Collecting Elegance

The lilacs have been extraordinary this year and I have been gathering bouquets to bring into the kitchen where they fill the room with their heavenly scent.  The blossoms are fading and the last bouquet was brought into the kitchen today...if they only lasted a bit longer.  I may have to go in search of a lilac scented candle to take their place.

Silver Relish Tray - Purchase Here

I have found some lovely pieces of silver to offer to you this week.  All lovely and so elegant at the family gathering during the holidays.  This relish tray has a depression glass insert with a divider for two different relishes or pickles varieties.  It has a footed base and an intricately embellished handle.

I pulled open a drawer on a little wooden table in my house the other day while searching for something and found these great numbers that I had stashed inside with the best tarnished patina and bubbly glass covers over the numbers.  I was so excited, I had forgotten that I had them.  Now they have found a home in my kitchen window for my Spring decorating.  Don't you just love them?

Vintage grater - Purchase Here

A sweet little grater with a tin lid that would look so darn cute in your kitchen hanging from a peg, hook or knob or nestled in an ironstone bowl with your other kitchen gadgets.

I found this vintage glass pitcher at an antique shop and I have so enjoyed adding fresh blossoms for my kitchen.  I like the added height that the silver tray provides to the arrangement.  It's one of my goals to treat myself to fresh flowers from my garden this year and when there are no available blossoms they will be purchased at market.  I am loving this little treat that I am giving myself...I highly recommend doing something special that you love just for you.

Silver Basket - Purchase Here

This silver basket is so beautiful I can hadly stand to part with it.  So, if you want it you had better get it quick before I change my mind.  It's gorgeous!

guldkantpalivet

I love how silver looks on a shelf arranged together will your favorite things...there's something so romantic about it, don't you think?  It reminds me of a gentler time and weekends at my Grandmother's and Aunt's homes.  They always set a gracious table.

Little Bird - Purchase Here

Sweet little bird was once a birthday present in 1951 written on the bottom of the figurine - so precious.  This little bird would be fun in an assemblage project or sitting on your shelf.

guldkantpalivet

I hope you had a lovely weekend filled with fun Spring projects.  It rained here all weekend, but we managed to do a little yard work anyway.  The new trees we planted last week appreciate the Spring rains, I'm sure.

Blessings - Julie

White Bloomers Vintage - Garden - Home Show

White Bloomers Show

May 7th, 8th & 9th

and

May 13th, 14th & 15th

 

Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-6 & Sunday 12 - 4

 

We'll be in the former GardenologyKC Shoppe space at

12202 W. 88th Street

Lenexa, KS 66215

Join us at the former GardenologyKC shoppe space on Mother's Day weekend when we will unveil a new shopping experience you won't want to miss. Bring your Mom to the show and receive a free gift.



If you love shabby chic, vintage, primitives, beautiful one of a kind jewelry, and charming potted containers filled with herbs and gorgeous florals and goodies for your garden then you will be in heaven.

The girls behind White Bloomers are Karen Kessler, Laurie Kessler and myself. We will be bringing you lovely white decor items for your home with a bit of French inspiration and of course vintage garden goods like gates, benches, tables, chairs, statuary, wicker and so much more... I assure you there that once you see it you wonder how you ever lived without!

 

Karen Kessler has been an antique's dealer for years and will be showcasing some of her collections at the show, bringing vintage items with a Swedish flavor that blends with any decor in shades of white...furniture, wicker, glassware, linens, and children's vintage items. You'll love her style.

Laurie Kessler will be bringing her charming potted creations in vintage containers again this year featuring herbs, flowering annuals, succulents and perennials. They look fabulous on your front porch, garden table and make great hostess gifts.

I will be showcasing more of the Prairie Thistle Jewelry for the show.  This is the latest installment to the Prairie Thistle Jewelry line - a vintage silver spoon transformed into a bracelet with your ancestor's photo on the front of the flattened bowl of a vintage silver spoon.

This bracelet is a custom piece for a young bride to be to present to her mother and her mother in law on her wedding day...the photo is of their mother on her wedding day. Isn't it lovely and what a thoughtful gift to commemorate a very special day.

On the inside I stamped - With Love, the couples wedding date and their initials.

So beautiful...I loved making this bracelet.

The shoppe has been completely redesigned, it's like a breath of fresh Spring air....


While working in the shoppe in the afternoon I was feeling a bit sad thinking that whenever I was at the shop last year a friendly face would appear at the door and I had been working all day and no one had popped in for a visit... But, what did I expect...that was last year and so much has happened since I had to close the doors to my beloved shoppe.
It was like an angel heard my heart's wishes, within 10 minutes a pretty blonde head appeared at my door...she said that she was in the area and felt the urge to stop by even though she knew that we had closed the shoppe. She just stopped by for old time's sake because she always enjoyed the shop so much...and she found me there and she came in to chat with me for a bit. My prayers were answered...maybe her's were as well. Life is like that...

It just makes you want to kick up your heels a bit. I feel like dancing...my heart is so full of joy of the friendship, sisterhood of women and the creative juices are flowing once again. I am in a better place this Spring and I am so grateful.

Bring your grandma, your mom, your sister or your best friend along and enjoy the show. A free gift awaits those that bring their Mom's along.

I know that you will forward this email to your family and friends so that they too can join us at the show so that we will have a good turnout for this event. Forward it to your coworkers, church group, club members and neighbors. Share the joy.

Blessings - Julie

Collecting Elegance - Finds From the Weekend

det mysiga heestrand

Collecting Elegance will be the new title for my weekly offerings to you replacing Fabulous Finds.  I think the new title is a bit more fitting, after all isn't that what we do?  We gather elegant items for our homes that soothe us and create an atmosphere of understated elegance...

Bringing in these lovely items creates a calming effect in our personal havens where we rest and escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Children's Rosary from Italy - Purchase Here

I love rosaries in general and have an extensive collection, but my very favorite rosaries are the small versions made for children.  This one is especially sweet with tiny opaque white glass beads and a tiny silver crucifix made in Italy.  Drape it over a lampshade, hang it in a window, place in a tiny crystal bowl or lay on top of a vintage Bible.

paul massey

I have been gathering tarnished silver pieces, vintage linens, beautiful worn books, kitchen enamelware, old cork bottles in lovely shades of blue and artist odds and ends that I will photograph this week and present to you next week.  I love them all!

Vintage Brass Hose Nozzle - Purchase Here

I love these old brass garden hose nozzles and use them in alot of my displays because they remind me of my love of gardening.  When I can't be in the garden, I like to surround myself with vintage items from the garden.  Old plant markers, hose nozzles, garden tools, vintage seed packets and gardening books.  It's the next best thing...to being in the garden with my hands in the dirt.

paul massey

Blending the old with the new makes me happy, it's the perfect blend of vintage meets modern design.  Good design will always be good design...making all eras interchangeable.  It's a sophisticated eclectic style that I love in my home.

det mysiga heestrand

I have decided to replace some of my cabinetry in the kitchen with white open shelving to display my vintage kitchen pieces.  I have been collecting vintage hardware to add hooks to the bottom of the shelves.  I must reproduce the tiny fly screen cabinet, too.  Don't you just love it?

Spring is such a wonderful frenetic time of year, with all the activity after months of being cooped up inside, it's so much fun to dash outside and bring blossoms inside from the garden.  The challenge for me is to always have fresh blossoms to snip and place in vases inside throughout the growing season. 

I picked up the prettiest white geraniums and lavender petunias for my front porch that I can't wait to plant in a hanging wire basket.  The smell of sweet petunias as you come and go is a sweet indulgence.

What are you planting in containers this year?  Have you found anything special lately at the antique markets?Any Spring projects going on?  I'd love to hear about them.

Vintage Star Colander - Purchase Here

Vintage colanders have an abundance of uses other than the obvious - washing fresh strawberries from the Farmer's Market.  They also make great candle holders on tables in the evenings on your screened in porch.  They cast delecate star shapes as the candle flickers inside.  They also make great bowls for pistaschios, candy or fresh fruit.  Like any bowl, the usefulness is endless.

Enjoy the week, my friends....may you have gentle rains for your Spring gardens, warm sunshine on your shoulders and soft grass beneath your feet.

Blessings - Julie

Fabulous Finds from the Weekend

Jeanne d' Arc Living

There are some days when you stumble upon one of those obscure antique shops that doesn't look promising from the outside - it actually looks a bit shady...  You wonder should I stop in, is it worth the time to park the car and go inside, is it safe to go in alone? 

 So, you pull the car off the highway, park the car and go inside - you take a chance...

Let's browse the kitchen goods....

Silver Glass Salt and Pepper Set - Purchase Here

I love the way vintage glass looks, it has a distinctive warbled effect that is beautiful in the light.  The round shape and little silver tops drew me to this salt and pepper set immediately.

I venture inside the musty and rather dark flea market and the first thing I see as my eyes adjust to the dim lighting is fishing tackle!  I thought to myself, "Julie, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"  I could feel a sense of dread as the musty smell became stronger as I walked past the first booth filled with fishing gear.

Pastry Extruder - Purchase Here

My mind began to race with ideas when I saw this pastry set with disks in so many different shapes.  This pastry set could be put into service in your kitchen or  the metal disks could be used in altered art projects like a halo for an angel's head, or fill with disks with resin for an interesting pendant, add a pin back for an interesting broach base or use them in an assemblage piece....the possibilities are endless.

The next booth was filled with vintage books, post cards, and loads of lovely kitchen items...my heart begins to beat a little faster as I start filling my first basket with vintage goods.  In an instant I am so glad that I took a chance and mustered the courage to venture inside.

Silver Tea Bag Strainer - Purchase Here

If you love hot tea as much as I do, you must have a pretty silver tea bag strainer for you favorite tea cup.  Add a little elegance to you life whenever you can....it will make you smile each time you make your afternoon tea.

The next few booths were filled with "junk" and not the good kind.  I was still excited by the second booth and all it's treasures so I moved forward into the maze of booths with walls made of chicken wire filled with determination to find something else worthwhile.  I knew that I would find another booth filled vintage silver, ironstone, wireware and vintage antiques from Europe - all of my favorite things.... if I just took my time and really looked closely.  The booths were filled with new, old, weird and occassionally - wonderful items.

Now let's go browse the found industrial objects.....

As I moved methodically through the booths,  I began to find objects that give personality and interest to altered books, jewelry designs and assemblage work and my heart began to beat faster once again.

Vintage Nibs - Purchase Here

Vintage nibs with a great patina and just the right amount of rust are great additions to your assemblage, altered art or jewelry making endeavors.  Celebrate the love of the written word by adding these nibs to your art.

Something caught my eye.... What is that in the dingy ziploc baggy?  Oh my, it that vintage bottle caps?  Are they really vintage and not reproduction?  Yes!  They are the real thing!  The baggy goes into the basket and I scour the booth for another one...but, there is only one to be found.

Vintage RC Cola Bottle Caps - Purchase Here

I love these RC Cola bottle caps in red and white with our United States Presidents stamped inside the caps... how fun are these caps?

Antique Door Knob Set - Purchase Here

Look at the detail on this Door Knob Set that is ready to adorn a vintage door inside your home or just tuck it into a tabletop arrangement - either way it's fantastic...

In the dim light of the booths vintage silver takes on a special glow, you can see the bright silver shining through the tarnished surface and it is really beautiful.  I could imagine the pieces at night with a candle burning close by casting shadows onto the silvery surface...sigh...it's so beautiful. 

 Then I see this little silver baby's cup with engraving on the side celebrating the birth of a son from long ago... How precious to hold this tiny silver cup and "feel" the loving welcome this little boy received at his birth - the celebration of a new addition to a family.  Precious.  My heart feels full and the cup goes into the basket.

Baby's Silver Cup - Purchase Here

A vintage silver cup engraved with Baby's name and date of birth would be perfect to hold paper clips, tiny florals, Q-tips.... what would you put inside or would you just place on a shelf in your kitchen?

I go back outside into the warm sunshine and fresh air carrying my box of new found treasures and feel a sense of pride that I had the courage to take a chance, conquer my fear and reap the reward of a chance taken.

What is your favorite story of "a chance taken"?

Blessings - Julie