ESN Scavenger Hunt for State of The Art

Nothing says Art to me like USA-made glassware.  Since the announcement that Fenton Art Glass is going to close their glass manufacturing operation, my "hoarding" tendencies have been in full gear for the past couple of weeks purchasing Fenton glass.  Fenton Art Glass has been in operation since 1905 and they are still under the Fenton family management.  It is not that I am looking for any special pattern or piece, just pieces that I find pretty.  I normally go for the old carnival or the early pattern glass, but there are some very pretty contemporary pieces.  The ruffled vases with the hand-painted florals and so many colors available.  My postman is going to be busy for the next couple of weeks and it is a good thing that my son does not read my blog. 
 
Went hunting for USA-made glass at the ESN blogger's stores and here is what I found

A vintage Fenton Hobnail Milk Glass Ruffled Edge Vase from ComycGyrl.  This is one of Fenton's most popular and recognized patterns that they have been producing for many, many years.

Next, I found a vintage E.O. Brody Grapes Milk Glass Vase from Eccentric Thrifter.  The E.O. Brody Company was founded in 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio.  They owned their own molds, but did not produce their own glass.  Other US glass factories produced the vases but some crystal vases were produced outside the US for them.  Their glassware was for vases and bowls used by the florist industry.  This grape pattern is one of the prettier Brody pieces.

Last but not least, I found this Tiara Ponderosa Pine Salt & Pepper Shakers offered by Bargain Express.  The Tiara collection was made by the Indiana Glass Company located in Dunkirk, Indiana.  This Ponderosa Pine pattern was made around the 1980s until they closed in the late 1990s.  I think it is one of the prettier "Tiara" patterns by the Indiana Glass Company.

Check these and other ESN sellers for other pretty glassware made in the USA.  And, don't forget to check out my store, CAROLINABLUELADY Vintage Collectibles.

Happy Collecting!

Joe Rice Art Glass

 My grandmother loved to collect the St. Clair toothpick holders made by both Joe and Bob St. Clair.  As most of these were replicas of older patterns produced by other glass companies, St. Clair is more respected for the art glass paperweights that they produced.  Joe Rice's art glass paperweights are still made in the same family traditional way, but he also likes to experiment with new techniques.  Joe Rice is the nephew of Joe and Bob St. Clair.

I have watched them make the paperweights.  It is fascinating how this glob of hot molten glass turns into this beautiful paperweight with the flowers and bubbles encased in glass so clear that it looks like they are suspended in liquid.  I can get lost looking into these beautiful paperweights.

The first time I met Joe Rice in the late 1980s, I took a Greentown chocolate cactus sauce bowl to see if he could use the glass to make me a paperweight vase.  I had dropped the bowl several years earlier and broke it in many pieces.  I was so upset when it broke that my husband tried to glue it back together.  It was really beyond repair.  Well, you can't throw Greentown glass away so I thought maybe Joe could make it into something beautiful again.  He said he could.  As I started to hand him the glued sauce bowl that had missing slivers of glass, he looked at me and said he just couldn't break it.  He handed me the hammer.  So, I broke the Greentown chocolate sauce bowl.  I went back up the next week to pick up my vase and he gave me two vases made with my bowl.  They are so pretty with the caramel flowers in the bottom.

I offer new Joe Rice "paperweight" pieces for sale at my eCrater store.  While I will purchase some pieces already made, I also request certain pieces with the color combinations that I like.  I'm especially fond of pastels on black.  The pink and black is my favorite.  Will be ordering new perfume bottles with this combination soon.  Whether you collect Joe Rice Art Glass Paperweights yourself or are looking for that special gift, please visit CAROLINABLUELADY Vintage Collectibles for

 Joe Rice Art Paperweights                

The ESN Red, White and Blue Scavenger Hunt

The scavenger hunt at ESN this week is Red, White and Blue for the July 4th holiday.  I am at a loss to think of anything clever for Red, White and Blue items.  I mean Red, White and Blue are the colors of our flag - white stars, red and white stripes and the blue square that the white stars are sewn onto.  Nothing clever is popping in my head.  My mother's birthday was on July 4th - we always had a family get-together for her and my sister-in-law baked her cake.  It was always decorated like the American flag with white frosting, blueberries and strawberries. 

Here's my Red, White and Blue............. 

RED

for the Royal Creations In Hawaii Shirt with red and white flower in stripes from

Eccentric Thrifter

WHITE

for the Star Glass Chess Set Glass Chess Men in Limited Edition from

Barb's Bargains 

BLUE

for the United States Navy Trucker Hat from

Embroidery Fashions Boutique

  Please visit these and other eCrater sellers on eCrater Sellers Network.  Hope you all had a fantastic

4th of July!

Sadie Cat and The Cherry Pitter

Some boxes of auction items that my mother purchased, at first glance, do not seem all that interesting.  We really like the boxes of glassware or pottery, but the old iron or metal stuff just doesn't seem all that great.  We just keep pushing them to the side looking for other boxes of real goodies, but sooner or later we are going to have to go through those other boxes. 

We started going through one such box.  There were light fixtures - some of the glass globes were pretty cool.  Then we found this - looked like a sausage stuffer gadget to me.  My brother, sister-in-law and sister weren't too sure.  We just couldn't figure out what else it could be.  So it was one of the items I brought home to do a little research on.  I have a large book of old kitchen items so hopefully, I could find it.

Stamped on the item was:  New Std. Cor. Mt. Joy PA Pat Pending #70.  What was really different was that it had Left Hand stamped on one side and Right Hand stamped on the other side.  The handle is connected with a pin so you could move the handle from one side to the other.  That's cool.  I started looking through my reference book for sausage stuffers.  Can't find one that quite looks like mine.  Tried googling; not much luck; a lot of #50s but doesn't look like mine.  OK, going through the book; page by page.  You know when I start doing that, I start reading about different things that catch my attention.  This became an all afternoon process.  And, then I saw it.  It's a cherry pitter.  Back on the computer looking up cherry pitters #70.  Not many but there are a few to look at.  Looks like mine is missing the bar clamp, but I see where it would attach. 

Not too much information - looks like it was probably made between 1920 to 1930. It is just too cool! Still not too sure exactly how it works, but happy to know what it is. Laid it on my dining room table on the paper I had wrapped it in. Next thing I know, Sadie Cat is laying with the cherry pitter. Has her paw on it and is fast asleep. For several days she gets on the dining table and sleeps with the cherry pitter even when I move it around to different spots of the table. She loves the cherry pitter. 

I wonder if she is going to let me sell it!  It's hard to say "no" to Sadie Cat!