The Last Thing I Needed Was Another Swan, but….

The last thing I needed was another swan, but I couldn’t resist these beauties at the Broadway Antique Mall in Lebanon, Ohio (near Cincinnati).

After all, my collection didn’t include a piece in blue and here were two little examples.  One is such a gorgeous color ….

…and the other is an unusual example with a cork in the opening.  There is a very light fragrance, so I’m assuming it held perfume at one time.

The large set with the candle holders is also in a color that I haven’t seen before and will be so pretty in autumn arrangements.  My daughter discovered this set and gave them to me as a surprise gift – no occasion, just a gift.

I also found a unique piece to add to my Dutch collection.

What a fun day at the antique mall!

Save

Save

A Good Day at the Antique Mall

On Saturday, my daughter and I went to one of our favorite antique malls, Miller’s in Lebanon, Ohio.  I found a set of salt/pepper shakers from the era I like (late 1930s-early 1940s), marked “Japan” and a good addition to my Dutch collection.

My daughter found the real treasure – a 1931 Lebanon High School yearbook which also included the 7th and 8th grade classes.  There on the 8th grade class roll was my mother’s name, Martha Mount.  Unfortunately, she must have been absent the day the pictures were taken since we didn’t recognize anyone who looked anything like my mother at that age.

This was a new, modern high school at the time and I remember my mother saying how overwhelmed she was by the big campus and large classes after moving there from the little town of Morrow, Ohio, in the 7th grade.  Just think – a laboratory and a cafeteria!

I made a copy of a snapshot of my mother in her 8th grade graduation dress – one she described as “beautiful”, probably made by her mother.

A picture in the year book would have been nice, but just to find something from so long ago with my mother’s name is exciting.

A few years ago I wrote a blog about last-day-of-school dresses that my mother had made for me and the one dress I didn’t like that looked like her 8th grade graduation dress.

https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/last-day-of-school-dresses/

Five Good Vintage Finds

In the past week or so, I’ve had good luck in finding five vintage pieces to add to my ever-growing collections.  The first was from eBay – a 1930s era paper fan with artwork by Fern Bisel Peat (1893-1971).  I collect vintage scottie pieces and this one is in near-mint condition.

The back shows an advertisement for Triena children’s laxative (Allied Drug Products of Chattanooga) that was for sale by Farmers Mercantile in Nelagoney, Oklahoma.

I found three wonderful items in antique malls – a Homer Laughlin gravyboat ….

….a Jadeite bowl with lip ….

…. and a set of chubby pre-WWII made-in-Japan bird salt/pepper shakers.  I’m particularly drawn to these birds which were sold in dime stores in the 1930s.

The last item, and the biggest bargain, was found in a Goodwill thrift store for less than $3.00.  This Roseville child’s plate is well worn and faded, obviously used a lot, which I prefer in my pieces.  There was one in almost identical condition selling on eBay for $25.

It’s unusual for me to buy this many pieces in a short period of time, even at good prices, but when I see them, I grab them.

 

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Collectibles of the Week–Time to Make Concord Grape Pie

I  have so many wonderful collectibles acquired over the last 80+ years.  Some were gifts, some were part of my life growing up, some were inherited, some were purchased at antique malls, gift shops or thrift stores  – all are precious to me.  Some items are kept up year-around while others are brought out seasonally and on holidays.  Unfortunately, many priceless-to-me objects go undisplayed and unseen for years, so each week, I’m going to pull out an item and post a COLLECTIBLE OF THE WEEK.

Once a year, if I’m lucky, I find Concord grapes at a farm market and make Streusel Concord Grape Pie.  It’s probably my favorite pie and I get out my vintage pie-baking utensils to make it.

There’s a little bit of work involved, including putting the cooked grape pulp through a food mill ….

The dough is rolled out with a one-piece rolling pin my mother gave me over 40 years ago.

I use a pie pan that my toddler children gave me for Christmas in 1956 after they carefully saved up enough Wilson evaporated milk labels to get it.

Actually, I don’t use the pastry blender at all but have it among my collection of depression-green handled utensils.  I once heard Alton Brown, TV food expert, say that mixing with the hands provided exactly the right amount of warmth for making good pastry and that’s the way my grandmothers, mother and I had been doing it all along.

I used my vintage kitchen items to make a Streusel Concord Grape Pie on this past Sunday and it’s still my favorite.

 

If you’re fortunate enough to find some Concord grapes and don’t mind spending a little time peeling them, here is my recipe.  https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/streusel-concord-grape-pie/

Collectibles of the Week – It’s Fair Time

I  have so many wonderful collectibles acquired over the last 80+ years.  Some were gifts, some were part of my life growing up, some were inherited, some were purchased at antique malls, gift shops or thrift stores  – all are precious to me.  Some items are kept up year-around while others are brought out seasonally and on holidays.  Unfortunately, many priceless-to-me objects go undisplayed and unseen for years, so each week, I’m going to pull out an item and post a COLLECTIBLE OF THE WEEK.

The first county fair of the year in our area is happening this week (Warren County – Lebanon, Ohio) and it’s time to bring out my fair collectibles.  I have quite a few since I’ve been a fair enthusiast all my life.  The top two vintage banners are for our local Cincinnati (Hamilton County) fair and the Ohio State fair, hanging on an old cane won many years ago.

Since my father trained and drove harness horses, fair time is synonymous with trotters and pacers in our family.  I have a nice assortment of commemorative glasses and mugs on my kitchen shelf (along with a doll that won a prize for her pretty dress about 30 years ago and some small spoons).

Although they are not fair activities, I display my items from the Little Brown Jug (the World Series of pacers) ….

…and the Hambletonian (the World Series of trotters) along with a 1976 commemorative bottle from the Fairfield County (Lancaster, Ohio) fair.

I’ve exhibited many times at fairs in the past but this year have left it to my older daughter who took a few of her antiques to Lebanon.  Can’t wait until tomorrow night to see how she did – and to watch a couple of harness races.

 

Collectible of the Week–Dime Store Items from 1952

I  have so many wonderful collectibles acquired over the last 80+ years.  Some were gifts, some were part of my life growing up, some were inherited, some were purchased at antique malls, gift shops or thrift stores  – all are precious to me.  Some items are kept up year-around while others are brought out seasonally and on holidays.  Unfortunately, many priceless-to-me objects go undisplayed and unseen for years, so each week, I’m going to pull out an item and post a COLLECTIBLE OF THE WEEK.

When I was newly-married and setting up my first apartment in 1952, I had loads of beautiful wedding gifts to use, but I felt I was lacking something.  I stopped after work as a secretary for P&G  in downtown Cincinnati and went to Newberry’s 5&10 store to buy three items:

 

A baking rack which I did not receive among my many gifts

 

A vase to match my lovely wedding gift Poppy Trail china

And for no particular reason other than it matched my newly-painted kitchen, a chubby yellow pig planter.

I still use the rack and vase all of the time, but had to borrow the pig back from my youngest daughter who had claimed it for her kitchen when she married 19 years ago.

For dime-store purchases, these three items have held up very well.

Some Very Nice Collectibles

I’ve been wanting a Harker Hotoven rolling pin for a long time  and finally found one at an antique store in Lebanon, Ohio, for a reasonable price.

When I got it home, I realize I already had a pie plate in the same pattern.  It is quite discolored and crazed, which I don’t mind.  It shows that it has been used to bake a lot of pies.  My daughter found the rack at a thrift store for $4 and it’s perfect for displaying the two pieces.

Today, we visited a local thrift store and found a Universal water bottle with a beautiful marigold pattern.  I love these vintage patterns for china and pottery.

I also found a lovely pale pink and green Hull vase which is perfect for displaying while I’m waiting for spring to arrive.

These two items were only $15 each – a bargain even with a few imperfections.

To add to a week of very nice collectibles, my daughter gave me this darling 2-inch high pitcher for St. Patrick’s Day.

It was  a very good week for collectibles.

Bargain Day at the Thrift Store

About 30 years ago, my oldest daughter gave me a beautiful set for Christmas that included a tiered plate, a basket, two candle holders and 4 mugs.  They were purchased at Lazarus department store in downtown Cincinnati and I have loved them and used them every Christmas.

On Saturday, we visited a lovely thrift/consignment shop (Vintage Market & Thrift, Loveland, Ohio) and saw eight dessert plates to this set on display.  The original price was reasonable, but there was also 75% off on Christmas items, so I snatched them up.  They were still in their original boxes which were in mint condition and  still had the remnants of a Lazarus label on the side.

I also picked up a plaque to add to my Dutch collection …

…and a Homer Laughlin platter.

The total cost was $14.95.  Now, that’s a bargain.

From the archives – January 4, 2011

Black Bean Soup

Sweetest Day 2013

My oldest daughter and I are the only ones in the family who celebrate Sweetest Day.  We give small bags of candy to my other daughter and her family, but we try to have something special for each other.  My daughter made this wonderful mosaic of pieces of a favorite Roseville vase that I had dropped and shattered along with slate-like remnants from my old childhood home which had been torn down.   The center picture is one of me with my mother, sister and if you look closely, our beagle Sissy, taken in 1945 near the back porch of the now-demolished house.

She also gave me a vintage gravy boat with a wonderful design.  Today it held some premium toffee from a local candy shop but in the future it will hold one of her sweet fresh flower arrangements.

We went out for lunch and then stopped at a favorite antique mall where I picked up a few more small pieces for my daughter to use for flowers:

There’s no lid for the sugar bowl, but that really doesn’t matter since I only want the pieces used for decorative purposes.

I couldn’t resist a more practical bowl for my kitchen.  I like the 1930s-40s Hot Oven bowls which measure about 4 inches in diameter and I especially like the vintage design on this one.

Now, we’ll settle in on this rainy night to watch a show from the Lewis and Hathaway  series via Netflix.  It was a very good Sweetest Day.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Two New Collectibles

I received two new collectibles as Easter gifts.  One is a set of salt and pepper shakers marked “Japan”.  I particularly like the chubby birds that were made in the late 1930s.  They remind me of the inexpensive dime-store items that my mother, grandmothers and aunts had in their homes at that time.

The second collectible is a good addition to my Dutch items.  This is a tiny calendar with some of the pages still in the holder.  It is marked “Souvenir of Holland”.