Primavera Spring Market: A Vintage Show with Potential

It was sweet vintage show, but definitely smaller than I had hoped for. I had talked 2 new friends into a day trip to Snohomish to shop at the Primavera Spring Market and unfortunately, it felt like we were finished before we began. I am hoping that next year, many more vendors are attracted to this quirky show.

I did buy two things that I love. A small vintage green Pyrex bowl from JohnBOB's booth that I could add to my collection. It was a cheerful color and since it was March, I had no willpower again that happy shade of green.

I also bought one of the miniature egg/cup/flowering bulb arrangements (shown below). Mine had pale grape hyacinth planted in an egg resting in a small terracotta pot. There was a pussy willow arch bent to replicate a handle, as if it were an Easter basket from Uncle Wiggily. Love love love.

The booths showcased a variety of vintage and well-loved household items. Visually it was beautiful, but I didn't see a lot that I could use. I will always comb the calendar and try to find gems for you. This show has great potential.

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Far Flung: Finding Beekman 1802 on the Other Side

What luck! While my mom, aunt and I were spending the day in Snohomish, WA, we happened into a cute shop called Lost & Found. 

It was lucky because the store had a display of my friends, Josh & Brent's brand Beekman 1802. I took the photo of their mansion that is used on their Honey & Oats Goat Milk scrub bar packaging and it was fun to be able to show my aunt the product in person. It's a little thing, but I was feeling proud.

Have you tried the Beekman 1802 soaps yet? They smell terrific and create lather x10.

So there I was thinking that I'm starting a new life "on the other side of the world" and then I see this display. It's a small world after all.

Pacific Galleries: Seattle Auction House and Antique Mall

What a fun way to spend a rainy Saturday! We drove to downtown Seattle and nosed around this enormous antique mall called Pacific Galleries. It's in SODO (south of downtown) and I first heard about it at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show last year. They have a intriguing area of booths called the Vintage Garden Market, which features antique and gently used household items that have been up-cycled into new treasures for sale. I must have talked to someone who suggested Pacific Galleries to me because I've been hanging on to their postcard for a year now.

At first, you'll see rows and rows of tiny treasures in glass cabinets. Then as you turn the corner, you'll see much larger spaces side-by-side, filled to the brim with each vendor's offering.

We really enjoyed shopping and reminiscing about different eras. You can see that I was tempted by this vintage nativity, but in the end I resisted. My mom and I look forward to a time when my Aunt visits us out west - I know that as an antique dealer, she'll love this grand space full of treasures.

The Reeves Library and Antique Pots de Creme

I think I have mentioned "The Reeves Library" to you before. I was given full control over our upstairs hall linen closet when we built our house and what began as a place to keep my Victoria and Martha Stewart Living magazines, quickly expanded to hold all of the issues of magazines that I love and want to keep.  I have all of the issues of the short-lived Blueprint magazine. Years of the outstanding publication American Homestyle and Garden and at least a decade of Country Home.  Every shelf is full. I am almost to the point where my library needs an expansion.

I tend to store my issues by brand and by month, rather than by year.  That way all of my February Victoria issues are together and I can pull out 8 and have all the inspiration I need for Valentines Day fun.  Most people that tout organizational philosophies or methods get rid of magazines first. But I am not most people and I certainly use what I keep. My library is active and I love it.

Here's proof.  I pulled out the Victoria magazine from Jan/Feb 2009 and look what is on the cover. A pot de creme that is very similar to the set of four that I found at the West Palm Beach Antique and Flea Market. I knew that I had to have them, but its also fun to see that they are cover-worthy. 

The article "Pots de Creme: A Taste of History at the Table" was written by Katie Brandon ans she says "These intricate creamy white cups are a reproduction of an 18th century design from the Pont Aux Choux factory..."

I have yet to bake in them yet. I want to make sure that these antique vessels can handle the heat of a water bath first. 

Have you ever bought anything that you then saw in a magazine? 

Antique Pot de Creme

I am one step closer to checking something off my "never list".  

My never list is a tally of things I'd like to make or try, but haven't had the chance to do yet.  It isn't a bucket list, as in something that is important for me to do before I die, it's more of a mental list of things that I know about and somehow haven't tried yet.  I notice that when someone mentioned something, I'd say "I've never tried that," hence I call it my never list.

I recently checked off make a souffle, char tomatoes, have a Slurpee and eat morel mushrooms. 

Anyhoo, hovering on my never list has been "make chocolate pot de creme."  It is a rich pudding placed in small containers made specifically for pot de creme and cooked in a water bath.  I have looked for these lidded vessels in popular cooking stores, but I couldn't find any.  I saw these pots de creme online, but I was more in the mood to buy them in person.   

When I was in Florida, I mentioned wanting to make this petite dessert to my Aunt Carol and lo and behold, she found some antique pots de creme!  My mom, aunt and I went to the West Palm Beach Antique and Flea Market on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago.

Would you have spotted these pots de creme?  My aunt saw them and immediately knew that they were what I was looking for.  I bargained with the dealer and bought a set of four for $15.  I love them!

I need to wash them gingerly and cross my fingers that they can take the heat of a water bath.  They are marked "Made in Italy" on the bottom.  When I make this coveted dessert, I'll show you a picture and post the recipe. Wish me luck!

Antiquing for Ornaments

I surreptitiously took this photo at an antique show this weekend.  I knew the vendor wouldn't mind since I am trying to inspire you to collect and appreciate vintage ornaments.  Aren't they beautiful?

I have quite a collection myself, remember my vintage ornament tree?  And since my mom and I are using vintage ornaments in our Advent By Candlelight tablescape, I am about to find out exactly how many I have!  

She is coming over on Wednesday and we are going to pour over all of the ornaments and choose which ones to display in our two glass hurricanes.  We are concentrating on pinks, greens, gold and silver.  I can't wait to show you.

But I am a little nervous to actually get them all out.  You know how you are a collector, you pick up a few items here and there over the year, but until it is all on display in one place, you are never quite sure what you have?  I have a feeling that I have a lot more vintage ornaments then I think I have!  Blame the rummage sales, I tell you.  I had a lot of luck lately and I promise to do them justice in some lovely holiday displays this year.

Antique Blue Lustre Tea Set

Must. Stop. Antiquing.  What am I going to do?  I fall in love with too many things and the question becomes where to put it all.  But really, didn't I need this blue lustre tea set for my living room?  Especially considering that the woman at the community garage sale looked me in the eye and said "7 dollars."

I'm not kidding!  This tea set included a tea pot, creamer, sugar, 4 cups and saucers, 4 dessert plates and came with 2 wood oval serving trays - the age shows in the luster coating on some of the pieces, but the set has no chips or cracks!  From my sleuthing online, this seems to be a Japanese tea set from the 1920-30s.  The simple design and combination of biscuit and blue lustre took my breath away.  Love, love, love - that is all there is to it.

What becomes fun is decorating with it.  First and foremost, the china echos the colors in the antique quilt I have on the wall.  Then I used a paper placemat (that my Mom saved and gave me) from the restaurant, PAUL, to line a tray that I had.  Remember when I wrote about PAUL?  The restaurant in Florida has closed, but the locations in France are going strong.  I'm so glad my mom had the wisdom to keep her placemat - it looks perfect here.  I showed her the other day and she took a little bow.  It was also her idea to move my "macaroon" candles to the dessert plate.  Cute!

So, yes, I need to slow down on the antiquing.  Just not quite yet.

Snack on the Go

When I was planning my trip to the Country Fair, I decided that I wanted to bring a "Snack on the Go" that I could give to my Aunt (an antiques dealer) and her friend who were wroking the show and share with my parents and Dan during the long day.

My requirements were:

• generally healthy
• delicious
• portable
• no refrigeration required
• cute (okay, it didn't have to be cute, but I thought that would be a plus)

Then I remembered my "Morning Muffins recipe."  They are always a hit - a bit like carrot cake, but not too sweet.  This time I baked a batch in my fluted muffin top pan and that provided the "cute!"  I packed each one in a Ziploc sandwich bag and they were ready to travel.

When I was sitting waiting for one of the seminars to begin, I decided it was a good time to sneak in a snack.  The woman next to me quietly asked where I had bought it because it looked so delicious.  Sadly, I didn't have any more to share, but I told her about the blog and that if she searched "Morning Muffins" she'd have the recipe for her next antiquing adventure.

Do you have occasions when you need a snack on the go?  Make and freeze these individually and you'll be ready for anything!