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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Vanity Fair


What's It Wednesday #20


If you’ve followed our blog for a while, you know that there’s very few collections we shy away from. This week I want to share a work in progress with you. In progress because a collection is never really finished, is it? I'm in awe of all the beautiful dressing tables and vanities I’ve seen in blog land. So, I'm working on my own!

It started with a desire for a pretty powder jar for my dresser. As I kept my eyes peeled, I’d find one here and there and learn as I’d go. I found so many unusual pieces rouge pots, hair receivers, even toothbrush holders!  Plus, they came in so many different materials from porcelain, brass, sterling, ormolu, even Bakelite! Nevertheless, I knew I loved leaded glass with the silver tops, so I decided to start there.

This powder shaker is my absolute favorite! Even the dealer who sold it to me didn’t know how it worked. As I cleaned it, I found a tiny lever that slides out to release the powder. Amazing! The repoussé on this piece is incredible.

Well, just pretty jars on the dresser were somewhat bland. So, I found a silver tray to hold a hair brush, mirror, and a clothes brush I’d accumulated all adorned with this gorgeous nymph with flowing hair.

These pieces were all found separately, but inspired by the mirror, which was the first find of the group.

Once I found the basic pieces, I too thought I was done and happy.

Then came the nail file followed by the buttonhook.  Now, I’m always on the lookout for something unique and useful  for the vanity set.

 I leave you with my latest find, this cute little hat brush! The design on the handle is gorgeous! So the hunt continues, and the collection grows…

Hugs,
Patti
And thank you all for participating in our "What's It Wednesday" party!
Don't forget to grab a feature button.
Ivy and Elephants 

92 comments:

Jill said...

You have gathered some very beautiful pieces!

Lee Caroline - A World of Inspiration said...

I absolutely love the pieces of silver you have. My mother has a collection on her dresser but not as beautifully ornate as yours, Hers is English silver. However, She has the most exquisite little perfume bottle which is like a little birds egg with a silver top. If you do a search on my blog for "duck egg blue" I have a picture of it there if I remember rightly.

Thank you again for letting me link up,I hope to link up again.

Lee

Ann@A Sentimental Life said...

Your silver pieces for your vanity is gorgeous! It is so fun to hunt for a new treasure!

Carlene @ Organized Clutter said...

I always look forward to your collections. They are AWESOME!

Blessed Serendipity said...

Your dresser set is gorgeous! The detail and beauty in older things make these items such treasures. Thank you for hosting the party. I love the things you have highlighted.

Danielle

Jillian's Bella Rosa Antiques said...

Wow, you don't hold back on your colletions....GORGEOUS pieces. Absolutely lovely.

Trisha said...

I don't think I have met a collection of yours that I didn't LOVE!

~Trisha

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Your vanity set is stunning. Such fabulous silver. Thanks for hosting. Hugs, Marty

Rachel @ Thrifty Inspirations said...

Thank you so much for the feature! I absolutely love your silver vanity set, it is stunning!

Anonymous said...

Hi Patti! Oh, my, what beautiful vanity pretties you have! Love the pretty designs on the silver and I've never even heard of some of the things you have! I do know, all of these lovelies make you a gorgeous vanity!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Jennifer @ Town and Country Living said...

What a beautiful collection you have! Thanks for stopping by my blog last week and letting me know about your linky party! Thanks for hosting!

Julie Marie said...

Oooh Patti... stunning is the word that comes to mind... and so exquisite!... I just love your vanity tresors... you know I always fall in love with your collections!... and you display everything so beautifully... how I would love to spend an afternoon just lingering at your home... chatting with you about all of your tresors from the past... listening for whispers of stories they might tell... xoxo Julie Marie

NanaDiana said...

What a beautiful collection you have put together! It is just gorgeous. I have never seen a powder dispenser like the one you found. Gorgeous piece! Lovely features here tonight, too. Blessings-xo Diana

Angie @ Knick of Time said...

Love all your vanity pieces - they're beautiful! You have such gorgeous collections.

Blessings,
Angie @ Knick of Time

Kim @ French Country Antiques said...

I love sterling and crystal together! What a collection you have started! Thanks for hosting!

FABBY'S LIVING said...

I love this collection too! You have the best ones. I'd love to collect these pieces, but they'll be hard to find around here and I would be frustrated, lol.. Thank you for hosting this great party. Hugs,
FABBY

Candylei said...

All the details are beautiful! Great collection. I love looking at silver pieces too for the kitchen.

VintageGramma said...

I love that the pieces match even though you did not find them together! You are a master treasure hunter!! I've always admired those silver vanity sets and I have often imagined brushing my strawberry blonde, waist length curls while gazing into a silver hand mirror. Only, I don't have waist length curls or strawberry blonde hair, but that's besides the point! The vanity set is beautiful! :) Silver is absolutely classic and my favorite!

Heaven's Walk said...

What a gorgeous collection, Paula! There's just something about the beauty of that old silver that is so special. I ended up storing my everyday stainless silverware set and pulling out my MIL's vintage set to use each day. I LOVE the depth and warmth of that old silver. :)

xoxo laurie

Tracy said...

Patti, that is a fabulous collection, I just absolutely love every single piece!

Karena said...

Hi Ladies,
Thank you so much for having me!! It looks like there are many creative projects and collections, especially your beautiful silver!

I hope you will come and see my new Annie Sloan projects!

xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena

SwedishCorner ~ DownUnder...Pernilla said...

Such an amazing collection!! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
... Thanks for hosting :)

Greetings from Australia♥
~Pernilla

Katie Mansfield said...

I love your beautiful blog.
This is my first time linking up. Thank you for hosting.
Katie
Let's Add Sprinkles

SantaBarbaraTalk.blogspot.com said...

Oh my....what a gorgeous collection! I would love to purchase some of those lovely vanity items, but they have become hard to find and quite pricey! I was lucky to find a gorgeous set on a silver tray for a big anniversary for dear friends. They loved it as much as I loved finding it. Thanks so much for sharing.

Nann said...

I LOVE your dresser accessory collection. Every piece is absolutely beautiful.

YOur standouts are all wonderful and I need to go to each and everyone of them. Hope to get to alot of the links this week too. Thanks for hosting such great parties!!

Nann

Karen said...

Wow Patty, that is a beautiful collection. Each piece is extraordinary. Thanks for hosting!

Kathryn J Cain said...

First time visit.Love to see some one who knows the value of Silver and of using our treasures daily.I will be BACK and love the Antiques is Green is posted on yur site.
Thank you again,Kathryn
www.katskalamities.blogspot.com

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

What a gorgeous collection for your dresser Patti!

Cottage and Broome said...

As usual a beautiful collection! Love pretty silver so elegant. Thanks for hosting again this week, Laura

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

Oh my gosh.

What a gorgeous collection!

LOVE it!

Your dressing tabletop is stunning, I cannot believe how pretty that stuff is! They sure did know how to do things beautifully back in the day.

Now all we tend to see is yucky plastic!

Love your collections...and thank you for hosting a wonderful linky party!

Debra@CommonGround said...

these are all absolutely gorgeous, what a wonderful collection! just linked up, thanks for hosting!!

Gail said...

What a beautiful collection! I have learn so much from my visits here. Thanks for hosting and hope you have a wonderful day, Gail

Tina said...

Who could resist the urge to sit down and primp with all those pretty things on a vanity. Great features this week.

Thank you for hosting and sharing.

Di@Cottage-Wishes said...

Great collection, that hat brush is so charming. Everytime I see the things you post I want to collect those! Happy Day, Di@cottage-wishes

Rose Jesky said...

Thanks so much for featuring my soup! This made my day. Hope you have a wonderful day,
Rose

Tracey@Breathing English Air said...

What a beautiful collection. Everything looks so pretty together.

Shirley@Housepitality Designs said...

You have the most wonderful collections...I especially love this romantic collection...I have never seen a hat brush or that exquisite nail file...Gorgeous items...

Thank you for sharing these lovelies and for hosting...
Truly remarkable items...

Curtains in My Tree said...

Girl

You have everything I love. However I think I sold most of my dresser pieces , I have been trying to clear our or declutter some of my small collections , but I love them

You always have the best of everthing

beautiful

Rooms by Ann said...

Those are so beautiful. You have a great collection. I love them. Thanks for sharing.And thanks for hosting.

Shenita @ Embellishments by SLR said...

What gorgeous pieces! I've always loved the look of dressing tables with exquisite perfume bottles and silver accents. Beautiful!

The Charm of Home said...

Beautiful vanity pieces! Thank you for hosting!
Sherry

www.silber-rosen-blogspot.comjohansn said...

Hi Patti,
oh, I am in awe when I see your pretty vanity things. You chose so beautiful, when you decided for silver items. The Hanau manufacturers made a lot of those sweet things, too. They where en vogue until the 60th here. I love this collection! Thank you for sharing and for hosting this beautiful event.
Best greetings, Johanna

Johanna Gehrlein said...

Hi Patti,
oh, I am in awe when I see your pretty vanity things. You chose so beautiful, when you decided for silver items. The Hanau manufacturers made a lot of those sweet things, too. They where en vogue until the 60th here. I love this collection! Thank you for sharing and for hosting this beautiful event.
Best greetings, Johanna

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Hi Patti - your dresser set is amazing and reminds me of your artist finishes you often post about. The pieces look like they have always been together. Wonderful finds indeed. Thanks for hosting.

polkadotpeticoat said...

You have thee most beautiful collections....Did you ever find out about your Father whether he was the first?

Anne said...

What a beautiful collection you have.Thank you for hosting.
Anne

Our Hopeful Home said...

Lovely collection!

Geneva said...

I always enjoy seeing your lovely collections, and this one is beautiful. It was also nice to see all your features from last week. Thank you for hosting!
Blessings!
Geneva

Lauren @ My Wonderfully Made said...

How I wish I lived in a time that USED all of these beautiful pieces! Well, maybe NOT since they probably didn't have air conditioning and internet but STILL -- they're SO pretty!

Katherine said...

Happy to join in the fun. I have added both blogs. I would like to put your button on my blog hop page. I can't seem to find it though ( my eyes...). I did see the feature button. xox

Amy Chalmers said...

You have an awesome blog over here!! I loved seeing your dresser set~I have a few pieces myself, but not as many lovely ones like your hat brush! Learned that one today~thanks for featuring my Mora clock too, that was a treat!

Anonymous said...

Oh my!! Your collection is gorgeous and who knew??? A hat brush....how interesting is that? I have a friend who collects the same thing and for Christmas I was able to find a gorgeous silver trimmed mirror for her collection. Thank you for hosting this fun day. xo

Laurel Stephens said...

I think those are the most beautiful silver pieces I've ever seen.

The Tablescaper said...

What a gorgeous new collection. Love the powder jar. I have one that was my grandmother's but I don't think it has such an intricate mechanism. I'll have to go check it out!

- The Tablescaper

Antiques And Teacups said...

What a wonderful collection. Just lovely! It is so fun to find unusual pieces.
Ruth

Little Miss Maggie said...

You have a beautiful collection of vanity items. Love your photography. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the reminder, I'm linked and thanks for another wonderful blog hop! Hugs Marilou

Cindy Adkins said...

Another absolutely lovely collection! You've inspired me to look for a few of these items for my own dressing table. How fun!
Cindy

Revi said...

Another lovely collection! Your collections are top notch. You have such an eye for lovely things, Patti.
Thanks for hosting the party!
-Revi

Cristina Garay said...

Hi Patti, Thanks a lot for the feature! What a beautiful collection you have! Thanks for hosting another great party!

Veronica said...

Hi Patti. Thank you for stopping by and inviting me over! You always have the most enchanting vignettes. I have not visited in a while so am thrilled that you reminded me that I was missing out! Thanks Hun! That is a wonderful collection of goodies and it looks so girly and pretty. You have some amazing treasures...

Veronica
xx

blossoms vintage chic said...

Hi Patti,
Thank you so much for your visit and your sweet words!
This post is just beautiful and your silver collection is breathtaking!
The powder dispenser is my favorite...don't you just love the hunt!
xoxo
Debbie

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

My darling Patti,

I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! YOU TOO are a believer. I knew it!!!!!!!!!

OK, your collection of fine antiques is exquisite. Your displays are professional and just SUBLIMES!!!! And I hope that your Easter was a reflective and joyous time, and your visit was a sweet surprise to my heart. School is almost over my friend, and I will be returning in September as a substitute teacher. I am looking forward to that while pursuing other areas of my interests.....may you continue to shine your light in the classroom and beyond!!!!!!! LOVE, Anita

Doni said...

How lovely! It's just so romantic and feminine...and the sheen of the silver handles! Wow...
Who wouldn't want a lovely spot like that to sit at and primp!
Blessings, Doni

Diana said...

Absolutely gorgeous collection. I just love sterling and glass. I have my mothers sterling silver dresser set....I need to pull it out, shine it up and display it so I can enjoy it every day. Thank you for the inspiration ladies.
Tootles

Diana

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

I read your blog and then I want to go shopping!! YOu have the best collections and I love the powder jars...didn't know about them, but now I want some!!

Miss Gracie's House said...

That is such a pretty collection~that little brush is exquisite!
Rene'

Donna@Conghaile Cottage said...

You have touched my heart with your post. I have ALWAYS loved such "Vanity Fair" and have collected it along my life's journey! The funny thing I found out along that journey is that LOTS of these were made on the NEXT STREET over from where I was brought up...The name of the street was "SILVER STREET"(I had NOT made the connection MAYBE because the factory was gone, BUT the LOVE of the pieces MUST have been in the air AND I caught it!
Your collection is magnificent...
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing it with us.
Big Hugs,
Donna

Laura @ 52 FLEA said...

That is such a beautiful collection and you have it all displayed so pretty! So nice to visit here...
Take care, Laura :)

Red Rose Alley said...

I used to have a mirror and brush very much like the one you have on here. I sold it at a garage sale one time, and every now and then I regret doing so. I think I should have kept it forever. These are lovely items you have.
~Sheri at Red Rose Alley

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

Hi Patti! I love your vanity collection! I can't believe you found all those matching pieces in different places. The work is just exquisite on them. So nice to know you came by!

Palomasea said...

Oh Patti...these are gorgeous!!
I, too, love these types of pieces. So romantic!
Have a beautiful weekend, sweet friend,
- Irina

sweet violets said...

Love your dressing table collection....and no, its never finished!!! hugs...cleo

French-Kissed said...

Your vanity pieces are gorgeous...like you I am especially fond to the powder shaker and the little hat brush is adorable.

Jermaine

EllenaElizabeth said...

It's all so precious. Thanks for sharing.

Mom E. said...

LOVE your vanity pieces....I have wanted to have pieces like that since I was young....I am so glad you have found your pieces! I have been looking for things for my vanity area, but just started.
Betsy

joyh82 said...

What pretty silver pieces. I never knew there was such a thing as a hat brush. Thanks for posting and have a wonderful weekend :)

Doll in the Looking Glass said...

What lovely vanity items. It is hard to believe you didn't acquire them as a set. They fit in perfectly with my style. If you locate duplicates during your hunt for companion items, you can send them my way!

Thanks for hosting this gathering for sharing.

Debra

Mimi said...

Patti, I too love dressing tables and all the fixin's. I love the style of items you selected to collect. I have a few bakelite hair receivers. as a matter of fact, you're the only other person in the world I've ever heard use those words other than my antique shop owner/friend. I have a mirror, not as nice as yours though, a few boxes and a brush. You've inspired me to keep collecting. Have a lovely weekend!

Dora, the Quilter said...

Wow, I finally found you! I've looked off an on for a while and don't know why I didn't find you sooner--but I'm very glad I've found you now!

Karena said...

Ladies I wanted to let you know...I am having a $100 Gift Card Giveaway from Soft Surroundings If you would like to enter.

xoxo
Karena
Art by Karen

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful blog! My late mom loved all things Victorian. You are doing a great job accessorizing your dressing table.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful blog! My late mom loved all things Victorian. You are doing a great job accessorizing your dressing table.

Denise said...

OOOH- What a beautiful and fun blog you have.Lovely vanity collection My Dear.I think I'm already following you,but I'll make sure.I would love to join your parties. Denise

Bernideen said...

What a fun blog you have!

pembrokeshire lass said...

Hi, thanks for popping by and commenting on my blog. I appreciate your concern over the cattle and my garden!!
I, too, am starting to feel inspired by all the lovely dressing tables and collections that I see! I think I am going to look out the old crochet work done by my mother in law and see what I can come up with! Think I'll add myself to your followers so I can 'keep tabs' on your progress! Joan

Rita said...

OMGosh Patti,
your powder bottles and vanity pieces are stunning beyond words.
thank you for sharing.
your blog is absolutely gorgeous.
rita

Diann said...

Gorgeous vanity accessories! Love them all. It's so nice to have pretty girly things around us! Thank you for sharing with us at TTF and have a wonderful day!

Kathy said...

Hello,
My these are quite lovely. You've definitely found some gorgeous treasures - I too love the items found on a lady's dressing table.
I hope you have a great week,
Kathy

Michele said...

gorgeous decorative pieces. you do have the talent for putting lovely things together. love it. xo

Beth said...

I always wanted to have a pretty vanity set up, but never really got around to it. I must say, you have found some stunning pieces and I've learned quite a few things about pieces I've never seen, and I hope I remember them IF I ever do!

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Oh they are beautiful pieces! I've see a hat brush before, but didn't know that was what it was. How wonderful that you found the riehair brush, mirror and clothes brushes in different places. They look like a set! lau

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Gratitude is the Memory of the Heart ~ French Proverb ~ We are so grateful that you stopped by ~ Please visit again soon! ~ Much Love, Patricia and Paula