Vintage Fairy Lamps

Collecting Fairy Lamps

There are so many kinds and styles, from simple hobnail patterns to elaborately hand painted varieties. If you use these wonderful collectible items, there are a few things to keep in mind.

• Heat can be an enemy to glass and many other materials. The flame from even a small votive or tea light candle is sometimes too hot in a lamp and it can cause the body to crack. In addition to the heat from the flame, melted wax can pool and hold enough heat to cause damage as well - not to mention the mess that will need to be cleaned!

• One way to help protect your Fairy Lamps and other candle cups is to use a votive holder. A votive holder is usually made of glass and is similar in size and shape to a shot glass. They are fairly common, can be inexpensive and are found in a variety of colors and patterns, so they will blend in with your collection. Sitting a votive candle or a tea light candle inside the votive holder before placing it inside a fairy lamp accomplishes a couple things. It keeps the melted wax from directly contacting the lamp and it acts as another layer of protection - insulation, if you will - between the lamp and the heat.

•  Another way to protect your collection is to use the battery operated tea lights that have recently become readily available. The light produced by battery operated tea lights is more yellow than the blue-white of a flame, resulting in a different look when lit. However, they don't produce the level of heat that a flame does and they don't produce melted wax! A nice bonus is the safety factor - especially if there are children and/or pets in the vicinity!

Although no lighting method is foolproof, I hope these ideas will result in less damage and more enjoyment of the beauty that Fairy Lamps have to offer.

About the Author

Anita is an active member of Got Vintage Shops. Please visit her store Cousins Antiques on Ruby Lane where she "is pleased to help you find the treasure that speaks to you!"

Vintage Independence Day Celebration!

Hooray for the Red White and Blue

What better way to Celebrate the Fourth than with some traditional activities featuring vintage items? Here are some of my favorites!   

 Fly the Flag  

- whether on a flag pole or by wearing a pin like this one, display it proudly!

Denim Striped Shorts

 I Love A Parade 

- be sure to wear the red, white and blue!

Silk Scarf

Grilling Cookbook

Grill and Chill 

- Vintage items for a great backyard Barbeque!

Pyrex Mixing Bowl

 It wouldn't be the 4th without ~

 Homemade Potato Salad

Ice cold watermelon

 

 ... and how about strawberry ice cream

 in these colonial blue goblets?

Colonial Blue Goblets

Watermelon Pot Holders

 Bring on the Fireworks!

Relax and enjoy the fireworks and great vintage items in this YouTube video featuring some of our Ruby Lane shops

About the Author

Our You Tube video was produced by Helen Gilbert who is a member and on staff at Got Vintage Shops. She owns and operates Catisfaction's Glass Gallery on Ruby Lane.

Vanity Collectibles

Oh My Vanity...Those Brassy Filigree Dresser Boxes 

At a recent sale, we bought a collection of those rather gaudy, flashy vanity jewelry caskets from the 1960's.  I've seen them advertised from everything from ancient to antique to what they really are, 1960's kitsch.  Many different firms made the boxes to go with a plethora of vanity and dresser accessories of the same style.

Tall regal shaped perfumes, cherub encrusted lipstick holders, poodle adorned pincushions are just a few of the many items that every woman from 16 to 60 desired for her boudoir.  As a child I remember wandering into my Auntie's bedrooms to gaze in awe and desire at their lovely dresser boxes.



Of all the items, these vanity boxes are my favorites.  I've been to antique malls and seen them advertised as Victorian or even older. They are not.  They date from late 1940's into the 1970's.   The boxes came in many different sizes.  Favorite among collectors are the very large oversized boxes.  An added plus is if the beveled glass is in a smoke or bronze hue.

All are "over the top" so to speak.  Very repousse decoration are the norm.  The insides were often times lined with velvet pads or felt lining.  The very fancy ones had tufted velvet pads in the bottoms.  What better way for milady to display her treasured rhinestone baubles. Then she could view them at a glance.

The boxes came in all different sizes and shapes, round ones, square ones, heart shaped ones and even this butterfly shaped box that we recently found.

Of the many companies that made the accessories, the most common to find are Stylebuilt and Matson.  These companies operated out of San Francisco area.  And no, the Matson pieces were not giveaways from Matson Steamship Co.  So many urban myths have spread about these pretties that it is becoming difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.  A very talented collector and dealer in perfumes has a website devoted to history of these pieces and a casual search on the internet will find her guide or website.

So, when you are out and about at the estate sales and antiques fairs do not pass up these beauties from the not so distant pass.  They are lovely and make wonderful treasure boxes to display bits of jewelry and small collectibles.  I've seen tiny dolls resting inside and being perfectly at home.  They are a wonderful way to present a special gift to a special lady.  They bring back fond memories for many of us.

About the Author

Carolyn O'Bayley is one of the founders and an active member of Got Vintage Shops. She and her husband Tom have two wonderful shops:

Cobayley Vintage Jewelry Antiques Collectibles on Ruby Lane 

Cobayley Plaza on Ruby Plaza.