Fields of Fortune (& Furniture): Brimfield, September 2015

Yes, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are coming to an end, and there's that yearly feeling of time whizzing by and "if only I could make it slow down."

The last Brimfield Antiques Show of 2015 was this past week, and it seemed like one of the most fruitful for me. This time I went on a Friday, despite gloomy weather reports, and the choice of merchandise seemed especially abundant.

The first treasure I discovered was this perfect small wrought iron console for my newly redecorated hallway (see previous post).

Italian console with beveled glass top - measures approx. 28" long x 25.25" tall x 13.5" wide.

The inside of the planter? at the bottom says "Made in Italy." I really love its curvy, airy, understated elegance, and it fits the space perfectly.

This is how the hallway setup looks now:

The other substantial piece I found was this black wrought iron floor candelabra that was 50% off from $120 down to $60.

I'm not sure how old it is – maybe 1960s? – but to me it has a cool Gothic look, especially the ornate rounded candle holders. This will be really great next month when I decorate for Halloween. The holders fit standard size pillar candles. I currently have it placed next to my living room fireplace, but I might move it into the hallway.

The next item I purchased falls into the "You bought that?!" category, and my reply is "Yes!" Half the fun of going to Brimfield is that you often don't know what you'll end up hauling home. This groovy, swinging 60s, hot pink vinyl wig case is a great example.

Is it Liza? Twiggy? An actress from Andy Warhol's Factory?

I love the "Carousel" logo and the repeated black silhouette, which appears on the back and both sides.

There's also a second mini box inside with a black plastic handle. It's kind of ratty so I didn't photograph it.
The woman who sold it to me had it marked at $25 but really wanted to sell it so she let me buy it for $15. I must have made an excellent purchase because when I continued browsing at other dealer booths, almost every person who saw it commented on how cool it was!

Next up, something for my kitchen. Brimfield always has an abundance of vintage kitchenware, and this Glasbake Greek themed casserole called to me. After doing a bit of online research, I discovered this pattern is called Blue Hellenic, and I think it's somewhat rare. The most popular Glasbake pattern I saw online was Green Daisy.

This piece is in great shape, with no chips or scratches, and I really like the gold painted Greek key design on the lid and the Greek mythology hieroglyphics design on the sides. It's perfect for my blue and white kitchen.

The bottom stamp says "Made in USA, Glasbake."

Finally, no Brimfield visit is complete without the requisite vintage Christmas item, this time a mini striped pixie elf.

There's a diamond-shaped sticker on his back that says, NOEL Japan.

Here are a few additional photos I took while browsing the Brim fields – I'm seeing lots of red!

I'm already looking forward to next May.

Happy Treasure Hunting!

Plain Hall Wall to Vive le Bistro!

My latest design work-in-progress is transforming an ordinary hallway into an intimate seating area.
Previously I had a blank wall on the opposite side of my kitchen, and for the longest time, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it.

When you've lived in the same space for over 15 years like I have, you often seek out ways to make improvements. There's certainly nothing wrong with a blank wall, but this summer I decided it needed that certain something – how do the French say – je ne sais quoi.

My inspiration was this cool and real looking white brick wallpaper I saw online from Wallpaper Direct. My other springboard was a series of four black and white drawings I completed last year.
I wrote about these in a previous blog post, Drawing "Caprice" on a Whim.

I haven't fully committed to this project so the wallpaper is currently thumbtacked to the wall. I like how the vintage bridge chairs look, but I'm planning to replace the wooden TV tray with something more chic – perhaps a clear acrylic console or small table if I can find one. The hallway measures about 4 ft. 7 in. wide so I don't want anything that sticks out more than about 18". I definitely plan to stick to the black and white color scheme.

I also plan to frame the drawings using black wood frames (I've already found two from Brimfield). I'm hoping to repaint them using high-gloss black paint. I may reposition them and maybe add a funky sunburst mirror or objet d'art for the center of the wall.

Per my usual design strategy, I don't want to put just anything there. I want it to be just the right thing, and I'll know it when I see it. Sometimes it's a challenge to be patient, but I feel the best rooms evolve over time. My other feeling is, if I don't want to fully commit, I can leave the wallpaper thumbtacked and change it if I get tired of it.

I'll post updates to this project, hopefully soon. In the meantime this is la vie en noir et blanc.

Stick Out Your Can for P-Town's Trash

One of my coolest friends ever invited me for an awesome visit to Provincetown last weekend. It was the first time I'd ever been there in June, and it was far less crowded than August when I usually go. The weather was also bright and beautiful – perfect for strolling the beach and visiting the fun shops.

As always, I was inspired by its natural beauty, beachy charm and quirky art. In addition to its abundance of art galleries bursting with creativity, this year's outdoor art project features metal trash cans individually painted by local artists. The idea came about through a recently deceased town resident, Carla Anderson, and the town's recycling committee green-lighted the project sometime last year. Too bad they chose green trash liners instead of clear ones (just a minor quibble).

Here's a sampling of the ones we saw.

I think this was my favorite. The woman's hand extends to the other side, and she's holding a star.

Color and art are everywhere in PTown... it's difficult to resist taking photos.

OBSCENE. I believe this was previously somewhere on the facade of Shop Therapy,
a crazy-cool store that's moved its location a few times recently.

OR AS WE SO... I had to think hard to figure out what this means. If you look really close you'll say "Aha."

Purple Pedal Power. (Girl in purple pants was a happy coincidence).

The architecture is inspiring, too...

Sea cottage with dolphin trim.

Iron Lantern with Bird's Nest.

Of course, I always arrive home with a few treasures...

Lips Sculpture on Green.

 

Lips Sculpture on Red.

Vintage owl salt & pepper shakers with googly eyes – bottoms have "Japan" stickers.

 

Vintage owl salt & pepper shakers on Anne Taintor napkin.

The beach is always beautiful, relaxing and postcard-pretty...

Unmistakably Provincetown

Sunday morning beach – bayside.

Sunday Morning Fishnets

Teeny Tiny Boat Ahoy!

Paige's Teeny Tiny Boat.

Teeny Tiny Boat means summer is back!

Happy Summer!

Fields of Fortune: Brimfield, May 2015

It was about two decades ago that I began attending the Brimfield Antiques Show, and I still enjoy seeking out new treasures – and learning new things along the way.

This year's first show yielded a few fun – and, yes, kitschy – finds. All were bargains.

The first is a "flower power" glass I gave to my sister. The pattern declares, "Summer picnic time is here!" I could tell by the size, shape and weight that it once contained sour cream, and probably had a plastic lid.

The glass needed something to stand upon so I found this Dutch themed tablecloth. It's a small 32.5" square size, even too small to cover my 2' x 4' kitchen table, but I'll place it over another solid colored cloth for a cool, layered look. It has a few minor stains, but it was just $10.

Coincidentally, I have two rows of blue and white Dutch tile contact paper used as a makeshift backsplash behind my vintage 70s stove, so this cloth will complement the paper nicely.

For my Hawaiian themed bathroom, I found a small painted metal plant stand with a charming seahorse design. The dealer said it was Victorian, but I suspect it could be a very good copy. I snagged it for just $50.

It fit perfectly in the corner next to the toilet.

Of course no Brimfield day would be complete without a Merry Tacky Christmas item.
This 1970s blinking Mr. & Mrs. Claus star definitely fit the bill. I especially love that there's a lightbulb inside each of their heads (they look pissed off, don't they?). It was the day's cheapest bargain at $5.

We're so mad we could blink!!

"Mrs. Claus, I do feel a bit 'off' today."

Finally, every Brimfield visit yields a few fun chuckles when I spot an oversized item or display. (Bonus points if it's a bit naughty... oh, behave!)
Alas, these wouldn't fit inside or on top of my Honda Civic...

"Yes, we have a banana."

Cat inside a Brontosaurus body?

Until the July show...

Dino Thanks You for Your Business.