Outside the Estate Sale…. What are we selling?

Austin Estate Sales

Outside of the estate sale.

In a typical estate sale, here in Austin, Tx, Amber Ostrich almost always sets up a separate sales area outside. Sometimes newer shoppers are confused by this, so I thought I’d take a minute to explain how this part of the sale works.

When we host any estate sale, we have various types of items. The average person who chooses to have an estate sale does so because they usually have a lot to sell. These items fall into a few tiers of quality and value.

We know that many of our shoppers come to our estate sales looking for specific items, such as vintage, crafting & sewing, books, antiques, artwork and furniture.

Inside the house is where you’ll find all the beautiful, quality and collectible items.

On the outside or sometimes staged in the garage, we offer what we consider to be the general household type items, and in general they not of a high dollar value. Still many bargains are to be found here!

Think of it like having a ‘garage sale’ outside and the estate sale inside. Where we have already separated household and garden items from the higher quality items indoors.

Austin Estate Sales

You are free to browse the outside area while you wait, in line for the indoor sale, as long as someone is willing to hold your spot in line. Or if you just prefer you can go straight to shopping the bargain sale when you arrive.

Q: What will I find outside or in the garage?

A: Outside you’ll typically find things like: tools, as-is furniture, everyday books, garden and plants. Many of the more common household like items.

There is no need to go through the house first to get to this part of the sale.  And we make it easy, you can pay for outside or garage items right then and there.

I really hope y’all enjoy shopping at Amber Ostrich Estate Sales. We try to accommodate everyone and hope that our sales suit all types of shoppers.

Happy shopping!

 

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LA Fashion Snob: An AO Shopper Profile

Austin Estate Sales

Heather Petrey of La Fashion Snob writes about fashion and shops vintage clothing at AO Estate Sales. Here she is sporting a Burberry trench coat she bought at an AO sale.

 

 

Here at Amber Ostrich Estate Sales, we have many shoppers who are business owners and come to our estate sales to buy for their businesses.

This shopper profile is part of installation of a blog series about our shoppers who are also business owners.

Heather Petrey of LA Fashion Snob is bringing vintage back.

She’s been blogging on LA Fashion Snob, since 2008 when she became inspired at a fashion event in LA where she began chatting with vendors about brands and realized her passion for fashion could be realized online.

As an aspiring jewelry and clothing designer, Petrey loves vintage clothing and shops at estate sales and vintage stores all the time.

“I barely shop at malls anymore,” Petrey said. The quality of vintage clothing compared to today’s off-the-rack, she mused, is just much, much better for a variety of reasons.

“I love the quality (of vintage). Nobody else has it. And I love the history of the clothing. When I’m at an estate sale I wonder, ‘Who owned this?'”

Petrey's latest Amber Ostrich #vintage score.

Petrey is a recent transplant to Austin from LA and blogs on fashion in both cities as well as events around the country. On her blog she covers events, mentions well-known designers and shares industry information as well as a running commentary on her own fashion choices at each event.

She aspires to one day open her own vintage shop and designs her own jewelry and clothing.

When she comes to estate sales, she is picking up inventory for her future shop as well as shopping for herself, all the while, gaining inspiration for designs.

As a vintage shopper, she offered up some tips on how to enter a sale. She said she usually looks at all the photos online and chooses what she’s most interested in, then heads straight for it when she gets to the sale.

“I’m usually looking for clothes, hats, purses and jewelry,” she said. “I’m looking for gems that are awesome, that I can’t live without.”

You can visit LA Fashion Snob here: http://www.lafashionsnob.com/

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Come Shop the Brady House!

PAST SALE……..Well folks, it’s here. From the Bradys to the Eighties, this weekend our jam packed vintage estate is ready for you to shop and we are rarin’ to go!

This house is not actually the Brady Bunch home, just thought I should clarify. But it sure does look it from the outside! And the inside too.

We’ve got a really great selection of vintage clothing in this estate. Tons of stuff from kids to women’s and men’s clothing.

Austin Estate Sales

Vintage girls' red coat with matching hat.

Vintage designer wear, Miss Elliette of California.

Austin Estate Sales

Miss Elliette of California, complete with lovely elephant sleeves.

Not only do we have great vintage treasures in the clothing selection, but our crafty crowd will love this sale!

Austin Estate Sales

Vintage needlepoint.

Along with various vintage crafting, we’ve got a lovely Necchi sewing machine, a cute Snoopy pin cushion, tons of fabric and thread, crafty organizing cases, knitting needles, patterns and other vintage odds and ends.

Up next, to go with that vintage dress or craft box, we’ve got 3 purses from the 1920s-1940s.

Austin Estate Sales

Vintage mesh wire purse with metal coin inset.

We’ve also got some Weller pottery in this lot. This sale is not only vintage, but ANTIQUES too. Lots of Great stuff!

Austin Estate Sales

Weller pottery

Jumping out of the vintage box and into the modern design box, we’ve also got over 100 designer glasses frames. Designers like Prodesign Denmark, Kate Spade, Mario Martinelli and Fendi. This estate’s owner was an ophthalmologist, so these frames are all like new!

Austin Estate sales

Over 100 designer frames.

As usual, there’s just too much to mention. Check out photos on our Smug Mug account.

See more photos on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

If you like what you see and what to get emails about our sales, sign up for our email list. (I promise, I never spam and I don’t sell email lists!

 

 

 

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From the Bradys to the Eighties PAST SALE

Well folks, as promised, we are announcing our next estate sale. Coming up fast, on the weekend of Feb. 15-16.

This sale is going to be one of those where you wish you had brought more cash. So come prepared.

We’ve got tons of great vintage 60s, 70s and 80s, also a lot of to-die-for artwork.

This is the estate of a former optometrist, so the oddity at this sale is a great selection of designer frames.

Austin Estate sales

Over 100 designer frames.

I did a quick count and we have over 100 designer frames from Mario Martinelli, Fendi, Kate Spade, Prodesign Denmark,  Nine West and more. These are super funky awesome and all in like new condition.

But there’s so much more at this sale. This estate has a typical Brady Bunch feel throughout the house. And it goes from 70s young Brady to older Brady into the 1980s.

The furniture:

Austin Estate sales

Eight-foot long MCM sofa

Austin Estate Sales

Green striped retro funky chair.

The artwork:

 

Austin Estate Sales

Eighties skier

Austin Estate Sales

Eighties fashion:

Austin Estate Sales

1980s canvas slouch bag

Along with the funky furniture and amazing artwork, this is a sale for the crafty bunch.

Get your retro sewist on at this sale! We’ve got a Necchi sewing machine, thread, materials, patterns, and all the fixings to go with. We’ve even got a vintage Snoopy pin cushion.

Austin Estate Sales

Necchi sewing machine

Austin Estate Sales

Vintage sewing patterns

This estate sale also has a great selection of vintage clothing! Great stuff for women, men and children. All in good shape.

Austin Estate Sales

Vintage red blouse.

There is so much more and we’ll be updating again here, next week, along with our Facebook page, and on Twitter and Pinterest. So check us out on all our social media networks.

If you’d like to get emails about our sales (I promise never to spam or sell your email), please click the I Like to Shop Estate Sales tab on the website.

Check out more photos from the upcoming sale here.

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Back to the Land of Estate Sales

For most of the month of January, I traveled to Italy, it’s an indulgence I allow myself due to an otherwise non-stop work schedule the rest of the year.

I love it here, It's heaven on earth.

But I’m back and it’s full steam ahead, we have a great line-up of sales coming soon!

While in Sicily, I was still somewhat working, hitting up Italian flea markets and getting ideas for my own sales.

In Catania, I set my alarm for an early start to the ‘Sunday only’ flea market just off of via Etnea.

Italian tiles.

I was traveling under my own self-imposed rule of one suitcase only,  so I was very limited in what I would allow myself to buy. I was in search of something fun, unique, small and non-fragile.

Unfortunately, these tiles and pottery although great looking and reasonably priced, did not fit any of the above requirements for returning with me back to Texas.

What did I actually buy?

A thermometer with the Pope and a Pic of the Vatican!

A fun and FUNCTIONAL item, small and compact, vintage and light weight. Oh and a bargain at only 2 Euros!

Also found these vintage matches with dogs on the covers, the sulfur for the match heads is from Mt. Etna.

And naturally, since I was, after all, on vacation, I enjoyed some wine tasting.

Pouring wine in Italy is a fine art.

Of course, y’all know me. I can’t avoid work for a whole month. I did keep up with e-mails etc, in between wine tastings! 

Now I’m back and primed for action! Get ready for our next estate sale coming up the weekend of February 15/16. Details coming soon!

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Giving Upcycled Gifts

Now more than ever, it seems that many people are giving upcycled gifts as presents. Rather than spending money on new items, adding to the overproduction of poorly made goods, many of my customers shop for gifts year-round at estate sales.

Now that the holidays are over and you can focus on next year’s gift giving, consider planning ahead and looking for gifts while shopping at estate sales.

Some of the reasons behind shopping at estate sales (or thrift shops, etc.) for Christmas and birthday gifts are:

  • Less expensive, saves money
  • Better quality
  • Unique items
  • Finding treasures that have sentimentality

Shoppers look for items that their gift recipients know they have bought used and appreciate the items. I’m not suggesting that one buys used items that could be purchased new. But items that have value above and beyond the price tag are often bought at my sales. Things like, artwork, vintage knick knacks, furniture, classic kitchenware, vintage toys, designer decor, handmade items, vintage crafting items, collectibles, and so much more.

Give classic toys for Christmas.

Imagine if, instead of buying cheap plastic toys for the kids in your life, you bought them a vintage toy from your childhood, perhaps something that isn’t even made anymore?

 

Or, if you have a relative who collects vinyl, or trading cards, or vintage crafting supplies, imagine the looks on their faces when you present them with an item they’ve been searching for?

Give vintage vinyl for holidays and birthdays.

More then likely, this isn’t something that can be accomplished with one stop at one estate sale. Most of my returning customers come to all or most of my sales knowing that with each venture into a new estate, they could just find that treasure they’ve been looking for.

Ok maybe it’s not as convenient as shopping at a big box store, but dang, it sure is a lot more fun!

It may be too late for this year. But just imagine how much fun you could have shopping throughout the year, spending less and buying items that you know your family will love!

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Happy Holidays from Amber Ostrich Estate Sales

Zilker Tree in Austin, Tx

It’s close to the end of the year and my thoughts are of these past 12 months, all the wonderful sales we’ve hosted.

During this holiday season, it’s time for me to relax a bit and take a short break.

This week I’ll be heading out on a trip to Italy. I had so much fun last year that I decided to return.

My staff and I will be back in full force next year with estate sales galore! We are looking forward to helping our shoppers find new treasures and assisting our new clients with downsizing their estates as they move on into new phases of life.

I hope you all have a lovely holiday celebration, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, or Befana.

Happy holidays and a Happy New Year!

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Organizing with Estate Sale Items

When it comes to organizing, most people typically head out to a big box store and come home with a bunch of plastic or newly crafted, but cheap cloth boxes. And while there’s nothing wrong with this type of organizing, I see tons of potential for organizing with classic, retro items from estate sales.

Classic items from estate sales have passed the test of time when it comes to organizing materials. Also, in my opinion, they just look nicer. Often, they will last for years and you (hopefully) won’t need to replace them as often. And in many cases, they might actually be less expensive than buying newer, lower-quality organizers.

What a great vintage closet organizer.

Back in the day, folks separated their various styles of clothing or used these things to keep their clothing fresh and critter-free. In this day and age, you could find a new use for these hanging closet organizers. Stick your fancy dresses in there; separate pants from skirts; or just jam all your extra bed linens and be done with it. It’ll keep your closet fresh and easy to see everything else.

Find a fresh use for an old-fashioned dress organizer.

Naturally, old trunks make fantastic storage and gets all those random things out of the way. Use a vintage steamer trunk to store linens, use as a toy box, store crafting or sewing supplies, or use it to store out-of-season clothing. And, it makes a great little bench. Double uses!

Old steamer trunks make great storage!

A vintage knick knack drawer makes a great jewelry case. Add a hat box, and you’ve got decorative, plus more storage for various sundries.

Get creative with your organizing. Antique suitcases make fabulous storage!

Austin Estate Sales

Vintage suitcases, good for storage and decorative too.

And you know, even if you’re not getting fancy about it, you can always find cute, interesting baskets at estate sales. Baskets make organizing life easier in so many ways.

Austin Estate Sales

Cute baskets for organizing, found at most estate sales.

What are some ways you’ve organized using vintage items? We’d love to hear your stories.

-AO

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Betty Crafter, Local Vintage Seller: An AO Shopper Profile

Here at Amber Ostrich Estate Sales, we have many shoppers who are business owners and come to our estate sales to buy for their businesses.

This shopper profile is part of installation of a blog series about our shoppers who are also business owners.

Andee Knutson, aka Betty Crafter, with an original UT art piece from a recent Amber Ostrich Tarrytown estate sale.

If you’ve ever dreamed of quitting your day job and just selling vintage items on consignment, then you should meet Betty Crafter.

Although, technically, she got laid off during AISD’s rounds of teacher layoffs a year and a half ago, she did just that.

Andee Knutson, aka, Betty Crafter, once a special education teacher, now divides her days between her pre-school aged daughter and digging through yard sales, estate sales, thrifts stores and flea markets looking for great finds, mostly from the 1950s-1960s.

And she makes a good living doing so.

She consigns her items at Hog Wild Vintage on the North Loop in Austin.

One of her favorite places to find amazing scores is in Detroit and its suburbs, where she travels regularly to visit family.

And of course, she shops local sales, which is how we came to know her here at Amber Ostrich. She’s one of our customers!

Even though she’s only been a seller professionally for a couple of years, Knutson has been shopping vintage and antiques since she was a young adult.

“It takes some practice,” she said. “It’s how people get started selling. They don’t want to stop shopping (for themselves)!”

Knutson’s favorite items to shop for her personal stash are lamps and clothing. But she admits that furniture is where the real money comes into play.

Knutson, with her stash of Crewel Embroidery

“Furniture is the bread and butter.”

When asked to share a few trade secrets she said that one recent

trend she’s noticed is Crewel Embroidery Kits from the 1960s are gaining in popularity. And she has several herself.

She also collects Enid Collins purses and adores Bakelite.

Knutson has approximately 40 Enid Collins purses on a wall in her home.

And she uses her 1960s vintage Singer sewing machine for all her crafty projects.

 

She’s even got her husband on the vintage kick. He’s a band manager, but his office is decorated with vintage gas and oil signs.

“His office is decorated as if Don Draper (Mad Men) was an oil executive.”

Knutson's husband inside his vintage office.

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Legends on the Green, Past Estate Sale

In December we hosted our Legends on the Green Estate Sale, an Amber Ostrich classic.

It’s a classic because of type of sale it is. Our clients traveled through Saudi Arabia, Egypt and South America, in the 1960s-70s. An AMOCO Geologist and his wife, loved to shop all the unique shops, bringing home treasures that are worthy of Christmas gifts and up-scaling your home’s decor.

First we’ve got this amazing swinging Peruvian door. Used as a wall hanging.

Peruvian door

The Peruvian door attached to the bathroom. (That one's not for sale folks!)

Naturally, there’s beautiful and classy vintage kitchen decor.

Vintage goblets.

We’ve also got a handful of local artists. Jim Crow and C. Munson McNeil to name a few.

Golf course painting by Jim Crow.

For the crafters:

Vintage starter sewing kit.

This estate sale is the perfect place to pick out a nice gift for the collector in your family. It’s got great decor if you’ve been wanting to start up a new design in your home. We’ve got the usual crafty pickings for our DIY’ers and some beautiful artwork.

Our estate sale owner was a geologist and we’ve got tons of great stuff from his work days to pick through.

Amoco hardhat, briefcase, Playboy card, field notebook, and 100,000 mile United Flyer Plaque. Ready to travel the world as stated in 1968 Daytimer.

Just in time to get a jump start on your holiday shopping. We’ll be open on Friday and Saturday.

Address: Austin TX 78747.

You can check out more photos here on Smug Mug.

If you like to get inbox updates, please sign up for our email newsletter. We’ll send you the address to the sales straight right on time. Don’t worry, we don’t send out a lot of emails. :)

Also, be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. See you this weekend on the Green!

Austin Estate sales

Golfer

 

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