Courtyard in Florence, Italy

Sea Glass at the Sea Hag

MY INTEREST IN ANTIQUES BEGAN WITH MY GRANDMOTHER AND A LOVELY BIG HOUSE FILLED WITH TREASURES - INCLUDING THOSE IN THE "GOOD PARLOR" WITH ITS DOOR CLOSED....WE WERE ALLOWED TO PEEK BUT NEVER TO ENTER.  IT CONTAINED TAXADERMY ANIMALS UNDER BIG GLASS DOMES, BEAUTIFUL FURNITURE, GORGEOUS LAMPS WITH COLORED BULBS IN THE SHAPE OF BUNCHES OF GRAPES AND IT WAS, QUITE LITERALLY, STUFFED WITH THIS WONDERFUL COLLECTION, AS WAS THE REST OF HER HOME.  MUCH OF THE "MINOR" COLLECTION FOUND ITS WAY ACROSS THE STREET TO OUR HOME, A BIG OLD HOUSE ON A DIRT ROAD WITH LOTS OF ACERAGE FOR WHICH MY MOM AND DAD PAID $2000.00 BACK IN THE LATE 30S.  MY MOTHER LOVED GLASS, ESPECIALLY CUT GLASS, AND MY MOTHER BEGAN HER BUYING AND SELLING OF GLASS, ABOUT WHICH I NEVER LEARNED A THING ... YES, I LEARNED TO RECOGNIZE GOOD GLASS BUT MAKERS? NO  - I LIKED THE MORE PRIMITIVE ITEMS - CUPBOARDS, WOOD, BIRD CAGES, OLD UTENSILS - AND SO IT BEGAN....AND IT HAS NEVER STOPPED, AS TIME WENT ON MY PRIMARY INTEREST, AND WHO KNOWS WHY? - BECAME TEXTILES - NOT QUILTS AND PRIMITIVE TEXTILES BUT THOSE OF THE 20S, 30S, 40S, AND ANTIQUE CLOTHING, SOMETHING OTHER DEALERS WERE NOT INTERESTED IN AT THAT TIME.  THEN, THE PRIMITIVE ITEMS BEGAN TO BE DISPERSED, ALTHOUGH I HAVE MANY MY CHILDREN WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO PART WITH, INCLUDING A BENCH WHICH WAS A "COFFEE TABLE" IN FRONT OF MY SOFA AND WHICH, WHEN THEY WERE VERY SMALL, THEY WOULD TURN UPSIDE DOWN, PUT IN A BLANKET AND PILLOWS AND WATCH THEIR CARTOONS.  SESAME STREET, MR. ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD, THE SIMPLE, HAPPY TV OF THE PAST. 

WE ALL PROGRESS DOWN THIS ROAD, AND OUR INTEREST CHANGES, I BEGAN TO LOVE VICTORIANA AND STILL DO AND ALWAYS WILL AND SILVER AND JEWELRY, A LEARNING PROCESS, AND SO MUCH FUN TO FIND IT ALL.

IT IS ALWAYS THE HUNT WHICH IS THE MOST FUN, IT IS ENTERTAINMENT, IT IS A PLEASURE, ONE IS NEVER BORED WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH IN OUR WORLD TO LOOK AT AND WONDER ABOUT.  AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE IS ANYTHING BETTER THAN AN ATTIC WHICH HAS NOT BEEN TOUCHED FOR 50 YEARS. I ACTUALLY BEGIN TO BECOME RATHER UNHINGED WHEN I GET THAT OPPORTUNITY.

AND SO I BEGAN TO SELL ON EBAY, WHEN EBAY WAS STILL AN "AUCTION" FORMAT, WHICH, WITH THE ADDITION OF THE EBAY "WATCH LIST", IS NO LONGER THE CASE.  HOWEVER, MY CUSTOMERS ARE A PLEASURE, THEY ARE VALUED AND VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.  IT IS NOT MY GOAL TO "MAKE EBAY PRETTY", I READ THE DESCRIPTIONS THAT OHHHHH AND AHHHHH ABOUT A SLIGHTLY VINTAGE ITEM WHICH HAS A ROSE ON IT AND I REALLY HAVE TO WONDER BUT WE ALL DO OUR OWN THING, I GUESS.  IT IS MY GOAL TO CONTINUE TO OFFER, ALTHOUGH NOT ALWAYS SPECTACULAR,  INTERESTING ITEMS WHICH MY BUYERS WILL ENJOY IN THEIR HOME. 

PLEASE COME BACK AND LOOK ANYTIME.  WITHOUT YOU, THERE WOULD BE NO "ABOUT ME" AND IT IS MY PLEASURE.  REGARDS, JOYCE