Earth Week: Antiques are "Green"

Happy Monday everybody

I wasn't even thinking about Earth Week when I attended the Antique Market this past weekend.  Reuse and repurposing are exactly what antiques are about.  The fun is the hunt!

Artistic displays

Lots of great inspiration

Chic bar cart (I want, I want)

Ah, some retro, Bakelite bangles.

Yes, Please!

A perfect start to Earth Week is Meatless Monday.

Tonight:  Asparagus risotto

Vintage Tabletop Shopping

I had a great time in New Jersey over the weekend visiting family.  The weather cooperated with beautiful blue skies and crisp fall temperatures.  Foliage color was at peak so I got an extra week of color since most leaves have fallen here in Michigan.  We spent time walking around Princeton, poking into shops and having coffee at Small World Coffee Cafe.  

One of my favorite things however, was a visit to The Tomato Factory in Hopewell, NJ.  This antique center is home to 38 dealers of antiques ranging from tabletop to large pieces of furniture.  

I never got past the tabletop antiques.  As Spiral Style readers know, I love tabletop design.  I am alway on the lookout for silver flatware and decorative china salad plates or small serving bowls.  I love to give a beautiful silver cake server as an engagement gift to be used to cut the wedding cake.  As you can see in the photo, there were bins of silver flatware on the floor.

Fiestaware was stacked from floor to ceiling.  I had my eye on lots of cute salt and pepper shakers and decorative things I certainly didn't need and I managed to get away with only 6 silverplate demitasse spoons.  My husband is lucky I was limited by carry-on luggage!

Picnic Poster Art

Great Summer Images
The Herman Miller company of Michigan is know for its innovative design.  Since 1970, a poster is designed to commemorate the annual employee picnic.  These posters feature great summer images.  

1 Herman Miller Summer Picnic, Sunglasses 2005  2 Herman Miller Summer Picnic Flip Flops, 2001   3 Herman Miller Summer Picnic Croquet, 1999  4  Herman Miller Summer Picnic Caramel Apples, 2003 

Several Summer Picnic posters are housed in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian. We offer a variety of original Summer Picnic prints from past to present. 

Herman Miller Summer Picnic Fruit Cart, 1995  

This is the poster that I own.  You can view and/or purchase posters by clicking here to visit the EverythingArt.com website.

Vintage Holiday Magazine Covers

Hubby and I have a small collection of Fortune Magazine holiday covers framed and hanging in our home. I love the graphics.

A collection of vintage magazine covers is not difficult to assemble nor very costly. Framing would be the biggest investment. Sort of a vintage, "green" art collection.

Souvenir Buildings Collection

No, this is not a photo of a street in New York , this is a shelf of Souvenir Buildings owned by my brother in law, Rick. Rick, an architect, has been collecting these miniatures for many years and his collections numbers about 450. His finds are from eBay, flea markets, antique shows and from trading with other collectors.
The miniatures started as souvenirs from well-known attractions on the European Grand Tour and then spread to the US. There are souvenir miniatures representing buildings from stadiums and arenas to cathedrals and office buildings. Rick's collection is of cast metal but the buildings are also made of other materials. Sometimes the model buildings were given as gifts to stockholders and other times with a purpose such as fitted to be used as a coin bank.

This is a very appropriately cool collection for an architect and the sheer number of miniatures on display is amazing.