Poorman's Bouquet and Vintage Finds

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Hi, Friends! 

Two things today, Poorman's Bouquet and Vintage Finds.

Well, it's Thursday, and we had a slight slip in temps so I charged outside with a long list of to-do's. Yikes it still was hot with our high humidity and I only lasted 3 1/2 hours. 

So, today I'm sharing a Poor man's Bouquet, all scavenged flowers from my garden. Why, Poor man, you ask. 

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When I worked in a couple of fresh flower shops in my career... we would clean the coolers on Tuesday (many flower shops are closed on Mondays). It was obvious what flowers needed to be trimmed, cleaned, or thrown away. Often we would make a gorgeous floral piece for the counter with whatever was unsellable, even though it would last only a day or two. Often these 'Poorman' bouquets would be edited daily, freshened, or another set of castoffs arranged on the counter. 

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This tradition followed me into the Faux flower world and my Silk Design career. Often the last stem of a style (discontinued or a seasonal send out order- a 1 time shipment) would linger.  I would collect these and add lots of greenery and make an eclectic design and place this on my design desk, with a tag---One of a Kind Special at a modest price.

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Surprisingly these sold very well, as they were colorful and often very natural looking, a great bargain for the customer and sold from practically unsellable product. 

NO ONE buys the last stem or anything damaged, no matter how cheap it is, other than another scavenging designer. 

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So, today as I am pulling weeds and dead stuff, I survey the condition of all my plants. (We've had tons of bugs this year, and leaves look like Swiss cheese, but since we are organic, I ignore or spray again with soap water). Anyway, I had a few stems of Lilies, two broken Zinnias. I added a broken stem of coleus and three Caladium leaves that were hiding in some bushes. Add a bit of yarrow and my never ending supply of Sweet Peas and it's enough for a little Poorman's Bouquet. It won't last long, but is a bit of cheer in our kitchen and broken flowers are saved for a bit.

Vintage Finds:

Two weeks ago I ventured to a thrift store and found some doll items, minis, and these 4 plates. 

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I love any transfer ware, and sales have been strong and my stock is depleted for my Etsy store. I grabbed these without thinking twice, I knew the shell edges on this type of ware are easily chipped and these were perfect.

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Wedgwood's Bramble tranfer ware plates were made of   Even with crazing on the back these are very pretty and in great condition. The Barlaston of Ertruria referred to the factory opened in 1769 in Stoke on Trent, one of the most prolific area of ceramic production in England. This factory lasted 180 years and was closed in 1949. So best info I have for the pattern is 1942-ish or pre-1949. 

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Really quite pretty, these would certainly mix with many red transfer ware patterns. I'm torn between using them, or letting them go...!

Part of the problem with loving Antiques and Vintage is letting go, lol. 

What have you Scavenged Lately?

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Thank you for your cooperation, 
Sandi