Down East Attic on Etsy

Friday, January 6, 2012

A Long December

1. It was a very busy month for my business, which was welcome, fun, and exhausting. My mother recently gave me her set of deer figurines to sell, most from the 1950s. I kept a few, of course. They were very popular, and I wish I had more! Here are a few...







One of my items was featured in winter issue of New England Finery Magazine! (See page 33). 


2. I had a solo show at my gallery, with a great opening that resulted in a few commissions for Christmas (yay!).


3. A quick trip to Florida to visit a family member. 
Highlight: a fantastic Art Deco theater found in Panama City



Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

1980's Fashion

In a departure from the more common "ultra vintage" items that I usually feature, I do occasionally find fabulous pieces from the 80s for myself and for my shop. Recently I found some earrings that were so "Eurythmics-esque" that I had to buy them.

Earlier this week the owner of mirror80.com, a blog about 1980s style and culture, came across the earrings and asked if she could use them in a blog post about 80's album covers. How awesome is that?

Here is the blog post: http://mirror80.com/2011/11/1980s-album-cover-fashion/

Here are the earrings:














She takes great care to credit all images and products used in her blog, which is admirable (and sadly less common that it should be). Check out her other blog posts as well, they're all quite entertaining.

It's hard to believe sometimes that anything from the 80s could be considered vintage. But it was 30 years ago! And anything "vintage" that is from my lifetime just reminds me that I'm...vintage.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

On Teacups, Collecting and Small Spaces

For as long as I can remember I have been an anti-collector. What that means is that I am so afraid of clutter that even when I find things I like I pass them up in lieu of the potential of making my space overcrowded. I think this comes from having lived in a lot of small spaces combined while finding it hard to relax unless my home is fairly neat. Not necessarily clean (don't look at the floors), but organized.

I still feel this way. But I also have learned that moderation is key, and it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Unless I move into an enormous home with 30 curio cabinets, you'll never find my home filled with collections, but rather with specific individual pieces here and there throughout the rooms. Lately I've been pining for more space to house all the treasures I fall in love with.

It's not limited to teacups, I found some turn of the century pieces that I'd love to keep, like an Art Nouveau vanity mirror set, some beautiful antique linens, and some silver pieces, but I just don't have space for it all.

Here are some of the pieces I have acquired recently...


Colclough, England, soft blue with pink, yellow, and blue pansies.


Edelstein Bavaria. I think this flower is a fuschia, but it's a guess. It looks more like a combination of about 3 different flowers.


Nippon with hand painted moriage and orange lotus blossoms.


 Coalport, England, "Indian Tree" pattern.


A Bavarian lusterware set in pretty purples, blues and hints of pink, with black handles. Love the Art Deco look of this set.

 The Van Bergh Teapot and sugar bowl set. How formal and proud do they look? At least until the cat knocks them over.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Vintage Melamine

In a bit of a departure from vintage teacups, I have been focusing on vintage melamine kitchenware over the past week or so. First of all, my shop needed some color, badly. Secondly, it's a popular product among collectors for its fun, kitschy look and its durability.

I was also pretty excited to be featured in a blog post on another vintage blog!

Here are a few things I currently have in my shop:





I may have gone a little overboard with the lemons.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Painting, my other passion

Since I have to take occasional breaks from blogging and selling, I thought I'd write a bit about what I do when I'm not drooling over vintage items. As a painter I work in my studio, give private painting lessons, and participate in shows a few times a year. This past Friday I was part of a two person show that came together very quickly, so I was MIA for several days while we prepared for that. It went very well, and I was happy with how it turned out. Most often I paint every day objects, people, and animals using an impressionist approach with a modern edge. Since most recently I have been holed up in my studio giving lessons (which I LOVE), I have been painting still lives. Sometimes I'll even throw in some vintage items to the setup for added interest. Below are a few paintings from my last show. Now that I can breathe a bit more, it's back to teacups and vintage linens.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Into Teacups

I'm developing a new passion. Just what I need!
Some are fancy and special, but even the more utilitarian ones have a special charm. Here are a few I have in my shop right now...


The first one is a Royal Albert, and the second one is labeled Old Royal, but they go very well together. 




This one is Royal Albert Heather "Heather Bell" in blue bell (most of the ones I have seen are pink, not blue).

This pretty blue floral cup is by Vanderwood, England. I love the Art Deco shape.

 This one is just marked with a Japanese symbol so I don't know the make. But it reminds me of my grandmother.

 This elegant teacup is by Adderley, England. I love the handle. And at the bottom of the cup there is a bright floral bouquet.


Saturday, August 20, 2011

Researching Vintage Items

Providing good information about the items I sell is important to me, and it's fun to find out the history behind specific pieces. I'm always amazed at how long it takes to properly research any one particular item. There is a wealth of information on the internet, but it requires a lot of weeding out of unreliable sources to find people and sites that really know their stuff. I can't wait for the day when I can just look at an object and know who made it, with what materials, during what era, etc. My interests vary so widely that I don't know if that will ever happen, but who knows, maybe someday I'll be the expert. For now, I'm just riding the learning curve and enjoying every minute of it!

For those of you who collect or sell, I'll share a few neat sites I have found:

http://www.antique-marks.com/ for identifying hallmarks on glass and ceramic pieces
http://www.historichouseparts.com/ for identifying antique hardware
http://vintagejewelrylane.com Lots of info on vintage jewelry
http://www.iantique.com -Long time antique dealers and collectors with message boards and Q&A, and friendly and knowledgeable people (requires signing up, free).

If you'd like to share other resources that you have found helpful, please do!


Monday, August 15, 2011

Lots of new items today!

Here are just a few

For the kitchen...













And the craft room...










And the boudoir...


Friday, August 12, 2011

There's nothing quite like milk glass





It's so versatile and has such a lovely glow. As a painter and painting teacher I have been using it more in still life paintings because it reflects light so well and lets other colors, like flowers and fabrics, stand out more.