Brimfield Antiques Show, September 2018: Mid-century Marvels & More

My final Brimfield outing of 2018 was a self-professed success, with cool temps and very few raindrops. My two antiquing companions joined me for a day of bargain treasures, surprises and fun finds.

Though unsuccessful in finding a mid-century TV console/buffet for my bedroom (I'll keep it on my list for next year), I did find a cool mid-century lamp that would look perfect on top of it...

The square marble base is marked "Made In Italy" on the bottom, with a brass center shaft and wood boomerang-like check mark (it looks a bit like the Nike swoosh), finished with a cone-shaped fiberglass shade. It measures about 11.5" tall. I bargained it down to $25, which I think is a good deal.

Here it is all lit up.
I placed it on top of a piece of bark cloth I found at Brimfield earlier this year...

Continuing in mid-century mode, I also found this 9" x 14" metal tray. The dealer had a stack of about a dozen of these for $2 each, so I bought three and gave the other two to my brother and sister. I especially like the crosshatched black and white center rectangle and rounded border. I also like that you can see dewdrops on the leaves if you look closely.

This trio of tie clips completed the mid-century treasures I discovered. The dealer had boxes of them for $1 each, so I could have gone crazy but kept my purchase down to these three.

These are all silver, and the "M" clip at the bottom is actually a "W," but I will wear it as an "M" for my last name, of course. It's marked "SWANK" on the back. The other two have no markings.

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My next discovery was this black wrought iron panel/grate, which I bought for $15. I don't know how old it is or where it originated from, but I really like its scroll design and fruit motif.

I have it leaning against a wall in my living room next to my large, black wrought iron floor candelabra, underneath the black wrought iron lantern I found in Austin, TX earlier this year.

It measures 11.5" wide x 28" tall and is fairly heavy. I asked the dealer if she had a second one to make a pair but this was all she had.

Here's a closer look to show detail...

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Naturally, a Brimfield day wouldn't be complete without "a little Christmas"...

These Johnson Bros mini china plates were a nice bargain at $5 each, and small enough, at about 3" round, to fit into this year's Christmas display.

The dealer had a number of different scenes, but these two were my favorite.

Don't look now, but winter will be here soon enough.

I need a little Christmas, right this very minute.

There's nothing cozier than a bit of English china in your home.

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Finally, here are a handful of surprises and unusual sights to delight. 

The Sacred & The Secular

Time to look at some Swedish clocks

DON'T take me to your leader, but DO let me hang up some fantastic swingin' light fixtures.

The next best thing to SUMMER of LOVE

Looking forward to next year's Brimfield for more –  

Happy Treasure Hunting!

Christmas In July + 2 Genies For The Price Of One

The July Brimfield Antiques Show was a pleasant success after May's dreary cold weather. This time it was sunny with temps in the low 80s – ideal for treasure hunting. My usual travel companions had other plans, so I spent the day solo, with, as always, an open mind to discovering new things and going for bargains that were too good to pass up.

I embraced Christmas In July wholeheartedly with the purchase of this pair of red lantern blowmolds, manufactured by the Empire Plastic Co. in the 1960s and 1970s.

I already have a pair of the popular candle flame blowmolds that say "NOEL" in green on the front. These are a bit rarer, and also designed for outdoor use, though I will display them at Christmastime in my living room or home office. Each takes up to a 25-watt bulb, but I'm using 15-watt bulbs, which I think are bright enough. These were a bargain at $30 for the pair.

Lantern close-up with flame and lattice design

The column features a holly leaf detail

Base is embossed with Empire Plastic Corp. 1969

I also found this quintet of boxed oval glass ornaments on a $5 table. I think the box is especially fun, and I like them because ovals are less common than round shapes.

The bottom of the box gives instructions on how to remove ornaments without breaking them,
especially important when they were new, I imagine.

Cool "Coby" logo on original box

I also found a few large tri-tone ornaments ($1 each), which say "Shiny Brite, Made In USA" on the caps. These are easy to find, though this larger size, less so. I also have tri-tone ovals, bells and other shapes from previous antiques trips.

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My next bargain discovery was this Swank tie clip for $5. I mainly bought it for the cool faux crocodile box, but I do like the simple design of the tie clip with a mother-of-pearl rectangle in the center.

These next items were actually on my shopping list, and I went for them because it's particularly tough to find a matching pair: mid-century glass genie bottles with stoppers. These were a bargain at $25 for the pair. I see these on online auction sites for usually about $30 and up for just ONE. In addition to the really good price, I like the amber color, and the fruit motif. Most of the ones I've seen have an all-over hobnail pattern. These have no markings, but they might be Italian or Made in USA.

As you turn the bottle, you can see
it has three seams instead of two,
which seems unusual – it's
tripe sided instead of double sided.

These fit perfectly on the top tiers of my built-in shelves in the living room. I like the amber color against the turquoise shelf background.

I also think these work well with my wrought iron hanging lantern.

Here's a photo of a few of my new vintage treasures gathered together. The first thing I found on this day was the pink "Texas Pride!" badge, which I plan to give to my Austin friends. It says "Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon" in the small type.

All in all, it was an awesome summer day, and I hope to discover more cool items in September.

Here are a few unique items that prove you can truly find almost anything at Brimfield...

Major columns and fencing, anyone? Hmm, will these fit into my Honda Civic?

My fellow Americans, try not to believe everything you see (and hear).

The lamp won't slide off when you
move the table – it's all one piece!

See you in September!

A Soggy Search For Vintage Treasures

The first Brimfield Antiques Show of 2018 proved to be a cold and soggy affair, and definitely not a great day to take photos.

Still, it was a good time with a few interesting purchases and discoveries, beginning with a cool piece of nifty 50s bark cloth in colors to complement my bedroom's brown and orange palette.

Fabric measures approx. 23" square.
I think it would make a nice throw pillow, maybe with a dark brown or pecan velvet back.

Dig the abstract geometric design.

Apparently the pattern is called Concerto. Maybe Colonial is the brand name?

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I already have more vintage kitchen tablecloths than I can count, but this one caught my eye with its unusual fleur de lis design. It measures approx. 52" x 54", and I think it might be a cotton/poly blend because it has a smooth, slightly shiny finish. It has no weird stains and was a true bargain at $20.

This photo is closer to the actual color – a blue-grey
as opposed to the brighter blue in the photo above this one.

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I also found turquoise and chartreuse crystals to update the black crown on the wall in my hallway. I already have orange crystals for Halloween and red ones for Christmas, so I wanted something fresh for spring/summer.

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Hopefully, Mother Nature will cooperate for July's show, and I'll have more to show for it.

Finally, this pair of 60s-70s hanging lanterns gave me a chuckle, so I took a quick snapshot. Maybe, if I had a basement rec room... or not ;)

Sp★rkle Is In...

My Glam Weekend in Provincetown

OK, this has nothing to do with interior design, but everyone needs a diversion now and then.

One of my fun-loving friends invited me down to her "summer house" in Provincetown for a recent weekend, mainly to attend the Miss Gay Massachusetts pageant contest, and it did not disappoint.

I always thought these types of shows only happened at the height of the vacation season in summer, but this was a refreshing respite from the cold gloom of winter – and spring, so far in New England.

The first night of drag shows featured costumed divas lip syncing to well known – and some lesser known to me – hits by female singers. One of my favorites was Lady GaGa doing Bad Romance.

 

Wait for it... here she is sans sparkly cape:

Lady GaGa meets Tina Turner?

Workin' It.

As far as I could tell, this was Erykah Badu:

Rejoice for tiny waists!

Diggin' the spotlight.

Jessica Rabbit also made an appearance:

On The Sly.

On The Side.

In Yo Face!

The second night's show featured last year's winner of the Miss Gay Massachusetts pageant, BANG!
(That's also her above, as Jessica Rabbit).

Bride of Frankenstein meets Madonna?

Show me the money.

Rrrrrrrrrrrr - cold hard cash!

The Lineup – contestants and performers.
The drag queen on the far left was one of my faves – she was Fergie, Pink and Stevie Nicks!

The black drag queen won. For her talent, she didn't lip sync,
but sang using her own phenomenal voice.

Carrie Moment #1?

Carrie Moment #2?

Carrie Moment #3?

Congratulations to all – and a sparkly fun weekend!

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PEACE!  Guess who?