READY FOR THE STARS & SPLENDID EXPO SALE

The Stars and Splendid Antique Malls are having their big Expo Sale starting tomorrow, October 25th and running through Sunday, October 28th.  I hope you will have a chance to stop by and see all of the wonderful offerings the dealers have brought in.  There are bargains galore, with most of the dealers offering a percentage off on their merchandise.  I have a 15% discount in my booths, so NOW is the time to shop!  Both of my spaces in Splendid are loaded.

Here is a peak at some of the TREASURES.   I hope they will entice you to come on in!

 

I had such fun making these little SWEATER PUMPKINS.  These will make a cute decorating statement throughout the Fall season.  The neutral colors lend themselves to using in lots of ways.

 



 

Tuck them into existing decor- plants, candles, on top of books, or piled in a basket.  These would make a lovely little hostess gift as well.

 



 

Some last minute Halloween decorating ideas.....

 

 

I LOVE these antlers. I have a bunch of them and they are such fun to decorate with. 

 

 

Perch one or two atop a pile of books.  Add some berries or cones for a natural look.

 



 

Or, try piling some in a basket with cones and dried materials.  You'll find that several of these will have the ends chewed on, where other animals have NIBBLED!

 

 

 

 

I think this little cabinet is so CUTE!  It has a nice primitive look and is upcycled from an old Squirt beverage box.  I also took in a selection of nice old wooden bowls.  These are great for holding almost anything.

 

 

Don't you just love white IRONSTONE?  With the holidays soon upon us, an extra gravy/sauce boat can certainly come in handy.  It looks lovely displayed too!

 

 

This cute little salt and pepper set is definitely a gem.  Add these to your white tableware collection.

 



 

I was thrilled to find these CELLULOID dresser pieces, including even a sweet little vase.  The mirror is beveled and the pieces are all in good condition.  What a lovely gift these would make for someone special (maybe you) on your list!

 

 

I love BLUE and this tablecloth and matching napkins is a beautiful toile print.  It is 100% cotton and ready to do duty on your table.

 

All of these items and MUCH MORE are waiting for you in my booths at SPLENDID.  I hope you'll come by and find a treasure to take home. 

 

Thanks so much for your visit.  I love reading your comments, so please let me know you if you are enjoying the posts.  I restock my spaces at least one a week, so if I'm there, stop in for a chat!

 

Charlotte

 

 

 

SOME MORE FOUND TREASURES

I hit a couple of REALLY good sales last week-end and came away with some more treasures for the shop.  I love it when I can find multiples of something; it makes a much more interesting display and offers choices to the customer.

These BEAUTIFUL hand embroidered and crocheted pillowcases had been stashed away for years in an attic.  After a good soaking, laundering, some starch and ironing, they are ready for you to enjoy or give as a gift.  I love seeing this wonderful handwork.  When I was a young girl, I learned to embroider and later made pillowcases for my "HOPE CHEST"!  That dates me, I know!  I don't have the patience for that these days, but I am so full of admiration for the woman that created these pieces.

 

The cases shown below are embroidered ALL OVER the front.  Aren't these gorgeous?

 

 

Here is a really pretty round tablecloth with a lovely monogram.



 

 

This is only a PORTION of the pretty pieces that I purchased.  There are MANY more pillowcases, and some lovely sheets that are embroidered as well.  They are still in the "prep" stage, but will be joining this group at Splendid soon.

I also found some wonderful OLD sheet music.  Going through these beautiful old songs was truly nostalgic.  I found myself singing to myself as I recalled my parents and their friends singing many of these.  The covers are beautiful too!  Wasn't Frank Sinatra pretty darn cute?  Some of these would be beautiful framed.

 

At another sale the same week-end, I found a wonderful collection of  ITALIAN FRAMES.  These are SO pretty and would make quite a statement with several hung on a wall together.  They are white, so will go nicely in a romantic country, cottage or shabby setting. 

I found a birdcage stand.....sorry, but I decided to keep the wicker chair!

 

And finally, some cute little MUSLIN drawstring bags.  I think they probably were  some old unused store stock.  They have a little drawstring to cinch them up.  I think these would be fun to EMBELLISH with bits of lace, ribbon, a stencil, buttons etc.  and give with a special little present inside.

 

 

All of these new treasures can be found at Splendid.  I hope you've enjoyed looking at them. 
Thanks for stopping by.

Charlotte

NOT THE LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER!

Summer is a busy time  for antique dealers.  Since it is such a good buying and selling time, it's necessary to have lots of goodies to offer.  This means using our time to search out the treasures and get them ready for our customers as quickly as we can.  The long days of summer make this easier.  It's an added bonus to be able to work outside in the sunshine.

Once the treasure is found, there is often much preparation necessary to get it ready to sell.  It must be cleaned, repaired, sometimes painted, waxed, polished, researched, cataloged, priced, and photographed for the blog. Finally
it is ready to put out there to hopefully be snapped up by someone that is going to think it is as cool as we did when we bought it!  Sometimes we are lucky and the items found require only a minimum of preparation.  This was the case with todays treasures.

Often times the picture taking gets left out, because I am so anxious to get the item to the shop.  So today, camera in hand, I took some pictures of recent finds that I delivered to Stars & Splendid.

Some beautiful linens- dresser scarves or runners, and guest towels.  Some doilies too!  Look at the detail on these pieces. 

Some vintage wooden hangers from hotels.  I wonder who stayed at these hotels and used these hangers....which President was it that stayed at The Willard?  Did the Wichita Lineman stop in at The Allis Hotel, and how many high rollers stayed at the hotel in Las Vegas?  Did they leave with jingle in their pockets?  Don't you wonder about the former lives of the treasures you find?

I found some fun metal signs.  I wonder where this hung?

Was this in a park or picnic area?

This would be a fun addition to your  kitchen.

I found a bunch of these wonderful old blue glass canning jars-they are great for storing dried foods in your cupboard, holding a collection of buttons, marbles, game pieces etc.  I have them in pints, quarts and half gallons.  Some have glass tops with wire fasteners,  others have the old zinc lids.  All are highly desirable and priced to sell.

This old galvanized can is from Union Oil and has the lid attached.  There are a couple of rusty crusty cowbells, and a wonderful old rusty wire basket.  It holds an instant collection of old brushes- sold individually.

I hope you have enjoyed browsing through my latest additions.  There is a lot more "in the works"
(you know, the repairing, polishing, painting, etc.) so I hope you will stay tuned.  I'd love to have you stop by my booths and check out the other goodies I've found, but didn't manage to get pictures of.

Thanks for stopping by.

Charlotte

A WHOLE BUNCH OF NEW OLD STUFF!!

In addition to the wonderful farm bell mentioned in my last post, I've taken a lot of new pieces to Splendid.  Here are some of them... CLICK ON ANY OF THE PICTURES FOR A CLOSE-UP!

This black table with its curvy legs would be beautiful in an entryway, in front of a window, or as an accent piece in almost any room.  It is topped with white Italian marble.  It offers so many display possibilities.  I think it adds a touch of glamour, don't you?

This little black end table, nightstand, go-anywhere piece, is also very versatile.  It has some great storage inside.....

I can see this being used to store all of those magazines that you can't bear to throw away!  At least I seem to have quite a collection.  It could hold the newspaper, treasured books, scrapbooking or craft supplies, files in your office....I'm sure you'll think of other uses.

I took in more spools from an old textile mill in Pennsylvania.   I love these grouped together, where the various sizes and shapes can be admired, or used like this...

They can hold a plant, be a candle holder, display a hat, have lace wrapped around them for a feminine look, hold wrapped twine for your potting bench etc.  Hurry, though, these sell quickly and my supply is dwindling.

On a more rustic note, here are some pieces you might want to put in your garden.

This great old bench is so charmingly weathered and worn.  It's been painted long ago in white and then a green.  At some point someone, probably a child, has pounded a bunch of nails in the top.  Do you suppose young he or she was working in the garage with Mom or Dad?  Practicing with his hammer?  I left the nails in  place.  I thought it was sweet and gave the bench a story.  This bench could be used inside; maybe with a stack of other benches, or as a coffee table?  How about even using it to sit on!!

I love this old set of drawers.  The layers of paint on it give it just the right shabby look, so the only thing I did to it was give it a coat of wax.  I hope someone will have fun filling these drawers!

And lastly, here is a pretty pedestal to showcase a plant, a piece of statuary, or to just tuck in among your plantings. I think pieces like this add a lot of interest to a flower bed.  If you wanted to use it inside, you could top it with a piece of glass and it becomes a table!

Thanks for stopping by for a peek at my newest offerings.

Charlotte

FABULOUS FARM BELL

I've restocked my spaces at Splendid, and the focal point is this fabulous farm bell!  This gem is over 100 years old and has seen lots of duty.  It is in remarkably good shape and ready to give many more years of service.  It would be terrific as an accent in your yard, calling out to everyone that the barbeque is on.  The bell rings loud and clear! 

We've attached a sturdy stand for display purposes, but this stand can easily be removed if you want to put a longer post on and sink it in the ground.

If you wanted to just place this on your patio, you could put pots of flowers at the base or other deccorative accents, as we show here.

I've attached a history of the manufacturer of this bell, the C.S. Bell Co of Hillsboro, Ohio, that you

might find interesting.







I hope you'll get a chance to stop by Stars and Splendid and check out this wonderful old piece.





LET'S PLANT SOME FLOWERS!!

I love flowers!!  I like bouquets of them in the house, I like them in the foundation plantings and in softly curved beds around my yard. I like them hanging in baskets on my deck.  I like them gracing a patio table and I like them in pots.   Perhaps I most enjoy finding interesting objects in which to plant the flowers, and if they are vintage that is just an added bonus.  A trip to your local nursery will reward you with oodles of flower choices for planting.    Here are a few containers I found interesting.  I just restocked my spaces at Splendid, and you will find these items there.

 Now this little chair is really cute, but with no seat, it lacks functionality.  So, let's plant it...I've provided the pot for you.  Add an old galvanized bucket planted and a cute cement duck and you have a really cheery spot!

I love this little old handmade wheelbarrow, but it can be jazzed up.

Look how cute it is now.  It could welcome guests at your front door.

Old wire baskets offer up lots of possibilities.

 Here this bike basket shows off some prretty geraniums.  Or......



Use a wire basket to corral your clay pots or garden accessories.  This would make a pretty statement on a potting table or bench. 

I found these two handmade planters at an estate sale.  Aren't they cute?  They can sit on a table, or bench, or there are holes at the top to string wire through to hang them.  It's fun to imagine stories to go with the simple treasures like these.  Did the man of the house make these for his wife to enjoy?  Maybe it was her birthday, or some other special occasion.  I wonder what she planted in them.

You may already have some fun things to use as interesting planters, but if not, stop by my spaces at Stars & Splendid in the West Moreland/Sellwood area and find something that catches your eye.

Happy Planting!

Charlotte