Mitzi's Miscellany

Images of Santa Over the Years

Today I thought I'd share some vintage views of Santa Claus, beginning with what I believe to be the oldest and working my way forward.

In Victorian times, there are frequent examples of St. Nicholas dressed in colors other than the traditional red suit:

Views of Life in the 1920's

I was cleaning up some of my shelves over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and had to stop to leaf through some old photo albums I found.  I purchased the albums a while ago, and I have no idea who the folks are in the pictures.  Still, I find old photos fascinating.  They make me think about so many things about life long ago.....

I love this photo of a Christmas gathering.  Those appear to be real candles on the tree, and the person dressed as Santa looks a little frightening.  The kids in the foreground are holding a big pan of popcorn (I think they are making popcorn balls) and a tray of apples:

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving and share a few old Thanksgiving postcards with you today.  I hope you are enjoying the holiday!

What's Not Hot in Antiques and Collectibles for 2014

My last post discussed what was hot in antiques, and advertising was pretty much it.  That's been true for a while, and probably will be for some time to come.  Today I thought I'd write a little about the other end of the spectrum:  what's NOT hot in the antiques and collectibles market.  This is based on my own observations, as an antique dealer in Michigan.  I've written about this topic before, and you can read my post about what wasn't hot in 2009 HERE.

Silverplate tea services, flatware, cutlery sets, and miscellaneous pieces aren't doing well in the market.  Sterling silver is another story altogether, but that's not what I'm talking about.  Silverplate pieces will be marked "quadruple plate" or "triple plate."  They are standard fodder at estate sales and auctions.  These require polishing because they tarnish, and grandma's set of nice silver isn't dishwasher safe so most modern households don't want to get it out anymore, even for Thanksgiving.

 

Speaking of metal, pewter items aren't very popular either.  Aluminum items, although "mid-century" and somewhat more hip, aren't exactly hot sellers, and shiny brass home decor and fixtures are so toxic right now, you can't even give them away.  

What's Hot In Antiques? Advertising

So many times antique dealers complain about the mysteries of determining what's hot and what's not in the retail market.  Is "shabby chic" over?  Do people want painted furniture now?  What are men buying?  I'm having difficulty answering these questions myself, but if there's one thing I know I can sell, it's old advertising, such as product tins and signs.  Old signs can be used as home decor but also appeal to serious collectors across a wide range of collecting categories.  The same goes for product tins:  they can be used as decor pieces but the nicer examples are scooped up by collectors. 

This "Super Pyro" sign that I spotted at the Livingston Antique Outlet almost has it all:  cool graphics, great color, and it's a nice size that would make quite a statement in a room.  It's automobile-related, so that's a plus, and the figure of the snowman is very appealing.  The sign isn't metal, though, and would need to be framed to prevent damage.  That's the only drawback:

Better Living Through Science

I love looking through old magazines, especially because of the ads.  If you do too, check out my old blog posts The Fabric of Our Lives and Sometimes It's Hard to be a Woman for some retro advertising fun.

This week I'm focusing on ads that raved about scientific advancements,
"modern" appliances and the latest chemicals that could make life easier, common themes in post World War II America.  Natural products, "green" living and organic farming weren't popular topics back then, to say the least.....

I think we've all heard of Bakelite, but what about Krene?  Krene was a flexible version of Bakelite that was made into shower curtains, table cloths, and faux leather upholstery:

Decorating the Kitchen with Vintage Finds

I often notice what folks do (or don't do) with the space between their kitchen cupboards and the ceiling.  Do you?  The default decorating plan seems to be a couple silk philodendron plants in baskets.  In my kitchen, the cupboards extend all the way to the ceiling.  I'm glad I have the extra cupboard space, but I wouldn't mind having space to display some of my vintage finds.  I definitely wouldn't fill the space with silk philodendron plants, that's for sure.  With this in mind, I thought I'd share some ideas with you today that I would put into place if I had the opportunity to "merchandise" my own above-cabinet shelf.

I really love tole-painted trays.  If I had enough space, I'd definitely have several trays above my cabinets:

Old tin chocolate molds look great in a kitchen.  I would definitely have room for a grouping of them:

Vintage Halloween Graphics: So Amazingly Creative, It's Scary!

When I look at the beautiful graphics from the "golden age" of postcards, I'm amazed at the creativity of the artists.  Each season of the year and each holiday presented a new opportunity for them to showcase their talent.  The beautiful colors achieved by the chromolithograph process used for postcards and trade cards of the time resulted in magnificently hued artworks.  Often embossed for texture with metallic gold or silver ink or even flocking added for extra embellishment, old postcards are wonderful little treasures.  And for many serious collectors, Halloween postcards are some of the most valuable and sought-after.  To read more about postcards, you can refer to my post HERE.

I've combed Pinterest and my own image gallery to share some of the most imaginative examples of Halloween postcards I could find.  There are so many great examples out there, it was difficult to narrow them down.  I'm going to refrain from commentary so you can just enjoy the images.....

A Few Words About Pinterest

Are you into "pinning?"  When I first joined Pinterest, I wasn't a very enthusiastic pinner, but as time went by, I became more and more interested in using Pinterest as a business tool and for finding inspiration for craft projects.  Every day I gain about 35 to 55 followers, and now I have over 14,700!  If you want to see my pinboards HERE is the link.

My most popular pinboard is Creative Flowers.  I have over 5,000 followers for that pinboard alone.  A few of the projects shown are my own, but there are oodles of others of every variety to inspire, and links to the tutorials in many cases.  

These fabric flowers are easy to make.  You can view the tutorial HERE.

 

Another type of "Rosette Corsage" that I sell in my Etsy shop:

Make It Monday Link Party #8

We've been getting some fun fall crafts submitted to our Make It Monday link party!  This week, Tamara is selecting her favorites from the entries last week.  Head over to Etcetorize, Tamara's creative blog, to see who she's chosen this week!