In Progress—Elsie's Rainbow Glassware Collection!

Today, I'm excited to share the progress I'm making on a rainbow glassware display in our breakfast nook.

If you watched my empty home tour, you might remember that this rainbow glassware display was one of the things I had planned since pretty much the day we first saw this house. We already have plenty of other spaces for our white dishes and clear glassware, so this little built-in in the breakfast nook was the perfect spot to do a fun pop of color!

I don't thrift shop or visit flea markets as much as I did in my twenties (which was once or more weekly), but I still have a soft spot for vintage. So it's been fun for me to have one focused collection to work on this year. Sometimes I just like to go and browse on a Sunday afternoon, and this collection has given me something to search for so I don't bring home knick knacks (or as my husband would call it, "clutter").

I've enjoyed the slowness of this collection. I probably could have done it faster, but I gave myself a budget for each piece (I try to keep each piece under $3, and $5 when it's an extra pretty/special one!) At flea markets, depression glass (and fake depression glass) can be pretty pricy...sometimes up to $20 for one piece in Missouri. I skip over those, reminding myself that I've already found plenty at the thrifts for .25 cents each!

In the beginning I planned which colors I wanted to collect. I skipped red because it's just not my favorite in this kind of glassware (too goth?), and I skipped orange because it's really hard to find.

I've put extra effort into finding pink, turquoise and bright yellow (not amber) because those are the colors I think I will use the most for table settings. By the way, in case you are wondering, I 100% plan to use this glassware for parties and cocktail nights. It is a pretty collection, but it's not just a collection.

The details on the individual pieces are really fun! This goblet with stars makes me smile.

As you can see, I still have some gaps and holes to fill. I'm fine with it being a long-term collection. Maybe by the time I have the breakfast nook tour ready to share, it will be full, but maybe not.

Here's where I am today. You can see they still have tags and stuff on them. I was just kind of putting them up so I could see what colors I need more of. Basically every color, huh? Green and yellow are filling up. Pink and purple are more challenging to find.

Anyway! That's my little flea market/thrift project. I'm looking forward to seeing it come together!

Anyone in the Nashville area have any suggestions for the best flea market and thrift shops? And while I'm at it—places to buy plants? :)

Thanks for letting me share! A lot of you guys have requested that we share more progress reports instead of just waiting till the big before/after reveal. So I'm going to do more of that with this house. I hope it will allow you to feel more involved in the process from start to finish. That would be awesome! xx- Elsie

Credits// Author and Photography: Elsie Larson. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess Actions.