Vintage Brown Bottles

Hi everyone. As many of you know, I LOVE vintage blue bottles and have quite a collection of them. But did you know I also love vintage brown bottles? Any grouping of collectibles, such as bottles, will look great when shown in a grouping where they are all in the same color or color family. On a recent antiquing spree, I found this gorgeous Wan-Eta Cocoa jar, from Boston! It looks like a Ball jar, with a zinc type of lid, but has a unique shape to it. I have not seen a cocoa jar before. This brown jar is from H.K. Mulford Co. Chemists in Philadelphia.

And this small bottle, with the triangular shaped front, is a poison bottle. Up until recently, I had not seen a brown poison bottle, just cobalt blue poison bottles.

Whatever color you love, there are probably some vintage bottles or depression glass pieces that will look great as accents in your home.

Have a great day. Sincerely, Lynn

Easter Cornucopia

Good morning. Although cold this morning, it is a bright sunny day in New Jersey. On Saturday I found this vintage cornucopia basket at the Goodwill thrift store. When I got home, I came up with the idea of making an Easter Cornucopia. Cornucopias are typically seen around Thanksgiving and I don't think I have ever seen one at Easter. It was very inexpensive to make, with a Bunny I already had and a few plastic eggs and some grass from Target.

I think it looks so adorable and I will use it for my Easter decor this year.

I am linking with Masterpiece Monday with Mary @ Boogieboard Cottage.

Have a great week!

Sincerely, Lynn

Today's Use of Vintage Candle Molds

Hi everyone.

On my recent antiquing trips I found a number of vintage candle molds. I have been looking for one I could afford for quite a while and finally found this one. I think it makes a terrific candle holder since this mold has a square bottom that can sit on a table.

This mold was sitting on a table in a vendor's booth, showing how it could be used as a utensil holder. I think that is also a great idea.

My mother had a vintage candle holder that did not have a base like these do. She hung it on a peg rack and put dried flowers in it. That looked great too. My sister now has Mom's candle mold.

Do you have a vintage candle mold? How do you use it in your modern home? Please comment to share your ideas with the rest of us!

Sincerely,

Lynn

St. Patrick's Day Tablescape

Hi.

It has been said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. I really am part Irish on my father's side of the family. As a child, I had red hair, now turned brown. I have the fair skin that freckles and burns easily in the sun.

One of my favorite memories of St. Patrick's Days past is of my Dad wearing his button that says "Kiss Me, I'm Irish". I still have that button in my jewelry collection.

Today I want to share what I have learned is called a tablescape, the table set for St. Patrick's Day. Shades of green and white are really pretty, don't you think?

This closeup shows a green wire basket holding pears. It was a Goodwill thrift store find for 99 cents. Also, the white dish holding the candle was just 39 cents at the Goodwill store. It is just wonderful to be able to be thrifty and at the same time to reuse something that could have ended up in a dump. Both pieces are in great condition, but someone no longer wanted them.

I love the place setting I came up with, though these are new pieces, not antiques.

This photo shows the use of a vintage ironstone plate to hold the St. Patricks's Day green and white sugar cookies I found at the supermarket.

Did you decorate for St. Patrick's Day this year? Please comment to share what you did.

May the luck of the Irish be with you this St. Patrick's Day.

Sincerely,

Lynn

The Weekend Blues

Hi everyone.

No, I was not sad this weekend, but I found some great blue items while I was out antiquing. First, a blue and white crock, a great size for storing utensils. Then a cobalt blue depression glass candy dish and vase that is ribbed around the middle.

I love this blue striped crock!

This candy dish is a really unique shape, not the typical round shape of most candy dishes.

I have found a number of vintage vases that are ribbed in the middle, in either ruby red or green. These were made by Anchor Hocking. I think the ruby red and green must be more common colors than the cobalt blue. This is the first of these vases I have found in cobalt blue.

I hope you all had a great weekend and will have a great week ahead.

Sincerely, Lynn

My New Vintage Etsy Shop

Hi everyone.



I have just opened a new vintage shop, Antiques for Today's Lifestyle by LMACKERELL on Etsy. You can find it at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LMACKERELL .

So far I have only placed one item there, but I will be adding to it regularly. I listed this beautiful berry serving bowl and 6 individual berry bowls by Anchor Hocking in the Royal Ruby Red color with the coronation tab handles. Although vintage, I think they will blend quite well with a modern set of white dishes!





Please wish me luck and success with my new Etsy shop!


Sincerely, Lynn

Blue Plate Special

Hi everyone.

OK, so my sister's blog titles have inspired me to try to come up with more catchy, perhaps corny, titles too!

I will always love blue and white decor. I was gifted three antique blue and white plates by my mother which have hung in my kitchen in a vertical display for quite a while. I recently bought a fourth blue and white plate and moved the collection over the kitchen window in a horizontal display. I think it looks great. The three plates on the left are from Mom and the one on the right is the one I bought. It has a very tiny chip, but you can't even see it unless you look closely.

Here are close ups of the plates. The plate on the far left is a flow blue plate, meaning the blue is "flowing" into the white of the plate.

Plates are a very easy item to collect and display. Although some can be pricey, other single plates can be found at a flea market for around one dollar each, since they are no longer part of a collection. Plates come in all colors and you can be sure to find a few that will match your decor too.

While my plates are hung with individual plate hangers, easy to find at a craft store, you might also like the plate racks available in home stores. I have seen plate racks in vertical and horizontal designs for two, three or four plates.

So why not try some plate art in your home? And please tell your friends about my blog.

Sincerely, Lynn