New Leaf TV: Memorial Day Drop-Off
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Gone to the beach…
With all of this sunshine, I just want to get outside– especially to the beach! I grew up along the ocean, so sometimes I feel a bit stir crazy in Auburn without it constantly. But I am in luck at New Leaf today!
Barbara is back from vacation, so I’ve finally been able to get to my favorite part of our store– upstairs! For the past two weeks, I have felt as if upstairs has been a foreign country since we were down one person. I spent most of my time downstairs, so it was very refeshing this morning to get upstairs. I usually always know what’s going on upstairs, so I knew today would feel like an adventure. It was a bit overhwelming as I looked at the messy canvas– but it’s one that is being fixed today as I decorate and rearrange.
As I began to move things around, I ran into my “beach.”
Ah. Welcome home!
Stop in and see what’s going on in our upstairs store!
-Chels
Livin’ the Dream
Sometimes I feel like the guys get to have all of the fun around here! Seriously, they get to go out and venture about, digging through estates and what not, looking for “treasures.” (I know I’m ignoring the dirty work– like dust, smells, sweating and lifting stuff!) Of course I eventually get to see some of these ”treasures” and I have a blast when they come through the doors, but I’ve got that sense of adventure pumping through me that wants to get out there and get my hands dirty. I’m like Danielle from the American Pickers at times!
On days like today, when it’s quiet around the store and the guys are out picking up furniture (and on top of that I’m caught up on decorating!), I don’t know what to do with myself. So I usually kick back for a few minutes and “Live the Dream” as I like to say. (I can’t help it, I’m a Florida girl at heart). Our sidewalk packed out with furniture makes it easy… if only the guys knew. Ha!
At least when they come back, I’ll have plenty of fun things to get into and then share them with you on our Facebook, Pinterest and website! But I better get inside first before they get here… :)
Peace out!
-Chels
New Leaf fashion show
Customers sometimes ask me how I can work here without wanting to buy everything that comes in the doors. I always laugh at this question– I think we recieve so many beautiful and awesome pieces but I’d rather see someone else find a treasure. I may not struggle with buying everything, but I do have a hobby… testing out any ”new” vintage apparel and accessories we get in.
I’m not the only one who likes to do this; sometimes Kevin will come back from an estate or a pickup and he will bust into the store wearing some crazy outfit. One time he marched across the parking lot in some kind of military outfit and had us all rolling! I can’t tell you how many times I busted in downstairs and surprised Barbara and Kevin with some crazy get-up and it never gets old.
“Only at New Leaf,” we joke.
We just can’t help ourselves– we have a blast here! You’ll find us laughing most of the times and if you walk in the store at just the right time, you’re bound to find one of us sporting something fun.
This morning was one of those moments…
-Chels
Watch it Glow
Since we’ve opened our upstairs store, Kevin has told me to be on the lookout for “Vaseline Glass.” He told me it was sometimes yellowish-green just like the color of Vaseline, but other pieces could look more green; he promised me that I would know it when I saw it.
He bought a black light soon after upstairs opened and told me to take any glass to the back room if I suspected it to be Vaseline Glass by using the black light as a test. If the glass started to glow, we would have ourselves a real piece. This made for a fun disco party (by myself, ha) with glass every once in a while– I can’t tell you how many pieces of green or yellow colored glass I’ve tested since we’ve opened upstairs!
One morning about two weeks ago, Kevin was telling us that he could not believe in the time that New Leaf has been open that Vaseline Glass has never come through the doors. That same day we received a huge load of glassware and I made a joke saying,
“Maybe our first piece is in one of these boxes.”
As we started to unpack the boxes and price things, I came across a plate.
Kevin was right; I knew it when I saw it.
I was starring at the yellowish-green plate with my mouth open for a minute before I held it up to show Kevin. In excitement, he ran upstairs to grab the black light. We turned the lights off in the bathroom downstairs, (now you know what gets tested in the bathrooms around here), and all we could say was,
“WOW!”
The plate was glowing brightly, just like a green glowstick would. Sure enough, New Leaf finally had its first piece of Vaseline Glass! That same day, we found a set of wine glasses and cups in the group of boxes that glowed as well! We thought the glasses were just Depression Glass, since they were more green than the plate, but when we took a black light to them, those babys glowed just as bright!
What in the world makes Vaseline Glass glow?
Small amounts of Uranium would be added to a glass mix before melting it, which gave the glass it’s pretty green color. If the glass is more green than yellow, it is referred to as Uranium Glass, while the yellowish tint is named after its look alike substance, Vaseline. This glass glows when put under a black light because of Uranium being a radioactive substance. However, when this glass was being made, no one was aware that they were putting radioactive materials into their glassware! (But don’t worry, although Geiger Counters will detect the radioactivity in the glass, there isn’t enough Uranium to cause harm).
Modern Vaseline Glass became a hit in the mid 19th century, with most of it being made from 1880s to the 1920s. During the Depression, a greater concentration of Uranium was added to the mix to give the glassware a brighter green color. During World War II, the U.S. halted the making of this glass, due to needing Uranium for the war.
Related articles
- 5 Weird Things Made with Radioactive Uranium Glass (techeblog.com)
- Radioactive Glassware On ‘Storage Wars: Texas’ (huffingtonpost.com)
