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When I am out hunting, I never ever leave a porcelain decorative/trinket box behind. I love them. I have them all over my house and use them to hold toothpicks, ponytail holders and thumbtacks. But, my favorite thing to do with them is use them to hold matches and place them next to the candles I have around my house.
This is, without a doubt, my new favorite party trick.
I found this gorgeous table recently and it needed a little pick me up. One of the rehab treatments was removing this white heat ring from the wood.
Milk Glass. You've heard the term but do you really know what it is? Today we are going to briefly explore what it is and how to determine if it is older or a reproduction piece.
A few years ago, I was thrifting and found some milk glass. Not knowing much about it, I did some googling when I got home and realized there is WAY more to know than just seeing a piece of white glass and declaring it "milk glass". I never considered myself a real fan of it until I realized what all was categorized as milk glass.
As you know, I absolutely love finding the vintage items..especially brass. Cleaning them, however, is not always my favorite part of the process. Depending on how much gunk is on it, it can sometimes be a tedious (although rewarding) process. If I can find an quick shortcut to get the job done, I am all for it.
I had read time and time again that cleaning brass with ketchup was one such trick. So, I tried it.
We recently went through and talked about the different types of silver and their marks. Now we are going to learn how to read these marks and go into more details on some of these terms.
So, let's start with a little refresher. As you may remember, the hallmark (or mark) is the stamp on the silver that tells you the content of the metal. According to ModernSilver.com, the hallmark MAY include a makers mark but a maker's mark alone is not considered a hallmark.
One of the first things I learned about when I started doing my hard core thrifting and flea gig was the various types and forms of silver. While I am still no expert, I have learned to interpret better all those crazy stamps on the back of pieces. I thought it would be helpful to go through and really dive in so you can, hopefully, start identifying what you are holding. Let me just say right here that most of this information was collected from Martha Stewart. (Obvs).
When I was younger, I loved twirling my globe around and "filling in the blank" with a location. Where will I get married? Tanzania (far cry from my actual wedding in Charlottesville, VA). Where will I love when I am older? Antarctica (God. Help. Me).
Globes helped us learn and entertained us as kids. Since they're not as necessary as they had been in the past thanks to, you know, Google Maps...they have made a real comeback as a vintage décor item for the home.
I thought it might be helpful if we start to explore some variations of products and learn about the basics of terminology.
China, Ceramics, Porcelain and Bone China....all these terms get super confusing. So, let's do a little flow chart here to help.
One of my most favorite things to find at Flea Markets is vintage artwork. The living room wall above my couch is an ode to my love of old artwork with character. But many times, the condition you find them in is anything but great. And unless I am uncovering a Picasso, I highly doubt I am going to be getting anything professionally restored.
How many of us come home after a long week and think "Hot damn, I can't wait to get all sore and gross polishing silver all weekend!"
Yeah, that's what I thought.
So, when I saw Martha's method (it's always, Martha, isn't it?!?), I knew I had to give it a try.
“MonkeyPod” is a word you will often see stamped on the bottom of wooden Mid Century pieces. But what exactly is and how do you identify it? Today we will explore this mid century staple.