Walk Till You Drop and Shop, Shop, Shop

Flea markets, love 'em or hate 'em. I have vast experience with flea markets because my mother loved them.  My mother was a driver for an antique dealer in the late forties and early fifties.  It was one of the few jobs that allowed her to bring a baby to work with her.  So I grew up playing in numerous farmyards around the county while the antique dealer searched the occupant’s house for treasures they were willing to sell. Often we made several stops on the way home for the dealer to sell certain items that she bought that day. 

Poncho Villa and My Great Grandmother

                                               Dear Granddaughter,             July 13th, 1916,  McAllen Texas

                                  Grandma is well and getting along all right.  Since July it has
                               rained a shower every day but two.  They tell us the rainy
                               season has commenced. The poor northern boys are finding it
                               rather hard soldiering.  These boys are ten minutes walk from
                               the center of town guarding McAllen and the borders of the Rio
                               Grande south of here. It is seven miles to Hidalgo and Reynosa,
                               Mexico across the river.  Several thousand soldiers are here now

                               and more coming every day. Looks like a city of tents. It is
                               thundering again so will rain again.

                                                                                       Grandma

Independence Day: A Penny to Send a Thought

In the early 1900’s holiday postcards became popular.  For a penny stamp you could send a small greeting to your friend, family member, sweetheart, potential sweetheart or patron of your business. 

Do You Know Your Pipes?

    Pipes have been found throughout most cultures for centuries. There are many different kinds of tobacco pipes, but the shapes of pipes are all variations of a few basic shapes.   Here is a short summary on pipes and a couple of diagram to help you get acquainted.

Timeless Antique and Vintage Father's Day Gifts

    Can you believe it? Mother’s Day is over, but Father's

Ms. Sonora Louise Smart Dodd

Day is just around the corner. It is only three weeks away. Hopefully you have something great planned.

    The history of Father’s Day is not as long as you might think. Some say Father’s Day is over 4000 years old. But the recent history of Father’ Day in the United States makes the date much later.  Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day, wondered why there was no Father’s Day, honoring all the wonderful fathers in the world. She then started a movement that would take a half a century to procure. She organized the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on June 19 in 1910.

Antique Razor Revolution

    Razors have been around since before the Bronze Age. In prehistoric times, cave drawings depict blades made of clam shells, shark teeth and flint. During the Bronze Age razors were made from bronze and obsidian. Egyptian priests were shaved every three days and the Greeks and Romans were fastidious about the proper care of facial hair. Through the ages, the razor has gone through many changes. The first modern-day straight
edge razors, with harden steel blades, were made in the 1700s in England. Since then, straight edged razors have evolved. The discovery of silver-steel in the 1820s made the metal used to make the blade of the razor look shiny and by 1840 it had replaced cast steel. Not long after, hollow grinding blades made an appearance, hollow grinding means that the sides of the blades cross-section are concave.

 Extra Hollow Ground, 1888 Germany

Companies began making straight-edge razors with hard steel blades and decorated handles making them fashionable for the wealthy. By 1840, the term 'Old English' and The Celebrated Razor were often used. Sometimes the wedge blade was etched with a beautiful design or picture that commemorated a special event. Carves bone and horn, along with bakelite were often used for the handles.

Fiesta Tea Time Challenge Answers

Have you taken the challenge? Can you tell the difference between old and new Fiestaware? If not go the the following blog "Fiesta Tea Time Challenge" and see before you read on.

Cups
1. Old:  Turquoise made from 1937 -1969 (this one was my mothers from the 50's)
2. New: White made from 1986- present (bought at a garage sale)
3. Old: Colbalt Blue made from 1936 -1951 (this one was my mothers from the 50's)
4. New: Periwinkle Blue made from 1989- 2006 (bought at a garage sale)
5. Old: Old Ivory made from 1936-1951(this one was my mothers from the 50's)

Stamps
A. OLD FIESTA MARKING  “HLC on bottom, Genuine on top" Ink stamp under glazing
                          be careful- I do have new pieces with         fiesta         indented stamp, no Genuine on top 
                                                                                      HCl  USA
B. NEW FIESTA MARKING  "HLC on top in Capital Letters"  indented stamp
C. OLD FIESTA MARKING  "HLC on bottom"  indented stamp

            if it says "Lead Free" on the back stamp it was made after 1986
 

Oh……Snow

   People that live in Minnesota are hearty souls.  We can endure snow for six out of twelve months of the year, thirty below zero temperatures with wind chills that dip to sixty below and day after day of gray cloudy skies with serious bouts of cabin fever. But what we can’t tolerate is our spring being hijacked. And that is exactly what has happened this year. 
   Today is April 23, 2013 and normally crocuses, hyacinths, and snow drops are blooming in my yard.

My Life with Margaret Quimby

   In 1965, my husband decided to build a house.  A new housing development was being built around a new elementary school.  Since we had two young children, my husband thought that this area was the perfect place to raise our family. Not only did we need to  build the house, but we needed to furnish it a well.

Collecting Milk Glass Easter Eggs

Milk glass doesn’t just refer to the glass you use to drink your milk. The term is used by collectors referring to a special white opaque type of glass. To Victorian's it became an inexpensive alternative to porcelain tableware. Milk glass has been in production for centuries but before 1900, milk glass was called opal glass by the glass manufacturing companies. It wasn’t until after the 1900’s that the general public started using the term milk glass. 

The old trade catalogues from that time show a huge variety of objects often called novelty pieces. These included, dresser sets, pin trays, salt and pepper shakers, souvenir pieces, nesting chickens, hand painted Easter eggs and just about every kind of whimsy imaginable. (all the linked items are for sale at Reuzeit Emporium)

The Kerosene Lamp Lit their Night

   In 1896, my grandparents were married in a double wedding. The other couple were my grandmother’s older sister, Carrie, and George, a boy from the neighboring farm. It was customary at the time for the oldest daughter to get married before the younger daughters. My engaged Grandmother had to wait five years before Carrie would be engaged herself and ready to marry. It was agreed that Carrie and George would stay on and take over his family farm. My grandmother and grandfather moved up to northern Minnesota, opened a general store, and started a new life on their own.

   Life in 1896 was very different from the life we live today. About three quarters of the country lived and worked on small family farms, the rest lived in small towns or in big cities. Travel was difficult, there were only a few country roads, and most people traveled on rutted trails made by horse drawn wagons. This made it difficult for people to get around and they were isolated in their rural surroundings. Things we take for granted today, like electric lights, indoor plumbing, and central heating did not exist in 1896.

Fiesta Tea Time Challenge

During the 1880 the Homer Laughlin China Works company became well known for it ceramic dinnerware.  Frederick Rhead, and Englishman, was hired as a designer in 1927, and he became famous for his Fiesta dinnerware collection by 1936. The design came in five bright, bold colors; Red (made with uranium which gave it's orangish color), Colbalt Blue, Yellow, Green, and Old Ivory. Turquoise was not introduced until 1937. 

With Fiesta sales soaring in 1936, the Homer Laughlin China Company continued to flourish until the beginning of World War II when production shifted to making military ware. When the war ended, the plant once again began production of Fiesta dinnerware producing over ten million dozen pieces in 1948. In 1959 Rhead's original Fiesta was discontinued and a new Fiesta Ironstone style was created, it was  later discontinued in 1973. A new Fiesta was once again introduced in 1986 and production continues to this day with many new colors added yearly.

Hankies & Heisey

About the time my grandmother, Hattie Griffith,  was making lace to decorate her hankies, construction on the Heisey factory began. It was 1895, the factory later opened in April 1896. They produced fine quality pressed glass. Below is an example of one of the patterns they made called Bead Swag.  Today we call this type of glass, milk glass, but early Heisey trade catalogs referred to it as opal glass.

Blissful Whites Wednesday 1900's Bathroom

Before indoor plumbing, this is your modern bathroom facilities with all the latest accouterments. Can you just image what it was like to get all spruced up for the day?

left back: cold water pitcher and wash basin, chamber pot (thunder mug), hot water pitcher
left front: soap dish, shaving mug or drinking cup, tooth brush holder
below: slop jar

Tea For Two

Just tea for two,

And two for tea,

Just you and me,

How happy we will be!

 This is my first tea party. Take off your shoes and stay awhile. Next time I'll be better prepared with dessert.

I am Linking to:

Bella's Rose Cottage

Magnolia Cottage

 Cedar Pond
Faith Hope & Cherrytea
Two Cottages and Tea

Rags to Riches

To Tuft or Not to Tuft.... That is the question!

This gem of a chair was bought at an auction 5 years ago. I just recently tackled the chair project. The fabric was stained and dirty, something needed to be done.  I had always wanted a red velvet chair in my bedroom. I decided this was the chair and it needed to be taken down to the bare bones. I had done a few projects before, but nothing of this magnitude. Reupholstering was a bit of a challenge. I peeled back a layer of striped gold velvet fabric with no tufting to reveal the fabric and tufted chair you see below. At that time, I decided the new upholstery had to have tufting, my daughter convinced me it would be no trouble, even though we had never attempted anything like it before. The springs had to be retied, new webbing and foam were added to replace the horse hair and saw dust that filled the chair. It became a family affair, my husband joined in and helped with the project. Tufting the new red velvet fabric was the hardest part, my daughter went online and read how to do it, and we followed the directions we found. We used the old tufted fabric as a pattern.  But just look at the results. I have always wanted a chair like this in my bedroom.

Valentines on Display

Decorate your home for the month of February with antique or vintage valentines.  Fill your home with their beauty, their artistry, their romance and/or their whimsy.  Warm your heart with their romantic verses and their messages of love. Enjoy Saint Valentine’s Day to the fullest. For more history on types of antique valentines check out Valentines Through the Ages.

Give me you heart

And you shall have mine,

What’s fairer than that,

Oh, sweet, Valentine

 Shop Reuzeit Emporium's store to start your own valentine collection today.

Valentines Through the Ages:

Antique valentine's are fun to collect and over the years I have had a lot of fun collecting them. Whatever your particular taste, there is a type of valentine for you.  Perhaps one made of fancy paper lace, or a honeycomb card appeals to you, maybe mechanical valentines with moving parts, cut outs, 3-D or just valentines from your childhood.  So many different kinds!  I enjoy the artistry, the romance, and of course, the whimsy. I look everywhere; antique shows, friends and family, shops, auctions, estate sales, and  flea markets.  Once I found a whole collection at a flea market, but the vendor was nowhere around.  I paced, I waited, and I looked at all the nearby tables.  In the end I was rewarded.  She sold them all to me for a dollar a piece and she threw in some extra ones that she had tucked way under the table.  A compensation for my patience, she said.  I love displaying my valentines every year. They are very fragile and must be handled with care, but for one month a year, February, they fill the house with beauty and messages of love.  What fun!

Valentine Fan

This is a 1890's fan valentine.  It says Saint Valentine's Day on the back. Valentine fans played a significant role at a party or a dance in the Victorian Era.  A lady with a fan could signal to a potential suitor.  A touch to her lips with the handle signaled the possibility of a kiss.  The fan held just below her eyes signaled, regretfully, no.

Hearts...A Love Token

This heart has 3 pages and each page has 4 sections containing inspirational messages. The lucky lady that received this card could carry it with her and occasionally read a message to reminded her of the special person that gave her the valentine.

My Funny Valentine

    It was our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. We had no money and my husband was laid off from his job that winter. Our only income was his small unemployment check, but occasionally my he was able to pick up a little extra money plowing snow.
   That winter we had a lot of snow. On the
eve of Valentine’s Day there had been a heavy snowfall so my husband had been out all Valentine’s Day plowing. I worked that day making a special dinner, his favorite cake, and creating a Valentine card. The dinner was in the oven, done, ready to eat, but no husband. I turned the oven down and waited and waited, but still no husband.

   Finally, I decided to eat by myself.  I put the leftovers away, watched TV, and began to worry.  Maybe there had been a terrible accident.  Did he remember it was Valentine’s Day?  Was he celebrating somewhere without me? I fluctuated between worried and angry.
   About nine that evening I heard a car pull up outside and minutes later a wet, cold, snow-covered man walked through the door. There were ice crystals on his eyebrows and eyelashes and he was so tired that 

Just Shelf It

    I am a collector, and almost everything I collect is antique. I am not sure they all started out as antiques, but they are now. Let's just say after fifty years of collecting I have many, many items that I love. The real problem became how to organize and display these treasures. The solution, for me, became shelves or more precisely bookcases.
    Bookcases may have solved my display problems, but not necessarily my organizational problems.  However, many options are available for organizing shelves; organize by theme, size or subject matter, just to name a few.  I have seen toys grouped and interspersed between books with stuffed animals used as the bookends. I have also seen a camera collection that looks nice displayed with photography books and original black and white photos. Whatever your collection, the trick is to make a calm, cohesive, and visually pleasing arrangement. You could also choose to have no theme at all, just a random assortment of the things you enjoy.  Whatever you choose, follow a few very basic design tips.

A Double D New Year

 Farm 1972

    Quite a few years ago, my brother-in-law bought a farm that had an old farmhouse. This farmhouse had many bedrooms, an oil burning stove, and an unusual assortment of discarded furniture donated by family members.  The kitchen was large and had an old fashioned wood burning cook stove and a small sink in the corner. During the holidays, three complete families (mom, dad, plus kids), a couple of grandmothers, and an occasional odd uncle or aunt would pile into the house for an extended holiday; there were three distinct age groups, the kids, the adults, and the elders.

A Haviland Christmas

My grandmother received this letter from her youngest sister in early November of 1903. 

                                                         My dear sister,       

Elizabeth "Midge"

Jim

You will no doubt be surprised to know I am here but you will be more so when I tell you what I am here for. So to make a long story short I will say I am getting ready to be married and that is the long and short of it. “I expect it will happen on the twenty-fourth of this month but I am not going to have any wedding at all. I think I will go to Minneapolis where I will be sure to not have anyone around. For this reason, I no longer am of the same faith as the rest of you. Before I came home I was received and baptized in the Catholic Church and I will never go back on my faith. So you need not say one word about it for remember this is a wide free world and I have the right to believe as I wish and what is more I will exercise that right and if all my own people turn from me I will not give

The First Christmas Stocking

My Sister

My Sister & Me

    When I was five, my sister was twenty, she worked in a bank and had a steady boyfriend.  I was the object of attention, the baby, but also a bit of a pain. I adored my sister and followed her every-where, constantly begged her to play with me or read me stories. On my fifth Christmas, I was allowed to open one present early and to my delight, inside was a beautiful red felt stocking with my name across the top. Little did we all know then what a wonderful Christmas tradition that one stocking would generate.

A Fiesta Thanksgiving

My Father

My Mother: At 1st sewing machine on left, facing camera

   I grew up with Fiesta dinnerware on the table. During World War II my parents were stationed at Sampson Naval Base. My father took care of the boilers that heated the base and my mother worked in the tailor shop altering the navy uniforms for the sailors. They lived in the Navy barracks under truly minimalists conditions. One of the first things my mother did after returning home from the war, was to buy a set of Fiesta dinnerware.  The bright happy colors were a marked contrast to their wartime life.

   

Decorating For Thanksgiving

To decorate your holiday mantel, start by removing everything from the mantle to allow yourself a fresh clean start. Then choose a theme, maybe natural fall materials, some pottery, or a Thanksgiving display. Look in different rooms of your home, gather rustic and vibrant items until you find a collection of items that go together, then try different arrangements until you find a design that is pleasing to you. Try to repeat a color at least three times to maintain continuity, use antiques or vintage elements in your display to make a statement, layer different accessories, and choose items of different heights to add visual interest. There is really no right or wrong way.