Panoply sisters were on a mission in November to get some junk and get out of a recent funk. This will likely be the last good buying trip before the year end. I'll share my loot with you now, before it gets swept aside to make room for my household holiday happenings.
First up are a few things that I will use in my own decor this holiday season and into winter.
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| Panoply Vintage Holiday, Winter Finds - November, 2015 |
A plaid wool table runner/throw; a potholder made on one of those kids' weaving looms (in plaid!); a white rabbit fur skin; two silverplate napkin rings (see photo near end of post for the monogram on one); a martini pitcher with a candy cane swizzle stick and candy canes embossed in the pitcher itself; a 1923 edition of
"The Silver Skates" book (inscribed December 25, 1924 inside the cover); and a great, hand-crocheted ball ornament potholder. I can't pick a favorite out of these. They all make me smile, and several are additions to my already fairly large collections (the potholders, napkin rings, and plaid throws.
Typical for each of us Panoply sisters, we gravitate toward textiles. I came away with an assortment of vintage textiles, as seen together in the photo below.
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| Panoply Vintage Textiles - November 2015 |
The white pillowcases are trimmed with tatted edging, very nicely done. The French cotton damask tablecloth is one of several classic, Provencal color schemes in a blue, yellow and white pattern. I had a theme going, but one of the items below did NOT come home with me. Can you guess which one?
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| Vintage French Finds - November, 2015 |
If you guessed the Quimper table vase, you were correct. I know, I know. It's the one that got away, the one item I keep thinking about. The porcelain door push with carriage on it was interesting to me, mostly because I have one with a black toile print on it already (same backstamp) which I had ordered directly from Simone at Fleaing France over a year ago. The fleur de lis is a terra cotta architectural piece. It has a hole in the base, and looks as if it could be a cap for something (what, I don't know).
And how about these beauties pictured below?
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| Vintage Brass and Crystal Sconces |
There's definitely a danger in buying things you love. I actually have a wall in my guest bedroom on which these sconces would look great, but I'll have to ponder on that idea. Our first thought, when shopping, was they would be good in a late winter vignette in one of our booths, after the holidays.
A few industrial items were also part of my finds on this trip. Below, you see a USMC (not US Marine Corps) wooden crate which once held (sewing) eyelets; a military canvas duffel bag (with stamped initials RC and LAW PL); and lastly, a collapsible French military canvas tool bag.
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| Vintage Wooden Crate, Canvas Military Utility Bags |
Additionally, I spied the vintage, cast iron Fire Alarm Box below, and made an offer on it, which the dealer accepted.
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| Vintage Cast Iron Fire Alarm Box |
This box could be great repurposed as a countertop liquor cabinet (a bottle with a couple shot glasses?), a place to store hot sauce for a grillmaster, or even storage for toiletries in a bath (maybe Pepcid AC or Pepto Bismol for fiery stomach, or air freshener for....well, you get the idea). Of course, I have a son-in-law who's a fireman, so.....we'll see if the alarm box stays or goes to the booth.
The kitchen scale below is different from most we've come across. It's got a tile on the metal frame that's marked "Mosaic Tile Co., Zanesville, O.", and imprinted patents on the face: Feb. 8 1898, Oct 25, 1898, and Sep 15, 1899. There's an eagle decal on each side. I love the patina on the face.
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| Antique Kitchen Scale |
Ironstone was not prevalent, and most pieces I saw were pretty pricey - except the ones pictured below, which I added to my picks.
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| Brown & Red Transferware, White Ironstone |
Six brown transferware bone dishes (English, John Edwards, in Daphne pattern); a petite, red transferware bowl (English, Ridgway, Columbian Star, featuring President Harrison's 1840 election and pioneer roots); and a white ironstone pudding mold (iron leaching - which I love), in grapes and leaf motif (backstamp indiscernible). Of these, my favorite is probably the Ridgway bowl, even with its hairline rim crack. I love the cabin depicted, with smoke coming from the chimney.
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| Ridgway Columbian Star Transferware |
I mentioned above that one of the napkin rings has a monogram (something I look for to refine my selections in collecting these rings now). I love that, in this holiday season, I found the name 'Clara' (a la Nutcracker). The other ring was purchased because it was just too good a deal to pass up.
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| Antique Silverplate Napkin Rings - 'Clara' |
Adding a vintage desktop perpetual calendar and Victorian door handle /lock / backplate (seen in lower right corner of collage below), that's it for the vintage finds in November on this particular buying trip.
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| Collage of Panoply November 2015 Finds |
Lucky for me, I found this vintage Hartmann wardrobe suitcase to carry many of the smalls home in (below). How convenient. It's a nice piece, has no odors, and lies flat (perfect for stacking). If you tried taking this on a flight, however, all your weight would be in the suitcase alone, just sayin'. ;)
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| Hartmann Vintage Wardrobe Suitcase |
In a November purchase separate from the trip with my Panoply sisters, I bought the two napkin rings pictured below (a holiday hazard, as I plan my buffet spread for typically 30 family members or so each Christmas Eve). Both monogrammed, both names of family members (Norma was my mother's given name). Each are engraved with dates on the back (1915 and 1933, respectively). They came to me polished, but my preference is unpolished.
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| Sterling Napkin Rings, Monogrammed 'Norma' and 'Robert' |
One last token item, which I picked up on an out of town day trip with Mr. P., where he delivered his final expert testimony of his career (I shopped while he worked). An RPPC (real picture postcard), it's of a little girl in her winter finery, complete with a fur hand muff with a bear's head in the center. It'll be added to my collection of
purse ephemera.
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| Antique Picture Postcard, Child with Fur Hand Muff |
My objective now is to try to keep focused long enough to complete putting the garden to bed and getting the house holiday ready. With the extended days of warm weather we've been having, it's really been hard for me to want to stay inside and pull out all the holiday decor. Is this what it feels like in Florida at Christmastime? Also, the email blasts from retailers for all their huge price savings have been totally distracting for me. Am I the only one who puts all sorts of stuff in the online carts, calculates all the promo code savings (I love stacking them), only to step away (which prompts
more emails reminding me of the items in carts)? It's actually a pretty good way to satisfy the impulse to shop, but it sure wastes a lot of time if you don't finish what you start.
Remember, if you'd like to see more of my posts on vintage finds (or any other topic), just type keywords such as 'vintage finds' in the "Search This Blog" block on my right sidebar (just above my profile picture). Several posts should come up for your reading pleasure.
Got junk?
As always, your visits, comments and loyal
readership are welcome, and much appreciated!
Rita C. at Panoply
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