Prize Possessions

What I'm about to show you is currently marked down at #1 in my mental list of The Very Best Things I Own. I own a lot of junk too, but - I've given it an A+ in all of the following categories:

1. Interestingness
2. Rarity
3. Condition in relation to Age
4. Just plain 'ol general awesomeness

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Uhmmmm, whaat!?!? I didn't even know something like this could exist in the world! Not only are there 12 beautiful animal stamps but there's also three ink pads and a slew of other little paper bits all stamped up and colored on!







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I'm not entirely sure on the age. The company was founded in 1860 and one of the ink pads says 1910 on it... so it's somewhere between 150 - 100 years old ... crazy, right? It blows my mind that a children's stamp set could survive its early years with the original owner, never-mind be carried along through the generations! Or maybe it belonged to a very fussy, and particular child who kept their toys neat and shiny and after they grew out of these stamps they were kept safe inside a box only to be rescued years and years later. Who knows! And that's part of the fun about it!

All I have to say about its prior life- whoever this little bebe was had some amaaazing crayon color blending techniques!











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I also really love how simple the stamps are in comparison to the drawings that accompany them!

























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Now I just need to track down a stamp pad. In the shuffle of moving I seemed to misplace all of mine, and would you believe it- Dick Blick doesn't carry even a silly blank ink pad?!?

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The Main Street, pt. 2

Here are a few more photos from our mini-adventure exploring my mum's building. Someday, when it's not frigid and windy I'll drag Jeff back and we'll take more pictures, something involving some sort of skillful set design with furniture and props and floaty floral dresses and nice shoes?? Who knows! Until then, there's these - scraggly long bangs and all!

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Awwh, and a silly photo of Jeff taking a picture of me taking a picture. He's the one responsible for all these photos. Some taken with my lomo, some with my digital, and some with his fancy Contax G2.

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Lomo adventures, pt. 4 - The Main Street

When I was little my mom's dad owned a building on the Main Street of our town. For years and years he ran an insurance business there - from what I remember it was filled with antique office supplies and beautiful wooden chairs. Alongside it was an old timey "Smoke Shop" that had a nice little candy selection and whenever I'd go to spend the afternoon with him after elementary school I'd always get a $1 candy allowance.... My mom is a dental hygienist - so, you know.. It was awesome.

The building is now my mum's and it wasn't until last year that I finally explored the upstairs floors of the building. My mom was pulling out Art Deco milk glass ceiling fixtures and it dawned on me that I should probably take a look for myself. And holy heck. I wish I hadn't waited so long!





It's two floors of beautiful wallpaper. Perfectly peeling paint. Tin walls and ceilings. Wooden floor boards. And a few stoves and a claw foot tub too! The only problem is that there's no electricity up there and many of the rooms are dark.








I talked to my Great Uncle about what used to be up there, and I guess it started off as a Masonic Lodge and then it was a Put 'n Chip - you know, like indoor golf! After the fella who owned the Put 'n Chip passed away it just fell into a sleepy state of decay and it's been empty for the past 50 years.





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There's no heat, no running water, no electricity. The roof leaks... It needs so much work. But, I think about this place practically every day and daydream about how amazing it could be.









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There's a handful of more photos to share... Mostly me running around the place in one of my lace dresses, too lazy to try and put a real outfit together because it was sooo cold that day! Tomorrow I'll share!

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NE Loot

I'm back in San Francisco! Somehow every time I come back to California from visiting New England I always, always end up taking back an extra suitcase. This time I was extra embarrassed because they put a "heavy" tag on it... But, my dress form is in there! along with a whole lotta other random things... I even had hair clips from my grandmother's beauty shop shoved into the pockets of my coats... A day in the life of a traveling hoarder is all.

Anyway, I brought back a lot of silly things. Not as much clothing as I'd originally hoped, but I did stock up on things for sending out 1385 packages...

Like a nice 6" stack of old maps. (from my grandmother's house)



and a good pile of 1974 reprint Randolph Caldecott postcards (from Putnam)





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and string!!!!!!!!! I love string.. I think I forgot to add that my list yesterday. I guess I love any sort of old general store supplies. Because I do love old labels too... (all from my gram's attic)





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All sorts of bits, some to put in packages - some to keep (from gram's attic too!)





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And these crazy old lady shoes...A racing stripe down the back of a cork heel and embroidered flowers. Yes, they fit the crazy old lady bill quite perfectly. And I think they're going to be good for Spring. (these are part of this collection and were left behind in the move along with 5 or so other pairs... it's insanity!)



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This special little box once belonged to my Great Uncle, who's 93!! It's his First Communion attire and it's so sweetly placed into that box. I love that its been sitting like that for 80 years!





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I have a bunch of my grandmother's old Cosmetology certificates around the house. I love them because they look like fancy medical certificates - but, nahh - just for gussying gals up. Here's another nice one to add to my collection!



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I found a nice Owens Illinois canister for only $20 in Putnam.. People are always trying to sell these things for $30 - $60. So, if you want to start a collection, be patient!! I found 2 for $30 once at a flea market once! And some anemone bunches from the Ferry Building Farmer's Market ... I could seriously look at these flowers all day!





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And last but not least, and maybe my favorite thing - a little, little baby elephant who once belonged to my Aunt Bettie. My mom set him aside for me and he was waiting for me when I got back to MA two weeks ago. There was also a really sweet letter sitting next to him that my mom wrote to her mom when she was a little girl. Asking for a puddle (in little girl language that translates to a poodle) I took photos of it because it's so darn cute, but I think she might be a little embarrassed to have that on here! We'll see, we'll see ... it's kind of too cute not to post!





And that concludes my New England loot. Well, actually - there's a few more things I found in Putnam including a nice wool dress with a cowl neck, a few cotton Victorian blouses (amy, this means I'm working on a package for you!) and one more other thing that deserves its own blog post - but I can't resist showing a little sneak because it's THAT amazing.



You'll just have to guess at what it is for now!

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Carpet Bags

There's an antique mall in Putnam, CT that's 4 stories high and I swear I always come out of there with a really great haul. My mom loves to go too, which is really nice and it's always really cute to see the things she picks out. We went together this past Sunday - I wasn't looking for anything in particular but somehow I came out of there with a tun of things. (tomorrow's post!)

So, I realize I have many a weakness... and I could find at least 5 things at any antique store/flea market that I really and truly LOOOVE and NEEEED to have and can't LIIIVE without... Pillow cases. Pale colored floral cottons (fabric and/or dresses.) Raggedy stuffed animals. Hankies. Old note pads and note books. Blank ledgers. Rubber stamp sets. Gladstone bags. Early celluloid jewelry. Quilts. Buttons. Lace dresses. Metal boxes....

The list goes on... But. Carpet bags. Ooh carpet bags.. they do funny things to my heart. They're hard to find and always soo expensive. And somehow I managed to find two(!?!) on the same day!

I'll introduce you to the scragglier one first.. Judging by the clasp on it, I think it's from the late 60's. It was in a messy pile of other bags/hats/fabric and I'm glad I spotted it. It has itself a hole and the inside needs a vacuum and it could use a few stitches - but uhh, for $5, whatever!

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And then.....sigh. This one... It was inside of a fancy glass case. I saw it and fell in love and couldn't even bring myself to really look at it. Penniless heartbreak.



As the man was tallying up our purchases I thought I'd show it to my mum.I took her over and one of the sales ladies happened to be right there. And before you knew it the bag was out of the case and in my hands and then I hear the words "20% off sale" and then "We'll take it!" And in those whirlwind moments - I thought my heart was going to explode.



It's amazing and it feels good on my shoulder and that flap just falls right into place so perfectly. The leather along the front is beautiful and soft - and I really love the rivets on the sides.



Now, if only someone would start re-creating these things. Etsy sellers, lets get working here! I think we could all use a little Mary Poppins in our day to day lives!

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