“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost
Showing posts with label collecting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label collecting. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Now All Our Neighbors' Chimneys Smoke

OK, so it serves me right for not driving my car for a week during the bitter cold. The battery is dead. Dead as a door-nail, whatever that means. Anyway just dead, it makes that awful clicking sound, but won't start.

I'm stuck here in the house until this afternoon when my hubby gets back from a business meeting and can drive me to the store. Our polar plunge in temperatures has finally ended and I thought I could get out on my own to do some shopping. Instead I have to be driven around by my beloved!

I hadn't been housebound that entire time, mind you, my dear hubby had been around and so I had been hitching a ride with him. But honestly, I think I had only been out of the house a couple of times during our extreme cold spell.  Since most of you that read this blog are also introverts, I don't think I need to explain myself! I would make a perfect hermit!

Getting on with it now, I decided to share some insights about my Etsy shop and selling online.  It's been a real learning experience for me that past couple of years. I am not particularly advanced when it comes to technical skills, but I am pretty good with writing and design, so I think that's what has saved me.  I have seen quite a few shops/blogs that started when I did fail and just disappear.

One thing I've learned is that you never stop learning! If you do, you fail. Simple as that!  I do tons of research online about how to make things better. How to handle social media, how to take photos, where to spend my time etc. That's just the marketing part, I also spend lots of time researching my vintage items and finding out accurate information about them. It takes a lot of time and am I making any money at this? I would say no, I am breaking even.  But I love what I am doing. I love that it is my business and I run it myself and I have figured all this out by myself. 

Another thing I figured out after lots of reading and research, is to "tag" and "title" my shop listings the correct way. I won't bore you with the details, but who knew that for the first two years I was doing it wrong!? Well, I certainly didn't and I'm surprised I made any sales at all!  The competition is fierce and about a bazillion more people are selling on Etsy and other venues now compared to just a few years ago.

After I changed my listings to show up better in Google searches, I have seen an increase in my sales. Suddenly my books are selling better than anything else. For example I've noticed an increase in the sales of my cookbooks, especially Public Service Cookbooks. These are the quirky ones put out by local utility companies as a thank you to their customers.  This was the type of thing that was quite typical back in the 1940's - 1970's. The only thing I get from my utility company now is a bill.

Now for the good stuff! Check out some of these fun images from a few of the books I recently sold.

This first one is my favorite! The book was sent out to customers by the Wisconsin Public Service Company during the 1960's. The deer in the Chefs' Hat cooking the holiday meal is just fantastic. Unfortunately, no illustrator was given any credit.


My blog post title was taken from this cookbook. Across the front of the book it says,

"Now all our neighbors' chimneys smoke, 
and Christmas logs are burning;
Their ovens they with baked meats choke,
and all their spits are turning..." 


Quote by George Wither








The deer in the illustration above has obviously become an omnivore! The illustration below shows our Chef Deer stirring up a stew perhaps?









Here are a couple of the recipes from the books. There were three in the collection that I sold.















Another favorite image of mine! I think I will be using this one again in the future! The dishes look like my house after a party!! Notice how in each picture the candle has burned down to almost nothing! I love those little details.

So here I am housebound and freezing to death in my office downstairs because my space heater also died. Another thing on my shopping list...
now where is my dear hubby?? 

Hope you're having a great day! See you all soon! ~ Diane






Wednesday, May 14, 2014

A Picking We Will Go...

It's finally starting to look and feel like spring! Did you hear that parts of Colorado and Nebraska got snow over the weekend? Thankfully we only received rain and no severe weather. Spring is sometimes a turbulent time, lots of changes going on. 

We were traveling over the weekend to celebrate with my husbands family and had a wonderful Mother's Day celebration with his mom. On the long drive we stopped in at a few second hand and vintage shops on the way.  I'm sharing a few photos of some items I picked up. Most will end up in my shop, but I may have to squirrel away a few to enjoy for myself first!

I was using my new smart-phone and have figured out that it must be smarter than me, because it occasionally just starts taking pictures on it's own. Pardon a few are a bit blurry, I am still trying to get the hang of the thing.

First off, I found this cute Fuzzy Wuzzy Bear book in a paper-back version. I couldn't pass up the cute illustrations. I'll share some of them later on.



I also found a Billy Bunny book published by the Vogard company which also published the Raggedy Ann books back in the 1920's.  Next up is a cute book called Little Elephants Christmas (1944) and another book with some great illustrations called A Home for Turkey Gobbler.






Here are some darling pottery pieces! 
I found dogs in boats, dogs with bows and a Scotty dog salt shaker.





I also found pigs, teacups and of course some deer!



The planter above is a darling version of Bambi! Unfortunately, it has a small chip on one ear. Otherwise it is stunning with the gold application! The planter is on top of a fabulous vintage table cloth with pink roses.






I fell in love with this cute little Raccoon planter!





.....And how could I pass up this charming Elf with his cart??




Here is another shot of some of my fresh picks! The gigantic peanut with the squirrel on top was a great find, so darned cute! The squirrel to the left matches the squirrel on top the nut!

Below are a few photos of one of the most organized antique shops I have ever seen. There is never a speck of dust on anything! I can't imagine how she keeps it up. It is a very old fashioned store and she does not use the internet, so the only way to buy is in person. She is located in South Dakota, if you would like further information you can contact me. The owner's are very quirky but sweet.



Oodles of Pyrex and glassware.





Some fabulous Christmas Pyrex. Sorry for the blurrr.



I love the fruit pattern Pyrex, but I just don't have the room for it!




This was only a small part of the store, we were in a hurry so 
I had to get back to my shopping!






I hope you all have been having a wonderful week and that your weather has also been Spring-like! Soon I should have some flowers to share, things are just getting started around here.  For now, I will be organizing and photographing some of these items to list in my shop.

See you soon!
~~ Diane ~~





Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Farm Fresh Vintage





As I promised here are a few little cuties I picked up while in Florida!





These are some darling vintage pottery pieces fresh from the farm! Snuggled in my husbands carry on bag, they made it all the way home from Florida without a scratch! This is just a sampling, there will be more to come over the next couple of weeks!



 


I have to say, that even though I will be selling them,
I really would love to keep them and who knows they
aren't listed in my shop yet!

No, I must be strong and sell these cuties.
Why should I have all the fun!!
They will be listed soon in my shop, CraveCute.




 Dapper Duck Cream Pitcher


Lucky Duck

Just looking at these cute little farm critters makes me happy!






We have a new coating of fresh snow on the ground and just gazing at these cuties in my cabinet makes me feel so happy!
The only one around here that is still fascinated by snow is Guy!
He just loves it!




American Pottery




One thing I am sure of is that they are all American made pieces from the late 1940's through the 1950's. The only piece that I have been able to verify for sure is the duck.  He was made by the Spaulding China company out of Sebring Ohio, during the 1950's. Spaulding also produced Royal Copley and Royal Windsor. The heyday for American pottery was after World War II until 1957, after that foreign pottery and china started flooding the market and many American pottery companies met their demise.

As far as the Piggy, I think he may also be a Spaulding piece, he has the same coloration and black accents for his features, just like the Duck.  Spaulding used paper labels and Mr. Duck still has his on his chest. Unfortunately, on most pottery those have been washed away long ago.

The Rooster is also a bit of a mystery, I have seen others in green, blue and one multi color, but it is unclear of the maker, possibly Fredericksburg Art Pottery also out of Ohio.

Thank you for stopping in!

~~Diane~~


Linked with: 

katherines corner


what i love wednesday

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

A Shiny Brite Day

I have to admit that until my husband brought home these vintage Christmas ornaments from a garage sale, I hadn't thought much about collecting Shiny Brite. Now that I have been doing a bunch of research on them, I am starting to think I'm missing out!











I've decide that because these are plain I will not keep them, but hold out for some of the more decorative ones.  Actually I am more partial to the fancier shaped glass and diorama glass ornaments.  So this batch will be put up for sale in my shop.

















I've learned a few things about Shiny Brite.  The ones after WWII up until about 1960, have the crimped and stamped "Shiny Brite made in USA" on the caps.  I'm still trying to sort out the cap issue on another box that says "Shiny Brite", because the caps are not crimped or stamped.  So many questions!

I don't like to put things in my shop until I have thoroughly investigated their age, history etc.  So there are a couple of boxes that may have to wait until next year before they go up for sale.  This box and contents will be in my Etsy shop for sale today or in the near future.























My husband bought more plain ornaments which I will post later, but a few neat old German and Italian ones were included.  The diorama of the church above is probably from Italy and dates from the 1940's.  I haven't decided whether to sell the diorama ornament yet. 









It was a blustery, cold day yesterday when I was working on this post.  The kitties had been outside for awhile, just enough to get a bit chilly.  They were very happy to get back in the house where it was warm.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle over who got to sleep on the cozy blanket in the corner of my office.  Dot and Guy had a bit of fun. As you see, Guy won!  When I noticed him sleeping there, he looked so cute, I had to get a picture.  He was half asleep when I woke him up for the photo shoot.









I hope you all have a Bright and Shiny day too!
~~~Diane~~~




Tuesday, July 9, 2013

I'm Surrounded

I'm surrounded by cute things and I wouldn't have it any other way.






Who doesn't love looking at these sweet items I picked up a few weeks ago at the local flea market?
Just look what I found! 

Two wood items, the darling Kitty match holder and the Rooster decorated Woodpecker wooden ware knife holder. A sweet little pig pitcher, an adorable green squirrel planter, a gorgeous pink fan McCoy planter and some darling vintage birthday cards.













All these things bring a smile to my face and my heart. Many things in our lives are beyond our control.  Since I can control my immediate environment, I have decided that surrounding myself with cute things and making them available to others is what I will do with the second part of my life.   This way I get to enjoy these darling treasures for awhile and then share them all with you the reader or collector.










I also found the pixie planter, a yellow cat cactus planter, a Scotty dog cookie cutter 
and a bunch of vintage Valentines.




After watching a couple of episodes of hoarders, I want to make sure I keep on track with moving these items from my home to yours!! It's a winning formula, I get the enjoyment of searching and finding these little treasures and sharing with other people who will also appreciate their fun, cute or quirky appearance.  Maybe you can't or don't want to get up at 5am to go to the flea market or estate sale, but I really don't mind it. In fact my husband and I both love going and we have a great time together! So on Saturday and Sunday mornings, you sleep in and I will get up early and go out and find more of these lovely little gems just for you.



Right now I am enjoying their sweet little smiling faces and pretty long lashes and bright little eyes.


 Yes I am surrounded.... 




surrounded by some of the things I love!

If you crave cute things as much as I do, then check out my shop CraveCute on Etsy. Maybe you will find something there that you will love too!