Better than chocolate covered cherries…

Submitted by MyFunCloset April 9th, 2010
Certifikitsch Winner

A great estate sale discovery tucked away on a forgotten shelf. A box of three chalkware cherry clusters still wrapped in original tissue paper. Each measures about 3 1/2″. I know I’ll never find more of these again.

8 Responses to “Better than chocolate covered cherries…”

  1. Allee Willis

    Beautiful chalkware! Beautiful condition! And with that same pearlized finish. I love finding things still wrapped in their original tissue paper. The only problem is I get attached to that the same as I do to the item itself so I end up having to store boxes and boxes of tissue paper that I’ll never reuse because I love it too much.

    I’m probably posting one of my anthropomorphic chalkware fruits today so check my Kitsch ‘ The Day blog out later. alleewillis.com/blog ( tho if I don’t hit a deadline I’ve been putting off I may not post…)

    • MyFunCloset

      re:your post of anthropomorphic chalkware fruits. Adorable happy pear! The artist owned the basic colors and made the creative decision to go green. Most important, you gave it a good home.
      These 3 cherry clusters are a high gloss airbrush paint, but wished they were pearlized.
      My best finds are still wrapped in newspaper in closed boxes, under tables or above eye level on a shelf. To all of you, what is your strategy finding a treasure others have missed?

  2. MyFunCloset

    Well, you’re at a yard sale. Buyers are scoping the sale. I look around and some are holding fabulous things. I say “how did I miss that?” What was their scoping strategy or was it luck? Though sometimes I’m the one that finds the amazing prize I’m slower than the real pro.
    Another tip I share passed on to me…donate some stuff to a church rummage sale the day before the sale. Great time to check out the sale with the chance to buy pre-sale. That’s what I mean by “strategy” other aKitschionados may want to share.

    • Allee Willis

      I’ve been thrifting, swapping and fleaing for so long my strategy is that I can literally feel the vibe as soon as I’m in a room or in a row at a swap meet if something’s there that’s right for me. I move really fast. I’ve always been someone who can multitask with the best of ’em juggling 25 things at once and I’m very multi-textural when I look at anything. So I see not only what’s right in front of me but layers and layers of detail all around me. When I go to swap meets I have specially rigged shopping carts (one for me and whoever I go with – I’m very picky about who I go with as they have to be able to move and make decisions as fast as me or it’ll ruin a friendship). The carts have (homemade) compartments for phone, water and coffee as well as a zillion different sizes of bungee cords and bags. I absolutely hate to carry anything and don’t want to waste any time running back and forth to the car. When I go to swap meets I take my van which is specially rigged so the shopping carts fit right in, contents still inside. For any overflow I fold the other seats down and also have a rack on the roof. The whole way I work on anything, be it going to a swap meet, thrift shopping, writing a song or throwing a party, is to consciously and constantly perfect a method of it being as easy and convenient as possible. So I have the swap meet thing down to a science!

      The idea of donating some stuff to the church rummage sale so you can scan the inventory at day earlier is a fantastic idea.

  3. MyFunCloset

    Yes you have it down to a science. You slide through the crowd with ease. No time lost! The best is unwrapping your treasure and discovering it’s even better than expected and the worst is damage from being poorly wrapped or remorse for paying far too much.
    Spring is here and the sales are really starting this weekend.

  4. denny

    OMG, I too feel that vibe. I started to notice it even more going into estate sales. It’s weird, it’s like a psychic connection to kitsch. I’m digressing again…I am a huge chalkware fan. I have a few pieces here and there. I could die. When I left Florida, I forgot to take my family of fish off my bathroom wall and left them behind. Beautiful, beautiful chalkware with hint of orange and yellow and the best animated eyes. Bummer.