Moving, Selling, and Fixing Up Mom's Stuff
September 03, 2018
I moved my mom from a senior apartment complex to a much smaller assisted living apartment at the end of July. She will be 87 next week, and needs a little more help than the senior apartment complex offered.
She fell and broke her hip, AND got a partial hip replacement. She's in rehab and waiting to get back in her apartment!
My mom has always been a garage sale and thrift store shopper, even auctions in her younger days. Even though she had been downsized once already, moving from her house to the apartment, she still had a lot of stuff.
This dress form proudly displayed her grandmother's wedding dress for many years. She had it in her bedroom. I folded up the antique wedding dress (that was paper thin) and put it in storage. I brought the dress form home. Still thinking about up-cycling it or selling it. I know my mom paid like $70-75 for it.
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These old fashioned lady figurines from Home Interiors, and Scarlett O'Hara from Avon can't even fetch $20 for all on a local facebook selling group. I think figurines are out of favor. I have some lady figurines too. Older ones. But they are packed away now.
Mom had a lot of art glass vases like this. While these are not fairing as poorly as the figurines, I have been selling them in the $10 to $20 range. I maybe could get a little more money on ebay, but I dread the packaging and shipping and ebay fees.
At one time, my mom and I sold lots of vintage art glass on ebay for great prices, but that was back in the 1990's.
More vintage art glass, but this time, candy dishes! Many are Fenton. But who wants to have candy all over the house, right? It's hard enough to lose weight!
There were roosters and hens. Many of them went on to her new apartment to live on top of her kitchen cabinets.
But I still had a ceramic rooster bank, rooster plates, hens on covered nests, rooster figurines and rooster salt and pepper shakers. To be honest, the rooster stuff is selling very well on the fb selling group.
Then there were mom's clearance sale buys, like this Swedish/Norwegian stuff.
She's not even Swedish or Norwegian. I am. My dad was. Since my mom was a clerk at a drug store that sold gifts, she would buy clearance items to resell, I guess on ebay or at a local consignment shop.
Precious Moments!
My mom had a quite a collection of Precious Moments figurines. Again, purchased on clearance at the drug store, or picked up thrifting.
She never displayed Precious Moments, but I found them in the closets in plastic totes and boxes. These are actually selling for $5-$10 each. Sometimes better than the art glass! Go figure!
There were lots of glass bird figurines, including these Bluebirds of Happiness.
There were a lot of glass and ceramic lady's slippers! These are Fenton.
Our city park in town has a statue of Smokey Bear, and my mom collected vintage Smokey Bear collectibles like this vintage Little Golden Book from 1955, as well as Smokey Bear shot glasses, thimbles, postcards, and other souvenir stuff.
Mom had some vintage figural planters like this elf from Shawnee Pottery,
And this cat planter from Hull Pottery. These both sold for $10 each on the FB group. I have some figural planters tucked away too. They remind me of my childhood.
My mom had some interesting but not beautiful stuff too, like these metal record adaptors in the box.
I had some plastic ones back in the day, but not metal!
Or this vintage Robo knife sharpener (from the 1940's per ebay.)
I have loved this piece of furniture since I was a young girl. This secretary was in my mom and dad's bedroom when I was a child. My mom purchased it at an auction.
I will have to move it into position in my house and fill it with my style vintage items and share on my blog.
Items up-cycled from mom's apartment:
More of mom's stuff to come! By the way she fell and broke her hip, had a partial hip replacement, and is in rehab for a bit, before returning to her assisted living apartment.
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I hope your mom recovers well from her surgery. It must be fun, yet overwhelming going through all her stuff! That cabinet is beautiful and I'm sure it is going to look lovely in your home. How exciting to have something that has been in your family a long time!
ReplyDeleteYour Mom had a good eye for collecting. Too bad some of the beautiful glassware has gone out of style, but it will return before long. I see my daughter going through what you are doing after I am gone. I have been collecting forever. Hopefully, I can downsize before that happens. Enjoyed seeing what you are doing with your Mom's stuff. Love that china cabinet. Audrey Z.
ReplyDeleteWishing speedy recovery for your mom!
ReplyDelete