An ice cream sundae for everyone!

There are many different stories about the history of ice cream sundaes, it all depends on where you are in the country.

One of the stories that I have heard was about the city of Evanston, Illinois.  In 1890, Evanston was one of the first cities to pass a blue law that outlawed selling ice cream sodas on Sunday.

How did drug store operators get around this?  They served the syrup on top of the ice cream, and they omitted the soda (and the sundaes were born).

There are also different towns that claim to be the birthplace of sundaes as well.  Two Rivers, Wisconsin; Plainfield Illinois; and even New York City claim the dessert.

Glass manufacturers eventually made a special glass for these sweet treats, and they are as popular as the treat itself.

There are two great listings for sundae glasses that I have on eBay, one of them here and the other here.

What kinds of history of the ice cream sundae have you heard?

Mix and match Cocktail, iced tea, or lemonade sets

Having a get together?  Looking for that WOW addition to your table?  A mix and match cocktail set would be the perfect way to go.

 

They can even be tailored to the size if the get-together.  The set above is perfect for when there's two people.  You can see this set in my Etsy shop here.

Another way to go is a set like this for when you have a few more than two people coming over.

 

You can see this great set in my Etsy shop here.  There's also a wide variety of colors that you can use.  Purple, cranberry or amber glass are a very small amount that's out there.  Using a focal point like the pitcher or the tumblers above makes the set even better. 

Whether you use these sets for cocktails or iced tea, these sets are sure to bring a “where did you get this?” response from your guests.  These would also make for an unexpected one-of-a-kind gift.

Have you mixed and matched a set like this?

Fenton Art Glass

There's some bad news and some good news when it comes to Fenton art glass.  The bad news is that Fenton has closed their traditional glass making operation not too long ago.  What's the good news?  There's still plenty of great art glass examples that Fenton produced still on the market.

Some of the many great items that Fenton produced feature the Spanish Lace pattern, and one of them is this terrific vase.

 

The pattern can be seen in several colors, and was also paired with the silvercrest line.  The vase pictured above has both things going for it, and can be seen in my Etsy shop here.

Another item that comes to mind is this terrific basket that sports the hobnail pattern.

 

The ruby red basket dates to the 1970's, which can be figured out by the mark on the bottom.  You can see the basket in my Etsy shop here.

Another form of art glass that Fenton made was carnival glass.  They made it from the early 1900's to the time they closed.  This piece of carnival glass is a great example, and it has the Heavy Grape pattern on the interior and a ribbed pattern on the exterior.

The piece dates to the year 2000, and it can be seen in my eBay shop here.  What kinds of Fenton art glass have you run across?

This is truly an odd bird!

I think there’s an odd bird over there on that goofus glass vase!

Goofus glass was made in the early 1900’s and was the first type of carnival glass giveaway because it was relatively cheap to make.  Plates, bowls, vases like the one above, and even oil lamps were made in mass quantities.

The glassware was also made with highly decorative patterns like the one on the vase above.  The pattern on the vase featured here is called, “Odd Bird Sitting On A Grape Vine.”  The bird on the vase looks like it could have come out of a comic book!

The great thing about goofus glass is that it comes in a wide variety of colors form what’s on the vase to red, gold and even green.  With a wide variety of colors and shapes, you could find the perfect piece and color combination for any room.

One thing that you need to keep an eye on is the paint itself.  Since the paint was not fired on, it has a tendency to flake off.  The listing for this vase on Etsy shows the beginnings of this type of paint loss, which you can see this here (the best way to see it is to look through the vase towards the bottom).

Another thing that’s great is that goofus glass can be seen from flea markets to swap meets to even antique stores and shows.  You never know what you’ll find where!

What kinds of patterns and goofus glass pieces have you found?

A brief history of the Westmoreland Glass Company

The Westmoreland Glass Company was founded in 1889, and was based in Grapeville,Pennsylvania (which is not too far from Greensburg, Pennsylvania).  The company was run by brothers George and Charles West, which were the majority shareholders of the company.

When the company opened, the main production was pressed glass tableware lines, mustard jars, and even candy containers.

The brothers ran the company until 1921, when George West went on to run his own company.

The company was then run by Charles West and his close friend Ira Brainard.  When this happened, the name of the company changed from Westmoreland Specialty Company to Westmoreland Glass Company.  Shortly after the change, Westmoreland started to produce cut glass and even high quality hand decorated glass.

The 1940’s saw James H. Brainard (Ira’s relative) take over ownership of the company.  At this time, they went with mass produced milk glass and discontinued the hand decorated glass.

The company eventually went out of business in 1984, and the building was apparently converted into a storage facility.

There’s a very wide range of glassware that Westmoreland produced over the many years they were in business.  This can be very helpful for a collector that’s on a very strict budget, and they can find something to decorate with or collect for not much money.

What kinds of Westmoreland pieces that you have found that you treasure?