Vintage Valentine Candy Boxes

Hi everyone.

Part one of the Nor'Easter is in full force and is a peaceful white scene from the front door. The plow has not been by yet. The weatherman is calling for a change to rain this afternoon with part two of the snow coming this evening. In my area, 8-12 inches is predicted. This may be my first snow day off work.

With Valentine's Day soon approaching, I wanted to share a post from another blog that I follow by Antiques Galore Gal. Her post is about vintage Valentine candy boxes and includes some great photos. Please check it out with this link. I hope you enjoy her post!

http://antiquesgaloregal.blogspot.com/2011/01/vintage-valentine-candy-boxes.html

Sincerely, Lynn

Antiquing at Rinker's Antiques

Rinker's Antiques is in Brodheadsville, PA off of Route 209, not far from where my sister lives. I had never been there before and decided to check it out yesterday. The directions were great and I had no trouble finding the place. It was a bright sunny day, though extremely cold. When I got to the entrance sign for Rinker's, all I saw was a plowed, but still snow covered, one lane drive going steeply uphill and curving. I was glad that I now have an SUV! Once I made it up the hill, I found a large building jam packed with furniture! There was a lot of oak furniture and some Victorian and primitive pieces. The owner was there and said he refinishes most of the pieces himself before putting them up for sale. In the building's rafters were rows and rows of oak chair sets that had been refinished. This is a great place to find furniture, but if you are looking for small items, such as glassware, this is not the place for you.

I bought another old school desk for my shop, since the one I had was sold in December. I also found a very unique table! This vintage side table is in great condition.

The unique feature of this table is a secret hidden compartment! This is really cool. To open the compartment, you twist the table top in a clockwise direction and the compartment is revealed under the table top!

I love this table! I have never seen a table like this before.

I also loved a lot of the oak furniture there, including table and chair sets, dressers, hall trees, etc. I will definitely visit Rinker's again!

Sincerely,

Lynn

Vintage Valentine Gift Ideas for Gals

Hi everyone.

It is a beautiful sunny day in New Jersey! Extremely cold, but beautiful when you are inside looking out.

It won't be long now until Valentine's Day is here. Do you need a Valentine gift for your gal, Mom, daughter, sister, or friend? If she loves antiques and vintage items, here are a few ideas to consider. How about a vintage or antique dresser box or dish for her dresser. There are MANY to choose from in shops everywhere. Of course, stuffed bears are always a great idea too. I love the heart this bear is holding!

How about a vintage bell with a heart shaped handle? Isn't this cute?

If she likes blue, this mini hand mirror has a jade handle and would fit in a handbag.

I think this heart shaped dish is really precious too. It looks great with a vintage doily underneath it too.

For the fashionista in your life, how about something with cute fashion drawings like this set of three wall hooks?


I also found this reproduction vase with a metal frog lid in a heart shape.

Just take a stroll through your local antique center and I am sure you will find LOTS of possibilities.

I hope you all have a great day!

Sincerely,

Lynn

Dry Sinks

Hi everyone.

Another snow overnight blanketed the area in white again and it is beautiful. Looks like it's only a couple of inches, but I decided to write this post before shoveling. After shoveling, I may be too exhausted for a while!

Growing up, Mom had not one, but two, beautiful dry sinks. I loved them. While technically obsolete, since indoor plumbing was developed, they are still great cabinets for use in any room. Mom had one in the kitchen and I remember everyone kept their purses in the sink section, which no longer had the metal insert. That dry sink was a country type piece of furniture probably used in a kitchen. The other dry sink she had was more "refined" and may originally have been used in a more Victorian home. Each of my sisters was gifted one of these dry sinks by Mom when she was still able to do so.

I have seen many dry sinks during my antiquing expeditions and would love to have one, but I do not have the space in my small home. Here are pics of a couple of dry sinks I saw recently. They are beautiful and will look terrific in someone's home.

Do you have a dry sink in your home? How do you use it? Please comment.

If you enjoy reading my blog, please share it with your friends who also love antiques!

Sincerely, Lynn

Hi everyone.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! I apologize for the gap in posts for a few weeks. I was exhausted after the holidays, as many of you probably were too. I took a break to rest and restore my energy.

On a recent trip to Allentown, PA, I visited Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles. It is a relatively new antique mall at South Mall at 3300 Lehigh Street. With nearly 45,000 square feet of space, Black Rose has 100+ quality vendors and is still growing. The prices there seem fair to me, not so overpriced as I have seen in some other antique malls. I went on a weekday afternoon and there were a fair number of people browsing through the antique mall. Since they took over what seems to be the space of a former anchor store, they have quite a sizable place with traffic flowing in from the shopping mall to the antique mall.

I bought several things that day, though the piece de resistance was this vintage vanity, painted white. While the reupholstered stool is probably not original, the vanity has a swiveling mirror and two swing arm shelves for candles. I have it in my shop now, waiting for its new owner to stroll by and fall in love with it.



On this trip to Black Rose, I also got a table/plant stand, a picnic basket (complete with original plastic cups and plates), and a spatterware pitcher, among other things.

If you have the opportunity to visit Allentown, PA, it is definitely worth the time to stop at Black Rose Antiques and Collectibles.

Sincerely,
Lynn

Grate Luminaries

This is my sister's idea, I must confess, but I love it so much that I picked up a couple of vintage graters on an antiquing day to make my own luminaries. I used electric candles, but you could use real candles or battery operated candles, if you prefer.

My sister's grater luminaries:

My grater luminaries:

Have you used any unusual vintage items in your holiday decor? Please share your ideas.

Sincerely, Lynn

On the "Fourth" Day of Vintage Christmas Decorating...

...I brought out the toys!

I apologize for the large gap between posts. I was a little under the weather and now that I am feeling better I have to play catch up with everything for the holidays. I will try to get some more posts finished, but I am not sure I will be able to make it to 12.

My favorite toy for the holidays is my train that I received as a child, now a vintage collectible. I nailed the tracks onto a piece of plywood that was painted green years ago and I use it as the base for my Christmas tree instead of using a tree skirt. The train has a wind-up engine and four cars. I found a fifth car at an antique mall a few years ago, from a similar set. Doesn't it look great?

I also love to put out this electric animated doll, complete with candle. I gave this to my Mom years ago and received it back years later.

Finally, I put out my stuffed reindeer collection. These are new, not vintage, but I love the look at Christmas. Since I got my dog two years ago, I have to put them up higher. She thinks they look like dog toys!

Do you put out vintage toys as holiday decorations? Please share your traditions.

Sincerely, Lynn