Magpie Ethel

Collection Challenge #30 - Matchbooks

Janis challenged a post on matchbooks.  I hemmed and hawed about doing one as I don't really collect these...but once I started searching my house and studio, I think I came up with an interesting post.

First we have our run of the mill matchbooks.

These matchbooks from a local tavern  made me laugh with their little comic. "Hey Ma, git the preacher, Anna Mae's aim got better."

I have had these matchbooks forever and bought them purely because of the awesome graphics.

The are dated 1957 from Ohio Art.

These oversize matchbooks were a score this past year at an estate sale.  I bought them due to the fact I had never seen anything like them and the fact they doubled as a greeting card.

Another oversize matchbook featuring a birthday theme. (dated 1937 Hallmark)

Love that the matches have birthday messages.

For the bridge player.

I think this collection of matchbook covers were the cover of a scrapbook as the side is drilled with a couple of holes

This side is all monogrammed matchbook covers.

The flip side is matchbooks with advertising (mostly from Oregon and Washington). I think this is an old collection - perhaps the 1940's or 50's.

Since smoking used to be all the rage, it was only natural that this gift enclosure card was modelled after a matchbook.

And that the romance of smoking would also transfer over to this vintage wrapping paper with "Best Wishes" in smoke over a manly hunting scene.

And with that I leave you with "Best Wishes" for the day!

If you have an idea for a future collection challenge, leave me a comment and finish the sentence "Show me your collection of _____".  I am about to break open the Christmas bins and foresee some Christmas collections in the future!

Glitter Treat For Me

This recent Ebay purchase arrived the other day.

A pristine box of vintage glitter. All nice and tidy and unused inside.  The box has great graphics.

Interesting that the glitter is made of plastic and not glass.  German glass glitter seems to be all the rage currently. I love how the box reads "Unusual craft of unlimited possibilities".  So many ideas are shown on the box....glitter, glitter everywhere!

This vintage glitter box will have the perfect spot to live on top of my glitter shrine shelf.

I do love my glitter!  Happy Day!

 

Collection Challenge #29 - Thanksgiving

Mary asked to see my Thanksgiving collection...a very timely suggestion. I don't do much decorating for Thanksgiving as my life is taken over getting ready for my shows.  I do have a few fun things tho.

A pair of estate sale found turkeys with vintage cupcake wrapper tails.

A rafter of turkey candles (mostly Gurley manufactured).

A trio of fall acorn candles (also Gurley)

Pilgrim hat place-cards

Vintage paper plates in original wrapper

My favorite little cotton turkey.

Relpo turkey figures.,,I have a third, but he flew the coop somewhere!

Vintage crepe paper tablecloth with turkey graphics.

Honeycomb turkeys

An assortment of spun head pilgrims.

And the spun head indians that shared the feast with the pilgrims.

And finally a whole colony of Gurley pilgrim candles.

You may remember from last year that this little pilgrim colony had a bit of trouble as they were terrorized by a giant honeycomb turkey...you can read about it here.

Fortunately for our colony of Gurley pilgrims, life has taken a turn for the better this year.  A new pilgrim has arrived on the scene...a Goliath size pilgrim that I don't think the honeycomb turkey will want to mess with.

Life is good in the pilgrim colony this year. Hope life is good for you this Thanksgiving and that you have much to be thankful for.  Happy turkey day!

A Keeper

This past summer I bought some candle crowns in the original box.

They are meant to go on the top of your candle stick and they came with the little gold ornaments.  A few months later I picked up another pair so I had 4 total.  I intended to do a little magic to them and then sell them at one of my craft sales.

I spray painted them silver as I am not a huge gold fan and changed out some of the ornaments with some other vintage ones that I had. I was so smitten with the transformation that I decided I had to keep them instead.

The crowns that I found are different heights and the arms are different.  I varied the glass candlesticks to give them a bit more interest as well.

I think they are pretty darn neat and hope to find some more to add to this collection.  It is easy to change out the ornaments to play with color as well.  Definitely a keeper project...these are staying with me.

Happy Monday! 

Craft Sale #2 - Merry Marketplace

Friday found me at yet another craft sale.  I love to do this particular sale (8th year) as I always have a spot with a fireplace and a mantle to set up by.  My items just lend themselves to this type of display.

My first customers of the day were blog readers...how great is that!

Once again it was a sea of sparkle and glitter and fun.  I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Two weeks until my next show and time to get busy in the studio and replenish stock in a few spots.  Was a very good sale for me and was a happy day!

Craft Sale Number Two - Merry Marketplace

Busy week for me.  Craft sale number two approaches this Friday. If you live in the Portland area come say hi...this is a fun show!

Friday, November 19th, 11-7.  SMILE station, 8210 SE 13th in Sellwood.

I will have some new goodies that were not at my last show....

Collection Challenge #28 - Salt and Pepper Shakers

Janet and Barbara both challenged me to show my collection of salt and pepper shakers.  I often go to estate sales and see hundreds of shakers collected over the years.  I have no where near that amount and those that I pick up are often used for my craft projects. 

Here we go...

An adorable tiny travel salt and pepper shaker...unused. They are glass with a a green plastic lid.  A metal collar keeps them together and a lid flips up and down so you won't spill your salt and pepper (if you took it on a picnic or something like that).

I have a set of yellow vintage dishes, so I am drawn to salt and pepper shakers that compliment them and that I can scatter down the table.

This pair was a gift, and I don't believe they are vintage. They live on the back of my vintage stove and make me happy.

Often my collections morph into a craft project and that is what has happened with salt and pepper shakers. When I come across that lone shaker that has lost its mate, it comes home with me...

and becomes a tassel to hang on a cabinet. This gal hangs on my yellow dresser than holds all my sheets.

I like the figural salt and pepper shakers.

I also like to collect the Christmas shakers and get them holiday ready.  A similar pair of Santa shakers hangs on my hutch that holds my Santa mug collection during the holidays.

An adorable angel

Mrs. Clause and a holly gal.

A elephant decked out for the season.

I like how these single shakers were given a new lease on life.  After losing their mates life just had not been the same for them. A fun way to re-purpose and collect at the same time.

I need some more challenges folks...throw a collection bone my way! Leave me a comment and finish the sentence "Show me your collection of _____." I would be happy to look in my stash.

Silly Makes Me Smile on This Monday

I am so drawn to the silly, unusual and useless.  Case in point this pair of noisemakers that I found at the treasure table of a local church sale.

I have plenty of the traditional vintage noisemakers, but none with cute little animals that you blow through like this elephant or pig that is sporting a red bow tie.

I had to have them and of course they have a special place to live in my cabinet of curiosities.

Happy Day!

Road Trip Auction

Another dismal day in estate sale world, so am sharing my last highlight of my recent road trip to Kansas.  This is the last of the road trip posts...and was one of my favorite things that we did...the best for last.

After the flea market that I posted about here, my mom and I passed a sign that said "auction today". I LOVE auctions, especially those in the midwest.  I love the banter of the auctioneer and watching the crowd.  It is total entertainment for me. We followed the signs to the local fairgrounds and ventured inside one of the buildings that held all the auction goodies.  This is what met my eyes and my heart started pounding.

It was row after row of long tables full of boxes piled willy nilly with every oddball vintage item under the sun.  The auction house had boxed up the contents of the house and just moved everything here. I wish I got more pictures (am kicking myself) but there was vintage Halloween, Christmas, paper, pottery, games etc.  Everything was here.  It was the estate of Virginia Foree who had passed away at the age of 90.  The family has saved everything and their were 3 generations of items in these boxes.  The woman had been a school teacher for 42 years as well. It was truly fascinating to look thru the boxes at what had been saved. 

I would have bought tons of it, but there were about 5 bidders who basically drove up prices left and right. One woman must have bought about every other box of items. She had one long row of tables FULL of her purchases.  There was not rhyme nor reason to her bidding, she was just buying it all. I raised my number quite a bit, but prices kept rising. I did come out victorious on one box of goodies. It made me happy and is a great souvenir ofthe day.

What is inside made me giddy.

Tons and tons of old greeting cards, bridge tallies and gift tags.

Bridge tally cards.

Old Valentines

An envelope of old postage stamps

What truly made me swoon was what was in the rest of the box...

and in these three envelopes. Virginia had saved all her tags from gifts and put them in these envelopes labeled 1919, 1920 and 1921.  These tags are OLD and the graphics are just charming.

These photos are worth double clicking on them to enlarge.  The illustrations on these cards are really adorable.

I love the little cherub in the boat on the left and the holiday bellhop on the bottom card.

Virginia also had a whole slew of catalogs for old greeting card lines in the 1950 and 1960s.

They are fun to flip through and wish that I could still purchase items like this Christmas Gift Wrap Ensemble for $1.25. Wouldn't that make your day?

This really was an awesome sale and we spent about 5 hours there.  I am happy to have my little box of vintage fun as my little souvenir of the day! (I also wish that ONE WOMAN had not been scooping up so much of the good stuff...darn her and her bidding that just would not stop!)

 

 

Vintage Tree Inspiration and Etsy

This past year I found this sweet little tree.  It is marked "Japan" on the bottom.  I like to collect unusual Christmas trees and they often inspire a little crafting of my own.

I found a bunch of this skinny wired chenille yarn at an estate sale this past year.  The tag indicates it is used to "crotchet hats and accessories."  The years have not been kind to the wire and it is brittle so it would not work for the original purpose. The colors are great tho.

From my studio a forest has sprung.

I think they turned out cute and the colors are unusual and fun.

This little forest and other holiday items will be on Etsy TONIGHT (Nov. 11th)  5:30 p.m, pacific time.  I guarantee there will be something to give you a holiday smile!

Happy Day!