As you have probably gathered, I am all about stealing good ideas and making them my own. Sometimes this means doing things on the cheap. Other times it means that a great idea is worth a little cash so I go for it. Last week I got my Napa Style catalog. It’s Michael Chiarello’s company – you might know him from his Food Network TV program Easy Entertaining. The TV program is pretty good stuff – lots of Italian cuisine and California wine country influence. S0 you might imagine I was pretty intrigued when I realized he had a catalog company a couple of years back. Never purchased anything from him, though. The prices are just way to high, in my opinion. The dude must be making a fortune!

I think it’s high time we take vintage back to the flea market and get a Michael Chiarello/Napa Style rip off in the making.  Let’s begin here:

#1) Napa Style is selling Vintage Pressed Glass Goblets (pictured above) for $49 apiece in their catalog.  They are mismatched (super cute, tons of personality and interest there).  These are each apparently at least 80 years old and made of pressed glass, a lost art from the 19th century (according to the Napa Style catalog).

First and foremost, pressed glass is not a lost art.  Just about anything you buy that is glass is going to be pressed glass, including anything you find at Target or WalMart from glass giant Anchor Hocking.  I’ll give Michael this, they aren’t as fabulous as they used to be.  But that doesn’t mean you have to pay $49 a goblet to get the look!  Here are a few I found on Replacements.com and eBay with prices.

Duncan & Miller Hobnail Goblet for $15.99 on Replacements:

Wright Glass Moon & Stars for for $15.99 on Replacements:

Set of 4 Duncan & Miller Pressed Glass Goblets for $19.99 on eBay:

Here’s a Highbee one from circa 1890 on eBay for $17.99.  I am no longer impressed with your $49, 80-year old glasses, Michael.  Not impressed at all.

And these are just the clear glass ones!  If you are interested in colored glassware to spice up your table, pressed glass offers TONS of cute, vintage options.  Spend a little time rummaging through yard sales and flea markets and I’m telling you, you’ll see TONS of these at crazy low prices. They were so common for so many years, it might even be worth asking grandma if she has any tucked away. My grandma does … in olive green.

#2) Napa Style’s Sugar Mold Candleholders (above) are apparently an Exclusive.  At $99 for a half mold and $179 for a full mold (not including votive holders), they had better be!  But guess what?  They are not.  For sure Southern Living at Home was selling sugar molds from their catalog a few years ago and they were not that pricey.

Look at this reproduction one I found on eBay.  It’s $79 for a 43″ (that is 3.5 feet!) one including 12 glass votive holders:

And if you are ok with a reproduction sugar mold, the Nashville Flea Market always has tons. They sell them for $19-$30 and you can always haggle them down. Not a trip to the flea market has passed that I didn’t see the vendor with the sugar molds. It’s a sure bet.  Look how cute my friend Molly’s table looked when she used a sugar mold to decorate her holiday table:

(Stolen without permission but with gratitude to my friend Molly Witherington who blogs right here.)

And here’s how Southern Living uses a sugar mold to make a kid-friendly centerpiece for Easter:

Moving on.

#3) Let’s tackle the Napa Style Vintage Spindle Collection, pictured here:

I’m going to ignore the $1,599 chandelier because I would not want to rip that off anyway.  But the magazine rack, towel bar, and table are intriguing options for our upcoming lake house project.  But at $349, $79, and $249 respectively, you can forget it.  But you better believe I’ll be looking out for some old spindles on my next flea marketing trip.  They can’t be much – and what a cool way to give the lake a little character.  You’ll have to stay tuned for that one.

#4) Now let’s have a look at the Napa Style Antique Clawfoot Door Stop f0r $39.

Personally, I love the idea of using a clawfoot for bookends:

But whatever you fancy, it’s not a $39 investment.  Random mis-matched clawfeet are everywhere at flea markets and salvage shops if you just keep your eye open.  As a matter of fact, my hubby and I stopped into Preservation Station here in Nashville over the weekend and we saw lots of clawfeet around the shop:

These were $25 apiece, no matter the size.  Still better than paying $39 but still not great.  I’d be willing to put money that a flea market purveyor would part with one of these for $10 or $12, especially if was a stray with no matching pieces.  But please don’t think I’m knocking Preservation Station.  I’m not!  Those guys have some fantastic stuff that is definitely worth the investment.  Like maybe $495 for this pair of lamps made from an antique balustrade?  They are calling my name and are worth every penny:

So Michael Chiarello, we are taking vintage back to to the flea market.  Your good ideas can come to life in our homes without spending an arm and a leg.  Rip off accomplished!