Vintage Ellen Clapsaddle John Winsch Christmas Postcards

(Sold!)

A few of the items I am listing this week for the Christmas in July Sale are a little more than just fun decorations for the holidays. Some of them, if you look closely, have a lot more than meets the eye.





Like some of the vintage postcards. They were artist drawn originally. Signed by popular names like Ellen Clapsaddle and John Winsch. Who were they and what made them famous?



For Ellen, was it the cute depictions like the one above that won the hearts over of many? How about John Winsch? This is probably why I am in this antique business. I wonder about many of these things as items like these pass through my hands on their way to a collector.



Join me this week as I celebrate Christmas in July at Bella Rosa Antiques! I've just listed all of our inventory with a 30 percent reduction in prices....to help you get a jump start on holiday collecting or decorating!



New today are the artist signed vintage postcards (and a few others) and these Christmas Song books. Stuff you just can't find anymore!

Vintage Ephemera ~ Christmas Postcards, Christmas Carol Song Books, Santas & Angels

Today I will be making last minute preparations for the Christmas in July sale here, at Bella Rosa. I found a few more items you may want to check out...a couple of vintage Christmas Carol song books and some of my favorites, vintage Christmas postcards.

Pictures of these latest pieces to follow, soon!




Then once I have these latest items listed...I'll begin marking down the Christmas inventory. The sale runs until July 20th. Ho ho ho!

Vintage Christmas Ornaments, Garlands, Mercury Glass & Figurines

Twas the night before my Christmas in July sale, not a creature was stirring, not even my computer mouse...

I feel like a kid at Christmas... I'm so excited about the sale! (July 14 - 20) I've added many additional items, both old and new. Click here to go straight to the website or check out the preview here:

(Thank you, these have SOLD!)

Vintage Santa Boy Candlesticks made in Japan.

You don't find these very often...large vintage foil honeycomb bells in red and silver.

I love these. Mini Shiny Brite glass ball ornaments. We also have them in multi color. The boxes are cute, too. "Shrunk in the dryer cute" as a friend of mine would say!

And here's a mini silver tree to place them on!

I love the look of this satin & beaded plum Christmas stocking.

A vintage style general store candy jar filled with shabby red glass ornaments. Some may be Shiny Brites.

Ho Ho Ho! Vintage Santa Claus salt n pepper shakers! They're sure to spice up your kitchen... (Thank you, they've SOLD!)

Custom made glitter word garlands...these are fun to display around your house during the holidays. Choose from the words Joy, Give, Wish, and Peace.

From the same company that brings you those adorable Hummel figurines...a vintage 1978 Goebel Annual Santa Ornament, First Edition with it's original gift box.

Thank you, this has SOLD!

And what else would you need besides a key for Santa on Christmas Eve?

The sale starts Monday, July 14th for one week until July 2oth. You may even check for prices to be lowered as early as Sunday night if you want something special and don't want to wait. I'm offering these items to you now at great discount prices before the Christmas rush begins this fall. Enjoy!

Ornaments, Garlands, Beads, and all that GLITTERS

Christmas in July Sale ~ July 14 - 20

Oh the weather outside may not be cold and frightful...in fact it's hot and muggy here in the North East, United States. But we're excited about getting ready for our Christmas in July sale, coming up on Monday the 14th, at Bella Rosa Antiques. You'll find glassware brimming with vintage ornaments, jewelry, beads, garlands, and more! The best part is, they're all on sale, available now before the Christmas rush in October/November.

Here's a glimpse at what's coming up:

These hand crocheted snowflake ornaments are a lost art...starched and everything for that perfect look on the tree. Place them in a lovely vignette or bowl of ornaments too, for a different look.




This vintage collar reminds me of the cute ice skating outfits girls used to wear...I can just picture it now. And the vintage snowflake pin would look great on a chenille coat this coming year.

(Thank you, these have sold!)

Even though traditionalists think red at Christmas, I just can't help resist loading up on vintage pink glass ornaments. Especially when they are as detailed as these!

When was the last time you saw a large mercury glass bell like this?

And these sweet icicle ornaments tied up with pink organdy ribbons may not be old, but they sure do sparkle. A fabulous addition to your tree!

And so will this sweet glass church ornament...

How about a Tussy Mussy filled with goodies?

It's Christmas in July here at Bella Rosa Antiques, all week, the 14th through the 20th. Join us and take advantage of our great prices!

LuRay Pastels - Great Conversation Pieces!

Recently I received a note from a fellow LuRay collector through my website, Bella Rosa Antiques. Not only was I thrilled she contacted me, I was even more thrilled to chat about my FAVORITE dinnerware! She was interested in finding a book on the history of the dishes. I pointed her to this book:

Collector's Guide to T. S. & T LuRay Pastels by Bill and Kathy Meehan. It is available on Alibris, Amazon, and also on Ebay. A bit pricier than when I first bought it in 1994, but I love the book.

While I was emailing her back, she took the initiative (which I greatly admire) to do some research on her own. From the information I had provided on my blog when I wrote about the history HERE, she called the Chester, West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. They in turn, hooked her up with some more great information, which I wanted to pass along to you.

They told her about the Ceramic Museum in East Liverpool, Ohio, just across the river from Chester. I've never been to this museum but I am very interested in visiting it now. The museum's website has several links on it and one links to a web page of Ohio River Pottery. On there I saw another book which has some information about LuRay.

She was also interested in finding out where I found my LuRay "store sign," in the picture below. The Chamber of Commerce hooked her up again with an antique mall in the area that actually had one! The last time we chatted, they were going to get back with her on a price. I found mine on ebay, although mine is a commemorative piece, and not an actual vintage store sign. I think I paid 15.00 plus shipping.


So, not only did I get to have a great conversation with a fellow LuRay collector, I found some more great information I did not know before. She also mentioned a gal at the museum who makes magnets...although I'm not completely clear if they are LuRay magnets. If they are, I am definitely going to inquire about them!

Drop me a line if you have any questions about LuRay, or if you'd like to send a photo or a story about your collection, I could post it for you.

And don't forget the "Christmas in July Sale" going on July 14 - 20th on Bella Rosa Antiques. Stop by the Bella Rosa Antiques mailing list if you'd like a reminder.

Christmas in July Sale ~ Ornaments, Garlands, Trees

Yes, that is a picture of Santa...and yes, it is summer. But what better time to combine two of my favorite things...Christmas and the Fourth of July! To celebrate, I'm having a Christmas in July sale, for one whole week, July 14 - 20!

We'll be getting out the boxed up Christmas items we normally unpack in October to begin selling in our antique booth. Now for the first time ever, they'll be available for sale in JULY in the online store, Bella Rosa Antiques.

You'll find vintage ornmaments in all shapes and sizes, garlands, mini trees, mercury glass, decorations, apothecary jars filled with goodies and figurines. There might even be a few new things in the mix that I have picked up since last year as well. Fun, fun stuff!

If you'd like to be notified of the sale, click here to go to our mailing list. This is the best way to make sure you won't miss it.

Vintage Finds ~ French Book n Postcards ~ Eiffel Tower History

Today I'm taking care of my latest orders, which I love to do. I package each item up very carefully, wrap them in pretty papers with ribbons, and find a special "thank you" gift to put inside each outgoing package. Almost like it is someone'e birthday or Christmas! Oh the thrill!

There is another joy to this business, too. The thrill of the hunt is always fun. Recently I found a few more vintage "treasures" for the website. I hope you find them as interesting as I did!

Thank you, this has sold!

This vintage book titled "Complete French Course" caught my eye. With a copyright date of 1898 I thought it was perfect to list in the antique book category, here.

Then I also came across vintage postcards. I love these. The colorful pictures, graphics, and sayings capture a moment in time...and even better are the handwritten messages found on the back. These two rose postcards are copyrighted 1912 by Heymann. I have an ephemera category for paper items.

Thank you, these two have sold!

Ahhhhh...a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower. Did you know the tower was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. Seven hundred proposals were submitted in a design competition and a man named Gustave Eiffel had a design that was unanimously chosen. Of course, it is beautiful! Surprisingly, many protested it's construction. But it was made...and it took 300 steel workers in two years to build. It was the world's tallest building until 1930. It was almost torn down in 1909 but was saved due to it's antenna needed for telegraphing messages. There are 1652 steps to the top. I have actually been there (but not to the top) and it is magnificent! Ooh la la! Now onto more vintage finds...

And now switching gears, another item which I do not believe is vintage, was too perfect to pass up. Perfect because it is the neatest looking storage / trinket box in a petite little size. It looks like a vintage oriental trunk. Sits so nicely on a stack of books for a nice display or vignette. Or simply stash jewelry in it! This will be listed in the Home Decor category, here.



And as always, you may find new items in the "Just Listed" category by clicking here.

LuRay Pastels ~ Lovely Display Dishes

As promised in my last post which you can find by clicking HERE, I am again writing about LuRay dinnerware. In the previous post, I showed one of my kitchen cabinets but here I thought you might like to see some of my more "specialty" pieces. And these are not easy to come by. Prices in my collection have ranged from believe it or not, $0.10 to a whopping $189.00! (Price of my first mixing bowl... call me crazy!)





Some of my favorites are the serving pieces. There are the usual... creamers, sugars, pitchers, and teapots. Now here is the unusual...I have even found a pitcher that I've never seen in a book before. The surf green pitcher, sitting next to the two green s&p shakers, almost looks like a syrup or a small milk pitcher with it's curved spout. I found it in a tiny little out of the way antique shop in Maine. I think the owner asked fifty cents for it. I was thrilled! I couldn't get my two quarters out fast enough. Although it is not marked LuRay and is not of the typical Empire or Laurel shape .... I think it is a great "Go Along."

The Windsor Blue Juice Pitcher above was acquired after many years of collecting. This one was admittedly, an ebay purchase. They are hard to find! In the background you will see a few of the Persian Cream pieces. One is a small juice tumbler. I have four of these and they are very very rare and hard to find. I bought all four at one of my visits in the mid-nineties to Atlantique City. Yes, I will search high and low for my beloved dinnerware. Half of the fun is the search.

Here are two of my grill (or compartment) plates. I have four of these as well in each of the main pastel colors. With them in the picture are two of the 36's bowls. I have four of each of these as well. My very first piece of LuRay EVER was a surf green 36's bowl. It was sitting in a dusty back room of an antique shop at the beach. I think I paid 6.00 for it back in 1992. I absolutely LOVE the 36's bowls. They are perfect for mixing sauces, a little bit of ice cream, oatmeal, you name it. I hardly use them now because of the height of the shelf they are on. This may be a good thing so I don't break them! The everyday pieces I actually use...like berry bowls and bread and luncheon plates. And for birthdays the cake plates are a must. So fun!

Now here is a cutesy way of displaying the teacups. I do not use these, mainly because I don't drink tea! But, I couldn't resist the display stand.

And what LuRay collection wouldn't be complete without a store sign? This is a commemorative piece and not actual vintage memorabilia. I wish it were. Maybe one day I will come across one. But for now, this is a great addition to my collection.

This week, I've just recently acquired some pieces to sell in the Bella Rosa store. Click here to see what I've added!

Please feel free to email me or leave a comment about your LuRay collection, or if you have any questions. I always love to hear from fellow collectors.

Have a very Bella day!

Venetian Lace School - Italian Works of Art

One of the things that makes Italy such a wonderful place to visit is all of the artwork. While you may be thinking Michelangelo or DaVinci....I'm writing today about a different type of art.



During my first trip to Italy, I visited a lace making school in Venice. The Il Merletto Lace School, to be exact. Of course, I was impressed with the details created by the unique needles. And how interesting it was to see the "tools" used in the process.... mostly the round needlelace pillow as seen being used in the photo below.

Photo courtesy of the Burano Lace website:

http://lace.lacefairy.com/International/Burano.html

I think I was impressed because this is not your ordinary crocheting or knitting. These women were MAKING LACE. I suppose I always thought it was done on a machine. But not here. All done by hand. I have a few pieces of this lace I brought back with me from my trip... available here in our website, Bella Rosa Antiques.

Faux Sweet Treats - Yummy Enough to Eat

I would love to say I spent all morning baking up these lovely delectibles... but the truth is they are faux treats! They look so real and so very yummy. The cake looks marvelous on this pink glass cake stand.
And this tall creation with the pink icing is paired with a shabby vintage transferware plate. The glass cloche was added later and I think makes it even more precious.

And who doesn't want to gobble these two goodies right up? The pink "icing" roses do it for me.

All just listed in Bella Rosa. Mmmmmmmmm......