Vintage Finds 2Q18

The second quarter of 2018 (2Q18) was a mix of shopping activity, both vintage and retail. With activities including styling booths, family vacation and landscape gardening over the past few months, vintage shopping often took second seat. Still, I found some fun things to share. I realize only when putting this post together that almost all of these vintage finds are purchases from other dealers, either purging or moving.

A long-time dealer in very nice, primitive antiques hosted a private tag sale here in town. She is permanently relocating to her second home in Pawley's Island, SC, and wanted to downsize. The collection of miniature sheep in the collage below was sneakily bought by my Panoply sisters and gifted to me for my birthday. I bought the tole tray on which they sit. I also bought the lamb on sled, the miniature ironstone tureen (shown in ironstone grouping on the L side middle R photo for scale). A tole painted knife box and group of four English pewter measures were also part of my picks.

Pictured below are a few more favorites from this dealer in primitives. The linen runner and Amish basket are newer vintage, but the silk peaches inside the basket are handmade, hand-dyed Victorian creations. I love everything about them! The second knife box I purchased is Shaker, and the feathering on the edge of the box was as smooth as the silk on the peaches. Superb workmanship.

Another dealer and part owner of our antique mall is downsizing, and her tag sale was a little overwhelming. There was so.much.stuff.

My favorite era is the Flapper and Art Deco periods, so when I saw these 1913 framed litho prints by magazine illustrator Harry Morse Meyers (1886-1961) - "Spring Chicken" and "Garden Hose" - I immediately snagged them.

A couple pieces of pottery - a small pitcher and McCoy planter - and a couple of smalls tools (flat advertising ruler and tack hammer) caught my eye.

A twin chenille bedspread in very good vintage condition was an easy choice.

As I was leaving the tag sale, my inner dish maven was drawn to 17 pieces of Taylor Smith Taylor USA transferware in teal green (bottom L of photo below). Laura, if you're reading this, it's the same pattern as the platter which broke in my purge! I couldn't leave it behind, especially for the price.

Also in the photo above is some dishware I purchased at our antique mall from a few of my dealer friends. The Greenbrier china pieces, which I collect, are ones I did not already have! The small, ceramic lemon pitcher just appealed to me for the shape and coloring.

Last but not least, still another dealer friend was purging her cottage shop on her property, and I picked up most of what's pictured below. The wicker tiered table is already in the shop and styled with garden items (not purchased at the cottage sale). The two barkcloth pillows are in my sunroom, the brown transferware mold is in my dining room and the primitive, lidded bucket is currently in my inventory.

My retail shopping wouldn't be so much lately if it weren't for a local auction house I recently discovered. This auctioneer also handled an estate auction about a month ago, and the vintage items below are what I won/bought. I was primarily after the enamel top table, but all the other items were stacked on top of it and went with it. They were all filthy, but worth cleaning up. The table is already in the booth.

This auctioneer deals primarily in Evine, QVC and Home Shopping Network overstock. We won't even go there today, but it's been a great source for a few gift items I've stashed for the family Christmas gift exchange. Oh yea, and a few things for myself. Can you say purses and shoes??😉

Here's hoping all your shopping finds are fun and full of value! Thanks for visiting today.

Rita C. at Panoply

(A special thanks to Kathryn of the Dedicated House Make it Pretty Monday #259 for featuring this post!)

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This Table is For the Birds!

With pretty much everything garden-related on my mind lately, it goes to show that my latest tablescape is for the birds. As in, they're having a party - fiesta - on my table! Happy Summer Solstice!

It all started with this [pitcher] bouquet of flowers my girls gifted me in early June.

The colors in the bouquet and vessel prompted me to pull out some plates and a tray I purchased in late winter while dreaming of spring. Look at these characters pictured below! They just make me laugh. They look like a bunch of friends who've had too much of a good thing.

A Lenox tablecloth, "Chirp", was sourced by a dealer friend at a flea while visiting her daughter in Japan, of all places! I added some more fiesta accessories (why not?!) with the colorfully striped napkins.

The water pitcher and tumblers used are acrylic. A variety of mixed colors of vintage bakelite was used for each place setting. The napkin rings were inspired by blog friend, Mary, of Home is Where the Boat Is.

We have so many birds partying in our landscape garden, they've actually been keeping us awake at night. There's a mockingbird that's apparently drunk at all hours - 1:30 am, 3:30 am, and/or around 5:30 am - looking for love with his litany of songs. Short of cutting down our magnolia right outside our bedroom window, we've resorted to wearing cotton in our ears when we go to sleep!

Wrens and chickadees are rather noisy in the wee hours of the morning also, and so are robins. The cotton really helps!

Unlike many people, I don't provide food for animals or birds (other than hummingbirds). I do keep a small birdbath pool near the magnolia, and they love it in the daytime.

So, I suppose these creatures are just hanging around for the party scene that is my landscape.

And, as a gardener, I'm a little punchy myself at the fact they like to frolic here. I've given in to the bunnies munching grasses, and as long as the squirrels don't chew my gutters or get inside the attic, and the geese stay in the river, I'm good.

Finishing the tablescape motivated me to pull some coordinating pillow covers out for a bit of color in the sunroom. 

And so it goes, the domino effect.

Adding a little whimsy with the garden pail on the baker's rack, I pulled a string of LED lights through the spout for a watering effect.

Whether your garden is a party place for the birds, or you find fun in feathering your own nest, I hope you enjoyed this tablescape today.

Oh, and I bought some cocktail napkins in the same motif, same line as the plates and tray. If you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em!

Party like flock stars! Happy Summer Solstice, y'all!

For the Birds Source List

Plates, Tray, Cocktail Napkins, Bees on Napkin Rings - Amazon

Napkins, Napkin Rings, Tumblers - Pier 1

Water Decanter - Target

Wood Chargers - Etsy

Lenox Tablecloth, Bakelite Flatware - Flea Market, Estate Sale Finds

Flowers, Pitcher Vessel - Teleflora (gift)

As always, thanks for your visit!

Rita C. at Panoply

A special thanks to Chloe Crabtree of Celebrate and Decorate, Sandra Garth of Sweet Sensations, Cecilia from My Thrift Store Addiction, and Jann from Have a Daily Cup of  Mrs. Olson's Share Your Cup #298 for featuring this post at the links provided in this postscript).

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Summer Booth Updates 2018

Today I'm sharing some of the updates we've made to our Panoply booth spaces in the antique mall since my last post of our booths in March. Instead of making before and after comparisons, I'll leave the link for you to see how things looked previously and just focus on current vignettes.

For summer, we generally like to showcase a few themes: garden/kitchen, outdoor living, and patriotism/Americana. Below is the corner of garden/kitchen and outdoor living.

With a nod to days of porch sittin' and tending crops, we've brought in several new vintage items.

Small planter containers and other garden finds are just as fine today as they were in yesteryear.

Kitchen and picnic items featured.....

Another utility table that could just as easily be used indoors as a protected outdoor setting.

Crates and hardware are popular with guys and gals.

Our patriotic corner....

The photo below shows a long view of all the space detail shown so far. It is all space rented by my sisters and me, just divided with separate vignettes.

The other space we rent has not changed a whole lot since March. We've simply shuffled items from the other spaces and added a few more. One way we manage that is to continuously go vertically in displays. It's hard to see in the photo below, but just to the left of the linen rack, there is a chair stacked upon a coffee table. That's just one example of what I mean by going vertical.

Below is another angle of the same space. Not only can you see the vertical display concept, but just across the aisle (on the far right) you catch a glimpse of  the edge of the patriotic corner of our other rented space.

Panoply is located in the South Charleston Antique Mall at 617 D Street, South Charleston, WV.  It is an easy on/off from I-64 at Exit 56. If you're traveling this summer, we hope you'll stop in and browse/shop. We are just three dealers among approximately 70, situated on the first of three floors (and a mezzanine) in an 18,000 square foot former department store.

As always, your virtual visit is appreciated!

Rita C. at Panoply

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Early Summer Garden: Transformations, Trip, Tricks

When I published my last post on my landscape garden, I had no idea I'd be tackling all the maintenance I talked about so soon. Apparently, publishing it was subconsciously committing to it, and this is a showcase of all the recent transformations. Most of the photos are before and after comparisons. I'll also tell you about a recent trip and share some tricks I have for the garden at the end of this post.

The "wild hair" azaleas have been trimmed after blooming, and the centermost (appears as the 2nd blooming bush from left in top frame) was plucked and transplanted to the far most left position, opening the center of the five azalea plants.

Azaleas: before and after trimming and transplanting

What once could not be seen unless behind the azaleas - the clematis, the mountain bluet, a garden accent light, and sundial on concrete base - are now in plain sight. I moved the concrete base forward to make a grouping in the space between the azaleas.

The space in between the azaleas (after)

Whether things get pruned with a light or heavy hand, there's a period of time in between blooms where things can look a little bare, even scalped. The courtyard roses were pruned with a heavy hand, and then fertilized with systemic granules for reblooming expected in July.

Courtyard roses: before and after pruning

Pruning is a necessary thing to keep blooms coming. In some cases, it's a seasonal change of annuals, such as with my beds at the front of the house. My pansies overwinter from fall, and the daffodils grow tall among them in spring. The daffodil leaves were cut back right after Memorial Day, and then the summer annuals replaced the pansies. The boxwoods got a trim at the same time the summer annuals were planted.

Front Annual Beds: before, during and after winter to summer transitions

My perennial hibiscus had to be staked immediately after my last garden post (for optimal showcasing of July blooms). In fact, a rainstorm just a couple days after that post had many of the hibiscus stems lying flat on the ground, making the job of staking more tedious. I lost count after about three dozen stakes and umpteen ties.

Perennial Hibiscus: before and after staking for support of July blooms

All that time and labor staking was another reason I decided to simply cut back the front hibiscus and not bother staking them this year. In the picture below (top frame), you get an idea of how the stems fall flat when not staked.

Hibiscus: before and after pruning (opting out of staking)

More dividing and transplanting is evident in the iris patch, an area I previously referred to as the unibrow. I had to first cut the leaves in order to see where and what I was dividing. As you can see below, the knockout roses are now needing pruned (deadheaded) before the next flush of blooms (July). I'll likely divide more irises next year, but will wait to see how these do first.

Iris Patch: before and after cutting, dividing and transplanting

The plants are not all I've been working on. Besides 20 more bags of mulch being spread among the plantings, I've been weeding (never-ending), and have done a little brick maintenance. Without using a full-blown power-washer, I've used the jet nozzle on our hoses to clean moss and dirt that's grown on our brick.

On the front porch steps, you could hardly even see the mortar on the bricks for the dirt and grime, Moss actually growing on the mortar was threatening the stability of the bricks.

Front Porch Brick Cleaning: before and after

The walkway between our house and garage was downright dangerous when wet, slippery to walk on for the mold and grime that had accumulated over the past couple years since it was last cleaned.

Brick Walkway Between House, Garage: before and after cleaning

The courtyard also got a good hosing, and I rearranged the furniture afterward. I put an old glider on the alley with a sign, "Trash or Treasure - Free", and it was gone within two days.

Courtyard Patio: before and after cleaning

Most of my garden chore list remaining is what I consider piddling - deadheading, weeding, watering. The major dividing and transplanting are complete, and having a few good weather days of low humidity and decent temperatures last week helped motivate me to tackle the big stuff.

I mentioned a trip in the title of my post. It wasn't the kind you necessarily write home about. Y'all know how Mr. P. and I are vigilant about keeping the Canada geese off our property, right? Well, they've all had their babies, and we recently saw eleven babies among two sets of parents. Pictured below is a photo a neighbor took one evening of them all (some are hidden in the shadows).

Adult Geese and Goslings

Mr. P. goes across the street to our riverbank to check them regularly, and shoo them away. Pictured below is a shot of the steel staircase at the edge of the street level of our property, down to the river.

Stairway to Hell

Mr. P. fell down all 22 of those stairs on May 17. Thank God, a trip to the ER was just one block away, and tests showed no [internal] bleeds or breaks. That was a real scare! 😟 I'm happy to say after four weeks, he's been assessed and doing a few sessions in PT for strengthening and balance, and he's walking part of our daily three miles with me again. Part of the reason for falling was trying to go around that chain instead of removing it. I've threatened him to try that trick again. 😠

Lastly, I promised some gardening tricks. Really, I should call these treats, all from the Dollar Tree (no affiliations, just bargains from me to you).

Dollar Tree Bargains for the Garden

All the things you see pictured above are great tools for the garden, some obvious, some not so obvious, and each just $1! Solar stake lights; garden gloves (I love the ones with nitrile coating for weeding, especially); flip flops (yes, I'm the kind of girl who wears flip flops in the garden, just so I can keep my feet cool and easily hose the dirt off afterward). Garden fence posts are great for not only staking some plants, but we demarcate our property from the neighbor's to help keep people from driving over our grass divider on the street. Sun hats are great, and when dirty? No worries, just hose off, then let dry in the sun. 

Kitchen knives are great in the garden! Use them to cut back foliage from things like daffodils and other spent blooms. At just $1 each,  when they go dull, toss them! And lastly, if you claim you have a brown thumb, then just buy faux flowers and plop them in your containers and beds! I won't tell! 😉

Happy gardening, and thanks for your visit! Your comments are always welcome, and I try to respond to all of you. The last couple of posts I've not replied directly, but as you can tell by reading this, I've been pretty busy.

Rita C. at Panoply

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