Brunch, antiques, Indian Food, and "Milk"

Sam, Jane, Henry, Mani, and I all met up for brunch at Blueberry Hill in LaGrange on Saturday, which was wonderful.



Then we girls let the boys go off to do their own thing (which included riding the carousel at Brookfield Zoo), and we headed to the antique mall in LaGrange. They were having a sidewalk sale, but Sam and I weren't too impressed this year. So we went inside the mall, and I did find some cool things, like...



this charming sheet music




this lovely teacup

We stopped at Starbucks for some coffee, then headed to Trader Joe's, Borders, and a few boutiques on the way to the car. Afterward, I took Sam to the Honda dealer to pick up her CRV, and we headed over to another antique shop, where I found...



this pretty magazine

I parted ways with Sam after that to fetch Pete (who was at home without wheels) and headed back to Sam's house. Mani and Henry were back, and we all went to Khyber Pass in Oak Park for some delish Indian food.







We all had the buffet, and I tried some rose milk, which was utterly wonderful.



I must learn how to make it at home....



Anyhow, then we headed back to their house and watched "Milk," which was pretty good.



Everywhere we went, people were fussing over Henry and Jane. They were quite the little charmers and enjoyed the attention.



I plan to frame the sheet music and magazine as I've framed others in my house (the framed Life magazine is my favorite so far).




And the teacup is going in my growing collection. All in all, I didn't spend all that much, yet I still got some great vintage finds to add to my happy home.

(Some images from Blueberry Hill, Khyber Pass, LaGrange Park Antique Mall, Kitchen Tantra; image of Jane by Nicole)

Pretty, pretty milk glass

I am crazy about milk glass. Not to the point where I have obsessively bought tons of it (not yet, lol), but I just think it's some of the prettiest glassware out there and have slowly been collecting it. I love all the different shapes and colors it comes in, and all the dainty purposes it was created for—delicate salt cellars, gorgeous vases, frilly cake stands, and everything else you can imagine.















A good source to look for milk glass kitchenware is on eBay, of course, but don't rule out going to your local antique and thrift stores. Milk glass tends to be relatively cheap, and it's often the perfect thing to display on your coffee table or in your china cabinet. And even newly-produced milk glass can be beautiful. Martha Stewart has a line of milk glass that stands up to any vintage piece.




Right now I only own about 4-5 milk glass vases, so I'd like to add more functional items to my collection, like serving pieces. I've been looking at salt cellars on eBay, which I find so appealing. I can imagine throwing my much dreamed-about tea party (with my growing collection of inexpensive vintage teacups) and having tiny little salt cellars placed here and there on the dining room table.







Another milk glass item I've been lusting for are cake plate stands. I would love to get my hands on a pretty hobnail stand or two, although there are plenty other designs and colors to choose from. I found quite a few on eBay, but shipping tends to run $10 or more, although you can find quite a few inexpensive ones that will run you under $20 total. You just have to browse a lot and see what's listed.








Since I'm headed to the Spring Outdoor Market next weekend in LaGrange, I'm going to wait to purchase any milk glass items on eBay, unless they're pretty cheap or I absolutely must have them (none meet that criteria so far). I prefer to be able to look at the item in my hands, turn it around, see how many imperfections there are, and also see how it catches the light. Milk glass seems to come in different formulations, and even among my collection the type of glass varies greatly.






If you're lucky enough to already own milk glass, congrats! And if you're newly interested in the stuff, have fun searching it out. It's a great vintage look to add to your fanciest china or everyday dishes. Happy searching!