I'm Assuming the World didn't End Yesterday as Prince R and some others Predicted since I woke up this Morning and all was Well. *Whew* I'm Glad because I just finished all my Christmas Shopping & Holiday Decorating so now is when I can finally Relax and absolutely Revel in the Holiday Spirit & Atmosphere! The World NOT Ending was also Cause for Celebration so I went Goodwill Hunting and 'Scored' some Great Stuff to Keep and to Sell in my Showroom. Okay... so mostly to Keep... and I'm sure you'll see why! *LOL* And if we get past 12~21 then perhaps we'll be Golden on avoiding the Apocalypse for the time being? We'll see... 'til then I Intend to Enjoy Life to the Fullest each Day... and Junquing for Bargains helps... *Winks*
I've been on the Lookout to expand my Vintage Bottlebrush Tree Collection since I Adore them for Decorating... and so 'Scoring' these two White ones Aged to a Gorgeous Pale Sepia for less than two bucks each was Exhilerating! They go well with Tea Stained Old Lace & Antique Burlap so I'm patting Self on back for Discovering these!
Then there was this Lovely Old Goofus Glass Bowl with Vivid Red Roses and much of the Gold Leaf still intact. I have this "Thing" for Old Carnival Ware, it's very Bohemian Kitsch and so its very 'Me'! My Dear European Mom Hates that about this particular part of my preferred Aesthetic since she remembers all this kind of thing as being worthless chachkes hawked at the Carny Booths as Prizes! *Smiles*
Though she's very Bohemian with Bold Flair in her preferred Wardrobe & Accessories... she's a Purist & Class Act when it comes to Antiques and what has Value, should be Collected & Invested in. She only goes for the Good Stuff & taught me all about it & what has the most Value as an Antiquity & was made with Superb Quality & Craftsmanship. So though I know better, I still go more for what she considers the Tacky and Kitsch that she wouldn't be caught dead with in her Home! *LOL* I think I might have Inherited this side of my Aesthetic from Dad's side of the Family... since he & many Relatives on the Rez had a similar Aesthetic to mine... if it's Gaudy, Quirky, Tribal or an Oddity, we just LOVE it & it has Intrinsic Value to us! Remember the big China Chimpanzee I Inherited from Dear Ole Dad & just Love?!? *LOL*
So our Home is a Quirky Blend of the Good Stuff and the Bohemian Kitsch mixed together with reckless abandon, because I just Decorate & Collect what I Love and Speaks to me... regardless of Popular Opinion or the 'Rules' of what has alleged Value or Worth. A Blend of the Aesthetics that each of my Parents also Shared and is fused together in my Being. *Winks*
Which brings me to the Large Heavy Demijohn I 'scored' for less than three bucks and the Small Antique Medicine Bottle with an Awesome Rainbow Iridescent Hue to it's Rootbeer Colored Glass that I 'scored' for 49 Cents! Mom also didn't 'get' why on Earth I would keep, nevermind Collect, Old Bottles that no longer had any contents either?! *LOL* She wouldn't have been the least bit Impressed that I got such a perceived Bargain since to her she wouldn't have picked them up from a Tip if they'd been thrown away! *LOL* But she does Appreciate the Altered Art I can make from such 'Garbage'... turning what she only initially saw as Trash... into Treasure and Art... so she has always Encouraged my Artistic abilities to Transform things... just like Dad was always able to. I wish I had a mere fraction of the Artistic Talent my Dear Ole Dad had... he was a Superb Artist and totally Self-Taught. Can you tell that especially during the Holidays I'm missing time spent with Dear Ole Mom & Dad?
So this is all the Found Treasure that Mom wouldn't have been so Impressed by... *Winks* But I sure do Miss not being able to go Junquing with her anymore... even though we didn't always see eye to eye on what was 'Treasure' or 'Trash'. Because Mom was an Excellent Junquing Partner 'cause she has built in Radar for the "Good Stuff"... almost like a Gypsy 6th Sense in fact when it's anywhere around her, even if hidden out of plain view! *Smiles* She could find a Diamond hidden under a pile of crap and if I was ever waffling on something being Genuine, she ALWAYS knew if it was or not. No knockoffs or cheap imitations of anything would fly under her Radar!!! She can spot the Real Deal from a Mile away... either by Sight or by Touch or even Instinct!
But there were a couple of things she would have Appreciated that I 'Scored'... including this Beautiful Old Teacup & Saucer...
With "Amizade" {Friendship} written in Beautiful Gilt Font.
Though she would have been Horrified that someone glued the Saucer to the Teacup and made a Candle out of it!!! *LOL*
But no sweat as far as I'm concerned... I'm burning the Candle down each Evening, which has a Delightful Rose Scent, and then will use it as a Teacup even if I can't separate the Saucer from the Cup. For Princess T that might even come in rather handy having both glued together?! See.. we "Make It Work'! And nothing has to be used as originally intended. *Winks*
In fact, since we usually turn all the Lights off during the Holiday Season and Enjoy the Ambiance and Glow of Christmas Fairy Lights and Candlelight Illuminating our Rooms it works out perfectly that the Teacup 'Score' is a Candle for right now... and it was less than Three bucks, so what can I say... I've seen similar Teacups without the Saucer selling for up to Twenty bucks each!
Next 'Score' was my Fav only because I've been looking at them Retail and wanting one desperately but I wasn't gonna pay the high Retail Price in the Import Shops. An Enormous East Indian Floor Pillow made from various Sari Style Materials and heavy Embroidery in a Favorite Lucious Jeweltone Hue!
You can't even Imagine how Excited I was when I spied it in a Charity Shop! And it's BRAND NEW... no wear, no tear, no imperfections or apparent use whatsoever... either an Import Shop Donated it from their Inventory... or someone received it as a Gift and didn't like it so never used it?!? *Can I get a Whoop Whoop!*
Don't you just LOVE it when the Laws of Attraction Work in your Favor like that?!? This Floor Pillow couldn't have been more Perfect in every way than if I'd picked it out of a Retail Shop's Inventory of them!!! And yet I got it for 90% off Retail!!! {Insert Contented Sigh}
See... our Family sits on the Floor almost as much as we use Furniture for Sitting, so comfy Floor Pillows tossed about are a Staple around our Home. I actually prefer to Lounge on the Floor and sit Indian Style, legs crossed in Lotus Pose as I do most things... I'm not one for dangling of legs & feet , I sit with legs curled up even in Chairs at Home. The G-Kid Force and I would rather sit on Pillows around the Coffee Table than at a Dining Table or in the Chairs around the House.
And when we're done sitting... just tuck it under the Coffee Table.
Next is a Bracelet made from Eleven Vintage Mahjong Tiles...
These are the Smaller Tiles that appear to be made of Old Bone rather than Bakelite, Celluloid or Bone backed with Bamboo.
They have a Lovely Ivory Color & pleasing visible Striation to them & the Patina of Age... and since I only paid $1.99 I was Jazzed since this is just my Style of Jewelry & they feel Lovely against the skin!
Now you're probably thinking, well Dawn, what did you 'Score' that you're NOT Keeping?!? Since clearly you're not giving up any of this Stuff just yet... *Winks*
Well, actually I haven't been buying too much to put into Inventory at the Showroom & Loft Spaces on Purpose, being it's the Holiday Season and Gift Buying has taken a Priority in the Budget right now. But when I find an Amazing 'Score' for a pittance, well, can't help myself! This Vintage Doll was such a 'Score'... isn't she Adorable?!? All of her layers of intricate Clothing appear Hand-Made, from the Quaint Lace Bonnet & matching Shirt to the layers of Skirts, Apron, Bloomers & Underskirts!
To the tiny Sweet little Shoes that most of the Velvet has worn off of now, Revealing the Linen Weave underneath.
She has a Beautiful Face and I like that her Eyes are Brown... as I've mentioned before, few Vintage Dolls had Dark Eyes so it was more a Rarity. The only thing I had to do was tie the end of her Braids with shreds of Old Tea Stained Lace because her plaits were coming unraveled.
There... now her 'Do' should stay put! *Winks*
I know absolutely nothing about Doll Collecting... but she was obviously Vintage & there was something absolutely Special about her... and at $1.49 I couldn't resist scooping her up! On one side of her Tag it says "Joy Of Ireland" and the other side I had to blow up online to properly decipher the Font...
"Miss Rose of Royal". Those who are really 'into' Dolls might recognize this Maker... I do not... so I had to look it up. Turns out the Company is Royal {1914 ~ 1977} and Miss Rose did the Designing. So apparently the Company, as it was known, has been out of Business for 35 years & was Sold in 1977. The "Joy Of" International Dolls seem to have been made in the 1960's Era... which makes her somewhere about 50 years old, so she looks pretty good for her Age. *Winks* I could only find a few "Joy Of " Dolls that Sold on E-Bay or Etsy for $35 ~ $89... so that does give me a Price Point of some kind for her... and since I paid less than $1.50 I'll make a nice Profit.
You might be Wondering how I could let such a Sweet Lass go that obviously has Collectible Value that might Increase over Time? Well... remember another Sweet Lass I have around the House by the Name of Princess T? Remember the Fate of most unfortunate Dolls that the Beast Princess gets her hands on? That's why! *LOL* Joy Of Ireland wouldn't just have to worry about her Braids being unraveled!!! She'd likely be buck naked and wearing Blue Nail Polish from head to toe by Day's End! Yes, it literally WOULD be the End Of The World for Miss Ireland anyway!!! *Winks* And so she'll soon be headed for my Showroom... so that she can Grace this World for a while longer and still remain a 50+ Year Old Irish Beauty in the Collection of a Serious Doll Lover!
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian