The Thrift Shop Romantic: lewis carroll

Happy Unbirthday!!!

What-- you didn't know it was your Unbirthday? Well, it comes around so quickly, I can see where you might be surprised to find it here so soon. It's my Unbirthday, too! And his... and hers...

So the preparations are made and the flamingos are just waiting for the post-tea game of croquet-- have a seat! Pour yourself a spot of something nice from this bottle marked "Drink Me."

Okay, okay... you found me out. This is all actually just a bit of silliness for my friend Josette who comes to visit each year. This past year has been very rough for her personally-- and with Dad passing, mine hasn't exactly been the Queen's rose garden, either-- and I figured we both needed an extra dose of levity for this upcoming long weekend of antiquing and catching up.

So I thought I'd put all my Fiestaware and Alice in Wonderland-inspired decor to use for a whimsical theme that might make my friend laugh a little...

She already knows I'm quite mad, so that part won't be a surprise.

The Unbirthday lettering came from the dollar store, as did the red and white rose garland. I thought the giant Fiestaware cocoa cup versus the normal-sized teacup gave a nice Wonderland effect. The Mad Hatter-like "hat" lampshades were the Tuesday Morning finds that started me off-and-running with this idea.

The checkerboard mantle "runner" and the placemats are actually laminate floor tiles I glued together; they came from the dollar store, too.

I think there's just something about the quirky art deco lines of Fiestaware that sets the right tone... The little heart-shaped ice cream bowls came from Tuesday Morning; they're not Fiesta.

I'm in the process of making little theme cakes that are covered in fondant, but I'm not sure if they'll turn out. I've never worked with fondant before, so if they aren't too scary to look at, I'll share those with you folks later.

Wish me luck!

On the infamous Black Friday, where everyone was wending their way through shopping malls to find the perfect gifts, my dad and I were actually taking a road far less traveled, hitting the thrift stores and antique shops of Dad's region in Florida.

In an antique mall in Homestead, I ran across a most unusual find.

See the tots posing above? Those are copies of photos taken by Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll!... And see this somewhat scowling little lady?

That's the Alice for whom the story character was named-- Alice Liddell. Now the boy here...

..He's Arthur Hughes, Jr., son of the late pre-Raphaelite artist, Arthur Hughes.

I had known Lewis Carroll did photography, but had never seen copies of his work anywhere, except for in books featuring this shot of Alice. These small, decorative prints were located in a booth with other Victoriana, such as postcards similar to the border design.

And it's true that it was the border design that first caught my eye. As a fan of Carroll's work, and well familiar with Arthur Hughes' art, this was seriously exciting for me. Happily, such flat prints fit beautifully in a piece of luggage!

When we made our next stop, at the Goodwill Thrift Store in Naranja, I came across a few pieces of 50s Christmas decor...

The center figure in the set is a cleverly-disguised bell. The "N" and the "L" presumably spelled out "noel" at one time, but I suspect the "O" and "E" were a casualty of a holiday oopsy past...

Still, the little figures have such nice faces. I think I can probably glitter myself up an interesting paper "O" and "E" to fill in the rest. Based on the holes at the top of the letters, it looks like they were candleholders.

The next day, at a flea market on Key Largo, I came across a nice set of pink depression glass candlesticks...

And I also found this fun set of children's vintage hankies, in its original decorative box. (Also flat, and easy to put in carry-on luggage!)...

Tuesday back at home, I decided to pop to the thrift stores at lunch time. And wow, was I glad I did, when I found a piece of marigold carnival glass...

It's got some nice pink iridescence going on. I still need to look up the pattern and learn more about it. I really doubt it's from the early 1900s, but I imagine it may be made from some of the early molds. I'm not educated enough yet in this to know-- I mainly just know what I like!

Last, I had to pick up this pretty shell pink piece. It was just $0.79 and since I've seen these go for upwards of $12, I thought it might be a good investment, or work well in a gift basket with other goodies...