Antiques

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: More Happy News!

/ Katie / 32 Comments

The dining room ceiling is done!

It looks so nice, and the floor above it feels more secure than it’s probably felt in decades, and I just couldn’t be more pleased. Also, I’ve finally found a use for a lovely vintage (maybe antique?) chandelier I bought years ago, so I’m happy as a clam.

We still need to repaint the room, and it will really brighten things up. But for now, progress is progress!

And, in even MORE good news, we got the results of Graham’s blood test, and he is NOT a carrier of the recessive genetic condition I mentioned in my previous post. This means that, even though I’m a carrier, Baby Girl is not at risk. I’m just incredibly relieved and grateful.

So, a good day all around, and lots to smile about and be thankful for.   

Found Friday #44: A New Use for Old Teacups

/ Katie / 12 Comments

I collect antique and vintage china. It’s definitely not a problem. I definitely don’t have way too much of it. I definitely have enough space. It’s definitely, totally not getting out of hand at all.

Now that that’s out of the way, I just had to share this with y’all, because seriously, how cute is it?

I went to a farmers market in the next village over a few weeks ago and came across a booth selling teacups and saucers made into candles. I’m not crafty, and as we’ve established, I love vintage and antique china. So, of course I bought two.

They live on my mantle now, and I don’t know if I’ll ever light them, because though they smell lovely, they’re just so adorable and I like them just as they are.

(And truth be told, I bought four. But I only kept two. So it’s fine.)

*If you’d like to check out the vendor I bought them from, here’s the website: https://www.ruralsquirrelcandle.com/

Found Friday #42: What are these, exactly?

/ Katie / 8 Comments

Graham and I stopped into my favorite antique and vintage shop over the weekend, and these little cups caught my eye:

I bought them and brought them home, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out what they’re meant to be used for. Are they sake cups? Maybe they’re for sugar? I don’t know! They’re Nippon, based on the maker’s mark.

But a quick Google search doesn’t turn up this pattern, so who knows? Regardless, I just think they’re neat. And different, given their shape, pattern, and colors, than anything else I have in my china collection. So, overall, a pretty cool find.

Found Friday #41: Another for the (accidental) collection!

/ Katie / 13 Comments

I haven’t written a Found Friday in a while, but I picked up a few vintage and antique items over the holidays, and I wanted to share one of them today.

So, I mentioned in a previous Found Friday post that I seem to have accidentally started a collection of antique and vintage ashtrays. Now, I am not a smoker. I never have been. But you know what ashtrays are good for these days? Holding crystals.

Or jewelry, or dried petals, or other various and sundries. Which, honestly, I’ve got a lot of. And I figure it’s much better to repurpose an old ashtray than to see it thrown out, if it’s generally sturdy, nice-looking, and worth a few extra dollars. I like the idea of taking something associated with a bad habit and giving it a better purpose. I’m really not fond of this new culture of quick construction and disposability that we’ve found ourselves in lately, and I love a piece with a story.

Cut to a random Thursday in December, just before Christmas, and I came across this little curiosity in a shop run by a friend of mine:

It’s cheeky, right? With the cigarette holder in the middle, and the leaf and vine embellishments. It was sitting on a shelf, sort of hidden, and I just happened to spot it. So of course I bought it and brought it home.

The friend who owns the shop suggested that it could be a good paintbrush holder, which I can definitely see. But unfortunately, I don’t paint, so I’m not quite sure yet what it’s use will be. That’s okay, though. I’m not quite sure what my use is some days, either. 

(Sort of) Found Friday #39: Not Quite Fine China

/ Katie / 10 Comments

I more or less inherited these little decorative plates after my grandmother died. My dad’s mom, that is.

I don’t remember a time when these weren’t hanging over the stove in her kitchen, and I always liked them. Graham had to be convinced to hang them in our house, but I put my foot down. Fond memories make a house a home.

I hadn’t really thought much about them for years until I saw a post over on Suzassippi’s Lottabusha County Chronicles, talking about her fondness for fruit motifs and small town variety. Yet another thing we share, it seems.

I don’t really know much about these plates. There’s no maker’s label on them, other than a sticker that they were made in Japan, and I don’t know where my grandmother picked them up or how long she had them. But they certainly have a place in my house.

Funny, how little things can become beloved heirlooms, isn’t it?

Found Friday #37: New (Old) Things!

/ Katie / 16 Comments

I try not to stop into antique shops very often. Very much like bookstores, I can’t seem to leave them without an arm full of stuff and with a much lighter wallet. But, I made an exception over the weekend. And I’m proud of myself! I only came home with two things.

This darling little glass jar with a monogrammed lid:

(I wonder who it belonged to, what they used it for, and how it came to be in a shop for sale…)

And this:

Yes, I know it’s an ashtray, and no I don’t smoke, but I love the floral pattern and the colors. And it goes nicely with another cut glass ashtray I got as a gift many years ago. (And I’ve just realized that it seems I’ve accidentally started an ashtray collection…)

I love collecting old things. I love the stories they tell, and their little chips and imperfections. They remind me of people, I think. Imperfect, but valuable and beautiful nonetheless.