Oh my, spring has really begun to turn to summer. The goslings are already half adult size and the air is thick with poplar fluff. You may have noticed I've been here less than frequently lately as I just can't bear to be inside these days. But I'm here now so I wanted to post some new items that have me squealing with excitement.

First up, this exquisite crystal stopper. Etched with a floral/leaf pattern, I believe it is likely a late 30s early 40s piece. There is so much spectacular detail in the carving on this one. I know you are probably thinking "what on earth does one do with a stopper?" but I can think of so many possibilities...It could be made into a doorknob, a centrepiece in a floral arrangement or even just as a decorative ornament, this beautiful piece of crystal will draw plenty of attention.

Next is this signed Kagami crystal sake glass. Kagame is Japan's royal brand, in existence since 1934.

They have crafted beautiful one of a kind pieces for Japanese Royalty, all their crystal is hand cut.

This glass is contemporary, I just love the shape and design.

Last is this gleaming silver plated alcohol burner for a chafing dish. I date it to the 40s since the knob is bakelite. The bottom is slightly dinged but the top is in good shape and the plate looks fabulous. 

Well that's it for today, the sunshine beckons... see you soon.

All Things Japanese

I've travelled to a lot of places in the world but the one place I haven't been yet is Japan.
Whether it's the bright lights of Tokyo or the calm of tea ceremonies, or the  image of vast hills of blooming ornamental cherry trees... I long to visit this land steeped in ritual and culture.
But for now the best I can do is dream and enjoy the many found things from Japan that I come across in my work. Top of the list for me has to be Kokeshi. Kokeshi are carved wooden dolls that come in all shapes and sizes. Uniquely shaped with no arms or legs and large heads.

 It is believed that kokeshi were "originally made during the middle of the Edo period (1600–1868) to be sold to people who were visiting the hot springs in the north-east of the country." (wikipedia) Traditional Kokeshi can be identified by their artist signatures or by their unique facial characters. 

Beware though, once you start collecting them it's impossible to stop!

Next on my Japan collectibles list is this enameled cigarette case.

These type in particular were popularized after WWII  as tourist gifts. Often they came in sets with a lighter and though they are not rare, they are a fun collectible and are fairly easy to find. Of course they can always be repurposed to hold things other than cigarettes.

 No collection of Japanese things is complete without at least a little paper, folded or otherwise.

I love 70's japanese postcards taken of course with film cameras, (those fuji greens!!) 

books of matches, always the most interesting, one of these has copies of block printed fish on it.

These post cards of a tea Ceremony are my favourite, not old but beautifully printed and frame worthy, and lastly folded paper dolls, the two on the far left are newer book marks.

This week as I was scouring the shelves of my local thrift store I found my final item, a beautiful Japanese laquer vase. I have seen lots of laquerware old, new and otherwise but this one is a first for me. By it's shape and style I'd say it's most likey sixties or seventies. It kind of jumped off the shelf at me and it is so bright and cheerful, I may have to hang on to it for a while.

The Business of Customer Satisfaction

I have been selling vintage online now for about 4 years. That's a lot longer than I ever dreamed I'd be doing this and it seems (though of course are there are hard times too) that it is getting better and better. That's four years of building an online business, watching the ebb and flow. The one thing I've always been hesitant about in doing on-line sales is, I can't really deal with a live person. I often feel confused by things I read in email as I'm unable to gather the context of the words. (More than a few sales have gone awry because I misunderstood an email!) So I am always very appreciative when someone goes that extra mile to share a little of their joy after recieving an item.

Recently a woman from Hungary ordered gloves from me and was quite concerned whether she would get them in time for a special event. I was also on pins and needles because I believe, if my customers aren't happy, I'm not happy. Needless to say I was delighted when she wrote me this letter. 

Thank you so much! They arrived just in time, much sooner than I expected. Here are a few photos:

instagram.com/p/kQAm7fAdg1/

instagram.com/p/kcgd73gduw/

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That is the best result I could hope for and makes me feel so happy to know that in some small way I made someone happy. 

Is it in the air, or in the cloth?

Okay, I apologize to any of you who are still deep in winter's grip but I must proclaim it because I can feel it, this palpable lightness in the air. The birds have ceased their huddling and are now singing in the rain. The rain itself is softer, less hostile and stinging than in December. And just yesterday I saw and heard this little hummingbird singing his heart out at the top of this tree. "it's spring, it's spring, come fly it's spring!"

I don't know why but somehow it's sent me back in time, I'm in full nostalgic mode circa 1970. Perhaps it's the youthful air of spring or perhaps the hummingbird that made me think of tropical climes.
This week I ventured to Hawaii with the purchase of this fab tie by Prince Kahio and this surfing shirt by Surfline. The bright oranges and yellows just make me happy. The fabrics polyester and bark cloth are so retro 70's they could have been my mom's curtains. Lol.

Thanks and a SALE

Today I'd like to take the opportunity to thank my valued customers. To all who share my love of all things old, I thank you for your continued support, whether it be purchases, comments, or just encouragement in general, I do appreciate it immensely.

And to show my appreciation I'm having a winter sale.

Beat The Winter Blues Sale! 

Until December 9th, purchase any item/s over $25 in my Etsy shop and receive a 15% discount. 

 Just enter the coupon code "auntbetty25" at checkout. 

Thanks for making this a memorable year.

All the best this holiday season.

Ode to the Polaroid Land Sx70

 It's high time for a post about vintage cameras. Long before I started selling vintage goods I was fully ensconced in photography. As often happens to photographers, I became fascinated with vintage cameras but for me it was specifically polaroid vintage cameras. I had seen these beautiful soft focussed images, heavy with grain and bits of  undeveloped edges and I needed to know how those were achieved.

It was the lovely hippy urban girl (who just happens to be my sister in law) who turned me on to The Sx70 alpha1. I had tried the 80's plastic polaroids which are fun for parties, but I wanted an SLR camera and the Alpha1 is exactly that. It was love at first sight......

For a while when the film was still easily obtained I preferred to shoot with polaroid. Even though the film was almost always expired it didn't matter as sometimes that resulted in beautifully decayed looking images.

As the film grew scarce my friends an I began to discuss whether shots were "polaroid" worthy or not.

In the fall of '99 Polaroid folded instant film production entirely. We began to buy expired film in lots of 25 and 50 packs. Those eventually became too expensive and so I reluctantly turned to 35mm film and rediscovered the joy of shooting with the camera I first learned photography on, my Yashica FR.

As friends and family learned of my interest in old film cameras I began to receive 35 mm cameras and gear until soon one whole corner of my bedroom was taken up with camera storage.

And on it goes.... My home is now filled with Vintage cameras some usable others just for show, but my true love is and always will be Polaroid Sx70 cameras.

                                       

Post script: I haven't completely left polaroid photography behind, I just (at this moment in time) don't have the kind of cash it takes to fill my need for film.  the-impossible-project.com is still producing film and it is absolutely beautiful and every bit as nostalgic as the original TZArtistic. If you have the means, do get some, you won't regret it and it just may lead you on to ever more creative discoveries.

Fashion forward from the past

As fashion often does, today we are looking to the past for ideas for men's fashion and some of the hottest accessories right now are cufflinks and pocket squares.

 I think cufflinks of the past are most interesting and unique. Top names in vintage cufflinks are Krementz, Anson, Foster and Hickok, with Krementz being the highest quality. You can go as plain or fancy as you like, base metal or 14kt or sterling. Popular styles are brushed metal, diamond cut and rhinestone, not to forget novelty styles like fly fishing flies cast in resin. Natural stones and other materials like these beautiful black coral cufflinks are de rigueur.

For pocket squares I'm of the opinion there is only one kind and that's silk. Plain or paisley, subdued or flashy, those are personal choices but if you want to impress it must be silk. Look for hand rolled, hand sewn edges and designer brands like Dior and de La Renta and you can't go wrong.
 So weather it's a formal dinner or a night on the town there's a link or square for every occasion. Just remember a few simple rules and you'll look fabulous.

Number one, match your metals. If your buttons and belt buckle are silver then silver links it is. Same goes for the square, pick one colour from your suit or tie and complement it. How you fold or scrunch it depends on the occasion but it shouldn't overpower your whole ensemble. Having said that, breaking the rules is sometimes what fashion is all about.

Tin Treasures

This week we're taking a look at antique and vintage tin items. For the purpose of explaing the processes I will focus on biscuit tins but these can be applied to any type of tin collectable.

Tins, a brief and abridged Wiki history:

"Biscuit tins are made of tin plate. This consists of iron sheets thinly coated with tin by being dipped into the liquid metal. The sheets are then bent to shape....  Biscuit tin manufacture was a small but prestigious part of the vast industry of tin plate production,...

The earliest decorated biscuit tin was commissioned in 1868 by Huntley & Palmers from the London firm of De La Rue to a design by Owen Jones. Early methods of printing included the transfer process (essentially the method used to decorate porcelain and pottery since about 1750) and the direct lithographic process, which involved laying an inked stone directly on to a sheet of tin. Its disadvantage was that correct colour registration was difficult. The breakthrough in decorative tin plate production was the invention of the offset lithographic process. It consists of bringing a sheet of rubber into contact with the decorated stone, and then setting-off the impression so obtained upon the metal surface. The advantages over previous methods of printing were that any number of colours could be used, correctly positioned, and applied to an uneven surface if necessary. Thus the elaborately embossed, colourful designs that were such a feature of the late Victorian biscuit tin industry became technically possible."

Modern tins use the photo litho process which takes away the graininess found in the previous processes. Though the images are sharper, I much prefer the imperfection of transfers, lithos and direct lithographs. 

I like tin lithos because they are not only decorative but often functional and can be used for years and years. Because of their decorative nature, they can be passed on for future generations to enjoy. I think all collectors should have at least a few good tin items in their collections. Here are a few of my faves...

Happy Hunting!

The Art of the Scarf

How I love a good scarf. The scarf is so versatile and can really add that final je ne sais quoi to any outfit. But if you are like me you sometimes struggle with how to wear them. Do I tie or wrap, should  it go outside or inside my jacket, knot or bow, long and flowing or short and bowing? Here is an essential guide to scarf tying and wearing, in video form.




Here are three beautiful vintage scarves available now on my etsy site.

Polaroid Luv and a Heavy Heart

Come to my kiosk at the fleamarket and you'll see a load of Polaroid cameras that pretty much forms a line around the whole shop. It's no secret that I love everything to do with the original polaroid cameras and film and now the new generation of impossible instant film. I have in my personal collection no less than 10 cameras at any given time and the fridge is forever stocked with film, new and old.

So it is with a heavy heart that I have listed on ebay the following very hard to find items. 

But, alas .... a gals got to eat.

Here are two lenses for Polaroid Sx70 Alpha1 along with attachments, a lens hood and a close up lens. All are in excellent condition.

If they don't sell as one lot I will consider selling them piece by piece.

Everyone Needs a Little Pink

Sometimes people ask me why, when the economy is flailing, would I be selling collectibles and antiques? Well the answer is simple, because we need beauty to help us rise above. Yes it's hard, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. And I can say with absolute certainty, this is not easy!! But it is fullfilling, and worthwhile and most of all brings me and my customers much, much joy.

When I recieve feedback from buyers who are thrilled with their purchases I feel I have done my job and I view that job as spreading joy and preserving special moments in time. No, we don't need things to make us happy but they can help us express our selves, especially for those of us who aren't particularly crafty or artisitc. And we can (though indirectly I suppose) support art. Isn't it wonderful that there are still Tiffany Lamps, Baccarat Crystal and Stueben and Lalique Glass out there? I for one want to live in a world that includes beautiful objets d'art.

So without further ado my pick for this week is the Art of American born Canadian resident Robert Held. His glass art makes me swoon and every time I find a piece of glass made by him I want to keep it. 

This little gem is no exception.

This is an earlier vase made when his company name was still Skookum Art Glass. It is signed Skookum. I love the irridescent blue spatters on delicate blush pink because, you know, everyone needs a little pink.

Les Bijoux!

It's been said by more than a few of my friends and family members that I am somewhat of a crow as  I am easily distracted by all things shiny. So I was absolutely delighted to find this slightly dog eared 1980's  French copy of

Les Bijoux

De L'art Deco

Aux Annees 40

By Melissa Gabardi

It is a fabulous resource for jewelry from the 20's 30's and 40's. 

It's in French so it's a bit of a challenging read for me, I basically just pour over the images anyway which are fabulous with rich colours and good documentation.
I may have a tough time parting with this one.