Vintage Milk Glass | Semi-Seasonal

I am participating in a ” 31 Days of…” series for the month of October. You see a whole bunch of sweet blogger buddies have been getting together the past few years to do 31 posts in 31 days. The topic is always something they have a passion for. This year they have invited all of their readers to post 31 days of their passions. If you are interested in participating in the 31 Days of…series, or you’re just curious about what everyone else is writing about, please visit The Nester, Jen, Melissa, Sandy, Darcy, Emily, and Emily. I hope you enjoy my series on finding treasures both vintage and of the heart. Let’s hope I can overcome my inconsistent blogging habit and share those 31 posts within the next 31 days!

Since this whole blogging about treasures for 31 days straight has been a massive FAIL, my 31 days series will come to an end at the end of October. And instead of 31 days, it will be a 16 day series. That is, if I can make myself post everyday until Halloween. Again,a massive FAIL on my part when it has come to blogging everyday, including weekends, vacation time, and those all too frequent uninspired days. So I do apologize to those of you who were looking forward to a full 31 days of treasures. But rest assured, I will share my vintage finds with you here and there. I own and am still finding a lot of great vintage-y treasures, it would almost be a crime not to share!

As I had mentioned in a previous post, I’ve got quite the addiction to milk glass items. Especially when it comes to milk glass vases of various shapes and sizes. My favorite at the moment is a hob nail vase…

She’s sort of short and squatty but I think she’s cute. If I had been smart, I would have bought some flowers or placed a few pens in her to show you the different ways you can use such a vase. However, much like the disorganized bum I am, I wasn’t thinking ahead. But thanks to my addiction to Pinterest I’ve got a few visual examples.

via Pinterest via In This Instance

Here’s my milk glass vase being used as a straw holder. And those paper straws? Super cute, I have my own stash left over from the wedding/house warming party.

via Pinterest via Etsy

I love the green apples in this milk glass piece. I’ve always got a milk glass bowl filled with some sort of fruit on my kitchen table.

via Pinterest via In This Instance

Don’t think that milk glass is only for sitting up on a shelf to look pretty. It can be used for so many other purposes too. Like organizing stationary, quite a clever idea actually.

I may have to take down some of my pieces from their little shelves and put them to work. No more just sitting pretty for them!

Yesterday I talked about all the creative ways others have displayed their vintage camera collections. Apparently I’ve got a theme going this week, because today I’d like to talk about how to display milk glass collections. As you know (and if you don’t you’re about to find out) I have a very extensive collection of milk glass items. It varies from baking pans and mixing bowls to vases and candy dishes. But if it’s milk glass and it’s not in a form of milk glass that I already own, you know I’ll be cradling that item in my arm all the way to the register like Peyton Manning does with a football running to make a touch down. (Is that football reference correct? It sounded right to me, besides that who doesn’t enjoy a good Manning reference?)

Here is a very small glimpse into my collection of milk glass…

The red bookcase Bubba bought at a yard sale for $5 several years ago. Apparently, the older gentleman he bought it from had made it in an afternoon and didn’t really care for the way it turned out. I liked it enough to use it in my last college apartment, my first career apartment, and finally to display it in my first non-rental home. It wasn’t until a co-worker of mine mentioned using a shelf to display all of my beloved milk glass that I thought to use this little book case on top of my “buffet”. (We call it a buffet, but it’s actually just a spare base cabinet that a previous owner had awkwardly placed in a corner of the kitchen. There are so many things I’d love to change about my little house. But that’s another post for another time.)

The bookcase is really very cute, but it doesn’t hold all of my collection, I’ve got milk glass in all corners of our home. On top of the TV, on all the end tables, the dining table, actually, any flat surface that is clear from the wrath that is Goldie’s tail. Many a vase and other glass collectible has fallen victim to this happy tail.

So, off I went to the interwebs for some further inspiration, here’s what I found…

via Apartment Therapy

via Country Home

via Design Sponge

via Better Homes and Gardens

via 320 Sycamore Blog

I especially love the curtains in that last picture. Oh what I’d give to have a window above my sink! But I do like the idea of displaying milk glass higher to draw the eyes up.

Such grand ideas, but for now my vases will be waiting patiently atop the T.V. or end table or dining table until I can decide where and in which way to display my milky treasures.