Monday, May 12, 2014

Vintage Baby Shower Decorating

The reason that I am willing to spend my time and energy collecting, cleaning, polishing, taking photos, wrapping and mailing wonderful, unique old stuff is because I love seeing the ways that customer's use these items.  It is nice to have a collection that sits on a shelf but I believe that true joy comes from making old items a part of your life style.

A little over a week ago I sold a vintage wooden rocking horse to a customer who bought it to set the theme for a baby shower.  It was called a reveal shower because the mother was planning to announce the sex of her new addition.
This is the photo and the comment that the customer sent to me.  The reveal party was a hit and it's a girl! There were several comments about the cute rocking horse and when the party was over the mama-to-be asked for the rocking horse. It is now on the nightstand in the nursery and being loved once again. Thanks!


My thank you to this nice customer who sent me a picture and her comment.  Made my heart happy.  Don't you just love this cake?  So clever.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Miniature Animal Figurines

Time to sell some of my husband's collection of miniature animals on etsy.  He has been collecting them for many years and they are taking over our shelves in the den.

They are made out of many materials.

This little glazed dachshund is made out of brown redware clay.  Redware is a type of earthenware that has been used for centuries to create pottery of all kinds.  We have several jugs made from redware clay.

This antique cat is made out of lead.  It was molded and then hand painted during the 1800's.  It was also used as a pencil.  You can write your grocery list using the front feet of this functional kitty.  It weights in at 8 ounces so it is heavy enough to use as a paperweight.

This little purple puppy is porcelain.  Some of his paint has worn off but his face is as bright and cute as ever.
     

Animal figurines made out of glass are very popular to collect.  I have sold several over the past year in my store.  You can now purchase this cute little glass dog.  He looks like a hound dog to me.
Animals come in all different shapes and sizes and so do animal figurines.  These two little puppies have ears almost as big as their bodies.  Their friend, the little white bull dog has the word JAPAN etched into his back.  The lovely German shepherd made in China is much larger but it fits right in when displayed with the other animals.
These are all made of porcelain and have survived in great shape for several decades.

Cute little puppy.  This is the most unique doggy in the bunch.  She has an upturned nose and is decorated with gold glaze scattered over her black spots.

Come see these adorable animal figurines and all my other vintage items:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/BackInTheDayz?ref=si_shop

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Hibiscus Flower Bloom Holders

I live in the warm, moist climate of southwest Florida and I absolutely love hibiscus flowers.  The blooms only last one day but they are large and showy.  There are over 5000 varieties of hibiscus flowers.  How do you show off these big beautiful blooms?By placing them in delicate glass hibiscus vases. 
Hibiscus flower bloom holders are mentioned in the book "A Cutting Garden For Florida" by Betty Barr Mackey & Monica Moran Brandies.
I discovered these lovely single bloom flower vases many years ago when I moved from California to Florida.  These graceful and fragile glass vases resemble the shape of the hibiscus bloom. One beautiful bloom fits the opening perfectly. Purchase several of them and place them around your house to enjoy these colorful blooms all day long.


You can see some clear and pink glass hibiscus bloom holders on sale in my etsy shop at: 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/185554165/hibiscus-flower-vase-pink-glass?ref=shop_home_active_6

They are a challenge to pack because they are so delicate but they always arrive safely.



For more information on the history and care of hibiscus flowers check out the link below from the Flower Temple in Melbourne, Australia.

https://www.flowertemple.com.au/viewFlowerFromLibrary.aspx?fid=29&n=Hibiscus