Category: Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!

A small slice of the different types of glass on the market

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Glassware, My Background, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary Words, Wisdom LaneLeave a comment

When you start to get into antiques and collectibles, you will find out there are a wide variety of items out on the market.  It could be just about anything, really.  It could be a specific item, or even a broader area like glassware.

Here are a few of the different types of glassware that I have heard about over the years:

Confetti—this is paper-thin elements of glass that can be worked into either a fused or blown glass piece.  Sometimes you will hear someone call this “shards” and you could find this in something like a paperweight.

Drapery Glass—this is glass sheets that has dramatic folds, kind of what you find in the hanging drapes of your house.

Millefiori Glass—this is an Italian word meaning “a thousand flowers.” This commonly refers to glass items that are made from a lot of murrini slices.

Beveled Glass—this is cold glass (usually a clear, thick plate of glass) with an edge that have been ground and polished to an angle other than 90 degrees. Light is refracted from this, and a prism-like effect is often the result. Bevels come in a variety of sizes, shapes and geometric configurations, which are called “clusters” that is incorporated into leaded glass work.  More often than not, you will find this in windows and even mirrors.

What other types of glassware have you heard about?

That’s a Catalina pottery vase made by Gladding McBean!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn gift ideas, Pottery, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

When out shopping at a local flea market, I ran across this terrific pottery vase that is marked CATALINA POTTERY C-333 MADE IN USA.

The vase has the Calla Lilly pattern on it, and it was made from 1937 to 1942 by the Gladding McBean Company.

When you see the mark on the bottom of the vase, you think it is for CATALINA ISLAND POTTERY made from 1927 to 1933. A good rule of thumb to use is if it just says POTTERY and does not have the word ISLAND, it’s made by Gladding McBean.

One great thing about this vase is the fact that the top of the vase is not too small so that it doesn’t strangle your favorite flowers.  Not only that, but it would also look wonderful on any table.

You can see this terrific vase in my Etsy store here. Have you ever run across anything like this?

When a piece goes from functional to just plain cool

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Functional items, Glassware, Pottery, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Pottery and glassware are fun areas to get into and collect, especially since they can be very cool and functional at the same time.  It could be something for the kitchen, the table or even the fireplace mantle!  It always surprises me what I run into, especially when it’s something like this clock.

royal-oxford

This very functional electric Royal Oxford Gibraltar clock that dates to the 1920’s.  Not only does it sit pretty close to the wall, it doesn’t take up too much room on the mantle so that you can put a lot of picture frames around it on the mantle.

You can see this great clock in my Etsy store here, and another great item for the mantle is a football shaped clock featuring the Dallas Cowboys.  You can find a post about the lamp on this blog here.  Another still very functional item is this great ice bucket.

tea-room

It features the TEA ROOM pattern and was made by the Indiana Glass Company from 1926 to 1931.  The great thing about it is that it can double as a flower vase as well.  You can see the terrific ice bucket in my Etsy store here.

What kinds of items have you run across like this?

What a fun Camp Fire Girls CAMP WAKAHNI Child’s Vest with wooden beads!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Clothing ideas, DIY, Fashion, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

camp-wakhani

Not too long ago, I found this terrific handmade Camp Fire Girls CAMP WAKAHNI child’s vest at an estate sale.  The vest dates to about the 1950’s to the 1960’s, and was part of the uniform that you had when you were a Camp Fire Girl.

The great thing about the vest is that it has multi-colored wooden beads in flower shapes on it, and some patches on the back.  You earned the wooden beads for various accomplishments, and then you could sew them on the vest any way you liked.

camp-vest-back

Needless to say, the girl that had this vest was pretty talented!  You can see this great vest in my Etsy store here.

Have you ever run across a fun item like this?

What are some different parts of furniture?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Furniture, My Background, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

When I first started selling vintage items, I quickly found out that there’s a name for just about every piece out there-even for furniture.  I quickly started to learn the names of these pieces when I started to do some basic repairs to the furniture that I bought.

Here’s a few of the terms that I have learned over the years:

Bracket foot–a bracket foot is used on a chest, a chest on chest or even a cabinet. This is a foot that has a straight corner edge and curved inner edges.  Sometimes I hear these curved inner edges “scalloped edges”.

Caning—caning is a wood piece that consists of rattan (or even sugar cane) that is made into wicker.  There are a wide variety of ways this is used including seats of chairs, patio furniture, etc.

Partner’s desk—a partner’s desk literally looks like two desks that were put together to make one.  It’s a desk large enough to seat two people that are facing each other.  Each side has their own drawers or cupboards.

What are some of the terms that you have either run across or heard?

The perfect gift for a Dallas Cowboys fan is a . . . lamp?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Advertising, Pottery, Sports items, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!1 Comment

The great thing about going to an estate sale or auction is that you never really know what you will find.  I was out shopping not too long ago, and found something that any Dallas Cowboys fan would love.  Not only that, it would look great in either a man-cave or a bedroom.

lamp

The lamp is made of ceramic, and the light bulb looks like the wattage is not to terribly high (so this lamp would be great as a night light).

lamp-on

What is cool about it is that it’s in the shape of a football—and you can also use this to shine a light on who your favorite team is.

You can see this great gift idea in my Etsy store here.  You can also see six more out-of-the-box ideas for a Christmas gift here.

What kinds of fun gifts have you received over the years?

Six out-of-the-box Christmas gifts to look for

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Clothing ideas, Fashion, Jewelry, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!1 Comment

six-out-of-the-boxchristmas-gifts

When it comes to buying presents for Christmas, there are several out-of-the-box ideas that you can consider:

#1 One idea is this 1960’s plastic polka dot rain cape for any fashionista.

#2 Halloween costumes—you can place costumes like these in a box for kids to play in year round—they are great imagination builders and just down right fun!

#3 Athletic jerseys—they are fun wear for men, women and even kids.  You can get a favorite team or even player’s jersey like these to give as a gift.

#4 Vintage board games are fun to play year round, especially something like THE UNGAME.

#5 Vintage ties—these can be unexpected addition for business suit or jacket for men and women.  Something like this RALPH LAUREN or even NICOLE MILLER tie would make a great gift.

#6 Jewelry like these CORO pieces can be a great look to add to just about any outfit.

Wearing and collecting Sarah Coventry Jewelry

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Jewelry, Sale at Wisdom Lane Antiques!, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

From its inception in 1949, Sarah Coventry became the world’s largest direct seller of costume jewelry and an acknowledged fashion leader in contemporary jewelry during the 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s and even the 1980’s.

Sarah Coventry attained worldwide success by offering its well-designed jewelry through in-home fashion shows—also known as the party plan of direct selling.  The company nationally advertised its jewelry in magazines and on network TV.

In a 1978 company brochure, it was stated that “90% of the American population knows the name Sarah Coventry means quality jewelry sold in the home…”  In 1984, Sarah Coventry was purchased by a Canadian firm.

Today, Sarah Coventry jewelry remains a success on the collector’s market.  Right now, I currently am offering a wide array of Sarah Coventry pieces—beautiful and affordable to wear and enjoy—or to even give as a gift.

One of the pieces that I have in my shop is this wonderful bracelet.

1960s-sarah-coventry-carousel-pattern-silver-tone-bracelet-with-different-colored-stones

The pattern on this bracelet is called the CAROUSEL pattern, because it looks like it could be part of a carousel.  You can see the bracelet in my Etsy shop here.

Another great item that would be perfect for either the collector or to wear is this pair of rhinestone chandelier earrings.

1950s-sarah-coventry-rhinestone-chandelier-dressy-clip-on-earrings

The great thing about them is that they are clip on earrings.  You can see this wonderful pair of earrings in my Etsy shop here.  You can see all of the wonderful Sarah Coventry pieces in my Etsy shop here.

What kinds of Sarah Coventry designs have you run across?

Different forms of carnival glass

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Glassware, Jewelry, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Carnival glass originated as a glass called ‘Iridill’, produced beginning in 1908.  This was produced by the Fenton Art Glass Company, and the glass quickly caught on.  The 1920’s was the height of the production of carnival glass, and the decade saw huge volumes of glass being produced.

The prices were low enough that everyone could afford, and one of the nicknames that the glass was dubbed was ‘poor man’s Tiffany’.

The keys to its appeal was that it looked a lot like the more expensive blown iridescent glass by Tiffany and Loetz (and others, really).  When the 1950’s came around the name that it has now came about because Carnival glass was often gave away at carnivals.

Today, carnival glass is a fun area to dive into and start to collect.  There are many different forms that you can find.  One such item is something like this vase by Northwood.

northwood

The vase was made in the 1910’s and sports the FINE RIB pattern.  You can see this wonderful vase in my Etsy shop here.  Another form that was made was a plate, like this one by Fenton.

three-fruits

The plate has the THREE FRUITS pattern on it, and it was made during the height of popularity for carnival glass, the 1920’s.  You can see this plate in my Etsy shop here.

Carnival glass was also incorporated into fashion, one example is this bolo tie.

bolo-tie

The slide of the tie features the WINDMILL pattern, and it was made by the IMPERIAL glass company.  The tie was made in the 1930’s, and it would be a fun addition to any outfit!  You can see this bolo tie in my Etsy shop here.

You can see all of the different types of carnival glass in my Etsy shop here.  How many different forms of carnival glass have you run across?

More pottery vocabulary words for the beginning collector

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Pottery, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

When you dive into the world of antiques and collectibles, you will find out how things are made.  Here’s some of the words that I’ve picked up over the years about how pottery is made:

Greenhouse—this is the place where pots are kept to harden before they go into the kiln.

Feathering—this is an effect that’s obtained by moving a feather through wet slip decoration.

Salt glaze—this is an effect by throwing salt into the kiln when pottery is being fired.  The salt vaporizes during the firing and a fine orange peel surface is left on the pottery.

What kinds of words have you run across when you are out at your favorite place to shop?