Shopping at Day's End

When my son was just a toddler, we used to head to Target when we needed (read: when Mommy needed) a little diversion.  He was a good little shopper, and it was a way for us to get out of the house.  That was back in the day when Target was new to our area, and I was just learning how to shop their clearance items.  His little toddler self would say, "What we're doin' Mom?"  and I'd tell him, "Shopping clearance, Clarence."  No... his name isn't Clarence.  It was just our little game.

Well, all these years later, I haven't tired of shopping clearance at Target.  But this past weekend, my hubby and daughter learned that shopping at day's end at the flea market can also get you some good deals!

On Saturday, I wasn't feeling great and so my hubby and daughter went off adventuring without me.  They came home with groceries, a plan for dinner (gotta love THAT!), and two new-to-me blue Ball jars with an extra glass lid (for a wired jar).  Just $3 for the two jars and extra lid.  People were closing up their booths, and ready to make some deals.  Hmmm, we might have to change the time we visit the flea market.  We used to head out bright and early, but I never thought of the deals being later in the day.

Guess I'll have to come up with a name for this "game" too.

Hmmmm...

Shop late, Kate!

Remembering 9/11...

One Last Treasure (or two)

I've been writing a lot about finds, treasures, and collections this week...

Ironstone collections also seem to be a popular trend lately, and I've spotted a lot of them in my blog-reading. I really admire the simplicity of ironstone -- and especially love ironstone pitchers.  When my sister-in-law and I ventured out the other day, I told her that I might be interested in starting a collection like that.  As we scoured the antiques mall, I looked for anything that might resemble one of these pitchers.  Admittedly though, I knew little about them -- like what markings to look for.  So, I wasn't sure I would make a purchase even if I found something I thought might qualify.

Until I got to one of the last vendor booths in the mall, that is.  That's when I saw it.  A sweet little white stoneware pitcher... of some kind.  It was pretty, and in good condition.  I turned it over, and saw this:

and I called out to my sister-in-law, "I FOUND it!"  This one came home with me.  I just couldn't resist another Buffalo connection!

When I got home, I got on the internet and found out a little bit more about Buffalo China.

"The Buffalo Pottery Company was established in Buffalo, New York, in 1901.  It was an offshoot of the Larkin Soap Company, which was founded in 1875."  [and where, by the way, both my grandmother and my great-aunt worked!]  "John Larkin and his brother-in-law Elbert Hubbard conceived Buffalo Pottery to make dishes that could be purchased with certificates from Larkin Soap.  In essence, the company was a gimmick to sell more soap.  Buffalo Pottery produced many different kinds of pottery for commercial use in hotels and railroad dining cars, as well as art pottery that is popular with antique collectors."  (source)

I also learned that the Buffalo Pottery Company was reorganized in 1956 and was renamed Buffalo China -- which is currently owned by the Oneida Silver Company. (source)

My best guess is that my little pitcher was made around that time, as many earlier pieces actually include a picture of an American Bison in their markings.  As you can see, mine does not.  I was able to find some dating information HERE that leads me to believe that my item was made in December of 1956.  If anyone has more information on Buffalo China and it's markings or dates, I'm all ears!

I'm so glad I grabbed this treasure.  I had heard of this china before, of course, and knew of the connection to Buffalo -- but I didn't know it had anything to do with the Larkin Soap Mfg. Co.  It sure pays to do a little investigating!

Have you chosen your collections -- or have your collections chosen you?

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And now... the second "treasure" I want to share with you today is this: my sister has started a blog!  She has a lot of great insights about parenting (she has three amazing special-needs kids), and loves to chat about decorating her home and making it a cozy place for her family to live and make memories.  Stop on over and visit her at Still Keeping On The Narrow Way and tell her Sally sent you!  You'll make her day.

And Speaking of Treasures...

... because that seems to be my word of the week!

I don't know if I've mentioned it here before, but I was born in Buffalo, New York, and lived the first eleven years of my life there.  I still have family that lives there, including a 96 year old great-aunt, who is our family historian.  And by that I mean... she remembers things from 75 years ago as if she lived it yesterday.  Names, places, it's really incredible.

I felt honored, several years ago, when she asked me to put all of her old photos (really old!) in scrapbooks. She had seen my own family scrapbooks, and she trusted me to do whatever I felt was appropriate, confident that she would be happy with the results.  In doing so, I called her several times or spoke with her on visits to Buffalo to get names and details that went along with photos.  So, I've learned a lot of family history along the way.

Family history is my favorite kind.  The rest?  Not so much.  But, I DO love historical "stuff" and tidbits of our lives today that link us to the past somehow.  I never imagined that my new interest in Ball Jars would have a link to my birth place.  But it does!  This is what I found:

"Five brothers founded Ball in 1880, with a loan of $200 from their Uncle George.  At first they made wood-jacketed tin cans for products like paint and kerosene, but soon they expanded their offerings to glass- and tin-jacketed containers.  In 1884, the brothers began making glass home-canning jars, the product that established Ball as a household name.  The brothers -- Edmund, Frank, George, Lucius, and William -- moved the company from Buffalo, New York to Muncie, Indiana, in 1887 to take advantage of abundant natural gas reserves essential to making glass." (source)

I love that.

Stay tuned.  Tomorrow, I'll tell you about one last treasure that I found in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  There's another link to Buffalo!!!