Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Back from A Little Hiatus (Boca Raton and Vintage Goods!) [Picture Heavy]

Hey, all! I am back after a little hiatus. In the time I have been away, I went to Florida for 6 days (I have also been crazy busy with work!). I visited the in-laws and did some shopping at a couple antique malls. I cannot wait to share with you my wares, one of which includes my very first lucite bag! I am so excited.

On the afternoon of Thursday, the 19th of May, I flew on JetBlue from Washington Dulles to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Upon my arrival, I was picked up by my mother-in-law, aka "Mammaleh," and we, along with my father-in-law, went out to dinner at JB's On the Beach in Boca Raton.  I had a delicious dish of sea scallops, veggies, and wild rice. I was starving! All I had on the plane was my Kashi granola bar and a diet coke.

After dinner, we went back to the condo my in-laws own in Boca Raton. Mammaleh and I had a drink and then went to bed. The next day, Mammaleh and I went to the Hillsboro Antique Mall in Pompano Beach.

Here's us in the car, about to leave for Pompano:
My hair is in wet pigtails (I blew my bangs dry). My hair gets very frizzy due the Florida humidity so I usually do ponytails, pigtails, or wear snoods. I am wearing a 50s pink and white cotton sundress I bought on Etsy.

After a 15 minute drive, we arrived at the antique mall. I was so ready to browse and shop! The day's agenda was going to be dishware, bakelite, and lucite bags. Mammaleh wanted to look for milkglass.

After a few minutes of walking around, I was floored to see this:
I. Wanted. EVERYTHING!!! I knew that 1: my bugdet won't allow it and 2: there was no way I could bring it back on the plane! Moreover, as many of you know, Franciscan Starburst is very collectible and as a result, expensive. For example, look at the price on the serving platter:
However, I did find the same platter listed on Etsy for 65 dollars so maybe I should have gotten it. Either way, I will just have to collect slowly or hope to get the odd piece here and there as gifts.


In the end, I did buy a Franciscan creamer. I was listed for $7.50 USD. It had a flaw on it but when we got it back home, Mammaleh cleaned it with a sponge and the flaw was gone! I think it was a cream stain or residue.
I saw a couple bangles of bakelite but what the sellers wanted for them was too high. Mammaleh did not find her milkglass sugar bowl but she did spot this for me in a lighted display case:
I totally wanted to die! It is a lucite bag made with mother-of-pearl and clear lucite. I love it! The price was 110.00 USD but the seller gave me 10% off. I did see a nice number of pretty lucite bags but the prices were a bit high for me. After comparing this bag to a couple of others, I decided on this one. I love it!! It was a little dirty but I cleaned it with mild soap and water using q-tips and paper towels.
After making my purchases, Mammaleh and I went home and had lunch with my father-in-law.  Later that day, we went out to eat with family at Boca Town Center. Here is my outfit:
I am wearing a light blue Bettie Page sundress (bought at Bygones Vintage in Richmond, Va), bakelite bangles, white moonglow necklace, and a pair of off-white wedges from BC Footwear. I am also carrying my new lucite bag!

As we got in the car, a muscovy duck approached and hissed at us. Apparently, he was begging for food:
After dinner, we went back home and had a few cocktails on the back patio. The night air felt so nice!

The next day was beach day! Mammaleh and I drove to her cousin's house in Boca and us three gals had a beach day complete with crackers, cheese, and wine!
Great view looking down towards Deerfield Beach. I have no idea why that gal is sitting on her fella! Weird.

Another beach view:
Here is me, wearing one of my vintage suits:
I was swimming earlier in the water. It felt so nice despite the fact there were reports of sea lice (jellyfish eggs or larvae). I did not experience any side effects (itching or burning) so I guess the water there was not affected.

After our fun day, us gals went back home and cleaned up so we could go out for a family dinner at the Whale's Rib in Deerfield. The Whale's Rib is amazing spot for seafood, raw bar items, and beer by the pitcher. I indulged on fried shrimp and it was so perfect to end the day with!

Sunday, the next day, was pool day at the condo and antique mall shopping.  We went to The Sugar Chest Antique Mall on Federal (Route 1). The mall was huge! They were also having a major sale. Anything over 26 USD gets 15 to 20% off.  I was again on the hunt for bakelite and anything housewares.

I found a set of Blue Heaven dishes (6 person set) but the cups and dinner plates had major crazing and chipping. I spotted many bakelite bangles but I decided on colors that I was lacking in my collection: celery and brown.

The celery end-of-day piece was 70 USD and the two tortoiseshell spacers were 35 and 38 USD. The 20% discount made my total around 114.00 USD. I was pleased as punch!

Despite my fun day with Mammaleh and cool bakelite finds, there was a brief moment when the trip to the antique mall was a bit odd/uncomfortable.

As we were browsing the aisles, out of the corner of my eye I spotted an entire case of get this, Nazi memorabilia. I was shocked. Mammaleh was shocked. There were busts of Hitler, iron crosses, books, and some other things. I had no idea people would even collect that. Talk about crazy. I was especially shocked because there is a large Jewish community in South Florida. I have no clue what the seller was thinking.  (I know the mall itself was not selling it since the antique mall is comprised of individual rent/floor spaces for sellers.) Of all the locales to have that stuff for sale, South Florida is not the place. And that is all I am going to say about it.

Anyway, getting back to the positive! Mammaleh bought some 50s era pottery from California Originals and I bought my three bangles. We then went back to the condo for lunch and then it was off to pool with my father-in-law!

We hung out at the pool for a couple of hours and then it was back to the house to hang out on the patio before dinner.
Here is the main view outside the patio. There are canals for boats as well as the river in the middle, ie the Hillsboro River that connects to the Inlet that leads to the Atlantic. It is fun to hang out, have snacks and have a cocktail, watching the boats go by.
Me on the patio, wearing my 50s playsuit. Notice the boat in the background?

That night we ordered in sushi and watched TV. It was a perfect way to end a day.

The next day, Monday, Mammaleh and I went to Home Depot. She needed help picking out new cabinets and granite for her upcoming kitchen remodel.

Here is my outfit:
Sorry that this image is so poor! Darn blackberry camera! Nevertheless, I am wearing a 50s black and white dress with a black repro stretch belt, bakelite bangles, moonglow necklace, and a pair of red canvas espadrilles I bought from Anthropologie in 2006.

Just for fun, here are some pictures of a hibiscus (my favorite flower) and the orchids at the Home Depot Garden area:

Later that night, Mammaleh, my father-in-law, cousin Deb, and I went to the Cove for dinner. The Cove is a great local seafood restaurant and bar located on the Intercostal Waterway at the Boca Bridge. Here is a view from our table after sunset, showing the Boca Bridge:
The next day, Tuesday, was the last day. Before heading off to the airport, Mammaleh and I went to Boca Town Center to visit Sephora. I bought a replacement Illamasqua Lipstick in Box (the first one I bought at Vegas broke) and Mammaleh bought some new perfume!

One last look at the pretty, pink hibiscus bush in the condo lot:

Then, sadly, it was time to go back to DC. I left Fort Laudedale around 2:30 (the flight was delayed) and I arrived around 4:50 pm.

The trip was so nice! It felt good to get away for a while! I cannot wait to go back again!

22 comments:

  1. Sea lice are actually copepods! They're a type of crustacean.
    Larval jellyfish are essentially blobs. They land in a nice spot, form a polyp, then separate once they're more mature :)
    http://www.tolweb.org/tree/ToLimages/libr0363.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, looks like such a fun trip and some great finds!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice finds! I wish we had antiques malls in Australia ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mary,

    Thank you for the clarification! I have heard locals call them jelly fish larvae or eggs for years. I have been to South Florida many times but this trip was only the second time I have heard sea lice were in the water.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tasha,

    It was a fun trip! I just wish I was there longer! I have such a fascination for all things tropical and beach. Coming back to the DC suburbs was hard! lol

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for the comment, Bex! Antique malls are a blast for sure! I have a cousin in Brisbane and he tells me there are some fun op shops in bigger cities. The DC area has some antique malls and op shops but nothing that compares to the places in Florida by my mother-in-law's house! The bakelite for sale at the second place alone was so amazing! I felt like I had died and gone to heaven!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks like you had a fabulous trip!
    I love your lucite purse, it is GoRgEoUs.
    And the bakelite bangles too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I find it strange that people find Nazi memorabilia collectors strange. It is kind of like SKM & her Blackamoor bar fellow. Just because you collect it, doesn't mean you support it. A lot of it ended up here as war trophies brought home by soldiers - not by escaping Nazis trying to bring their pride over with them. I can't say as it is in my particular taste, but there is a military store here in the city which has some random antiques as well and their collection of Nazi items is fascinating from a historical perspective.

    Just email me if you want to reply but don't want some controversy ending up on here :) Totally understand.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Melzaelf,

    The lucite bag is indeed gorgeous! I am so happy to finally have one! I saw so many gals with them at Viva and now I have one of my own! As for the bakelite, I can never have enough. I would love to have some rootbeer or oxblood colors too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rueby,
    I guess it is just strange because half of my family is Jewish. We have relatives who were victims of the Holocaust and also relatives who were survivors/escapees. My father grew up in Nazi-occupied Norway and his sister still has an iron cross a German soldier gave to my grandmother. He apparently wanted a warm meal and ended up having dinner with my dad and his sisters and my grandmother. He was a farmer who got drafted into the war. He told them he hated the fighting and just wanted to go home.

    I can understand part of the historical lore but when I recall my great uncle talking about escaping Germany before he was to be sent away to Dachau, that part of me is shocked about seeing the display.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh looks like a lotta fun and you look beautiful in your pics kitten. Great finds too, loving that lucite bag. There are some great little franciscan starburst cups and saucers going for cheap on etsy at the moment. I wanted the get them but didnt think they would make it to over here in the UK in one piece :( xx

    http://www.etsy.com/listing/70029444/franciscan-starburst-cup-and-two-saucers?ref=sr_list_5&ga_search_query=franciscan+starburst&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

    ReplyDelete
  12. OOOhh that bag is just GORGEOUS!

    We went to an flea market here in the U.K a little while ago and they had a few stalls with quite a lot of nazi memorabilia, like you I found it kind of un-nerving, even knowing it was all probably souveniers of war.There was something kind of unpleasant about seeing it all together for sale like that.

    Man alive that is an evil looking duck!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You should come up to KS sometime and look through our thrift shops and antique malls. Dishes galore!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Isn't the weather just fabulous in Florida?! We had 86 degrees every single day, and it only dropped a degree or so at night, lovely!
    Glad you got some great finds, I got tons and some great Bakelite too! Love your box purse ♥♥

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bella VonBluebell,

    Thank you for the comments and compliment! Also, thanks for the link with the Starburst cups on Etsy! I would love to get my hands on a couple of serving platters and serving ware in general! The whole collection is just to die for!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Miss Magpie,

    Thank you for the comment! I am so pleased with my new lucite bag! I can totally see myself getting more! I am just taken aback at how much they cost! There are some beauties on Etsy right now but they are a bit steep. I am going to keep my eye out for a good condition bag with a decent pricetag!

    As for the Nazi stuff, I can understand if the items were taken home by Allied soldiers but again, just seeing it strikes a creepy chord in me!

    The duck does look mean (lol!) but most of the ducks on the condo property were quite tame and friendly. But when it comes to food, they do not mess around! They are professional beggars! lol!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Vera Von Vixen,

    How lucky that your local antique malls have quite a collection of dishes! They ones here in the DC area have a lot of dishes too but they are mainly Fiestaware (usually modern mixed with a few vintage pieces) and generic-looking pieces. so far, I have not found any Blue Heaven, Salem North Star, or Franciscan. I will keep looking nevertheless!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Clare,

    The weather is fabulous down there for sure! We were there at good time, just before the real humidity kicks in! According to my mother-in-law, April and May are hot but not as humid as mid-June, July, and August. I have been to South Florida in July and even though it was 86 degrees, the humidity made it feel hotter. The air is denser too so all you want to do is stay inside or in the pool! lol!

    I saw your finds on your blog and they are fabulous! I especially loved those cherry print capris! Cute, cute, cute!!

    I am in love with my lucite bag! I am just looking for excuses to carry it! I need a cocktail party to go to so I can show it off! lol

    ReplyDelete
  19. Tara I just got back from visiting a wonderful exhibition of handbags through the ages, and would you believe they had a 1950's lucite bag exactly the same as yours! I just had to come on here and share that with you. lol

    ReplyDelete
  20. Miss Magpie,

    That sounds like fun! I would of enjoyed an exhibition like that for sure!

    How neat that you saw my bag! I read recently that lucite bags were big in the 50s with Hollywood starlets and Vegas showgirls. As bags go, lucite ones have kept their value or even increased it! I would love to know how much they originally cost!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Que bonito es Florida,hermosos paisajes,flores.
    siempre encuetras muchas cositas.
    te ves bien guapa amor,especialmente me gusta mucho to vestido.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have yet to find a lucite purse that I like for the right price! I'm so glad you finally found yours! I'm going to Fort Lauderdale in July and I'm searching the web for some antique/vintage stores so I can shop!
    I loved all your outfits that you wore on this trip. I know what you mean about the humidity in Florida and your hair. I always end up putting my hair in a pony tail or in a hat because of it, even though I want to do pin curls!

    ReplyDelete