Today I'm sharing my thrifted Dept. 56 silver plated goblet and how I used it to create a copycat vignette in my home -- sophisticated fall decor costing only pennies. Hopefully, this simple transformation will inspire you to create your own copycat fall vignettes for the upcoming season.  

I'm sharing it as the first installment in my new Copycat Decor blog post series. To get the thrifty details, read on. 

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There's nothing like using thrifted finds to create copycat decor for less. So while I've shared my Thrifted vs. Styled (a.k.a. Thrill of the Hunt) posts for years now, I think this Copycat Decor series will be a fun addition to the mix.  

So without further ado, first up is this vintage-vibe etched copper mercury glass compote bowl. Even though it's mercury glass, based on this picture I thought it was some sort of aged metal -- maybe copper or silver perhaps? It made an impression on me, but at $64 it was not in the cards. So I saved a screenshot of it for future reference.   

Then when I spied this etched silver plated goblet at Goodwill for $1.99 it brought me back to that compote bowl. (You can still see the $5.00 garage sale price sticker lol.)

Once I got it home I looked it up and discovered that it was a Department 56 "vintage silver plate round bowl with lid." Unfortunately, the lid was missing -- but for a mere $1.99 I knew the bowl (I call it a goblet) was worth it. It's currently listed with the lid on eBay for $55.00! 

While it is silver plated, it looks somewhat brassy to me (both mine and in the eBay photo above) depending on the light. So I wasn't totally won over yet. I knew it was time for some cleaning and polishing, so I reached for my Wright's Silver Cream.  

Wright's Silver Cream comes in a small tub with a sponge. You just wet the sponge, dip it into the tub and scoop out some cream. Then gently rub the sponge and cream on the metal, rinse well and buff with a soft cloth.

One caveat: you have to be careful when using silver polish on silver plated items. Silver-plated items have a very thin layer of silver over another metal (like brass). If you rub too hard you can actually remove the silver plate. It's also key to use a non-abrasive polish.      

Because of the possibility of over-polishing, I stopped -- even though some tarnished areas remained. To be honest, I prefer it that way. If given the option of pristine silver plate or tarnished patina, I'll choose tarnished patina any day.     

Luckily for me, I had virtually the same type of dried hydrangeas that were used with the mercury glass compote bowl.  

I placed my silver plated goblet atop one of my DIY round wood risers.  

I later added a brown transfer ware plate under the goblet to emphasize the fall vibe I was already getting from the vignette.   

And as for the vintage painted buffet it's sitting on, talk about fall vibes! The colors couldn't be more fall-inspired. Stay tuned for a more detailed reveal of this gorgeous vintage roadside rescue.  

So are you ready for fall? Sounds crazy, I know. But it's just around the corner and will be here before we know it. I'm not complaining -- it's my favorite time of year! 

 

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