I am deeply enthusiastic to introduce Rachel, from the visually and gastronomically delicious Heart of Light, who will share with us a few of her favorite vintage things.  Beyond the creative projects and fun crafts she creates, many of us have already enjoyed the tremendous tastes of the recipes she graciously shares.   From her beautiful food photography, I am always inspired to instantly run into the kitchen to try her recipes, which she explains in amazingly accessible terms to even inexperienced bakers such as myself.

Rachel, who is currently on a respectable shopping hiatus, shares her treasure hunting philosophy, “My approach to vintage shopping is to only purchase pieces that resonate with me, that fit in my home, and that will be useful. I love that my kitchenwares are functional display pieces, and I use them all the time.”

My mid century Dansk dishes are definitely some of my very favorite vintage pieces. It started with the little blue dish, which I found at my favorite local thrift store for just $3. Later, I found the larger pieces at the Fairfax flea market and snapped them up. They were incredibly dirty, but a really good cleaning restored them. I love the delicate curved handles, and the bright primary colors make me happy. I couldn’t bear to leave them in the cupboard so I display them on my living room wall and just take them down when I need to use them. (pH Note: How can you not admire a lady who can turn dishes into the perfect installation of mid-century modern art?)

I adore cake stands, and this is the piece that started it all. It’s a vintage pressed glass cake stand that I picked up at an antique mall in my
hometown for $9. I was in the midst of designing a dessert buffet for my sister’s wedding, so I was on the lookout for beautiful pieces that would pop on the table. I later found two more at the Rose Bowl flea market in this exact pattern, so I now have a trio. I’ve since bought quite a few cake stands, both vintage and modern, but this is still my sentimental favorite.

My jadite batter bowl was another Fairfax flea market steal. The vendor was asking $20, but when he saw how much I loved it, he quickly lowered the price to $5 – I was shocked! It’s a heavy, Anchor Hocking piece and I love using it when I’m baking.

Vintage tea cups are a relatively recent obsession although I’ve always loved tea. I was out at a Santa Monica flea market and I found a Wedgwood tea cup and saucer that got me started. Recently, I purchased an amazing fortune telling tea cup from Etsy shop ThorwaldHome.  I’ve been keeping the cups in a little stack on my dining room table so that I can enjoy them even when I’m not drinking out of them.

Thank you kindly Rachel for inviting us over for tea, baked goods, and the joy of using cookery as art! Isn’t it such a delight to see how beautifully her favorite vintage things accentuate her gracious cooking and baking?

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I’m delighted to share with you the vintage treasures that Livy from A Field Journal enjoys in her home.   Her photos perhaps do not need any introduction, as her graceful aesthetic, artistic composition, and nostalgic ambiance are instantly recognizable by those of us who love her work and inspirational blog – which will charm you upon the very first visit.  (P.S. For further Field Journal inspiration, take a “peek” into her drawers from a fun previous pH feature.)

Old Spool: They’re the tiniest among my vintage treasures, but I love them just the same. Colorful, made of wood, and most of them quaintly labeled or stamped with things like “15 cents” and “American Thread Co.”. Last summer I became a pretty dedicated yard sale girl and I bought these one morning from a woman who asked if I sewed.. Well, to be honest I’m still working on that skill but maybe one day.

Like a Glove: My most recent (and favorite) vintage acquisition. I went antiquing over Christmas break with my roommate, and we hunted through booths and booths before I finally settled on these. The best parts: they’re pale pink, with delicate embroidery and tiny scalloped edges, plus they really do fit just perfectly.

Snapshots: I have such a habit of gravitating toward old paper things – letters, envelopes, photos, old packaging – I’ve been hooked since the first 1918 postcard I bought at an antique store in northern California five years ago. The photo above is one of a small collection that I picked out at the local flea market in West Hollywood. When and why did photos stop having pretty scalloped edges like that?

Lamp: I bought this at an estate sale last summer for only a dollar. It’s has a mid century shape but its soft off white color is so versatile. It’s the perfect bedside table lamp.

Thank you SO much Livy for sharing a few of your favorite vintage things! Stop by for tea tomorrow with the next series guest contributor — whose creative craft projects and delicious recipes may have already made their way into your home!

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With great excitement, I would like to like to introduce a new weekly series here on Poetic Home entitled “A Few of My Favorite Vintage Things.”  Each week, I will happily feature creatives from around the blogosphere who will graciously share their favorite treasures and the stories behind each.  I can’t wait to share with you the guests (some who may just be your favorite artists and bloggers) that we will have this week, starting tomorrow!

To start the series, I would like to share with you a few of my favorite furniture things.  While I do love whiskers on kittens and brown paper packages tied up with string, I also love card catalogs and vintage desks.  Here is a peek into my home and some of the treasures that call to my vintage-loving heart.

Antique library card catalogs have historically escaped me.  Some escaped me via a faster driver from Craigslist, while others were simply out of my budget.  However, one day, as my husband and I were strolling through an antique mall, we spotted this beauty — just in time for our anniversary!   I had to wait around the corner to wait for another admirer to walk away before we swooped it and lugged it home.  It was so serendipitous, and indeed, this vintage card catalog is one of my very favorite things.   It has transformed many times — from a buffet in my dining room holding silverware — to its current rendition of a “bookshelf,” inspired by what Darwin may have enjoyed in his home library.

In my world, this is the desk that launched a thousand words.   After graduating from college, I started my writing career at this very desk, whose aged lines exuded literary wisdom to me.   I took the name of this piece, “a 1930s ladies writing desk,” quite seriously and literally.  While my dual monitors and bulky PC tower no longer fit on the desk,  I love sitting here on the weekends and typing letters and poems.   Another favorite vintage treasure in this photo is the “Paris” hat box, which my husband — on his very own — found in an antique mall for my birthday a few years ago.  It was the perfect soul mate to my treasured desk.

Originally from an old San Diego theater, this pair of theater seats is one of my favorite pieces.  Not only does the wood patina glow, but it’s amazingly comfortable and ergonomic too!  Flip up the seats and there are “hat racks,” perfect for a time where wardrobes were more stylish and culture was gentler.  My husband and I drink wine and watch movies from the comfort of these chairs.

Tune in tomorrow for another “a few of my favorite things” installment from a very special guest contributor!

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