The Corning Museum of Glass

We recently traveled to Corning, New York and visited one 

of my favorite places, the Corning Museum of Glass!

 Its many galleries include

Origins of Glassmaking,
Paperweights of the World,

The Rise of Venetian Glassmaking,

and Modern Glass.

I wanted to share some of my best photos

and to encourage you to stop in yourself 

if you're ever in that neck of the woods!

An 1867 French Baccarat punch bowl set

that had been displayed at the Paris World's Fair.

A colorful collection of snuff bottles.

An intricate English beadwork basket from the 17th century. 

A Persian enameled vase.

A Baroque glass holy water font dating 1675 - 1699.

A beautiful Salviati mosaic portrait of Elena of Montnegro, 1900.

I especially liked the reflective facets of her diamonds!

A 1907 micro-mosaic of the Basilica of San Marco.

And you know I was attracted to the glass beads!

18th, 19th & 20th century beads.

Chevron, Millefiori, Venice, Czechoslovakia.

An elaborate wager cup, Bohemia, 1880-1890.

So, what is a "wager cup?"

It has the design of a young woman whose long skirt is an upside down cup.

She is holding above her head a smaller cup that swivels on a frame. 

At wedding banquets, the groom would drink from the larger cup 

while the bride drank from the smaller cup at the same time.

A white marble tabletop, inlaid with over 

2,000 pieces of glass to create this gorgeous quilt-like mosaic!

Stained glass panels by the incomparable Frank Lloyd Wright.

Dragonflies with Water Flowers reading lamp

by Clara Driscoll for Louis Comfort Tiffany, 1899.

The Corning Museum of Glass is at

1 Museum Way, Corning, NY 14830.

Find out more at the website!

While in the area, we also visited the
Pennsylvania Grand Canyon!
See that post here.

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 Bonus~ Tiffany lamp photo bomb!

Anthropologie - Philadelphia

Twenty years ago, the first Anthropologie opened in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

I recently visited their flagship store, located at the corner of Walnut and 18th Streets,

on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia.

They're known for their ever-changing interior merchandising and innovative exterior displays.

A perfect example of this was their fun vegetable garden theme. Eye-catching for sure!

I walked through the door, and this place "had me at hello"! 

Its 4 floors offer not only fabulous designer clothes and accessories, 

but also artsy items for entertaining, gifting, and home decor. 

Unique Bohemian chic!

Now, I'm wowed by any store that you can "explore". 

I love to meander through and find new delights around every corner. 

The ambiance of this Beaux Arts mansion lends an air of old society glamour and sophistication.

Here's some intriguing background on the place. Sarah Drexel was the daughter of Anthony J. Drexel, financier and founder of Drexel University. A philanthropist and socialite, she was first married to John Fell. Following his death, Sarah had this magnificent Philadelphia mansion built in 1898. Shortly thereafter, she married Alexander Van Renssalaer, and the home became known as the Fell-Van Renssalaer House.

Although the mansion was gutted in the 1960's, many of the wonderful architectural details remain. 

The floorplan is open and roomy with loads of natural light.

A modern steel and concrete spiral staircase replaced the original one. 

Alongside the staircase, you'll see an exposed fireplace stacked to each floor. 

Here's a mantelpiece that graces one of the landings. 

I loved that feeling of being enveloped in a sense of history!

Don't forget to look up! 

A gorgeous Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass dome is directly overhead. 

The dome had been covered over in preparation for WWII. 

Imagine the thrill of uncovering it years later during the refurbishing! 

A priceless treasure!

An exquisite fireplace mantel and ornate mouldings.

In what was referred to as the "Doges Room", 

framed oval portraits dramatically cover the vaulted ceiling! 

Don't you think the young ladies who once lived here would have loved knowing 

that one day their home would be such a fabulous place to shop?

There are 175 Anthropologie stores in the US, UK and Canada.

Here's the Anthropologie website.

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