Home for the Harvest Tablescape

I've been a bit of a busy bee lately buzzing through writing the first draft of my second novel, so I haven't had a ton of time to post. But I have had some fun decorating the dining room for Fall with some of my recent finds.

It started with wanting to use the Croscill tablecloth and valences I found at the Goodwill Outlet Store a few weeks back. The fabric was so nice and the colors had just the right feel for autumn. The tablecloth was a perfect fit on my round table, while the valence got easily repurposed as a mantle scarf.

The colors seemed to work nicely with some of the Roseville pottery I've uncovered at surprisingly affordable prices lately.

Here's a view of the mantle and table together. I went with 70s era Carnival glass for the table setting.

You can see a close up of the table. The plates and the goblets and candlesticks are not the same pattern, but the color is close so I think it works.

The candlesticks are actually a new find for me. They're a Harvest Grape pattern and match the goblets. I got the pair for $5, which seemed to be a pretty good buy.

The dinner plates are called Anniversary and they're made by Jeanette Glass. I bought these a while ago and I love the many iridescent colors they reflect back.

Wishing you all the bounty of the harvest at your dinner table and in your thrifting adventures!

--Jenn

Lady Luck and the Secondhand Score

So, been fishing for any secondhand goodies lately? Was there one that got away? :)

Me, I've been cranking away on my second book, the sequel to my humorous science fiction book, There Goes the Galaxy (and if you know a sci-fi buff looking for a fun read, I'd really appreciate it if you'd pass the word along!-- folks can see it on Amazon here.) 

But in spite of all the good hard work, I've also left some time for treasure hunting. And some of the items I found were happy-making. 

Like the tinted little boy photo up there who reminds me of Tom Sawyer. I got him at an antique mall in Canonsburg, PA. I imagine he's from the early part of the 1900s.

More recently, there was this $10 vintage lamp from Rossi's Pop Up Flea Market.

When I asked about it, the seller told me the price and that he would also sell me the table it was sitting on for an additional $10. My answer was no, I didn't need the table, but I needed the lamp because I have Lamp Addiction.

Now, I've said this a million times on here, so I didn't think anything of it. My Lamp Addiction is fact. But for whatever reason it struck him so funny, he completely cracked up, patted me on the arm, and I heard him chuckling well after I was headed on to other booths.

See? Lamps are great-- they bring everybody together. :)

Across Route 30 from the flea market, I hit the Goodwill Outlet. That place never ceases to amaze me. It's such a bizarre experience rooting through those bins for goodies. And the things you'll find! In the pile of textiles below there's a vintage handkerchief, an apron, some doilies, and a number of pieces from Croscill (which is normally so expensive)-- like a table cloth, some pillow shams and a valance. The material alone is worth that.

I'd gone in there and hadn't gotten a cart, because I normally only end up choosing a handful of things. But then I found brand new items that were going to work perfectly in my Alice in Wonderland themed kitchen. Like these snack dishes in a card theme... And new in the box!...

Suddenly things were getting heavy. Then I found the matching glasses..

Also in the box...

I was juggling these items, just about ready to go, when a pleasant fellow shopper I'd been talking to earlier came over with a cart saying to me, "I've never seen anybody do such a thing," or something to that effect. I admit, I was grateful for the cart!

So, that's me showing you my hand for this game!... Hope you all have good luck in your weekend adventures and you get some good... (here comes the bad pun, brace for it)... deals.

Big Box o' Roseville and Hull?

Ah, the happy Hull and Roseville family o' pottery above... You folks would just not believe the good fortune I had in the past week in finding some of these little lovelies!

I had found the Hull bow style cornucopia on the right below when I was antiquing with my buddy Josette over the Fourth of July holiday...

It had been on the floor, of all places-- easily kicked, I feared-- in the first booth of an antique mall. I almost hesitated to look at the price, because bow style Hull pottery is crazy expensive. Only the price reflected a piece that was carelessly placed on the floor and not prized, so I had it in my hands in about three seconds flat.

But the real treasure chest came along with the Hull waterlily piece on the left above. And that's where a stop at an antique mall I almost had decided not to even check out presented me with more Hull and Roseville options that I even knew what to do with. And at prices, well-- I actually thought I was reading it wrong when I saw the waterlily vase and this blue and pink wildflower vase below were $15 a piece.

 $150, I figured. $15, not so much. Then there was this gorgeous Roseville bleeding heart vase...

Admittedly, this one has a repair on the top, but the price more than reflected that. Plus, where it sits, no one but an NBA player would ever see. I just loved the look of it.

I also got this (blurry, sorry) other Roseville piece. This one's in perfect condition.

Anyway, I walked away with four pieces in a cardboard box, feeling like I was Indiana Jones having just found some amazing ancient temple of treasure. There were even others, but I didn't care for the look of them so much. It was very strange to be able to pick and choose of items I normally can't touch with a ten-foot barge pole.

Here's wishing you all find the coming weekend full of favorite things, friends, family, food and even some fun finds. Cheers!

-Jenn

Treasure Box Friday: Things Coming Up Roseville

 You know, I love books on collecting and for the things I do amass I find I peruse those collectors' books like I'm pre-shopping. "Oh, if I found that one some day, it would be nice." And interestingly, I have been able to get some of the pieces I scoped out, and at thrifty prices.

This past weekend, I found one I never, ever imagined finding-- a Roseville Foxglove bowl from the Salvation Army Thrift Store.

I had seen this in my Roseville book with no hope of ever owning it myself due to Roseville's steep prices. But on Saturday, the thrift store came through for me, with a piece that is now a real star in my collection of Ohio pottery pieces.

Nice, too, the soft mint green and pink happen to perfectly match my diningroom. :)

So, that was the real treasure for me this week. Now that the humidity and high temps have swept in, my mind is just on staying cool. Alice below has been as affectionate and lazy as if she were a character in a Tennessee Williams play. :)

(And yes, you COULD scratch the fluffy belly pictured there. She doesn't mind at all. She's shameless.)

Well, hope you all are able to keep cool and find some fun this coming weekend. TGIF to you!

Pretty as a Picture

I haven't had a ton of time to post this week, but I did want to share with you all my fave find of an excursion into the hills and fields of Western Pennsylvania, where I popped by an antique mall in Apollo, PA. 

I had seen this before at the mall called We Miss Back When. But thought it was a print. It turns out it's a painting, and it was not only a good price, but it was 15% off. Which made it about $29.00 plus tax.

The artist's name is M. Giordano, and a little online research turned up a few other paintings-- one a tree-lined road, another an Italian marketplace scene. But a little research shows that M. Giordano didn't come up with the original idea for this painting-- this is a close copy of an existing painting from the Victorian era called "La Madonnina" (Little Mother) by an artist named Roberto Ferruzzi. It's also called "Madonna of the Streets." 

Interestingly, though the original painting is popularly considered to be of Jesus and Mary, it was in fact painting of a young Italian girl who was caring for her baby brother. She was only eleven when the portrait was done. (You can read more about that here on Wikipedia.)

I love the colors and the sweetness of both subjects' faces. There's a real Pre-Raphaelite wistfulness about it all and the artist did a bang-up job on capturing the original.

The painting now hangs in my entryway, along with a couple of other Victorian-styled paintings.

Well, hope the weekend ahead of you all is picture-perfect! I will talk to you next week.

--Jenn

Treasure Box Wednesday: A Million Happy Finds on Route 30

Okay, maybe a million happy finds is a SLIGHT exaggeration. But a trip down Route 30, with my thrifting buddy Scoobie and her awesome brother Jose, well, between the three of us, there was one overflowing trunk of treasure by the end of our travels!

It all started at the Goodwill Outlet Store in North Versailles and on to the Good Samaritan thrift store across the highway. Between the two places I came away with these fun finds...

The bag at left is for the 50th anniversary of Maurice Sendak/Where the Wild Things Are. He died quite recently, so it was surprising to find this useful tote celebrating his work.

Also at the Goodwill,  I got this adorable Disney Alice in Wonderland photo frame. Regular readers know my fondness for the book, and that I have a quietly Alice-themed kitchen. So I was quite excited about this find...

At the Good Samaritan, I couldn't resist this large old photo of a boy and girl by the seaside. Very dramatic and delightfully sappy... It's in an old frame already-- though not it's original one-- so I think instead of the weird matting that doesn't fit well around it, I'll just mount it on a decorative acid-free paper backing in the frame it came in. (Apologies the photo is blurry. My regular camera has died and I'm using my phone camera.)

At the Goodwill in Irwin, I was reunited with an old friend. I knew this fellow as "Zippy Monkey," and he's a toy like one my aunt had. I think he's from the '60s-- I still need to look him up. I have fond memories, though, of cuddling up this monkey when visiting at my grandmother's house as a wee lass. And at a price of $5, I couldn't part with the cheerful chimp. 

At that same Goodwill, I got the tiny purple teacup shown center below, and I figure I'll also show you the porcelain lady figurine (she's actually a box) that I'd found at the Monroeville Goodwill a couple of weeks ago. I thought she was a nice addition to my curio cabinet.

At Graham's Antique Mall, I happened upon this Swift Peanut Butter glass of the Cowardly Lion. You might recall I've found a few different ones of this series recently, but didn't have the Lion.

And then would you believe on the way back, the very, very last stop on our journey, a Salvation Army thrift store we almost didn't stop at because we were all so tired, I uncovered the remaining treasures of the post. 

My favorite being this beautiful Hull vase in pastels for just $9.99-- with no cracks, chips or anything!

I snagged this pretty lusterware bowl with violets transfered on it...

This purple luster teacup (I love stuff in this style...)

And lastly, two transferware plates dating from the early 1900s (these will hang on my wall)...

So it was a huge, huge day in the world of thrifty finds last Saturday. I admit, I needed Sunday to recover from the thrill of it all!

Sending you all good vibes for fun finds this week, if that's what you're into. And I will talk to you next week, depending on what excitement the next few days hold. Take care!

--Jenn

____________________

PS- I just learned the monkey's real name is "Mr. Bim." "Zippy" was apparently a very similar monkey in red overalls, based on a live monkey who had his own TV show. I'm now not sure whether my aunt had a real Zippy, or a Mr. Bim who everyone just called Zippy. 

This monkey business has gotten complex! :) You can see both on the page of this vintage toy shop: http://www.timewarptoys.com/toptoys.htm

The Lady of Shallot in Gummy Candy Stained "Glass"?!

I ran across this last week in e-talking to the artist-- Kimberly Chapman-- who developed the book above, and I thought you all would find it fascinating, too.

Kimberly creates stained-glass look art out of...

Wait for it...


Gummy candy.

I KNOW, astounding, right? Look at this close-up of her Lady of Shallot...

Blew me away. I'd be delighted to see a stained glass window like this, let alone to learn it's a clever confection.

Anyway, Kimberly has a book explaining how to go about these sorts of projects, so I thought I would pass the information on to you clever, crafty readers. Her website is here: http://www.eat-the-evidence.com/gummy/

She's got some other interesting things on her site, too, like art, and actual stained glass projects. There are some droolworthy Tiffany-type lamps she's done. (And you all know my addiction to lamps!)

Hope everyone has a sweet weekend ahead of them!
--Jenn

Treasure Box Wednesday: Queenly Treasures at the Regent Square Neighborhood Yardsale

I do believe I have the weather to thank. Because this past Saturday was the first one in many years I can think of where the day of the Regent Square Neighborhood yard sale had no threat of rain.

As a result, everyone thinking about selling their unneeded items, and making a few bucks, DID. And everyone looking for goodies-- and there were a ton of us-- were walking around the sun-dappled streets carrying armfuls of treasures.

Seriously-- every person I saw walking down the street appeared to be carrying bags of purchases. And I find it amazing because I, too, found so many good things at great prices it seems impossible there was enough to go around.

One of my favorite items was this ten inch tall McCoy butterfly pattern vase. I had seen it in my McCoy book a while back and I loved the shape. It was one I definitely thought if I ran across, I would be interested in having. And there it was, unpriced, on a long table.

 I enquired, imagining it would be at least $20, considering its size and great shape. And do you know what the response was?

"Oh... a dollar."

ACK! I had my money out in a flash.

At another house, I found this (somewhat blurry, sorry) pink swan McCoy vase. It was at a somewhat pricier (snicker) $3.

 And at yet another stop, I got this cute USA pottery wallpocket for $3, as well.

I got two stained glass heart suncatchers I want to use in my kitchen windows... Here's the purple one...

 And the red, blue and purple...

 I snagged this tapestry of the Tower of London for $3, too. I think it might make a nice pillow.

 I nabbed this Victorian transferware bowl with nymphs on it in a far corner of the sale area. They actually seemed surprised I even wanted it...

 I got this pretty vintage floral tablecloth for $1, and aside from being wrinkled, it's in great condition...

 This vintage teacup with gold leafing was fifty cents. It was the lady's grandmother's, she said.

 And I couldn't go to a sale like this without coming away with a weird vintage lamp. This one is in harlequin colors that look terrific in my sort of bohemian bedroom. It works and has all its crystals. I paid $5 for it.

So that's what I got up to this past weekend. I don't know how many miles I walked in total. Someday I'll have to do the sale while wearing a pedometer and find out for sure. The legs certainly knew it had shopped for distance the next day, but with treasures like these, it felt all worthwhile.

Hope you all have a bountiful, joyous Memorial Day weekend.

Treasure Box Tuesday: Roses, Glasses and Goodies

It's been a crazy few weeks for me. I've had to put in many extra hours at work for projects, as well as taking care of cat with a respiratory infection (Harry's doing better, happily) and so many other things, would you believe I didn't realize how many weeks it had been since I posted? (?!)

I hear the brain is the first thing to go.

So the thrifted and fleamarket finds I'll show you today are a collection of a bunch of weeks put together. All the items have found their right spot in my house. This was a Victorian transferware bowl I found at the Goodwill in Irwin a while back. 

 I loved the colors-- perfect for the curio cabinet in my diningroom!

At the L&L Fleatique on Route 30, I got this marvelous Hull vase with a waterlily on it. I love the soft pastels and matte finish.

 This sits on top of the aforementioned curio, next to THIS transferware vase from Austria...

I got that at Junk for Joy in Jeannette, PA. Love it! It's quite tall, too, so it makes a nice statement.

At the Fleatique Too in Ligonier, my shopping buddy Scoobie spied these two Wizard of Oz drinking glasses...

I had gotten one from Junk for Joy a while back, of Dorothy, and these belong to one of three different sets put out by Swift Peanut Butter in the 50s and 60s. They look really cute in my kitchen and match the colors of my Fiestaware.

My favorite piece of the past few weeks has been this Roseville console bowl. It was a price I could actually afford because someone had glued a styrofoam flower frog in the center of it to hold their centerpieces...

I had an inkling that antique glue might not be too hard to get off there without damaging the bowl. And with some careful tugging, some very hot soaking water and a little Palmolive, the whole thing came out bit by bit. Suddenly a good buy had turned great!

Lastly, but probably less excitingly, I picked up a whole bunch of file folders and hanging folders in pinks, purples and aquas. This was from the Goodwill Outlet, where tons of them were just tossed in the bins.

So, that's it for today's Treasure Box. We have our neighborhood yard sale this weekend, so I hope to have some fun finds to share with you next week, too!

Happy hunting!