Sea Shell Folk Art

With the great weather we have been having, rated a 10 by my calculations, it is time to hit the shoreline to gather shells I will  use throughout the year to make a variety of folk art items.

In the world of antiques folk art has a special place.  Folk art is created by average folks, in earlier times such folks were sometimes called peasants. The items produced by peasants were decorative and utilitarian. The rules of fine art which led to creating masterpieces were ignored because the items were not created for purely artistic purpose.

Folk artists did not attend the great art schools, or follow the techniques of the great schools of art who produced the artists featured in art history books.  Folk artists learned from each other in the community in which they lived and created their art.

Folk art has also been called tramp art. Tramp art was made by the artist whittling wood from cigar boxes and packing crates. There is much variety to Tramp Art which has become greatly desired in recent times.

Folk art created from shells has included decorating mirrors, boxes,  picture frames.  The mirror that hangs in my side hallway is a piece of shell folk art made by a relative.  It is a treasure to me for several reasons.

Folk art dolls made of seashells have delighted children and adults for years.  Souvenir shops have commercialized the art form.  Still shells gathered by your family can become a family heirloom and family tradition as each summer a new shell doll is created for the collection.

Being a doll collector, shell dolls hold special meaning for me.


Another favorite of mine is make a miniature picture album using a clam shell.

 Drilling a tiny hole at the top of each shell allows you to connect the shells with ribbon, I prefer silk tied in a bow.  Trace and cut several pieces of decorative paper or fabric to use as the pages of the album.  I then glue photos of dolls taken from magazines onto the pages.  Decorate the shell covers and frame the pictures inside using ribbon, lace, or decorative paper. Adding tiny buttons and flowers are other special finishing touches you can add to your folk art picture albums.

Some folk artists create pictures made entirely of shells.

Links

http://www.bhg.com/decorating/seasonal/summer/seashell-crafts/

www.marthastewart.com/275561/shell-crafts

Till next time, stay well, stay happy

www.antiquesattheirongate.com
 auctionmom80@gmail.com    

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Defining Antiques and Collectibles

While antiquing, the buyer is often assaulted with a confusing and misleading antique lingo.  Antique, vintage, retro, and authentic are words often used to describe an item a seller uses to hook the buyer of an item they appear interested in.  To close a sale the buyer may mirror and emphasize the language the buyer uses.

There are, of course other sellers, and buyers more often
found at back yard sales and flea markets, who themselves truly do not know what qualifies as an antiques or collectible. And yes, some items have been reproduced so well that they take an professionally trained expert to identify the authenticity of an item.




  The larger and well established auction houses are unlikely to misrepresent and item.  They are bound by a code of ethics and have a responsibility to the public to represent as accurately as possible the items they are auctioning.  An auctioneer will look for provenance, documentation that the item in question has a history that can be traced, often to famous family lineage.


The formal definition of an antique comes from the US Customs.  Their regulations require an item be 100 years old to qualify as an antique.

Vintage and collectible items may describe the same item although there are distinctions.  Usually a vintage item is one that is at least 50 years old, often referring to items from the 1950s and 1960s. Collectible items can span the decades, depression glass from the early 1900s is highly collectible as are American Girl Dolls to our young children.





Whatever you call it, if you like an item do a bit of research before paying a price that seems higher than
expected.  There are still bargains and treasures to discover.  For me, whatever it is called if I like it I buy it, at a price the oftentimes is negotiated.

For my business the criteria is stricter and the ethics of the profession are followed.

Till next time, stay well, stay happy 

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Teach History to Our Children with Antiques

What a peaceful way to spend a day, lounging on the beach watching the sunlight dance across the water as the waves gently embrace the sand returning it ever so gently to the ocean on white ruffled waves.
A perpetual fantasy of mine.. that some day....

It has been a while my friends that I have had the pleasure of sitting and sharing my thoughts and knowledge with you on all things related to antiques.  But here I sit and bring to you news from of the past, present, and future.  It has been a busy few months of packing while helping a relative make a new start a new chapter in the Book of Life.

Mother Nature and I seem to have bypassed spring this year, though not unusual in these parts.  Now, with summer upon us the recollections of hours spent on the beach reading and watching the tides returns.  In the early stages of learning about antiques I read just about everything I could given an 8 day week!

I purchased, traded, and sold books to get more books to gain more knowledge.  In that process I learned to appreciate the human side of antique items through the stories that the folks I bought and sold from shared with me as family treasures were prepared to relocate.  I have always enjoyed a good story and the stories associated with my favorite pieces, some of which I have long since sold, continue to be my favorites.

The other day I was sharing a story that had been entrusted to me as the purchaser of an Early American settee set.  The set had carvings of deer, vines and flowers. My friend's child eyes grew large, hardly blinking as I told her about the origins of primitive furniture in America.  The  household routines related to basic tasks of cleanliness and meals.  When I took a breath, she said emphatically, "Why don't they teach us that in school, then we would be interested in history!"  Why indeed.  I did not have an answer for her, or at least one she would not be able to refute children are able to refute adult arguments like rain falls through the clouds.

 I would love to hear from educators on the ways of teaching history, we are never too old to learn or adjust our ways.

Till next time, stay well, stay happy

auctionmom80@gmail.com
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Antique Wicker Furniture

There are few folks I know who don't have at least one piece of wicker furniture in their home or garden.  Most of the women I know home adore wicker, it brings us to a simpler yet romantic time and place.  Most men I know detest wicker, not so much because it is wicker but because they say it is uncomfortable to sit in, even with those lovely colorful cushions we lovingly place.

Modern wicker is really not wicker at all.  It is a synthetic material that is able to withstand the weather outdoors and still remain looking new and clean.  This type of wicker appeals to the modern age of ease of care and a sense of oblivion to the value antiques and handmade items.  When caring for antique wicker furniture a kinship develops between yourself and with the pieces you own.  They need care, attention, mending, and sprucing up from time to time.  You complete these tasks with care and patience.   New wicker is from the throwaway age.  If something needs mending, throw it out and buy new.  No connection here!

Antique wicker was made in distinct styles and reflects the changing tastes of consumers during earlier times.  The earliest is the Victorian style wicker Victorian wicker dates from the 1800s to1900. The patterns are ornate with intricate designs that incorporate curlicues and beadwork.

Here are two early ads I recently came across advertising Haywood Wakefield Wicker. The largest companies producing Victorian Wicker were the Heywood Brothers from Gardner MA, and Wakefield Rattan Company from Wakefield, MA.  The two companies merged in the late 1800s and held the monopoly on Victorian wicker furniture.  Unfortunately the furniture was marked with paper tags, so you must be aware of the characteristics when looking to purchase authentic Victorian wicker.



Wicker is a natural material and so looks natural and at home in the garden.  Here is a beatuful peaceful spot for taking in all the wonders of nature.  Just be sure to bring you natural wicker indoors when there is threat of stormy weather.

Till next time, stay well stay happy

auctionmom80@gmail.com

www.antiquesattheirongate.com

Antiques in the Garden

Even as our hearts and blessings are directed toward folks in the western part of the country   dealing with mud slides and northeasterners experiencing blizzard conditions my head has thoughts of of spring swirling around.

Surely Spring can't be that far behind this unusual pattern of weather the country has seen this winter.

Gardens are wonderful places to use items you love but which have lost their ability to be functional, have been broken or have missing parts. In the garden, you can display your most cherished and sometimes most damaged items.

   
An old claw foot tub now provides a rich
environment for a variety of plants.  Such tubs are available salvage and revonators' businesses.  Sometimes you may strike a bargain on-line or with someone who is renovating an older house.  They will be grateful for someone to haul the tub away, these tubs are not lightweight!  

In my garden I have placed several of my original wicker and and twig chairs.  Some are still able to be used to sit in, others serve as unique plant stand or bird feeder.  Even left where plants will grow around them gives your garden an antique informal feel. 

You will want to have at least one place in your garden
where you can sit and relax with guests or escape from the
work of the day.

Cement benches can be made more comfortable by placing colorful floral cushions on them while in use.

An antique table may be crafted of old barn wood or antique floor boards. Decorate your table by putting plants and flowers in teacups and vases that have chips.  Create a mosaic centerpiece by combining pieces of chipped porcelain or decorate a clay pot with bits of colorful porcelain chips.  The possibilities are open to your imagination!

This week as I scour the antique markets and second hand shops I will be looking for chipped cups and broken dishes.  I may even find a fanciful antique table  lamp that will be transformed into a birdbath, using a large porcelain charger to attach to the top to hold feed or water.


And remember St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology.

 A mismatched stone walkway leads to a garden hideaway protected by a wrought iron gate that harbors a discarded wooden swing.   Lots of colorful shrubs lend a peaceful informal place to relax.

Till next time, stay well, stay happy  

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St. Patrick's Collectibles

Besides enjoying the items I collect and sell, I enjoy learning about the history of the item and enjoy learning about the social context  of items.  Sometimes this information is easy to gather from someone you are purchasing or selling to, they have the knowledge in their head.

Other times if I want to learn about a particular itI need to do my own digging.  My high school history teacher would be awed to hear I enjoy learning about history.  Had history been taught in a way they
 made it real and come to life, I am sure I would not have dozed in class as many times as I did!

St. Patrick is the saint who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He was born in the British Isles and brought to Ireland as a slave.  It is said he used the shamrock to explain the trinity to help others be reborn.  Little is known of St. Patrick although there are traditions associated with the celebration of St Patrick that have produced items highly sought after.

Leprechauns, little green fairy creatures who are known to be mischievous and solitary shoemakers   hid their wealth all about.  They sometimes hid their wealth, including their gold at the end of rainbows.  They wore green to blend in with the green grass.

The "Wearing of the Green" were popular images on Victorian trade 

cards.   Many cities have parades, and who can resist the Irish River
Dancers.

                 Be Sure To Watch The Video!

https://www.youTube.com/watch?v=HgGAzBDE454

If you’re enough lucky to be Irish... You’re lucky enough!

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all the year long. 

Till Next Time, Stay Well Stay Happy

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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