The 6th annual Christmas Open House is now over.   I would like to thank so many very special people for making this year’s party a huge success.  We had a great turnout with lots of friends coming into the shop and lots of treasures going out of the shop.  The group of garden figures in this photo, all covered in winter’s chill, welcomed you as you came in.  Remember to click on images if you wish to enlarge.

The 19thc crazy quilt provides a great backdrop for the four seasons garden figures.  The quilt has a number of very creatively stitched “P”s.  We are lucky enough to have a note pinned to the quilt stating it was made by a member of the Parker family.

Hanging on both sides of the crazy quilt are four Chinese-export bird watercolors dating to the late 18th century.

The American Flyer Train comes complete with its Pullman cars, just the right color for the holidays.

German Kugels from the 19thc are suspended over the train, reflecting the world around them.

Draped over the center table is an amazing French Aubusson carpet from the late 18th to early 19th century.   The coal hod holding the orchids sports a hand-painted winter scene perfect for the season.

A French wire basket seems right at home filled with gold-gilded dried pomegranates.

The European painting was a lucky find.  It came out of a wonderful, stately St. Louis home.  The oil has now left its brief home at the shop and gone back into another beautiful St. Louis home.

Sheep everywhere you look, in the old paris porcelain, on the bow-front chest, and under the early glass cheese dome.  The English brass candlesticks are another recent addition to the shop.  The sticks have a curious form, somewhat Christopher Dresser-like.

This lady’s writing desk is one of the nicest pieces of painted satinwood furniture I have ever been fortunate enough to have in the shop.

The desk is covered in hand-painted garlands of flowers as well as neoclassical figures.  It also has several hidden compartments, just big enough for those “private” letters.

This is an image of the decoration on the back of the desk chair that accompanies the lady’s writing desk.

This painted chair is not typical of my usual merchandise mix, however I could not resist its five legs, looking as if it’s ready to flee the scene.

So after the front of the shop has begged for your attention the next thing you come to in the shop are the bookcases.  I like the fact that the bookcases force the eye to focus and to see in a different way than when looking at a room full of furniture and objects.  This image shows an early 20thc cast iron windmill weight made in Nebraska, as well as a zinc clock trade sign an over-sized store price stamper for a window display.

Sterling silver on one shelf and a hand-painted tin trolley on the other makes for visual contrast.

A shelf of dog oil paintings, toy dogs, and an early leather dog collar.  The lower shelf contains a wonderful architectural terra-cotta panel from a St. Louis building that was torn down.

The bookcases at the shop are full of things you just don’t see at very many other places, from hands to heads to caravans, it’s all here!

These two photos are of a collection of French stone fragments from a Gothic church dating from the 17th century.  Displaying them in a vitrine or dark bookcase would make a dynamic display.

General store cabinet filled with vintage Christmas as well as an early Steiff  bear on wheels with his original button.

Spun cotton ornaments share space with vintage wind-up Santas and Shiny Brite ornaments.

These watercolors are by James Godwin Scott, well known for his depictions of life along the Mississippi and in and around St. Louis.  The watercolors were  painted during the time he lived in this area.

Pond boat fits perfectly on the Korean Tansu chest.

The middle room of the shop was decorated with a nod to the nautical.  This image  shows a vintage toy tin racing boat on a  marble topped drafting table base.  The table is flanked by a French creel fishing basket on one side and a tall buoy on the other.

Feather tree festooned with ornaments on top of an Italian gold gilded iron table.  A bit of sparkle is good for the holidays…. or anytime.

Bead garland, clip-on birds, Shiny Brite ornaments all on a dense little feather tree.  As I have said before…. every house should have at least one feather tree!

These 19thc Apothecary jars are filled with silver-leafed dried artichokes and share space with a 1920′s butterfly weathervane.

The vintage ski poster, ca 1928,  is by artist Paul Brusset and advertises winter sports at Mont-Geneva.   The poster hangs next to a huge porcelain enamel letter “X” from a sign that was on a St. Louis building.  The X begged to be joined by the 1930′s letters M, A, and S, all covered in red sparkles.

The French cast iron coal hod is filled with more gilded artichokes.

It is safe to say I have never had anything quite like this in the shop before.  The “hurdy gurdy” type street-cart has been fitted with a Regina ca. 1900′s music box that still plays beautifully.  The coin slot took pennies, several wheat pennies were found in the base which holds the extra metal playing discs.  There are 25 different music discs with this Regina.

The cart yoke looks like it could have been pulled by goats or a large dog.  The case has been painted with baskets of flowers on the doors topped with a rather New Orleans looking “house” that contains the Regina.

The music box cart is right in the middle of the back room so it can be appreciated from all sides.  It was played several times during the party.  It is interesting how music that is 100 years old can sound so cheerful and fresh.

For the party the desserts were placed on these European pastry stands, perfect for our tasty American Christmas cookies.

This image was taken the day after the party with the sunlight pouring in.

The German hide covered rocking horse was awarded a wreath of vintage glass balls and foil leaves.

French carousel painted panel above a vintage paper-mache store display figure.

This 1930s paint store display figure was found in a Kirkwood, Missouri estate.  He would have originally held a small can of  “Mautz” brand paint.  Christmas at the shop will extend throughout the season with new merchandise added weekly.  Be sure to call the shop or email me if you have any questions about any of the merchandise shown in the blog images.  Please click on images to enlarge.

Christmas 2009 is just around the corner.  Fall has hit St. Louis and that means Christmas Open House at R. Ege Antiques is just days away.  The party is next week, Thursday, November 19th from 5 to 9.  I thought it might be fun to check out the photos from last year’s party.  Reflected in the bullseye mirror is a collection of “shinny bright” tree toppers mounted as bouquets in French cast iron urns.  Click on images to enlarge.

Wonderfully carved and gilded carousel panel over seven feet long, found in Europe.

Wicker set from the 1930s surrounds a faux bois French stone planter used as a coffee table.

Moravian star light next to a cast iron top hat cuspidor encircled by a zinc 19thc chain.

Collection of “shiny brite” ornaments on a 1960′s wire tree only $ 3.00 each, what a deal.

Vintage Moscow travel poster made for German tourists is from the 1930s and hangs below a collection of kitschy 1960s Christmas yard figures.

This image shows one of my favorite things from last year’s party …. the rain chain.  The chain dates from the 19thc,  is completely hand forged and was found in Europe.  It is interesting to me that we are now seeing rain chains show up in local garden shops.  Everything old is new again, as they say.

General store cabinet loaded with vintage Christmas treats.

Christmas brings out the kid in all of us.   Who doesn’t have fond memories of a certain ornament that always hung on the tree, or the  well worn well loved cardboard houses that went on the mantle?

Brush trees and a 1940s cardboard village set is covered in glitter and displayed in a primitive country store pie case.

Clear glass cake stands are great for displaying objects as well as for serving desserts.  These stands held a collection of place card holders from the 1950s decorated as potted chenille poinsettias.

Every house should have at least one feather tree for Christmas.  No matter how you decorate them they are always charming.  This little guy was home to a group of 1960s Santa’s elves that were handmade of felt.

Roxie checking it all out.

English horse racing painting between two large concrete planters complete with “snow.”

The French wrought iron window guard dates from the 19thc and is festooned with fresh garland.  I really enjoy using fresh greenery at the shop during the holiday season.  One of the reasons is simply because it’s real and real is always best.  It also gives the shop that wonderful smell.  Christmas is more than just stuff that comes out of a box.  The smells of Christmas trigger past memories amazingly fast.   The giraffe is a German pull-toy and is decked out for the party wearing her “pearls” made from glass bead Christmas garland.  Christmas Open House 2009 is going to be a great one with more vintage Christmas than ever before.  Join us Thursday, November 19th at 5 pm to see what holiday antiques I’ve been stashing away for almost a year now.  Christmas is almost here.  Click on images to enlarge.

This years Halloween window features a bound body caught in a spider’s web.  Click on images to enlarge.

The “body” in the web is actually an early turn of the century Martha Chase Hospital Doll.  Martha designed, handmade, and hand-painted these life-size dolls to be used as training tools for nurses in schools and hospitals.   I am sure Martha Chase never expected one of her dolls to be used in a Halloween window display but for a brief period it is perfect as a spider’s treat.

These photos are from the first Container Party at the shop in 2006.  It has been intriguing to look at these images from the shop’s past.  In the antiques trade so much material comes and goes that I sometimes forget about certain pieces that I really liked, and after seeing these photos again I think that maybe this or that piece should have come home to live.    However, there is that matter of making money and paying the mortgage.   The container for 2009 has arrived and I am currently in the process of unpacking and again going through that difficult process of sorting and culling and trying not to drag huge portions of it home….of course just to see how it looks in my house.   It’s a test to see if a new object can stand up to the other pieces that have already staked a claim in their current location in the house.    The 2009 Container Party is Thursday, September 24th at  5 p.m.  Click on images to enlarge.

Large academic drawing found in Belgium.

I am always on the search for interesting horn and antler material when shopping in Europe for the container.

Sawtooth shark noses, antlers, and altar sticks were the first thing you saw coming into the shop.  Mixing can be such a great experiment in shop and home design.

Shell collection in a lead planter in front of a Victorian painted fireplace mantel.

Bird case with dog paintings over a St. Louis general store cabinet.

This was a great garden trellis that I wish I had back in the shop for store display.  The architectural terra-cotta face was from Kansas City.

European carousel panels over a group of carnival knock-downs.  Click on images to enlarge.