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Luxe on a Budget: Beni Ourain Moroccan Rugs

2012-02-23T15:00:00Z

You like the look of this Beni Ourain Moroccan rug, right. But you don't have $5,900 and you are also maybe a little clumsy and spill your Burple everywhere? Me too. So, I went on the hunt to find similar looking rugs and accessories that don't come with such a baller price tag.

$5,900 rug from BeniOurain

You could try this smaller version for under $700.

Small Beni Ourain Rug from BOUCHEROUITE $649

Or go big and snatch a rug almost as large as our dream rug up there, but for $4,100 less. UPDATE: Looks like this rug sold, but they have plenty more to choose from here.

Imports from Marrakesh, $1,800

Really those are still pretty expensive for most folks... So, if you only have around 80 bucks -- this guy should do the trick.

Kilim Pillow Case from yuner $76.90

Anthropologie makes one or you could buy a Flokati from IKEA and hack it. Is that the worst idea ever? Who wants to try it and report back?

How to Ship a Pair of Lamps

2012-02-22T20:00:27Z

I recently sold these lamps.

Which is awesome. But as any online seller knows, selling stuff means one thing: shipping.

Dun-dun-DUN! Hate it! Especially for big, fragile stuff like this. And lamps are THE WORST because they're lopsided, long, heavy, and fragile. Good luck finding a box that fits the pair!

But I've been doing this garbage for many a year. I've become a sort-of pro at it -- at least to where my skills match the dudes' who work at the UPS Store. (Doesn't mean I don't still hate it.) So I'm a-gonna do a photo skill share on how to pack and mail a pair of lamps.

Hyperlinks to the products I use in shipping. BUY THESE PRODUCTS. Save yourself the time and energy of squirrel-gathering shipping supplies, bite the bullet, and order them from Uline (and only Uline -- all other shipping supply companies are inferior). I command you.

Shop Profile: Rudy's Roundup

2012-02-22T15:00:26Z

Today TVB shares an interview with past vendor and shop owner Brooke from Rudy's Roundup. Her Wicker Park shop is full of awesome vintage smalls for every pocketbook. Enjoy!

Shop: Rudy's Roundup

Owner: Brooke Timm

We hear your dog Rudy inspired the name of your shop. What inspired you to get into selling vintage in the first place?

I have always had a love for all things vintage and instead of becoming a hoarder I decided that having a store would be a fun and productive alternative.

I was pleasantly surprised by the explosion of color that is your shop! How did you decide on the turquoise and yellow motif?

I seem to gravitate towards Mid-century modern and the look of the 1950s kitchen. That time period/feel is the inspiration for the color theme and decor of Rudy's Roundup.

I love the scale of the objects in your shop. What made you decide to focus on small things (accessories and personal items like soaps, scarves, cards, and pins) rather than, say, vintage furniture or garments?

I focus on the small stuff because I want everyone to be able to leave with a small treasure and not everyone has the space or budget for large vintage pieces.

Click through to read about the secret back room!

Get the Look: Mookie from Do The Right Thing

2012-02-21T15:00:47Z

As old as it might make you feel, looks from the '80s are coming back around. Spandex, Flash Dance sweatshirts, neon, funky watches, etc. can be found on the bodies of babes. Today we're helping you dress like the cool kids with inspiration from the 1989 flick Do The Right Thing.

Links below to item listings!

Clockwise: Sweatshirt from nichestyle, Red shorts from viralthreads, Zebra bike shorts from kokorokoko, Sneakers from TigerLilyFrocks, Layer your Swatches: 1 & 2 & 3, and Carrera Sunglasses from Labrabbit Optics.

6 Easy Ways to Improve Your Shop Photos

2012-02-20T20:00:59Z

Vintage brass reindeer candle holders from Retroburgh.

We talked before about the importance of great photos in your vintage listings that help you take advantage of favoriting and sharing boards like Pinterest. Check out these 6 ways to ensure you're getting the best product photos every time.

1. Have a dedicated space to do your product photography.

Maybe you don't want to go as far as setting up a tabletop photo studio in your apartment, but keep all your photo materials (backdrop, tape, camera, extra lighting) in one place so you don't have to go around gathering stuff up when it's time to do product shots. Always take your photos in the same location so you can learn to work with that space's natural light.

Roundup: Put A Collar On It

2012-02-20T15:01:01Z

Accessories can take an outfit from zzzz to !!!! with minimal effort. Like the other weekend when I threw a fur collar on over my black turtleneck and gray leggings -- it instantly jazzed things up. (My new Zzouzi coat helped a bit, too.)

Grabbing coffee at Blue Sky Inn, photo by Leilani Wertens.

So, here's a roundup of collars that can take your outfit from trip to the grocery to party in the USA.

Blue Velvet '50s Collar from Dear Golden $34

Unisex Vintage Wolf Fur Collar from zaama $89

Click through for four more!

Guess the Film Set

2012-02-17T20:00:41Z

As you might have guessed by now, I pay a lot of attention to the decor on movie sets. I'm that annoying person that points out what kinds of lamps and chairs the family has. "Oooh, ooh, ooh! That's a Dansk candelabra!" and such.

So I thought it might be fun to see if you like-minded folk could guess what film we're looking at just through the decor. I'll post pictures from the film sans any obvious identifying characteristics, and if you think you know it, post your answer in the comments or on our Facebook Page.

Here are a series of stills from your first challenge. Can you guess the film?

Roundup: Odd Fellows Paraphernalia

2012-02-16T15:00:57Z

You may or may not know that the site of our most recent TVB -- DANK Haus -- was originally a Three Links Association building. Erected in 1927, the building was a hotel of sorts for the jolly fellows of the fraternity. This interesting historical tidbit inspired me to look for Odd Fellows paraphernalia on the world wide web. Here's what I found.

1900 Odd Fellows Goliath Mask, TopsyDesign

Metal Three Links Embellishment, sarjeantandco

Odd Fellows Banner, fatbuddha1

Memorial Flag, AustinModern

Odd Fellows Collar, VampieOodles

Still jonsing for Odd Fellows stuff? Check out our old post about Masons and IOOF right here.

Ask the Readers: How to Clean Vintage Wood Crates?

2012-02-15T20:00:43Z

Photo courtesy tarifa577.We received this question recently from a reader:

Do you have tips on how to clean old wooden crates and boxes? I have a few really cool vintage ones but they are on the rank side. How do you clean before clear coating?

-- DeDe, VintageandFlea.com

Got any advice for DeDe? Leave it in the comments or comment on our Facebook Page.

What Did You Find at TVB?

2012-02-14T15:01:32Z

The lovely Leilani (photographer, Thriftaholic blogger) snapped a ton of photos at last weekend's The Vintage Bazaar. We wanted to share with you some of our favorite shopper haul pics. Links to the vendors' blog or shop or pleas for help sourcing the vendor in the captions.

What did you find at TVB? Share your finds and/or blog posts in the comments. And make sure to check out Felix's recap on the Avoision blog.

New Documents

Sky High

Liz! Where did you buy this hat? UPDATE: Bombshellshocked

Lots more after the jump!