Vintage Vases for Spring Bulbs ... and a Little Martha Stewart

I love the cheer a vintage vase brings when awash with candy-colored flowers. Recently, I visited one of my Nashville clients, GasLamp Antiques & Decorating Mall, where I styled various vases with inexpensive flowers from Trader Joe's. I adore this little $18 cat. You could put a tiny fern in it, or some ivy, but I prefer the pop of color from the tulips, since the vase is black and white. To purchase, go to gaslampantiques.com. 

This vase, at a mere $8, is such a find. I love the embossed beading on the handles, such a nice touch. I tossed in some daisies, yarrow, and alstoemeria, then gave it to a dear lady I know who recently received some bad health news. 

I don't own any McCoy art pottery myself, but I do adore it. Those pastel colors are one reason, plus I love the embossed designs you find on McCoy. This vase is pricier than the others, at $45, but that is because McCoy is so collectible. I need to hit some yard sales this summer and see if I can find any at a good price (unless a certain Martha Stewart has snatched it all up -- her East Hampton kitchen is filled with McCoy pieces in trademark mint blue). 

Well, since I mentioned Martha Stewart's McCoy collection, I just had to toss in this photo. When I lived in NYC, I had a friend who worked for Martha, and would go to her houses to work on photo shoots. She said Martha's collections of all manner of vintage were so extensive that it made a person want to give up collecting altogether, simply because Martha had probably already bought whatever it was one wanted to collect. This was an exaggeration, of course, but don't we all love a Martha story? (I've got more where that came from ... stay tuned). Photo courtesy of Kevin Sharkey at homedesign.marthastewart.com.