New Items, In the Home Stretch.

Interesting tidbit....the wave couch designed by Adrian Pearsall was not only produced by Craft Associates, it also was made by his later company, Comfort Designs (Kingston, PA).  I found no marks on this piece to attribute it positively to Pearsall, but most things I have read say the size is indicative of the origin, which this one checks out.  Regardless, these wave couches are fantastic and super comfy! 

The Wave couch is in the final stages and is scheduled to be complete at the end of the week.  I cannot wait to see it!  I just finished the legs.  They were sanded down, restained and new poly top coat.  I just have to install the floor glides that get hammered in.  So excited to see this beauty and the fabric is to die for!  I will get some pics when she is home waiting delivery. I got prices to have my X benches put back together (I still have to tear apart the 2nd bench....this will take me a while!) so I am ready to get them done as soon as I finish the tedious tear down.  I was thinking of using the same joybird fabric as the wave couch but in blush or a moss green.  They are both beauties!  I will need 6 yards.  If anyone wants to jump in and claim them I will work a little faster and it's not too late to choose the fabric! I estimate finish price for the pair to be $650-800 depending on if you buy direct from me or if they get listed in my online markets and are subject to fees, etc.  They are extremely tedious and labor intensive. They look awesome at the foot of a bed and they are VERY hot in today's decorating trends!

2 couches are now available! This is listed as a set and priced to sell at $500 with delivery or meets in my region included.  They are HOT.  Generally in good shape with some wear on the arms.  Will be cleaned and sanitized prior to delivery. 

Super sexy convertible couch is available.  Price negotiable for cash/regional shoppers.  Reach out if you are in the market.  It is a great piece!!! Will be cleaned/sanitized prior to delivery.  Super springy supports bounce like an old car seat. Under seat storage and back reclines flat for snoozing.   

The gold velvet couch and chair has been a very hot item for me and sadly, they are not going to be cheap to ship.  I have been working with a west coaster and quite frankly, the quotes are coming back $1000-2000.  This set needs a closer home.  Preferably one I can deliver to.  If you are in the region or would be willing to meet and can transport, this set will be stunning in the right décor.  I might be able to get more reasonable shipping east coast or even Dallas TX as I have a ushipper that goes there a few times a year.  I spend a lot of time pricing shipping and it makes me sad when I can't find something that works for my buyer, but it is what it is.  I have this set priced to MOVE so if you love it, message me right away and we can see if we can make it work.  It is in multiple carts on etsy right now.  Don't forgot, PLYCON quotes instantly in my chairish.com/shop/madmodworldvintage shop.....add the item to your cart like you are buying it, make sure your zip code shows up and you will see the shipping and fees.  FIRST TIME SHOPPERS can get a coupon for signing up for an account or message me with your email and I can have one sent to you!  I do occasionally beat this shipping price but it really depends on where you are.  USHIP for me is less than impressive.  I do not get bids most of the time which is seriously depressing!

This lovely vintage dress form adorned with beautiful scarves and bags will arrive in my space at Fleetwood Antique Mall later this week!  (Dress form is priced and available!)  I plan on Wednesday but we have snow coming so no promises!  Will try to have her there before we leave for the weekend!  That said....I will not be available this weekend for quotes/inventory related questions I cannot answer off the top of my head or shipping.  Please make all purchases by Thursday evening so I can get shipped before I leave!  Othewise, will ship early next week!

In other NEWS, I just got to my wholesaler to restock some goodies for my booth that I like to use as filler and fit my eclectic/boho/camping theme.  Not only did I come home with some cute items like MORE PLACEMATS!  These never stick around long!  I have 2 sets (of 4) of mixed Kantha mats and 3 sets of matching blue/white patterns so come check them out in the etsy shop!  $30 each set plus ship.  They are always popular and do not last long.  Perfect for your dining table or use when you are camping!  They are so fun.  Also with Kantha items, I picked up scarves and 2 cute cross body bags.  I am picky about my bags and selected these because they have leather straps, are adjustable, lined inside with zipper pocket and an open pocket for stashing important items.  They are super cute and perfect for going out, shopping and festival season!  I am adding a dress form to the booth this week and didn't want her to be naked so filled her with scarves and bags!  Hope you can stop by as this cute stuff would make great Valentine's gifts!  All NEW with tags!

I am a savvy shopper and was able to score 2 boxes of goodies in a deal Primitive's by Kathy had going on.  These are all items I do not typically buy to resell but are fabulous gifts and I decided to offer them at WHOLESALE pricing!  That means, these are the prices I would be paying for them, retail is marking them up 50% more!  I hope you stop by my facebook page facebook.com/madformodmalissa and have a look! There is a video of me going through the box and telling you about the items, I suggest you take the time to watch it as you get my opinion and specs.  Then see the album which is pinned to the top of my wall where you can comment and claim items.  FILL A BOX!  These are all small items so I can pack a box for you and price shipping.  You will be invoiced via PAYPAL so all I need is your email address to send the invoice, which will be done as soon as I pack your items and calculate the shipping.  This is so fun and I am thrilled to be able to let you guys WHOLESALE shop with me!  You will find GREAT GIFTS for Valentine's Day/Easter and Mother's Day!  Let me know if you have any questions!  I will leave the album up for a month or two.  Unclaimed items will either be used for giveaways or may be priced and put in my booth.  I hope you can find some things you love.  **My best shipping rates are east coast/mid west.  I will not have access to Fed Ex discounts via paypal but I do have a UPS account so if you are in my worst prices USPS zones, I will price at the cheaper rate for you. I always check for the most cost effective way to get you the goods! 

Box signs, small pillows, mugs and pottery, new from my wholesaler! Check out on my Facebook page and claim what you love! Gifts galore!

Philanthropy:  If you have been following me a while, you know I LOVE to give back to places I use for research and other art preservation causes.  I recently found out that the American Art Archives in DC is allowing folks to pay to have items digitized.  So, you pay for the digitizing and get a copy of the files and then they get uploaded to their online system so ALL can enjoy them online.  It is kind of like sponsoring the records.  I decided I would like to sponsor Bruno Mankowski's records.  I am pretty certain he has no living spouse or children at this point and I feel like it will help share his story.  Plus, there are enough of my naked lady sculptures out there and by the folks contacting me direct or seeing them on ebay, I know it will be found!  It will cost approx. $1200 to have the two totes I reviewed digitized.  I want you guys to know I will be working towards raising the funds for this so you know supporting me is not only supporting my small business, but I also give back to the organizations I work with!

STAY TUNED for final pics of the wave couch!  I will send an interim update when I pick up and can get some better pics taken....snow coming so that might hinder it a bit.  Have a great week!

xo Malissa

I have 6 pillow cases. $16 shipped each, add $13 if you'd like a pair. Advertised on my instagram page, email if you’d like one and I will send invoice via PayPal. 

Riding the Wave.

A quick update on my current projects. After a week of working with my client on the Wave Lounge, the fabric is choosen and ordered.  I sent samples from F Schumacher to her and while she was impressed, she ultimately went with a Joybird selection.  I am thrilled to be able to order it for her and saved her an additional 10% off their normal sale pricing!  Yea for trade accounts!!! She picked a gorgeous golden yellow and I am so excited to see it in person!  Here is a preview.  

I am currently sanding down the legs for a refinish and hope they will be ready by the time the fabric gets here.  I expect this to be ready about a week after it gets to the upholsterer and then I can schedule delivery! I am sure you guys are as excited to see this transformation as we are!  Don’t forget that I have some great and highly collectible Craft Associates/Adrian Pearsall items coming.  They all need a redo and I would love to help you customize a restoration!  Message me and I will make sure I pick up what you want next! The seller is working with me on that! 

This awesome pair is claimable.  I will price as is with option to restore! If handling that scares you, no worries! I will take care of the dirty work for you! All you need to do is make the decisions!  

The end tables are sold and at their new home. Cocktail table is ready to deliver and listed in my shops.  The Havana chair and ottoman is claimable!  Such a great set!  What color would you choose?

There is also an awesome couch in this set that I have claimed as my own. That will be the last item I get from this Home and it will be customized for my own living room!  I look forward to that and may even do my own work.  Stay tuned!  

Another fun thing I was able to do in the last few weeks was work with a client and friend on some cushions for the Eames Fiberglass chairs. After discussing her goal of covering up the screw caps on the seats (because there was upholstery on the chairs originally but pulled off by the former owner who said they were not in repairable condition), I got my mom and dad in the mix to develop a comfy cushion that would do the job of covering the caps, be comfortable but stylish and my personal goal was to make them interactive so if you change up your decor or want another set of cushions, we can just whip them up.  The prototype was born! 

My dad had a few sheets of this plastic foam and it makes a great cushion and spill resistant! We decided on an envelope closure which makes the cover washable if it is fabric and totally interchangeable with another cushion!  I know my client loves to change things up in her home and figured this detail will come in handy whether she knows it yet or not! 😂🤘🏼 This is some fabric my mom had laying around.  It does look nice with the chairs but we pursued vinyl in all of it’s kid friendly glory! 

Who knew vinyl could be so colorful?  Although we could not get an exact match, the shade of the bottom left was closest. I support my local country fabric shop whenever I can! It’s on a farm about 5 miles from me and saves me a 1/2 hour drive to Joann’s.  Just always have to remember they are closed Sunday since they are owned by Mennonites!  

I spent the day sewing and got them all together. We are attaching them with Velcro tabs that will stick to the screw tops on the seat, easily removable later and replaceable if they fail.   

Of course the chairs are now SOLD and ready for delivery this week!  They are going to be perfect around the dining table with all new floor glides and their fab new cushions!

Don’t ever hesitate to reach out if you love something in my inventory and want to make it work for YOU!  My mom is a super talented seamstress and has her own little alterations side gig so I am in good hands! She has been overseeing my recent sewing projects as I polish up on my skills!  

As for my client....,well, let’s just say she is in the middle of a super kick ass kitchen renovation that includes the most spectacular St Charles kitchen cabinets ever!  I hope she will share her story with us here!  It’s a big project and she dove in head first!!!! I know you guys will want to hear about it!  I am going to clear out my mall space at the end of the month...what do you locals want to see next???? I will be taking out the dining set and all the holiday clearance items.  Stop over this weekend and take some things home!  50% off holiday, 20% off everything else, 10% off the dining set and the Danish casework.  Leave a comment of what you’d like to see on display!  I have the cane and wicker rocking chairs, the Yugoslavian set may fit.....so much good stuff to show off!!!! XO Malissa

Researching 101

Whether you think you found a gem in your Granny’s attic or you are searching for the piece of your dreams and don’t want to get ripped off, at some point you will want to do some research.  For sure the internet has made researching items so much easier but you need to use your head and good sense to come out on top. Provenance makes or breaks value so the more you know, the better you can make decisions.  

I found this piece, NOW WHAT? 

Makers Marks, Tags, Stamps, Signatures.  All of these tell a story. If you are fortunate to have a piece with any of this information, it will greatly help you in your quests!  There is a great community of enthusiasts and collectors who have vast knowledge of makers, designers and their works who post blogs and updates.  Start your searching on google, Facebook, Instagram and my favorite, Pinterest.  There are many ads and catalogs posted either for sale or just as a reference.  These are valuable resources! 

Now what do most people ask first when they post in a group to crowd source provenance? HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH? The short answer, nothing if no one wants it. Half the battle of reselling your items is getting it to the audience who does want it and is willing to pay market value to get it.  Any legit retailer, myself include, has overhead which needs to be included in the selling price.  We are trying to cover expenses and make some money on top of it.  If this job was easy, everyone would be doing it.  It’s hard work and in 4 years, I am still not making much of a profit nor contributing to my personal finances so keep that in mind when you support the retail industry.  If anyone is getting rich doing this at this stage, i’d love to meet them! 😂

Let’s talk about some great places to start sleuthing.  Google and Google Image will pick up large auction house listings, first dibs and other online sales.  Use this as a start but be leery of claims unless there is significant proof of provenance.  There are a lot of false claims coming from the highest end markets.  

Ebay can be a great place as well and always remember to search current listings and then go one step further by clicking ADVANCED followed by checking the box for SOLD listings.  This will get you realized sales.  I also consider the source because there are many facets to retail.  Ebay does attract collectors so an in demand item may realize for top dollar, however, a lot of large items are PICK UP ONLY so to me, that seller it not really experiencing the full national market which can affect his price.   

Once you think you have figured out the origins of your piece, you can move forward into other realms.  I love Pinterest for this and have found many original ads and catalogs there.  Ebay also has been a great source for this.   

Art specific items can be fun.  I have found info in the American Art Archives of the Smithsonian, local art museums have libraries as well.  I did find a search engine (worldcat.org) covering libraries and the art museums around the country are also in the search.  I have twice used resources at the Philadelphia Art Museum and it is easy to reserve, make an appt to view and then you sign in at the desk and get a visitor’s pass.  This pass lets you spend time in the building perusing the current exhibits before you leave as well!  Parking in the residential area behind the museum is free for up to two hours!  Also note that you may even find a published book or exhibition catalog! Some leads do not amount to much but you will find out more as you go along.

Exhibit catalogs and resources I perused at the Philly Art Museum researching Marie Cuttoli and my Fernand Leger tapis which to date is my most valuable find. 

Pay sites?  I have paid for day use of ask Art and the like.  Not that impressed and most of the info was publicly available anyway, Sotheby’s and Christie’s are searchable direct.  

Print or Original?  One trick to help you determine if you have a print is to use a magnifying glass.  A print will show all the tiny dots in the ink from the printing process.  An original will not have the dots.  I started by checking a Picasso print I had so it was easy to see and then looked at my piece and it definitely was not a print.

This auction had the piece listed as a lithograph.  It is indeed an original sketch. I have no reason to believe this artist made copies as of my research to date.  I would like to travel to Connecticut to investigate some more in the museums local to where she lived.

Sculpture.  Most reproductions of sculpture are plaster, possibly hollow and were big in the 70’s.  If you find signatures of NPI, FRANKLIN MINT, AUSTIN PRODUCTS, they are def reproductions.  If you tap them they will ring high in pitch.  The usually have felt on the bottom. Some are mounted to a board or base but many just have felt covering the hollow middle.  The 2 original sculptures I have are both mounted on a base.  The bolt that hold the piece to the base is visible under the base.  Each piece is made out of a material that is denser than ceramic and makes a dull less bright noise when tapped...reminds me of striking rubber.  In both cases, they are signed by the artist down toward the base on the side or back of the piece.  My Mankowski piece has copyright symbol after his name (B. Mankowski) but it was a series he made to sell multiple pieces.  The other sculpture I have from Bette Fast only says FAST.  She seemed to sell her work privately and was not widely represented.

My two original nude sculptures. Each made of different composition materials but by touch and sound they are very similar and distinctly different than a plaster or ceramic reproduction. 

It really is interesting to see how the art world works.  I have seen relatively unknown local artists selling prints, copyrighting their works and making a living. They do not show up in internet searches but they were selling.  Buy what you love and find out what you can about it.  If you are lucky, you will be able to unravel some of the mystery!  

Happy New Year to all my friends!  I look forward to an even more exciting 2018!  Local peeps I will be having a clearance sale in my space at Fleetwood Antique Mall this month. 20% off everything, 10% off featured furnishings and Holiday items are all marked at least 50% off.  The mall is open until 3:00 New Year’s Eve. More items will arrive after I am done celebrating Christmas with family.  It is always the two weeks of Christmas for us! 👌😂🎄