Giveaway reminder

Want to win one of the items shown below? Like Mid2Mod on Facebook AND mention the blog. Details are in my December 8 post.

West Bend Penguin Hot/Cold Server

McCoy Floraline Vase

Anchor Hocking Juice Carafe

Mid2Mod Giveaway...just for readers of my blog

Yes, a giveaway just for you and nobody else! And if your name is drawn, you get your choice of a West Bend Penguin Hot/Cold Server, a McCoy Floraline vase or an Anchor Hocking juice carafe. All you have to do to enter our drawing is go to our Facebook page, click Like AND leave a comment saying "I'm a Mid2Mod blog reader." (The winner will be chosen only from the people who mention the blog and show up on our Like list, so be sure to do both! If you've Liked us previously, leaving the comment will get you into the drawing.) And don't worry...We'll ship it to you at our expense!

The drawing will be held one week from today (December 15) and announced the next day, so register now before you forget. Here's what you could win:

Vintage West Bend Penguin Hot/Cold Server

or

Vintage McCoy Floraline vase

or

Vintage Anchor Hocking juice carafe

Fall is finally in the air

Fall doesn't come quickly to North Central Texas. Our blistering hot summer lingers for as long as it can, so when we finally awake to crisp air, it's cause for rejoicing. In celebration of cool autumn mornings, I thought I'd share photos of items in harvest colors that we have in the store now or have already sold...great for creating a cozy seating spot or a beautiful fall tablescape.

Fall Color Things for Sale in the Store

Swag lamp

Leaf dish

Gold Murano art glass vase

Root bowl

Brown sommerso vase

Brown art glass bowl

Jens Quistgaard Kobenstyle fondue pot

Italian vase

George Nelson lamp

Baumritter Danish style chairs

Fall Color Things We've Already Sold

Blenko decanter

Swivel chair

Danish chairs

McCoy vase

Velvet daybed

Art glass bowl

Danish chair

McCoy Unipet bowl

Carter Brothers scoop chair

Bowl, Italian

Richard Schultz for Knoll daybed

In the store: McCoy for your pampered pet

From 1966-1968 McCoy manufactured Unipet bowls for the veterinary pharmaceutical division of the Upjohn Company. Upjohn used them to package pet vitamin supplements. After the vitamins were finished, the bowl could hold pet treats. The lid even had a small clapper so it could be used as a bell to call pets to come get the goodies. As far as I can tell, the bowls came in gold, green and orange.

A few days ago my SIL and I went to an estate sale and came away with five of these bowls...two golds, two greens and an orange. One of the green ones had a chipped lid, but the rest were in fine condition. I'm trying my hand at another chip repair, but this one will be more challenging, because I'll have to match paint this time, instead of using black.  Here are three of the bowls we brought home:

Small-apalooza

The last few days we've made a haul on smalls. Usually it's the big acquisitions that are the most dramatic (and we've made some of those this week too), but I can get just as excited about glass, ceramics, wood and metal items. Some of the things we've found are simply classic. Others are a little on the kitschy side, and I'll show you those tomorrow. Either way, we have some great things that will provide perfect touches for mid-century homes.

McCoy vase

Teco maybe?

Blenko decanter by Winslow Anderson

19" ice bucket by Jens Quistgaard for Dansk

Bitossi vase, probably imported by Raymor or Rosenthal Netter

Frankoma planter

Fiesta disk vase

Another McCoy vase

Large fluted art glass vase

You'll ruin your eyes...

The 1950s saw an ever-increasing presence of television in middle-class households. Though still in its infancy, the television was already showing itself to be the centerpiece of the modern home. "TV" was life-altering in the same manner as the personal computer was three decades later, and, as with most technological advances, there were concerns. Much was made of the possibility that watching television in a darkened room could result in eye damage.

It wasn't long before many televisions were topped with a new adornment, a backlit statuette known as the TV lamp. It was felt that the ambient light generated by these lamps reduced eyestrain, permitting guilt-free viewing. Soon TV lamps became a must-have addition to the family television, positioned front and center, rather like a hood ornament on a 50s-era automobile. While their reign as a favorite piece of home decor only lasted about ten years, they possess significance in mid-century design history.

TV lamps came in thousands of styles from hundreds of manufacturers, and while they were occasionally made out of other materials, most were shiny glazed ceramic in one of the popular colors of the day. Most of these household sculptures were of animals, including the horse, deer, dog, bird, domestic cat and the ever-popular panther, but some were of people (often an Asian or mermaid theme) and still others were purely an exercise in abstract design.

From TVlamps.net

Texans, Inc. rare wax-resist process panther lamp
TVlamps.net

Snider clock/lamp combination
TVlamps.net

Lane flamingo lamp with candy dish base
TVlamps.net

Lane pink poodle lamp with candy dish base
TVlamps.net

Miramar chartreuse lamp/planter combination
TVlamps.net

Modern Art Products Asian woman lamp
TVlamps.net

McCoy mermaid lamp
TVlamps.net