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Monday 7 May 2012

My First Haeger

I used to love thrifting.  Notice that I employed the past tense.  Thrifting meant retail therapy without the guilt.  But now thrifting seems an endeavour that is not for the faint of heart.  Let me back track a little.  Recently, I decided to indulge in a little "retail therapy" when I saw something on a shelf that made me gasp.  Do you ever see something and time just seems to stop?  I don't really remember walking over (or running to the shelf), just lifting it up and turning it over to check the bottom.  What was it?  It was this.


A Haeger console planter/vase!  Now Haeger pottery may be a commonplace find South of the border but up here in the Great White North, they are a rare find out in the wild.  I'd been keeping an eye out for Haeger pottery but had begun to think that they were an urban legend until now.

 
I think I had 5 seconds of dazed happiness staring at the backstamp when, all of a sudden, a screeching voice bellowed in my ear, "That's mine!  I saw it first!"  My daze of euphoria quickly turned into a daze of stupefaction.  All I could think to say was, "Ummmm....no???"  I'm guessing she saw the look of happy shock on my face, realized I'd scored a great find and decided to try her luck at bullying me into handing it over.  Unfortunately for her, my hands felt like they were now superglued to the planter.  And as you can see, it is now in my home.  Its entry into my life not only nipped off my growing thrifting obsession but precipitated an overhaul of the entry console table.  This is what it used to look like.


I had begun to realize that the various figurines on the bottom shelf had a tendency to draw the eye downwards.  The front entry doesn't have any windows so there is no source of natural light.  So the figurines blended into the shadows.  The bowl was used to hold keys but ended up holding clutter.  The box was used to hold mail but just encouraged more clutter accumulation.  Now the table looks like this.


Much better I think, don't you?  I really like the clean simple lines. 


But now I'm wondering if it's too simple and sparse.  Do you think I should add something to the bottom shelf like a flower arrangement?  Or a pair of lamps flanking the planter?  Any suggestions would be welcome!  Of course, if I decided to add more things, that would mean venturing back out into the now scary world of thrifting.  And I don't think I've recovered just yet...


16 comments:

Jane, Naples, Florida said...

I am so glad you were able to hang on to it! What a beautiful piece! Looks perfect I don't think it's too sparse at all!

Thank you for visiting my Flora Doora blog!

Jane
Flora Doora

Heather@Tatter and Fray said...

I find Haeger pretty often down here in Indiana, but your piece is really special...I love the lines; very elegant! I can't believe someone tried to bully it away from you. Good for you for standing your ground. I think a pair of small-scale lamps would be lovely, but it looks nice as-is, too!

Stan and Jody Gabara said...

Beautiful piece! Thanks for stopping by, have a great week.

Jody

Liz @ Quirky Vistas said...

Thanks for coming by quirky vistas and leaving me a comment. I have to say, I agree with you about thrifting. There are fine lines involved aren't there? I too love things to be simple and empty and thrifting has a way of cluttering things up. It's difficult to say no to super-bargains. I like your table with just the pottery on top. The nice thing about thrifting is you can always switch out your decor. You don't have to have it all out at once. Problem is finding storage. I enjoyed this post! Hope you'll come by again!

Chelsea said...

Wow, I can't believe that happened to you! How do people think they can do that just because they saw it before you picked it up? Anyways, I am glad you found something so beautiful, thanks for stopping by my blog, I am now following you!

Michele said...

What about elevating the bowl slightly on two or three books. It is lovely, good score.

That was ridiculous, how could she know she saw it before you did, especially since you had it in your hand? At a library sale once my heart sank when a woman picked up a book I'd been looking for for ages, literally a split second before I was going to reach to see the title,but it was my bad luck,her good. It would never occur to me to say anything to someone in a thrift or at a sale. Except the time a woman started taking things out of my basket at the Salvation Army, then I did speak up.

JoKnows said...

What a lucky find! Good for you. I would make a little trio of things on the table, probably because I have so much stuff and I need places for it! ;)

JoKnows said...

Oh, and I am a new follower too! What province are you in?

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Great find and good for you for hanging on to it. I love it on the console. It is beautiful and I love the simplicity of just the bowl. Maybe one lamp and a candle on the other side or a pair of lamps. I would put anything on the bottom. Love it. Thanks tons for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Glad you came home with your newly found treasure. I have never heard of this pottery. But it sounds like you got a beauty. I think it looks very nice. I am kind of a more the merrier kind of person so I would definately add a little more. However, if you like things very clean and simple it works.
Hugs,
Jann

Diann said...

What a great find. I have a couple of these pieces myself and love them. I am so glad you snagged it before the "bully' did! Thank you for joining TTF this week and have a wonderful weekend and a very happy Mother's Day!

Ivy and Elephants said...

Thanks so much for stopping by our blog. I am so glad you did, and I am now following you.
I can't believe the nerve of some people. My Mama raised me so much better than that. The piece is really pretty and can stand alone, but lamps would be nice and add a little light, too.
Please visit again and feel free to link to the party anytime. You're always welcome!
Hugs,
Patti

Olive said...

The color and shape of your piece is cool. I would put ivy or succulents in it. I find Haeger a lot here in Georgia.

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Wow, what a freaky woman. You were right to hold onto it and say "no" to her. It sounds like she was trying to get you to hand it over although you obviously got to it first. Are there thrifting bullies now? I've never had that happen, but I guess there's always that possibility. I'd go back, but just look around and see who is around you.

I would definitely add to your table. A couple of lamps would look lovely, or one lamp and something else tall for the other side. You could do a plant or basket of flowers on the bottom, some books, bring in some items that go together {i.e. birdhouse, nest, ceramic birds} or something you collect maybe. Shop your home first, you may have what you need before making a trip to wacky land. : )

Linda said...

Yes you scored girl!! I would leave the bottom of your table bare and focus on the top. I know you will find that something to add with that gorgeous bowl.
Being from Ontario as well I must keep an eye out for such beauty when out antiquing. I'm your newest follower.

The Charm of Home said...

Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
Sherry

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