#functional items

Woodworking Custom Furniture

Medieval stove-grill-fireplace with animated fire

A little history for the 1925 Broadmoor Polo Association Foxhall Keene Trophy Pitcher

Several years ago, I happened across this wonderful trophy that is in the shape of a pitcher at a local flea market.  When I first saw it on the shelf, I didn’t see the engraving on the side of it.  When I read what it said, I got to wondering about who Foxhall Keene was and what exactly what the Broadmoor was as well. The first thing to do is to look at the pitcher itself.  It was made by the…

A little history of Fiesta Pottery

The pottery line known as Fiesta dinnerware was started by the Homer Laughlin company, and it made its debut in January of 1936 at the Pottery and Glass Show that was being held in Pittsburgh.  Fiesta dinnerware has been produced since then, with a small hiatus from 1972 to 1985. The reason for the hiatus was the fact that Homer Laughlin actually retired the set.  Collectors started to get…

Just about every company that has ever existed, they have used some form of advertising.  In the age of the internet, you find tons of ads online.  Before the advent of the Internet, one of the best forms of advertising was with a store display.  Companies still use them today.  They are made out of just about any material that you can think of, but one of the more common materials to use as an…

A little history of cameo jewelry

Cameo jewelry has been a popular item for many years now, and it comes in many scenes and sizes.  Just what in the world is cameo jewelry?

Cameo is a method of carving an image into stone or shell that has a flat edge to it.  More often than not, you will see a product that has multiple colors in it to give an extra pop to the carving.  The cameos that are made of semi-precious stone like onyx…

What a great way to repurpose a reproduction!

I’ve been attending auctions since my 8th birthday, and I had my first tiny space in an antique store at the age of 13.

There are times that I have to stop and think from time to time (and possibly even do some research) on an item that I am looking at.  There have been times that I chose to take a chance on an item that I’m unfamiliar with.

My taking a chance occurs when the item in…