My Fifteen Favorite Vintage Finds of 2014

Hi everyone! A couple of week’s ago I reported on my top ten most popular blog posts for 2014. Today I’d like to review my personal favorite finds of 2014. These are individual vintage or antique items that make me smile the most when I look at them (or think about them). They are in no particular order–heavens, it was hard enough to pick them out, let alone put them in some kind of order.

I fell in love with the beautifulness of this $5.00 basket as soon as I laid eyes it. The woven design, the taupe-y color, the large size (about 3′ high), and the dainty ball feet all work together so perfectly. It looks terrific in our master bathroom, next to the vanity, and has solved our “beagle-getting-into-the-garbage problem,” because it’s just too tall for poor sweet Xander. I believe it would retail for about $65.00

I absolutely adore blue and white, but I’ve not incorporated it into any of the decor in my home. As a result, whenever I buy it, I’m forced to sell it. Good, I know, in a lot of ways (prevents hoarding of at least one collectible and earns me some money), but bad in that I only get to enjoy it for a little while, until it finds it’s forever home. This lovely trio of Blue Onion spice jars found its forever home almost immediately, and I had $55.00 to put in the bank!

I have a “thing” for latched tins, so when I saw this large black cake tin at the Country Living Fair this year, I decided to splurge. I handed over $25.00 for this lovely antique, but have yet to find a room for it. Perhaps I’ll have to design a whole room around it!

Isn’t this little one precious? Carrying a basket over her arm and draped with grapes, she is named “Summer.” I think she’s quite charming and French looking. She will soon be for sale, for about $60, in my soon-to-be-opened Blog Shop (shhh it’s a secret!).

I was quite taken with this collection of small items and how they created such a beautiful image together. Not one of these has been sold because I’ve enjoyed using them around my home and in my photographs. The most expensive–the nutmeg grinder–cost just $3.00, the rest were less. Perhaps I will part with them one day.

This still life with its muted tones and frame was one of a number of items I purchased from a nice lady I met at the Nassau town-wide garage sale last June. She had quite a lot of quality items and many she sold at bargain prices. I’ve not been able to bring myself to list it in my Etsy shop because I love it so. On the other hand, I don’t really have anywhere to hang it. What to do?!!

This bench now has place of pride in my master bath. It does great service holding towels and anything else that needs holding. Before it found its home in my MB, I cleaned it up and recovered the seat, which you can read about in this post.

2014 was the year of the bread board, for me anyway. I’ve belatedly jumped on that bandwagon and have been enjoying myself. They even made it into my Christmas tour because I refused to take them down for the holidays. The big oval one on the right is a favorite because of its size and its little bit of “french-ness.” But the hand cut one (front right) is pretty charming, too.

I did a post not too long ago on collecting enamelware, and this unusual, punch bowl-sized piece was featured. Would you believe I purchased the bowl and the ladle separately?!! I did. They will be listed as a set in my new Blog Shop soon. Somewhere in the $100 range given its rarity and phenomenal color.

I’m not sure how it happened, but I forgot that I had purchased this fascinating pink tulle Christmas tree. How could I have done that?! Next year I plan to make it the focal point of my holiday decorating, after a bit of sprucing up. It was an absolute steal at fifty cents. When I originally wrote about it in Vintage Finds #25, I called it my “ballerina tree.” Fits, don’t you think?

I received a lot of wonderful feedback about these fur-trimmed, baby blue skates when I bought them this fall at the Warrensburg Town-wide Garage Sale. Readers just fell in love with them. I made sure to incorporate them in my Christmas decor and received another round of applause.

I have three typewriters now, and I’ve not decided what to do with any them. One is a nice old one, made by Corona, with a wine-colored body and black keys, but I also love the green of this Royal version. My limit is $5–I will pay no more than five bucks for any typewriter.

I am completely fascinated with this piece, to the point that I dedicated an entire blog post to this mysterious mold. “What is it? ” you ask. I have absolutely no idea, but the warm wood is just beautiful and the weight of it in your hand feels wonderful.

My final vintage find is not a vintage piece at all. It’s a new piece made to look old, but I’m so in love with it, I decided to include it. This big old faux ironstone tureen can usually be found center stage on my kitchen table. It’s been filled with hydrangeas, as in this photo, bottle brush trees, pine boughs, vintage Christmas bulbs and pretty mums. No matter what she’s holding, I love her dearly and gladly laid out the $3.00 she cost me at a local garage sale. Now that’s a deal.

Bye for now,

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