It's All Relative's Stuff

I don't have much from my dad's side of the family unfortunately. I have a few stray pictures, none of my grandmother or great aunt unfortunately, and just a few pieces of furniture and collectibles. In the collectibles department, I obtained one serving bowl of my grandmother's and pieces of party-ware and fruit bowls from my great aunt. The party-ware pieces are Fire King/Anchor Hocking milk glass. I have a deviled egg dish, two relish trays and a footed bowl. Now what is missing?? Plates! CollectoratorOne will probably roll her eyes at me, but I haven't used this set yet mainly because I keep thinking I need to supplement this collection with a milk glass snack set in the gold trim pattern. I mean what good is it to serve deviled eggs and crudites when you have no plate to put them on! Let's be logical here... Oh and a milk glass cake plate, preferably that one that has the slices already defined, because every party needs CAKE. Now with that you'd have a proper party. I sense a milk glass skip-bo party extravaganza party coming on here...

I wish everyone could have met my great aunt, Auntie as we called her. She totally rocked. Her husband had died from a sudden medical issue very early in their marriage and she never remarried because she said what’s the point, she had already been married to her true love, no one else would compare. That was inspiring for me to wait until I found the right one before getting married.  She lived to be 92 so she was a widow for about 70 years of her life! She was also the first one to embarrass you in front of everyone you knew with racy gifts or by proposing questionable reasons why you might not be married yet in front the whole family at Thanksgiving! Darn, I really miss that lady, except at holidays…haha! In any case, I think I need to get the milk glass snack set (AFTER I MOVE) so I can honor her memory with a party with her party ware! 

The Tale of Pal and Other Four Sided (Legged?) Purses

I've found that the hardest thing to collect is box purses. Hats are a close second but you can, if need be, squeeze several hats in one hat box. Box purses on the other hand don't squish. Trust me I've tried. I have a lot of purses, which is no surprise given any good collectorating fashionista knows that you have to have the right purse to go with the right pair of shoes. Alas, the purses keep multiplying. The expansion was manageable until that fateful day I bought my first box purse. It was innocently enough. It was almost an after thought. CollectoratorOne and I were at our old favorite sellers' house in Dallas, where we had been graciously invited to view the best stuff they had. I had several piles of clothes stacked up ready to purchase when I spied the little white purse with the pink roses. How much for that, I asked? oh, really that's it? Ok, throw it in... that started it all.

Since that day, I realized I cannot really afford the cost of admission to proudly carry the creme de la creme of the vintage box purses. Running $100 plus even $200 a pop make it next to impossible. Over the years,  I've found my share of lower priced, beat up, slightly damaged, and reglued ones to keep my desire fulfilled, thankfully. However, now with more of a disposable income I've ventured out into the slightly more expensive, "but I've never seen this shape/color purse" purchases (pure Collectorating justification there). Case in point this navy, Myles Original purse. Yes it's navy not black (how cool is that?)

Although I am most proud of my Myles Original purse, my sentimental favorite is my Enid Collins "Pal" purse. It's a later model after she had already sold the company to the Tandy Corporation, but that's ok by me as the twin Tandy buildings in Fort Worth were always among my  favorite downtown Fort Worth buildings.  There's no special story here, it's  just a City Wide Garage Sale purchase, but I love that little purse. See, one thing you should know about me, like it or not, I actually use the stuff I buy. It's not art alone, it's functional art. If I am going to take the time to recycle someone's wares to give them life again I am going to make sure people see it, eat off of it, or drink out of it.  I've put together some fabulous outfits around that Pal purse. Thank you Enid!

Of course as with everything, I have too many box purses already, but at least I found a use for that pesky shelf I couldn't figure out what to do with. See, this is why I keep more often than I rid.

Don't Be Green With Party-Ware Envy!

My green glass party-ware was the first set of party-ware I collected so by the default of time it is the largest set I own. You'd think that I could just be happy with this set but of course you'd be wrong! Different parties call for different serving-ware as they have different atmospheres so any good party hostess knows you need to be prepared with the right serving tools for any inevitable party type!  Not to mention I long to have so many parties that I wouldn't want my guests to be bored seeing the same old party-ware time after time. haha. Of course with its green color this set lends it services most often in the holiday season, but it's made appearances at other times as well given the variety of types of pieces I have with this set.

I originally started collecting green glass party-ware because I thought I might inherit my grandma's green green drinking glass set with the raised cube pattern. Not because I had specifically asked for it, but I figured it was so mundane no one else would want it. Her set is probably the Indiana Whitehall pattern instead of the Fostoria American pattern as the Whitehall pattern was more widely available, but I did not know the difference until later in life (I call it the ice cube glass set regardless of the maker as they look like they ice cubes on the outside).

I collected this set of party-ware over time in preparation for inheriting my grandma's green glasses envisioning parties that would involve serving drinks in the glasses surrounded by mounds of retro appetizers on and in the serving-ware and bowls I was collecting. In the end, I did NOT inherit the glasses which I am ok with, but regardless I ended up with a small mountain of super functional green glass party-ware! I've come to realize that I probably would not use the glasses at a party anyway as people cannot always be trusted with glass after adult-beverages are imbibed throughout the evening. So it's probably just as well. I think I still win. After all, isn't it the say that the girl with the most party-ware in the end wins?? =) It has to be a super amazing piece for me to continue adding to this set so it's pretty much reached its limit. You'll notice that none of it really matches maker wise but that's not important in this set, the idea was just to have a fiesta of green glass.

Collectorators On the Road - Warrenton Day 2, Fall 2011 or How We Survived Day 86 of 100 plus degrees

First here's some fun weather facts in my fair city (Austin TX)  as of our Warrenton Day 2 adventure: it was the 86th day of 100 degrees  or higher this year (an all time record), 26th day of 105 degrees or higher this year (all time record), 152nd day of 90 or higher degrees this year (record is 159 in 1925) and it is now Fall and we might just hit 90 days of 100 degrees or higher this week. Now doesn't that make you want to move to Austin???

Day Poo, I mean Two (hahaha, thanks CollectoratorOne for that assessment of Day 2), started off with a dust-bowl magnitude windstorm as a supposed cool front started to come into the area. We had been forewarned it would be hotter than Day 1, but the promise of a possible cool front gave me some hope. Well, that pesky cool front stalled out in the no man's land between Waco and Austin. By the time we reached the first tent, we were completely windblown and covered in dirt. We had to give up all hope of looking cute for the day. Not that it matters what you look like at Warrenton, but I am not sure we were meeting even minimal standards of being presentable by the end of the day.

Now you may have heard me talk before about the Warrenton curse in previous posts. I think it's some old Indian curse for settling on their land, but I'd say in the past 10 years or so that we've been going to Warrenton having a "nice weather day" is, well, countable on a couple of fingers. Normally, it rains on us (well it did before we entered into our latest drought period). But like clockwork, there for awhile if we were going to Warrenton you could expect rain. Now, I'd have to say the curse has evolved lately into just unpleasant weather. It's been hot in the past, but this was beyond hot especially for the fall show. It's been known to be 40 degrees when we first arrive.  Not this time. By the time it was 105 degrees, we were strategizing our moves like a chess player from one shade spot to the next debating on how we would get to the next spot and perhaps find liquids in between. It was brutal. Somehow, and I am still not really sure how, we managed it and still ended up with some quality stuff.

Overall, it was not the Warrenton we had hoped for, no furniture, no really exciting finds, but it was productive to some extent. I was VERY good this year and with the pending move I did not buy things I normally might have bought so that was good for me, but CollectoratorOne did not find the furniture pieces she had hoped for. I'd have to say this is the first Warrenton in a long time where we did not see any nice and affordable sets of mid-century furniture. There was some, but it was in bad condition and expensive. Last year we saw two very nice Heywood Wakefield bedroom sets and two really good couches but the timing was not right to buy last year.

I did make my first forays into a new hobby. Flower arranging! This is a hobby though I am not starting until we buy the new house mostly due to lack of space and a good work room. Regardless, I  had to buy this awesome love birds on driftwood planter because it was only $5!   I also bought an awesome 1940s table settings and flower arrangement magazine complete with lessons on "what's wrong with this table and how to fix it" lessons.  I've always wanted to learn vintage flower arranging techniques, but I resisted buying more flower arranging supplies than I need to have right now! My other favorite find was this Enid Collins purse.  It's called Mille Fleurs, but it always looked more like starts in the sky to me.  I had three of her purses on my list and now I have two! I have one more to go (the For the Birds purse, of course!). I was super excited to find this one in black as it is more rare than the plain wood and looks more like the night sky that way.

CollectoratorOne found a nice piece of fabric to recover her dining room chairs from the fabric lady tent. That lady has tons and tons of upholstery and curtain fabric. I can't imagine how long it takes to load it all in! The fabric she bought is cream and has that fabulous blue of her dining room walls running through it. I can't wait to see how awesome it looks on the chairs. Stay tuned!!! She also got this really neato plant green plant shelf for her Alamo pots on her patio. She doesn't even have to repaint it as it's the same green as the trim on the patio! It's metal but has really cute white plastic decorations on the sides. The whole thing snaps a part too. On the ride back we swore we would not want to go back for awhile but by the time I woke up and went to work the next morning, I already wanted to go back!  Crazy I know.

photo courtesy of CollectoratorOne

PS I totally forgot to mention that in Day 1 CollectoratorOne got this awesome chalk pin up girl wall art. We had never seen anything like it especially in the stand up pose. It was cheap too for something so cool. I still need to find chalk fish for the bathroom, but I am putting that wish on hold until I see what colors I end up with in the new house!

Collectorators On the Road - Warrenton Day 1 Fall 2011

Warrenton, day 1. The day we impatiently wait for every 6 months. This time CollectoatorOne was ready to finally buy one of those big ticket items (bedroom set, couch, club chairs, tables) we always see time and time again but never can buy because it's not the right time. She's recently bought a new house (see her Flick photos here There's No Place Like Home Too) and is ready to stock it with fabulous new furniture. The way Warrenton works though is you always find what you are NOT looking for. I kept telling her to start looking for Alamo Pottery because that's the last thing either of us needs! Unfortunately, Day 1 came and went with out the need to rent a U-haul, but we did walk away with some pretty cool stuff. CollectoratorOne found a new light copper light fixture that we hope will work in her dining room and some star backplates for door/cabinet pulls that she has a special purpose for in the new house. Not exactly what she was hoping to find but neat stuff to make an already cool house even cooler.

photo courtesy of CollectoratorOne

I was very reserved for myself which is VERY rare. I found several things I wanted that I passed up, some very good buys even. But embarking on a move in the near future has made it less desirable to by things even if I like or want them. I was joking before we went that I should just take some boxes and just pack things right then and there. hahaha. Instead I decided just to be good. For instance, I found a yellow Lustroware canister set for $12 that had lettering much brighter than mine. Now, normally I would have bought that without thinking about it to replace my current set, but who knows if yellow will even work in my future kitchen (frankly it better, as I have a TON of yellow plastic-ware), but I was trying to demonstrate some reserve and CollectoratorOne aptly said if I buy that then there will be no way that yellow will work in my future kitchen! I walked away.  I bought two things on my list, a quilted hankie box to rescue my overflow of hankies from the ziploc bad they are currently stored in, and a set of Manhattan candle holders to go with my "fire and ice" tablescape. I am getting ready to pack this up so it'll be featured sooner than later. =)

The one thing I refused to pass up was this  GIANT Gilmer pot with it's original stand. This pot is huge, and it was about half price of what we've seen this large of Alamo pots go for in the past. Not to mention its pink and totally goets with my trio Gilmer plant stand that is currently full of dead plants so it is not pictured. Probably the main reason I wanted it though is that it's the same Gilmer pots and stand (albeit it a larger one) that are outside my dream house in CollectoratorOne's new neighborhood. The universe keeps sending me signs that there's a reason I am drawn to this house and finding the same pots as the current owner has, who likely bought them back in the 1950s originally, really sends me good vibes. 

Probably the best part of the day aside from the chicken salad sandwiches at Legal Tender, was seeing our favorite dealer. I think he is as happy to see us as we are to see him which makes it all the better to see him. He had these really amazing chairs that I cannot even describe but they weren't what CollectoratorOne was looking for in the "club chair" category. Still very cool.  I bought a dress and a Neiman Marcus lambswool coat from him and the third time we went back by to say hello I bought a nice black and silver purse. We are looking forward to day 2 and hope that it will the furniture gods will shine down on CollectoratorOne! 

Remember the Alamo - Remember the Spring...

Of 2010 that is.... It's safe to say that we barely had a spring this year. We had come of a long winter where we actually got a decent amount of snow one day and then basically by April we were already in summer. Oh I went through my usual diligent spring planting of annuals, but they didn't make it long in the Texas drought and 85 days of 100 degree weather this year (usually we have 12 days of 100 degree weather). I don't know why, but I failed to take any pictures of the spring flowers while they lasted. That's too bad really because I have acquired 6 more Alamo pots for begonias since the last time I took a picture of them back in spring of 2010. You can get an glimmer (or is it Gilmer,...haha inside joke) of an idea what my Alamo collection looks like from this picture, but you'll have to wait until next time to see the whole kit and caboodle. Trust me you do not want to see it right now, everything that is left  is barely hanging on.

But onto to sing the praises of Alamo. CollectoratorOne first discovered Alamo pottery several years ago, and I bought a large yellow one for the sake of having one. Well my mistake came when I bought the pink one and left them alone together. Now for some reason I have 19 pastel colored scalloped pots from both Alamo and it's step-brother Gilmer Pottery. CollectoratorOne and I mainly collect the scalloped pots they produced, but we have several other pieces from both Alamo and Gilmer as well. Such as this little tulip shaped pot and  deco-ish ashtray.  This is Texas-bred pottery, one of several companies I have been learning about and collecting over the years.  Alamo Pottery only operated from 1945-1951, but Gilmer came in tweaked the colors and molds and continued on with the scalloped goodness until 1965. You can tell the scalloped pots apart because Alamo Pottery is right, down to the right. Gilmer is down to the left. We used to despise Gilmer because we thought they were knock off pots, until we learned the full history. Now we embrace them equally which is good because they have some super cute items in their line including little scalloped pots with a scalloped base hooked on of which I have two! Can't be that. You can tell a piece of Alamo or Gilmer when you pick it up. It's super heavy for it's size as it was made out of vitreous porcelain of the ilk that is used in bathroom fixtures, not surprising given they also made bathroom fixtures! What we'd give to find a pink Alamo sink and toilet. egads.... It's safe to say that I've drank the Alamo koolaide, and I think that I need one more pot because 19 is just not a round number...

Oh before you go, Check out CollectoratorOne's Alamo/Gilmer collection here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/collectoratorone/sets/72157615605309033/

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!