A Favorite Way to Treasure Hunt for Fun Finds

Glamour Girl vintage lady head vase. Ceramic vase with pink iridescent glaze along with colored glass flowers.

Starting a collection can be a super fun adventure…but where to begin? I usually begin with an idea or a purpose. For example, I have a small display cabinet on my bedroom wall. My vision is to fill it with small vintage ceramics. I have a few collectibles already, but I am really on the lookout for one particle item. I have a Shawnee Pottery lady head vase in pink and I am searching for one in green. And so, the treasure hunt begins! My favorite way to hunt for fun finds is hands-on shopping. I enjoy physically searching for an item so I can see it in person and hold it, examine it, and get a feel for it.

Wall-mounted small glass door cabinet. The white cabinet is displaying a 1940s ceramic lady head vase with an iridescent pink glaze.

The ceramic lady head vase is also a wall pocket. It is very fetching with its pink iridescent glaze. She was manufactured in the 1940s when glamour girl vases were popular. I will confess I have an affinity toward ALL things the 1940s (actually 30s/40s/50s). I definitely feel a connection to that era (Pre World War II and just after). Honestly, I love the music, the movies (old Hollywood), the furniture, the home decor, and especially all the trinkets too. I do realize that a lot of the items in my home that I love so much were actually items that my grandmothers had in their own homes. So I have a natural attraction to the same things they had that I saw as a young girl. They are very nostalgic to me.

I’ve had my pink lady for quite some time so I wasn’t sure I could locate another. But I have seen them in other colors online but they can be pricey. This time I’m on the hunt for an emerald green iridescent version.

Antique Mall Field Trip: A Favorite Way to Treasure Hunt

A favorite way to treasure hunt for fun finds is going to the Antique mall. This booth has various green vintage items. Kettle, toolboxes, signs, and white and aqua stoves are shown.

So, along with my hubby, our treasure hunt began with a field trip…to a giant antique mall. If you have never gone to a mall for antiques…you haven’t lived! The one we frequent is as large as a Walmart, with 550 dealers in a space of 85,000 square feet. Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack! This place is huge so finding a certain vintage knick-knack might not be possible…BUT it’s super fun to try!

Right off the bat, I found this one. Although very 40s and festive she wasn’t the one…so close.

One favorite way to treasure hunt is hands-on at the antique mall. This glamour girl lady head vase. Wearing a yellow outfit, matching heart shape hat, and looking festive.

So many dealers had some fabulous vintage items like: metal picnic baskets in various colors, a sunshine yellow Cosco kitchen stool, and a 1960s sky blue electric typewriter… I will definitely add those to my NEED LIST!!

A favorite way to treasure hunt is at a antique mall. A stack of three metal picnic baskets with a woven ratan pattern. Aqua green and yellow.

An antique mall booth with various dishware and a rooster kettle. A 1950s yellow Cosco folding kitchen chair and step stool.

Sky blue electric typewriter with white keys and blue case from the 1960s.

Soon we found these two beauties ..but still, not quite the right look I was searching for.

A favorite way to treasure hunt for fun finds is to go to the antique mall... these two beautiful glamour girl lady head vases were made in the 1940s and 1950s.

We spent two wonderful hours perusing through all the treasures but couldn’t find the exact lady I was hoping for. But that doesn’t mean I came home empty-handed. Here’s a little secret: the best part of treasure hunting is that you might not find the item you set out to find but you’re most certainly going to find something that you can’t live without.

Out of the of the corner of my eye I noticed it. I just turned around and there it was, instant connection. I have just the space for it. Stay tuned to see where that goes.

A pair of white cockatoos in an avocado tree. A print of a painting by Jessie Arms Bottke Martin, displayed in a faux bamboo frame.

So feeling a little tired but not defeated, I came home to search the web (….. eBay). After checking several different sites I finally found it…my dream girl in green! And it was a very good deal because I had a gift card I hadn’t used yet. I wasted no time in ordering her. Now, the only thing left to do is wait patiently for her arrival. You can also find these vases on ETSY.

A hand holding a phone with an eBay order of a glamour girl ceramic vase in emerald green.

A favorite way to treasure hunt for fun finds is “hands-on”…actually being in the space browsing and searching. Holding the objects and really taking a good look at them, it’s all part of the fun and the experience. And that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. It’s all a bit of a mystery whether you’ll find that certain something or not. But the point is to enjoy the process.

Oh my goodness, if you haven’t gone to an antique mall you’ve just got to try it! It can open your eyes to other ideas and possibilities for your home. Its absolutely one of my all-time favorite things to do, and my family enjoys it too!!