Antique Watering Cans

{Click on any photo to see full view}

I adore watering cans.
Zinc are really the only ones I collect...

... but from time to time a colored one will rotate in my garden from the boutique or warehouse overflow. It stays temporarily to enjoy for a spell.

I typically love rotating in red, but after a recent trip to Paris where orange was all the rage, I was inspired to paint my garden shed door (and a not-so-old can, aka reproduction! Shame on this antique dealer!) a wonderful terra cotta. Paint: the next best invention to French Bread.....!!! {French Bread wins hands down against everything in the universe of course}


French and English watering cans are so special, their character vastly different from varieties in the States. I stumbled across an engineer's diagram book of all watering cans made by two English companies from 1810-1910...it's my cherished treasure but unfortunately I've misplaced it so... my small home library is being torn from limb to limb.
My favorite is French early 19th C... the angle of the sprouts grabs me. I have several metal ones (not zinc) that are taking on a lovely rust patina from years of Miracle Grow and Fish Oil additives. Truth be told I find myself more and more mixing these fertilizers in a couple of Target plastic versions (for shame yet again on this antique dealer!)

These days only water fills the antique and vintage versions in between feedings.


I know some of my hardier English cans would be up to the task, but still I try in vain to preserve them for as long as possible. Should the bottom rust out, I nestle in a clay pot of something trailing and lovely .


When I have an outdoor party, I love filling them with loads of cut flowers or small pots of newly-planted geraniums.


Ah, but fresh cuttings of hydrangea from my garden against a zinc can is my all time favorite. If you have a favorite watering can you use in your garden, I'd love to hear about it or see a picture....and if you DO NOT, I hope this inspires you!

It started with a teapot...

....during a flea marketing excursion at Portobello Road in London, I saw this antique English Chintz teapot on a vendor's table. I swooned and had to have it even though at the time I didn't collect chintz or teapots. In fact, I've never chosen to have any pink rose prints. Even today my home decor is earth tones in the Vintageweave French Farmhouse style...no pink to be found.

But I was so drawn to this teapot in the English Rose pattern and eventually started feverishly collecting this pattern, along with June Roses. They are so delicate and beautiful, but perhaps what most drew this in to me is the history. Knowing that young girls and women would painstakingly affix mini bits of paper to the ceramic in such a way that the rose pattern was aligned perfectly (or sometimes not) on the dish.

Affix moistened paper, brush glue, fire in a kiln, repeat.

Fascinating creation. Popular to make in the 1920-1940's, years ago these were MEGA expensive, but the price has dropped to much more affordable prices in the last few years.

No matter, I bought them for the love of my eye, not for the investment of my wallet.




Be sure to check markings on the back to insure you have a vintage piece as MANY, MANY reproductions have flooded the market since 1990. Many books are available to assist you in learning what pattern will become your favorite.


I have an antique French white cupboard that houses these English floral patterns in a small corner of my home. It's the only pink I have inside my house and somehow when displayed in abundance it just works. Very dramatic statement.

I love taking them out and using these beauties when I host a tea or Sunday brunch.

Metal Milagro Hearts

Now being served at Vintageweave....








Some available online, others email or call us! 323.932.0451 or vintageweave@aol.com

Vintage Bottles

Old Bottles. So drawn to them. Milky and Cloudy insides. Chipped rims. Distorted colors of green, blue and clear...love them all. Love them plain, arranged in a group, or artfully staged as three in a row atop a bathroom window sill.

They can be found at a variety of American and European flea markets, but then the magic happens:

We love those with wax tops serving as miniature windows into a whimsical story...
and a hanging scrolled verse:

*Pearls of Wisdom {starts out "The Wisdom to accept myself, The Wisdom to know that all living creatures are equally important, The Wisdom to find something to learn in all mistakes...."; small $41; large $54}
*Wish Crystals {$44}
*Giggle Dust {$40}

We esp. love those that celebrate the love of an animal... *Dog Gone to Heaven (shows dog with wings and an angel standing by) {$62}
*Giggle Ball {$39}
*Remember Kindness (celebrating animal rescue) {$64}

We love those that have vintage-inspired Parisian labels {$24-48}:


And we love those with a religious edge:



Add a piece of history to your collection today.
{Click on any photo to enlarge and then contact us with your wish list: vintageweave@aol.com or 323.932.0451}

Vintage Rag Books

I'm a big collector of books and I'm a big collector of textiles, so naturally I'm drawn to antique rag books. (Truth be told, I have MANY collections but more on that in later posts.)

Printed on cloth and then sewn at the top edges, these books from the early 1900's were read often and washed often. LUV THEM! While they are wonderful in their natural state, we think they are better loved when repurposed into pillows or arranged in antique frames. {Click on any picture to enlarge}

Pillows made of vintage French ticking and antique linen make the end result all the more delicious!



A client is having a baby boy and we're transforming her Hollywood Hills guest room into a wonderful haven. Due to a confidentialty agreement, I am unable to share pictures of the special room and I certainly want to be respectful of her privacy regardless of any agreement, so I will instead share these cloth pages I've collected for her room. I'm framing the pages in antique frames which are being painted black and distressed. We're using Fine Paints of Europe (my favorite) and antique black ticking as the matting...what a great look!

This antique book is from the South of France and I almost hate to give it up it is so rare and special!
It cost a small fortune of euros but well worth it don't you think? I so love these images and the colors are spectacularly vibrant! A few serious book collectors have offered...er, begged...to buy them at a handsome price, but I'm tickled to know they are going in a special baby's room to become heirlooms later in his life. I do plan on copying the pages onto fabric to keep in my archives, thus enabling me to come up with other uses in the future. {See the available collection at vintageweave.com's online store}