collecting — Page 55

DIY – The Jumping Jacks Have a Home

April 13, 2011 at 1:58 pm by Claudia

I give you Exhibit A:

Don’s collection of Jumping Jacks in need of a proper home after being stuck in the back of the kitchen hutch for 5 years.

I give you Exhibit B:

Section of kitchen wall between the chalkboard and the cushioned bench. Because I had to hang the chalkboard above the light switch, I’ve always felt that the area below the switch needed something to tie it all together. What to do?

Your Honor, I propose a solution:

Cup hooks (which I had on hand already) added to a piece of trim that was originally intended for the chalkboard but didn’t quite work out. I found it in the shed, where all things I don’t know what to do with end up.

Some paint – left over from painting the dollhouse shutters, saved in a glass jar and residing in the pantry.

Then attached to the wall with screws that were painted the same color as the rest of the piece. Oh, and the cup hooks were also painted. No shiny brass for me. Oops, except for the doorknob and lock to the right. Hmmmm – a future project?

Each Jumping Jack assigned his/her very own cup hook.

Behave, you guys!

And there you have it.

I like little touches of whimsy in my home. The finished project connects the color of the chalkboard and the red of the Roman shades and bench. And it made Don smile. Me, too.

Cost? Nothing.

That’s my kind of DIY project.

(Sorry for the graininess in some of the photos. This area is always hard to shoot because it is flanked by a window and a door with a window. To top it off, it is cloudy and rainy today. That’s why there are some variations in light and color.)
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Make sure to scroll down and read my book review, posted earlier today. I really love this book and think you will, too. And I’m giving one away!

Husband’s Finds (and One of Mine)

March 24, 2011 at 10:14 am by Claudia

I’m always posting photos of treasures that I’ve found here and there. But hey, Don finds some treasures, too. Here’s one:

He discovered it at a yard sale. The red lettering says “Moxie.” Moxie was one of the first mass-produced soft drinks. Its origins were in a patented medicine called Moxie Nerve Food. Eventually it became a soft drink that is still produced today. I’ve always loved the word moxie, as in “She’s got moxie, that girl.” It means “force of character, determination or nerve.” And guess what? It originated from the name of the soft drink!

Don thought it would the perfect place to store the dogs’ distilled water.

Because our dogs sure have moxie!

Back when we were living in our rented cottage, Don started a collection of these; they’re called Jumping Jacks or pull string toys:

The guy that is second from the right – the cook – started the whole thing. Unlike the rest of them, he’s new. We found him one holiday season in a local Christmas shop. And as often happens, we were intrigued and started looking for more. The rest are vintage, made of painted wood. A few come from Austria. We used to have them hanging in the kitchen window. I’d lost track of them since we moved to MHC and thought they were packed away in the shed, but the other day I discovered them in the back of the kitchen hutch.

Now I have to find a place to hang them. They’re so charming.

Why was I digging around in the hutch? I was looking for my miniature Fiesta pitcher. Didn’t find it, but I did find the Jumping Jacks. I did buy another miniature piece of pottery the other day – not Shawnee – but in my favorite color:

That makes 3 in the collection!

I’m preparing for my whirlwind trip to Wisconsin on Saturday. I must admit to being nervous. I don’t really know anyone there and I’m shy in that kind of situation. I fly back Tuesday, then I pick up a rental car on Wednesday and drive to Boston for 5 days. Can’t wait to see my old stomping grounds, but the thought of the whole thing is rather exhausting. Wish me luck!

B is for Bakelite

September 29, 2010 at 1:41 pm by Claudia

I love bakelite. I started collecting it back when I was living in Boston. I had begun to collect the original Fiesta pottery and bakelite flatware went perfectly with it. Eventually, I amassed quite a collection of Fiesta, which I later sold. But I kept the bakelite utensils.

Bakelite was invented by Leo Baekeland, a Belgian chemist, in Yonkers, NY (not too far from MHC.) In 1909, he patented a phenolic resin that was used in industrial applications. It eventually entered the consumer market and was used in radios, pool balls, jewelry, flatware, kitchenware – all sorts of decorative applications.

I love the way the colors get richer with time. If I see something with even a touch of bakelite, I’m all over it.

The vintage flour canister was a retro red that I liked, but what sealed the deal was the bakelite handle. The shape and color are fabulous. The vintage napkin ring is the same color except for that wonderful green beak. Bakelite was really popular in the 1920’s and 30’s and you can see that in the deco design of both pieces.

I have a lot of flatware that I keep in an old Harlequin jug. These colors make me happy.

These pieces are in the same color family as the napkin ring and the canister handle.

Most of these handles are a dark green.

The two spoons at the bottom of the photo are red, although it’s hard to see that in this photo.

These are my favorites. I love that two-tone look.

I also have this large kitchen knife and even use it occasionally.

You’ve seen these before. The mah-jongg tiles are also made of bakelite.

I have a bangle bracelet somewhere in a wonderful blue color. And I have a sneaking suspicion that there is more bakelite around here that I am forgetting about…but that can be another post. I’d love to know if any of you have bakelite pieces?

DIY – The Jumping Jacks Have a Home

Husband’s Finds (and One of Mine)

B is for Bakelite

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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