By Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Every spring the antique stores with their dusty attics get in the mood for spring with cheery colors and floral motifs. Such is the case with Miss Lucille’s Marketplace at 2231-A Madison Street, where there is currently an abundance of such finds.
One item I found recently at Miss Lucille’s was a pig offered for $22 at Booth 200. But it’s no ordinary pig: This creature is made of chalkware, a substance comprised of calcined gypsum. Chalkware figures, such as this pig, were given out as carnival game prizes during the Great Depression through the 1950s. The sunny yellow of this pot-bellied fellow simply sings of spring.
Another spring find is a faux gold-leaf wall hanging sprinkled with white flowers for $45 at Booth 917. Such wall hangings were originally popular during the 1950s and 1960s, when companies such as Syroco made them out of molded wood pulp and, later, out of plastic. The idea was to mimic hand carving. Syroco called the finish “metalgold” and the material “Syroco Wood.”
Today’s consumers don’t seem to be as much in love with the metalgold as those of decades past. That’s why repainting such Mid-Century Modern hangings has become a popular décor trend lately. With a fresh coat of milk paint in spring-like color, such as Tiffany blue or butter yellow, such a piece would fit right in with an eclectic style of home décor.
Milk glass was popularized in the United States in the late 1830s as an elegant, yet inexpensive, substitute for porcelain tableware. Today it is popular again; it looks gorgeous when used on the tables at spring weddings or baby showers, or any other venue in which white décor is used. I recently found a vintage milk glass compote at Miss Lucille’s offered for $16 at Booth 811. This particular pattern was called Old Colony and was made by Anchor Hocking, a leading manufacturer of milk glass, during the 1950s and 1960s.
Milk glass tabletop items, such as this Anchor Hocking bowl, bring vintage charm to any tableau of white.
There are other pieces in the Old Colony pattern, including footed compotes and bowls in various sizes. And since Anchor Hocking made other milk glass patterns with “lace” edges, you can also mix and match collections for a shabby chic look.
Spring is a time for soaking in beautiful colors and fresh-as-a-daisy whites – and what better way than to revive fond memories through vintage finds?
Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.