March Madness

Yeah, we are all a little made here.  Collectors, antique lovers...we are always on the hunt for "as my late husband often said, " what floats our boat.   The Florida "winter/spring" season brings yard and estate sales and since so many are held by retirees there are usually no tables filled with baby and kids things. LOL  

I swung by a yard sale that was a few streets from me and got a bag full of "granny jewelry" as it was marked.  Lucky me, there were some great pieces inside.

A huge metal with gold tone wash car coat brooch from the 1930-40s.

 A gorgeous 1950s, three strand necklace of brilliant emerald greens with austrian crystals.

Fantastic 1940s art Deco racing greyhounds pin, Marked sterling with finish for anti tarnish.

Marvelous set of heavily carved butterscotch bakelite dress clips. Circa 1930s  These are gorgeous and I had to fight myself not to keep them.

Pretty, 1970s porcelain horse locket on goldtone metal. This was in my display case 48 hours before it sold.

This sweet little bird family by Norleans of Japan was another yard sale find. 

Cleaned out a few boxes left over from my move here and discovered treasure that I had packed away.

Nifty Bull-Dog vintage lock.

Delightful figural Christmas tree bulb street lamp.  

Milk glass with over paint,. Japan, circa 1930s

Salesman’s sample/child’s toy flour sifter.  Patent number dates this at 1906 but these were produced through the early 1930s. 

Lovely late Victorian Tallit Bag.  Burgundy velvet with gold bullion embroidery.  

Circa 1890s-1900s

My local Goodwill had several antique books hiding among the usual stacks.

Book of Jewish Prayer opens left to right.

English and Hebrew.

I adore pre-WW2 cookbooks and this one is a gem.

Beautiful Mother Goose cover with stories inside.

The paper is fragile but the pen and ink illustrations are marvelous.

Inside are many rarely read rhymes as well.

Not familiar with this title or author but it is an interesting read.

The first leaf has lots of age spotting but it is the script that I love best.

And finally, this is a big oval mirror that was a mess of pink and yellow paint.  I gave it a new look with my favorite color, french aqua, and then sealed it with kona stain and wax.  Now I am busy talking with myself about not keeping it as I love the way it turned out.  I really don't have space for it but my other voice keeps saying I will find one.  I hate when this happens.  You will have to visit my next blog post to see if I hang it or put a price tag on it.

Have a safe and merry St. Patricks Day weekend and as always, blessings to you and those you love. Sea Witch

May is nearly over

Can you believe it?  May is nearly over.  I feel like I just paid my taxes and it's really March. Where has the time gone?   Schools let out this week and summer is off to the races and our neighborhood is under siege with AT&T laying cable.  Our street faired well with no real issues but others have had gas lines hit, water mains destroyed and Comcast cables cut.  It is a mess and I hope they get it contained tomorrow for the folks who live on those streets.

Saturday was another rain, no rain, rain, no rain day.  Headed out to a few of my favorite haunts for treasure and although I did not find a lot this trip, I did acquire some unique pieces.  Let's just start with the "piece de resistance."

This very rare, Victorian, Masonic Order of the Eastern Star tilt table.  Beautifully inlayed with a variety of woods and the main table and base are American black walnut.  Masonic furniture is crafted specifically for lodges by individual craftsman and not from a commercial enterprise.  

Original patina finish, it just doesn't get any better than this and pieces like this are true rarities and are highly sought after by those who collect this field.  Circa 1870s

Love my local Goodwill for hats.  This one is a "late vintage" but is as sassy as can be in Patriotic Blue with rhinestones.  Circa 1980s

There must be something in the air these days as this is the third piece of Alexandrite (or Neodymium) glass that I have found in a two week period.  Alexandrite glass changes color from a rich purple (natural light) to a lilac blue (fluorescent light).  This stunning Alexandrite pear within a pear lead crystal bookend or paperweight is very heavy and by the Alfredo Barbini Sommerro Murano Art Glass House.

Lucked into a group of Victorian serving pieces at a thrift shop.  All are Bavarian and have the loved cabbage roses.

Lots of great colors on this one.

Such soft colors in this pretty serving bowl.  

Lovely and very long Victorian dresser tray is filled with hand painted cabbage roses.

 Uncommon World War 1 Veterans Auxiliary parlor tablecloth.  Circa 1940s 

After a morning of successful hunting I headed over to Vintage Village to pick up a piece I saw on their facebook page.  As always, this lovely shop is rich with delightful booth vignettes.  

My Vintage Heart finds the niftiest stuff and displays everything so beautifully.  Love these woven covered bottles.

Sweet ice cream color 1950s sock hop dresses are too cha cha for words.

These delightful cows have taken over Vintage Village.

Get ready for the summer with lots of patio accessories.

Love this dry sink.

So much to find here.

 Here is the sweet picture I saw on the facebook page.  Beautiful Edwardian woman looking hopefully up at Mistletoe.  I can't wait to display this over the Christmas holidays.

Sunday afternoon was spent fluffing my own two spaces.

I'm ready for the Memorial Day, start of summer rush.  Walked all around the Buford Queen of Hearts and, of course, found something that hopped into my cart.

Stunning late Victorian mirror in cast iron frame.  I adore these and even though the silvering has seen better days, these just make me smile.  Hoping your week is full of light and blessings to you and those you love. SeaWitch