Author: windsorplaceantiques

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us and while the weather is still manic, that summer feeling will soon set in. I have been thinking about all things marine & nautical- beyond the summery french sailor stripes that are so ubiquitous. I was inspired by this wonderful vintage photo below of a charming trio of British sailors. It is from a new tumblr site put together by National Geographic. You should see the site for yourself- it is a treasure trove.

The equally charming images below were popular Currier & Ives lithographs from the mid 18th century. I have nice vintage prints of these for sale in my shop. I love the twin themes of going away and returning home- two of my favorite things.

Here are some fun nautical accents for summer- to wear and to decorate with. Find these on etsy. I have loved sailor's bracelets ever since I was a kid visiting my grandparents on Cape Cod. How I wish I could tie knots like these.

made by the wonderful Mystic Knotwork

Here's a sneak peek at some of my seasonally-appropriate merchandise that will be popping up in my store windows soon.

An Anchor, Perfectly Aged Buoys and Nautical Flags

Vintage French Classroom Poster, $85

Fishing Floats & Aqua Glass

These kitschy, but cool glasses (Georges Briard, 1960s) For sale this weekend in the shop

I'm not sure what is going on with the weather these days, but it is keeping me on my toes.

Spring is a capricious and fickle season here in the mid-atlantic region. Today was warm and muggy, yesterday a deluge, tomorrow a cold front…who can predict? If you need to make sense of it all and see it beautifully depicted on your walls, I have some lovely classroom maps for you. These climate-related and atmospheric maps have an abstract and artistic appearance. Several of these maps are currently for sale in my etsy shop. If you click on the link below the photo it will take you there.

Stay warm? cool? dry? moist?

Take Note: Our storefront is now open every weekend! Rain or Shine

Saturdays 11-6 & Sundays 12-6

Click here for info on purchasing this map

Click here for info on purchasing this map

Click here for info on purchasing this map

Click here for info on purchasing this map

In a similar vein, here are some fascinating world vegetation maps.

Massive East German Map- SOLD last weekend

This Saturday, Windsor Place Antiques will have a booth at the lovely and amazing Prospect Park Craft Fair. This annual event benefits arts programs at my kids'school- ps 154 in Windsor Terrace. Come on out and shop in the sure-to-be perfect spring weather.

Although I am not an artist or crafter myself, Marianne is, and she has made some great items to sell in our booth on Saturday.

Sewing Kits in Vintage Jars

Magnets with Images taken from Vintage Ephemera

Handmade Jewelry with Vintage Findings

& Perfect Vintage Seed Packet Cards for Mom

And my very talented daughter Noa- will be bringing some vintage-inspired brooches and embellished bobby pins to the fair.

The shop will be open as well from 12-4. If you miss me Saturday, you can find me Sunday at the Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg.

I have been traveling around in the Lehigh Valley and Berks County,
Pennsylvania this week. I'm finding all kinds of great stuff. This area
never ceases to amaze me- the wonderful old things just keep coming out of the old woodwork.

I
have saved the best of my trip for last: a paper show tomorrow (a dealers' and
collectors' mecca of paper, books, maps, advertising,
ephemera….basically anything printed.) This is my idea of a really,
really good time.

Needless to say, I will not be at the Brooklyn
Flea in Ft. Greene tomorrow or open in the shop, but I will be at the
Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg on Sunday 4/28. Expect to see lots of
interesting new merchandise.

Here are some photos of things
that struck my fancy this week. Most of which I could not drag back with
me. Alas, they were too big to fit in my little van. Fun to look at
though.

The snazziest clothes-washer

Nice assemblage of vintage grape crates

Too big to bring back

WAY too big to bring back

To Crush Your Grapes

The oldest lunch box I have ever seen

To play those antique cylinder records I sell

Wonderful English / German Vocabulary Primer

Bugs- in other words. I've been thinking about them and looking at them a lot lately: The good, the bad, the ugly and the very beautiful. Working in the garden at home and going through prints and charts at work, they keep popping up in appealing and not-so appealing forms.

Last week, there was an interesting NYTimes article in the Science section on dragonflies. It inspired me to look for bugs in my vast and diverse inventory…I found many.

I am particularly fond of a series of small engraved and hand-colored plates ($10 each) from an 1843 series called The Naturalist's Library. The insects- especially the beatles- look like little jewels.

I have another group of lovely color plates- these are of lepidoptera (butterflies and moths.) Published as an installment series in 1907 by Aldabert Seitz. These large chromolithographic plates ($35 each) have beautiful art nouveau fonts and very fine details.

If you are in the market for a larger piece, I have some vintage classroom charts that would make quite an impression. The photo below was taken from House Beautiful magazine, but I currently have several charts from the very same series (seen below $95 each)

Come and have a look. Two ways to find me: My storefront will be open this coming weekend April 13 & 14th from 11 to 6 AND I will be at the Brooklyn Flea outdoors on the Williamsburg waterfront on Sunday.

Not So Pretty