Corn Curlies, Wheat Whippies, Peanut Pippies, and Potato Poopies!

Ahhhh the Dick Van Dyke show. My absolute favorite show. I've seen every episode countless times, but I still crack up at the wit  and physical comedy that ensues each and every time I watch an episode.  Bewitched is a close second for me as both Samantha Stevens and Laura Petire inspired me both from a fashion sense and the powerful yet homemaking female role they each play. I've also derived a lot of collectorating inspiration from the Dick Van Dyke show. There's a list floating around the internet of the most wanted props from the show and of course the ottoman Rob trips over in the opening credits is highest on the list. (Note thought some times he doesn't actually trip but manages to skirt by!) For me, the number one item I covet is their couch! I currently own a curved couch and round coffee table a la the Petrie's living room, but my couch is new and not exactly right. I'm waiting until I move to see what space I have, and then I am going on a quest for the perfect Dick Van Dyke curved couch!

Second on my list would be the neato-frito serving ware Laura has. In fact, the first time I decided I wanted a lazy susan was when I saw an episode from Season 2 called "It's a Shame She Married Me." In this episode, the Petrie's are throwing one of their numerous parties (see where I get my love for parties from too??) and in one scene Rob is setting out the lazy susan complete with yummy 50sesque sounding snacks such as Wheat Whippies and Potato Poopies... lolololol! He quips that the snacks are getting cuter ever year. =) What I'd give to throw a party with those snacks! Now I have to say, nothing against Laura or anything, but my lazy susan beats the capri pants off of her lazy susan hands down. I don't even remember where I got it, but I know I didn't pass it up for anything when I saw it,  fully imagining taking it home and serving some fun Dick Van Dyke episode party-inspired snacks! The party will have to wait as it's now all packed up, but maybe I'll throw a Dick Van Dyke show style formal dress house warming party complete with fun snacks in the lazy susan and a song and dance show in the living room!

Kromex-cess?

As promised, it's Kromex time! In my zeal of packing up extra things I think I've completely hampered my ability to have a swanky chrome-based party now! oh well, it's worth it to get a head start on packing and to show off my Kromex collection on the blog. As you can see I have a LOT of Kromex trays. My favorites are the tidbit trays especially the spacey looking two armed tray. The most amazing thing is I was able to get these ALL in on box, and probably more amazing they were all in my dining room buffet and hutch. I still don't know how I stored all of these!

My favorite memory in using these was at my wine and cheese party. My friend from Norway brought about 10 different kinds of hard cheese from Norway and Europe and we filled my kitchen island with trays of cheese, meat and fruit (turns out you can bring cheese into a foreign country as long as it's hard cheese. Who knew?!) I have to say those were some of the yummiest cheeses I've ever tasted. The best, although weirdest cheese, was a bright orange Parmesan cheese. No one wanted to try it because it was as orange as sweet potatoes which is weird because we'll eat Cheddar cheese all day long and that's orange, but this cheese was electric orange.  Everyone finally did try it after I wore them all down, and it was gone first!

Packing is going slow, and so far I haven't found anything I am ready to part with which is supposed to be part of this early packing exercise. CollectoratorOne will not be surprised to hear that! I don't think I can get rid of any of these trays, they are so handy! The best part about packing in this organized way is that for the first time in a long time like pieces are hanging out with their counterparts!  I think that's the trouble with  over-collectorating, either you have to keep reorganizing or live with things in different places. Course if I would purge as often as I collect then maybe the re-organization would not be such a chore!

Hors d'Oeuvres Anyone?

One thing I really like to do is throw parties! That is fully evidenced by the amount of party-ware I own. Now the problem is I don't actually get around to throwing as many parties as I'd like to or rather would warrant the amount of party-ware I do have. Probably among the most used set of party-ware I have this variety set of aluminum trays.

These are all different makers, and I have double of the smaller ones. I love all of these so I profess no favorite here, although I found the black and gold starburst ones last time at Warrenton for $1 so that was nice deal. Actually, I think those are the only non-sliver or glass trays I have, but I couldn't pass them up because they have stars on them, (yet another love)!  I have bunch of different Kromex trays too which are also in the most used category of party-ware, but they call for their own box and blog given the amount I have of those!  I threatened CollectoratorOne that when I move I am going to make her come over often for fancy tea sandwiches and Skip-Bo so I can justify all of these trays!

The bad thing is I packed all of these trays for the eventual move, but I will probably need them if not in October by March of next year. oh well. I can always unpack them or use some other party-ware set! hee!

Crazy About Chartreuse Too!

Update: Finished my first box of packing!! I felt like when I taped up that box I sent the universe in motion to begin to locate my new house! Go universe go!

I don't know if it was just closing up the box up, or if it was the act of packing some of my favorite pottery into a box CollectoratorOne had labeled Shawnee Vases (one of the first boxes she unpacked into her new house), but I felt our always parallel universe working in my favor.

I'm excited to see what I'll feature and pack up next! Oh, and just in case you didn't think the first batch of chartreuse pottery necessitated the label "crazy," here's part two! Also a nice picture of my favorite round plant stands by the way. Two for one!

Crazy about Chartreuse

Not so crazy that I am going to dye my hair chartreuse like in the Louis Jordan song BUT I have collected chartreuse pottery beyond my fair share most likely! When I was looking for my current house, I had to put a dining room set on layaway  because I hadn't found the house yet. Thank goodness for layaway because this was the perfect dining room set for me. 1960's  honey colored wood and chartreuse covered seat cushions, so I couldn't pass it up just because I didn't have silly thing like a house for it! Now normally I like dark wood which is kind of anti-mid century modern I'll admit, but I inherited a few pieces of dark furniture so I've built around it. I've done just fine in finding darker wood pieces in the era, but I drew the line at the dining room set. Regardless of the color it was coming home with me. Once I settled on the house, I realized that the existing paint color in the dining room lent itself quite perfectly with chartreuse. For those who want to know, the paint is Kelly Moore Everglades. Kind of a greenish bluish medium grey (it looks bluer than it is in the pictures).  I highly recommend it for blonde or honey colored wood, although i do rather like the color CollectoratorOne chose for her new dining room, that same medium grey but with more turquoise.

In any case, upon move in I had NOTHING that was chartreuse to decorate with. GASP! So I promptly remedied it and bought several pieces to display. I've slowly expanded my collection to the current state.  I really wish I knew who the manufacturer is of the set on the left in the picture. Can't seem to find anyone that knows. My favorite piece is in the center which is Claire Lerner California Pottery.  I'd like to find the free form shallow bowl to stand the birds in, someday. Lastly there are two Bennetts California Serpentine vases. I've seen a 4 inch tall one as well...next on my list!

As much as I love looking at this cheerful chartreuse pottery I am packing most of it away. Yes, you read that right packing it away because I have started the tick tick tick of the moving timeline! It's time that we found a bigger house, only partially due to my Collectorating habit (is 80% really partial?) Granted, it may be six months to a year before we move, but I want to be ready to move fast when I find that perfect house. It's also the perfect opportunity to start a new blog series to highlight everything I'm packing away! I'll think I'll leave the Claire Learner birds out for staging so someone else sees how perfect this paint is with chartreuse!

Game Day 2011 - Collectorating Style

Ok it's no secret that I am a big UT Longhorn fan, not a big football fan, just a big UT Longhorn fan. Those two things are VERY different.  I earned every bit of that right to be a big fan given my 13 career as a professional student at UT. Before anyone pokes fun, I did get three degrees out of it including a Phd so by averages, three degrees in 13 years is just about right. I would have tried for 14 but I got a little tired of as an adult having to say "I am a student" to the question of "So what do you?" Not to mention I was well into my Collectorating addiction by that time and I needed a real source of funds to support said habit.
Even though I've put almost a decade between me and my last day on campus as an official student (October 1, 2002 for those who need details), I am still a UT Longhorn fan through and through. Now, for me it's not about the game, although I do care if we win but for me it's mostly all about the century old team spirit, traditions, and burnt orange fashion (of course!). I have almost enough outfits (shoes included!) to make it through the whole season of game day outings, but I can always use more.

Lately I've begun collecting accessories to make it all come together or go overboard as it may be... My favorite is this vintage basket purse adorned with a vintage cartoony Bevo. But my orange rhinestone and white bracelet is a close second . Pair that with some burnt orange gloves and hankie inside the Bevo purse and you've got yourself one touch-down-cannon-shooting-game-day outfit! Now, if we can win today, that will be even better, and I can go out and buy a new accessory item! Oooo, I see the start of a new tradition! Go Horns!!!

Extreme Collectorating = Tablescapes!

Well meaning friends say there is a fine line between collectorating and hoarding... To them I say you haven't found the beauty of well functioning tablescapes yet!!! So there... cough... In any case, my new favorite thing of late is creating works of art with my favorite collectibles. Only trouble is it gives me more excuses to buy more things (like I need anymore excuses). Case in point these two lovely birds. I can honestly say I bought them for the sole purpose of standing next to this McCoy Floraline vase.


A worthy purchase I think.  My favorite trio of late though is one that came together on its own over time not through a tablescape-need-justification. A nice, sunny yellow combo of Alamo and Shawnee vases and a Maddux Chinese Pheasant. It makes me happy just looking at it even though the bright yellow reminds me that it has been exhaustingly sunny for waaaaaay too many days this summer. What would make me feel better is if I could find the running pheasant in the same Maddux series which still frustratingly alludes me! Ok, I'd settle for 80 degree weather for awhile instead.

So what may seem on the outside as over-collectorating is really functional on the inside. I found that I actually make the effort get the pieces out and arrange them in new ways and funny so does "the boy." I'll come home and find his own carefully assembled scape filled with flowers. Now that's love. So not only am I enjoying all the pieces I've found, I'm actually using them too which makes me very happy even if I don't have the Maddux running pheasant! oh that fast 'scaping bird... Tune in for more tablescapes coming soon!