Sunday Favorites -- Re-visiting The Mother Of All Rummage Sales

Twice a year, spring and fall, the Visiting Nurse Association of Somerset Hills holds a massive rummage sale: 75-thousand square feet of stuff, at The Fairgrounds at Far Hills -- nothing like bargain hunting on the polo grounds.

The VNA serves communities in Somerset and Morris Counties in New Jersey, and the rummage sales support their mission. Set-up begins in early April, and the sale opens the first Friday in May. It's a worthy cause and a thrifter's dream come true.

Howard willingly came with me back in May. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. One of my favorite "finds" was six matching gilt tea cups; I blogged about them on May 4th. On May 5th, I wrote the following post, on the other treasures we unearthed at this Mother of All Rummage Sales.

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It's Sunday Favorites time -- the once weekly chance to recycle old posts.
Click here to go to more re-cycled fun at Chari's Happy To Design blog.

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So, what else besides pretty tea cups did I get at the Visiting Nurses Association Rummage Sale?


-- I'm going to show you. . . .

I love pressed glass, and this bowl, at $4, just begged to come to Mama:

When I bring homemade cookies or big fat strawberries or some other small offering to a friend, I like to pack them in pretty bowls, and they become part of the gift. Glass bowls are great for this -- they go with everyone's colors!

I also love old hotel silver-plated flatware; it's so big and heavy. Here, elegantly displayed on one of my kitchen towels, is service for 8 (minus 2 forks!) in hotel plate (not yet polished and looking oddly yellow):

This flatware bears an uncanny resemblance to my old everyday stainless -- but below are the dinner forks from each set, the stainless and the hotel plate -- you can see the hotel fork is much larger, and it's heavier also. I like that chunky feel:

Hmm... bad photography, sorry. The tines of the hotel plate fork are sort of lost.
Trust me, it's a lot bigger!

Next . . .

A sweet old lustreware teapot, also $4, well-used and mellow:

and just the right colors to cozy in with my lustreware pieces from my Mom and Mother-in-law:

I have a feeling my daughter Annie may lay claim to this tea pot, but that's OK.

Don't you love the embroidered bridge cloth? Gorgeous work; an old Ebay find.

My husband, who by the way made an excellent and willing pack animal
for Saturday's drizzly excursion, saw this framed print:

Howard loves boats and fishing. This will end up in our study; the colors are right and I know he'll enjoy seeing it, and remembering the thrill of the thrifting hunt. I hope I am not creating a monster. One crazy thrift buyer in a family may be enough!

As for me, this compote leapt into my arms:

It's red or ruby flash glass, and it's in perfect condition.

It's signed one one side of the pedestal:

If you tilt the pedestal, the signature will change from red, to gold. The red dye used in this glassware has gold in it, which you can see in certain light. I am not sure if that's the signature of the maker, the former owner, or what.

See the gold reflecting in the red?

I don't know much about this glassware, so when I got home I did some online research.
What would we do without Google?


On the Ruby Lane Antiques site, an identical compote is offered for sale -- for $110. It is by Westmoreland, in their Waterford or Wakefield pattern, and the "1977" in the signature is probably when it was made.

I paid $20 for mine. Ain't thrifting fun?

Could it be better for our red dining room?

Welcome to the dining room, Miss Ruby!

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Have a lovely Sunday, chickens! -- Cass