Surprising Christmas Sale

Yes, I know it is not yet October and I am

talking about Christmas.  It doesn't really matter

what the calendar date is, my mind always has room

to think about any holiday.  How to decorate, what theme to give to the party, who might like what gift, paper plates or china for cocktails.  You get the idea.

 

Anyone collect  Santa's.  One type of Santa I never had was the 4 footlight up Santa made of hard plastic.  They were popular in the 1950s.  Oftentimes there was a Mrs. Clause who was featured with grey hair and glasses.  Santa was modeled after the  image of St. Nick by illustrator Haddon Sundblom.

 

Today I found the Santa and I was not even searching.  A great yard sale full of Christmas items happened across my path.   All things come to those who wait.
 

 

Till next time, stay well, stay happy   

 

   

Save The Date Teddy Bear Convention

Artist Doll & Teddy Bear Convention presented by the Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum Clarion Hotel & Convention Center Near Philadelphia International Airport (free shuttle to the hotel) May 1-3, 2014 Optional Workshops: Thursday 8a.m.-5p.m. Convention: Thursday 5:30p.m. to Saturday 8:30p.m.   This is a super fun convention. Can anyone resist a teddy bear? I'll be providing valuable information on American and German Teddy Bears so you will enter the convention looking and feeling like an expert   Till next time, stay well, stay happy

Save the Date

Central Mass Business Expo
DCU Center, Worcester, MA
Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Hope to see you there

Amazing Finds- Postcards & Pictures 

The day was beautiful for an outdoor antiques show.  It felt great to have the sun shining, a slight breeze to keep cool and rows and rows of antique wonders to view.

Postcard  Pitman, NJ 1906

I picked up several postcards of hotels and town views of places I have previously lived. Postcards are fun and do not take up a lot of room and most are reasonably priced.
 
This card shows a main street in Pitman, New Jersey.
The card is easy to date because of the postal stamp, 1906.
Other ways to identify the date of the card include the white border
and the message on the front.  The back of the card is undivided.

My next purchase was slightly larger.  It included a photo of Jenny Lind in the original frame. 

Original Frame & Photo of Jenny Lind

Jenny Lind was born in Stockholm in 1820.  She began a singing career at the age of 10.
She was known as the "Swedish Nightingale"  She toured America, Canada, Cuba, and Europe and for a time accompanied PT Barnum.  Hans Christian Anderson was romantically attracted to Jenny Lind.  It is said that several of his stories are based on Jenny Lind.  She had a long successful career that included singing, charity work, and teaching music.  It is unfortunate that there is no known recording of her voice.

Till next time, stay well, stay happy.

 

 

 Headed to the Lexington Historical Society Antique show this weekend.  I will be bringing along a couple of books that Ken Gloss from the Brattle Book Shop will appraise for a small donation to the Historical Society.  Also on hand will be an appraiser from one of the largest auction houses, again, a small donation to the Historical Society will  take the guesswork out of that piece you inherited and have no idea if it is worth anything.

            

  

Till next time stay well, stay happy

Amazing Poem for Children

I was cruising the internet researching how to fix vintage and antique rattan furniture. Just as I wandered among the rows at Brimfield in amazement of the wonderful antiques pieces, I wandered into a virtual world that brought me to this poem.  I am sharing it with you.  I hope it produces the magic for you as it does for me each time I read it.

Astonishing Vintage Fashion and Textile Show in Sturbridge

I always look forward to attending the Vintage Fashion and Textile Show in Sturbridge, MA.  The show is always held on the Monday before Brimfield opens and the nice part is it is in an air conditioned hotel.

This year there was more vintage menswear displayed and a quick look at the attendees supported that men are beginning to take notice of vintage fashions.  However, my interest continues to be with the fashions from the late 18C.  It is becoming increasingly difficult to find matching skirts and bodices however one dealer had several 2- piece walking suits that were in exceptional condition. It was difficult to select only one. 

Another sweetheart of a bodice was made in France circa 1870.  It was a pale blue and white stripe, so refreshing and summery, it had the original bones and full lining. This piece was very difficult to pass up.

I decided upon an uncut bodice, that means it had not been part of a dress that was cut into a top and bottom.  It was made in England in the 1880s of ivory and black silk.  The style was unusual and the dealer was exceptionally helpful and pleasant.   

 

 

The front has jet beadwork which I was not able to capture in this picture

 

 

 

This is all silk ruching completed by hand, some of the jet beads are visible at the top of the bodice

 

 

Here is some of the black jet beading around the sleeves, all hand stitched

 

Till next time, stay well, stay happy.



 

 

 

Halloween Collectibles

 

Halloween Collectibles

 Halloween Treats of the Past

Candy Container Collectibles

 Food has been a part of Halloween tradition for centuries.  In the earliest days of the celebration beggars would go from house to house seeking handouts from the residents.  In the belief that handing food to these wanderers of the night would keep the souls of the dead satisfied residents handed out Soul Cakes to those who knocked at the door. 

 

Modern day tradition continues to find trick-or-treaters, usually children and teens, traveling from neighbor to neighbors' houses in search of the candy treats.  As in days past, trick-or-treaters need a container to collect and keep safe their sweet treat donations. 

 

 

Halloween Candy Containers from Germany

There is a great deal of variety in the types of candy containers made and the type of candy containers.  Most candy containers were produced in Germany.   The containers produced in Germany were made of a variety of materials, including papier-mâché, cardboard, wood, and plaster.  Favorite themes for the candy containers included cats, jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, and devils.  German candy containers were typically made in two parts.  The top was often a hat or a head that lifted up to reveal the candy in the bottom portion of the container.    

 

Candy Containers of the United States 

Candy containers were produced in the United States by two main companies.  The Dennison Company located in Framingham, Massachusetts and the Beistle Company located  in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.  The decade of the 1920s was the height of candy container manufacturing.  Nut cups decorated with black crepe paper and bows were made in the forms of cats, devils, and pumpkins.  Boxes to hold nuts and other small candies, place cards, and Halloween themed stickers were popular at this time. 

 

Japan began producing and marketing a variety of Halloween items in the 1930s.  The items made in Japan were  decorative pieces make of glass, porcelain, and celluloid. 

 

Trick-or-Treat Bags and Plastic Pumpkins

Trick-or-treat bags made of paper made their debut in the 1940s.  By the 1960s bags with advertising and a Halloween illustration were becoming more common.  As these bags were meant to be used one time and then discarded  They are highly prized by some collectors because so few have survived.

 

With new materials being developed at lower production costs and increased durability, the plastic  pumpkin candy container became a standard item in the 1950s.  These plastic containers usually feature an orange pumpkin  with a broad smile and large black eyes.  The plastic pumpkin containers come in a variety of sizes.  No party is complete without pumpkin container favors filled with candy treats. Many children carry larger pumpkin containers to hold candy received from going door-to-door trick-or-treating in their neighborhood.

 

 

 

Till next time, stay well, stay happy.