like me, just do it.

Vintage Vera, Anthropologie update

2009-04-01T12:22:00.003-04:00

If I bother to open an email from Anthropologie it always ends in lust, anger and disappointment that their gorgeous stuff can only be mine if I either shoplift (I don't actually do this) or get it on mega clearance. Their email line today was "You love Vera"...or something like that. I assume it's Vera Wang or some other Vera I'm not hip enough to recognize. Oh no, way, way better.
No. Vera Neumann, textile and pattern legend. It's another beautiful awesome thing Anthropologie can claim. The blood boiling begins yet again...

Shop Updates...

2009-03-21T09:19:00.002-04:00

Close call!

2009-03-19T12:52:00.003-04:00

I wrapped up two packages all set to go when, for kind of no reason at all, I checked on Paypal to make sure about addresses. One was already completely wrapped up in its padded envelope. Yup, mistake. Had to do a switcheroo and unpack, pack, stuff, and restuff. That would've been quite the mixup and neither one is easily replaceable.

Whew! Now to reward myself with some Chickpea from 6th Ave and completely squander my profit.

Happy Patty's Day

2009-03-17T09:51:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's day, all! There is something about today (mostly the public drinking) that I love...

I was in New Orleans this past weekend (it was GREAT) and they were celebrating Friday and Saturday. My friends and I didn't get beads on Bourbon St (ahem), but we WERE given them at the parade on Saturday. There couldn't have been a better place to be than Pat O'Brien's, and I wish I could have been there today.

Do you see what I see? Estate sale goodies...

2009-03-04T22:32:00.005-05:00

I am so annoyed my camera decided to run out of juice when I was still high on thrifting adrenaline...

I got so many bits and bobbins, trim, and vintage rick rack! And an embroidery plaque (still to be photographed...), a very cool plastic tray, and Christmas goodies...all for $4. Doesn't get better than that!

3 day weekends

2009-02-26T14:59:00.008-05:00

(To make this tale of woe less painful for you, I'm inserting pretty photos of recent purchases.)

3 day weekends are now the standard for me. Thanks to The Recession, my firm (architectural, not law, thank god) has gone to a 4-day work week. Sounds awesome, but in essence is a 20% pay decrease. Not. Good.

{awesome vintage ice bucket with original tag}

It started in February, and it's a tentative thing (hopefully), so I've been hesitant to find a 2nd job. It's a great extension to the weekend, and I get a lot of the things that you hate leaving until the weekend (laundry, grocery shopping) done with 2 days to play. But then I get another horrible voice saying, 'Well today you've earned $0 and spend $50. Hm. Good plan.' and I want to essentially do nothing but sit still and not spend money. Not a very good plan either.

{supercute vintage dress with crazy starburst buttons}

So. If the weather looks good tomorrow I'm going to take a ton ton of photos and just beef up the shop until my eyes are crossed. I somehow can't curb the thrift shopping, so I'll hopefully use it to generate some side cash.

{freakin awesome wooden letters. the photo quality looks crummy, but i assure you, the paint job is bonkers good.}

Look for new stuff soon, and wish me luck that I won't waste tomorrow by going to Ikea and Target.

Apologies

2009-02-19T19:40:00.009-05:00

for not posting in a month...can't say I've been away on amazing vacations, but if I did you know I'd be taking this amazing suitcase. Bought at the Goodwill for $6.

PS - Sale #36 at the shop gets a special prize...

SALE SALE SALE 20% off everything in the shop!

2009-01-30T10:57:00.011-05:00

Today through Sunday, take 20% off everything in the shop. Just include the code LIBRARY20 in the note to seller. I will send you a revised Paypal invoice. Yahooo!

May I recommend for your sweetheart...

Green with envy

2009-01-27T14:58:00.004-05:00

Can I just say how insanely awesome, gorgeous, ridiculous this whole room is?! If I could ever live in a space this colorful, filled with crap (good crap), and bright and lovely I'd never take my ass off the (really cool) couch. Wow. They just finished that kickass green shelving. From the people of Something's Hiding in Here. When I enter my apt tonight I'm gonna cry.

Old School

2009-01-27T14:47:00.006-05:00

I'm sending off this awesome blue train case to my old friend from middle/high school. Found it at a flea in NJ, and inside were old stockings and socks. The woman looked mortified, so maybe they were hers? But I love the frilliness and mirror.

I like having friends buy my things. I'm gonna fill this with my old stockings and socks and send it to her.

...kidding! She's getting some old photos and Spanish conversation hearts for Vday.

Finds from the Flea Market on W. 25th Street

2009-01-25T13:15:00.003-05:00

Library drawer that I just WD40'd, mini paper cutter, Dewar's White Label Scotch Whiskey. YEAH!

Craigslist freakout

2009-01-24T08:25:00.002-05:00

NYers: Has Craigslist been working for you guys lately? It's been very wonky, at least on my computer. I'm up early and want to hit garage sales! Aughhh! Do I have to go out and buy a paper or something?!

Still sick, but I've got thrifting to cure me.

2009-01-23T09:34:00.008-05:00

Is it bad when I call out sick from work (because I am) and instead of sleeping I Google Maps all of the Goodwills in Queens?

Meanwhile, I really shouldn't leave my bed but the only view is my cluttered room and the junk I already have in it:
I spy with my little thrifty eye: 3 metal floral frogs, folding ruler, air mail envelopes, building blocks, vintage children's books, a Love is...1970s glass, Fiesta flatware (in the flower pot that looks like a giant white pencil cup), some old stamp books...this is just the 1.5'x1.5' table directly in my line of sight. Help.

Some finds at an Upper West Side estate sale below. I haven't been to too many estate sales (I think mostly because the city is filled with so many new people, and the Rockefellers and whatnot don't advertise their estate sales on Craigslist), but I feel a little weird digging around through a family estate, especially when it's not a company running the sale.

This one was ran by I think the son of the woman who owned the apartment. He seemed younger than me, and I'm 25. I thought it was an incredibly sad situation and felt uncomfortable until he told his friend who was helping him that "the dog paintings in the hallway were appraised for 3 thou each." Then...I stopped feeling bad. I don't know. How do you feel about such scenarios? Onto the finds:

UGhuhuhghughghghgh

2009-01-22T11:33:00.006-05:00

Sick. It's cold out, I had to buy an extra hat from a street vendor because I left mine at home and it's ugly. I feel gross. Blarg.

Upside: 2 estate sales this weekend, a new flea market about 2 blocks from my office, and I really hope to win this on ebay:
I'd wear it around town and pretend I was part of the New York Cultural Elite.

Etsy shop update...

2009-01-19T23:33:00.003-05:00

I tried really hard to take as many photos as I could while the sunlight was still streaming through the window, but I also really wanted to make myself a decent sandwich. Decisions, decisions.

View shop things here.

A bit of yellow in each

2009-01-15T15:14:00.005-05:00

It's Wednesday and my sweatshirt smells funny.

2009-01-14T09:53:00.003-05:00

It's one of those days that I want over and done with. Annoying things to do at work, it's bonkers cold outside, it's weirdly cold in the office (which is normally sweltering) and my sweatshirt that isn't completely office appropriate smells like cooking oil, cigarettes (the bf), and I think old Christmas tree, which we hauled to the curb this past weekend. Ugh.

Something to cheer me up (neither timely, appropriate, or related at all to anything):

Hope your Wednesday is going better than mine...

Orla Kiely for Target! Orla Kiely for Target! Be still my heart...

2009-01-12T16:50:00.014-05:00

If you're into bright patterns, lovely design and cheapness, the phrase "Orla Kiely for Target" makes your fists pump in excitement. Orla Kiely is designing housewares for Target, including mugs, carafes, aprons and...oh, just look at the photos! Via sfgirlbybay and Apartment Therapy-NY. I'm only going to stop jumping for joy in February 09, when I will then hop on the R/V to the Target in Elmhurst. Yesssss!

First Estate Sale Adventure of 09

2009-01-12T10:04:00.005-05:00

The holidays and the cold had been preventing me from going on my usual Sunday thrift shopping. NYCers: Housing Works' 50% off sale this week.

Yesterday was a question of either cleaning up my apartment or taking 2 trains and a bus to an estate sale in Rosedale, Queens. Guess which one I picked...lalala.

Turns out the F was running local, so I got to take that to Parsons Blvd (um, I didn't realize quite how far away that was) to catch the Q43. The long-ish rides, for me, are a way to catch up on reading or NPR, or Rachel Maddow podcasts. I listened to her '2008 Awards for Excellence in Areas TBD', which included "News Event Most Suited to be a Musical" (the Spitzer situation won).

I finally reach the stop for the estate sale, and the thrifting adrenaline starts pumping. I walk in and am immediately scared - some glass vases, picture frames and ugly dolls are in the front living room. However! Turns out there is "something in every room, including the basement." SCORE.

The house was really lovely and made me yearn for a house with space (read: not an apartment in Astoria.) There was some beautiful furniture - sewing cabinet, chest of drawers, scrolly desk - and I wish I had the means (car, storage space) to take, restore, and resell that kind of stuff, but not right now. I did a lot of looking, but in the end, not too much buying.

$7.00 for everything in the photo, including unused Japanese salad servers and S&P shakers, some Shiny Brites, an old nut chopper (teehee), and an atlas from 1940 with some great colored maps.

A decent start to my 2009 thrift shopping, and I'm already checking ads on Craigslist for next weekend.

Etsy Gift Guide - hooray!

2009-01-08T10:12:00.007-05:00

My lovely floral suitcase has been selected for the Etsy Gift Guide for Travel. The photo's a little fuzzy due to my (incredible?) MS paint job, but you can also view it and other travel picks here. Makes me want to get in a car and take a drive!

Balance of the Universe Returning....

2009-01-04T20:29:00.005-05:00

Ok, I've slowly gotten over the whole Pyrex fiasco, mostly due to all the booze consumed over the New Years break. (I had friends in town, so New Years festivities stretched through last night.) The Thrift Gods took some pity on me, and gave me a little gem, in the form of this Snoopy Fire King mug:

Found this guy in a Goodwill for a buck. Another one on ebay is going for about $80, and the orange version is going for over $180. This is my first sale on ebay, so I had a big dilemma about when to post (is the other auction going to affect my sale, am I affecting theirs, etc) but since I've heard that Sunday night auctions do the best, I went ahead and did it. I'm hoping I make more than a buck. Cross your fingers!

Update: I made a 12,000% profit on this mug. That is a pretty awesome start to the 2009 Thrifting Season. (The money is mostly going to my mom, who's going on a trip to the Philippines to see family...thanks Snoopy!)

Cursed! Foiled!

2009-01-02T14:37:00.001-05:00

I'm a little/lot embarrassed to realize how nutty I've gotten over thrift shopping. I went out thrifting this morning, figuring since a ton of people donated to Goodwill/Salvation Army before the year end for tax purposes, a bunch of new things would be put out in the stores. I get in, look around, and my beady little eyes focus on a girl's shopping cart: PYREX. Not only Pyrex, but a complete set of Cinderella Butterprint bowls. (Near) murderous rage courses through my veins at a near instantaneous speed. My eyes narrow. My cheeks redden. My fists ball. I go to this store all the time. The employees know me (scarily enough). HOW COULD THIS GIRL HAVE GOTTEN THE SCORE OF THE YEAR?!?! I followed her around, trying to see if she'd ditch them. She didn't. I ended up leaving with an Escada Couture party dress for $15, and a whole lotta jealousy. Am I bitter? Yes, yes I am. It's the One That Got Away.

Places, 2008

2008-12-31T12:52:00.002-05:00

Queens, NY: Astoria, LIC, Woodside, Forest Hills, Bayside, Middle Village, Little Neck, Jackson Heights, Flushing, Elmhurst, Woodhaven
New York: New York, Long Beach, Williamsburg
Others:
Williamstown, MA

St. Louis, MO

Vienna, VA
Nashville, TN
Cave City, KY
Bowling Green, KY
Chattanooga, TN
Jamestown, TN
Asheville, NC
Raleigh/Durham, NC - twice!

Here's to more travel - San Fran, Mexico, Vermont (as a bridesmaid), 127 Sale, and more.

Fastest Sale Ever

2008-12-30T09:23:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up to the Fastest Sale Ever - I posted this book last night, probably around midnight, and it sold. Sweet. I'm putting in a vintage air mail envelope in the package as a goodie.

Clutter and Chaos: A New Organizational System

2008-12-29T01:22:00.001-05:00

Sadly/scarily enough, I just hunted around for something I sold and needed to ship for the past *1.5 hours*. I store things in boxes and label them, but as previously stated room in my apartment is getting tight and I don't have the space to store everything in one place.

To never let that happen again, I made this list and will add to it when I add things to the shop. Oh my lord I'm tired. (Yes, I found the thing. In the box I labeled.)

Note the crazed slant as time passes and item still hasn't been found. Also note, vintage 70s cutesy clipboard AND vintage ledger paper.

Etsy swing of things - SALE!

2008-12-28T23:27:00.002-05:00

Getting back into the etsy swing of things. Did a little rearranging in the shop - things are on SALE! - and added the lovely gold bowling pin.

{This pin reminds me of the wreath they put around horses that win the Kentucky Derby. }

Winter in Qns

2008-12-28T17:30:00.000-05:00

Loved that pink car with the snow on top - but I made sure not to walk under it.

In bad weather, I turn to ebay

2008-12-23T09:21:00.002-05:00

Because it's slushy and icy and all-around gross to walk outside (and catch buses to church tag sales 35 mins away in Randomtown Queens), I've been ebaying. It's turning into a scary addiction. My more recent searches have been for Miroslav Sasek travel books, typewriters (Smith Corona, Olivetti if I'm feeling extravagant) and wooden blocks. Help.

Anyway, here's a screenshot of one of the ebay items I won - it's from a 1964 map/guide to the city full of bonkers awesome pages which the seller cleverly separated from the book so I could pay um, like, 10 bucks a page. Whatever.

I l-o-v-e the midcentury illustrations for the different tourist spots of New York. I'm still blogger-befuddled, so click to enlarge (it's worth the time to click, I swear.)

Merry Christmas eve eve!

No room at the inn

2008-12-20T10:37:00.000-05:00

Probably shouldn't off with a Jesus reference, but oh well. There is NO ROOM at the inn for all the junk I've been buying up the past couple of weeks (er, months?) because I've gotten heavily into thrifting. I live in Astoria, Queens, about 35 mins away from the city, where I work. Compared to Manhattan apartments, my rent is nothing and the space I get is definitely manageable. When I started living here, I was in a Zen existence - my bed, my clothes, some books, and this weird bottle of booze I'd been carting from place to place since I graduated college. I think it was a cheaper version of Peach Schnapps, but I finally got around to throwing it out this year. 2008. I graduated 2005, and acquired that bottle the summer before my senior year.

Ahem. Zen existence, plus some old liquor. Anyway, fast forward a year or so to my 2nd apartment in Queens, and I am jam-packed with stuff. Pyrex, old children's books, Christmas ornaments, vintage office supplies, ephemera (learned that junkin word this year thanks to thrifting blogs)...it's scary. This morning I woke up intending to go to 184th St in Inwood/Washington Heights (if you google maps Astoria to Washington Heights, you'll know how bad the thrift bug has gotten me) to get a big white Pyrex bowl I spotted in their Craigslist ad, but it's pretty gross out there with the snow we just got. (City snow is not as cute as country snow, fyi.)

So I'm in my room, sorting through the crap, trying to figure out what goes in the store, what will be turned into a future art-craft project, and where I can put it all without forgetting where it went, or turning my bedroom into a glorified Goodwill. Why did I throw out that bottle?