Brimfield July 2019: Summer Vibes from Cape Cod to Hawaii

Flying solo at this July's Brimfield Antiques Show was a mellow-cool time on a sizzling-hot day. Fewer dealers and fewer crowds made the pace more relaxed, and parking was just $5! It took me awhile to hit my stride, but after lunch, I discovered a handful of treasures.

Though I've visited Cape Cod just about every year since I've lived in Boston (since 1993!), I still felt a twinge of nostalgia when I discovered these charming paper place mats, probably from a long-gone seafood restaurant, or maybe a diner.

"Welcome to Cape Cod...now stop gumming up our bridges."

"Thar she blows...there's a perfect storm a-brewin' matey!"

Note pre-cut hanger hole on the place mat's right – so these were not for one-time-use.

I especially like the green and brown printing colors, and the paper has an interesting texture. The dealer had four of these at $1 each, so I bought all four, complete with vintage food stains.

Moving across the country and out to sea, I came across this hand-painted bud vase, made in Hawaii.

Though this vase only measures about 1-ft. tall and 3" wide at the base, it has bold presence. The unique shape and earthy brown tiki colors definitely caught my eye.

After doing a bit of research, I discovered this was most likely made in the 1970s or 1980s. It's in excellent condition with no chips or crazing. And, it was a bargain at just $20 – hello Aloha!

Whether you're in Cape Cod or Hawaii (or Beantown), you need a place to put your drink down, so this cute patio table will come in handy. And, it comes with its own bouquet of leaves.

The square glass top measures 10.5" and the metal white painted base is a little over 19.5" high. This piece was probably the deal of the day at just $12.

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The dealer who sold me the Cape Cod place mats also sold me this 22.5" x 18.5" black frame for $5. I hung it casually on my hallway bistro wall for now.

I especially like the decorative gold border detail.

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I don't usually buy vintage vinyl records because I don't have a good record player or stereo to play them on, but these were $1 each, and I had never seen them before so I thought I'd go for it.

Growing up, we had some of these "Great Songs of Christmas" albums, but this Album Four we didn't have.

My Dad had a copy of Herb Alpert's "Whipped Cream & Other Delights," which I believe was released around 1965, but I've never seen "Volume 2." After a bit of research, I learned this album came out earlier around 1963. Herb's first album was "The Lonely Bull."

The original A&M Records sleeve is pretty cool, too.

The back cover is in black and white with the track listing, and Herb's photo.

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My treasure splurge of the day was this pixie elf cookie jar, in, I think, mint condition. It has no chips or weird discolorations, though it does have crazing, which is normal for ceramics this old. It probably dates to the 1950s or 1960s. There are no markings on it, though it may have been made in California or the midwest, perhaps.

Since I have an ever-growing collection of felt-clothed pixie elves that come out at Christmastime, this will be their all-seeing mentor. I've never seen a cookie jar exactly like this, not even on online auction sites, and usually they're at least $50 plus $12 or more for shipping.

It was one of the first items I fell for, and when the dealer said $50, I wasn't quite sure. But by late afternoon, I was still thinking about it, which is usually a sign you want it bad, so I went for it.
He was really dusty, but when I arrived home, I gave him a good wash to make him squeaky clean.

I think I'll take my hat off and stay awhile.

 

For the time being, I'm keeping him in my office/play room, where he'll feel comfortable with other mid-century treasures. 

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I didn't come across many photo ops, but a couple of things did amuse me enough to take a snapshot.

This "Mediterranean" dining set was interesting, especially the black metal scrolling on the chair backs. Usually I've seen this "Spanish colonial" style of furniture with red upholstery. The green here is a bit unexpected.

Finally, the Jarts game at the bottom of this pic gave me a chuckle. My Dad and grandfather used to play this in our yard fairly often. You had to throw the "jart" (a hybrid dart-javelin) into a plastic ring about four yards away. The jarts are made of hard plastic with heavy metal tips – yikes, kids, look out!

Scary.

Scarier.

Scariest.

See you in September for another treasure-hunting adventure!