freshvintage

freshvintage at Clover Market

My sister, Erin, and I will be selling at the Clover Market on April 10th from 10am until 4pm. We are so excited to be involved in this outdoor vintage/art/craft/yummy food market in Ardmore, PA. If you remember back in October, I did a tour of the market with a group of shoppers. We walked around the tents and talked about antique trends while searching for vintage bargains.

And now we will be pitching our own tent and selling some of our favorite vintage goodies (many not even seen on my blog yet). Me and my boy toy have been scouring auctions and estate sales for fun finds for your home, garden and patio.

We are most looking forward to meeting up with friends while we are at Clover Market. Lisa from Brandywine View Antiques will be right next to our tent (that's the store where we sell our vintage finds). Our friends from Nannygoat Antiques will have their artfully-displayed antiques for sale. We'll finally get a chance to meet our bloggy-friend Gina from Vintage Junk in My Trunk - she'll be selling there as well. AND, to top it all off, Sue from Vintage Rescue Squad will be visiting all of us from the D.C. area. She won't be selling - just hanging out and shopping.

If you live in the Philadelphia area, please visit us! When you are finished shopping at Clover, there's a great outdoor shopping center called Suburban Square right around the corner. I have a special love for that place, since I worked at two stores there in college: Table of Contents (a super-cute home goods store) and The Sharper Image (where I once sold Dr. J a nose-hair trimmer or some equally ridiculous gadget). Both stores are long gone, but now you'll find Trader Joe's, Urban Outfitters, Ardmore Farmer's Market, and tons of other stores. And then there are all of the other boutiques along Route 30 in Ardmore and the surrounding towns (you can even get a 15% discount at a bunch of local boutiques if you pick up a "Lucky You" card at Clover). My point is: Make a day of it! It will be worth the trip.

Here's a peek at a few of our latest finds...

Aqua & white wrought iron gate:

White side table with narrow shelves:

Frostie Old Fashion Root Beer boxes: (yes, Chris found more of these, and in much better shape)

Copco paper cutter & St. Louis wooden tool caddy:

 

As previously seen on Facebook, and found by Chris:



Faux-bois metal medical cabinet on wheels with stainless steel top, in perfect condition:

Erin and Chris both told me not to buy this medical cart. But I think it has a very hip, mid-century, retro feel. And it would make an awesome liquor cabinet/bar.  We have a little bet as to whether or not it will sell at Clover. I WILL NOT BE PROVEN WRONG! I will buy it from my own damn self, if necessary.

Double-sided North Penn porcelain sign (Erin's find):

 St. Francis of Assisi and Mary:

 

Or, as my never-had-religion husband referred to them, "those Jesus statues".

He bought an ass to balance out the Jesus twins:

"See you at Clover Market! Hee Haw!"

A Celebration of Vintage Green

Happy St. Patty's Day!

We celebrate this day each year with a little party, because my husband and I are Irish, my favorite color is green, my middle name is Patricia and my first name means "girl" in Gaelic. And we like to have fun and drink (sometimes in excess, but always responsibly) with our friends and family.

To celebrate, let's have a look back at a few of my favorite green vintage finds.

Clover brand green truck:

Chippy green server/table:

Seafoam green colander:

One of Erin's finds: an apple green desk:

Well, this one's not vintage, but it is a familiar backdrop to a lot of my photos. It's my green kitchen:

 

Chris' find - the green 1950s girl's bike:

Page from an Origami Scrapbook:

Rolling factory shelves:

 

Green Haeger pitcher, green fan, green metal trays, & jadite swirl bowl:

Green metal box with spice tins:

Green stool & colander:

Green dresser (that I lined with vintage wallpaper):

And some special guests would like to wish you a Happy St. Patrick's Day, too. My red-headed sister, Erin, and her goofy husband, Doug. (He is actually holding my glass of wine that was tinted with a drop of green food dye.)

I'd be willing to bet that he is somehow related to St. Patrick.

Any Tybee Island & Savannah Tips?

We only have a few short weeks left until we leave on a family road trip to Tybee Island, Georgia. We'll be renting the Breeze Inn Cottage, owned by NY Times best-selling author Mary Kay Andrews. She spared no expense when she renovated the cottage in 2009. To top it all off, she painted it a fabulous color and decorated it with her favorite vintage finds - which also happen to be my favorite vintage finds. The house was even featured in Better Homes & Gardens magazine last summer  - that's where these photos are from.

The only reason I am renting this cottage is because I want to be Mary Kay Andrews. Is that so wrong?

My in-laws will be flying in from Yakima, WA to meet us in Georgia. And then they will have the pleasure of driving back with us to PA. Well, let's hope it's pleasurable. The drive is around twelve hours, but we will be splitting it up into two days (both on the way down, and on the way home).

We need some ideas from you southern gals (and guys). We'll probably go to Savannah a couple of times while we are there (it is about 20 minutes from Tybee). It is the first time for all of us, so I would love to hear from those who have visited Savannah and/or Tybee Island. Favorite restaurants? Antique stores? Thrift shops? Flea markets? I already have Seaside Sisters on my list - Mary Kay has a space there.

The kids are hoping to go swimming in the ocean, but I don't know if the weather will be warm enough. We'll probably take them on a dolphin or beach-combing tour, though.

Kelly from High Street Market just visited Savannah, so I will be studying all of her recommendations. Also, Stephanie Howell recently wrote about some of her favorite places in Savannah. Thanks for making my decisions a little easier, Kelly & Stephanie!

And I already met Paula Deen, so there is no need for me to go stalking her again. She also has a beach house in Tybee that is available for rent through Mermaid Cottages. But since we are BFFs, she offered to let me stay with her in her main house in Savannah. I was all like, "No, thanks. Your cooking totally gives me gas."

Anyway, on the way home from GA to PA, I would love to stop at any junk shops or flea markets that are easily accessible from Route 95. Preferably a shop with a public bathroom that I can use under the guise of a "rest stop". Does anyone have any ideas? We will be driving home in the middle of the week, so I know that the possibilities are limited. We'll most likely sleep in the vicinity of Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

I can't wait to sit on this apple green glider with a big glass of cold Chardonnay...all the while concocting a plan to steal it without Mary Kay (or my husband) noticing that it is strapped to the top of our minivan.

P.S. Paula Deen was a doll when I met her. This video clip is precisely the reason why I love her so much. And Part 2 of that clip is even better.

 

 

Sealtest Ice Cream and Twisted Tales from Pocahontas' Kin

Last week, I found two vintage Sealtest Ice Cream items: a scoop/spade and a yellow wooden box.

Have you ever heard of Sealtest? I think it was only in the northeastern part of the United States. My brother-in-law, Doug Hovey, has always talked about the fact that his family used to own Sealtest. Or they had a dairy farm that they sold to Sealtest. Or they liked to eat ice cream. Or something like that.

I have mentioned Doug in the past (he is Erin's husband). You would never know that he is a pharmaceutical scientist. Especially when he comes to our annual St. Patty's Day party dressed like a pimp who just won the Masters.

I decided to email Doug to find out the skinny on his family's connection to Sealtest. Doug's whole family is like one big Forrest Gump. They just show up in weird places with famous people and you don't know how they hell they got there.  So I knew that this conversation might take some strange turns.

Here is our actual email exchange:

ME:
I was researching the Sealtest ice cream scoop I just bought, and I looked up Sealtest on wiki. Who is Vernon Hovey (mentioned in that link)? Is that your grandfather? I want to get the facts straight before I write about it. And can you give me the family tree of where the vice-president is involved?  Did he love ice cream, too?

 

DOUG:
Vernon is my dad's great uncle, my dad's grandfather's brother, my great grandfather's brother, erin's great grandfather's brother-in-law.  He founded the General Ice Cream Corp that became Sealtest. My dad worked for him growing up (dairies were in the family.) Uncle Vernon is where I get my love of ice cream.

So, that is my grandfather's side.... my grandfather married my grandmother (OBVIOUSLY), Henrietta "Hank" Sherman, who was the granddaughter of the Vice-President... so the dairy conglomerate was in bed with the politicians, and that is how ice ceam became so popular. Prior to that, sherbet was America's favorite dessert.

 

ME:
Thanks, Doug. Can you tell me a little about your Grandmom? I'd like to write about her. Do you have any pictures of the White House china? Aren't you related to Pocahontas or some bullshit like that?

DOUG:
Henrietta, or “Hank”, was a vibrant, energetic woman. Her love of life and athletic build made women want to be her and men of all ages want to be with her (more on that later).

Hank was rich.  Not rich like the gynecologist who lives next door rich, but more like Kardashian rich.  (Just trying to relate to your typical readers, Colleen).   Actually, you could say she was the Kim Kardashian of her time.  During the depression when other 20 somethings were selling their first borns on the streets, she lived in upstate NY, summered in the Hamptons, excelled at golf, tennis and, most notably, curling. Truth be told, she actually coined the phrase "Winning" back in 1932. 

She competed on America's Women's Curling team and traveled extensively. She is a direct descendant of America's favorite Indian, Pocahontas, and the South's greatest nemesis - Tecumseh Sherman. If you watched the Disney version of Pocahontas, my grandmother was the inspiration for the raccoon.  Her beloved grandfather, Vice-President James Schoolcraft Sherman, was going to be the next President, following Taft, and he received the most votes posthumously for the presidency of the United States.  His early death in 1912 killed the Hoveys' chances of being the next Kennedys.  Thanks Jimmy, it should have been me dating Daryl Hannah and crashing my airplane off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.  Sorry, too soon….  (Quick side note: my dad and JFK Sr. attended the same high school together.)

Back to Hank.  Her husband (my poppy) died suddenly at age 48. A few years later, the 52-year-old grieving widow left with 3 kids, seduced and married the 18-year-old boy next door  ... enter "Grandpi". That is the grandfather I knew and loved my whole life. They were married for 40 years before her untimely death at 92.

Unfortunately, the white house china has been seeing the inside of my parents' dishwasher for years, so although it is ours for the taking eventually, it should be interesting to see its condition. 

I attached a photo of Hank curling and a photo of me, Hank and Grandpi.

ME:
How old was your dad when his 52-year-old mom remarried their 18-year-old neighbor?

DOUG:
30 years old.

 

ME:
Yikes.

By the way, I found your grandmom's obituary online (scroll down to Henrietta). According to that, you are also related to Princess Diana?! My next question is obvious: will you be invited to Willie & Kate's wedding?  If so, can you bring me home a piece of cake?

 

DOUG:
I know in my grandmother’s obituary it mentions she is related to Princess Di, but I've got to be honest  - I don’t know where that came from.  I think Grandpi is confused or is remembering wrong about that one.  Hank and Grandpi had a store called “Bit of Britain” for a few years in South Carolina, maybe Princess Di came in one day for a oven mitten shaped as Big Ben or a Margret Thatcher key chain.  Really, it was probably the life-size cutout of Princess Di in the window that made him feel like she was really there.     

Had I known we were related I would have offered to drive her home that night in Paris.  Sorry, too soon again…. 

That’s a good point about Willie and Kate’s wedding, maybe I should do some digging and get an invite.  (although the joke about his mom might get me moved to the B list).  Maybe I should call Bravo to film it, or go with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn and tell everyone we’re Uncle Ned’s kids.

All this stuff is interesting about my relatives but tell me when you want some good stories.  All this talking about dead celebrities and politics is probably boring to your audience.  And enough about your yard sale finds, already. I think they would much rather hear about my life.  I can talk about my summers working as a valet, explain the difference between a scientist and "fake" scientist, discuss my struggles living with the gout, or style tips - like how I tuck in my undershirt into my underwear to make me look thinner.  Great stuff like that. Let me know when the next blog paper goes out.  Thanks.

 ~~~~~~~~~~

I think Doug needs to start his own blog paper.

My Husband, the American Picker

I have a new personal picker. Well - maybe not new. He's been around for 12 years. It's my husband, Chris. He loves going to auctions and I need more inventory, so it works out for both of us.

Chris went to four auctions last week. After each one, we played a little game: How would I price each of the items he bought? He refused to tell me how much he spent until I told him what my price would be if I sold it at the shop. It was fun. Until I broke the news that I probably wouldn't have bought a few of the items. He only cried for a few minutes.

As you will see, he's been watching a bit too much of American Pickers. Oil cans, a vintage bicycle and rusty metal.  But look!

Something aqua! It is a Jubilee Insulated Jug. And it is in great shape. Love it.

We bought all of those Wacker Brewing Company boxes a few weeks back. Chris kept the wooden box movement alive with his purchase of a few "Frostie Old Fashion Root Beer" boxes. They are a little worn, but I love them.

Love the labels on these oil cans. I'm sure Frank would, too.

These cast iron andirons are a bit rusty. And heavy. But they look cool, don't they? Or not? What do you think?

Remember when I bought a bunch of vintage pennants last year? Chris' parents subsequently bought a box of pennants at an auction. A few months ago, we all decided that they weren't selling very well (ahem...at all). Unfortunately, Chris wasn't privy to that phone conversation, so he bought even more pennants.  These just might be relegated to the kids' playroom wall.

In the background of the first photo, you may have spied a long metal toolbox. When Chris bought it at the auction, it was filled with tools and other random junk.

I found this odd wooden thing in there. I thought it was a pencil, because it has a little nub at the end. But it doesn't write. Anyone know what the hell this is?

Here's the big pick: a girl's J.C. Higgins bicycle from the 1950s (I think).

J.C. Higgins is the brand name for bikes sold at Sears & Roebuck bikes. This one was actually manufactured by Schwinn.

There was one guy who kept outbidding Chris. Every time Chris found something he liked, the guy would end up winning. My husband didn't like that much.

So Chris decided that, no matter what, he was going to win this bike. I kind of wish he had decided to win a stepback cupboard or a primitive bench or a big box of vintage globes. But, no - Chris had reached his breaking point, and this bike just happened to be up next.

So, he probably paid way too much for it. But it made him feel better.

I will keep you posted on how well Chris' picks sell. Maybe we'll make enough money to cover the cost of that damn bike.