Treasure Hunting Report: My Recent Vintage Scores

It feels like I haven't done a Treasure Hunting Report in ages!

My treasure hunting really slowed down this year because I've been increasingly picky about what I buy - plus the deals have been few and far between - so I haven't shared treasure hunting reports like I used to in years prior.  But as I was cleaning over the weekend, I realized that I have scored a few gems so I wanted to share.  (I can't be the only person who lovingly admires my treasures while I dust...?) 

Here are the vintage finds that made the cut and found their way into the lakehouse recently.

First up: I enjoyed a major win at the Salvation Army auction - which is something I rarely muster up the motivation to do, because you need to sit through the ENTIRE thing to pay and it can take hours and hours.  This time the bidding went crazy high (I'm talking $500+) on some items, so it was an intensely entertaining evening, plus my Mom came with me which makes everything way more fun!  We could not believe the bizarre things that elicited a bidding war. 

Anyway, you're probably thinking, "get to the goods - what did you BUY?" 

Okay - but first I need to share a back story, so you realize why I was so excited about this particular auction and why I was willing to let my butt go numb on a grubby chair for hours on a beautiful summer evening.  Ten years ago I found an ice cube shaped Iittala crystal votive candle holder at a yard sale for a buck.  Hubby and I had just moved 1500km and were living in a strange city so we loved to yard sale with friends on the weekend to explore.  Plus we were all broke and looking for deals!  I've treasured this little candle holder ever since because it always reminds me of our life in Kingston.  I'd always wished I had a pair, but I could never find one online because I had no idea what it was called or when it was produced.  I even asked around at the local Finnish boutiques, to no avail.  So imagine my surprise when I spot one in the Sally Anne auction case, in a lot with other Iittala.  After a decade of searching! 

The lot was a real hodgepodge: the ice cube votive holder I wanted (which is simply referred to as the Ice Cube and was produced in the 1980s), three Ultima Thule shot glasses, a pair of two ring Festivo candle holders, another Ultima Thule candle holder and an Ultima Thule plate - which was, sadly, chipped.  I ended up winning the bid for only $41 CAD - the Festivo candle holders alone are worth $60-100!  Plus my Mom had an uneven set of Ultima Thule shot glasses so I happily gave her the trio (although I wish they'd been a more practical size, like the Highball Glass or the Old Fashioned glass).  But I suspect this is the universe telling me I need to go to my Mom's place more often and drink liquor.

;) 

I planned to sell the Ultima Thule candle holder but it's so pretty that I might just keep it.

Iittala is my weakness.  All told, that's a lot of $$$ worth of Finnish crystal - but I would have paid that just for the pair to my mystery cube.  I'm so happy!

Plus my Festivo collection grew that tiny bit more... I often get asked where to buy those gleaming crystal candle holders but most of my collection was gifted to me and the rest I have bought through the classifieds or thrifted.  You can find them on Etsy, Chairish - this is a GREAT deal on a massive 6-ring pair that would make a gorgeous statement - or eBay.  Local Finnish boutiques sell them but I think Bed Bath & Beyond does too.

I just love adding to this collection, it's just a thrill when I can scoop up another one (or two).  Is it greedy to hope that one day I can find a pair for my Iittala bird?  He gets lonely, I'm sure... I'm obsessed with this dusty blue one but this dreamy white one is a favorite too.  They're SO expensive though, I can't even imagine what a Sally Anne auction on one of those would be like.  Madness, pure madness.

Anyway, that's my most recent score.  But there have been a few other lucky breaks.

Way back on my birthday in June, my Mom and I went for a little day trip to celebrate because I feel like my birthday is as much a special day for her as it is for me.  So we went to Grand Marais, a little Minnesotan town nearby, for lunch and some shopping and we hit up my favorite antique shops, thrifts, and flea markets.  At the flea market, I scored another Krenit bowl (here's the same one - I think - on Etsy) for a cool $7.  A bit more than the $2 I paid for my bigger one, but still a ridiculously good price.  It's funny because I had JUST said to Hubby, maybe two days earlier, that I wished I had a pair because sometimes we have so much fruit the one bowl isn't enough.  Plus I think by now you've realized I like pairs of things... 

It's in nice condition with some light scuffs that pop up way more on camera, but no chips or staining - plus it still has a "Made in Denmark" label!  I'm so happy with this birthday score.  If you're pining for one, this Etsy listing seems like a sweet deal, although if you happen to have $500 lying around this turquoise one needs a home, lol.  The new ones are a bit spendy too, but I have loved my Krenit bowl for years and years so even if I had splurged, the cost per use would be so low.  For a similar look, this Project 62 enamel tray is a steal at $10! 

I love that I have two now and the different in shape/height is perfect.  Plus I can always use this one for salad (its intended purpose I believe - I just need the matching salad tongs).  I really enjoy the special memory attached to it as well.  My Mom and I had such a lovely, peaceful day together so I am really glad to having this little memento.

That same day, I also picked up a pair of petite Cathrineholm bowls which I had planned to sell but just keep hanging on to!  I hadn't ever seen a design (in person) that wasn't the classic lotus pattern.  They're too cute and their blue/white and black/white combo is begging for some kind of Halloween treat, no?

Wandering around an antique mall in town one day, I found a mug that looked awfully familiar.  Hubby's Aunt and Uncle are both talented potters (you might remember these beautiful mugs his Aunt mailed us, on which will forever remain my happiest mail day).

For awhile his Uncle made these East Coast island mugs.  We had one already so imagine my surprise to see his very distinctive mug at an antique shop 2000+ km away from where he made and sold them!  Seriously, what ARE the odds that it ended up here, for me to find?  Of course I bought it!  I can't link to them because I'm fairly certain there are none in production anymore but here's a handmade turquoise pottery mug I love on Etsy, in case you're now needing a blue mug after seeing my pair (the struggle is real, I totally understand). 

These scores stretched out over four months so it's really not a lot, but I'm so happy with these finds because they're each special in their own way.  And looking back, I feel kinda lucky! 

Have you found any sweet treasures?  I'd love to know!  Or tag me on Instagram so I can come snoop - I just really enjoy seeing the neat things people find.     

Our DIY Painted Bowls + A Gift Idea for a Kid Who Has Everything

My city is currently renovating the marina and, while the reactions to the development are mixed, I really like the Arts Centre building that was built there.  It's housed in a renovated, historic freight shed and overlooks Lake Superior. 

They offer various classes and last month Hubs and I took our niece to a "paint a pot" workshop.  We were provided handmade bowls, glazes, brushes, etc., and given two hours to work our magic.  The centre has amazing light and we spent a blissfully peaceful afternoon painting.

Want to see the fruits of our labour?

This one is, quite obviously, my bowl.  I set myself up to fail by choosing an aqua glaze that happened to dry super quickly and I overworked it, so that's why it's weirdly patchy.  I haven't done anything pottery related since I was a kid myself!

You might not be able to tell, but I actually glazed the entire outside of the bowl with white because the natural colour was sort of ecru.

Handy Hubby made an adorable bowl.  He struggled with the glazes too, because some went on smoothly but some were chunky and uncooperative.  I had joked before the class that if his bowl didn't look good it would be a "work bowl" for him to use at the office.  With each defeated brush stroke, he'd mutter dejectedly, "yeah, this isn't working, this is going to be my work bowl".

When we were driving to the waterfront to attend the class, I kept teasing our niece about what we were doing because we'd kept it a secret.  Among my tall tales, one really resonated: I told her we were going to shovel grain (our waterfront has a lot of grain elevators) and this bizarrely piqued her interest, so I explained how we'd get paid $5.00 an hour to shovel dusty grain all day, with no breaks to use the bathroom.  I described in great detail what dusty, terrible work it would be and she believed every fib.  When we arrived at the paint a pot class, I said, "Surprise! We're painting pottery bowls!!! (insert jazz hands here).  Well, the tall tales blew up in my face because at first she was totally bummed that we weren't going to be shoveling grain.  After a few minutes she got more interested in the pottery and was eventually totally engrossed - although still deeply disappointed to miss out on $5.00 an hour doing manual labour.  I was so impressed with her focus; I think she could have worked on her bowl all day.

Our bowls were fired and ready to be picked up about a week or so later.  Although mine turned out a little wonkier than I hoped, Hubby's is cute enough to be a home bowl and our niece was thrilled with hers.  I'd definitely go to another class with a kiddo and I decided to share our experience in case anyone is struggling to find a gift for a kid who has every toy under the sun.  A gift certificate for something like this - a one day, crafty class - would be so much fun for kids.  It cost $75 for the three of us to attend this class, but it was better than buying a toy, I think, because we spent an afternoon together, making memories.

Next time I have a much cheaper outing in mind: shoveling grain it is!

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Mug Love

It is getting chillier and chillier here in Ontario, so I've been leaning on my good friends loose-leaf tea and hot chocolate (Hubby doesn't understand the purpose of marshmallows.  We are so different).  You know many of our paintings were made by Hubby's grandfather, see more on that here, and we also have some of my mom's prints hanging about, plus my grandpa's sculptures and even a few of Hubby's mom's paintings.  We know we are super lucky to have such an artistic family and we hate to brag, but we recently received another gift from a family artist.  Hubby's aunt, click here for her website, sent us a set of one-of-a-kind mugs she made:

It has taken me awhile to photograph them because since we received the package in the mail, there has always been one in use.  I cleared out space immediately in the cupboard and they are now my officially our favorites.

Don't ask about the elephants.
Least practical teapot ever.  Hoping to phase them out.

And yes, that's a knit mouse.

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New Pottery Show & Tell

You might not remember, but ages ago I blogged about Shane Norrie's pottery.  It was back in my "early" days of blogging (i.e. embarassingly awkward, completely un-read posts), but he spotted the post and even left a comment!

Even though his work is affordable, we saved our pennies and finally, six months later, bought some pieces of our own.  I picked out two pieces (and my mom gifted us the third) at a gallery in our hometown because the selection is great and the gallery owner offered her invaluable assistance.  It was very difficult to whittle down my selection - I could have bought every piece. 

Although yesterday's unpacking and putting-life-back-in-order project was slow going (I have a cold, and jet lag and went 28 days without cleaning - I think I forgot how), I did manage to unpack and photograph the new pottery pieces.  And that little tiny corner of the house is now orderly and tidy . . . because I shoved everything out of the way so I could snap this photo.  Hey, its progress!

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