Collecting Buttons Family Fun and Decorating Activities

While I am enjoying the snow this winter, mainly because I can conduct most of my business over the Internet, I have started to think Spring.  That includes thinking about gardening,decorating inside and outside the shop, and what types of new craft items I might want to add to the shop for those who like new items crafted from antiques.

My first stop was my sewing area, where I quickly became engaged in browsing through the many buttons gathered over the years.  Some gained by design for a specific project, others purchased due to the sheer beauty of them, others taken from clothes that are no longer fit for the public eye but with buttons that speak something special to you.

Buttons are mentioned in writings from the 17th Century and there is a record of John Eliot from England ordering three gross of pewter buttons for trading in the New World.

Philadelphia buttons were crafted from brass and became extremely popular in the early 1700s. Buttons at this time were also produced in crystal, glass, horn, beads, and tapestry.  Some finer buttons were trimmed with silver.

Wooden buttons gained in popularity in the 1800s.

In 1851 Nelson Goodyear patented a button crafted of rubber that was rigid enough to make a button.

Buttons of the 20th Century were largely plain with little or no decoration. Darker buttons were more desirable than light colored buttons.  Buttons made before 1920 are generally more collectible than those made after this date.  Exceptions include Bakelite buttons of the 1940s and Lucite buttons of the 1959s.

Buttons continue to be made out of various materials with great variety of decoration and styles.  Buttons can be round, triangular, square, or made to look like a flower bud.  Buttons made for children's clothing offers a fun collecting activity.

Buttons as a collection can be displayed in a variety of ways.  I have some displayed in small glass display case, others are placed in jars trimmed with vintage ribbon and line the shelf in a guest room. I think learning math is more fun when counting bunnies on colorful red buttons!

Button offer a wide variety of collecting choices and endless ways in which to display and gain enjoyment from your collection


 Button collecting can really be a family activity that is fun and requires no special knowledge or    equipment.   

Till next time, stay well, stay happy

auctionmom80@gmail.com
www.antiquesattheirongte.com

 
 
   

Spring Plannning

Thoughts of spring are beginning to fill my head.  I enjoy all the seasons even the one that brings travel to a halt and winds that blast snow against your face.  But winter is also the season for snowmen, ice sculpture, quiet evenings by the fire, and brisk walks during the day.

With spring comes renewal.  I enjoy watching the gardens come to life and while I adore tulips and crocus, I cannot compete with the wildlife that adore the flowers more than I do.  I am more than happy to plant my daffodils and watch as they multiply each year.

And another of my favorite flowers, the smiling cool weather pansy.  If planted just so, in some shade, will continue to smile throughout most of the summer.

Spring is a time for renewing the many furniture finds you purchased throughout the winter.  It is a time for recycling old pots, colanders, purses, and whatever you saved for something but were not sure of at the time, to turn them into planters and unique structures for the garden.  

Just as certain houses demand certain types of furnishings, so do houses demand certain types of gardens.  A cottage garden will look unkempt if paired with a modern style house.  The formal English garden will look harsh inhabiting the same lot as a country farmhouse.  Herb gardens are at home near colonial  kitchens and bird baths crafted of decorative concrete are a welcome addition to any garden.  

So enjoy planning and dreaming for the days are lengthening and it will soon be time to trade our woolen mittens for gardening gloves, and our snow shovels for garden trowels.

 Country Garden

 

             Formal English Garden

   

   Cottage   Garden 

 

Till next time, stay well, stay happy

auctionmom80@gmail.com

www.antiquesattheirongate.com

Victorian Traditions for Valentine's Day

The Legend of Rose Colors

Valentine's Day is soon upon us.  And who cannot love Valentine's Day.  There is something for everyone!

For those with a sweet tooth there are candies galore. White,
pink and milk and dark chocolate compete to be made into beautiful and delicious treats.

Heart-shaped Pink lollipops, raspberry filled French Truffles topped with a white chocolate heart, miniature to large boxes decorated with red satin ribbons, pink and white roses filled with candy delights!

For the romantic there are bouquets of flowers from which to choose.  In Victorian Days flowers were used to express emotions that could not be expressed openly in public.

 Flowers continue to symbolize emotions.
   

  The Rose is the ultimate expression of love.

Red Roses are associated with love and romance

Yellow Roses signify friendship, platonic love, feelings of delight and good wishes

Pink Roses signify gratitude and appreciation, light pink roses are associated with admiration and gentleness

White Roses are the traditional wedding flower signifying innocence, purity, and spirituality

Orange Roses send the message to the receiver that the sender is proud of them

Lavender Roses being in the purple family are associated with elegance


As you select your Valentine flowers beware the secret message in the color!

Till next time, stay well, stay happy

auctionmom80@gmail.com

www.antiquesattheirongate.com

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Marketing An Antiques Business

Marketing is an essential aspect of all businesses, so it is with an antiques business.

Marketing comes in a wide variety of packaging and it is beyond my expertise to discuss much of the detail and nuances that persuade the consumer to buy one brand rather than another.


There is one marketing strategy that is especially fun and enlightening in the world of antiques and collectibles.  That is the personal contacts and conversations you have with people who share your interest in all things used.

I received an email from an individual who had stacks of ephemera.  Her young family did not want any of what they saw as old paper, useless and dusty.  She and her husband were in the process of rearranging   their cottage.  They said they no longer had need for the items, did not want to dispose of them in the trash as they knew enough that someone might be a collector of such items.  Their contacts in the world or collecting were limited.  They had contacted an internationally known  auction company who told them people were not interested in such things.

Maybe in the international circuit where bidding thousands and millions come easy to some, but in the real world of average collectors there is a place for just about everything.

I enjoyed talking with my cottage couple.  As is always the case when collectors get together, we exchanged collecting interests and favorite moments in our collecting history.  We  each shared knowledge as well as gained some.  We talked business, laughed, and each made a new friend.

As we said our farewell for the day, they held the door open for me and waved as I packed my truck with the treasures they entrusted to me to sell on their behalf.

It was a good day all around.

Till next time, stay well, stay happy

                                       

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Collecting Glassware to Dolls: Evolution of a Collector

As I prepare for the Boston Antiques and Design Show and Sale, the Book and Paper Show in Wilmington, as well as browsing the catalogue of items to be auctioned by Theriaults in California, I can trace the evolution of my collecting.


As a child I adored books and continue to do so as an adult.  Books can be read, can be ued for decorating, and may be valuable.

I have many interests in life. It is no wonder that I eagerly await to see what treasures and perhaps an affordable first edition of one of the classics might be at the Book and Paper Show.  It will be a success if I find even a postcard or advertising card that speaks to me. 


My interest in textiles and fashion, current and past, has kindled my interest in early fashion magazine such as Godey Magazine and Ladies Home Journal.  Some of the earliest magazines devoted to womens issues. 

Godey Magazine 1832

From my earlier days of collecting glassware and porcelain, it was an easy transition to collecting china head and porcelain dolls. 

China Head Couple

    

R.S. Prussia Creamer & Sugar

Till Next time stay well, stay happy

Auctionmom80@gmail.com

www.antiquesattheirongate.com

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How To Be Successful In the New Year

Making New Year resolutions seem to be an international tradition.  Having talked with friends living in various parts of the world it seems that making New Year resolutions transcends all boundaries.   

Many of those I talked with expressed having similar goals for the upcoming year, lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, and don’t shout at the kids when they don’t clean their rooms.  We all start out with the best intentions but by March we have fallen back into our old comfortable and sometimes unhealthy ways.   

Must we accept this as the norm or is there a secret to rewriting the script as we try to adopt new roles in the New Year.    

General Success Tips

1. Think about areas of your life you would like to improve upon
2. Talk with someone about your goals
3. Make your goals realistic
4. Identify how you will know you are on track with meeting your goals.
5. Track your progress toward your goals 
6. Keep motivated by continuing to talk with friends who are striving to achieve their goals
7. Expect some setbacks/plateaus and don't allow yourself to stay discouraged
8. Reward yourself weekly for sticking to your resolutions

 

My Resolutions

The single resolution I made this year is to remain true to my personal style and likes.  My passion is antiques and collectibles, buying, selling, looking! 

Another goal I have is to publish a book of poems I have written over the years.  I am negotiating with an illustrator and hope to have him on board by March.  I will keep you updated.  

And... two additional resolutions, to update the website more frequently, once a week sound good? Lose 20 pounds.  Those of you who know me will let me know how I am succeeding with that goal!

Till next time,stay well, stay happy

auctionmom80@gmail.com

http://www.antiquesattheirongate.com

 

Easy and Fun Holiday Cookies Using Vintage Cookie Cutters

Having a family, including me, who enjoys making and eating cookies requires I do a lot of baking for the holiday season.

Thankfully, I have a collection of cookie cutters that was started by my family and gifted to me.  Over the years I have added to that collection through purchases I have made in my travels to antique shows, shops, and auctions.  As newer cartoon and movie characters are made into cookie cutters I have a growing collection of newer cookie cutters featuring characters like SpongeBob, Casper, and Batman.




For the Christmas holiday the cookies remain traditional using the older cookie cutters designed to create cookies in the shapes of trees, stars, reindeer and Santa Clause.

Very early cookie cutters were made of tin and typically had no handle by which to hold the cutter. By the mid 1800's commercial machinery had developed in both the United States and Europe to the point manufacturers were creating and distributing cookie cutters in this fashion. Cookie cutters were offered for sale in catalogs, advertisements. During the first half of the 20th century aluminum and plastic were being used.

These 1940s gingerbread cookie cutters with self handles, have made hundreds of cookies by my hands alone. One year we had a gingerbread man theme tree decorated with more than 100 baked gingerbread men.  When the tree was put away for the season, the kids dipped the cookies in peanut butter and then outdoor bird seed and hung them on the bare tree limbs throughout the winter.  I am not sure who had more fun,the birds who ate the gingerbread treats or the kids who had fun identifying and keeping track of which birds were feeding at their buffet.


We know some shape cookie cutters were made in Germany because they are signed. They were probably made in 1906 or later.We know that others were imported by the S. Joseph Company.

Aluminum Cookie Cutters with Wood Knobs

The oldest known cutters with wood handles are pictured in a 1933 book, Kitchen Guide, The Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company, Manitowoc, WI.  The cutters are aluminum card shapes with rivets all the way through the handles. The box is labeled “Trump Cooky Cutter Set.” The colors of knobs are known to be black, red, and green.  

A Quick Chronology

• 1750 The cookie cutter existed apart from the carved mold. At the end of the century tinsmiths in the United States begin making cutters.

• 1850 The development of machinery provided for the manufacture of cookie cutters. The first known documented catalog offering cutters is dated 1869

•  1905  Tinsmithing began to wane as cutters were both manufactured in the United States and imported from Europe, primarily from Germany. Advertising cutters were used by companies to proclaim their products.

• 1920  Aluminum cookie cutters were at the height in production.

• 1940  Plastic began to be used to produce cutters.

• 1950  Plastic and metal cutters continued to be manufactured.

• 1970  During this decade, the numbers of different designs as well as choice of styles of design increased. 

          The Cookie Cutter Collector’s Club was founded.

• 1980  Cookie cutters made in Japan gave way to Taiwan and then to Hong Kong. 

• China now is the major producer of cookie cutters for US markets. 

  

 Till next time Happy New Year !

auctionmom@gmail.com

www.antiquesattheirongate.com