Poor Man's Porcelain

 

Chalkware is known as the “poor man’s porcelain”!  I feel rich when I find one of these classic pieces!  Back in the 19^th century, decorative items such as china had to be shipped to the U.S. and it took a long time.  They were handled many times during the trip so fragile items just did not fare well.  Early settlers relied upon their own artistic instincts to create chalkware.  It is a blend of plaster of Paris and lime or gypsum.  This first chalkware was made by German immigrants.  They were both hollow and solid. Beginning in the 1930’s chalkware was mass produced and was found being given out as carnival prizes.  These are the ones I remember and love!  Those wonderful piggy banks, dogs, cats, etc.  Great pieces with often garish colors! They were airbrushed with only the smallest detail hand painted. Cheap to make and cheap to sell!  Chalkware boomed in the 1950’s – 60’s.  There was a range of decorative items such as plaques, lamps, figurines, etc.  All of these are still around today.  Their value ranges from hundreds to just a few dollars.  Little chips here and there are expected so don't worry about them.  War themed items can be worth a few hundred dollars.  Carnival prizes and wall décor can be found for $10 and up.  A variety of chalkware can be found at South End Antique Mall.  They are fun collectibles that are hard to pass up!  Stop by and check out our selection of chalkware as well as so many other treasures! 

Meet the "Ambassador" of South End Antique Mall

 

You have seen our wonderful “Ambassador” in some of my posts.  It’s time to tell you a little bit about him.  He is a “must see” when you visit our antique mall!  Really, you couldn’t miss him if you tried! He stands 16.2 hands tall in horse speak.  In non-horse speak, that is 5’ 6” tall at his “withers” (between his shoulder blades).  Now, imagine how tall he is to the top of his head!  His breed is “Friesian”.  He is true to size for the breed.  He was used as an inspection model in Reno but was actually found by our mall owners in Dallas, Oregon.   Our owners purchased him and brought him here to our mall in Aurora about 10 years ago.  They loaded him into the back of their pickup and drove him home.  They kind of held their breath each time they went under an overpass!   The wagon he is hitched to is a Mitchell wagon made by Mitchell, Lewis and Staver Company in Portland, Oregon.  It is antique and is beautiful. You can just about imagine what had to happen to get both the horse and the wagon into the mall!  Each holiday, the wagon and horse are decorated in the flavor of the season.  We love it when visitors come to the mall and pose for “selfie’s” with the horse!  If you don’t do anything else on your antiquing trips, stopping at South End Antique Mall to see our “Ambassador” and his wagon is a must do!

Teresa is our store owner and an accomplished horse woman!

                                           This gives you a little perspective as to his size!

Happy Birthday to Us!

 

Our resident horse is decked out in his birthday finery!  This weekend is our anniversary sale!  We are celebrating 16 years of bringing you antiques, vintage, collectible and just plain cool treasures.  This is the weekend where we break out the tents and fill the parking lot.  Saturday & Monday, 10-5; Sunday, 11-5.  The entire store is 10% off with many vendors offering deeper discounts.  This is the sale we save our treasures for all year so there will be inventory you have not seen before.  If there is something you have had your eye on to purchase, this is the weekend to go for it!  Come out and wish us a Happy Birthday and see if there is not just that one thing you have always needed! You must visit and take a "selfie" with our horse mascot; you will not believe how big he is!

That Beautiful Tough Old Ironstone

I can only think of one word to describe old English ironstone and that is classic!  Most of it was made in the United Kingdom during the early to mid-1800’s.  Ironstone is actually glaze covered earthenware.  At that time, it would have been ironstone transferware that was popular first.  You know, the ones with the beautiful little floral patterns decorating the piece.  Somewhere along the way, the American market caught on to ironstone as it was so much cheaper than porcelain.  The American market wanted the undecorated pieces, thus we have the classic solid white pieces that are so loved today.  Most of the vintage ironstone you see was made in England, France or the United States.  The pieces you find today most likely have little chips, hairline cracks or crazing (crazing is the darkened areas where oils and other fluids have seeped in through the glaze).  I think those imperfections speak to a life of being well used and loved so, to me, it just adds interest.  Gather a collection of pieces to sit on a shelf or in a hutch.  They display well with clusters of two or three pieces!  Be sure to stop by South End Antique Mall and check out our selection of white ironstone as well as some beautiful antique ironstone transferware!

This is an example of transferware

Collect ironstone in tureens, pitchers, bowls and plates
for a balanced display

This is an example of ironstone that has crazed.

Note the brownish tint at the top.

Spring in Aurora

Oh the colors of Spring!  I am so ready for the bulbs and trees to flower.  You can bring the beautiful pastels of Spring into your home with vintage pottery and china.  Easter is this Sunday and you can start your Spring decor with some of the vintage and contemporary Easter decor that you will find at South End Antique Mall!   Our resident horse is all decked out in his best bunny attire!  Aurora will be "Hopping" (I know, a terrible pun) this weekend.  Follow the "Bunny Trail" to participating vendors all through town from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  I hear you can even meet "Daisy Bunny" at Three Daisies Vintage. Be sure to stop by South End Antique Mall and downton Aurora for a taste of Spring!

Easter "Putz"

“Putz” houses have been around since about 1928 and continued to be popular well past WWII.  These are tiny houses full of glitter but made from sturdy paper.  The name “Putz” is derived from the German word “Putzen” which means to “decorate or adorn”.   The tradition of creating these little Putz villages began in central Europe.  People would save little bits and pieces of items they could use to decorate and construct these little houses.  It is amazing to me that they last as long as they do!  I am familiar with Christmas putz houses but, I found these darling Easter houses this last week.  I am sure these little Easter or spring pieces are contemporary so am sure they are still being made today.  I love them!  I have always been a fan of miniatures so this just fits the bill for me!  Imagine a little mound of Easter grass with one of these houses surrounded by Easter candies.  A great table centerpiece!  Visit South End Antique Mall where you will find these adorable little Easter Putz houses!

Wow! What a week!

 Well, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, this has been quite a week!  We had a major ice storm that knocked out all electricity, phones and internet for more than a week in some areas.  Unfortunately, our little community of Aurora was out of power for a week.  It is a small town so it also impacted other utility services.  Whew!  We have everythig back online again and are looking forward to seeing all of you again.  Today is our first day open in a week!  We were planning on having our "Sweetheart Sale" last weekend but that just could not happen.  We are wanting to make up for that!  We are having our Sweetheart Sale" this Friday - Sumday, February 19th - 21st.  Everything storewide is 10% off with many vendors offering deeper discounts.  We are warm, have lights on and are eagerly awaiting catching up with all of you and your epic storm stories!