Favourite Treasures...

Somehow, without realizing how, I've become a collector.  Of sorts.  I seem to pick up a lot of white and cream buttons.  Mostly I've been collecting baby gowns, slips, dresses.  There is something about these that just calls to me and as soon as I see a vendor with these wee treasures I'm there.  I don't buy every one that I see.  I'm becoming more discerning now that I seem to be acquiring a wardrobe!

This one has clearly become a favourite.  I found this in the last antique mall we visited in Strasburg, Pa., just before closing time at 5 p.m.  It was hot (extremely hot!) and I was tired and I didn't have my glasses on.  Somehow I thought the price tag was $5.  I have no idea why.  Turns out when I went to pay that it was $25 (including $1 for tax).  Maybe a dress I looked at and put back in the booth was $5 -- even without glasses I'm not sure how I would mistake a "5" for a "24".  Nevertheless.  It was the crochet work on the lace that made this a "come home with me" piece.  And at the end of the day, it was well worth the $25.

Even the buttons on the back are adorable and the dress is in pristine condition.

My other find was this ironstone pitcher.  Something else I seem to have developed into a small collection (at present I have 3 all in shades of cream).

The pitcher was purchased in Denver, Pa., again at the end of a day of browsing and antiquing, delving through lots and lots of junk.  Some of it truly WAS junk; some of it was just loved pieces, and as you can see with this pitcher, the handle had broken off and was repaired (in a fashion).  I loved the shape and the design and the simplicity.

The charger was a find in Niagara-on-the-Lake at the Queen's Antiques.  It's Mason's ironstone in the Mulberry Watteau pattern.  A last minute decision on my part...the charger was sitting on the counter and the shop owner was getting ready to put it in a new display.  It was too pretty to pass up.

I never buy anything because of the "name".  I don't collect that way and somehow, I hope that I never do.  But always when I bring treasures home I like to look them up to see what it is I've discovered.  Where it was made, where it came from, the history of where it began.  This pitcher is something a little special.  I have seen it advertised for sale for $50, $65 and $80 on etsy.  Another site told me that it's worth $150.  Lovely, considering I paid $14.  Mind you, with the repair, that would make this pitcher much less valuable -- in dollars.  It's true value is in the beauty that I see, including the flaw.