Gilded Palm: Vintage Souvenirs ~ Continued ~ And a Little Tribute to Paris, Billie Holiday Style!

((if you would like the whole vintage souvenir experience, scroll down to the bottom of this post and start the YouTube video. You can listen to Billie Holiday as you read! Just make sure you scroll back up :))

When I started this blog, my plan was to feature something different each week, in the world of antiques, vintage items and collectibles. Well..... it hasn't quite turned out that way, but it's still my goal This is were it's going to take a turn to the past. How appropriate. "Vintage" is all about the past. In September, I posted a blog about Vintage Souvenirs. Several months later, I have discovered some other vintage pieces that fit perfectly with this blog. I would like to share with you a few more souvenir pieces that deserve the time. Please, go read the September blog post on vintage souvenirs, if you have not already done so. You'll discover through my blogs along with silver and silver plating, souvenirs from a bygone era are my new guilty pleasure. The attraction is the obvious....I adore old things, they have a story to tell. My husband says he now fits into this category. He would be considered vintage but not quite an antique.

My Vintage Honey

The root of souvenirs and my passion for them, is that they are a remembrance of a moment in time, mainly a place which was visited. My husband and I are travelers and visualizing ourselves touring the world or driving in a RV around the nation is well within our scope. We love the adventure of a different environment, - city, country, desert, a seaside community, majestic forest. In our adventures, we'll scour our new surroundings for souvenirs to purchase like books, small statuary, pottery or bits of nature like a blue feather from a walk in the redwoods, clover from a field of Standing Stones in Ireland.....

Drombeg Stone Circle, Cork County, Ireland

sea glass from a California beach or well ..... a Pompeii Red chip of plaster found outside the ancient site of Pompeii, Italy. I told my husband not to bring it home! He figured since it was OUTSIDE the site, it was fair game. Oh, well.

Vintage Souvenirs Continued ~

This is a small sample of a large collection of vintage souvenir spoons. These belong to my mother who has been collecting them for years. I am charmed to my toes by this "Cairo" spoon. The font is the true gem of this little silver spoon.

Vintage Glass Jewelry Boxes from Paris, France. Circa 1900. The Eiffel Tower, Norte Dame and Sacre-Coeur

European countries, mostly France and Italy, have a plethora of vintage souvenirs. Known for their warm climate, rich history, historical sites and famous artwork, citizens of surrounding countries would flock to these two countries to get the chill out of their bones and expand their brain.

This little beauty is mine ~ from a French convent Mont Sainte Odile de Convent

A tankard or pitcher from the 1911 Scottish Exhibition in Glasgow of the Stewart Fountain

Exhibition and Fairs ~ especially the World Fairs ~ were busting at the seams with souvenirs. Many can be found today at a very reasonable price. Glass pitchers, plates, mugs, miniature replicas of buildings and monuments, linens and hankies.

The same pitcher without the black cloth to highlight the image.
For sale @ Ooh La La, Maui!

Main Street Florence, Colorado, Custard Glass Vase ~ for sale @ Ooh La La, Maui on Etsy

I had never heard of Custard Glass until my mother gave me my first piece. Custard Glass was first produced in England in 1880. The popularity of this egg- colored glass quickly became the rage in the United States, especially with novelties and souvenirs like the vase pictured above. There are lots of Custard Glass mugs, vases and tiny bowls for sale on Ebay depicting a pictorial scene of towns in the United States. Most of them seem to be from the Eastern part of the country, however, the vase above hails from Colorado. Just for your information ~ FYI ~ An authentic piece of Custard Glass is made from Uranium Salts and is desirable by collectors. To know you have the Real Mc Coy, hold your piece of Custard Glass under a black light. If it produces a eerie green glow, it's real.

Custard Glass held under a black light. Thanks to www.patternglass.com for photo

Uranium salts sound scary, I know. But, these salts in Custard Glass have lower levels than your microwave or television.

For sale at The French Emporium at Etsy for 9.99 Euros

I bought my first brass Eiffel Tower on a Parisian trip in 1992. After that, I was in Eiffel Tower overdrive buying towers that fit the criteria. They had to be or look vintage. I recently found this brass plate on Etsy. Isn't it fun? Sadly, I will not be the new owner of this one because not only do I have a penchant for silver wares and vintage souvenirs, I love plates, painting and prints .... just no room on the wall for a little plate like this.