Figural Solid Perfumes

For a while I have collected Estee Lauder solid perfumes. These beautiful little metal perfume compacts hold a solid form of fragrance. Each figural case is a goldtone or silvertone hinged box. They come in a wide array of subject matters...carnival, circus, gardening, animals, fruit, musical instruments and the list goes on.

The cases are enameled and bejeweled. So much sparkle and color makes these compacts a real real joy to look at. I could just look at them for a long time...and the Estee Lauder scents are divine.

I display them in an antique vitrine with glass shelves. I think they look so nice in there. I placed a couple of old southern belle figures with them...

This is view of the vitrine in what my niece calls the "fancy room"...as you can see the perfumes sit on the top shelf. On the second shelf are some of my antique and vintage snowmen. On the bottom shelf is my antique German kugel collection. At sometime I will share these collections.

Some of the perfumes a violin, apple, treasure chest, acorn, Cinderellas coach, picture frame, book, bird....

Another angle...you can see a cactus, dragonfly, crown, sand castle...

Hat on a stand, circus tent with a girl on the flying trapeze and a ferris wheel..had a lot of trouble getting a good angle...


This is what they look like when they are open...you can see the solid perfume...

The top perfume is a jeweled mermaid holding a pearl, Cinderella's jeweled pumpkin coach and a birdbath...



Here they are open...so pretty

This is one of my favorites...a circus tent


Here it is open...can you see the lady on the trapeze...she actually swings and to the left is a little black bear on a stand...the compact opens at the bottom to access the perfume...

So there you have it...lovely Estee Lauder solid perfumes...you can actually find these at yard sales as they are often given as gifts and people just keep them in the boxes and not use them...after a while out they go...we have found a lot of older ones this way. There is a great book about these little darlings...

Thanks for letting me share...be sure to visit our hosts blog...just click on the link to Romantic Home on the right side of my blog...

Elizabeth

Old Flower Prints and more

It is Show and Tell Friday so I thought I would take an opportunity to share...
I adore anything related to gardening...so I like to surround myself with these things. Why not?! In one of our bathrooms I have hung old framed floral prints which we have found at yard sales, flea markets or in lots at estate sales. They are always very affordable which makes collecting them very nice. I hang them wherever I have a spot. My photos really do not do justice to these prints...they are hung on peach painted walls which make a nice backdrop. I don't care what color or shape the frames are...I like the eclectic look. My sister Catherine goes a little crazy of they are not straight...even hanging cockeyed doesn't bother me...I just like them!

Here is a gathering of some of the prints...I am partial to flower bouquets displayed in vases...I have a couple that are just a bunch of flowers but the rest are cut flowers in a container.

This print had lots of golds and metallics in it...unfortunately I just could not photograph it well...it hangs over an old mission three shelf stand with one drawer...

I keep catalogs in an old painted flower pot for guests to look at when the need comes...I continue the flower theme even here.


Flowers again take precedent in the old three legged rose bowl I use for disposable cups...the soap is floral as well as the candle holder.

Cotton balls are kept in an antique hair receiver painted with roses....

Q tips are stored in an old covered candy jar painted with all sorts of flowers and creams, lotions and potions are sitting atop an antique Limoges pin tray painted with yellow roses.

More prints on a wall....

Still more prints...I really didn't realize how "obsessed" I was with anything floral in this bathroom...it blends so nicely the use is is subtle not overpowering...I wish I could have taken more photos of all the prints but the glare was a bit obstructive...They are everywhere...and I just love it...Floral prints are a great collectible as they are very affordable, easy to display, relaxing to look at...gee the positive list goes on...I always get lots of ohhs and ahhs when anyone enters this room for the first time....

Thanks for taking a peek...Elizabeth

Old Garden Cloches

I adore all things related to gardening. There is such a pleasure to going through seed catalogs when they start arriving in January. Watching local garden centers start to get ready for spring is delightful. Walking into a greenhouse when they are being seeded and seedlings transplanted into fresh soil has an odor that is equally as heady as that of fully bloomed oriental lilies, peonies or roses. A few years ago I sold my greenhouse business to a husband and wife team that always wanted to run this type of business. I had two 100 foot greenhouses I wholesaled from. I also had a 50 foot retail greenhouse attached to retail store. So early January into spring was always busy. When a greenhouse door was opened with fresh seedlings sitting on benches that sight was magical to me.

After selling the property I missed it but did not give up my love for gardening. My new husband built me a greenhouse and turned his backyard over to me. With the help of my nephew Caleb the bones were created for a spot for me to garden.

Gardening is not just reserved for plant stock. There is a whole world of tools, pottery, glass, crockery, baskets, sundials, cement items, rock and stone, books and of course the list goes on. I love this whole aspect of gardening...especially the antique and vintage items. They are lovely to look and also fun to just ponder and think about. So today I share with you a few of my garden cloches....also referred to as garden bell jars. There are many forms for all sorts of uses as well as materials used to form them.


This is an antique french glass cloche. These have great form and color. Cloches were placed over seedlings in the early spring that would protect them from chills and winds. They allowed a farmer to plant a bit earlier to get a jump on the season. The old glass has a green tint and is just beautiful. Very often you will see these without glass knobs on the top. I have learned that french farmers would have long rows of these in their fields. The hot sun would often burn the young seedlings and the knob being in the center was where the heat concentrated....so the farmer would take a stick of some sort and walk up and down the rows knocking the tops of. This cloche still has its top but it is rough to touch.

This antique glass bell jar has a different form as the other one pictured...it is wider and lower to the ground...I have stored some old canoes and Indian dolls under it (I also collect old souvenir mailers from the Adirondacks).

In the background is a square cloche which I believe is English. This is much smaller than the other two pictured. It is sitting amongst some of the examples I have of old metal flower frogs...I guess by this time you have realized I collect many things. I have come to find most collectors are not limited to one thing...most collectors are actually collectors of collections!

This cloche is an early 1990's Wolff pottery rhubarb forcer, one or two I display in my garden. This piece is actually signed and dated by Guy Wolff. While not vintage or antique it is a wonderful piece...I love it...The photo above is of my tomato bed last year.

I hope my entry has explained a little bit about the history of cloches. Aren't they wonderful...so great to look at and think about...

Spring is just around the corner...Yippee!!!!!

Elizabeth