Mitzi's Miscellany

Spring and Easter Images to Share

The first day of Spring has come and gone, and we've still been stuck in a wintry weather pattern here in Michigan.  I can't tell you how disappointed most of us are around here!  Whenever I have to scrape my windshield of ice, I think of the scene in "Fargo" when Jerry Lundegaard gets frustrated and throws his scraper, then pulls himself together and begins scraping again.

 

Photo Credit:  The Movie Manifesto

With hopes of Spring around the corner, I'd like to share some images with you that you can use in your paper crafting projects.  Just click on the image, save to your computer, and print it out when you want it.  If you will be using it for decoupage, I recommend photocopying it on a laser printer if you have an inkjet printer so the ink doesn't smear.  I routinely take items to Staples or FedEx to use their laser printer because I have an inkjet printer.

 

 

And just one more thing:  on Saturday, March 23, the Antiques Market of Williamston will be having the annual March Madness Sale.  This is the antique mall where I rent a lot of space.  I've been stocking my booths there with great treasures, and the mall always provides delicious free homemade food along with discounts.  Here are the details:

I hope you have a great weekend, and that it warms up wherever you are!

Mitzi

Expand Your Vintage Vocabulary Post #43

Today I'd like to introduce the term "chintz ware", which many of you might have heard before.  Chintz ware is a charming type of china produced in England from the late 1920's until the 1960's.  Just like chintz fabric, chintz ware features an allover pattern of flowers and sometimes birds or other motifs. 

The intricate, colorful patterns of chintz ware were created with a lithographic transfer method.  Several pottery factories made chintz ware, and each of their patterns had a name.  The big manufacturers of chintz ware in England were Royal Winton, Lord Nelson Ware, James Kent, and Crown Ducal. 

Often, the name of the pattern will be stamped on the underside of the chintz ware piece along with the maker's name.  Some of the most popular chintz ware patterns are "Apple Blossom" and "Hydrangea" made by both Royal Winton and Lord Nelson; "Summertime", "Sweet Pea" and "Old Cottage Chintz" by Royal Winton; Lord Nelson's "Green Tulip"; "Blue Chintz" and "Festival" by Crown Ducal; and "DuBarry" by James Kent.

The ever-popular "Summertime" by Royal Winton.  Always check to see if the blue blossoms have faded to lavender.  They're the first to deteriorate from time and use:

 

Most single pieces of chintz ware can be purchased for under $100 here in the U.S.  Rather than collecting all of one pattern, I like the idea of all different patterns displayed together for a "maximum eye candy" look.

Mitzi

Eight Blogs That Rock!

Right now I'm completing Week Two of an e-course titled Blog Boss, taught by Holly Becker of the fabulous decor8 blog and well known Blogging Your Way e-course that I took a couple years ago.  I'm taking Blog Boss as a refresher course to Blogging Your Way and it promises to present plenty of new information too. 

Each week we have homework, and this week we were assigned to round up eight of our favorite blogs including two from our current classmates ("Blogs That Rock") and present them along with the reasons why we like them.  Of course, I have a blogroll on the right sidebar of my blog, but to make this more challenging I've decided to present mostly new blogs for this assignment.

Because Blog Boss has attracted students from all over the world, it's been fun to go through the student list and visit bloggers in many different countries.  I like beeldsteil, written by Wendy, a Dutch photographer and stylist who was originally from Norway.  Her blog appealed to me because of it's great modern style, consistent design, and clean, organized look:

 

I visited another classmate's blog, Alicia Parsons from Atypical Type A, and was blown away by her beautiful images of Prague, Czechoslovakia.  She's an excellent photographer, it was obvious, and I'll definitely be back to see more of her images.  Her blog in general has a nice layout, colors and design.  She's the graphic designer for Akimbo, a company that makes stationery, announcements, and greetings.  Oh, Alicia is from Adelaide, South Australia!  It's so amazing how our world is so connected now.

 

Look at this gorgeous Christmas tree Alicia photographed in Prague:

Whippy Cake is another blog I enjoy.  The owner of Whippy Cake, Becki, is someone that presented a great workshop on product styling for photo shoots I attended in St. Paul, Minnesota about a year ago.  She's a fun person to listen to, and her blog reflects her delightful personality.  I notice there are many pictures of Becki on her blog, and I think that's great.  Her personality really infuses her blog, and it should.  She's got the good looks to sell her product, hair accessories, so she should keep doing what works for her.

Such Pretty Things is a total eye candy blog.  The blogger, Jessica Enig, likes "all things vintage, floral, pastel, colorful and pretty."  Well, so do I!  Every time I visit Jessica's blog I'm impressed with her photo styling and photography.  I like the vintage wallpaper used in the blog design, too, and the vintage millinery used in the blog header photo.

 

Another blog that has great appeal to me is Cafe Cartolina.  Fiona Richards is a graphic artist who incorporates vintage images into her designs.  Her blog is always a treat to visit because she has some of her favorite images along the sidebars and a well designed blog layout.  Even her picture is different:  two pictures instead of one!

I hadn't visited Queen of Tarte in far too long, so when I stopped by today I was surprised to see the fabulous and very unusual new blog design Cindy is using now, which consists of an entire page of image "tiles" that represent individual posts.  I think it's fun and something for me to consider sometime in the future when I redesign my own blog:

I've always enjoyed viewing Thoughts from Alice W, a beautiful blog about vintage living.  Alice W., an artist and photographer, always presents images in the neutral color palette she prefers and has a soft, romantic, timeworn look to her blog:

Magic Jelly is a fun and charming blog to visit.  The blog writer is a graphic artist named Karena Colquhoun who lives in Semaphore, South Australia.  Her business name is Magic Jelly, and she creates original artwork, prints, jewelry, paper goods, and other items.  The entire blog has a consistent look because of Karina's cheerful art work.

 

Perhaps a few of these blogs are new to you, and you'll have fun visiting them like I have.

Mitzi

More Problems with Mother Goose

A couple years back, I took a serious look at the classic rhymes of Mother Goose and realized that she really had some issues.  What kind of issues, you might wonder?  My theory is that Mother Goose's rhymes kept youngsters in line by terrorizing them with tales of child beatings, drownings, and the gruesome demise of old people and cute, cuddly animals.

Just to support my argument, I happened upon another book with additional gems, and thought I'd share them with you today!

Child whipping!  That's a comforting bedtime story:

I think I've gone over this before, but it bears repeating.  Being thrown down the stairs by an old lady and a goose is what you get for not saying your prayers:

Although Mother Goose herself is probably getting up there in years, she seems to take a dim view of other elderly women.  They're usually depicted as hags and nags who won't shut up:

Children tend to love animals, and the thought of talking mice having their heads snapped off can't be a pleasant one.  But Mother Goose doesn't hesitate to go there:

And then there's a sow that gets shot right through the heart.  Another delightful visual!

Cute little mice get butchered again in this familiar rhyme.  And visually impaired mice, at that!

Are we talking about social ostracism in "Polly Put the Kettle On"?  I wouldn't put it past Mother Goose!

So there you go.  More evidence of Mother Goose's psychological problems and evil nature at work!

Mitzi

Show and Tell Wednesday Post #42

I just got these three composition figures ready for sale in my antique mall booth.  Prone to chipping, I touched up a few paint chips with carefully color-matched acrylic paint.  The duck in the foreground was actually a candy container, and has a cardboard bottom that can be removed so the hollow duck can be filled with candy:

Many paper mache and composition candy containers and holiday figures were made in Germany in the early to mid-twentieth century.  Often, they will be marked.  My duck had a ink-stamped "Germany" on the cardboard bottom.

Here's a cute German-made rabbit currently for sale on Ebay.  You can see the cardboard bottom.  Go ahead and bid, it can be yours in plenty of time for Easter!

And just a little clue:  when you see "U.S. Zone Germany" on an item, like our rabbit friend below, you know it was made during the years following World War II, 1945 to 1955.

I would like to thank Ebay seller Leaton11 for the use of the rabbit images.  Please visit their shop, they have many, many wonderful old items there!

Mitzi

A Fun Up-Cycled Bracelet Idea

Lately I've been on a jewelry-making binge and I'm having so much fun!  My work table, which also serves as my office table, is a huge mess, and right now my keyboard is sitting on top of a layer of jewelry bits and pieces I've been working with.  One of the projects I've just completed was an easy bracelet made from vintage memory wire bracelets.  I'm sure you've come across those wire pearl or beaded bracelets in your flea market shopping trips, if you don't have one in your stash already:

I think they make a great ready-made base for embellishments.  Today I took a few pearly bracelets I had in my "hoard" and I up-cycled them into fancier versions using vintage and new items.

I bought this red floral embellishment from Flights of Fancy Boutique a while back.  It matched the red pearl bracelet perfectly, so I used thread to attach it first, then a little hot glue to make sure there was a secure bond:

 

My next project was a yellow pearl bracelet with a shoe clip attached.  I removed the metal clip, leaving just the fabric rosette.  I added a brass button to the center of the fabric shoe clip to add some additional sparkle.  Once again, I used thread and hot glue to secure the embellishment to the bracelet base:

My third project was a "prom night" bracelet.  I took a black velvet bow tie and attached it to an off-white pearl base:

Of course, there are many more possibilities with these bracelets.  I'm sure you can put your own twist on them!

Mitzi

I'm participating in the following link parties:  Say Not Sweet Ann, Market Yourself Monday, Between Naps on the Porch and Craft-O-Maniac Monday.

Shopping at Dovetails in Naples, Florida

I just returned from an eight day visit to Naples, Florida, where my mom lives.  The weather was unseasonably cool, so we had no choice but to go shopping!  I had no complaints, because we discovered the fabulous shop Dovetails Estates & Decor, newly opened by friend Kathleen Pica at 20 Tenth Street South.  Kathleen is the owner of Auctions Neapolitan and Gallery and is a certified appraiser and auctioneer.  Kathleen has put together an exquisite mix of old and new treasures, as you will see.

The size of the vintage mirror is evident as I photograph myself in it:

A detail of the mirror:

This charming cardboard fish is actually a puzzle that comes unassembled.  Once completed, it looks great mounted on the wall:

Beautiful white glazed pottery mixed with enamel flowers by artist Tommy Mitchell:

Colorful packages of small items including fireplace matches:

Trays with natural themes, and framed butterflies:

More gorgeous enamel flowers by artist Tommy Mitchell.  He was featured in the Bergdorf Goodman catalog recently:

Dovetails sells furniture too, including this needlepoint chair and burlap covered ottoman:

There were several poses of these porcelain male forms in the shop:

 A vintage floral bouquet with porcelain flowers:

The vintage chaise lounge had an exquisite embroidered satin fabric upholstery:

I thought this chair was very attractive:

And this chair was extremely attractive!

There were several chair choices at Dovetails, including this upholstered example:

Wall art.  Something different than paintings and prints:

New china with a botanical motif:

 

Colorful bowls:

Lampshades made of burlap with a bee motif in front of a colorful painting:

An amazing horse figure stands in one window of Dovetails:

Although I've shown quite a few pictures, there's still a lot I haven't shown at Dovetails.  Kathleen has a wonderful selection of jewelry and small items perfect for gift giving or to treat yourself.  Her experience as an auctioneer and appraiser give Kathleen the expertise and discerning eye needed to assemble the eclectic mix that is Dovetails.  I hope that you'll make a special point of visiting Dovetails when you're in Naples, no matter what the weather is like!

Mitzi

Expand Your Vintage Vocabulary Post #42

Today's Vintage Vocabulary term is "quarter sawn oak", also known as "tiger oak", shown in the picture below:

Any wood can be quarter sawn, but when oak logs were sawn in quarters, then boards, as opposed to the traditional "plain sawn" method, it produced desirable waves and tiger-like stripes that added flair to furniture designs.  Quarter sawn oak became particularly popular during the Arts and Crafts movement, a design period around the early twentieth century. 

The quarter sawn method of cutting wood is no longer used because it is somewhat wasteful as compared to the plain sawn method, which is more economical and uses more of the tree.   Quarter sawn oak pieces are true treasures because they aren't being made any longer.

And speaking of oak, most of the modern-day oak sold at the furniture stores is from the red oak tree.  The type of oak used for the old oak furniture we are familiar with, like the hall tree in the picture in this post, is from the white oak tree.  That's why the furniture from Oak Express never looked as good as grandma's oak table.

Mitzi

Fun Recent Finds

The dead of winter is usually a slow time for antique buying.  I usually try to concentrate on selling, and this year has been no exception.  I have found a few goodies, though, and I wanted to share them with you today.

I found this No Parking sign at April's Antiques and Home Furnishings in Lansing, Michigan.  Signs like these are perfect for a teenager's bedroom:

This chromolithograph is a promotion for Walkover Shoes, an old shoe company:

With the popularity of the movie "Lincoln" and President's Day, I thought these bookends might sell in my Etsy shop:

I love surprising small treasures like this violet covered book:

When you open the cover, look what's inside:

I was excited to find this pile of old crochet and craft booklets:

Gay and Gifty ideas!

I've never seen anything quite like the yarn pony tail hat, below:

I guess this isn't a new find, it's more of a re-find.  I took it out of my antique mall booth and wanted to show you.  It's an old powder box with great Art Deco style:

I found this lovely hooked wool rug at the Antiques Market of Williamston:

And the best find of all:  I went to the Antiques Market of Williamston and found this gift waiting for me.  Loyal blog reader and friend Cindy Koth had made this tote bag for me out of vintage linens and a few feedsack yoyos, and embroidered my name on it.  Isn't that incredible?  I think Cheswick loves it too:

I hope you have a chance to get out and about this weekend and find some treasures too!

Mitzi

Show and Tell Wednesday Post #41

I bought this three-panel screen a while back at April's Antiques and Home Furnishings, one of my favorite picking spots in Lansing, Michigan:

Although there were the obvious stains at the bottom, I was very attracted to the vintage travel stickers from all around the world.  I just love the old, colorful graphics that promised great adventures at exotic locations:

Typically, travel stickers such as these would be found on luggage or saved in a scrapbook.

One of my favorites is the stork sitting in her nest in the chimney above the Hotel Dagmar:

The previous owner of this screen did a lot of traveling back in the day!

 

Screens like these are useful, too.  Right now I have this screen in my living room, hiding a large pile of stuff I need to sort out (read:  mess!)

Mitzi