Antique lock: $4,000 - 6,000

This iron lock is from the 1500s and is astonishingly large. Greg speculates it was on a castle or some other extremely large door.

1960s to 1970s Picasso serigraph: $6,000

This serigraph is very large and depicts a little girl. It was in great shape and is a much less commonly seen Picasso print. However, the other little girl in the picture is priceless.

Late 1800s hand stitched crazy quilt: $500

This hand stitched crazy quilt was in great condition and crazy quilts are much less common than regular hand-stitched quilts. Regular patchwork quilts combine measured pieces of fabric into a pre-determined design, but crazy quilts use varying and irregular  fabric swatches without a pattern or design. We especially liked the varying colors and designs of the chosen fabrics.

Early 20th Century Mettlach stein: $4,000

Mettlach is easily the most desirable maker of German steins. Collectors often hunt for them due to their quality  and this one in particular was in perfect shape and a very large size. They can be distinguished by a “Mettlach” mark on the bottom.

1890-1910 Art Nouveou bronze plate: $2,000

This was a great piece and some of our appraisers were very impressed by its quality. It is a classic Art Nouveau design. Mix that with the high quality bronze, and you have yourself a very desirable and beautiful art piece.

If you are bummed you missed the appraisal fair, no worries! Greg also does appraisals by appointment. Call him at (480) 833-4844 to schedule yours today! Cost is $10 per item. We’ll also make sure to keep you posted on upcoming events!

Perfect timing with Cinco De Mayo! These Skulls were so chic. (A rule of thumb: a lot of something makes a HUGE impact!) {Image via Brenda Eden.}

They also had a sweet Madewell backdrop and a professional (Brenda Eden) photographing everyone as they came in. Erica would have loved the denim, too bad the event coincided with her friend’s wedding! {Image via Brenda Eden.}

I wore a vintage inspired outfit, the skirt actually was my grandma’s! (isn’t it funny how things come so back in style?) The vintage Coach purse and watch are from the Plaza. The belt and necklace are other vintage finds, the shirt is Forever 21 and the boots are from Last Chance. {Image via Brenda Eden.}

They had a meet and greet table with name tags and make your own friendship bracelet, I got through about 2 inches before I started moving on, there were so many people to meet! {Image via Brenda Eden.}

Look at all the fashionable ladies, isn’t it insane? Everyone was dressed to the nines. {Image via loves pretty things.}

I had the pleasure of meeting all these ladies. Aren’t their outfits cute? And there are definitely some vintage and repurposed pieces in there. {Image via Brenda Eden.}

They also brought in a model to show the fashion bloggers some new poses! {Image via Brenda Eden.}

All in all, it was a great conference. I got to pass out these cards I made and made a lot of great connections. We hope to be able to partner with more local bloggers for fashion, DIY and definitely more giveaways! If you have an idea please let us know! ericaandkat@gmail.com

 Until then, we’ll be working on our vintage fashion ensembles and our photography skills Can’t wait for the next event!

Living in a state with so much south-of-the-border influence, we really get to see a lot of fantastic Mexican or Mexican-inspired antiques and accessories pass through our doors.

I can just imagine hanging this mirror on a patio or sunroom, really livening up the space and giving it that Spanish flavor. This cart and outdoor side table are loaded up with all the essentials: plates, cups, tablecloths, barware, fresh fruit and of course some Dos Equis cerveza and alcohol.

We initially got the color inspiration from the mirror and cart. But when shopping all this fresh fruit caught our eye, it matched perfectly! All of these colors of summer scream relaxation.

This fun toy will keep your guests entertained while their drinks are being poured and these extra-thick marbled green glass tumblers are perfectly festive and can hold a decent amount of sangria!

What better way to relax with a beer or margarita than having someone sit on a stool and play some guitar. I went to see Paco de Lucia at the Mesa Arts Center last week, talk about musical inspiration!

These fun bar letters could be filled up with your favorite appetizers and you never know when you need an extra tablecloth!

Well there you have it, our Cinco de Mayo serving cart! We went in a different route than our normal tablescapes, because we just figured Cinco de Mayo was less of a sit-down holiday and more of a get-out-and-party one! Have a great time and be safe! Ay ay ay!!

And remember: everything on the cart is for sale at the Antique Plaza!

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1. Customized cake plate

Let them eat cake! Cleverly placed glass-etched saying will be revealed after the newlyweds feed each other the first slice of cake!

2. Monogram fancy glasses

Make these monogram glasses with the first letter of the couple’s new married last name. Is their last name Dater? Donaghue? De la Cruz? Then these stems would be perfect for you!  They’re so simple, but instantly make an old glass feel fancy and important.
3. Happy pyrex set

Pyrex dishes often go missing after being brought to a potluck or holiday affair. Give this set to your favorite bride, and they’ll always make it back to their rightful owner! I made these as a gift for one of my best friend’s bridal showers and I think she really loved it.

For this project you will need:

• Glass plate, dish, cup, bakeware, etc. to work on
• Sticker letters (make sure to spell out all of your sayings prior to applying the letters to make sure you have enough of each one!) or contact paper
• Armor etch medium (can be found at any craft store but can be a little pricey. Make sure you bring a coupon!)
• Scissors (to cut contact paper if needed)
• Tape
• Foam paintbrush

Step 1: Place the stickers or contact paper shapes onto the glass where you would like it. Tape around the area so that the glass etching medium stays contained.

{*Note that you need to use the reverse side of the sticker letters to have the letter itself be etched into the glass, like the glasses pictured above}

Step 2: Take the foam brush and generously spread the Armor Etch medium onto the glass over the letters. It says to let it sit for five minutes, but I found this wasn’t enough time. I let mine sit around 20 minutes until dry.

Step 3: Rinse off all of the Armor Etch and remove stickers. Look for spots where it did not etch, and carefully patch these spots then rinse again.

Step 4: You’re done, it’s that simple! Wrap it up and you’ve got a one-of-a-kind wedding present!

{The couple’s names are Matt and Andrea Hom, so I did one dish with their new married name, one dish with Matt loves Andrea and the last dish says happiness is homemade.}

Personally, I love this project on colored depression glass dishes the best. But keep in mind, if the piece has personal sentiment to you (i.e. it was passed down from your great grandmother) then you may not want to use it for this project. The glass etching is permanent! The good news is you can find tons of different glassware at the Antique Plaza for extremely good prices!

Thanks for joining us during wedding month!

I “dressed” my Save the Date in two ways

1. Lace and vintage jewelry

Using an antique doily, some twine and a vintage clip-on earring, I made my own “envelope” of sorts. It took no time at all, and really gives your soon to be guests a feel for your big day as they unwrap their save the date.

You can use any kind of jewelry or bauble to fasten into the twine bow, I especially liked the whimsy of these polka dot earrings.

1. Natural/ Plaid 

For this look I went more natural and masculine. I printed the save the date on some recycled paper I found at Kelly paper and made a band of orange plaid fabric. I secured it with plain white string and a wooden button from the Plaza.

This look is simple but portrays a unified look. It could easily be done with a variety of fabric in complementing patterns/colors and any type of button.

If you like this save the date, I have included it as a download here. To change the names, date and place, you will need Adobe Illustrator or a free alternative like Inkscape (download here.) All fonts are from Lost Type (download here). If you have any problems, please drop me a line at me(at)katrandall.com.

Enjoy! Happy Wedding Month!

In honor of wedding month we have created a mini collection of bridal headbands and belts made out of vintage brooches, bracelets and necklaces from the Antique Plaza. They turned out gorgeous if we do say so ourselves!

{From left to right: 1. ‘Grey satin’ belt with rhinestone bracelet centerpiece 2. ‘Something blue’ headband with rhinestone bracelet centerpiece 3. I’ve playfully named this one the ‘big baby chic’ headband. It features an elastic band with large red flower and rhinestone earring center made by dealer #312}

{From top to bottom: 1. ‘Boho fancy’ belt/headband featuring an eclectic bold band with a scroll brooch center 2. ‘Gummy Gems’ headband made from vintage pink bracelet and velvet ribbon 3. ‘The Kim Kardashian’ headband is by far my favorite! It features a vintage rhinestone necklace attached to feminine white lace. This piece can be worn SO many ways!}

A BIG thank you goes out to our beautiful newlywed Tiffany Santini for modeling the pieces!

So, which one’s your favorite? Would you wanna rock any of these on your big day??

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We hope you all had a blessed Easter! We relaxed, played fun games and ate way too many deviled eggs! But now, it’s back to the grind (which the word ‘grind’ doesn’t even really seem fitting because we’re loving putting together this month’s posts…) and we’re bringing you some great stuff. We’ve deemed April WEDDING MONTH!! Yay! And we want to kick it off with an awesome reader submission.

This submission is from Johnna Leach, who made her daughter-in-law a bouquet for her wedding. She took a twist on a bride’s staple and assembled it completely from vintage brooches! Not all of them are from the plaza, but many of them are. Isn’t it gorgeous? Isn’t her daughter-in-law gorgeous?

Johnna, you did such a wonderful job, thank you for sharing it with us!

*If you’d like tips on how to make your own brooch bouquet Johnna has generously agreed to help. Just email us and we’ll get you connected with her.

**Or, if you have your own DIY that you’d like to share (using items from the Antique Plaza) please send ‘em our way! We love this stuff.

Seeing this DIY made us wonder, what else can we do with brooches? But you’ll have to wait to find out!…

Easter is one out of the three days a year that the plaza is closed, so we can share the holiday with our families and loved ones. But, we did come across this super awesome egg dyeing tutorial from Sara over at Our Best Bites blog and we just had to share it with you!

Sara takes old silk ties — she says the uglier the better — and transfers the patterns onto eggs! 

Kat and I recently purchased a bag of old, dirty ties with the intention of taking them home, washing them and selling them at the shop. But after we washed them, they just were never the same. Now we have the perfect project! It’s funny how things like that work out, isn’t it? For the full tutorial, check out Our Best Bites blog.

HAPPY HUNTING!

I am totally on the industrial bus and I can just imagine how much this would enhance an otherwise neutral space.

Not to mention the light this lamp can put out is amazing, it lights up the booth even with just a few bulbs in.

The head of the lamp pivots around to any angle and even though the base has some rust and paint, I think it just adds to the charm.

So here I am browsing through CB2′s catalog ( a modern offshoot of Crate and Barrel) and I come across the “Beacon Floor Lamp.” The structure is emulated to a tee.

I guess it makes sense, not everyone stumbles across a genuine studio light.

I was just on their site and it seems they are currently out of stock, but our lamp is still for sale! {dealer #69 for $395}

Some things are always cool, regardless of the era. A little bit of industrial lighting goes a long way.

Hope your week is going fantastic!

While out shopping for antiques with Kat and Greg last week, my boyfriend Ricky came along! He usually can’t because of work, so it was definitely a treat. While out, he cleverly put two words together as a joke. Man + Antiquing = Mantiquing! At the time we thought he was a genuis. Who would ever think of something so witty? Well, quite a few people actually, as we found when we got back home and typed it into Google. But, none the less, mantiquing is here to stay! We know that plenty of men love antiques, and we want to stop discriminating! So every so often, one male blogger will contribute a post about what they love about antiques. First up, the creator of mantiquing himself, Ricky.

When Ricky and I met I was a senior in high school working at the Antique Plaza. That’s when his partiality for antiques started. But not just any antiques, only antiques that would fit into his mid-century gentleman’s dream office. When he sees something he likes he often says, “I need that for my office!” and I have to remind him that he doesn’t have one yet. But still, over the years his side of our massive shared office table has begun to pile up with items that are eagerly waiting for their place in his future ‘man space’.

So, you want to know what cool stuff is in Ricky’s office?

THE MAIN PIECES:

Mid-century desk 

“The desk is a man’s place to escape; he’s the captain and the desk is his ship. It reflects the man’s personality the most. This mid-century desk has an organic feel, something that you don’t see that often today. It’s sleek and vintage but still classic. It withstands the test of time.”

{Image via velvetandshag.blogspot.com - we have desks like these in the shop frequently, but they sell quickly!}

Mid-century bar

“Adding this bar to your office creates a different environment. When there’s a bar in an office it’s a little more laid back. I think it shows that you know how to have fun but also take care of business. This piece of furniture closes too, so that’s nice.”

{Dealer #42 – $350}

Herman Miller chair

“These chairs are comfortable, fashionable and functional. I want one of these in my office because they compliment the desk.”

{Dealer #69 – $495 each}

THE ACCESSORIES:

Schoolhouse items: Clock and stapler

“Staplers and clocks are both items that still function the same way today as they did 50+ years ago. Even though I didn’t grow up back then, this clock and stapler remind me of the good old days of being in middle school.”

{Clock and stapler NFS}

Vintage industrial fan

“I love my fans. In the Arizona heat this would just be nice to have on your desk.”

{Dealer #LM – $35}

Animals: Bronze lion sculpture and Brass duck head book ends

“I just think animals are cool. Men like nature, and instead of having a deer head on my wall I would much rather have these duck heads. I think I might need to go back and buy these…”

{Bronze lion – Dealer #69 – $900} {Duck bookends – Dealer #? – $?}

Anthropologie Lamp

“Lighting is important in an office. It’s crucial to creating a welcoming atmosphere and setting the right tone. The shape and style of this lamp ties the entire room together.”

{Lamp via Anthropologie}

Cityscape artwork

“I really like cityscapes because it gives that urban feel. This Parisian street scene brings in life and movement. The art breaks up all of the mid-century pieces and really brings it all to life.”

{Art via artfinding.com}

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Thanks so much Ricky for providing us with our first installment of mantiquing! If you, or anyone you know would like to be a male contributor for the column please feel free to contact us! We would love to hear your ideas!