LOVE EBAY HATE EBAY????

No doubt there are no shortage of websites out there with people selling their lives and their life's possessions.  And when it comes to collecting a lot of people use this as a gauge as to how much things perhaps should cost or what they can sell their item for.  A couple of weeks ago while I was on vacation I came across a lovely antique store.  God Bless the owners of this shop as there was a terrible storm the night before and their store as a result was flooded and one big mess.  These kind people did let me in to have a peek and allow me to drool over their HUGE selection of milk glass.  One of the items on the shelf was a milk glass oil lamp.  When I asked how much the lamp was she replied $50.oo.  Of course my mouth fell to the floor literally and suggested "Do you know how much you can get for it on EBay??"  To which she replied the prices on EBay was sooo overblown that it was utterly ridiculous.  So how much is your item truly worth??  Does it depend on who's in front of you at the time asking for it?  Are you getting any reassurance that your piece of the collection is going to be going to a home where it will be treasured as much if not more than what you had given it?  So what price is the true price?  What do you use for a gauge?  A definite part of collecting is paying close attention to all the dollar figures that cross your path right from the time of purchasing the item to the minute you end up parting with it.  Hopefully there's some happiness in the middle making these adventures all worth the while.

Me, Milk Glass & Moments of Excapism

There are no shortage of milk glass cups out there. All kinds of shapes and sizes; cartoons or business names providing a few of us with a great memory of an event that once was.

But I'm partial to the delicate looking type of cups. Ones that seem soo fragile and delicate that you carefully cradle it in the palm of your hand as you take a moment from a busy and hectic life to enjoy a beverage that warms your innermost soul reminding you that all in the world really isn't that bad after all.

My favourite tea is a Chai. The cinnammony flavour easily puts me in a dreamy state even if it is only for a few brief moments. I'm trying to be good and add more green tea as it's suppose to be terrific for the maintenance of good health but like the minty green teas instead of the plain jane ones.

And of course with it being summer (at least for a few more days) there's every excuse and opportunity available to enjoy the fruity teas. The strawberries, cranberries, peaches and more. Fun teas and just as enjoyable as any others.

And yup I did have my tea today in amongst my browsing for milk glass today.

Today was a great day. I picked up my first lamp.

Time to brew up another pot and prepare for more stories to tell.........................

I Came This Close To Getting A Cake Plate But..............................

See this cake plate here......I believe it is one of the most sought after pieces for the milk glass collectors. Keep in mind that all I have been doing lately is going to garage sales and thrift shops on a fairly regular basis and continue to build up a mighty fine collection which now includes Avon glass. So on my usual weekly journey I thought I had hit the jackpot. Yes a cake plate that was exactly like this one! I could see it from afar. Just to cool my jets a little I wandered throughout the thrift store checking out what other milk glass pieces were in existence so that I could bring it home as well. No luck. Just this plate. So finally I made my way up to it. The price sticker was stuck to the side and it said $3.99. I couldn't believe my eyes. I got sooo excited. I couldn't wait to touch it. I wanted this piece sooo bad. I wanted it in my home. I wanted to bake a dozen cakes just to put it to good use and show off its true beauty. But sadly this just was not meant to be at this time in my life. I picked it up and looked at it. Across the top of it was a browny yellowed line that clearly indicated the crack that was there. The glue that managed to still keep it in one place. The glue that broke my heart and made me sad. But my hopes are not all dashed for these precious pieces of milk glass do exist and I'm bound and determined to have one soon!

Did The Milk Glass Obsession Come To A Quick Halt???

Well I haven't really written anything in the past day or so for a few reasons. First off I haven't taken any photographs of the newer pieces to my collection. And for some reason I'm not ready to take photographs until I can wash them, fondle them for a bit and appreciate the beauty they bring. Each piece of glass that enters my home gets a proper warm water, Ivory soap bubbly hand wash and tea towel drying. I've also been busy going back to the thrift stores to see what new pieces came in since I was last in. Originally I thought naaaaa I wouldn't have to go back. It's only been a week. There isn't that much there since I last cleaned the shelves. WRONG!! There was lots. Yesterday I picked up some chili bowls and a couple more dishes that will look great on my table at the next family meal. And finally my last excuse I have to give is work. I've started my stretch of shifts again and unable to devote time to my camera. It does not mean however that I am totally slacking off. It gives me the change to once again peruse EBAY and see what's out there and how much it costs and how much I paid either under or above EBay value. I also started to peek at Craig's List to see what's on there and there's no shortage! So to my readers please bear with me; I will add more photographs and stories soon.

Never Underestimate The Power Of A Husband .... Or Question Him !!

Well to put it in a nice way I've really gone a little bit crazy over the past couple of weeks adding milk glass pieces to my growing collection. And most of the time my better half aka husband has been with me. But there were a few times when he was not! And I suppose in some odd way I just didn't want to shock him as to how much milk glass was entering the house! So I've been hiding it here and there bring pieces out casually. Well tonight he did some vacuuming and he came across some of it. Well he didn't flip out as I thought he would. He just asked "where are you going to put all this stuff?" to which I replied that I will find homes for it all. He didn't come across all of my hiding spots yet!! Tomorrow is another day to hit the thrift shops once again to see if any new pieces hit the shelves over the weekend! And I truly thank my better half for his patients and understanding when it comes to this latest hobby in my life!

***photo courtesy of google images***

My First Milk Glass Collection Addition

Standing Up View
Laying down view - better view of detail

This is the very first piece I picked up at a local garage sale which coincidentally was right next door to a shop that contains many many milk glass pieces. Some call it a goblet. Some call it a vase. I just call it lucky number one. When I asked the lady behind the table if it was indeed milk glass she ecstatically told me that it was indeed so. Remember I'm just a beginner collector getting involved with this hobby and I'll explain more in a future post or two. I think the pattern on the cup part of the vase is a scallop and if I'm not correct I hope that someone will indeed send me a note reminding me what it really is. I have carefully washed it as I do to all my pieces that I bring home. I suppose it's all a part of getting to know it a wee bit better! So far it's sitting on my kitchen table. I will indeed find a "home" for it soon. Might be on a coffee table. Might be in my dining room cabinet (all of a sudden I feel a need to re arrange some dishes in there!) but it will definitely find its place.