Trash? (part 2)

Our first "Trash?" post was actually quite a teaser because we both have a lot of "trash" in our houses.  I (Jeannine) decided to show off two of my pieces today.  Hopefully, between Erin and myself, we can post some of our trashy gems every few weeks or so.  It would be really great if we were able to inspire a wanna be trash picker into an actual trash picker.  But trash picking definitely comes with a warning - be sure to inspect the items carefully for bugs, mold, rot etc.  Clean everything off before you bring it into your home.  Once you deem something acceptable, the sky is the limit!  As you saw from our last post, Erin transformed that book shelf into a dreamy vintage masterpiece.  You can get as creative as you want or leave things in their original form (which is the route I usually take).  No matter what form your trash picking takes just remember that the old saying is true (cliche or not): one man's trash is another man's treasure.

 

What: A 1960s Claritone Hi Fi AM/FM Phonograph Cabinet with Garrard Auto Turntable.
Found: In our neighborhood right around the corner.  It was just sitting on the curb ready to be picked up as trash.
Condition: Working!  We have a tube tester and we found that it has a  few leaks so the quality isn't what it used to be.  But it works, nonetheless...not to mention that it looks amazing.
Misc.: If you look up this brand of cabinet and turntable combo, you'll be blown away by some of the mid century modern designs that the company put out. AND the insane prices that it goes for.  But, again, our was free!!

 

What: A 1960s (or early 70s) H.T. Cushman "Colonial Creations" drop-in chair.  The great lime green cushion lays over steel bands hung by springs.   
Found: About 10 minutes north of our house in Manahawkin, NJ.
Condition: Overall good shape.  The wood, steel and springs are all undamaged but the cushion is a bit sun stained and worn.  It's hard to tell though and we like to think it adds a bit of character.  Maybe I'll commission Erin to reupholster it someday.  I have a list of things she needs to work on for me :).  
Misc.: My fiance found this with the matching couch (it was off the hook amazing) but we didn't have any room to store it at our house or in the School of Vintage storage garage.  Chris and I put it on the curb with a "free" sign and it was gone within the hour of putting it out.  I don't want to say that I regret doing that, but I am also not ready to talk about it.

Structured Styles

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These are some highlights from our ever expanding "structured" board on Pinterest.  

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P.S. We tried to be fair and show a variety of colors, themes and designers who encompass the structured look, but it was hard not making every pin a vintage Claude Montana pin....

It Pays to Comment...LITERALLY!

Our Dress Featured in The Modern Mode

We absolutely love finding new blogs to read and we also love seeing updates from blogs that we always follow.  Some people are so creative with their imagery and descriptions...whether its vintage-themed or not. (Although we're suckers for anything vintage.) Its also really fun to network and connect with people who share a common interest or intrigue us in some way.  For instance, The Modern Mode featured one of our vintage dresses in their Beach House post.  We were so excited that someone highlighted one of our items but we were even more excited and fascinated to read about the person behind Modern Mode.  We learned something new...something so interesting and so thought provoking.  See their site description below:

  "This site was created to explore the inter-dependent relationships between fashion, music, and art. It was inspired by synesthesia, a normal condition that allows people like me to see moving colors and shapes when listening to music. As a result, I've always been fascinated by the ways different arts inform one another. Posts will feature fashion, music, and art of all kinds in order to explore their shared aesthetic qualities so that we can experience them all in rich new ways. Hope you enjoy!"

One of our all time favorite bloggers is Jenny Mitchel of Frecklewonder.  She's a self-proclaimed "mama, junk lover, kook" and she updates her site with some amazing pictures and vintage treasures.  Its a very colorful site and will appeal to all of your senses.  We decided to advertise our Etsy shop on Jenny's site about a month ago and it's paid off.  Sales are up and Jenny even blogs about our store and promotions.  She's fantastic.  Check her out! And check out both of her Etsy shops here and here.  

Jenny's Reupholstered Chairs and Dining Room Table as Featured on Frecklewonder.com

So...about this post title.  Erin (1/2 of School of Vintage) was checking out some cool blogs and came across The Button Owl which "is a collection of interviews, reviews, outfit posts and articles, compiled by Nesha".  There was a post promoting Rock Paper Vintage, a really cool vintage shop on Ebay, where they were giving out a gift card to one lucky commenter.  So Erin took a chance and commented.  And guess what?  We won!  I don't know how the winner was decided (I like to pretend that they choose based on coolness) but Nesha contacted us and we were informed that the gift card was for $50 bucks!!!  Like we said...it really does pay to comment.  The big question now is...what will we buy?  Maybe these...

                             

RPV High Waisted Sheer Secretary Skirt - Starting Bid $9.99

RPV Floral Skinny Boyfriend Blazer - Starting Bid $19.99