Accompany me today for some vintage and thrifty shopping in beautiful Vermont. We’ll find a thrift here and a vintage there. And a bit of Valentines’ too.
Recently I’ve been working on designing a vintage blue and white platter wall for over our dining room mantel. I just need 4 more platters before I can start hanging it all. So this weekend I headed out to a new antique shop and an old standby to see what I could find, Thrifting with the Gals.
We had just received a nice blanket of snow, which made the ride through the mountains so picturesque. I hope you enjoy it all.
An Old Vintage Standby
When in Vermont, Stonehouse Antique Center in Chester, Vermont is my old standby. Filled with hundreds of dealers at affordable prices. I was certain to find a few blue and white platters here and maybe a few vintage Valentine’s Day decorating ideas too.
Valentine’s Day decor doesn’t need to be traditional hearts and candy. I was charmed by how these white ironstone platters were displayed with vintage ironstone pink dishes. Such a cute idea for a dining room table, hutch, or kitchen counter display.
You may enjoy this post, Romantic Antique Table Setting with Thoughtful Design.
Red-painted pinecones caught my eye too. How cute would a basket full of red pine cones be on a coffee table, bookshelf, next to a chair, etc. as Valentine’s Day decor?
Pinecones are a favorite of mine to use in winter decor. The natural elements and texture are beautiful.
Now to find some red spray paint.
A vintage champagne bucket is one of my favorite uses for flower bouquets. I have one in Maine that I just love and now I have this one for our home in Vermont. I picked up some pink tulips on the way home to display in it. I thought they would be so cheerful with the 5″ of snow we were expecting the next day.
I don’t know much about the football game that was on Sunday night, but I love this bucket! And check out How a Penny Can Keep Tulips From Drooping.
At this point in my shopping journey, I had collected a vintage champagne bucket, a blue stoneware pitcher, a set of 4 Hartley Greens Leeds Pottery dishes, and a vintage French basket.
The pitcher was selling for $18 and I usually find these for sale for around $79. The plates were $30 for 4. I couldn’t resist that fabulous blue trim! And well, the vintage French basket, $49. I thought I was doing pretty well so far! The biggest splurge of the day was the champagne bucket…
A Little Bit of Vintage Valentine
There were so many unique Valentine’s Day decorating ideas.
Like the simplicity of displaying pewter and tins with red flowers.
You may also enjoy the post, Antiquing, 6 Thrifty Finds, and a Lobster Biscuit.
You may also enjoy Memorial Day weekend finds in the post, Baby Adidas, Petite Cobbler Rack, & Watercolor Ski Drawings.
Do you have a red lantern hanging around somewhere? How cute would these be decorated at the front door, on a mantel, stairway, etc…
Old paintbrushes are displayed in a red basket.
Accent art that showcases pink flowers or a pink hue. Pictures like these add so much to a room during the winter months.
You may also enjoy the post, How to Grow Paperwhites Pretty in Green Stoneware For Saint Patrick’s Day.
Vintage heart cake pans and wall hangings are perfect Valentine’s Day touches on a door, wall, shelf, etc…
And lastly, I fell for these little vintage porcelain soap holders. Truthfully, I didn’t know what they were when I saw them but I loved how they were displayed on the wall and the tag said “soap $5” each. I had visions of them hanging on our newly painted blue and white bathroom walls.
I was thrilled with my finds, but not one blue and white platter…
Until I made a quick stop at a shop next door and found this perfectly sized Nordic pattern platter for just $18. Matching these new Dishy Kitchen Hooks You Can DIY in Minutes.
You may enjoy these best antique shops near me in the post, My Favorite Second-Hand Shops from Vermont to Maine.
Covered Bridge Antiques
I’ve been dying to check out this new antique shop in Bennington, Vermont. And wow, it was super cute, filled with loads of vintage ski lodge decor, terrific friendly service, and hours of browsing time.
Take a walk with me throughout the shop.
I picked up a handsome pair of black vintage HEAD skis there for just $45. These black HEAD skis are very hard to find.
A pair that reminds me of my father’s skis when I was growing up. Boy, do I wish I had his old black HEAD skis today. He was such a beautiful and graceful skier in his day.
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A pair of small boys’ hockey skates and a set of blue table linens that will match the blue-rimmed dishes I just picked up. I’m going to try cleaning the linens first using this Retro Cleaning Solution that someone recently recommended to me, as they have a bit of yellowing on them. But the entire set was just $18 and they appeared to be all hand embroidered.
I’m excited to put together an antique table setting with it all very soon. See how I cleaned these vintage textiles in the post, How to Safely Bring Age Stained Textiles Back to Life.
After all this weekend’s vintage shopping, I found one vintage blue and white platter. I couldn’t believe it! I may turn to the internet now to find my platters. You may enjoy my post on How to Vintage Shop Online.
Here’s a sneak peek of the blue and white platter wall as I’m designing it today. I need three platters for a third row, and the blue and white platter I found this weekend will replace the white platter on the end.
I’m so glad you dropped by, and if you are new to my blog, welcome! I hope you enjoyed your visit with us here today at our Home in Vermont.
Be sure also to check out our Home in Coastal Maine where we spend summers and weekends when we are craving a walk on the beach or a visit with old friends.
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A collection of similar vintage one-of-a-kind items I have found for you from around the web.
What an inspiring post! Antiquing on a sunny and snowy day – idyllic! I felt like I was there. After reading the post, I pulled my old heart-shaped cake pans out of the cupboard and put them in a cute display. I had never thought to use them as decor before. Thanks for the pretty pictures and good ideas!
Hi Diana, well I’m so thrilled you were inspired and so happy you enjoyed the post. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and thanks kindly for dropping by!
I do e so enjoy anything having to do with VT. I love it. We have been to Chester & I recall a bowl mill there or perhaps it was in Weston. I love those blue dishes you were fortunate to find. Also those blue linens really took my sye. We have a goddaughter who lives in Northfield. She is a college
prof at Northfield College. I will continue to follow you & I, too, look forward to seeing your plates up on your wall.
Hi Kathy, I love everything to do with Vermont too, LOL! We think alike. I think the bowl mill is in Weston, I’m not aware of one in Chester. I posted the plates on the wall as an FYI. It’s still a bit of a work in progress, but I shared it on Saturday. Happy hunting!
So many great finds and fun ideas for Valentines Day, Ann! Can’t believe you only found one platter, though! Can’t wait to see the wall when it is done!
I know Molly, I couldn’t either. I usually see so many of them. I reverted to Etsy so I’ll be getting the wall up in no time now.
So many great ideas and so many great finds. I can’t wait to see your platter wall finished. It will be wonderful. I love the idea of the red pinecones and that pink dish with the white platters. All so inspiring Ann!
Thanks kindly Kristin!
Hi Ann
What a delightful shopping trip!! Thanks for taking us along! LOVE that basket. I have a full set of the blue onion dinnerware. Got it as a wedding gift 54 years ago!! We use it constantly. Something about blue and white makes my heart sing! I paint Father Christmas on antique sleds and HAVE to plan a trip to check them out. These sleds are so hard to find around here! Thank you for the heads up!! Stay well. Stay warm.
Thank you so much Kathy. You would love the Covered Bridge antique shop if you like old sleds. They were reasonably priced too starting at $30 I believe. And the dishes, how lucky are you to have a full set? I adore the 4 I picked up. Thanks for your sweet note!
I had so much fun reading this post and looking at all the pictured. I’ve never seen so many sleds in one place. I would have bought that platter for $18 in a second!
Thank you Kim, I’m so happy to hear this. Aren’t those colorful sleds so fun? It was such a cute shop!
I love going on these journey’s with you. Whether you buy or not they are still fun. You did very well and out of it all I loved that cute red heart and those pretty linens.
Thank you Marlene, it wouldn’t be the same without you joining me too. It’s so fun to be able to share it all with those who like antiquing and thrifting just as much! Thanks again!
My favorite is the linen set. The colors are perfect and it has nice texture and nubby goodness.
Thank you Debbie. I agree I’m working on a table setting with it today for Valentine’s Day. It really goes with everything so nicely too.
Thank you for featuring Covered Bridge Antiques. I am always looking for new places within driving distance of our Upstate NY home.
I’m so glad you liked it. It’s a really cute place to visit for sure! I hope you like it as much as I did.