¬†I consider myself quite lucky…Jennifer Froh’s Mother In Law Judy, responded to my post from yesterday with some helpful tips on what¬†you should¬†look for when antiquing for china.

Now that I have received this valuable¬†information, I face an even bigger dilema…do I keep them for myself, sell on my site, or make something lovely using the¬†china I purchased ?¬† That is the question of the day.

Judy, thank you for your kindness…I am going to post your answer below so others might learn from what you¬†most willingly shared with¬†me…You are very lucky to have Jennifer as a daugther (in law) …she is a kind, caring¬†and very giving person

FROM JUDY:

Hello, Jo. I’m Jenny’s Mother-in-Law, Judy Froh Harkins. I love your Haviland cups and saucers, and I saw the chip you referred to. You are exactly right about the poor lighting in the antique shops. Here are a couple of tips. 1) Carry with you a small flash light or pen light, magnifying glass and a measuring tape. These items are indispensable when antiquing. I have been known to take an item to the entrance door to see in daylight. Also sometimes the shop will have these items at the counter. 2) On all glass, crystal, or china hold each piece you are considering in your hands with your eyes closed. Slowing and with a light touch slide one finger along all edges including the bottom. This way you may feel a chip or pump that is not visible to you. This technique has saved me many times from making a purchase I would have been disappointed with. Now, as far as your purchase is concerned, they are lovely. Whether they are a match is a little difficult to determine on the computer. It looks like the aqua design may be slightly different, however, that could be intentional by the artist; I would look closely at that and the colors. The fact that the circle of the saucer is a little larger than the cup bottom leaves a question mark in my mind. There is a term used in antiquing, a “marriage” which means that two pieces such as a top and bottom are not original to each other, put fit and/or look good together. I have seen this many times, i.e., a cookie jar where the top and bottom are the same design but were not of the same mold. They go together, but don’t fit as well as they would if they were originally made together. The same could be true of a sugar bowl and its lid, or lamp and shade, or candy dish and top, or cup and saucer. The pattern is a lovely one and both pieces look beautiful together and I would use them together, of course, giving the chipped cup to myself rather than a guest! One other thought-It seems unlikely to me that Haviland would have made two different patterns so close in design that it would be difficult to tell them apart from each other. There are some wonderful antique books you can get from Amazon.com that deal with crystal, china, and glass. I know there is one on Fenton Glass and one on Westmoreland Milk Glass; maybe you could find one about Haviland that would show the different patterns and when they were produdced. Good luck to you with your endeavors, and I hope this info is helpful to you

For more pictures please check the post titled “For My Site…Before And Eventually After” under the “Goodies On The Way Category”

Love to All   JO

CIAO!

 

I have a few goodies of soon to be product for my boutique ala Jo ….I am in the throws of a creative decision so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated…

First:

I found these beautiful Limoge cups and saucers at an antique mall close to my home…now…one thing I have learned is¬†they keep the lighting very low and there is a great reason¬†for that… you don’t see any imperfections until after you have purchased the item…this does not however detract from their beauty and vintage finds mean just that… they are “older” and will have slight chips, cracks, or dents from use…¬†time worn… Wondering what the¬†history behind these lovelies can be an exciting thought to ponder… Whose lips¬†have this cup touched?¬† Scarletts? Now I live in the South so visions of Gone With the Wind come to mind…however I am not sure these cups are quite that old but¬†still it’s great¬†fun to go there.

Upon closer inspection… I noticed a small chip¬†in only one cup…however, there are other subtle discrepencies¬†that were a bit harder to determine until I got them home…two of the cups do not seem to match up to the¬†saucers exactly ( by that I mean the cup seems smaller at the bottom than the area to place it is) and only one of the four saucers says patent applied for…¬†Also they may not actually be from the same? set, so close, but with a very slight pattern variation, this I am not sure about though… the numbers on the back seem to match from what I can tell..¬†but I am blind even with my glasses on or so it seems…¬† I have taken some pictures do let me know what you think…

  

 

My creative juices are kicking in if you are interested in a custom order please contact me or any suggestions you might have would be appreciated.

Now on to my other find…

These cute little ditties need no explanation really…

 

These darling shelves are of course going to have something wonderful painted on them… what I like is they are flat enough on the top to place items on or they have a routed edge for plates. How cool is that?

Please check back often to see what artistic ideaology I may have bestowed upon them.  I am getting excited!

Love To All    JO

CIAO!!