By Elizabeth Prata
It isn't really a huge haul, lol, but I did pick up a few things. It was from an Antiques Market about 35 minutes away from me. I enjoy that place for two reasons. Firstly, I drive through stunning rural countryside. There are pastures galore, barns in all sorts of conditions- freshly painted red all the way to roof collapse drunken sideways structures. Farms, many farms. Horses, cows, sheep. Mile high lilacs and dogwood in bloom. Rolling hills. It's gorgeous.
I also like the Antiques Market because it's huge, has a great variety of items to look at, and the friendliness of the ladies at the front can't be beat.
I like to use a large mug (oversize?) on weekends for my coffee. I only have one and it's a Christmas mug. Time to find another. A few weeks ago I'd seen a happy mug on their Facebook page promoting one of their vendors' booths. I obtained the booth number and when I went up there I had that mug in mind. It isn't vintage or rare or special. Just cute. See:
It was still available when I got there. $3.
I saw a sweet little teacup with no saucer for $7.50, and the design was right and the price was right. It is a Bone China teacup made by the English company Wedgewood and the pattern is Belle Fleur. It must have been a popular pattern, it was made from 1961 - 1991. It's discontinued now. The description says "Blue & Gray Flowers, Smooth, Platinum Trim." I figured it was easy enough to find a white saucer later so I got a tall customer guy wandering by to get the cup down from the high shelf for me. I like footed teacups.
And because I love mugs I got this one too. It's not large, just regular size. I am not familiar with the company COTC Korea other than the mugs are glazed stoneware and made in the 1970s. There's lots on Etsy and Pinterest, but only a few I saw with this abstract pattern. It has a good heft and feel to it, and it holds 8 ounces, so I'm happy. If I remember, it was $7.
I have a new love. I turned in one booth and came face to face with a gorgeous, delicate, luminous bowl. Its pastel mint green color glowed. The elegant spray of flowers across the front charmed. The silver rim added class. I fell, and I fell hard. It's Universal Potteries from Cambridge Ohio. More on this company below.
Description from Shop In The Vintage Kitchen: "In the early 1950s, Universal Pottery introduced their Ballerina line - a graceful, elegant dishware collection that came in a variety of designer colors so that buyers could mix and match pieces with ease and confidence. First available in solid shades of Chartreuse, Forest Green, Dove Gray, and Burgundy, these color combos ensured eye-catching combinations, and their minimalist style ensured that they'd coordinate with other patterns no matter what the design. In the mid-1950s, Universal added to the Ballerina line with their Ballerina Mist series which included delicate floral patterns on softly shaded backgrounds."
I agree with their statement it's difficult to describe the shade. Other than, "perfection"! After a while the company went from offering these colors in solid to adding a pattern. Mine is called Strawflower and it was manufactured in 1956.
"A little tricky to capture just the exact shade of these beautiful bowls their hue most closely resembles the lightest green shades of weathered copper or green chicken eggs or the inside of a cucumber with a touch of blue added in. Not quite blue like a robin's egg and not quite green like mint, this very delicate shade looks gorgeous with a host of natural colors that run the gamut from sea shades to wild woodlands."
"Made in Cambridge, Ohio, the Ballerina Mist series was made with a special fade-resistant color process known as China-Cal to ensure that the designs would travel the decades as gracefully and effortlessly as a real ballerina dances across the stage. True to form and intention, almost 70 years later, these four bowls are in gorgeous shape."
I really love Ballerina Mist by Universal Pottery. Anyway, this booth was 30% off, so the bowl was $8.50.
I had planned to stop at the State Park on the way home and have a snack and some water and read by the lake for a while. But I decided not to. The pollen was SO BAD that my throat got raspy and my eyes got gritty just by being outside for a few minutes. The pollen was thick in the air looking like 1970s smog pictures from Los Angeles. so I kept the AC on in the car and kept going.
I arrived home and washed out my eyes, popped a chicken and veggies in the crock pot, and took a nap. The late afternoon was spent researching my finds, and writing this!
Have a blessed day everyone.
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