Charmings Collectibles

Our Gnome Strikes Again!

2010-01-20T13:30:00.000-08:00

One of our very favorite neighbors has an issue with Christmas decorations being left up until say, the middle of January or beyond. This became clear to us last summer when she asked, on numerous occasions, if she was the only one bothered by the fact that another neighbors Christmas wreath seemed to be a year round decoration. Turns out that yes, she was the only one bothered and we teased her about it quite a bit, lol! A recent email where she jokinglytold us to take our "damn wreath" down inspired the gnome to pay a visit to her house with some Christmas cheer. He looks quite adorable and provided a good laugh to our neighbor. We are watching to see how long he stays on her garage as we have been warned to "watch our back"...

The Adventures of the Cloverdale Garden Gnome

2010-01-18T18:08:00.000-08:00

We have on our cul-de-sac, our very own garden gnome. Gnomes have traditionally been associated with the subterranean realms of the earth, living and working in caves and mines. In recent times they have evolved into earth bound elves or fairies that are often found in gardens. Gnomes have a mischievous nature, and ours is no exception. He arrived in our neighborhood about a year ago after being given away at a garage sale due to some rather severe damage to his feet. He took up residence in the garden of our neighbor where he seemed to be quite happy, celebrating holidays and rearranging the garden, until one day when he suddenly appeared in our yard.

Apparently, he had seen the police at our door and had heard that our backyard neighbors had called in a noise complaint because our daughter had been practicing the drums at 3:30 in the afternoon. They didn’t call us (we later found out) because they didn’t think anyone was at home. Excuse me? Did they think that someone had broken into the house to play the drums? These are people we know well, they have our phone number, we went to their daughter’s graduation party, our daughter has babysat for their children. In any case, our Gnome felt that he needed to lend his support and kindly appeared with a sign that said, “If it’s too loud, then you’re too old.” He stayed with us all through the fall and just today - January 18th - moved across the street to bring Christmas cheer to our neighbors. However, that’s a story for another time.

Tom & Jerry ??

2009-11-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

Who are Tom and Jerry and why are their names on holiday punch bowls?

I have to admit that the first time I saw these names paired up was on a Saturday morning cartoon show. However, the Tom & Jerry I'm talking about today are not the adorable cat and mouse duo.

Tom & Jerry was a popular Christmas cocktail created by writer Pierce Egan in the 1820s. In order to publicize his book, Life in London, or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom (1821), and the subsequent stage play Tom and Jerry, or Life in London (also 1821), Egan introduced a variation of eggnog by adding ½ fl oz of brandy, calling it a "Tom and Jerry". The addition of liquor helped popularize the drink.

There are many recipes on the internet - here's one example.

Tom & Jerry Eggnog

Ingredients
For the batter:12 eggs, separated
1 pound sugar (add more if you prefer it sweeter)
2 ounces aged rum (Appleton Extra, Bacardi 8, and Cockspur are all good choices)
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
For serving:Brandy
Aged rum
Hot milk
Boiling water

Procedure
For the batter: Beat the egg yolks well, then gradually whisk in the sugar. Add the rum and spices. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the yolk mixture until well mixed. Keep batter refrigerated until serving.
For serving: For each drink, put 2 ounces of batter into a toddy mug. Add 1 ounce each of brandy and aged rum (bourbon or rye whiskey also work well), and fill with equal parts hot milk and boiling water. Top with grated nutmeg. If using a small coffee cup or classic Tom & Jerry mug, you may wish to cut the serving size in half.

There are also commercial Tom & Jerry mixes available to simplify making this traditional hot yuletime cocktail.

Please visit my stores, or simply click on the photos for vintage Tom & Jerry serving sets!

Flea Market Finds - Fabulous Carnival Glass

2009-10-06T03:16:00.000-07:00

I have real life get in the way of my blogging again, lol, but I did want to share the beautiful glass I found on the way home from Miami. We only stopped at one flea market but it was a goodie! I found this gorgeous Imperial 474 water set, circa 1915 and this fabulous Dugan Floral and Grape pitcher, circa 1910. My very first old carnival glass finds, how exciting is that?

For more information on these pieces, please visit my Ruby Lane store

More Thrifting and Some Actual Work ;-)

2009-09-13T14:15:00.001-07:00

When I visit my mom, I try to do a couple of things for her while I’m there. This trip we decide to revamp the “garden” aka weed patch by her patio. This pic is post weeding. She has had some medical issues over the last year and the yard has gotten away from her. We pull the weeds; add a fountain and some new plants that are supposed to like full sun and voila! a beautiful patio garden with the soothing sound of trickling water. I also tried my hand at a faux finish on her bathroom walls and I think it came out pretty well.On my numerous trips to the Home Depot, I drive right by a Salvation Army Thrift store and for some reason my car always automatically pulls into the parking lot. I have found some little treasure each time – a pink Dogwood dinner plate, an amber Diana dinner plate and this last time, a Candlewick saucer and two green Depression glass cups.
My only other score in Miami is this way cool lamp made from 2 metal boxes in the 1940's judging from the non-polarized plug. We plan on traveling back to Ohio on the weekend so I'm hoping for better luck at the flea markets than we had on the way to Miami.
Next: Finally! A good flea market!!

Miami Nightlife - Clubs, Gangs and Hitler??

2009-09-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

One thing I have to say about traveling with my 20-something daughter is that it sure makes me expand my comfort zone! Meg has heard about some places she is interested in checking out so instead of sitting at home and going to bed at a reasonable hour we venture out into the Miami night.

There is a club just outside the oh-so-trendy Fashion District downtown called Churchill’s A Sort of English Pub. It has a reputation for supporting local indie bands and you never know what type of music they will have coming up. There are 4 or 5 bands playing the first night we’re there and all I can say about them is that they were LOUD! Megan and I sit at the bar where we have a good view of the stage. While we’re waiting for the bands to begin I spend some time watching a hustler at the pool table. I think he’s having an off night because he doesn’t seem that good but maybe that’s the whole idea? He takes off when the place starts to fill up with a young hip crowd and I am feeling more and more out of place. I move over to the darker side of the bar where I can hide. Of course, as soon as I move two guys swoop in on Meg and I have fun watching them all chat from across the bar.

One of the guys she was talking with has made quite an impression on Meg – smart, funny, well read and a law student at the University of Miami. Oh, and really cute too, and in a band. She must have made an impression on him as well because he starts calling her the next day and they decide to have coffee that evening. Thank goodness! I don’t think I could do two late nights in a row ;-) The next night they plan to listen to some music and hang out at his apartment. He’s originally from Germany and has a lot of WWII books and memorabilia in the living room. Meg has always been interested in history so she is enjoying looking at everything. He offers to show her more of his collection but tells her it may “creep her out”… When she follows him into the bedroom there is a collection of German medals and armbands including ones with Nazi insignia and …get this… a portrait of Hitler! Not just a cheap print either but an embossed metal 3-D profile on a wood plaque. Her response? “Ummm… do you think you could take me home now?” I mean seriously, who has a portrait of Hitler in their bedroom??!

Needless to say, the budding romance came to a screeching halt. The next night we decide to do something All American so we go bowling. Mom comes to watch and giggle at my lack of bowling skills. Megan is a natural athlete and beats me easily even though she has no form and basically just hurls the ball toward the pins and knocks them down. Being raised by a league bowler, I have excellent form and a wicked curve but unfortunately no control over what path the ball might choose to take down the alley. I had one good game, which for me is anything over 100. My other games were just pathetic, I don’t know what the record is for gutter balls but I must have been getting close, lol!

Later Meg and I go to a billiard hall in Hialeah to play some pool, a game where I am not totally inept. When we walk in the very first thing she notices is that there is a large group of gang members playing at one of the tables wearing leather jackets emblazened with skulls and the name of the gang. Guess what table we’re given? That’s right, the one right next to the gang members. Here are my keen observations of gang life. 1. Always wear your colors. One of the members was chastised for not having his jacket on. 2. Show respect to the head of the gang. The leader had just gotten out of the hospital, had a big cast on his leg and was reigning over the table from a chair on the side - obviously an important guy. 3. The new guy has to pay his dues. One guy was apparently new as he was running around getting things for the rest of the group and they were teaching him how to play pool. It was pretty tame. I guess that as long as there’s not an opposing gang present it’s perfectly safe. The weird thing was that they were a motorcycle gang but there weren’t any bikes parked outside.

We visit Churchill’s again before we leave Miami and on this night, they have an open jam where all of the local bands come and play together. It was a very bazaar group of pseudo hippie, punk, and or hipster musicians and their loyal followers weaving a musical tapestry of a sort. A very friendly (and very high) bunch of people and entertaining as well.

Sunburns, Aloe and Miami's Other Beaches

2009-09-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

One of my mom's home remedies for sunburn is fresh aloe from the garden. She slices off a leaf and peels the skin off one side and then you just rub the jelly-like inside on your bod. I don't know if the aloe does anything to prevent additional peeling but it sure does feel nice, especially if it's been kept in the fridge, ahhh cool and refreshing. It does have a weird odor at first but that completely disappears when it dries leaving you silky soft! Meg and I are both peeling just a little bit. How could this happen? We’re Italian for goodness sake! Well, I’m half Italian and Meg’s one quarter, but she looks more Italian than I do and we NEVER peel… until now.

We can’t stay away from the beach forever so we head out to explore some of Miami’s other beaches. We load up sunscreen and cover-ups and leave later in the day when the sun isn’t so damaging.

Megan is very interested in marine life so we decide to visit Matheson Hammock. The main beach there is an atoll, kind of a big salt-water pool. My family spent many Sunday afternoons there in the late 1950’s and one of the very cool features was the coral rock building that housed a snack bar where, as a special treat, I could get an ice-cream cone or some other frozen delight. I’m sure there were changing rooms and such also but my memory stops at the snack bar!

Meg is not at all impressed with the beach, the snack bar is closed and the rest of the coral rock building has been converted into a fancy restaurant. The mile long sandbar that used to be on the ocean side of the pool seawall is gone too. My last chance to salvage the day is a side beach that has tidal pools and a lot of interesting sea life. The sign for the beach access road is missing but I’m sure that I remember where to turn so we venture down a familiar if unmarked path. The road hasn’t been maintained and I comment on how deserted the area is which is odd as it used to be quite popular and now appears to be abandoned. We park the car and as I am about to get out and walk down to the beach Meg says, “Wait, let’s see what that sign says.” Eeek! No wonder no one is on the beach! We drive around for a bit peering into the mangroves but we don’t spot any Crocs and neither one of us want to be bait to entice them to come out so we leave.

Most of the beaches in Miami don’t allow dogs. The only one I know of is along the causeway to Crandon Park. It’s very rocky with little sand but it’s a beach and we want to see if Iggy will like the ocean.

Although he’s an excellent swimmer one quick paddle to shore is enough for him and he is not at all interested in splashing along the shoreline. Get me outta here! Poor baby! We wrap him up in a towel and soon he is sleeping peacefully.

I have to say that even though I have fond memories of Crandon and Matheson, as those are the beaches my family usually went to when I was little; Miami Beach is by far the nicest beach we visited. It’s very clean, the waves are nice and there are no crocodiles running around ;-)

Thrifting in Miami

2009-08-31T04:30:00.000-07:00

It rains the next day so I head off to the local thrift and antique stores that I always visit when I’m in town.

The crabby old guy who owns Dietel's Antiques just had open-heart surgery a few weeks ago but there he is back in the saddle with his shirt unbuttoned low enough to show off his stitches. Unfortunately, his disposition is now worse than ever. After one too many nasty comments from him about how much I am willing to pay for some mid-century glassware – which he refers to as “cheap crap” - I walk out vowing never to return. I leave my pending purchase of glassware (all of which has been languishing in his store for at least a year) sitting on the counter. I’m sad about leaving these treasurers with someone who doesn’t appreciate them, especially three beautiful antique cut glass saltshakers with sterling tops and some Ritz Blue glass by Hazel Atlas including three Sailboat items, but they will have to wait for someone else to rescue them from this horrid little man. Every time I drive by his store for the rest of the trip I stick out my tongue *pffft!!* Silly, but it makes me feel better and it amuses my passengers :-)

I visit a vintage clothing store across the street and OMG what a blast from the past! When I was young, I loved to go dancing at the local clubs – this was during the Disco era and my favorite outfit consisted of an aurora borealis iridescent white sequin tube top with wide leg pink bell-bottom pants and shiny white patent leather platform sandals with 4-inch heels. I could have purchased an identical ensemble right then and there, but I restrained myself, lol!

On the Road Again - Destination Miami

2009-08-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

We have an uneventful drive to Florida stopping at a couple of very disappointing “flea markets” full of cheap imported new junk in semi-permanent locations. Not my idea of a flea market!

It has been raining off and on all the way to Florida but that makes for pretty rainbows and beautiful sunsets. In Florida it can rain while the sun is shining – I always thought that was soo cool! Finally, when we hit Miami it’s nice and sunny and Iggy loves it. Nothing like a nice nap in the sun, ahhh… this is how a little dogs life should be!

When we arrive at my mom’s house in South Miami I discover that there is *gasp* no internet! Sometimes I can pick up an open signal but not this time. No flea markets, no internet… this is turning out to be more of a vacation that I had planned, lol! It’s wicked hot in Miami and Meg and I camp out in the Florida room next to the AC instead of in my old bedroom.

First thing in the morning we head over to Miami Beach, specifically South Beach, one of the nicest beaches in the country. In addition to miles of shoreline with beautiful soft white sand, South Beach is known for the Art Deco architecture and it’s everywhere – even the McDonalds is in a deco building! We spend 5 hours in the sun and surf and despite the liberal use of sunscreen – ouch! We are a couple of typical sun burnt tourists – how embarrassing for a native Floridian.

NYC - High Rents Killing the Antique Business??

2009-08-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

Jessica’s apartment is only 5 stops from Manhattan, about 12 minutes on the subway and within walking distance from the very hip Williamsburg. Spacious and cheap by New York standards, her railroad style apartment has an open hallway from the kitchen through the living room and bedroom to the front room. There’s also a roof you can use as a “deck” if you climb out the kitchen window. Her friends from Manhattan are always amazed at how large her place is but it seems tiny to me. The bathroom has tiles falling off, there are water stains on the kitchen ceiling and the wood floors slope quite severely. All this for only $1300 a month! One could pay the mortgage on a very nice house in Columbus for less but as Jess says - it would be in Columbus.

She shares her place with her babies Nancy and Fuzzy. The kitties didn't appreciate Iggy coming to visit them and didn't want to play. Iggy loves cats. He used to live with two cats and they played together all the time so he was a little disappointed that these kitties didn't want anything to do with him.

I go to sleep but my girls stay out late and sleep in the living room

I have to admit that the front room where she has her studio is perfect with two big windows and plenty of room to work on a large canvas.
The next morning I take the L train to Union Square remembering an antique section close to the park. However, when I find the right street there are only a few stores left the others having closed or moved due to the economy and high rents. The remaining stores carry mainly European antiques – somewhat disappointing for a collector of American glass. I stop in a couple of vintage clothing stores and OMG – a purse like the one I just (happily) sold for $37 was priced at a whopping $125 – I guess the rent has to be paid somehow.

Giving up on the antiques, I decide to visit some wholesale bead stores and on the way, I notice this odd little sign so of course I head down the stairs to the basement of the church. At first, nothing catches my eye but then I see this darling doll and I have to take her home with me. There is a wind-up key on the back and she still plays “Thank Heaven for Little Girls”. When I find out who she is I’ll be listing her in one of my stores.

Next - we leave NY and head for Miami

Before the Crack of Dawn - Our Road Trip Begins

2009-08-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

It’s still dark as my daughter Megan, her little Chihauhau, Iggy Pup, and I begin our road trip traveling first to NYC and then down to Miami Fla. My trusty car is packed with two 1950’s chairs and a large box of frames for my daughter Jess along with our sleeping bags, a tent, the dog’s food, bed and blanket, our pillows and blankets, clothes and 2 duffle bags of shoes. And yes, we do need that many shoes! The Ohio countryside is beautiful in the dewy morning light and soon we’re in Pennsylvania. A few hours later and we’re still in Pennsylvania, a few more hours and yep, you guessed it. It’s the most boring part of the 9-hour drive and the temptation to speed (or as I like to call it “make good time”) is irresistible. Finally, there’s Jersey City, which I am always happy to see – if not smell - and we’re very close to NY (not to mention no longer in Pennsylvania).

After an unplanned detour due to a missed turn, there is one final obstacle...

the dreaded Holland Tunnel. I hate driving through tunnels especially this one. It goes under a river and I spend the whole time looking for wet spots. What if there’s a leak? A small leak could cause structural damage and the whole thing could collapse and we could drown or be eaten by sharks! I know, I know, too many disaster movies.

We emerge from the deep and head for the Williamsburg Bridge to Brooklyn and Jessica’s apartment weaving our way through the streets of Manhattan. I love driving in New York City! How weird is that? I think that’s because only good, or at least confident, drivers dare to drive there. Meg says I always drive like a maniac so I fit right in. Hmmm...should I be insulted or flattered?

The Heisey Glass Show

2009-08-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

After the museum, we went to the “39th Annual Premiere Glass Show & Sale with 40 prominent elegant glass dealers from across America” as per the Heisey Museum site at http://heiseymuseum.org/hca/convention where a large number of dealers were selling... you guessed it - Heisey! We saw Karen again at the show where she was equally charming and informative. What a sweetheart! There were some people I recognized from the flea market earlier in the day and I was able to spend a little more time talking to them at the show. One of my favorite dealers is Kim Carlisle, so nice and very knowledgeable. He had an impressive collection of Heisey glass for sale including some of the really HUGE candy jars. One of them actually sold while I was standing there and judging for what it sold for and how delighted the buyer was, they must be quite rare! In addition, Kim can work magic on "sick" glass as his ad on Kovels (just scroll down to Kim Carlisle) says "Cloudy glass cleaned: the inside of vases, decanters, cologne bottles, saltshakers, cruets, etc., cleaned." At the show he had a before and after example and it was quite amazing! Karen and James (I wrote about them previously) heartily endorse his work. Kim also shared some "tricks of the trade" with me, I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you... ;) Just kidding, of course I'm going to tell you! Here's one anyway - only buy matched sugar and creamer sets. Heisey colors vary in shade and intensity and glass from different batches can be noticeably different when they are side by side. If you buy a sugar for example thinking that you will find a creamer later, it is nearly impossible to find an exact match. Here's another tip -Heisey glass isn't always marked on the bottom, sometimes the mark is on the side. On the syrups, the diamond H is on the handle. Of course, some Heisey isn't marked at all. None of the mold blown pieces are marked including the very collectible favor vases that can fetch up to $800 depending on the color, so it's definitely worth learning about these little beauties! Another fabulous thing about the show was that there were many of the same pieces that we had just seen at the museum. Right there in front of me. Where I could TOUCH them! Which I did, very carefully, usually just giving them an affectionate pat or two. With the more valuable and or rare pieces I just kept my hands behind my back. I wish I had more photos to share but I was so enraptured with the glass I completely forgot to take some shots of the most fabulous items such as a set of matching Hawthorne (I think)candelabras, 6 cups each if I remember correctly, and a massive tangerine punch set on a rotating pedestal - again, if I remember correctly. Next time I will be sure to use my camera instead of just carrying it around, obviously I can't count on my memory, lol! It was a wonderful adventure in Heiseyland and I'm looking forward to going again next year and maybe going to the select auction in October. I'll keep you updated!

The Heisey Museum

2009-07-27T06:02:00.001-07:00

After the flea market, Alan and I went to the Heisey museum where I had a much greater appreciation for what I was looking at because of what Karen had taught me. I also think that it helped all of the new information sink in. Seeing everything with the labels in the museum let me check my new knowledge and I have to say I did pretty well naming the pieces before reading the labels – I felt like quite the Heisey expert, lol! My new favorite pattern is Saturn in Zircon, especially the handled pieces. I loved the U shaped candleholders and the three piece all glass cocktail shakers were pretty fantastic also, even the strainer is glass.

If you are ever near Newark you should certainly make an effort to visit the Heisey Museum for an impressive collection of glass in all of the different colors and patterns. So beautiful!

Learning about the colors was wonderful – I just don’t think you can really learn the colors from a book, seeing them in person is so much better and Karen of course gave me tons of information about them and also the new colors issued by Imperial. Then all of that information was reinforced at the museum and the show. Hawthorne is a lovely purple and Alexandrite is a very unusual color which is described as lavender but will look blue under a florescent light and pink in daylight, it seemed to me that the color changed depending on the angle. I noticed a broken Marigold creamer in one case which I thought was very odd ( and somewhat careless of the museum) but it was an example of how the Heisey Marigold may degrade. Due to an unstable formula it can crack, turn opaque or even shatter! To see a description of all the colors click here http://www.heiseymuseum.com/colors.html

The museum also has a history of the company including samples of molds and photos of the glass making process. The creation of Heisey pieces was quite complex with each item passing through a number of skilled hands before it was finished. An outstanding example of the skills of the cutters is a case of glass with cuttings by Emil and Willibald Krall, expert glass cutters and former engravers to the household of the Emperor of Austria before joining Heisey in 1933. The intricate details of their wheel cut pieces are absolutely amazing.

For more information including company history, Heisey colors and Heisey etchings, please visit the museum website at http://www.heiseymuseum.org/index.html

Next – The Glass Show

My Adventure in Heiseyland - Annual HCA Convention

2009-07-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

On June 17 - 20 2009, The 38th Annual HCA Convention was held in Newark, Ohio. HCA stands for Heisey Collectors of America and Heisey lovers from across the country make the annual pilgrimage to Newark, which they fondly referred to as Heiseyville, for the four-day event.

My adventure started when my DH Alan told me about a large auction of Heisey glass he had seen in the paper and agreed to go with me to Newark despite the fact that he has only the most casual interest in glass. Whoo-hoo, road trip! Now I must digress for a minute to tell you how I met my friend James. I had listed a creamer with Quilted Diamond and Wampum in the title and stated in the listing that it was a quilted diamond pattern similar to Wampum. James being a vigilant Heisey lover took issue with my description and went on to carefully and kindly explain the difference between Heisey’s Quilted Diamond and Wampum patterns and to point out that mine was neither. Although I only meant to point out the similarity between my piece and the Heisey designs, I conceded that the listing could be misleading and changed it. Out of this first encounter grew an online friendship with this very nice gentleman and long time Heisey collector.

Being excited about the auction I wrote to James to tell him about my upcoming trip only to discover that he and his wife Bobbie were going to be in Newark for the Convention! I decided that my time would be better spent on Saturday when there was a flea market and glass show. The Flea Market on the Square opened at 8:00 but since I can’t drag my lazy patootie out of bed early enough to get to Newark by eight James and I arranged to meet at 9:30. My sweet husband drove and I slept for the 45-minute drive to Newark. Of course, as soon as I arrived at the flea market I was wide-awake and ready to look at some Heisey! It’s always exciting for me to see some glass that I’ve only seen photographs of before and there it was… tables and tables of glass sparkling in the sunshine.

Almost before I had a chance to start looking my phone rang and it was James, I looked around and saw a tall distinguished looking gentleman talking into his cell phone and since his lips were moving in synch with what I was hearing I determined it was James. After a short meet and greet chat his lovely daughter Karen arrived. Here is the tall and slender HCA V.P.

Karen is the newly elected Vice-President of Heisey Collectors of America and an extremely knowledgeable Heisey collector. She graciously spent over 2 hours giving me the “educational tour” at the flea market teaching me things that I would never have known without her. This is me with the white legs - I need to get outside once in awhile!

I learned where to look for markings, to look for the bumps on Plantation, Heisey colors, common fakes, rare pieces, common pieces, and much more that I’m sure is stored away in my head somewhere. A dealer shows us his wares.

This was just the beginning of my Heisey adventure – coming up next – the Heisey Museum.

My Life as a Washer Woman

2009-06-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize to my dear readers for the long delay in finishing this story. I finally figured out that I was delaying writing this blog because I didn’t want to revisit the tedious process of getting the clothes clean. How silly is that? It’s not like I have to spend another 3 days with my hands in the sink. And yes, it did take the better part of 3 days! After some initial experimenting with different products and procedures, I finally came up with a method that worked for me. First I used Woolite gently squishing the suds through the fabric, then rinse, then a soak in Woolite and Oxyclean, squish, rinse, repeat, soak, squish, rinse, repeat … until the water was almost clear. An additional overnight soak in Oxyclean removed an amazing amount of brown stains and a few more cycles of soak, squish, rinse, repeat removed the rest on most of the garments. A very quick rinse in a weak bleach solution made the whites bright and removed any stubborn stains. I certainly don’t recommend this method because it was all trial and error and I was probably lucky not to ruin anything. This may not seem like it should take that long but multiply it by 15 garments all having to be washed individually and you can see how I ended up spending 3 days on this project even with all available sinks and buckets in use. I have to admit that I became somewhat obsessive about getting these clothes clean. (Note to self: next time check on the market value of items before spending 3 days working on something)

It became my mission to restore these clothes as close as possible to the condition they were in when they were packed away and an odd thing happened as I washed and rewashed each garment. As the dirt and stains faded a picture of the woman who wore these clothes began to appear in my mind. I wondered about the life she had led and why these particular garments had been saved. I thought about the little things I knew about this person. She was a tiny thing with a waist measuring only 21”. She was a skilled seamstress, most of her clothes were hand sewn with tiny stitches and embellished with tucks and lace. She had a fur shawl and muff that she may have made with furs given to her by her husband or sons as there were many hunting and trapping items at the auction. Judging from her kitchen items, she liked the color pink. She had at least two sons and one daughter. There is a store bought black blouse that appears to be a maternity shirt. Like most women, she had gained some weight over the years although she still had a tiny waist by today’s standards. I wondered had she lost someone when she was pregnant? And why had she saved a child’s pinafore? I felt that there was some tragedy involved. I have saved some of my girls’ baby clothes but back in those times, I think that everything was passed down or put to use in some way. In my mind, I saw her growing from a young bride into a hardworking wife and mother. I wondered about the chores that she did while wearing the two checkered skirts. I pictured her in the kitchen using some of the items I had seen at the auction or working in the gardens that once surrounded the house. I visualize her hands washing the same clothes that are in my sink and hanging them outside to line dry in the sun.

In some strange way, washing those clothes made me feel a connection to this woman from the past and an appreciation of how hard she must have had to work every day.

Unpacking, cleaning and sneezing and sneezing and sneezing

2009-05-27T03:33:00.001-07:00

Before I start on the unpacking let me add another reason I need a truck and maybe a trailer also. Remember those fabulous metal tulip chairs a couple of posts ago? They sold for forty dollars. Each you ask? No, for all four!
When I get home, I can’t wait to unpack and show my DH all my new goodies and I have to say that initially he was less than enthusiastic. In fact, on some items he shared the sentiments of the townspeople at the auction! He doesn’t see the value in an old home projector or a pull up home movie screen, and he didn’t share my excitement about the grimy TV trays either, lol! He helps me unpack and I ask him to put everything in the garage because of the mold and mildew. I get an odd look when he sees the ancient suitcases that are falling apart until I show him the clothes inside. He thinks those are interesting.

There are about 15 pieces of clothing dating back to the early 1900’s including a pair of bloomers, an apron with handmade lace and a little girl’s pinafore. Everything is so cool but badly stained and what’s that smell! At first I *sniffle* think that the black blouse has black and white marbled buttons, *atchoo* but when I put my glasses on I realize that its mold covering the jet-black glass buttons. Ick! At this point I figure I have three *atchoo* options with these garments - I can throw them away now because they are so *sneezesneezesneeze* moldy, throw them away later because I’ve ruined them or maybe I can salvage them. Deciding that the black pieces and furs are too delicate to wash but too moldy to leave as is I spray them with an antibacterial cleaner. A bold and likely foolish move but it didn’t seem to hurt the clothes and it did kill the mold. I certainly don’t recommend it and I’m sure that the textile people are cringing. Promising myself to be gentle with the rest of the clothes and not to obsess over them I head inside. After washing my face and hands and finishing a sneezing fit, I go online to find some helpful websites and I find out I can wash the cottons so I start bringing them inside one by one and pretty soon, every available sink, tub and large bowl is full of whites or more accurately used-to-be-whites soaking in Woolite. I won’t even tell you what the water from the first soak was like – no that’s a lie I will tell you - it was disgusting, a dark blackish brown. And that was just one garment that had soaked for about five minutes! I think to myself “This piece is sure not going to get any cleaner in that water”. I change the water and go to check on the others and so it begins…

Next – My Life as a Washer Woman

Why I Need a Truck

2009-05-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

The tools are done and the auctioneer moves on to a table with some postcards and other ephemera including some Shirley Temple items that I would like to have. I wait and wait and they start on some Indian artifacts so I leave the area for just a second and when I get back, another bidder has snagged the whole pile of Shirley Temple programs and promotional material for TWENTY DOLLARS! Ack!

While I am beating my head against the wall for being so stupid, I notice a 1950’s tole style T.V. tray in a pile of junk. I pick it up and aside from some minor rust spots and scratches it’s fabulous, and there are two more, yea! Just then, the auctioneer comes around the corner and asks for bids on the scrap metal pile. I quickly ask to bid separately on the trays; he says, “You want to bid on these?” I nod hopefully. “These trays?" he says pulling one out. I nod again. "Ok, sure” he says looking at me as if I’m slightly deranged. No one bids against me on the trays but the rest of the scrap pile goes for a decent amount.

The auction moves inside the house and I have the winning bid on a great pink frosted glass ceiling light fixture and shade which I had asked them to include in the auction. That makes me feel somewhat better after missing out on the Shirley Temple items. I ask the auctioneer if I can bring down the rest of the tray tables with the holder from upstairs and now everyone seemed to think I’m nuts for wanting these. He asks me if they’re the same as the other ones and tells me, “Just take them honey” while looking at me with something akin to pity as in “Poor thing, it’s nice that they let her go out by herself occasionally.” Meanwhile, another bidder gets an antique upholstered rocker for $2 (obviously I need a truck!) and no one wants a 1920’s pink velvet couch with the upholstery in excellent condition except for being extremely dusty. If I had a way (like a truck) to get it to NYC it would pay for thetrip to visit my daughter.

No one wants the beautiful woodwork, doors or windows either. If only I knew someone with a salvage company! (And a truck)

My car is jam packed (truck!truck!truck!) and it’s time to bite the bullet and pay up. But when they total up my purchases I’m very pleasantly surprised and have a happy drive back home thinking about all the treasures I just acquired!

Coming up next: Unpacking, cleaning and sneezing and sneezing and sneezing

Surprise in a Suitcase

2009-05-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

Once the auction started things moved very quickly. I had never been to such a fast auction! If there were something you wanted, you had better not take a breath before bidding or SOLD! and on to the next box. I missed out on a couple of things but then I got the rhythm and snagged some near mint pink Boonton, pink Manhattan, and a pink casserole dish among some other things, some of which were also pink. Are you sensing a theme here? I think that the boys might have been living with their mother or at least in her prior home.

One of the things I bought was a group of suitcases. I like old suitcases for decoupage projects

and there were three or four in the group that were just my style. The auctioneer actually skipped right by them and I had to ask to bid. Apparently, no one else was interested because I got all of them for $2.

When the auctioneer moves on to the tools I start to load some things into my car. I pick out the suitcases I want and offer the rest to anyone who wants them, but even free no one is the least bit interested. I take another look myself and decided to check the interior of 2 ancient cases that are falling apart on the outside but would be ok for decoupage if the insides are intact. When I cautiously crack open the first one I see an obviously Victorian bodice on top of a bunch of other clothes. OMG, I had almost given it away, or worse, left it there to be thrown out! When I open the second case… Furs! Not good furs, definitely not stored well, but still furs. I check the rest of the suitcases hoping for … Money! But, no such luck.

The lesson I need to learn is to always, always, look inside of everything before tossing it or giving it away.

There’s still more auction left with who-knows-what treasures waiting to be found so off I go to look at what's coming up.

Next -
Why I Need a Truck

The Brothers Grim

2009-05-21T11:02:00.001-07:00

I went to an auction yesterday way the heck out in rural Ohio. A very pretty drive from Columbus, once you exit the expressway it’s nothing but farms, fields, and churches at first, then a little while later there’s woods and smaller farms and the occasional pasture with horses or cows. I saw an Amish family with a horse drawn plow and a little further down a man on a tractor. The Amish way sure seems a lot more earth friendly, there’s not all that dirt being kicked up and blown away like there is with a tractor. Of course, it’s a lot harder and more time consuming. Every once in a while I would drive through a little town where it didn’t look like much had changed in the last 30 or 40 years, including the speed limit, and you better pay attention because I think tickets may be a major revenue source. And no, I wasn’t stopped for speeding; I was good - at least going through the little towns. ;)

After an hour and a half, I finally arrived at the auction where they were selling the estate of two elderly brothers who had lived together for a long time according to the townspeople at the auction and died within a week of each other. There were box lots laid out in the front yard with lots of goodies, old dishes and linens and suitcases and other miscellaneous items that one accumulates over a lifetime. On one side of the house were tools and lawn furniture including those cool metal chairs and on the other side antique furniture, including a huge old oak headboard and footboard attached with a wood frame, so gorgeous!

Inside the house was just sad. The house had a lot of potential and although small, I’m sure it was quite lovely in its day. Big windows with large oak frames, beautiful 6 panel oak doors, a front parlor, a front porch, a side porch, and a back porch, all enclosed and a big country kitchen with a washroom or mudroom off to the side. Upstairs there was a big open room on one side and two bedrooms on the other. At least, that’s the way I imagine that it was. The house had fallen into a sad state of disrepair and was dirty, full of mold and mildew, with a leaking roof, rotting structure and generally just falling down around the brothers’ ears. The relatives were tearing it down and all of the fixtures, windows, doors, moldings and whatever else could be sold were up for auction. Another woman and I were wondering why the relatives would have let the brothers live in such circumstances, it’s not as if they lived out of town. I heard two of them joking around with each other at the auction and I had to bite my tongue not to say, “How could you be so uncaring!”

That’s the 'good for me' but sad thing about many estate auctions. On the one hand as a buyer, I want there to be beautiful things being sold but on the other hand, I don’t understand why no one who knew the person wants to keep those things. It seems that many people don’t value the things, or in some cases the people, of the past.

Coming up next – Surprise in a Suitcase

How to Break Glass and Lose Customers

2009-05-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest complaints I hear from other collectors is how many pieces of vintage and antique glass are broken during shipping. How tragic is that! I find it hard to believe that anyone would throw a beautiful piece in a box with “a piece of used bubble wrap and a couple of sheets of newspaper.” That’s a direct quote. Seriously, who does that?! What glass lover – and aren’t the majority of glass dealers just collectors that can’t stop buying? – would treat a bit of history that way? I sell online but I had never bought online and so I assumed that everyone packed as I do. It seemed reasonable to me that people would want the items that they are shipping to arrive intact and for their customers to be pleased. I was sure my friends were exaggerating to make a point. That is until I bought an item on ebay… dun... dun... dun *eerie music*

My college age daughter’s cell phone had somehow ended up in the shower – I didn’t ask, I don’t think I want to know – so we were looking for a cheap replacement and found one on ebay. It arrived in a plain envelope with a torn off piece of a used padded envelope with “for padding” written on it. I’m guessing he wrote that so we wouldn’t think that some trash had accidentally ended up in with the phone. Of course, the screen was cracked and we had to have a huge fight to get our money back, which we finally did… but I have gone off on a tangent.

The point is that now I understand why those collectors are upset. Apparently they were not exaggerating and people do think that one sheet of bubble wrap is sufficient padding. Are these sellers uncaring or just uninformed? Let’s be nice and assume that they mean well but they need some help in the basics of packing delicate items. So just in case you, dear reader, may be one of those people :) here are some hints on packing glass or any other delicate object.

1. Wrap the item in tissue paper – it’s cheap, it looks nice and an extra layer can’t hurt.

2. Use new bubble-wrap unless your recycled wrap is like new. Broken bubbles don’t protect anything.

3. Wrap the item in the bubble-wrap. If you can still feel the edges, use more bubble-wrap.

4. Roll your bubble wrapped item in one or two sheets of newspaper. I don’t know why this works but it does, maybe it protects the bubble-wrap. In addition, it’s recycling.

5. If it’s a very fragile item, wrap it an additional time with the big bubble bubble-wrap that you have cleverly saved from something.

6. If you have more than one item in the box, it’s extremely important to tape them together, after you wrap them separately. More items are broken from hitting against another item in the box than from outside forces.

7. I like recycled boxes but make sure that the corners and sides haven’t been compromised by being dented or creased. I do admit that I have used these when desperate but I reinforce the bent part with additional cardboard on the inside of the box.

8. Make sure your box is big enough for 2” of padding around the item(s). It sounds like a lot but it’s not really. I like newspaper because it’s free and I can vary how tightly I crumple and how densely I pack it into the box. With heavier items, I use denser packing so that I don’t worry about the item shifting in transit.

9. A way to check if there’s enough padding is to push on the padding with the amount of pressure you think the item would exert, if you can feel the box add more padding.

10. Sometimes, if I’m feeling especially paranoid I will push on the outside of the box to see if I can hear any bubbles popping. But that’s probably going overboard. (probably?? girl, get a grip!)

11. Shake the box, if you hear anything there’s not enough packing.

12. Write Fragile and Glass on the package. I actually don’t think this does any good– I’ve seen how packages are tossed around in the post office - but it makes me feel better.

13. Ship Priority, not Parcel Post. A small package gets a lot more beat up shipping by Parcel Post because that’s how many heavy, bulky items are shipped.

14. Oops… somewhere above step 13 you should seal the package securely with packing tape. (duh) If it’s a recycled box, be sure to reinforce the existing seals.

This is by no means a comprehensive list – it’s just my little hints. Please feel free to add your own hints to the comments!

Karen

Beads Glorious Beads!

2009-05-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

In addition to vintage glass and collectibles, I love beads! Could it be the glass connection? Maybe, but whatever the reason its fun to spend the day at a bead show. The International Gem and Jewelry Show was in Columbus this weekend so of course I was there.

On Friday I bought these cool skull beads and these awesome naked ladies from J & K Trade Inc.

Deciding that wooden beads would make a masculine skull choker I picked up this bunch.

Janet Wolery of Contemporary Glassworks Gallery J Inc. has beautiful Swarovski Crystals, I bought some vintage crystals last year. However, this year I snatched up some of these gorgeous silver spiral tubes – she actually makes these herself! She also makes dichroic glass, so far I’ve resisted but maybe if I go back tomorrow…

Treasured Glass was the only Czech glass dealer at the show – everyone else had beads from China. It’s cheaper but Czech glass is sooo much nicer! Great prices and I finally discovered Vaseline glass beads. I’m a glass dealer so I know about vintage Vaseline and (unfortunately) new Vaseline reproductions and fantasy glass, but beads? I had no idea! If only I would have had these back in my hippie days, lol! I think they will be fabulous in a skull necklace.

I spent 3 hours at the show on Friday at which point all the dealers started to run together in my head. I was feeling good because I had shown some remarkable self-control and put down strings and strings of beads that I didn’t ‘need’ even though they were really pretty! I was gosh darn proud of myself but just when I was about to leave a lady at the exit gave me a free pass to come back Saturday and Sunday just in case I didn’t spend ALL my money. So I was there again today and maybe tomorrow.

I don’t want to waste the free pass after all! ;)

Celebrating Spring with a Pottery Sale

2009-05-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally come to Ohio and not a moment too soon in my opinion!

The grass has greened up the pear trees are blooming all over the neighborhood and life just seems lighter and happier. The spring always makes me want to get my hands into the dirt and plant things so in celebration of the season I am having a Pottery and Planters sale. Buy one piece and get the second at 50% off!

Planters come in so many different styles that there's something for everyone, even the newest member of the family,

...and bringing plants and flowers inside is an easy way to add color and bring a fresh feeling to a room.

No matter what your decorating style from classic McCoy to MCM Shawnee there's a planter out there just waiting for you to bring some spring inside.

I Hit the Mother Lode of Depression Glass!

2009-05-06T02:54:00.000-07:00

One of the disadvantages of participating in the community garage sale every year is not getting to shop the neighborhood. My husband won't let me leave because he's afraid he'll sell something valuable for next to nothing and then I'll be mad - this is based on an incident where he sold a cha-cha bracelet with about $15 worth of beads in it for $5 so there's some basis for his concern, lol! But anyway, this year my friend across the street calls and tells me that another neighbor is selling her collection of depression glass and would I like to look at it before the sale opens. Would I??!! I'm in my car and on the way to her house in a heartbeat! I walk into her garage and wow - (harp music) - be still my heart! Pink and green and yellow glass glows softly on a long table. It's almost a spiritual experience - if you collect depression glass then you know what I mean. I select a good number of items, pass on some others, head home, unpack, reconsider, go back and buy some additional items. I'm a happy camper! After the sale I get another phone call telling me that I can have anything that's left for half price. So back into the car I go with my garage sale earnings in my pocket which I promptly spend on more pretty glass :) When I have everything unpacked and set up in my living room I do a happy dance! I've never had so much colored depression glass set out all at one time and it's soooo pretty!

That's where I've been for the last few weeks, obsessed with researching, photographing and listing my new treasures. Ah, glass - it's an addiction and a labor of love.

How can I tell if this is a reproduction?

2009-04-08T04:27:00.000-07:00

Whether you're planning on selling or starting your own collection there are some steps you should take to avoid reproductions. I will speak about glass as that's my specialty but the principals apply to any collectible.

Do your research
Books - There are many good books on almost every type of collectible and many are available used or at your public library. All of the glass books I have list known reproductions with descriptions of the differences.

The sugar on the left is a "reissue" of the Depression glass pattern Madrid using new molds. This was sold by Federal and called "Recollection" . When Federal went bankrupt Indiana bought the molds, removed the '76 and produced crystal and pink. The plate on the right is original Madrid and is a lighter and clearer shade of yellow amber. There is also a '76 on some of the Recollection pieces and some differences in the handles in all of the new mold pieces.
Internet Resources- Discussion groups are especially helpful. I belong to two groups where authors of popular glass books are regular contributors and will answer questions. And, trust me, they know about reproductions. There are wonderful sites dedicated to just one area i.e. Candlewick, Carnival Glass or Indiana patterns where the site owners have dedicated hundreds and hundreds of hours and dollars to share their knowledge and passion for their particular collectible. The good ones will have information on reissues and known reproductions. See 'My Favorite Links' in the side bar for links to some sites.
EBay - Don’t use eBay listings as a source of reliable information, but the community board is very helpful. This swan is a modern Asian import. It's a copy of the Vallerysthal covered swan dish and the mark on the bottom is a dead giveaway.
The pink mark, from the swan, is not Heisey although it is somewhat similiar. The clear glass mark, courtesy of ddoty.com is a genuine Heisey mark. The fake shown above is Hsinshu Taiwan for AA Imports. As you can see, the Heisey mark is a narrow diamond while this Asian importers mark is square.

What the heck is this?
If you don’t know what you have, it can be very hard to determine if it’s vintage or not. EBay is a great place to start if you have no idea. Start with a general search such as ‘vintage milk glass bowl grape pattern’ and find a listing with a name for the pattern and then use the name to search the web and try to verify the pattern. Don’t use eBay listings as a reliable source of identification.

There’s no substitute for experience.
Handle as many known authentic items as you can. It doesn’t take long to get a feel for the real thing. Here are some suggestions on where you can examine vintage items without getting your hands slapped.
Antique shows and shops are helpful as long as the dealer knows their stuff. Even if they don’t have specific ids, it’s likely that most of the items in their stores are vintage or they wouldn’t be in business long.
Auctions are fun. You can examine everything during the preview and you can find out what’s authentic by seeing how high the bids go. Just sit on your hands until you know what you’re doing. It’s way too easy to catch auction fever, your hand will jump up in the air all by itself and you’ll have paid too much for who-knows-what. I have to admit that I have done this, and not just once or twice. :P
Thrift stores and garage sales are good places to find vintage items. If you have a good feel for something and it’s cheap buy it as a research piece and then you can always resell it at your garage sale. I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes - and had some big garage sales, lol.
Museums are wonderful. Ohio has tons of glass museums and I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t been to any but I’m planning some trips this summer.

Is it in like-new condition?
An item that is in brand-spanking-new perfect condition is probably not vintage. It could be the find of the century, but probably not. Unless you know your stuff or want a research piece you should probably pass.

Is there more than one?
Unless we are talking about something that comes in a set - plates, glasses, candlesticks, where you would expect to find more than one – beware! If there are three identical marmalade servers, or seven candlesticks – same pattern and size, they’re probably a knock-off, especially if they’re in pristine condition. There just aren’t that many vintage collectibles around in mint condition.

What about eBay?
As far as glass goes, reproductions and look-a-likes are getting to be a real problem. Oriental imports and even one American company I know of are making new glass in very similar designs to old patterns. There is new glass that will even pass the black light test. However, there are dealers on eBay who list these items, some of which are very nice, as new. Search for vintage style new.

Another Asian import. This is one of many depression "style" items sold at http://www.denofdecor.com/. They are honest about what they are selling but some of their resellers either don't know any better or intend to deceive. Unmarked.
Use completed listings to see what items sold for a decent price – probably authentic; most collectors know their stuff. Use this as a starting point only; don’t ever count on eBay listings for accurate identification!

Did I mention research?
Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to know what you’re buying, especially if it’s something you might resell. In addition, it’s fun to figure out what you’ve found and learn about beautiful things from the past.

Happy Hunting!

My dog embarrases me...

2009-04-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

We finally hit the road stopping at the same Microtel we stayed at on the way down. They take dogs and the rooms are reasonably clean, if tiny. Hence the name I guess. This time the Internet wouldn't work unless you sat in the lobby and I have to have my online fix, so Rosco and I head to the lobby. Rosco has to sit on the floor - no dogs on the furniture. Maybe that's why he was feeling grouchy or maybe he was tired of traveling. What ever the reason this normally sweet and friendly dog, who loves everyone, actually growls and goes after this man that was just walking by. And not just once. So we are disgraced and banished from the lobby. I'm embarrassed but he's like "what??"

After slinking out of the hotel in the morning we head out on 77. I don't know if you're familiar with this interstate but about every other exit is an "Antique Mall". I ignore them for as long as I can then I ask to stop at one. I think the DH is tired of traveling too because although he stops and tells me to take my time he doesn't look too happy about it. I hurry through in just 30 mins or so - a personal best for such a big store, I could have spent 2 hours easily. I find this darling Tumbelina table set - all 3 pieces are less than 3" tall. So adorable!

I manage to avert my eyes from the antique signs the rest of the way home to the relief of Alan and Rosco. We are all happy to be home and I can't wait to unpack my cool "new" old stuff!

Titusville and Orlando Family Time (mostly)

2009-04-01T18:42:00.001-07:00

We finally arrive in Titusville only an hour late because I have resisted the urge to check the GPS to see if there are any other shops “on the way”. The first night we stay with Alan’s brother Greg and his sweet wife Barbara. Greg is not a big fan of dogs but Rosco wins him right away over by falling asleep on the floor.

Every time I visit I admire Barbara’s Man in the Moon cookie jar. It belonged to her grandmother and is most definitely the real deal - Robinson Ransbottom Pottery. Isn’t it fabulous?!

As you can see photography runs in the family. It’s actually Greg’s fault that I’m living in Ohio, but that’s another story. Although they have lived in Florida for as long as I’ve known them, they’re big fans of New England and visit there as often as they can.

We pick up the items Alan has inherited from his mom and somehow he manages to fit them into our already packed to the gills car.

We spend the next day at his sister Tina’s house and have a nice family dinner with Barb, Greg, Auntie, Uncle and the youngest member of the family, Logan. He’s got to be the cutest 13 year old boy ever, and I am being totally objective! During our time at Tina’s I manage to go scout out the thrift stores. The first place I visit is advertised as an Antique Market but it’s full of imported junk. Then I see a flea market, but it’s packing up – dang! I find an awesome antique store crammed full of interesting old dusty stuff but they won’t be open until Monday and we’re leaving Sunday morning. :( Next time I will be sure to be in Orlando on Friday and Saturday!

Next up – heading back to Ohio (but of course I have to stop along the way)

Goodbye Miami

2009-03-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

It’s time for us to pack up the car and make our way to Titusville where Alan’s family lives. I keep asking him how much I can take, he keeps saying, “take whatever you want,” and of course, I want to take everything. Fortunately, Alan has excellent packing skills and it all fits but… Where are all of the items his brother has been storing for us from their mom’s estate going to go? Rosco is so worried that we are leaving without him that he won’t calm down until we let him sit in the car while we’re packing. Maybe he thinks there won’t be any room for him, lol. He’ll be sitting on my lap just as he did the whole way down even though he could have stretched out in the backseat. I don’t know what it is about road trips but in about 10 minutes I’m asleep, when I wake up DH asks if I want to look for a thrift store in route to Titusville. Ummm, let me think… I use the GPS again and find a little store not far from the highway – Treasure Coast Hospice Thrift. Vowing to buy only very small items (unless it’s something really cool) I focus on the jewelry counter. Often this is a mistake for two reasons; first, I know almost nothing about jewelry and secondly I tend to keep all the jewelry for myself :) I do find an Ann Klein necklace which I buy even though it’s a little pricey and two sterling bracelets that are so cheap I almost feel guilty for not paying more. I have to pass on a set of iridescent tumblers – no room and not enough of a steal to justify shipping. I head back out with my tiny treasurers where Alan has managed to pass his time productively by adding some more photos to the Rexo series. He knows how long it takes me to visit the smallest thrift shop so he knew there was plenty of time to set up some shots.

On to Titusville, an hour later than we thought but totally worth it!

A Dog Day at the Beach

2009-03-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

Finally, I’m ready for a little beach time and we take Rosco, our King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, with us to one of the few beaches that allows dogs. Rosco takes to the water right away – must be the spaniel blood – and soon he’s a mass of wet sandy hair with touches of seaweed here and there and a big smile on his little face. While Rosco and I spend our time walking up and down the shoreline Alan, the DH, takes some photos for a series he has been working on. These photographs are made using old REXO darkroom plates to reflect images outside of the camera's frame. The first one has a reflection of Rosco and me.
The second photograph is currently in a show in Colorado where they only accepted 50 prints out of the hundreds submitted! To see more of this cool series please visit Alan's website http://www.alanmpillar.com/

On the way home Alan suggests that I use the GPS to look for an antique store. I find a promising one, however when we arrive there is a new condo at that location. Phooey. But isn't he a sweetheart for suggesting it?

Attic treasurers

2009-03-18T04:34:00.000-07:00

If you've ever lived in the south, you know that attics are furnaces in the summer, so we're happy that the weather is a little cooler - 60's rather than 80's. Mom has been wondering what is up there and wants to get it all cleaned out so my DH gets the tallest ladder and prepares to climb through a small hole in the ceiling. If I had been thinking I would have taken a photo - it's not at all like a northern attic - the entrance is seriously a framed out square in the very high, I'm guessing 12', ceiling. DH climbs up and stands on the top of the ladder, making me very nervous, and still has to hoist himself up through the opening. In the attic which is about 5' high at the tallest part of the pitched roof, there's no floor, only a few boards that Dad placed across the cross beams, so you have to be careful not to step through the ceiling! No light either so DH is up there crawling around on these makeshift catwalks with Mom's tiny flashlight trying to drag boxes, trunks and suitcases over to the opening and pass them down to me without anything crashing through the plaster ceiling. What a sweetie! One of the suitcases has this fabulous silver Christmas tree with turquoise and silver ornaments that we had in the living room in the 60's.

There's also a full size green tree that we bought at about the same time whose box has fallen apart but the tree is in great shape.

Other Christmas items included this sweet tin garland, the Styrofoam snowman, one of my favorites growing up, some bows and paper and these cool flocked roses that my Aunt used as package decorations.

As we passed down box after box, my Mom kept saying, “Why would he keep all this stuff?” And I kept saying “Oh COOL!” :) There are the cardboard suitcases that my parents used on their honeymoon and on their trip back to the USA from Australia via India and England including passage on the White Star Line's Queen Mary I and the trunk that my Dad used when he went back to Australia to marry Mom. See http://abridefromdownunder.blogspot.com/ for this truly romantic story! Speaking of romance, inside the trunk are all the letters my parents wrote to each other during their WWII courtship plus one or two that Mom had saved from other American servicemen! Also in the trunk are my Dads Navy uniforms in pristine condition. Unfortunately, some things have to go back into the attic because instead of renting a van we drove down in a Civic and we still need to pick up some things from DH’s brothers house.

At last the doors open ...

2009-03-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

Since I spent about an hour drooling over things I can’t have at Miami Twice by the time we leave there Dietel's Antiques is open! Fred, the gentleman who runs this store comes across as a little gruff to say the least. Once when Mom visited his old shop which was very jam packed with glass and china he growled at her to watch her purse. In his defense, she does carry a large purse. ;) Since I’m a prior customer he greets me in a friendly way remembering me from my last trip, although I think I was a major annoyance on my first few visits to his stores by asking about a ton of prices and coming back 4 or 5 times before buying anything! This was because the first time I visited there were so many things I had only seen in books that my knees were weak – I swear they were shaking! The second time I still had to catch my breath, the third time I was able to find some things to research and the fourth and fifth times I finally made some purchases! During my absence he has moved into a new much larger building and also hired an assistant who followed me around the store wanting to put everything that I ooohed and aaahed over on the counter until I suspect she was told to leave me be and let me look at everything. Fred understands how I operate now, lol. I finally made my way to the back room of the store where ‘the cheap stuff’ is located. Jadite, Fostoria, Carnival glass, pink Heisey, cobalt Moderntone and vintage Fiesta – realistically, although I love to look at the front room antiques, this vintage glass is why I’m here. I ask about a few prices and Fred offers me a special price on all of the Jadite if I buy it right now, I guess he does remember me, lol! I purchase the Jadite and a stick handle Fiesta creamer and make some notes about a few other items. Fred packs up my glass and carries it out to the car where my mom, who has had enough of antique stores and is reading one of the books she bought at GW, is waiting. He tells her what a good deal he is giving me and I promise to come back later for more things.

Back at Moms house, I go online to do some research and immediately realize that I should have snapped up the Delphite blue set. I also decide on a number of other items from Dietels. I return that same day and buy 12 Fostoria American dinner plates, 4 matching lunch plates, the cobalt Moderntone creamer and sugar set, some EAPG salts, a Hazel Atlas Ritz blue shaker and the pink Heisey bowl. Now that Fred is pretty happy with me, we chat a bit and he gives me some good business advice.

The next day, Wednesday, I return to Miami Twice for the Cherry Blossom set. I was even so cheeky as to ask if she could do any better on the price – well, you never know. Really though, I was thrilled to get it for the price she had told me the first day. A quick check of GW because I’m right there and you-never-know, but there’s nothing of any interest again.

Next up: Lookie what I found in the attic!

Treasure Hunting Begins!

2009-03-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

We arrive late Sunday evening so bright and early the next morning I’m ready to go treasure hunting! Mom, apparently forgetting that I can spend literally hours looking through the tiniest antique store decides to ignore my warnings and come with me. Monday is not the best day to visit an antique store as many are closed and my favorite is no exception. I flag down a postal cart and asked if the store’s closed on Monday and find that it should be open by noon. Yay!
There’s a Goodwill Store nearby so I decide to see if the nationwide decline of Goodwill as a place to find vintage items has effected Miami. Sadly there is a plethora of items from Target, but nothing of any interest to a vintage collector. Mom finds a couple of Romance novels so it’s not a total waste of time. A quick stop at the walk up window for some Cafe Cubano - a tiny expresso with about a quarter cup of sugar - talk about your caffine and sugar rush!

Next stop is a store called ‘Miami Twice’. That's Mom in the front with the large purse. This shop is a combination of antique, vintage, Hot Topic and a hip teen & twenty-something resale store such as Rag-O-Rama here in Columbus. Lots of eye-candy but nothing priced for resale and the owners are not open to negotiation. I’m looking at the Fiesta where there is a stick handle creamer for $48 and kicking myself for not buying one I saw at a GW years ago, when I see a Jeannette Cherry Blossom Delphite Blue child’s set! I look at the first 3 or 4 pieces and I don’t see a price so I ask - $75, hmmm. I can’t remember if that’s a good price so I decided to check online first.

Coming up next - my fav antique store

A Treasure Hunters Vacation

2009-03-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

Last week we put an out of town message on the shops and headed down to Florida to visit my mom and one of my favorite antique stores.

We drove down because the last time I was there I bought too many things to bring back on the plane so Mom had been storing them for me. Two items – a fabulous cobalt demitasse set and another cobalt set of 6 cups and saucers in Duncan’s Radiance pattern were even packed and ready to mail from Miami in case they sold before I could get them back to Ohio. I'm always optimistic about sales, lol.

I was going to be bringing back the Radiance set, as it still hadn’t sold. However the demitasse set had sold a few months earlier and I have to confess that the timing for this trip was totally determined by the last payment on the lay-away sale of that set. Not that I hadn't been planning to see my mom regardless – really!

And since I had my DH with me this was the perfect opportunity for us - and by ‘us’ of course I mean my DH – to get up in the attic where who-knew-what treasure was waiting!

I planned on scrounging around in dusty old antique stores and going through the old 'junk' dragged out of the attic for most of my time in Miami. Wow, what a great Florida vacation! No, really. I'm dead serious. I'll get to the beach but treasure hunting is the real fun!

A True WWII Love Story

2009-03-04T05:54:00.000-08:00

The final chapter of my parents courtship can be found on my new blog "A Bride from Down Under" at http://abridefromdownunder.blogspot.com/

Thanks for following this story!

A True WWII Love Story Part 6 - The New Look

2009-02-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

After the shortages of the war, the New Look celebrated the end of rationing with full skirts and long lengths using lots and lots of fabric!

Mom decided not to have a traditional wedding dress but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going all out on her wedding outfit. She ordered a pink felt hat with a pink ostrich feather and had kid gloves dyed to match. A blue crepe dress was being custom made along with a black wool coat with a flared skirt, both in the new mid-calf length. She would be quite the fashion plate at her wedding! Her sister Ruthie was also getting a new outfit including a pink crepe dress, a pink hat with a feather, pink gloves and a string of pearls Mom had given her as a Maid of Honor gift.

There was one significant person who wasn't ordering new clothes for the wedding. Mom’s mother, Madeline, was unhappy with the thought of her new son-in-law and his desire to be married in the Catholic Church. At first, she tried to convince Mom to get married at the Church of England, but Dad was a staunch Catholic and insisted on Saint Mary’s Cathedral. When grandma saw that Dad wouldn’t budge she suggested getting married twice - once at the St. Mary’s and once at the Church of England, but Mom said that she wasn’t going to do everything two times. The couple decided that they would be married at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, regardless of her mother’s wishes. Because Mom hadn’t converted to Catholicism, they would have to be married in the Cardinal’s Chapel, which was still quite large and beautiful, instead of at the main altar. In addition, Mom had to promise that all of their children would be raised in the Catholic faith.

Finally, everything was settled and the wedding day was approaching quickly.

Next: Guess who's not coming to the wedding...

A True WWII Love Story - Part 5 - Together Again

2009-02-20T06:50:00.000-08:00

On the day the ship arrived in Sydney Dad was met by the entire Smart family. Mom was wearing a turquoise coat and when dad saw her, he let out a loud whistle. He had a very distinctive whistle. Mom recognized it right away and spotted him leaning against the railing while the ship docked. This photo is the Marine Phoenix, in service as a Liberty Ship in 1947, the ship my Dad bought passage on to go to Australia. It was later recommisioned as a USN ship. From what I have learned it was a very no frills trip!

After such a long absence between my mom and dad, it was like meeting for the first time all over again. Dressed in his civilian clothes Dad even looked different to Mom because she had only ever seen him in uniform. Dad stayed with the Smarts for a few days, sleeping on an outdoor balcony with only a blind between the outside world and him. It was a little awkward for everyone and he soon he found a job and a room in a boarding house. Taking advantage of the GI bill he also enrolled in school. During this time, Mom and Dad spent a lot of time talking, getting to know each other better and falling more in love. But there were a lot of fights too and the engagement ring was passed back and forth more than once. It seemed that all kinds of romantic notions had developed during a two-year courtship via love letters! Eventually they managed to come to terms and soon plans were being made for the wedding.

My goodness, what a terrible photograph! I think he needed a haircut, lol. Look back at the first post in this story, I added a photo which is much better.

Next: Our fashion forward bride-to-be

A True WWII Love Story Part 4

2009-02-18T19:44:00.000-08:00

The war is over and the engaged couple are on opposite sides of the world. Neil has been discharged from the US Navy and is back home in Amsterdam, NY while Pamsy is still in the Land Down Under.

As mom was still underage, she needed her parents’ permission to leave the country and despite her repeated requests to join her fiancé in the United States, the answer was always the same. “You’re too young” and “You barely know him.” The last part was fairly true as it had been over two years since they had seen each other.

Dad, who if you remember always went after what he wanted, decided the only thing to do was to go back to Australia and marry her there. He had some money saved so he bought a bus ticket to San Francisco, California where he planned on getting a job on a ship and working his way across the ocean. What could be easier? He had just gotten out of the Navy and he knew his way around a ship, plus he was a hard worker and not fussy about what job he would be willing to take. However, he hadn’t counted on the Stevedores’ Union. Without a union card there was to be no work on a ship. Not giving up on his plan to go after his bride-to-be, he found a room and a job and started saving up to buy passage. In just a few months, he had saved enough for the trip partly because he shared a room with another man and got free meals at the restaurant where he worked. Dad always knew how to pinch a penny and get a nickel.

This is a photo dad sent to mom while he was in San Francisco, ever the romantic he drew a heart with an arrow and their initials on the side by his shoulder.

Coming next - Together again

And the winner is..............

2009-02-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

Michelle!

Please post a comment with the name of the item and (assuming that you're correct) please email me at charmingsllc@aol.com so I can arrange for shipping the necklace to you.

Thanks to all who entered!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T04:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Charmings Collectibles Blog Party!

There is an item from my store in the following story's photographs, find it and you will be entered in a drawing to win this oh-so-romantic faux cameo necklace!

Cassandra is preparing for her part in the progressive "All Dolled Up" Valentine's Day Party. Her guests should be arriving any minute and she wants to be sure everything is just perfect!

The table is set with rosehip tea and heart shaped cookies.

With a cake stand as a table and Wexford goblets as chairs, the tea party is ready to begin!

Fuzzy Wuzzy arrives with a valentine. Was it for Miss Cassandra?Oh no, not this one. This was the first valentine Fuzzy had every received. It made him so happy that he had been carrying it around all day.

Barney Bear, looking very cute in his honey bee shirt with valentine antennae asks

"Will there beee honey in the tea?"

"Of course Barney, I would never forget your honey!"said Cassandra, giving him a generous dallop in his cup.

"Miss Cassandra," asked Noel Squirrel very politely,"what exactly might be under that pretty glass cover?" All the while hoping very sincerely that it was something sweet. Cookies perhaps? Maybe even with pink frosting?

"Well Noel," said Cassandra, " we will just have to take off the cover and have a look."

Cassandra removes the cover. "COOKIES!"; exclaim the guests with Noel shouting the loudest of all! Pink frosted cookies just as she had hoped for all along!

Cassandra loves entertaining and making sure that all of her guests are having fun. Fuzzy has managed to have a cookie while holding on to his valentine...

...and Barney loves his tea, sweetened with lots of honey of course!

But why does Noel look so upset?

Little Noel can't decide. Which cookie should she eat first? They both look so delicious! Cassandra suggests "Perhaps a little nibble off of one and then the other "Mmmm, good idea! Noel mumbles with a mouth full of cookie.

A good time was had by all! But no need to say goodbye

- everyone is heading to the next party!

Did you find it? Here's a hint, it's only in 2 of the photos! Please leave a comment on this post to enter the drawing!

Vintage Perfume Bottle - could be yours - free!

2009-02-10T06:48:00.000-08:00

As part of the Very Vintage Valentine's Celebration on The Vintage Village I am giving away this vintage perfume holder.

To win this lovely perfume bottle please send an email to VintageVillageCupid@gmail.com with the subject PERFUME and your name and email address. A drawing will be held at noon on February 12th from all of the emails received and the winners name will be posted on this blog and on the Vintage Village front page. And check out all the other Give-Aways on the Vintage Village site!

A True WWII Love Story Part 3

2009-02-07T09:07:00.000-08:00

My dad, Neil, was a man who knew what he wanted and that was for Pamsy Smart to marry him. During the time he was in Sydney he asked her many times, but she being five years younger, had only just begun to date and wasn’t at all sure she wanted to be tied down to this US sailor. He was shipping out, and with all of the active fighting going on in the Pacific, who knew if she would ever see him again?

Thus, the letter writing began.

Mom would send photographs to Dad along with her letters with a sweet note on the back like this one, “To dearest Neil with love from the Smart family. PS I hope you like it darling. Love Pam”

Dad would send letters, photographs and love poems to Mom. Ever the romantic, one of his poems started with “My rainbows dear all end with you” and he had made a card with a sailor looking up at a rainbow with a girl at the top. When I was a teen-ager I thought it was terribly silly but now I think it’s very sweet and terribly romantic.

Through the course of the letter writing Dad somehow managed to convince Mom to marry him – maybe it was the poem? – and they became engaged through the mail. As it didn’t seem likely that Dad would be visiting Sydney again he sent Mom some money and she bought her beautiful engagement ring with it.

Coming next..
The war is over, Neil's back in the USA, Pam’s in Australia, what now?

Valentine's Party with Vintage Goodies!

2009-02-02T17:21:00.001-08:00

Valentine's are popping up all over! I'm very excited to sponser a week-long celebration at The Vintage Village Our theme is:

The party starts on Feb 7th and continues until Feb 14th at midnight. There will be a number of great vintage items given away at Vintage Village Cupid's page and members of The Vintage Village are putting Cupid's Choice vintage items on sale in their shops!

Hope to see you there!

And the winner is...

2009-02-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

Drum roll please!
jeni@pnkgeeni! She will be receiving the china poodles she suggested.
That way I know she'll like it. :)

Today's All Dolled Up Valentine's Party guest introduction is Fuzzy Wuzzy Puppy. He fits his name for obvious reasons but I love this name because of a poem my mom used to tell me when I was little. If anyone remembers the author please tell me!

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair,
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy was he?

I thought this was hysterical as a kid. Try this on your local 3 yr old, a 5 yr old is probably too sophisticated now-a-days!

Names please?

2009-01-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

I just realized as I was talking to a new friend that I have not identified the people in my photos or told you my parents names - how rude!

Also I've been spelling Ruthy's name wrong it's Ruthie. I knew something didn't look right but it didn't click untill I typed Aunt Ruthy -oops!

Anyway, the handsome American is Neil Mantone - pic coming soon, for some reason I don't have any service pictures here. The lovely ladies are the Smart girls, Ruthie and Pamsy. The prim lady in the hat is Madeline Smart and the handsome Australian soldier is Albert Smart, Bert to his friends, Grandpa to me.

My mom's maiden name really was Smart. One of her favorite little jokes is to say "I was a Smart girl untill I got married!"

I don't know how exactly how Dad felt about that ;)

A True WWII Love Story continued...

2009-01-27T15:24:00.000-08:00

After being hit by the car Dad ended up at a military hospital outside of Sydney. He tried to get in contact with Mom but the best he could do was to leave a message at her job as they didn't have a phone at the house.

Since the hospital was a train and bus ride from Sydney Mom wouldn’t be able to visit until the weekend. My Grandmother, Madeline, being a good Christian woman decided to take a day trip to visit the injured service man. Dad was more than a little surprised to see this prim and proper lady, complete with hat and gloves, arrive with a basket of magazines and other goodies. This was especially unexpected, as Grandma Madeline didn’t much care for the idea of Mom and Dad seeing each other. She thought that with his yellowish skin (from the malaria pills), dark tan and sun-bleached red hair that perhaps he was an Indian or Native American as we say now. On top of that, he was an American and a Catholic. Not exactly the sort of suitor she wanted for her daughter!

Mom did get out to visit him on the weekends and after 3 weeks, he was able to leave the hospital on crutches. Being on leave for a few more weeks due to the crutches Dad was free to continue his pursuit of Mom. Fortunately, Grandpa Bert liked Dad. He had a military background himself serving in WWI and WWII and being a man’s man they got along fine. So Mom was allowed to go to a few movies and dinners with Dad always taking Ruthy along as a chaperone. I don’t know if she was of any use, all she did was walk a few steps behind them and giggle endlessly!

All too soon, Dad was well enough to return to active duty and letters became their only means of communication.

Coming next: Poems and Love Letters

Countdown to Valentine's Day Continues

2009-01-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

Today I am introducing Barney, one of the guests at my upcoming blog party. He is a sweet and patient bear who loves his honey and getting dressed up.

Only 6 more days to enter my Help Me Out and Win a Prize give-a-way! - see prior blogs for details

A True WWII Love Story

2009-01-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

In 1945, Dad was a 22-year-old seaman in the US Navy aboard a PT boat in the Pacific during WWII, and Mom was a 17-year-old delivery girl living in Sydney, Australia with her mom, dad and 15-year-old sister, Ruthy. This is the story of their long and somewhat turbulent but very romantic courtship.

Sydney was one of the R&R ports for US troops and like many of his fellow sailors, Dad was in town to have some fun and hopefully meet some girls. He had an address of a girl he was going to meet and was having trouble finding the street when he spotted Ruthy and Mom. That’s his story anyway; I think it was just a good opening line.

Meanwhile my mom and my Aunt Ruthy had been out delivering advertising slides to the movie houses and were walking home. Using the pretense of needing help with the address my dad approached the girls. Both were very pretty but Ruthy with her white blond hair usually attracted more attention and such was the case on the walk home. Once they arrived home and Dad got a good look in some light he realized that Ruthy was much too young and switched his attention over to Mom. Not the most romantic start.

He asked her out and her father said NO but two days later let them go to an early movie. “Be home by 9” The date went well and Dad was on his way back to his ship that would be leaving in the morning when he was hit by a car and ended up in the hospital. Darn those Aussies driving on the wrong side of the road ;)! Mom says that’s when they really started to get to know each other.

to be continued….

Neither rain nor hail nor sleet nor snow…

2009-01-15T17:06:00.000-08:00

…can keep me from my appointed auction.

Ok, I admit that’s a stretch but I did go out to an auction yesterday despite it being in the boonies and during the worst snow storm this year. A thirty minute trip turned into an hour and a half crawl along snow covered roads with cars a-slippin and a-slidin all over the place!

It was worth the trip though because in addition to some beautiful glass, china, and a fabulous set of silver candleholders, I bought six Aston Drake Porcelain dolls. These two are my favorites.
This is Mary from Mary Has a Little Lamb, unfortunately her lamb is lost. I think the expression on her face is priceless, she looks like I often feel when my brain isn’t working right.

The redhead is Peaches and Cream, she has her little basket of peaches and her face is just beautiful!

Now I know that these are collectible dolls and if you play with them you decrease the value, but how can you not! All of their little outfits have real snaps so that they can be taken on and off and although I have resisted doing that it’s nice to know that it’s possible. Their heads rotate and tilt into different positions making their expressions even more adorable, plus the arms and hands can be repositioned to a certain extent. I did play with them a little, as you can see from the photographs. I couldn’t resist, they seem like they were made to play with!

Help me out and win a prize!

2009-01-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

Like Noel Squirel I too have a hard time making up my mind. How sad is that!

Anyway, I need to choose a door prize for the blog party on Valentines day. Please visit any of my shops - see list at the very top of all the posts - and let me know what you would pick. I'm planning some other promotions with lots of prizes so I need lots of suggestions!

Leave a comment with your choice and you're automatically entered into a drawing to be held on Feburary 1st for one of the suggestions!

Thank you all for helping,
Karen

You're Invited to a Valentine's Day Party!

2009-01-12T07:19:00.000-08:00

Preparations are in full swing for the Lollishops Progressive Blog "All Dolled Up" Valentine's Day Party.
Click here for details

In my next few blogs I will be introducing you to some of the guests at my party and you can follow the story by clicking on the top picture on the right. Today's featured guest is Noel, a very young squirrel known for her sweet tooth and her propensity to worry!

Lollishops – The Fru-Fru Friendly Marketplace

2009-01-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

I just opened a new niche shop for my girlie girl items! You know, gloves, hats, shabby chic’, and those cute little figurines that I love but that my DH wants to use for target practice, lol!

I have been inspired by the many talented artist there to try my hand at some new crafts too, one of which is my line of Victorian lady magnets. They’re all one of a kind and come with a short background story. I’ve had fun painting them and making up the stories, now if I could only sell some…

2008-11-09T00:57:00.000-08:00

In addition to my vintage shops, I do a lot of beading and decoupage cigar boxes to sell at craft shows during the holiday season. Yesterday was my third craft show of the season and I have no idea why, but sales were good for the first time this year! All of a sudden, people are ready to spend some money. I'm pretty sure that the economy hasn't suddenly recovered but the mood is certainly more optimistic. A result of the election outcome? Perhaps. Whatever the reason, hooray! I hope it lasts; I have another show this weekend so I had better go replenish my inventory, lol!

To Buy or Not to Buy...

2008-11-02T03:10:00.000-08:00

...that is the question. In the midst of an economic downturn what is a collector/dealer to do? On the one hand, there are bargains to be had; on the other hand, sales are hard to come by!

I was at an antique show yesterday, my very first as a seller and although traffic was good, sales were not. I was talking with the dealer next to me and we agreed that even with rock bottom prices, sales were slow to say the least. Another dealer who stopped by my booth said that she had to decide if she wanted to hold on to her items or give them away. As for me, aside from one big jewelry sale
I didn't sell anything over $20. A few of the items I did sell were at or below cost just to get them out of my inventory! So, sales are tough. On the plus side I did have three people ask if I bought antiques which brings us back to the original question, is this the time to buy?
If you read my previous post, you know that I love a bargain :), and that I already have multiple rooms full of inventory :(. So maybe this is not the time for me to snatch up everything. However, if it was something really good... old Carnival or American Brilliant Period cut glass, pristine Depression or Elegant period glass? Oh yes! I would buy it and hold onto it until things stabilize and prices recover. But that's just me, I can't resist a gorgeous piece of glass.
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It's an addiction!

2008-10-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

It's true.

I have to get out there every few days to treasure hunt and I'm not happy until I find a steal. It's not enough to find some cool stuff at a decent price, it has to be something awesome that's practically free.

I was scouring my local Goodwill and had almost given up on finding anything good when behind a bunch of non-descript glassware I spy with my little eye something that is opalescent. It's a Many Ribs, Opalescent, Vaseline, Model Flint Glass Co, vase circa 1902, book value $100, and it's marked $4!

Ahhh, now that's satisfying!

By way of introduction - a day in the life slide show

2008-10-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks for visiting! This is my first entry so I thought I would give you a peek into a somewhat typical day. Enjoy!