My Collecting

 

Disclaimer:  I have thought about this list since I wrote this post earlier this evening .

I enjoyed all of the adventures connected to this list because they involved my mother or my daughters or
 
trips to Round Top or many, many early morning trips to the flea market.


That is what the list is about-

it is not about the things on the list.

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I started collecting flea market, garage/ estate sale finds, thrift store treasures, and

hand me downs from family and friends about 40 years ago.

Pause… that’s a long time…

That’s long enough to say- a la Reba McIntire-

“I collected milk glass before milk glass was cool.”



During all of that time I have collected ,

milk glass

hammered aluminum serving pieces

copper

Department 56 houses

vintage cooking utensils

cobalt blue glass

Franciscan Platinum Renaissance china- and Grey Renaissance, and Gold Renaissance (for my daughter)

Spode Blue Italian

Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles 

champagne flutes

Blue Danube china (for two of my daughters)

Woodland Spode

silverplate flatware

silverplate serving pieces

King’s Crown goblets

cake pedestals

Franciscan Madeira Goblets

Noritake Hemingway and Fitzgerald china

Ruby Red octagonal goblets in all sizes

sets of Mexican pottery from Puebla, San Miguel de Allende, and Dolores Hidalgo

vintage Mexican pottery

vintage Mexican silver jewelry

beaded evening bags

soup tureens

floral frogs

community/auxiliary/junior league cookbooks

small vases for my zinnias

In fact, I have had some of these collections long enough , and as my interests have changed, I have given

pieces to my daughters,

given pieces to friends, sold pieces at market days, or donated pieces.


I love using my collections , which is one of life’s greatest pleasures.


(I never pay high prices.

I prefer digging with my head stuck in a box at the flea market and La Bamba playing in the background.)


What do you collect?

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Franciscan Renaissance : My History

My relationship with Franciscan Renaissance began in the early 70’s, and it has never ended.

First I fell for Platinum Renaissance.

And because my husband could somehow see down the road of my collecting nature, and even though we were only in our 20s and did not have china in our budget (that’s an understatement), when the small gift shop in Falfurrias, Texas called to say it was being discontinued, he agreed that we should get 12 place settings.

***

Notes about china to young brides, according to Laura:

*select something beautiful that you love that your family and friends can buy without hyperventilating (you can buy your own sheets and towels and other disposable items that only have a brief life anyway)

*avoid china serving pieces- cut glass and crystal serving pieces look beautiful with everything – whereas china serving pieces are wildly expensive and may even someday ‘date’ your china

*my version of a place setting in those days was more streamlined- it was the dinner plate, the salad plate, and the cup and saucer (my family was never going to eat cereal, ice cream, watermelon, chili, or vegetable soup out of a small china bowl)

***

Years later I discovered Franciscan Grey Renaissance. It had a gold rim. Oh my.

Because this discovery happened during the good old days of Ebay, when you really could treasure hunt and not spend Replacements’ prices, my quest began.

My youngest daughter discovered the third pattern in this amazing line which is Gold Renaissance.

This one was VERY HARD for me.  I collected this for her, again with Ebay’s help,  without getting it for myself.

That is a big step in china collecting growth.

(Although it is still at my house…  I am holding it hostage.)

***

I linked to the wonderful Silver Sunday.

Framed Prints

One of my all time favorite, go-to flea market/antique store/thrift store quests is searching for framed prints.

(and lamps, and tables, and chairs, and china, and silver plate, and garden wrought iron, and old books, and Mexican pottery, and unique milk glass, and hammered aluminum, and religious figures, and Carolee pearl necklaces (preferably baroque), and lockets, and sets of napkins, and champagne flutes for mimosas (for my entertaining closet), and chafing dishes, and rattan chargers, and copper double boilers, and cake pedestals, and bangle bracelets, and vintage silver jewelry from Taxco…)

whew…

So on the way to Katy for a recent family wedding, my daughter Lauren and I persuaded my husband to stop in Wharton.

Driving north on 77, this is not on your usual route to Katy.

While going through antique stores on the square, I found these.

It was a grouping of four.

For those of you, like me, who do not have the patience to create a pattern for hanging prints perfectly, just do what I do.

Use straight pins and a tack hammer-

Double the pins if you need extra strength-

and

Change your mind frequently.

***

I am linking to the following Tuesday parties. Just click on the button to visit these wonderful blogs.

I Didn’t Know I Was Collecting It Until I Found It

 And no…I am not collecting this- although I wish I were.

This photo of Villeroy and Boch’s Acapulco, which many of you have seen before, is just my post prop.

Yet having said THAT, I am so easily influenced, so sensitive to things that call to me, that just seeing this photo reminds me of that wanting.

In addition, I was at the Guild Shop in Houston today, where I first saw an entire set of these dishes, and of course they weren’t there today.

Someone else must be using them while playing Sinatra records and preparing fondue. In my first fantasy image I also had on evening pajamas with a Nehru collar.

While standing in the dish room of the Guild Shop, I spotted an entire set of Lipper Blue Danube , which I also collect, because the mother of my best friend from college collected it, and I thought it was beautiful, and then my oldest daughter selected it as one of her patterns for her wedding registry (which may have been because of some slightly coercive pressure on the part of the mother of the bride -me), and now my youngest daughter also collects it , but I didn’t buy it today even though there were

58 pieces!

So my mode of operation for starting a collection has usually been because I have spotted something that caused that same reaction.

Yet having said that, I have NEVER started a collection by buying something at an antique store.

There just isn’t enough fun in that for me.

It needs to be a ‘found object’, maybe at a garage sale, or on the side of the road, or in a dusty box at the flea market, or because it is 25 cents, and of course because it called to me.

My Collections Over Time

Milk Glass

Franciscan Platinum Renaissance china

Franciscan Grey Renaissance china (with a gold rim

Franciscan Hacienda

King’s Crown Goblets

Punch Bowls

Silverplate

Hammered Aluminum

Red 6 sided goblets

Singapore Bird China

Waterford Waffle Cut Glass (not that Waterford)

Tiffin Madeira goblets in yellow

Blue Danube China

I also have several sets of pottery from Mexico, Spode Blue Italian, and Woodland Spode.

Although I no longer add to these collections (I have my share), I have used every single piece of all of these collections multiple times with great joy and pleasure.

What do you collect?

 

Round Top

     Going to Round Top at least once a year has become a rite of passage for my daughters and me.  The goal is for all of us to get to go.  We all meet in Brenham the last week of the sale , arriving from different directions. That didn’t happen this year; my youngest grandson was sick, and our oldest daughter didn’t get to join us. That created a real missing link.

     We are relative newcomers; we have only been doing this for about 4 years.  I simply cannot describe it.  The word overload comes to mind, particularly to my senses and my out of shape muscles. I got back home this afternoon- in time to watch the women’s final four coverage (another great favorite), and I can not move.

     Our middle daughter found wonderful things.  I am sure she will be posting photos on her blog Three Hermanas. By far, she bought the most. There, I said it. I can’t imagine why my girls say I am the leaky cup in the family.

     I bought a pair of these.

     I saw them resting on the ground outside a booth in Warrenton. The price was $95 for the pair.  I almost choked.  My bargain hunting sensibilities don’t count that high. Why did I want them?

     For this.

     It is almost finished- more pictures later-

     Back to the negotiations. My daughter Lauren said “Ask him if he’ll take less.”

Explanation.  By this time in the day, late Saturday, my eyes were almost crossed. I limped over to the proprietor and asked ,

“Would you consider taking less?”

Answer: “Sure, how about $50 for both?”

My answer: “Sold.”

I was feeling a little light-headed at this point, or I might not have agreed. Keep in mind this was the last weekend of a week-long sale, and I am sure he didn’t want to pack up what was left. Regardless of all of that mumbo jumbo, they are wonderful, and I love them.

     My youngest daughter Katherine found these. She collects milk glass and now plans to collect Jadeite. She also got two wonderful vintage belts.

     If you had plans to get rowdy while in Round Top, there was this to dissuade you.

I was so inspired on this trip; my house bucket list is now a mile longer.

I also have a new object of comfort and flash in my sights: Yellow Box flip flops. Oh woe is me.