I head out to estate sales looking for mid-century modern treasures. Like this Cosco stool that doubles as a step-stool and metal wastebasket with cut-out circles.
Sometimes I end up finding a bunch of kid stuff that’s too cheap to pass up. I’m particularly excited about this swing and finding a place to hang it in our new yard.
1 Comment | 
Art, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: estate sale, mid-century modern, pickers, picking, thrift | 
Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
1 Comment | Art, Art: Phone Photo Friday | Tagged: cell phone photography, estate sale, Phone Photo Friday | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Jason and I got a tip from my co-worker about an estate sale in a 1960s ranch. We went on Saturday when everything was half off and I was surprised to see that the couch I had spotted in the online preview was still sitting in the living room.
The sofa was covered with junk but we loved the shape and decided to go for it. It was marked $200 so we got it for $100. It was set up in the living room as a straight couch without the rounded corner piece, and we might end up using it that way in our new house. It’s in desperate need of new upholstery and new foam for the seat cushions which were…crunchy, dry-rotted. Gross. One end of the sofa doesn’t have an arm rest, like a chaise, which is pretty sweet. We set it up in the loading bay of our storage facility for a quick photo shoot before we packed it away.
7 Comments | Art, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: couch, estate sale, mid-century, modern, sectional, sofa, vintage | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
A quick before and after post to start out the new year. Just a little spray paint and a cactus made this $2 estate sale bird planter a little more classy.
2 Comments | Art, Art: crafts, Art: gardening, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: before & after, bird, cactus, estate sale | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
My friend Laren and I went to an estate sale on Saturday and I picked up a few little things. It was just before close so everything was 50% off (and probably really picked over!). I couldn’t resist this sweet little pink bird planter. The paint is chipped off the beak and it was very dirty. I’m thinking of painting it white or turquoise and planting a little succulent in it.
This little glass candy dish with pink flowers and gold stems was also too sweet for me to resist. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it. I put Whoppers in it for the picture but I hate malt. I think those pink spearmints would look nice in it. My dad used to call those his Happy Pills.
And another loaf pan. I think this might be my 4th. Someday I will make more homemade bread. And maybe give it away in the loaf pan! This one with blue flowers is made by Glasbake.
1 Comment | Art, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: bird, casserole, estate sale, flower, glasbake, thrift store hunting | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
At a recent estate sale we found some more Gold Cortez dishes. I don’t even really like this pattern that much but it’s just funny that we keep seeing 1 or 2 pieces everywhere we go so we keep collecting it.
We also found this Corning Ware casserole dish. It’s a good size and has a lid. I took this photo before Jason cleaned 50 years of burned grease off of it. This is definitely one of my favorite Corning Ware patterns with the yellow and blue flowers. Not sure of the name.
Leave a Comment » | Art, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: corning ware, estate sale, gold cortez | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
At a recent estate sale Jason and I hit the jackpot of small* framed mid-century art. I found the one of the pressed botanical collages on blue linen and the owl carving on gold burlap in one room while Jason found the other flower collage and mushroom paintings in another room—two white on black paper and one color on wood block.
*the blue pressed flower collages are around 6″ square.
As we were walking toward the checkout together I told said to him, “I’m so glad we like the same things.”
Maybe a little kitschy and I have no idea where we’re going to put them but for $4 total we couldn’t resist.
(Bad photos … sorry. There are more details in these than you can see here.)
This owl carving is both of our favorite. Someday it will probably live next to the owls we got in May.
1 Comment | Art, Art: crafts, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: Art, estate sale, mid-century | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Last week I saw a listing for an estate sale with all kinds of great things pictured. I made a list of everything I wanted including an Underwood typewriter, retro striped drinking glasses, a vintage tinker toys set and a small cabinet with cone legs and sliding doors. Sadly, we didn’t get there until near the end of the second day so everything I saw online was gone. The benefit of going at the end, though, is that everything is marked down. We did find some great things.
A Family 4 Quart drink cooler. Perfect for our upcoming beach trip
Five old lady style plastic round bead necklaces (all for $1.50!)
2 vintage kids books: Through the Gate (seems like a knock off of Dick and Jane) and Told Under the Blue Umbrella: New Stories for New Children
A colorful xylophone that doesn’t quite work but looks pretty. I guess it needs some new felt under the metal keys
A small retro glass pitcher (I want to actually USE this but it’s kind of an odd size. Any suggestions? It would only hold enough for 2 glasses of iced tea.)
And two glass vases from another estate sale we passed on our way home
4 Comments | Art, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: estate sale | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Jason and I found this pair of metal planters at a particularly bizarre estate sale. Bizarre because it seemed like the homeowner was a gym teacher, music teacher AND an art teacher based on the huge amounts of parts, equipment, pieces and art prints.
These plants are copper-looking but probably brass. They’re a bit dented and rusted but overall pretty nice shape. Especially for $10 for the pair. We’re so cheap. We talked them down from $20.
Jason planted some of our quickly spreading blue fescue and in a few months they’ll be domes of silvery blue-green grass. Simple but I think they make a nice entrance to our patio.
4 Comments | Art, Art: gardening, Art: mcm thrift store find | Tagged: blue fescue, estate sale, metal planter, patio | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Could this be an original Curtis Jeré wall sculpture? I have no idea. Perhaps unlikely, but definitely possible. Whatever it is – I love it. It’s a mid-century modern sculpture of a tree. That’s enough to make it welcome in our home!
Jason snagged this at an estate sale a few weeks ago for $25. The vendors didn’t know anything about it. It’s unmarked and missing a few leaves. It’s also big—bigger than I thought when I first saw the photos online—about 25″ tall and sticks out about 6″ from the wall. We haven’t yet figured out where to hang it.
What do you think?
Leave a Comment » | Art, Art: interior design, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design, Art: modern design | Tagged: estate sale, Jere sculpture, mcm thrift store find, tree, wall sculpture | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Graphic designer, MCM interior design enthusiast, wife to amazing guitarist and hard working realtor, mama—by way of foster care, adoption and biology—and follower of Jesus Christ.
Thanks for stopping by!
I'd love to hear from you. My email is m*ahlbrandt*@gmail*.com (remove *s).
myMCMlife.com 