Vintage Hammered Aluminum

I found two vintage hammered aluminum serving dishes at the Goodwill a few weeks ago. They were only 99 cents each. They have very pretty floral designs on them. My daughter gave me an idea to use the tiered tray to hold perfume bottles on my dresser. Here it is ~

I decided to use the other tray to hold jewelry. It really is a pretty one. I love the twisted handle on this one.

So the next time you see a piece of hammered aluminum think about using it on your dresser.

KayteeJane

Recent Finds

I have been going to my favorite thrift store every Friday night after work as a little end-of-the-week treat to myself. I haven't found much. I did luck out and get 2 Pyrex casserole dishes. I was especially pleased that one of them was Butterprint and had the lid. It is in mint condition.

The other one is "Forest Fancies". It did have the lid but there was a big chip in it so I just got rid of the lid. I have extras so it wasn't a big loss.

At an indoor flea market I bought the 401 Autumn Harvest bowl. I love the color of this one. I plan to use it in the fall. Also found a Floraline planter in matte white.

I also bought this cute apron at the flea market.

Not a huge haul but I am still pretty happy with what I did find. All very cheap also!

KayteeJane

Pyrex Christmas Bowl

Christmas came again for me this past weekend when to my surprise and delight I found the Pyrex Christmas Bowl at an antique store in West Virginia. I have coveted this bowl for months/years now ever since seeing pictures of it on some of my favorite collecting/vintage blogs and on Instagram. I have seen it for sale on eBay too but usually it is in the weeks prior to Christmas and I am always so broke at that time and saving to buy Christmas presents that I can't justify buying myself anything let along a collectible bowl.

Anyway...after months of searching at local antique stores and even thrift shops I had resigned myself to the fact that it was doubtful I would ever see one in my lifetime. I further confirmed that idea in my mind when I learned that this bowl was actually a Christmas present that was given to employees who worked at the Pyrex plant in Charleroi, Pennsylvania and not ever offered for sale to the public.

So you can image my surprise when I did actually see this bowl at an antique store. Here is how it went down in case you are interested in living vicariously through me...

This past Saturday my husband and I happened to be in West Virginia and we decided to stop at a lovely antique store called Sweet Memories. I am strolling through the store leisurely - looking at all of the lovely items. There happened to be some other pieces of Pyrex for sale so I was looking things over deciding if I wanted to buy anything. Well my husband is way ahead of me through the store. Suddenly I hear "KATE - GET OVER HERE!" When I meet up with him he has found the bowl. My mouth drops open in surprise. The bowl is inside a locked glass case on display like the Crown Jewels.

Here it is at the store. You can see me in the reflection using my phone to snap a picture.

After getting the sales clerk to come over and unlock the case ~ and looking the bowl over ~ I decide to go ahead and splurge on it. It is a bit spendy for my very thrifty self, but husband encourages me to get it because I have wanted one for so long {and may never see one in person again}. I buy it and then do the happy dance in the car on the way home!

It isn't until I get home that I consciously notice that the holly leaves on this bowl are orange instead of white. Not exactly very "Christmasy". The colors never even registered in my brain while at the store. I think I was just in buying mode - not thinking mode. Oh well ~ I still love it. I'm just bummed I have to put it away with my Christmas decorations until next year. Want to hear another interesting tidbit? The seller happens to have another one of these bowls in her collection. Not sure where she got 2 ~ but now she is down to 1 thanks to me!

This is why I love collecting! It is the unexpected finds that make it so fun. Finding "the one" you have been searching for when you least expect to ~Allowing your husband to spoil you with Pyrex! Treating yourself to something that you don't really need but will totally enjoy ~ Reliving the memory of our trip to WV and finding this bowl every time I pull it out of storage. It is all pure fun.

KayteeJane

Baby Shoe Planters

For a while now I have been in love with baby shoe planters and other vintage baby items. I have a small collection. I recently put all of my baby planters together on one shelf for display. Here it is ~

A closer look ~

Even though my babies are grown ~ i plan to keep collecting vintage baby! I love it!

KayteeJane

Floral Bubbles

To satisfy my cravings for vintage Pyrex in the winter months I bought this on eBay. {Actually my husband bought it for me - which is very sweet of him}. The down side to visiting other vintage blogs and Instagram is that it gets me interested in buying more and more Pyrex!

When I first saw this on eBay I had never seen it before. It was hard to tell from the pictures what color the casserole dish was going to be.

When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised with it. The lid is awesome. The more I look at it the more I like it ~ black line-drawn flowers with some brownish/gold shading. The color of the casserole dish is a cross between pink and beige - the color of a Band-aid if you will. It holds 2 1/2 quarts. It also has a rack to hold a candle under the dish to keep it warm.

After doing some on-line research I learned that the official product name of this pattern is unknown. It was a promotional piece. The "Pyrex Love" website named it Floral Bubbles because the flowers on the lid look almost like bubbles because there is so many of them.

I can't wait to use this one! It is very GROOVY!

KayteeJane

Valentine's Day

Here is what is on display for Valentine's Day this year ~

Remember that red tinsel tree that I bought at Target after Christmas for $4? Well here it is with Valentine's Decorations on it. The felt owls & hearts were also Christmas ornaments from Target that I found on clearance after the holiday. I thought they would work better for Valentine's. I hope to add more ornaments on the tree each year.

My Hazel Atlas Crinoline is front and center right now on top of my shabby cabinet.

This Storybook Doll was my mom's when she was a child. 

 

The corner cupboard decked out with milk glass and Valentines. 

{I put all the yellow pottery away until Spring.}

 Westmoreland Glass birds in the background.

 Aren't these two faces adorable? These were actually found in someone's garbage several years ago {along with many other fantastic treasures!}. I was thinking of selling them both but decided at the last minute not to. I think it is the boy's plaid hat that grabbed my heart.

Honey Valentine - love this one.

McCoy heart vase in a very soft pink. This was a gift from my husband last year.  

One of my favorite gifts ever!

Love birds

Pyrex on display. I decided to go with my Friendship pieces this month - and some pink.

Paper straws with hearts {Target dollar bin} in an old milk bottle.

 Some vintage linens from my collection. Red roses are so perfect for Valentine's Day.

Last but not least ~ my "Sweetheart" planters. The pink one was my first {another Valentine's Day gift from my husband a few years ago}. Since then I've found two more in white & blue.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

KayteeJane