Vintage Monday: Blue Ball Glass Jar

We took a little trip to the Austin Antique Mall yesterday and I spotted this lovely blue Ball jar at one of the booths.  I've always been curious about these jars and they're pretty common as over 41 million of these were produced in 67 years (1894-1961) according to this website.  The blue ones were discontinued in 1937 and according to this source, the markings on mine indicate that it was probably produced somewhere from between 1923 to 1933.  I believe the "Ideal" model included the wire bail type seal (instead of the screw on zinc lids).  I especially love the blue Ball glass as the color came from minerals in the Lake Michigan sand and from the amount of oxygen added to the furnaces in the production phase.  There are rarer colors such as amber and purple, and a whole system of dating them based on the labels.  Now I just have to figure out what I can fill my jar with...

Vintage Monday: Franciscan Starburst

Today my finds come from the Austin Antique Mall! I didn't know that we had one so it was very exciting to discover it after living here for the past 7 years.

My experience at this antique mall was similar to my experiences at various others. It is very very crowded, packed to the brim with treasures, so much that it can be overwhelming. Some stalls were very neat and showcased their items beautifully, some were a jumble and made my eye start to twitch. All the pretty jewelry were locked away behind glass doors which takes away from the experience in my opinion but totally understandable. Price wise I thought things were on the expensive side though there were a few sales here and there (some booths up to 50% off as well).

Overall it's really interesting to see what items are considered collectible in different parts of the country. The Austin Antique Mall is definitely Texas/cowboy/cattle rancher themed. There were some great items though and I can't wait to go back and rummage on a regular basis!

I was able to score these Franciscan Starburst pieces from a store that was reorganizing (ie. a mess) so I got them for 50% off the listed price. This particular pattern is really popular on ebay so I don't think I'll be making a collection out of this pattern but I couldn't resist. Serving bowls are my weakness. As well as mugs with handles that look like big ears.