FABULOUS WINE RINSER COLLECTION

I recently picked up a large collection of wine rinsers at estate sale here in Dallas. They apparently did not know what they were. Wine rinsers were made and used from about 1750s-1850s to rinse and cool your wine glass. They were part of the table setting and in between courses,and obviously changes in wine, you would tip your glass into the rinser filled with cold water resting the stem in the spout. Your server would then remove the glass dry it, remove the rinser, and refresh the water for the next course. Sounds lovely does it not.
     The collection I picked up for $150 included several of each of the rinsers shown. I did find the purple rinsers on line which sold for $280 each. I do love the pleasing shapes and may find them hard to part with. Perhaps a few will be gifted to some wine loving friends. Tracy

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MY NEW VINTAGE GUCCI SCARF

This awesome vintqage Gucci scarf resides above my dressing table. I found it at a warehouse sale of an antique dealer. As you can somewhat  see from the last photo it was amongst quite an assortmant of other dusty "treasures". It was behind a stack of stuff with only the yellow border showing. I had to contain my excitement when Jeff the owner of all this stuff pulled it out, framed well and ready to go. Now the bugs and mushrooms are mine all mine. Is it not amazing how much better it looks in its new abode?

Happy hunting~Tracy

SEA SHELLS IN PHILLY, WHO KNEW?

I just spent a week moving our daughter from Boston to Philadelphia for grad school. What a wonderful and historically rich city. In between unpacking and shopping for necessities we found time explore. We went to the Museum of Fine Art(remember Rocky running the steps?) boathouse row, a guided tour(a family friend being the guide)of the historical district and of course ate a Philly cheesesteak! I also was able to sneak out and do a little treasure hunting.  What I found was Phantastic Phinds just outside the city in Erdenheim. As you may guess ph replaces the letter f in many names around the Philly.  What a cute little place it was, owned by a young couple about to have their 1st child who started the business out of their garage!

What I found was this vintage shell frame with a classic ship print, perfect for a powder room or little boys room. It also fit nicely in my suitcase!

Phun Phind~Tracy

GALVESTON BEACH~THE PAINTING

I found this enchanting oil painting at an estate sale in a modest home in east Dallas.  It is by deceased Dallas artist Helen Cuthbertson. Apparently there is more of her work around town, most it seems found at estate sales! I hung this piece above our bath towels(as shown in last photo), as my husband said, we can pretend they are beach towels. I do love contemporary art especially when it still warms your heart! We will have this piece for a long, long time!. Cost $75 whole dollars!~Tracy

VINTAGE MOSAIC COFFEE TABLE~NOTHING ORDINARY ABOUT IT!

 I picked up this vintage mosaic coffee table at a area consignment shop. It had just come in and was still sitting out front on the sidewalk.  Needless to say it did not make it inside. I believe it was made in the 1950's.  As much as I loved this piece I could not make it work in our home.  It now resides in one of my favorite friends and designer's living room here in Dallas.  I certainly can not keep all the great things I find(I am a minimalist at heart) so I love finding and being on the look out for friends as well.~Tracy

LIME` DOLLS~A FACE FOR ALL

The first time I saw a Lime`doll I was enchanted.  I was drawn to her simplicity and strong design. That she was a beautiful bride and we have 2 daughters meant that I had to have her!  Since that first find I have learned more about them as well as picked up a couple more.  The dolls were first designed and produced in 1981 at the Lime`factory in the Dominion Republic town of Santiago.  They were a popular souvenir for visitors. It is said the faceless dolls represent the country's ethnic and cultural diversity.  Although the  Lime`factory closed several years ago they can still be found  through private collectors(ie estate sales). Other D.R. artisans now make the faceless dolls but the designs and quality of the originals are hard to match. Tracy

ITS NEVER TOO LATE TO PICK UP A GREAT SOUVENIR

I visited Copenhagen with my Mother and Grandmother while in high school (quite awhile ago). Of course we saw the Little Mermaid in the city's harbor. I did not pick up a souvenir while there.  When I saw this one at a recent estate sale I just had to have her. She is made of real copper on a real rock, wow. They just don't make souvenir's like they used to. Memories of a wondrous trip with the two most important women in my life who are now gone flooded back to me. Now I will be reminded often. It is never too late to pick up a great souvenir. Tracy

MOROCCAN GATEWAY TO JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE

I had this Moroccan gate piece for years. It is a great mix of green and rust.  It has found itself straight up and down in a staircase landing, horizontally above kitchen

cabinets and outside on the wall of a balcony. It has been passed along to a friend and resides as a trellis with growing ivy in her garden.

Tracy 

           

THE SHEEP THAT FOUND ITS WAY... TO THE 11TH FLOOR

Meet our family pet, Grazie. Since high rise living is not really conducive to pets, she is our best alternative to date. I picked her up(she didn't even wiggle) at an estate sale years ago. One of our daughters wants to adopt her when she is graduates from school. I guess the burden of her care will be ours for another four years! 

Tracy

BASKET OF FLOWERS AT YOUR BREAKFAST TABLE~DAILY

I have never seen a chandelier I love as much as this one. It has beautiful crystal and tole flowers suspended in a crystal beaded basket. Refreshing ,whimsical and graceful without taking itself too seriously. Love it!

My dear friend Mary Alice found this beautiful chandelier at the Paris flea  market and shipped home while her home was under renovation. It became the icing on the cake in her breakfast room.

I have made her promise if she sells the house she will gift it to me.

(now it is in writing and the world is my witness) Tracy                                              

WILL SHAKESPEAR ON DISH DUTY?

William Shakespear has joined me while at the kitchen sink for the last 15 years.  I picked him up at a yard sale years ago and he has kept me company while doing the dishes in four different homes. He is made of terra cotta about the size of a grapefruit.  I believe he was a under appreciated high school art project. I am not sure if I adpopted him or he adopted me. To me he is just Will. Tracy

THE PAGODA THAT GOT AWAY

For all of the great finds I come across there are always the  finds that got away.   When someone gets there before you and takes the item with them, ignorance is bliss. When it sits there with a sold tag on it, it can be painful!  

This good looking cement garden pagoda was not ancient but good old vintage and stood about 3 feet tall.(note past tense verbage)
The white sticker on top reads $10 with the word sold written over it. Grrrr, Tracy

IRON EUCALYPTUS LAMP WITH ALABASTER BASE, A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

 This refreshing lamp resides in our guest room.(Please disregard the yet to be made bed in the mirror, thankfully our guest room gets lots of use!) It is hand painted iron with a alabaster base. I thought it was cheerful without being too cute. I found it at an estate sale for about $45 and as with most lamp finds had to replace the shade. 

Tip- Always check the wiring of "found" lamps to be sure they are safe. Also, if you are buying to resell always buy lamps in pairs!
Tracy

SIMPLE CAPODIMONTE, WHO KNEW?

For Capodimonte this mirror is as simple as it gets!  I had never seen  a piece as streamlined  before. I have always admired Capodimonte before but since my taste run toward clean and easy, I had never run across a piece I had to have , until now. It is 24 inches round and I picked it up at a consignment shop for about $95.  Tracy 

COFFEE TABLE TURNED BENCH, MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE!

At consignment stores and estate sales coffee tables are abundant and not usually quick sellers.  This makes for a good selection and pricing to match.  Benches on the other hand are not as abundant and usually gone before you get there. (did I mention I have a weakness for benches, I use them everywhere)   I bought this coffee table turned bench at a consignment store for $40.00.  It had a thin and chipped piece of glass on it which I promptly discarded, sent it to the upholsterer spent another $100 or so and now have this great looking bench. I am ready to change the fabric on this again so I will post an update when I do. One good thing about recovering benches or stools is that they don't require much fabric so you can either splurge on something more expensive than you normally would or the other extreme, you may have a remnant left over from another project that would work well with you you have. Tracy

MASSIVE ALABASTER LEAF

Have I mentioned I have a thing for alabaster?  It will be a frequent visitor here on Urban Picker. Unlike the grapes which you can find now and then, this is the only alabaster leaf platter I have ever seen. Trust me if had found another it would also be mine!

It sits in front of the window atop our built in computer workspace. The light coming through sets it aglow. It measures 18 inches long and 12 inches high. Some tranquility amidst the madness.

I found this several years ago at an estate sale. It was in the garage and a little on the crusty side and it was $4. This leads me to a "hunting" tip.
While at an estate sale always head for the garage not last, but first. All those things in the living room that are all spiffed up and known treasures and will be priced accordingly. But unknown treasures lurk (albeit a little crusty)in the garage and are usually priced to get rid of!  If anyone has something like this or runs across one I would love to see it!
Happy hunting, Tracy

FABULOUSLY "SERIOUS" ALBASTER GRAPES

If there is  any such thing as serious fake grapes these would be the ones.
They are vintage(probably 1960s) made in Italy of alabaster and are large.  The large bunch is 15 inches long the smaller one 10 inches with beautiful natural stems.  I bought these at an area consignment store for $40 or so.

You can find alabaster grapes at high end antique shops as well as kitchy inexpensive shops.  They usually range in price from $95-$295. Many of them are dyed funky bright colors and have a thick coat of shiny varnish which is not easy to remove. I have tried to strip grapes in the past and it was not pretty, nor did it work very well. So hold out for ones that are ready to be seen. I like to save the color for the many fun acrylic grapes that you can find. Check out my older posts for a good example.

What I love about grapes is that the only truly serious ones are rippening in vineyards, I am grateful for those too! Tracy