kitty coffee break

OK, OK, I understand that even an intern needs a break every now and then.  I'm down with that, OK?

But what's with the naps?  And I'm not talking one 5-minute power nap, I'm talking seven or eight naps lasting up to an hour or more.  How could anybody sleep that much on all that coffee??

And don't get me started on her "work" habits.  If she's not napping, she's playing silly games like trying to hide one or more of her limbs and having me freak out, thinking they fell off or something.  Like in the photo, it looks like two of her legs are MIA.  But they're not, OK, because I checked. 

a gentleman caller...

... has come with flowers for you.  Will you accept?

my new intern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that she's capable of doing things other than eating and sleeping and purring, little Ivy is interning with me to help get my antique and untique finds to the market more efficiently.  

Above shows her going through the bags from Sunday, which will help me prioritize what should be looked at first. 

She will also be working in the area of materials testing, i.e. which fabrics are impervious to her attentions and which are not; and determining which ceramic materials can be swatted off of my desk and remain intact. 

If you have an idle kitten at home, I would encourage you to register him or her in some sort of work-related program.  It's good for their intellectual development, and it increases the likelihood that your kitten will some day learn a measure of self-control, something that is very difficult for today's over-coddled (and over-cuddled) kittens.

a great GREAT weekend of buying

Saturday I found some FANTABULOUS barkcloth at the Golden Nugget Flea Market in Lambertville.

My brother was in town, and after the flea market, he wanted to go to the Orvis store in Lahaska. 

I know you'd rather see the barkcloth (and soon you shall, my pretties) but until then, enjoy what the back of the Orvis store faces.

On Sunday, my honey and I went to Adamstown, which is pretty much the navel of the universe, antique-ally speaking: three big flea markets - Renninger's, Shupp's Grove, and Black Angus, plus a gazillion co-ops.  Renninger's and Shupp's you can actually find things to buy.  Black Angus is more of a museum, since practically everything is priced at about ten times what a sane person would pay for it.   

Anyway, I got a TON of stuff at Renninger's and Shupp's, which has not yet been photographed.   Until such time as I do, enjoy the above photo of the area right next to Renninger's. 

God Bless Our Shabby Chic Home

It just doesn't get shabby chic-er than this.

The sentimental sentiment, the colored foil used for the lettering and the flowers, the loss of silver paint around the borders. 



What's even shabbier and chic-er about it is that my honey retrieved it from a trashcan situated at a flea market where I set up now and then. 


I wish the concept of shabby chic weren't so trendy.  A lot of us been a lovers of the old and imperfect for years, and will be long after the home decor mavens have moved on to something else.

STEAMPUNK

Just the thing for that steampunk decor scheme, ya know?

 

more than just cough drops

Colorful, is it not?

I don't remember if Luden's had the yummiest cough drops or if it was Smith Brothers.  

I haven't seen either of them in stores for a long time, but then I'm not really paying attention.  Maybe I'll check on my next trip to Walgreen's for lip gloss.

What happened here?

"What happened?" meaning why did wall pockets go the way of the anti-macassar?

It's rare to go to an auction and not see at least one, but why aren't they making them anymore?

Most of what completely disappears goes because it's no longer needed -- wall-mounted match safes above the kitchen stove, for example.   But these were almost purely decorative, and most people still live in houses with walls, correct?

Wall pockets came in a staggering array of designs and materials, and they still look really neat on a wall.  So you should maybe start beating the bushes (thrifts, flea markets, yard sales, auctions) and find a few to put up.    

You really should. 

Who's afraid...?

of my Big Bad Wolf mask?

Got this at MVFTS* (see fine art post) when they were having a 'buy one Halloween or Christmas thing, get one free.'

Donnybrook deco coat

These coats, which I'm guessing are from the 1980's, turn up now and then and wherever and whenever that is, I never get the chance to buy it.

Except this week (YAY!). 

Have a seat, it's a fascinating story...

I drove to the back of the Sal that's on Torresdale Ave to drop off some no longer wanted clothing.  Then went around the front into the store entrance because it was Family Day, and lots of stuff would be half off, and there was a remote possibility that there would be something I would want to buy.

For the longest time, this particular Sal has been devoid of anything of interest.

But hope springs eternal.

I found a very cool skinny tie, striped AND made of silk, which is rare for skinny ties.  I know.  I only have about 200 of 'em.

Then I found a Seventies men's shirt, nylon with a ridiculous print. 

Then I found a little sweater for myself which, it turns out, I look rather hot in. 

With these three finds I headed toward the check-out counter, but something told me No!  Go back and look some more!!

I heeded this voice.  Even though I'd rooted through EVERYTHING already.  But no -- going back to the dress rack, I found a Gianni Versace silk crepe dress.  Half-price: $3.99.

So I then I skip happily back to the check-out counter, but notice I've dropped the tie. 

Retracing my steps, I bump into the coat rack (which I already checked thoroughly!) and BAM!  Here it is.

Never did find the tie. 

Back at the counter, I notice that the coat doesn't have a price tag, and tell the clerk.    She gives me a look that says, "Yeah, right," then announces the price -- a big $30.  She says this like it's $30,000 and I'm just gonna slink away dispiritedly, my scam discovered. 

(I know people do take off tags, switch tags, etc.  But I'm in that store fairly regularly, so she should know better.)

Here's what the front looks like.

some fine art

Painstakingly hand-painted on a cafeteria tray, and dated 1963 on the back.

Yep, a cafeteria tray.

I found this in my very favorite thrift store.

My very favorite thrift store (MVFTS, from now on) is in a horrible neighborhood, the kind where you (meaning me) could expect to get your car broken into.  Also, expect getting your pockets picked.

But the occasional mind-blowing find is worth it. 

Welcome to my collection of old advertising ashtrays

Arnold would come out to look at your Magnavox for TWO DOLLARS!

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Not to be undersold, Harold charged the same.   

I'd go with Harold.  Harold's service was immediate, whereas Arnold's was just prompt.

Note that both of the above are from Philadelphia.

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The Cottage Green

Still in business!

And also in Philly.

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Mattioli Brothers Bakery

Once the largest bakery in South Jersey.

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Smithville Inn

STILL IN BUSINESS!

We ate here two or three times a year when I was a kid. And once, when I was really little, I threw up under the table.  

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Capri Restaurant of Fairbanks, AK 

Try the scungilli en brochette!

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St. Nicholas Hotel

Now an apartment building called St. Nicholas Apartments

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I love this picture

I thought I'd seen every mass-produced print depicting Jesus with a struggling present day person.  Then I saw this at a yardsale around the corner from where I live.

The timing was really interesting.  A few weeks before I found the picture, a friend of mine who is all about being Christian and all about animals had agreed to foster six 2-week old kittens whose mother had been killed.  

So I sent it to her, and she loves it as much as I do.

ooga chaga

How completely and totally nutso are these??

Not surprisingly, they're from Japan, from whence all crazy vintage things come.

vintage emo salt and pepper shakers

Even back in the day, there were sensitive souls like these available to hold your condiments.

Brother Ray

A figural flask, exceptionally well-made.  You'd swear he was from Germany or maybe England, but actually he hails from Japan.

Fill him with sake, fill him with hard lemonade, fill him with Hawaiian Punch.  It matters not to Brother Ray.  

 

HATS!

Most of us have older ladies in our families or among our acquaintances who can tell us all about the role hats played in the lives of ladies, pre-1965 or so.

You wouldn't dream of going to a job interview hatless.  Or gloves-less, for that matter.

Hats were de riguer in church, and just about anywhere else where you were expected to look your best.

A popular movie cliche involved a woman coming home with a new hat, just because the act of buying one made her feel good.

A hat is a sure-fire means of salvaging a bad hair day.

Hat-buying is infinitely more fun than shoe-buying. 

A good hat can reflect your mood and personality better than any other accessory or garment.

In the literature of the 19th century and earlier, lady milliners are usually portrayed as loose women. Seamstresses, almost never.  Some PhD candidate ought to look into this. 

Everybody looks better in a hat.

Maw's old coffee pot

This is what Maw used to rustle up coffee for her man and the young 'uns back in 1889 or so.

Maw was known throughout the holler as a woman who made a fine cup o' joe.

The pot has a patent date on the handle which, believe me, is SO cool.

Think PINK!!

This wonderful, roseate little item was found at the flea market that succeeded the old, fantastic one at Philadelphia Race Track; it's now located a mile or so up the road in a corporate center parking lot, and is only held on Sundays.  I forget what they call it.

Anyway, dig deeply of the coolness of this rare find in Space Age plastic, with added speckle stuff for an extra retro experience.

Here comes the...

Was it a mere... um, bunch of months ago that I showed you the BEYOODEFUL Laura Ashley wedding dress I found, and stated that I would either sell it or, if Prince Charming showed up, wear it?

Well, boys and girls, he DID show.  Not exactly Prince Charming, more like Prince Hysterically Funny or rather Prince Complete and Total Mensch, or perhaps Prince Totally Unlike the Other Losers I've Been Involved With.

He's been on the outer ring of my pool of antiques dealing acquaintances for eons, then somehow, some way, we got together and now we're engaged, and I'm scouring the bookstores for a magazine entitled Old Maid Crazy Cat Lady Bride or something similar.