Old Toys

A Place for Everything, but Done Attractively!

You know from past blogs that I am a collector.  The beautiful and charming nik-naks and china collections I have acquired over the years are one of my prides in my old age.  When I was younger I would keep my doll collection upright in their stands, but I did not take the care to keep their respective boxes in good shape and lost the tissue and cardboard insets that came with them. I wish I had.  Well, I have learned more then about storage and keeping of treasures. I have also learned that displaying lovely things brings me great joy.  I am more likely to use and enjoy the memory-jogging items I have when I can see them and others can too. 

Recently I acquired two sets of china that I am so happy about.  I know that in my family there is no one who has a complete set.  I began to purchase china sets because their vintage designs and producers attracted me.  You know the names...Homer Laughlin...Noritake...Staffordshire.  Over the years I purchased most of my things from flea markets and thrift stores.  Then I discovered Craigslist.  Some people in the past five years have been forced to downsize and let go of their treasures or simply accept that they could no longer house items when they were losing their homes. Some people just got tired of having things they rarely or never used.   While my heart breaks for these individuals, I know that I will never sell my things, and they would be happy to know that they were now in the hands of someone who could truly appreciate them.  I will leave them to my  very large family of five sisters and one brother or their very large network of nieces and nephews that they have bestowed upon me..plus there is my own children to consider.  I decided early on in my collecting that I would make certain that my things ended up in the hands of those I love to pass on to future generations.  I would create the heirloom memories that have bound my loved ones together or bring back a happy time when families used to sit down together at a long endless line of tables decorated with vintage table clothes and displaying relish trays of olives and pickles..there for the taking before the main dish appeared.  These memories were, in my life, of Thanksgiving and other holiday dinners in my grandmother's basement, where me and my sisters would run around in our holiday best and watch the preparation of the meal, taking in all the wonderful aromas emanating from the kitchen.

My first recent acquisition was this service for eight set of Bretton Woods china, which also came with a covered vegetable and a tray and also a gravy boat and plate.  It cost me $85 and the seller couldn't have been happier to find a buyer. Only one plate had a chip on the edge which he tried to carefully repair. It was a clumsy repair, but the set was lovely enough with its perfect cream color shiny surfaces and 22 kt gold pattern with dark burgundy striped edge.  The teacups are so beautifully shaped.  I used them for a recent Saturday night dinner I had for my friends. Finally, too, I was able to use my gold plated flatware!  I have these dishes in my main dish cupboard in my kitchen and use them all the time now. They are like new and its a shame to keep them wrapped up in yesterday's newspaper and shoved in the back of a storage closet.

Next I purchased a service for 10 of a Noritake pattern of china called Greenbrier.  It's a more contemporary version of the design, not the "Occupied Japan" version.  Never used, wrapped up in paper dating back to 2002.  I felt a little guilty paying the owner for them..a nice early 30's gentleman whose marriage just didn't work out. He was more than pleased to give me the entire set of 10-5 piece place settings, with 6 crystal Mikasa wine glasses in the French Countryside pattern, 4 cereal/soup bowls to go with the service for 10, and 3 sets plus a hostess serving set of Oneida in the Morning Blossom pattern for an astonishing sum of $100!  This was the set I would be so happy to present to my first daughter in law! 

I have four cereal/soup bowls to go with the place settings. I look forward to finding 6 more to complete the set.The pattern is a lovely mint green with tiny bouquets of flowers, trimmed in the finest hint of silver around the edge of each piece.  It was evident from its unwrapping that none of the pieces had been used..not a fork, spoon or knife had yet touched the surface of any of the pieces.

The French Countryside pattern of these crystal glasses set off each place setting beautifully.  There are 4 more to purchase before I have one for each place setting. I may finisy the set, I have not yet decided.  It is evident that the bride who chose to register for the Noritake dinnerware and the accompanying Mikasa crystal glasses had fine taste. 

These Waterford Brookside Water glasses were hiding in a back cupboard till the Noritake and Mikasa pieces came into the house. Not anymore!

So here I was with this beautiful china for 10, lovely crystal stemware and my own Waterford glasses. I decided I had better come up with a strategy for getting them up and out into the light.  So, I set my sights on finding the perfect shelving or curio to do so.

I searched only for a week or so before I happened upon a wonderful french provincial mahogany china cabinet at my nearest Salvation Army.  I cannot say enough about how wonderful that place is!  I buy so many things there and have come upon so many values in the way of furniture and baking dishes and utensils and almost new clothing. Anyway, I visited this one particular day when I saw the china cabinet sitting there. It had been marked down from $99 to $79 and then to finally, $59.  With a 25% discount for moving it out that same say, I purchased the piece for only $47.94!  I did have to pay someone to get it to my location for $50 but it was worth every penny. 

I  struck gold when I found this cabinet in the nearest Salvation Army! And they supplied the name of a mover who came out immediately to get it into my place!  A little bit of Pledge and its shining!

Morning Blossom, by Oneida. I have 3 unopened sets plus a hostess set now!

The cabinet with its three drawers and two side cabinets with shelving, plus the four glass doors above with the groved plate holder was perfect for displaying my new china and glassware.  I had a functional piece that not only provided storage and safekeeping, but was easy on the eyes for my decor.  I could either repair the few scratches and years of light wear on the wood finish or I could sand it out one day and turn it into the shabby chic piece I envisioned I would own years ago.  The most wonderful part of this cabinet is that it coordinated nicely with my antique Bergere chairs that were placed nearby.

I found that the storage provided by the lower cupboards in the cabinet could be used to bring out other things I had shoved up in the closets of my place also. My sterling silver flatware could be housed in the drawers as well. I was able to bring out my vintage Heisey Orchid glassware and display that as well behind the glass doors. 

I had purchased this creamer and sugar at about the same time that I had bid on and won on an Ebay auction for a set of 8 Sherbert Heisey Orchid glasses.  What luck that now they did not have to stay behind closed doors any longer! 

I don't know if it is a bad thing to be able to enjoy things that may seem meaningless to others. I do not subscribe fully to the school of thought that material things are meaningless. Some things that we own and treasure are meanful to us and sometimes that is what counts.  Who cares if someone else doesn't appreciate this concept?  I know that for me life is meant to be enjoyed and if beautiful things put a smile on my face then they should be displayed attractively and with love. 

I hope that you discover what beautiful things you like and decide to put them out for all to see and enjoy.  Perhaps you will find a steal of a deal such as I did.  Life should be happy and provide solace and contentment.  Our surroundings ought to be a place where even in the busy busy worry world we can look at something lovely  and feel something that moves us.  Sometimes people cannot do that for us all the time. 

On your next outing, stop by a place where you can view what others decided were throw aways.  You may just find some way to display your collections and pretty things in a way to share them with everyone and most importantly, with yourself!

What Collections Do You Have that Put a Smile on Your Face?

Every now and then while doing my Sunday flea market visit, I am reminded of my childhood and the events that took place in the life of our family largely due to the interesting objects I spot on the table of the vendors there.  I have fond memories of my days as a youngster staying at my grandmother's house and once in a while as I walk between the many booths I get a memory inducing whiff of something from days gone by. It might be that the banana bread vendor has just set out another fresh baked loaf.  It may be the dusty musty fragrance of the woman who sells vintage fabrics, pillows and drapery. 


Wonderful vintage linens...a must have for remembering
time in grandma's kitchen or closet.

 Or, on another front, I may spot an old night table lamp ...a pink crystal base and flowery lampshade in a dusty mauve color that looks exactly like the one grandma had next to her bed. 

These small crystal lamps were a very popular
nightstand item...and still are!

I don't know about you but I like to have these wonderful things surrounding me.  If I see an old book at a flea market for sale,  I open it up and there between the many pages I get a sense of the history of the person who it belonged to.  It makes me smile to read old poetry or a classic novel that is threadbare after years of use and enjoyment. 

A lovely vintage
perfume bottle

Sometimes I will spot a perfume bottle with just a touch of the remains of leftover White Shoulders inside of it and I find myself transported back to first grade and my teacher Mrs. DeReamer...she wore this perfume and I see myself standing beside her and sensing that beautiful perfume hanging in the air.

Some people say that the things we love to have around us are junk and sometimes that can be the case as in the various examples of hoarding lifestyle I have seen on television.  However, I am not one to hoard, ...I keep, take care of and maintain a glorious collection of history..my history in my closets.  If I see something that makes me smile to look at it because of the memories I get touching it and sharing it with others, then I want that thing with me.  I do keep the number of items I decide to have in check though. I know that no one can have everything and when I go who, after all, will even begin to appreciate these things?  I have seen people who pass and their families feeling more or less saddled with the baggage of their loved ones and induced to just either donate it or put it on the curb.  I shudder to think of that happening with my things, but it is a strong possibility so I try to be prudent about adding to my collection.



I collect Buzza prints because
they are charming and small.



Some of the things I love most are vintage botanical and flower prints, Buzza prints, small crystal animals, vintage vanity powder containers, small crystal vases and china (which you learned about in my first few blog posts).  I also collect unusual or strikingly beautiful cake plates and have several sets of sterling silver plated flatware which, one day, I hope to use daily in my own house to serve a group of my girlfriends for an afternoon tea ala Victoria magazine style.

These beautiful cake plates should not be saved
for just special occasions..if you are serving
cake, then the event is special!

 It takes more these days to make us smile, feel glad and grateful, and to give us a happy feeling.  Sometimes it takes more than another person that loves you to do it. Sometimes it takes surrounding yourself with the beautiful vintage things that you have thoughtfully collected over the years.  Be certain of your ability to house these things,  catalogue them, talk about and show them to your loved ones and find out who will be a good steward of your things when you pass.  You will find that our time on earth once you hit the half century mark is ticking away and being happy with your existence and your every day is more important than you know and the one thing you can insure that you have. Don't let anyone take it away from you!

I collect and have several of these Swarovski crystal figurines.  They are great conversation starters and
so pretty to look at!  The trick, however, is to know when to quit collecting one item and move
on to another or suspend collecting for a while. 

I loved my childhood. I was blessed with a great one. I grew up in a middle class family with a mom and a dad in the home and six children, made up of 5 sisters and a little brother.  Full house..yes..and I wouldn't change it for anything.  But as a very young child, I spent an inordinate amount of time at my grandmother's house. I sometimes get flashbacks, even though I was only 1, 2 or 3 when I was there!  It's pretty amazing when it happens. I know it happens to me because that was a very happy time in my life and happy times memories are as strong or stronger than sad ones. 
Lately, as my life at 52 became more solid, my plans coming to fruition in a good way, and really feeling more secure in myself and my state of affairs, I get even more flashbacks. I have been embracing the sights, sounds and memories of earlier times.  Those times include an era in which I never lived.  I, for some reason, love the early '40s.   I love the music, the way the people of that era dressed, the furniture and homelife and everything surrounding that era.  I cannot explain it. Maybe the world has changed so much and the traditional lifestyle is waning and I just wish subconsciously that it wouldn't.  I miss the old days so much that I am escaping each time I encounter something that reminds me of the old American traditional family and all the things that went with it.
In that vein I have, over the years, collected many cool things such as furnishings, decorative accessories, scarves, purses and

Thanksgiving Blessings

Some years ago I recall a time when I took thanksgiving for granted.  Being employed and having a home to call my own and a family around that cared about me was ever present. So, I got a little complacent, took the day for granted, and moaned my way through some thanksgivings that were spent seeing some people I didn't really care to see and trying to please everyone except for myself.  That's what you do though, and you try to do it without getting anyone angry at you.  It was such a small thing to just give of one's self just a little more.  I kept thinking my time would come when I would get more out of this particular holiday and tried to be grateful for "whatever".

Well having been through the last 4 or so Thanksgivings on a shoestring budget, having to rely on spending my day with others who did all the cooking and generally reminiscing about holidays where I was in want of nothing, I am truly grateful this year.  I hate to admit it, but it is a fine thing to have something more than life itself to be grateful for.  Who of us likes to look to others to provide the turkey and all the trimmings? Most of us are pretty self reliant and have our pride.  We often fail to find the strength to admit to others that we need help or need to be with them due to a shortage of all the resources we once had to put the holiday together.

On this day, this year, I am truly thankful.  I see brighter days ahead. I see my personal situation improving all of the time. I have wonderful new friends around me (thank you Lorraine, Joan, Shelly, Kelly, Dan). I see getting better acquainted with others that just entered my life. I have a place to call home and all the things around me in that space that I love and treasure.  At my job I have people of like minds in my corner, truly appreciative and supportive of my initiative and creativity and positive thoughts that vastly outnumber negative ones.

When you get together with your family this year, it is my hope that you enjoy the same.  I hope you at least have people that truly care about you in your life that invite you over and smile from ear to ear when they see you cross their thresh hold. I hope and pray that you and your loved ones are safe and really feeling the gratitude too.  I hope that any worries that you have are small enough to be set aside as you assemble around your table of blessings and a huge turkey and green bean casserole and pumpkin pie.  I pray that you are with people who can put their political beliefs aside for just one day and share commonalities.

Have a blessed day all.  Take care of yourself and each other.  Happy Thanksgiving Day!

The Blessings of Decluttering the Closets

How much room do you have in your closets, basement, garage and attic these days?  Have you accumulated more than you can actually store?  Are your spaces bulging at the seams with no room for even a set of salt and pepper shakers? 

A lovely Victorian wicker chair
I rescued from the trash!

 It amazes me how much stuff I have accumulated over the years.  When I moved into my house originally in 1992, I was amazed at all the closets, attic spaces, room in the garage and other storage spaces in my house.  I thought I went to storage heaven!  Without a basement, I had to be certain that I could live comfortably in my home and never have the main living spaces too cluttered. Well since then, I have had to re-evaluate my life style and take stock of what really matters when it comes to ownership of "stuff".  I suddenly found myself realizing that I had too much clutter and it has been said that a cluttered house leads to a cluttered mind..and I was cluttered. When the economy tanked in 2008, it didn't take long for me to realize that I needed to purge. I found my self in a protracted job search and scrambling for income and having to make hard choices about what I could sell to help pay bills.  What was more important anyway...my stuff or my family?  And finally, why should have have this accumulation when there were so many less fortunate that were having the same struggles meeting bills like I was, but have absolutely nothing near the stuff I owned? 

This reminds me of a small one that
my grandmother had hanging on her
LR wall all those years ago.

 With that, I began to sell things on EBay, donate to the Salvation Army and list on local Craigs List.  It became a game and fun too.  Even though I had to give up my actual things, I had my memories in photographs and the fact that I did enjoy many of the things I was parting with for at least a while..now I was moving on.  I cannot live with my surroundings being the same forever so changing it up and de-cluttering gave me a fresh new outlook on things. At least, too, I knew that when it came time to say goodbye to my home, there would be less to pack away and haul out to the moving truck. 

 

I discovered six of these in the
side lot of an antique store
that begged me to  take them or the
garbage man would!

A lit bit of money trickled in. I found myself packing up thing to mail to Ebay buyers, making trips to the post office and kissing goodbye some quaint china pieces that I loved. This became an easier task as I came to understand that there were others out there that loved my things as much as I loved them.  On Craigs list, I met people who had dreams and plans for the stuff I was selling. Like the woman who bought my slipper chair and planned to reupholster it in a lovely cabbage rose chintz material and give it to her daughter for Christmas with a refurbished art deco vanity she bought from another seller.  I think over the years I only made one grave error in selling,..and that was selling my Calphalon pots and pans ..all 6 pieces with lids for only $20!  Today, I could kick myself. I had two sets of pots and pans and this one was the heaviest and hard to take care of.  Oh well, someone wanting to emulate a fine chef is happier for my mistake!  Gotta find the silver lining in everything!

My point in all of this is to set aside some of your free time to prioritize your life. Are you hanging onto things you no longer need or love as much?  Do you want to help others by donating but do not have real cash to do so?  Do you think you could use a few bucks in your pockets?  Sell, donate, and redirect that extra space to remain empty.  Your home will feel cleaner, you mind less cluttered and feel good knowing that organizations like the Salvation Army are doing good work with the money they will make from your donation.  They are, in fact, the most trusted charity around and love to sort through your things.



A beloved Bessie Pease Gutman
print that I am selling now.



Maybe it is time to change up your decor and become the minimalist that you should be. Ask yourself, if you died tomorrow, would your family care about your things as much as you?  Would they really take the time to catalog your stuff or would they throw it on the curb or have it all towed off by 1-800-GOT-JUNK?  Have you ever seen families that enjoyed doing all the work associated with handling everything you left behind? Let's face it..all family wants from their loved ones when they pass is a clean break and a few bucks. It may be harsh to say it, but hey, it is the truth.

The moral to this post is to start cleaning out your closets now.  Ask for help from your family so that while you are alive you will know what they are comfortable with.  Maybe they want something of yours now that you feel comfortable to give them today instead of making them wait. Surround yourself with the least of "things" and work towards streamlining your life.  Things will change in other places in your life because of it. The changes will be noticeable and gratifying. I promise...you will see!

Cleaning House

How much room do you have in your closets, basement, garage, and attic these days?  Have you accumulated more than you can actually keep?  Are your spaces bulging at the seams with no room for even a set of salt and pepper shakers? 



I found six of these also in the trash at an
antique store in my hometown! Mint!



It amazes me that when I moved into my house back in 1992, there was so much extra closet space. I have come to learn that the more space we are given, the more stuff we find to fill it.  Even in a 4 bedroom house with a library and garage and double wide closets in the bedrooms, there is more stuff in there than any one person should be allowed to have. It used to be fun before to bring home a new find and stash the old stuff away for "future use" or "safe keeping" but now I ask my self, what am I keeping it for?  What is my payoff?



My Victorian Wicker Rocker
found in the trash!



After having to actually take stock in all that I have saved (with good intentions in mind) for later, the economy took a dive and I find myself re-evaluating my priorities:  When there are so many with absolutely nothing like what I have been blessed to own over the years, why should I have so much stuff just occupying all the airspace?  I began to take stock and purge my closets and spaces and made a few trips to the Salvation Army.  The things that I did not donate, I listed on Craigslist with some great results.  The more expensive collectibles, I immediately listed on Ebay.  You know what? Not only did I make a few dollars to keep my family in the house and with bills paid, food on the table, but I also was able to know that the items I donated were not useless junk even to me, and the good work of that organization would be able to move forward between my donation and that of many others who believe in what they do.



They let me have this for $9.00 at a
local thrift store!



I want to share photos of some of the stuff I have listed on the various sites.  I thought it might be fun for you to see the kind of stuff I buy or find on the curb, and then just allow to sit around taking up space before I actually do something with it. You can tell I love old things...for some reason their vintage appeal resonates with me and brings me memories of the past that connect me to my grandma and a traditional lifestyle that appeals to me. 



My point in all of this is...realize what is important in life. Must one really accumulate to no end?  If you died tomorrow, God forbid, where would all of your collections of stuff move to?  Is anyone in the family appreciating your things right now?  Would they want to have to sort through all of it?  It just comes to a point where we realize what is important in life and learn that "stuff" just isn't important to anyone...but you.

Out with the old and and don't buy new...live with what you actually need. Become a minimalist. You will find that you like the end to the clutter and having to take care of so many things, and equally gratifying, you will be glad to know that between donating and selling, your things were put to their best use.  Til next time......  



This Bessie Pease Gutman
print just appealed to me
at $7.