Treasure Box Wednesday: Coming Up Roses

In my recent travels to Fiestaland, I did pick up a few goodies at the surrounding antique malls which I thought I'd share with you today.

From Pottery City, I got this rather unusual hand-painted, art nouveau style bust...
She's just plaster and probably isn't very old. I suspect she was someone's craft project, someone with an eye for detail who thought that what usually took on a uniform bronze cast would benefit from a bit of color and livening up...


I liked her because of the cheery pastel colors, her luster overcoat, and the careful painting of the piece. (Also because she was cheap!) So she lives in my blue sitting room very happily next to a vintage rose painting.

And speaking of roses, I couldn't resist this great vintage print of a lady in a garden, carrying a bushel of fresh flowers...The vibrant color caught my eye right away! It just felt like summer to me.

And lastly, at that same antique store in Columbiana, Ohio, I found these Fiesta (yeah, I know: surprise) candlesticks...
They were $10 for the pair. Which made me chuckle a bit, because apparently different grades of Fiesta-- condition, whether they're discontinued or not, maybe even manufacturing runs-- can cause pieces that seem to look virtually identical (at least to my untrained eye) shoot off into the skyrocketed-crazy price range. I mean, one vendor at Pottery City had a pair of orange candlesticks in this very same style-- possibly from the 30s-- for...

(Wait for it...

Are you sitting down?...

Good. Because you'll need to.)

That vendor had ones in this very same style for...

Over $900!

G-ah! Yes, yes, I know-- rarity, condition, blah, blah, blah-- but OH WOW.

And I've seen ones for $20, $30, and $80 as well. Just goes to show, it's very important to know what you want to pay for things, and stick to it. If I had $900 candlesticks, I think I'd never use them. I'd just put them in a clear glass box with a spotlight on them and charge for tours.

And is that really what Fiesta-- such usable dishware-- is about?

Treasure Box Wednesday: Garden of the Queen of Hearts

You know, it's funny. Some weeks of thrifting, it seems like all the finds are disparate little bits-n-bobs with stories of their own. And then some weeks, treasure after treasure, it feels like an overarching theme seems to come together, straight out of the bag.

This last week, the thrifting really did seem to be of one big tale. One of red roses, loves won and lost, and a young lady down a very curious rabbit hole.

Let's start with those roses here. With this pretty rose-printed, vintage pitcher...


The pitcher was a find from the Christian Layman Thrift Store in Greensburg. And amusingly, the glass came from the Goodwill in Greensburg... they're a pretty close match, no?


I've seen glasses in thrifts that match this pitcher, but I've never picked them up before, because I know I don't really need them. But then when the pitcher showed up, for only a couple of bucks and in such good shape, I just couldn't say "no."

Unlike the poor, penniless pierrot here...


...Who is leaving against the wishes of the ballerina with the vise-like grip on him. You can see this a little closer here...


He has no money to support her. She doesn't care. Ah, tragedy! (As if her ballet career wouldn't be lucrative enough for the both of 'em. :) ) The print is done by an artist I'm not familiar with, named Webster. And based on the frame and general style, I'm guessing it's from the mid 1930s. This came from the L&L Fleatique in Jeannette. I liked it in particular because I've seen a lot of deco prints like this with nymphs in them, but never a couple.

Then, amusingly enough, this decorative box was uncovered at the Goodwill...


Now this couple seems to be having a much more positive time of things! The box was originally from TJ Maxx-- in fact, the sticker's still on it! And not only can you look into your heart-- literally-- but also see the big picture inside...


I just thought that was fun.

And lastly, when you think the Queen of Hearts, what else comes to mind? (Well, that old Juice Newton song is going through my head, and probably yours, too, now.... )

(Sorry!..)

(But no, that wasn't really what I was going for... )

At the Good Samaritan thrift store, I found this Disney Alice in Wonderland plate...


Sitting there in the garden of chatty flowers, Alice has a brief respite from the Queen of Hearts and her violent demands. I like how the plate has a watercolor look to it. It indicates on the back, it was produced in the 90s...


So-- not old, but a pleasant curio curiosity.

Anyway, that's the thrift for this week, friends!

• If you missed Sunday's post, finding the funny in a 70s Riceland Rice cookbook, click here.

Otherwise, hope your week is filled with its own wonders, and perhaps I'll see you again on Sunday!

Popping Up at Rossi's Pop-up Flea Market

Rossi's Pop-Up Marketplace and Flea Market, located in North Versailles, is a wholly unique experience. The outdoor flea market also has an indoor marketplace, and the carnival-like atmosphere never ceases to raise an amused eyebrow and put a smile on my face.

The outdoor vendors offer a wide range of items...


Everything from the sorts of things you'd find at a family garage sale, to new items, produce, flowers, car parts, motorcycle gear and... well, just about anything.

As you stroll its aisles, you'll hear the announcer come over the PA system and tell you a little bit about some of the indoor vendors...

"Get your slushies today at the Slushy King... All kinds of flavors, folks. It's hot out there, so come on in and get one!"

Or:

"Brenda's Pastries is just about ready to pack up, friends. Strudels, breads, muffins and doughnuts... They're delicious! But when Brenda's gone for the day, they're gone, too, so don't miss out!"

And my personal favorite:

"Get your Shammies at ShammyWorld! All sizes, all the shammy cloths you could want at great prices. For all your shammy needs, it's ShammyWorld!"

I didn't know I had "shammy needs." But apparently, I've been missing out on a whole great big, beautiful world of shamification.

Inside the marketplace, the state fair feel continues. In addition to things like slushies, and pastries and shammies, you can buy... oh... bling. Or AVON products. Or craft items and antiques. There's a room of dollar store goodies in boxes on the floor. There's tacky pseudo Native American art... And tchotchkies from around the world. From sports memorabila and comic books to stand-up cardboard cut-outs of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, it's all here in one crazed Sergeant Pepper's album cover kind of jumble.

And because the place used to be a movie theater, the layout means that vendors have replaced the concession stand... Vendors line the theater halls... And vendors lurk behind doors down long hallways in dozens of rooms where the actual movies had been shown.

These theaters are still sloped, stadium style, where the seats once had been, and on the floor is art deco movie theater carpeting... It's a surreal detail that just adds to the experience. Vendors have taken advantage of this space by tiering their wares on these seating terraces, so a bit of climbing is in order to investigate everything.

Now you're probably wondering just what I found among the madness and mayhem. Well, one thing was actually for my friend Scoobie who collects cowboys...(heh, she wishes!) Er, rather, cowboy/Western things.


The print on the front is a Remington reproduction and she has a few of these sorts of bottles, but as luck would have it, she didn't have this one. This was a whopping $1.

Then in one of the movie theater rooms, I found a couple of goodies for myself. Based on its style, this tray looks like it might have been made in the 40s...


The roses are actually on fabric. It was pretty pricey-- $3. My most expensive purchase of the day!

And last I got this print, dated 1941, of a bleeding heart floral arrangement...

That was $2.

So, all-in-all, it was a lot of fun, a quirky way to spend a few hours, and for those folks in the area who haven't visited, just check it out once and see what you think.

And now you know... if you need a shammy cloth, Rossi's has you covered.

• For those who missed last Wednesday's Treasure Box post, and wanted to check that out, click here.

Otherwise, perhaps I'll see your smiling faces again this coming Wednesday.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Deco Delicacies, Gracious Gravy Boats, and Others

From across the Used Furniture Outlet (UFO) in Greensburg, I could hear a joyful shout from my friend Scoobie: "Grayveebodegrayveebodegrayveebode!" I wasn't sure what language this was, exactly, but the enthusiasm was intriguing.

Following the gleeful laughter and what sounded like the tip-tapping of an impromptu jig, I found her on the other side of the room, clutching the elusive Avon Cape Cod ruby glass gravy boat that belonged to her beloved dish set. The message became a bit clearer. "Gravyboatgravyboatgravyboat!" she told me, beaming, and holding it aloft.


Scoobie would probably go on to chant same thing... oh... three or four more times at random that day, trying to reconcile her lucky find in her mind. I expect I'll receive email during the course of the week to the same effect, as the purchase fully sinks in.

The gravy boat was a VERY BIG hit in Scoobieland.

My own treasure-hunting wasn't exactly without its rewards, either. In addition to the amazing lucite purse I found at the Good Samaritan and which I showed you Sunday (click here to see that little lovely-- I sort of feel I should put it on a pedestal under glass and shine a light on it), I also found...

A herd of milkglass for a nice lady who collects it. She is going to get the biggest basket of thrifted Imperial Grape milkglass for Christmas! (Never hurts to plan ahead.)


A couple of pretty vintage "Mother" prints, one by deco artist Marygold...


A mystery print that truly LOOKS like a Maxfield Parrish to me, but I'm not able to find anything in my Parrish books that's identical to it. (I've found ones that are close, but not quite right. Anyone recognize it? Help?)


I found an R. Atkinson Fox 1930s print in a period frame... It was $14.99 but lists at about $125. Wa-hoo!


Oh, and Scoobie got a few vintage puzzles with rustic and Western scenes on them...


They didn't rate as highly as the gravy boat, of course, but they were still exciting. :) (Thanks, Scoobie, for letting me take pictures and exploit, er, SHARE... share... your treasures with the gang here!)

There's good thrifting to be had out there, folks. For my Pittsburgh area readers looking for a list of thrift stores and some reviews, you might want to visit my Thrift Store page here on my decorating project site.

If anyone wants to learn a little more about art deco prints from the Maxfield Parrish era, click here.

Otherwise, here's wishing you wonderful week, and may you discover the metaphorical gravy boat of your dreams-- no matter what shape or form it takes.