Aged Before Beautiful

Sparrow is 50 years old.  My collection of Yarns and Fabrics are from yesterday to 5 years old.  Other tools used in the creations above are somewhere in between.  For example my 'J' crochet hook has been around since the 1970's when crocheting with yarn came on the scene with 'Fringed Ponchos' and 'Granny Squares'. 

Also, somewhere in between those 50 years I collected glassware....lots of glassware.  As a matter of fact...a glassware post 'EAPC Oil Lamp Reaches the Age of Antiquity' has as many pageviews (1461) as I have glassware pieces...close anyway. 

How does that fit in with Aged Before Beautiful?
 

It is a matter of combining the aged with the new to create something beautiful.  In the case of my 'Winsor Jewelry Baskets' the yarn basket liner is a cut glass party plate made by the Federal Glass Company in 1975.  The plate pattern is called Winsor and has a jewel like design...perfect as a jewelry holder/box/basket.  I had a dozen plates and none of the punch cups that went with the plate, but had bunches of the EAPC patterned dessert bowls of the same era. 

 

Now for sale in my shop...a dozen Winsor Jewelry Baskets, and Sparrow's Yarn and Fabric Runners.

Oh, by the way...Sparrow is my Leclerc Floor Loom...she is aged to perfection!

Vintage Shoppers Are Few...Marketing Lesson

Just because I love Vintage Linens, Quilts, Doilies, Lace and Fabric doesn't mean everyone else does.

Looking back through 2018 photo files of my Shop, I see most of the 'Vintage' everything that was there in January is still there now.


It's not that people don't look at Vintage Stuff...they do...and remark, "That reminds me of my Grandmother"....or..."I have my Grandmothers Quilts and Doilies stored in a cedar chest in plastic zipper bags". 

Yikes!  You know that sends me in a 'Vintage Care Rant'.  "Get it OUT of the cedar chest and for Pete's Sake never store it in plastic."

 I give lots of Free advice on how to care for Vintage everything, and often am asked, "Would you repair my Grandmother's quilt?"  Usually I say, "No, but here are some things you can do to preserve it...then I share my tips."


Of course there are the 'Few Vintage Shoppers' who have come through the door actually looking for 'Vintage Stuff'.  And, I have sold several quilts, a few yards of lace, and a couple of crocheted table runners and doilies.


However, it seems people are more likely to buy the things 'I make from 'Vintage Stuff'.  For example...

...who knew Chick Pincushions would sell out!
They were pretty cute and one of the ways I suggested to people as a way to use their in need of major repair Grandmother's quilts.

So, on to the 'Marketing Lesson'. 
~Just because YOU love Vintage doesn't mean everyone else does or will.
~When you have limited space...limit Vintage to what sells.
~Use YOUR Vintage inventory and MAKE what sells.
~Use your Digital Photo Files to Display Vintage Items for interested Vintage Shoppers.
~Market Online specific to Vintage buyers.

Poodle Soap Scrubby...anyone?  They were the bath rage in the 1950's!!!

MayFlowerSeries...Daisy Tablescape

Is Tablescaping still a thing in Blogland?  Back in 2012 I participated in several 'Tablescaping Memes' that gave me the opportunity to play with my collection of dishes and all things for setting a table.  Dishin' With Metlox On The Poppy Trail  is a post that featured one of my Floral Table Setting Collections.  About that same time, I did another setup featuring the vintage 'Daisy Tablecloth' with the idea it would be the next Tablescaping post.  Didn't happen then...so, now seems a good time during this month of May Flower Series posts. 

 

As a collector of 'All Things Table Setting'...it is rare to find a table cloth that is in mint condition.  The Daisy Cloth was such a find.  Made by Simtex probably from the 1950-60 era.  Somewhere in this blog there is a post about the company Simtex and several other tablecloths in my collection.  Maybe it will pop up in the 'Link Within' list since I have mentioned it in this post.  Not finding it is...as I mentioned in the beginning of this 'May Flower Series' post....due to my photo files being a 'Nightmare to Navigate.

Back to the Daisy Tablescape.  Putting together a table full of daisies was, I remember, a challenge...especially without a vase of live daisy flowers.  Nevertheless, the daisy theme continued with a Metlox Daisy Platter, Daisy Tea Glasses and a collection of yellow and dishes, pink napkins with green rings and crocheted trivets.

 I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.  How about you?

WordlessWed...Lefton Birthday Girls...March, June, November

'Josef Originals' Birthstone Dolls...August, April, June and November

If you were born during August you are naturally strong, self-confident, active, aspiring, ambitious, energetic and an independent thinker.  Art and music are your favorite studies and you are naturally of a very observing nature.  CardCow Vintage Postcards

What a positive and encouraging 'Fortune' for anyone born in August.  Just imagine receiving the postcard along with 'A Josef Original' on your birthday back in 1945.  That's when Muriel Joseph designed and created these dolls during the end of World War II.  Muriel and her partner George Good produced the 'Birthstone Dolls' between 1945 and 1962 in California before moving their Muriel Joseph George company to Japan.

Augusts birthstone is the Peridot.  It is shown in the August doll's yellow rose center, and is represented in the color of her dress.  Each of the dolls came with a 'Josef Original' tag, a gold seal stating the Month and Stone, and were signed on the bottom.  Those made in Japan had an additional seal.

Today a Josef Original with all the makers marks, tags, seals and in Mint Condition are valued at $40.  Unfortunately, my August doll is not in Mint Condition.  She has a repair to her wrist.  When I first started this collection I didn't mind if the pieces had little flaws.  Now that I am ready to sell them...I will have to make adjustments.

The Birthday and Birthstone dolls are todays centerpieces in production along with special occasion dolls such as sweet 16, communion, bride and groom, and a few musical pieces.  The company sold numerous times and in 2004 was sold to 'Dakin' who bases production in Hong Kong.  HERE is the Josef Dolls website.

Fortunately for me April, June and November dolls are in Mint Condition with Makers Marks and Japan Seals, but are missing the 'A Josef Original' tag and the Month Seal.  They are valued between $25 and $30.  They will be making a move from my Curio Cabinet to my Online Shopping Catalog.  A much shorter trip than the ones they have made in the past.

My Brainiac Bric-a-brac

Bric-a-brac refers to lesser 'objets d'art'  which form collections of curios.  The term is thought to be of French origin and became popular during the Victorian era.

I'm pretty sure my collection of bric-a-brac used as containers in the studio are more curious than curios.  I can say, some of them are 'objets d'art' since I made them while teaching a coil clay pottery class.  Made as a 'demo' and glazed with an unlabeled bottle of under glaze...imagine my surprise when it came out of the kiln.

My students dubbed it 'Brainiac'.  Their coil pots also would forever be Brainiacs, too.   I wonder how many have survived...the pots...that is. 

Like many things made over the years, 'Brainiac' found it's way to my Studio as a sewing tool catch all.  I hardly notice or think about it's likeness to a brain anymore...until it turns up in a photo shoot of all the bric-a-brac containers that hold a slew of more bric-a-brac.

I am sure you know as a collector/user of sewing/quilting/knitting/crocheting/crafting tools and supplies...how important it is that those tools be handy, organized and visually present.  After all, how can they be of use if they are hidden away and forgotten in a drawer.  Not that I don't have a drawer or two of tools less used or ready for backup.

It's one thing to have collection of curios curious bric-a-brac tool holders, but yet another to make containers/holders for the bric-a-brac tool holders.  That is exactly what I find myself doing with rag baskets.

My goodness, but they are handy, perfect for organizing
and are visually present and pleasing.

They are 'No Brainer-Brainiacs' !

Still Stitchin', Pitchin' and Switchin'

I am so owning all the 'itchins' in the title of this post.  It is because of them I have been Missin' here on CollectInTexas Gal.  Even though I pop in often to see what's up with everyone on my Blog Rolls, I haven't stayed logged in long enough to post, visit or comment.  Forgive me!  I can't say I will do better, as the rest of November and into December will most likely be more Stitchin'~Pitchin' and Switchin'.

 

October's Stitchin' ran way over in to November's Stitchin'.  So much so that my studio was 'Yarn Bombed'.  Being one that can work only so long in a disaster area, I finally had to start Pitchin' and Switchin'.

The Pitchin' amounted to lots of yarn winding, yarn color organization and pitchin' balls and skeins in hampers. Poncho WIP's were pitched into bags and baskets...shawls, scarfs, etc. etc. etc, too.

And finally...The Switchin'.

Which also entailed a lot of Pitchin'.

After digging through boxes of collectibles...I pitched more stuff into the Goodwill box than I thought I'd be able to part with.  Now my Junktique Booth is less cluttered and hopefully has just what shoppers can't live without....these 'Pitched Treasures'...

Now back to 'Stitchin'!

I'll be Pitchin' the Pink Tent

and

Switchin' to Selling all the Stitchin'

at...of all places...a

Farm of Arty Chickens!

Facebook Page

Softer Side of Selling Sue's Stuff

Truth be known, there is no softer side in selling one's collected treasures.  It is HARD!  Especially when some of the stuff is sentimental and or things you made.  For instance the quilted pillow shams in the lower left picture.  My sweet three year old granddaughter laid her blonde curly head on them when she came to visit.  She's now 23, the curls have been straightened and are often various shades of ...well...other colors.  No more over night visits as she has her own apartment that reflects her style of pillow shams...not her Nana's softer quilted country style.

Both of these quotes kind of say it all for me, and although letting them go is HARD...

the SOFTER side of me hopes that someone will find my once

Simple Treasures as their Life's Pleasures! 

Oh My Moon and Stars...It's Back to ABA...To Stay!

"Just remember this 'OverDoSue'...NONE of this stuff comes back to the house...ever!"

"Got it, HiHoney!  Thanks for helping me move back in to my NEW Space at ABA!"

 

You might remember my OLD Space...back in 2011.

Wow, how time flies and collecting stuff keeps piling up and overflowing from house to someplace else!  My 2016 space is half the size of the 2011 space...for now!  No, really, I'm going to keep it small and not so packed...cluttered...yadayadayada!

 

NEW Space featuring 'Fall Ya'll' Stuff!

So here I go again...Back to American-British Antiques
 and another downsizing of collections.

Wish me luck...I'll need it to sell Amber Moon and Stars!

As much as I Love it to the Moon...it can't come Back...to my House!

(wink, wink)

Sympathy Saturday....Paperback Novel 'Widow of the South'

I write this post as the great granddaughter of a Confederate soldier and historian of a family whose lives were lived before, during and after the Civil War.  I write this as one who is interested in the history of, not only the Civil War period, but of our country's history from the Colonials to present day.

I've included this post in GeneaBloggers Sympathy Saturday as an opportunity to share a recently acquired paperback, The Widow of the South. (link to book and author...HERE).  Brief synopsis from back cover...Carnton Plantation, 1894:  Carrie McGavock is an old woman who tends the graves of almost 1,500 soldiers buried.  As she walks among the dead, an elderly man appears...the same soldier she met that fateful day long ago.  Today, he asks if the cemetery has room for one more.

The cover of this book caught my eye as I scanned through dozens of shelves in a used book shop.  After reading the back cover and learning it was based on a true story, I knew it had to be added to the stack of TBR (to be read) paperbacks.  Paperbacks...the other reason for writing this post.

Yes, I have a collection of paperbacks...not for collection sake or value, but for research and for the joy of reading...as time allows...reason for TBR Stack!  In this day and age most of my reading time is done right here on the computer.  And as amazing as it is to have information at the click of a button and have it flow through my fingertips to this virtual paper, I still love holding a book and turning pages.

Paperbacks are also known as softback or softcover books.   In the early 19th century improvements in the printing, publishing and book marketing made paperbacks available and affordable.

 In early 20th Century America, the term pocket book became synonymous with paperback, and the mass-market of paperbacks took off.  The first mass-marketed paperback printed in the US was an edition of The Good Earth by Pearl Buck and today it is highly collectible.

I don't know about you, but I browse paperbacks not by their title or author, but by their cover.  As it turns out, once publishers realized the importance of cover art as the main selling feature of paperbacks, a whole new area for graphic artist, genre writers and collectors was born.  Some collectors bought paperbacks solely based on their cover. 

I have only just begun reading Widow of the South. And although my intention was to read it for the pleasure of holding and turning pages,  it has already added information to my Georgia ancestors research.  One of my Confederate cousins died at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee. 

A true contradiction of the adage...'You can't judge a book by it's cover.'

Should I Stay or Should I Go

I just read a couple of articles on how to store a Yarn Stash.  Of course it is after the fact...being I have already re-organized and stored mine.  I don't know why it didn't occur to me to research and get tips before I spent several hours in my storage studio...fancy name for garage.  In reality, it is my former Sewing/Quilting/Yarning Studio and perfect as a safe storage space. 

One article suggested to store yarn as you bought it.  In other words if it is a shank leave it shanked...don't use your ball winder to un-shank it until you are ready to make that sweater.  Score one for me...6 shanks intended for a knitted sweater...still shanked for six years after purchase.

 If your yarn is in a wrapped pull skein like Vanna's yarn is sold...for sure leave it for ease of pulling from the center.  Of course that is after you have dug through the center for the LOOSE end to begin and finally have to pull out a baseball size wadded tangle in order to begin.  Score another for me...most of my yarn is pull skein with left overs wound on Ball Winder, re-wrapped in original wrapper and stored with like yarn.

Now comes the storage container question.  Should I stay or should I go?  STAY with baskets, plastic bags and plastic tubs...or...GO with eco-safe, breathable, easy access and economical containers.  I'll let you read This Article about storage containers and you can decide what works best for you. 

I decided to GO!

Shanked sweater yarn...still shanked, breathing, and waiting for Pigs to Fly!

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Why hang on to an old hanky or a scripture plaque or a piece of costume jewelry or boxes of  decades old cards and letters?   Easy answer for me...because parting with a loved one's lifetime collection of possessions is difficult when you know they were important and cherished by that loved one.  Because every piece has the potential for a glimpse into what that person held near and dear to their heart.  Because in those decades of cards and letters is a wealth of family history.

And so it goes as I continue to share my grandmother Minnie and my mother Thelma's memorabilia.  Let's reminisce a bit more about the 'Hankies' and how such a small, inexpensive and basically disposable item became a treasured possession and the inspiration for a collection. 

My grandmother and mother's hankies have been the source and inspiration for my collection and use of hankies in quilts, curtains, aprons, stories and blogging.  I started collecting hanky's long after they were considered a necessity for moping worker's sweaty brows and wiping snotty nosed kids noses. Which, by the way, contributed to the demise of the hanky and the invention of disposable tissues.  At one point in hanky history it compared to the 'Smart Phone' of today....no one would think of leaving the house without one.

Handkerchiefs have been around since ancient times, and through out time have had many uses and purposes.  I tend to covet the idea of Romancing The Hanky.  Queen Elizabeth made the hanky fashionable in court.  When she flicked her hanky over her shoulder, it meant "I'm tired of entertaining you people....you may leave...now."  Victorian women gave the hanky a flirty use by dropping their hanky at a gentleman's feet to say "I'd like to meet you".  Then she would lightly swipe her hanky across her cheek suggesting something more intimate..."I love you."

Hanky collectors often separate their hanky's into categories that reflect their era and theme.  Hanky's are an ideal collectible as they are inexpensive, useful, take up very little space to store and are pretty.  They make a nostalgic and sentimental gift for Valentines, Mother's Day and Birthday's....especially to another collector and for my Grandmother Minnie and Mother Thelma.

And that is why parting with them...'Is Such Sweet Sorrow'.

February Hanky and Headache Headvase

Here we are in the last week...7 days...of February, and true to the 'Leap Year' calendar history, it ends on the same day of the week as it began...Monday.  You can read about February's Leap Year history and calendar oddities in my first post of this month...February 2016...An Uncommon Solmonath.   Along with the extra day on the calendar, February seems to be a month of confusion concerning it's traditional/appointed flower, birthstone and color.

 

For instance, most of us associate February with Roses, Ruby and Red when in truth February's flower is the Violet, birthstone is the Amythest and the color is Lavender.  It's enough to give anyone a headache...especially if one's birthday is on February 29th.

 

From my collection of vintage hankies, the Violet Rose Bouquet hanky is a lovely example of February's flowers without the headache worries of having to chose one or the other for traditions sake.  Now about the Headache Headvase. 

 

Dubbed 'Headache' by, no doubt, a collector trying to come up with a title to sell one.  Although, I never thought of her in that way, it does kind of fit and works for the theme/thread of this post. 

For the sake of a title less painful, I will call her Heddie.  She has been in my collection for thirty years or so, and wears the original hat of red net and 1950's plastic roses.  I have always imagined that she was a Valentine Gift from a florist shop.  Afterall, that was what Heddie was made for....a vase.

In 1913, L.Batlin and Son started an antique company which eventually became a Japanese import company during the mid 1900s called Tilco.  Heddie's foil sticker bears the Tilco made in Japan stamp.  Tilco, although quite Japanese sounding was a combination of L. Batlin's wife and daughters names...Tillie and Sonia.

For her headache in February Leap Year 1952, Heddie's choice of relief would have been 2 Anadin tablets.  Advertised as the tablets to give you the power to stop pain...fast and safe...with Phenacetin to increase and prolong the action of aspirin, tonic element of caffeine and a trace of quinine for an immediate sense of well-being and to counteract depression. 

February 29, 1952 was on a Friday when Pharmacies were closed for Leap Year and the recall of all products containing phenacetin and quinine. And that is how and why Heddie came to be known as the Headache Headvase.

"Please Pass the Peas" and Pass on The Phone

Even though I wasn't all that interested in cooking and food preparation, I was very interested in Kitchen Design and any and everything that had to do with Setting the Table.  And so began a lifetime of collecting Dishes, Glassware, Tablecloths, Napkins, Crystal, Pottery and you name it in the realm of Vintage to Retro Table Settings.  (from...AtoZ Letter H~Home Economics...Heloise Who?) 

 

Although, written for 2015's April Challenge, the reference was from my 1964 Home Economics Class where 'Proper Table Setting' was introduced regardless of  how many matching knives, forks and spoons your mother had in her silverware drawer. 

Once you learned the art of setting out proper cutlery and tired to make sense of why 3 different sizes of glasses were necessary when your Mama served Texas Sweet Tea in a mason jar...you were told, "As hostess of your Table Setting you are the model for using EACH and EVERY piece in the setting".

Imagine my eyes rolling at the idea of unfolding a paper napkin and tucking it under my chin.  At our table, Mama brought a dish towel to pass around the table, used her apron and made sure baby brother had a bib.

The next, and in my mind, most important lesson learned was Table Etiquette/Manners.  Even though my Mama only had the basic three pieces of silverware, mason jar glasses, and a dish towel to share, she was big on 'elbows off the table', don't shovel in your food, chew with your mouth closed,  and always say, "Please pass the peas."

"Please pass the peas" was about the only conversation at our table as my Dad was a firm believer in 'Chew with your mouth shut and Clean your Plate'.  When your plate was clean, you were expected to clean it again at the sink with a conversation of, "Who's turn is it to do the dishes?".  It usually was mine...especially when I could not clean my plate of the boiled okra.

The idea of adding ONE more THING to a Table Setting would have sent Heloise into a Table Spin,  had Mama trying to fit it into her 'Junk Utensil Drawer' and my Dad scraping it off the plate into the trash...along with my boiled okra!

Fan of 'FANS' and A Family Fannie

Getting in the groove of February blogging has been anything but 'groovy'.  After hearts, flowers and this years short calendar day count, everything else about February sort of faded away as far as my interest. 

When that happens, I start taking count of my collections.  This serves a dual purpose as I ponder how to work them into the 2016 AtoZ April Challenge and a post for February.  So, let's see where a small collection of 'Hand Held Fans' takes us.

The first 'Fan' in my collection is very special and came from far, far away VietNam.  I will save that fan photo and story for the AtoZ Challenge.  It has possibilities of fitting into several letters other than the Letter 'F'.  I'll be working on that idea and theme for what will be my 5th year to participate.

The origin of 'Hand Held Fans' can be traced back 4,000 years to Egypt where it was a sacred instrument of religious ceremonies and a symbol of power.  Other ancient civilizations used fans in various forms as scribed in Greek and Roman texts as well as the Bible.  The folding hand fan was a creation of the oriental country of Japan where it was thought to be modeled after the folding wings of a bat.  The folding hand held fan made it's way to Europe in the 1500s by way of trade routes and quickly became an exotic and stylish symbol of wealth and class.

In America, fans had a humble beginning, were a necessary utilitarian implement, and a way of life for women who made and mended them for a living.  Shaker fans were made from woven straw or paper and by the mid 1800's were a viable manufactured product.  Vintage fans are highly collectible in a multitude of categories from advertising to Victorian Needlework Embellished fans with mother of pearl inlaid blades.
 

As is my usual way of delving into a collection/topic...one thing leads to another.  In the case of  'Fan'...it lead to Fannie. 

The name Fannie means Free, and is often short for Francis.  People with this name have a deep inner desire for a stable, loving family.  Fannie fit that character trait to a 'T' as a wife for 70 years and mother of seven children.

Fannie was my 1st cousin 2x removed.  Her father and my great grandfather were brothers who came to Texas together from Georgia.  She was born on April 1, 1878, in Arkansas and was raised in Texas.

Fannie was the fourth of six children...all girls with interesting Southern names...Texannah, Mary Jo,  Sallie Savannah, Susanna, and Ann Charlie.  The descendants of Fannie and her sisters are active members of Ancestry.com and have shared a wealth of our family history and many photos like this one of Fannie.  Fannie lived a long life of 89 years.  She died in May, 1967...8 months after her husband of 70 years.

Girls/women with the name Fannie tend to be orderly and dedicated to building their lives on a solid foundation of order and service.  They value truth, justice, and discipline.  I'd say my cousin Fannie certainly lived up to her name.

 I wonder if she had a collection of hand held fans.
I wonder if  this photo once had a handle!

Hearts, Hats and Hello from 1903

Valentines Day in 1903 was on Saturday.  Nice that it was on a weekend...like this years Valentines Day which falls on Sunday.  The next time Valentines Day falls on a Saturday will be in 2026, and on Sunday...in 2021. 

A bit of February Calendar Trivia for you.  As for the history of Valentines Day...there is a plethora of information on the web...if you are interested.  My interest for this post is not so much about Valentines Day as the iconic shape associated with February 14th...The HEART!!

From my collection of Hearts, my favorites are the 'Crocheted Heart Pin Cushions'.  Vintage ones are rare finds and often pricey...the reason I decided to make them.  That post...Feelin The Love features ones I've made.  Three Roses post features a Vintage Crocheted Heart from my collection.

I should have bought this pin cushion instead of just taking a picture.  I probably would have paid $28 had I paid more attention to The Pins.  The seller tried to tell me how special they were on the tag...w/HAT Pins!  Which brings me to the second 1903 item...HATS!

As you see, the style of hats in 1903 were elaborate and BIG.   How in the world did the Edwardian era women keep those hats on their heads?  Glad you asked.

The hat itself was a shapeless, amorphous mass of tulle, smothered floral ribbon rosettes, and plumage draped in lace veils which gave an impression of the hat being a frothy mass...or mess.  The secret to shaping the massive hat and keeping it on the head was...

...Pompadour Hair Frame Supports, a pompadour expert hairdresser/maid, a head of long, thick hair and Hatpins.  The frames were used as a base for a woman's hair to be built up and smoothed over the base.  Those with thinner, fine hair collected hair from their brush and used it for a filler.

The volume of the support contraptions gave the hats a firm structure to rest on.  Even so Hatpins were essential to holding the pompadour frame in place.

RING RING!!!

"Hello, Minnie's Millinery & Salon"

Oh, yes, we have Pompadour Supports.

Certainly, we have a large selection of Frothy Red Hats.

An appointment for the Valentines Ball?

I have an opening on Saturday, February 14th at 9 in the morning.

How long?  Depends on your hair and hat.

Thin you say.  Biggest Red Hat in stock!

Fine, we will see you Saturday at 9....oh, and...

Bring a ditty bag lunch

and

Your 'Hairbrush' collection!

Linking to
 Beverly's How Sweet The Sound
Pink Saturday!
Happy Valentines Day!