Tuxedo Wearing Owl

A vintage brass owl, for your more formal occasions.

Couldn't resist sharing.

Repurposed Tins

Vintage tins make the most beautiful vessels for fresh flowers. Don't they?



I love the old fashioned images and type... vintage tea tins repurposed as vases bring a charming quality to a dining room centerpiece. I remember seeing an episode of Martha where she used some sort of cleaner to remove the graphics from vintage tea tins? The silver square tins were then used to organize office supplies... Seemed like a shame to lose all that vintage charm.






I have a few tins available for purchase in the shop right now... and, I will be hunting for more this summer...


Dutch tea tin, $18.00



English tea tin, $16.00



Italian tea tin, $22.00

Collections of Vintage Pottery...

I have written about vintage pottery before. There is something so beautiful about an antique vase filled with flowers, or a collection of complementary pieces on display.



I love seeing the different shapes and glazes, and grouping certain pieces together can make for an interesting (and often inexpensive!) design statement. A grouping would look gorgeous as the centerpiece to your dining table... Or, feature many pieces of a similar color for a more modern look.





Vintage Haeger vase with green ombre glaze, $38.00







These long elliptical shaped pieces are perfect for a dining table, fireplace mantle, or displaying on a bookshelf. I have a similar one in the shop available for purchase.


Vintage cream Art Deco style vase or planter, $38.00

Look whats above this fireplace!





Large vintage "Tulip" ceramic vase or planter, $36.00



Vintage USA Pottery peach glazed vase with a scalloped edge, $38.00

Eiffel Towers...

I like this comfy living room from House Beautiful. The best part is the use of model Eiffel Towers-- one, two, three...

This one is for sale in the shop this week. Check it out HERE.



living room designed by Cristine Gillespie, via House Beautiful

Repurposing Vintage Ball Jars

I love the look of these glass Ball jars... Maybe it's because summer is right around the corner? These jars just seem like the perfect thing to hold fresh flowers, or even a candle out on your porch or patio. There is something so comforting about them; maybe it's because they have been around for over 100 years.



Now, don't pre-judge these jars as "country bumpkin"-- I think that they would look just as cool in a really modern space as they would on the front porch of a farmhouse.



Founded in the 1880s, the Ball Brothers Glass Manufactoring Company began in Buffalo, New York and then quickly moved to Muncie, Indiana to take advange of the natural gas resources in the Midwest. As extremely successful businessmen, the Ball brothers began to purchase and operate smaller glass jar companies to secure their place in the canning jar industry. As a mass produced product, these jars were not initially viewed as a valuable commodity. However, as time passed and the technology of glass production progressed, different types of Ball jars became widely sought after and desired by collectors. To increase the brilliance of the glass, different metallic oxides like Manganese and Selenium were added to the glass mixture. When compounded with UV light, the glass would turn brilliant shades of purple (due to the Manganese), or amber (due to the Selenium). These jars are very rare and sometimes extremely valuable.



When I shop the flea markets, I sometimes find blue glass Ball jars (my favorite!) or clear glass jars. I believe the blue jars were produced in the 1930s and 1940s, but I can't be sure. I am by no means a collector, but I do love the way they look and will always be attracted to their familiar "all American" feel.



Here are some Ball jars that are NEW in the shop!


large, vintage Ball jars with original zinc screw lids, $18.00 each




medium sized, clear Ball jars with original zinc screw lids, $14.00 each


small vintage blue Ball jars with original zinc screw lids, $14.00 each

Visit this informative website for information on canning jars. They will also help you "date" your jar!


the above image from one of my favorite blogs, "A Day that is Dessert"

Blue Willow China

Over the past year, I have come to greatly admire Blue Willow china, and I guess I'm not alone. Many claim that it is the most widely collected china pattern in history. It's sort of hard not to like, with it's blue pagodas and Chinese hillsides, the two doves kissing at the top and the geometric chinoiserie trim.

The famous Blue Willow pattern originated in Staffordshire, England in 1790. Thomas Minton, owner of the Thomas Minton & Sons factory, specialized in domestic tableware, specifically blue and white transferware on bone china. At the time, Chinese themed objects were extremely popular (sounds familiar), so it didn't take long for this widely sought after pattern to reach the states.

Of course, there is a Chinese legend that tells the story of the Blue Willow pattern. Whether this pattern was created to tell the story, or the story created to fit the pattern, we will never know. But, the story is a charming one and the synopsis is this:

The large house located toward the right side of the pattern (nestled among a variety of trees) is the home of a wealthy Mandarin man who had a beautiful daughter. His daughter mistakenly fell in love with her father's humble assistant, a boy within a lower social class (who lived in the small servants quarters across the bridge, toward the lower left side of the pattern). Since the young girl was arranged to marry the powerful Duke, her father dismissed the young man and built a high fence around his house to keep the lovers apart (this fence is seen at the lower edge of the pattern).

The Duke would occasionally visit his future bride, and on one occasion, he brought her a jewelry box full of jewels as a gift. Defying the rules of her father, the young girl would escape to meet her lover at the base of the willow tree, near the bridge (which is near the center of the plate), and one night, she gave him the box of jewels that the wealthy Duke had given her. To represent the story, there are three figures on the bridge: the angry Mandarin father (carrying a whip), the young boy (with the jewelry box) and the young daughter.

By springtime, the wedding was to take place, and the Duke arrived to claim his bride. However, it was too late-- the two had taken the jewels and escaped. They settled in a small house on an island (pictured in the top left of the pattern). When the Duke discovered that his bride was gone, he became furious and ordered the two to be put to death.

To protect the young lovers, the Gods transformed both of them into a pair of turtle doves, so that they could be together for eternity (pictured at the top center of the pattern).

This pattern has a romantic story, which makes it even more special to own. Whether you use it as dinnerware, or hang it on the wall to decorate your dining space, the blue and white chinoiserie makes a striking impression. I try to collect as much Blue Willow as I can afford, and right now I have 6 dinner plates, 2 side plates, and a set of nesting bowls listed in my shop.

Vintage Blue Willow dinnerware, including dinner plates, side plates, and a pair of nesting bowls, prices range from $12.00 to $38.00

Williams-Sonoma Home has recently launched their new line of Blue Willow reproductions. New pieces include footed bowls, gravy boats, pitchers, covered dishes, and square salad bowls... all are gorgeous and would make for a complete serving set.

Williams-Sonoma Home Blue Willow Serveware, prices range from $95.00 to $225.00

If you only have a few pieces of Blue Willow china, I think using them as wall decor will make the biggest impact.

image from Absolutely Beautiful Things

None of these plates are Blue Willow, but wouldn't it be beautiful if they were?

...

Andy Warhol and the real McCoy (Pottery), part II

If you want to learn more about Andy Warhol and his obsessive collecting (much more than just cookie jars), go HERE to this 1988 article in the New York Times. I was pretty amazed... he sounds like a high-end Hoarder.

Andy Warhol and the real McCoy (Pottery)

Did you know that Andy Warhol collected McCoy pottery? Neither did I. He especially loved McCoy cookie jars, and after his passing, his entire collection was auctioned off to the highest bidder. In 1987, the 175 cookie jars(!) that Warhol had collected from flea markets and antique stores brought in an astonishing $250,000 at auction! One hundred and twenty five cookie jars? I don't think he kept them all on his kitchen counter... A collection like that deserves an entire room. I would like to see that.

The Nelson McCoy Pottery Company was originally founded in 1848 in Roseville, Ohio (due to the large supply of clay in the region) but the McCoy factory wasn't established until 1910. Producing beautiful pottery for nearly 140 years, the company was managed by three generations of the McCoy family, but was sold in 1985 (and closed five years later). During the economic depression of the 1930s, the McCoy Pottery Company teamed up with other local potteries to stay alive. The co-op was named, the American Clay Products Company, and they shared everything-- even one salesman! This joint venture might explain for the large amount of pottery on the market that looks like McCoy pottery, but does not feature the McCoy hallmark. This joint venture did not last, as the individual potteries in the co-op became too competitive and the McCoy Pottery Company eventually separated to manufacture independently.

Many of the products that McCoy produced featured leaves and berries, or swirls and interesting art deco details. A collector will regonize a McCoy piece first by it's color (their collection featured works in pale yellows, blues, greens, apricots, turquoise, and pink), and then by it's hallmark. However, not all McCoy pieces feature a hallmark... so, finding the REAL McCoy can be tricky (sorry, bad joke). I often see McCoy pottery and McCoy "mystery pieces" (look-a-likes that are not marked) at the flea markets. Some of these pieces are just marked "USA." Someone once told me that these pieces are referred to as "USA Pottery"... who knows. I just like the soft colors and graceful lines, plus they look terrific filled with fresh flowers...

Here are some McCoy look-a-likes at High Street Market:

Vintage art deco vase in butter yellow

Vintage art deco ruffled vase in cream

Vintage faux bamboo turquoise ceramic bowl

**UPDATE: If you want to read an INSANE article about Andy Warhol's vast collections, go HERE. You won't believe what a nut he was.**