Georges Briard

While thrifting one day I have found two awesome pieces of glassware that scream “I’m from the 60s” so of course I couldn't leave them behind.  Both of these fabulous pieces have amazing graphics and the signature Georges Briard on them.  I decided it was time to research who this Georges person was.

Georges was a noted and award winning designer in the 1950’s 1960’s and 1970’s, with his signature collection being stocked at department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Bonwit Teller.  Georges was born Jascha Brojdo in the Ukraine and moved to Chicago in 1937.   When he moved to Chicago he began studying at the Art Institute of Chicago where he earned his MFA. When World War II began he served as a Russian interpreter, and in 1947, he was discharged from the Army and started working in New York with a gentleman that he met in art school.  Brojdo began painting serving trays for sale, and his friend came up the name Georges Briard to market his commercial pieces. Brojdo was also a painter and would use his real name on his art pieces, but Georges Briard became his signature as designer of his glassware which were wildly popular.  In 2004 he was awarded the Frank S. Child Lifetime Achievement Away by the Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators to the glass and ceramic decorating industry.

Georges style is very ornate with gold and a flair of illustration. If you are looking to make your barware or dinner parties more embellished with something chic and charming Georges Briard is your man.  I mean really a highball tastes so much better out of Man Men style glass.

These are two of the Georges pieces that are available in the shop.

Paradise Pattern Bird Snack Plate

Gold Patterned Serving Plates

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31 Before 31

Well folks, in just shy of 4 months I will be the big 3-1,  so I've made a list of 31 things I would like to accomplish before Aug. 21.  I'll note the progress on here

1.         Take a road trip and stop at all the cheesy stops

2.       Watch 5 classic movies

3.       Visit a National Park

4.       Go on a bike ride to dinner

5.       Have a picnic on the beach

6.       Go to a shooting range

7.       Learn to knit

8.       Go tubing down the Apple River

9.       Send out 3 random care packages

10.   Go back to New York

11.   Serious purge of closet at least 30 things

12.   Girls weekend away   completed 5/6//12

13.   Organize and tag all shop items into Rubbermaid totes

14.   Have a picture taken of me that I like

15.   Have a photo session of my grandparents

16.   Go to Galena

17.   Finish my personal project

18.   Consign to a Handmade Store

19.   As many outdoor concerts as I can

20.   Blog 3 times a week

21.   Take a picture every day for a month

22.   Come up with 12 dates  completed 5/1/12

23.   Go horseback riding

24.   Yoga class

25.   Tea with my 3 favorite Pollack’s

26.   Drive Lakeshore drive from beginning to end

27.   Grow Business

28.   Read all of the books on my shelf to be read

29.   Volunteer

30.   Submit to a magazine

31.   Personal Goal

Again anyone that wants to call dibs on helping me with any of these let me know:)

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Flea & Find Wrap Up

First of all thank you so much to Naomi at The Glitter Workshop for putting on such an amazing event!  We had so much fun and it was so nice meeting all of you fine and fellow cheeseheads.  I got back to Chi-town early Sunday afternoon, and took the rest of the afternoon and evening off! I caught up on Touch and seriously napped for 3 hours after I got home.  I have about 6 boxes lined up to go through and price for our next big shindig the Vintage Bazaar in June and of course picking out the cream of the crop and the most unique to put into our online shop .  It's so fun going through my accumulations again it's like picking without having to leave my house!

Oh and one funny story from the Flea and Find while unloading one of my fellow vendors saw a minnow bucket that I had just pulled out of the truck and set on the ground, she walked over, asked how much and told me to hide it and she was going to buy it.   I walked past her booth, and she had a BEAUTIFUL ENID purse on her table. When I was all set up I asked if she wanted to trade the minnow bucket for the Enid and she said sure!  So a new Enid came home with me and she was so happy to find out that I collected them because it had been her own personal handbag and she was having trouble parting with it, so she was glad it was going to live with fellow Enids.  I hope that her husband enjoys his new minnow bucket, a bucket for a bucket.

Thanks everyone that came out in Madison and to all my online friends that stopped in to say hello! Hope to see you in the area again soon!

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Let's go to the Fair

This week marks the opening 50 years ago that the Seattle World's Fair on April 21, 1962.  It was the first time the U.S. had a World's Fair in over 20 years and the theme of that year was "Century 21 Exposition" or also known as "The Space Age".  This fair saw the opening of the Space Needle and the monorail.

During this time my grandfather was stationed with a unit from the Wisconsin National Guard at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, WA.  Somehow every time I come home and visit with him some how the conversation always comes back to the World's Fair, and the greatest steak he ever had somewhere near Portland, OR. To a 21 year old married father of 2 that hadn't left small town Wisconsin ever this was a very big deal.  

These are two of the souvenirs that he brought home from the Fair. They are his prized possessions since he was sending pretty much all of his paycheck home to take care of my Grandmother, 2 year old Father and one year old uncle, he didn't keep much money for himself so these were enormous treats.  

This is a spinning lamp with a picture of the fair grounds, it's really cool and he has it in his tv room. 

These souvenir glasses are safely packed away for all time, he just brought them out so I could take a picture of them.

How about you have you ever been to a worlds fair or has anyone in your family been to one?

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Flea & Find Sneak Peeks

Happy Friday Everyone!

How was your week? This one has been long but fast, if that's even possible.  Just checking in today to give you a few sneak peeks of some of the goodies I'm bringing to the Flea & Find this weekend, I'm totally looking forward to meeting some of my internet friends, in person!


Among all of the fun stuff in those "secret" brown boxes, I am also bringing an Antique level similar to this, so that it's lucky owner can turn it into this super rad one of a kind coat rack! Tutorial HERE via Knick of Time Interiors

Also looking for a new home is this green girls Columbia Roadmaster cruiser bike, in awesome condition!

That is if I can get my dad to stop riding it around.

Come out on Saturday if you are in the Madison area, the best way to celebrate Earth Day is to buy vintage, it's recycling at it's best!

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The 13th

Did you know that the number 13 mason jar is very hard to find?  Did you even know that there are numbers stamped on the bottom of Ball mason jars?  Well, now you are in the know.

 Last weekend, I did some "light" thrifting as my step mom and  I were teaching my step-sister the ins and outs of the world of treasure hunting. (I also taught my step mom like a year ago and she is nicely progressing from the amateur to intermediate level)  Said step sister has been known to roll her eyes when we talk about our finds, so we thought we'd show her how fun it is, she may not be hooked...yet.

Anywho, the #13 mason jar, we were looking around one thrift store and low and behold I saw that aqua goodness (Finding a mason jar in a thrift hardly ever happens to me) and I turned it over and there it was the #13, my lucky day.  The story goes, that back in the day during the canning process some of the wives were very superstitious and would throw away their #13 jars in fear of something bad happening to them.  And when I say throw them away I mean bury them in the backyard with the rest of the garbage.   So I'm sure behind some old farmhouses buried deep down are some steller #13 Ball Mason jars amongst many other treasures.

If you happen to go and dig up any farm backyards, let me know if you find any treasure:)

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P.S.  Happy Birthday wishes to both my besties this week, thanks for reading and staying on top of me to update:) So many things wouldn't be possible without you two, smooches!

Happy Weekend

Hooray for 4 day weekends! Today is my last day at the day job for 4 days!  This weekend I will be spending time with family and friends. I may or may not do some picking, haven't decided yet. But no worries if I do, I'll post some updates on TWITTER or FACEBOOK. You follow along don't you? :)  

Also, now through tax day, April 16th there is 15% off in the SHOP with coupon code TAXTHIS.  I will not be shipping out on April 16th however, the post office is waaay too crazypants, did that last year and waited in line for an hour for the self-serve machine....oy vay:)

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend.

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Picture via Angela Fields on Pinterest 

( Oh ya I'm on there too, if you want to follow my boards )

The Future Antiques

Awhile ago, the spontaneous decision was made for a road trip, a change of scenery, a need to push the reset button, a weekend away.  The only limitation was the driving limit, 5 hours max... ok totally doable, the challenge now: which direction to go.  Living in Chicago that is one of the perks, 5 hours North can take you to the Northwoods of Wisconsin, 5 hours East can take you (almost) to Detroit city limits, 5 hours West can take you to Iowa and 5 hours South can take you to St. Louis.  St. Louis was the big winner!

I had been there before but never to go on a treasure hunt, and treasure hunt I did.   I had downloaded the Thriftaholic app and with the GPS was armed and dangerous, with the weekend motto of, " do stuff you can't do in Chicago and no treasure left behind!"

While there the thriftaholic app found some great places but one that stands out is The Future Antiques or also known as TFA.  This store was seriously Amazeballs!   Everything was so amazingly organized by color and room of the house it belonged in. Seriously the most organized  store I've ever been in.  When  I told the owner that he replied with," Well it's taken 11 years to get it that way." The first room was like a kitchen straight out of the 50's or 60's then you make your way into the Living Room area with such awesome furniture, then there's a room with all clothes and finally a HUGE room with just furniture.  Everything is mid-century nothing before and nothing after, it's like a museum, but you can take the things home with you if you feel so inclined. Seriously, when you are in St. Louis this place is a MUST!

*Pictures via TFA website as I was so enthralled by the great mid-centuryness that I didn't talk a single picture*


Any cool stores like this in your neck of the woods?

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