Pennsylvania road trip Find of the Week

I got my start antiquing at Pennsylvania flea markets. Perhaps it's only natural that folk art is dear to my heart. I purchased my first folk art piece - an old painted bird house with directional arrow - at the Renningers Extravaganza in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, and I'm always happy to go back.

My Etsy shop is filling up with finds from that trip and it's really hard to pick a favorite, but because one is so special, and has its origins in Pennsylvania, it's my choice for Find of the Week. I say "it" but there are three of them heading to the Etsy shop - the pig, the rooster and the combed bird (in the middle). I posted them to Instagram (you are following me there, right?) and folks immediately bought them up - a testament to how terrific they are!

Depression era Mennonite watercolors on ledger paper, circa 1930, found in Lancaster County. Naive, joyful and charming, they are quintessential folk art, a delightful self expression.

Until next week...I won't be going as far as Pennsylvania but there are road trips in my immediate future! - marilyn

this week's favorite - always happy to find one!

I might be running behind again - seems like that's happening a lot. But the truth is also that the pickings have been slim and uninspiring - nice things a plenty but that WOW factor has been elusive. But lady luck was smiling on me today - almost hard to choose just one find. In the end, a classic won.

I remember Moravian stars from my hippie days - boho chic, with a little mystery and exotic thrown in. Their history dates long before that, with the origin in the 1830s, an illuminated decoration used around Christmas. They evolved over time to be used as decorative objects - you can see them today in home decor stores. I'm always happy to score a vintage one, and today's was a large catch!

vintage tin and glass huge moravian star, coming soon to my Etsy shop

Rusty tin, paneled glass, with an interior spot for a candle, it's the largest one I've ever had at 17" top to bottom and 13" across. Timely and vintage, all in one.

I've been photographing like mad all the wonderful things I found today. And next week I'll be on the road, heading up to Pennsylvania, hoping to find some great folk art and primitives. I'll be posting to Instagram from the road - you can follow along at www.instagram.com/sophisticatedvintageflorida. Happy hunting! - marilyn

April finds - we're feeling French!

There's talk of Spring everywhere. The birds are singing like mad in the morning, proving the old saying "the early bird gets the worm" all too true. And so why not post a bird cage for Spring?

fun vintage French birdcage, listed in my Etsy shop

Straight from the brocantes of France (via a terrific French seller I met recently) this vintage wood and wire birdcage is just perfect with its green & turquoise chippy old paint. Handmade, it's as good as it gets, painted in green over blue paint, with a porcelain bath, removable turquoise blue feeder and an attached interior feeder that rotates out. Excellent design, the bottom flap lifts (to slide a tin liner in and out for cleaning; the liner is no longer there), the door is hinged and there are two wires shaped as handles for carrying at the top. 

An authentic piece of French life, it says Spring all over and that is why, at this beautiful time of the year, it's our Find of the Week.

Get outside and enjoy these glorious days (in vintage style!), and as always, 

happy treasure hunting! - marilyn

a late entry for Find of the Week, March 27

I won't blame the lateness of this post on a lack of good intentions; it HAS been a busy week but even that's not the reason. Frankly, I'm not sure what the reason is, but I did only get this find listed in the Etsy shop today so perhaps we can lay the blame there.

It's not the kind of thing I normally buy, but the combination of elements just spoke to me - and I do have a weakness for antlers and stag horns. So here it is:

Fabulous stag head double inkwell, listed in my Etsy shop

A rather fabulous stag head double inkwell. With something of a Black Forest feel, the details are what really set this piece apart. Lots of great elements combine for a terrific style. Large stag head with generous antlers in the center with two ribbed glass bottles in fitted holes. Grooved ledge at the front to hold a pen, tole painted leaf decoration across the back. the gold painted metal side brackets are detailed with center figures. There's verdigris on the metal of the inkwells and one does not close all the way, but the glass is in perfect condition. Writing on the bottom speaks to its age. A really interesting vintage piece that adds a lot of style, just the thing for the modern rustic home, a wonderful accessory for a desk, office or library in a modern farmhouse. It just makes me want to take up a fountain pen!

I'll be quicker next week - the challenge will be the choosing as I've been shopping!! Have a great weekend. Peace, love and vintage - marilyn

a touch of modern - find of the week March 20

Looking over my past couple of posts I see I've been focused on my rustic side. Not a surprise; folk art and rustic country primitives were my first love and I tend to return to them. And in Florida it's not so easy to find good rustic pieces so they easily take center stage when I do.

But this week, something just as hard to find and an iconic representative of an era - the 1960s, mod Twiggy fashion a la Mary Quant, mini skirts, big eyes and flower power, with a fabulous look that's even a little shabby Paris (LOVE the cameo!).

This mod vintage papier mache store display hat stand was said to come from Macy's department store in the 1960s. While I'm not so sure that's accurate, it's the story she came with, and she certainly deserves a story. She's got big, sophisticated style, and the wear to her painted surface only adds to her worn elegant look. Impressively large at 21" tall, she's got everything it takes to be this week's Find of the Week. She's listed here in my Etsy shop.

Hope your week is full of unexpected and fabulous finds! - marilyn

how about wine for the find of the week?

With reports of snow and ice coming from up north, we thought it might be appropriate that this week's Find of the Week should be a wine bottle. A really big one. A demijohn, in fact.

You can see we had good reason to be taken with its style, form, character and size. It's just spectacular. Fabulous oval shape, a bit off kilter, with the cork still in the bottom. Blown glass with broken off pontil base, you can see the ridge just above the middle where it would have sat in a basket. What a great piece!

There's circular shield toward the top with numbers in it; I can make out the first two which are 19, but I can't make out the last two. A nice relatively early 20th century bottle of monumental size which never goes out of style.

I'll be listing it this week in my Chairish shop, which is worth a look if you haven't been there yet!

Hope your week is full of sushine (and wine!) - marilyn

happy March - find of the week!

If you've looked at my Etsy shop SophisticatedFlorida, you already know that my style can be referred to as eclectic. I think of it as a modern mix, and a design philosophy that puts together things that might not seem congruent but which share elements that allow them to cohabit beautifully. So I'm happy browsing through the mid century, Hollywood Regency, modern, Chinoiserie objects that are the "norm" in antiquing in Florida.

But it's when I find folk art, or New England primitives, or found object Americana that I am brought back to my roots of collecting, and nothing makes me quite as happy as a story (or the opportunity to create one). So it won't surprise you that I snapped up this piece when I found it, or that it's the Find of the Week.

1933 Square Dance poster, listed here in my Etsy shop

There are so many levels on which this speaks to me. I love good graphics (on anything) and this poster really has great design to it. And not only has someone saved it, it's been framed in wrapped copper, simple and rustic, in keeping with the poster's style. But here's the real thrill. On the back, handwritten in pencil, is Edw Knecht 1933. What do you suppose the story is? Chance encounter that led to romance? A memory of a cherished date? The signature of a dance partner? I could get carried away weaving a tale.

American or English? I don't know. The location could lead you to believe either. And it doesn't really matter. The charm of the piece requires nothing more than its possibilities. Give me a find like this any day!

I hope your week is filled with wonderful, unexpected moments, the kind stories are made of. - marilyn