Black Forest at Scott's

Last week I posted about the fabulous tartanware I found at Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta.  I also

found several dealers who displayed my other obsession, black forest wood carved pieces.  Terri Lightmas is right inside the front door of the building on the left (I can never remember if that's the north or the south building) and I am always awed by her pieces.  She has a knack for beautiful display and she is delightful herself.  She also has her mother with her in the booth and they are a lovely pair. 

Birds are a familiar theme in this genre.  Look at this box.  Can you see the eggs in the nest?  Darling!

How many times have I told you that I love dogs in decor?  Well, this piece is love worthy!  The wood is beautiful and the carving is fabulous and this little guy is just precious.

You have to see this.........a pair of lamps with

the hound on one,....

and the fox on the other!!!

Love! Love! Love!

I thought these fruit garlands were really beautiful, too.  The photo is not great, but the subject is!

These aren't black forest, but she has such a wonderful collection of biscuit barrels that I had to show them to you.  These are also some of my favorite antiques to collect.

How about this beauty?  This cow embelishment on the butter dish is wonderful, as is the banding, and Terri keeps her pieces in such beautiful condition.

I am also lusting for these salts.  What character they would add to a table. 

Terri also has a space at a delightful antique co-op shop, Historic Roswell Antique Market in Roswell, Georgia, as well as Antiques and Interiors of Sandy Springs, also in Georgia. Something tells me I might be visiting her there looking for these lamps. They have been calling my name at all hours of the day and night. 

Contact info for Terri:

Terri Lightmas

404-274-2991

404-255-1307

lightmas@mindspring.com

This booth belongs to Beth Bain, a dealer with some great and unusual pieces.  This box is designed with the carving depicting ferns.  Very Victorian.  What skill it must take to do the carving for the wicker as well as the ferns.

Here are some more birds.  This work is just outstanding.  I so appreciate the beautiful sheen on this lovely piece of wood.

This piece shows a lot of my design favorites.  Black forest, dogs, wicker - I love it!  The wicker basket could hold so many clever things, but who needs it to function when the expression on the dog's face is so charming.  It just cracks me up.

I use a lot of these in my decor.  Photos, post cards, and needlework all look good in these frames.  For some reason, old bird prints are my favorite subject, though.

Can you guess how much I love this one?

Desk accessories are another favorite black forest item.  This nut on a leaf is an ink well.  Here it is closed,.....

and here it is opened.

Deer and stags are other common subjects.  Beth has lots of both and she's quite willing to share her knowledge. 

Doesn't every ski lodge and mountain house need some black forest bears?

And I think this guy is very distinguished.

Beth's wares are also for sale at the 14th Street Antiques Market in midtown Atlanta (530 14th St., 30318)  It is 40,000 sq. ft. of a great variety of dealers. 

Contact info for Beth:

Beth Bain

bbain@bellsouth.net

Jim Pruitt of Tusks has a lovely display of antlers and mirrors.  I have bought several pair of large antlers from him in the past, but didn't buy anything today.  He left his sweet mom in charge of the booth this day and I had a great talk with her.  Pay no attention to the lady with the camera in this mirror, just look at the delicate work on the frame. 

I think Jim's display is as good as his merchandise!

Here's a treat! A matched pair of nice sized frames.  Oh my, they were nice!

The mounting plaques on many of these are so interesting and add so much to the piece.  Notice how the quality of carving, color of the wood and subject matter change the look of the antlers so greatly.

And which do you think were my favorite?

 Contact info for Jim:

Jim Pruitt

704-527-7043

(c) 770-968-7053

tuskoldworld@aol.com

Do you have a favorite????

Strawberry Breakfast

Who doesn't love strawberries?  Well, we all do, at least.  But especially my niece, Alison, who visited us from Orlando this weekend.  She brought her sweet daughter, Anna for a girl's weekend with my mother.  Four generations of strawberry lovers!

Breakfast on our first morning was on these little plates that I got at Homegoods last summer.  They had some serving pieces, too , but I contained myself. 

 

The flatware was some very simple red handled pieces from Target, I think. 

I still had a red tablecloth on the table from Valentine's Day so I just threw these apple green placemats on top and used these green depression glasses for juice.

These cute little cups with attached plates came from Michael's this month some time.  They are an apple green, even though they don't photograph here too well.  Perfect for strawberries, don't you think?

This centerpiece was a left over, too.  I have lillies, carnations, and daisies from the grocery store in one of my favorite vases.  I actually see some strawberry plants with those darling little white flower blooms in a bowl as the perfect centerpiece, but, hey, this had to do!

I brought this back from France after seeing them everywhere.  Does anyone know what this application of china flowers is called?

As Anna pointed out, the pomegranate juice even played into the color scheme.  A seven-year-old tablescaper in the making!

I can't forget the beginning of this whole table.  Our dear friends, and our daughter's in-laws brought these to us as a hostess gift one time.  Aren't they beautiful?  They are the BEST!

I'm posting on Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.  Be sure to visit there for some great inspiration.

betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com

More Tartan Than You've Ever Seen!!!!

Imagine my delight when I spotted this booth at Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta last weekend.  Scott's is a monthly show that attracts between 2,000 and 4,000 dealers.  Most of the dealers return to the same booth space nearly every month, but this month, Craig Ringstad, a newcomer, set up this incredible booth, just crammed full of Tartan Ware.  To a tartan lover like me...........nirvana!!!!!

His booth was full of treasures like I had never seen.  He told me he was probably the largest dealer of Tartan in the U. S. and I believe he must be!

Just look at these boxes and tea caddies.  I am sure that every clan must have been represented in his inventory. 

This group of napkin rings alone was enough to make me swoon.

And the very best thing of all was that he was so very kindly informative.  He told me how all tartan was made in the Mauchline factory, which burned down in the '30's.  This wonderful reference book described so many pieces I had never ever seen, or heard of, and I think Craig had nearly every one of them.  He spent so much time with me explaining about the process and what many of the pieces were used for.  I enjoyed every minute.  I wish I could have taken him out to dinner afterward just to keep learning and talking. 

Look at this sweet sewing case.....closed.....

and opened.

Did you ever imagine such a wealth of riches? 

Bowls, boxes, glove stretchers, compasses, darning eggs, fans, a purse, vases, tea caddies, tape measures, just the most incredible things.  I know, I keep using that word, "incredible", but it really is the most descriptive one I can think of!!!

He chose these more unusual small items for me to photograph.  He was so gracious and patient.

These fern designs were also made by the Mauchline company, using real fern fronds as production materials to get these beautiful patterns. 

These books are full sized, but he also had the most magnificent collection of miniature books.  They were so fascinating. 

 

Just look at some of these beauties!

Oh, they all sooo wanted to come home with me!

And look at what Craig showed me.  The pictures in these books are not printed on the pages, but rather are really photographs that are glued on.  Each one is an individual piece of art.

Talk about works of art.....look at these leather spines!

And look at this box made up of several different tartans. 

This was another favorite of mine.....a tartan match pocket. Love, love, love!!! 

Craig kept telling me that it was "all about the clans".

His large selection of reference books would be such fascinating resource material.

More eye candy!

Let me give you Craig's contact info:

Craig Ringstad

612-743-5753

ringcvr@msn.com

See anything you like?  Please give him a call or drop him an email and let him know that you saw his wares here.  I am so sorry that I never got a shot of his entire booth so that you could see the scope of his magnificent collection.