The Party Goes On

I went to a Fiesta party last week... at Ace Hardware no less. The place was packed—the amazing gimmick of it being that they had sent out invitations with codes on them, each redeemable for a certain piece of Fiestaware. And with my love of colorful dishes, there was no way I wouldn't be there. 

I came home, with a bright blue pitcher (major score!) And in my excitement I started googling Fiesta and found this great CBS Sunday Morning clip about the American-made, fourth-generation, family-owned brand. 

77 years later, and they are still hand-making this rainbow of dishes the same way they did back then. Party on, Fiestaware!

This Old Lunch

I love antiquing. And I'm going to say this right here, right now, I loved antiquing before vintage chic was a design trend. I was probably the only 16-year-old (in a '90s world) that thought old Nehi bottles made cool vases.

One of my very first antique purchases was from an amazing antique mall in Bay City, Michigan. It was a tin Muppets lunchbox (with Animal on the back) from 1979. I still have it. In college I used it to carry my drawing supplies too and from the studio, and not so long ago, I used it to carry my lunch to work.

You can actually see it in this fun little vimeo from Cool Hunting: The World's Largest Lunchbox Museum. (close-up at 2:41).

I love all these metal lunchboxes. I think my first lunch pail was a pink plastic box with a Minnie Mouse sticker on it. I found it interesting that metal lunchboxes were eliminated because were using them as weapons, one would think plastic could do similar physical damage!!

Anyway, take a little look at the video and see if you can spot any that strike up memories!

Awkward, Bad & Wonderful

As a USPS supporter, I'm pro-postcard; and as an avid-antiquer, I can spend hours browsing  random boxes of the 4x6 artifacts. I love seeing how cities used to look and what lifestyle was idealized. 

But Dave Murray over at mLive has taken a different perspective, with his column, Bad Postcard of the Week. As Murray says, "Nice places can still have gloriously awful postcards." And he's not wrong. Murray, along his readers have found some doozies. Here's some major winners:

Lovely vista at the Edison Mall. Nice road too.

Romantic Lover's Lane in Kalamazoo

Harry S Truman once plowed the land where this mall now stands. 


This lovely motel in Kentucky has carpet and showers. 

Love inducing lettuce aura 

I enjoy the idea of sharing "wonderfully dull or otherwise awful postcards". I've seen many in my browsing, and I imagine in the future I'll be contributing to Murray's column. If you come across an postcard fail worth sharing, scan it and email it to Murray at dmurray@mlive.com.

Make it Your Signature Piece

Maybe it was Will and Kate's wedding or maybe it was this Coco Chanel flick I randomly watched one evening, but I've decided it's time to bring back hats.

Here's two beautiful pieces I picked up at the Lake Odessa Antique Mall this past weekend.

If you want to join the parade, do so in style. I recommend starting your search with these "Hats with a Past" on Etsy. And this isn't a gender-biased plea. Guys, it's time to get rid of the sweat-stained baseball caps and find something with a little more panache. Here's some great tips from the artofmanliness.

Surprise Elements

We had planned a beautiful Saturday—with blueberries and friends and antiquing. As we pulled up to Century Antiques, I noticed a new shop next door Elements: Bohemian Artifacts.Curious Acquisitions.

What a find it was!

This is a treasure trove. Entering is like slipping into a lovely, Parisian inspired dream. The shop opened about a month ago, and while still a work in progress, it is well on its way to being a shopping destination. The owner is delightful, and the location and space are perfectly suited to its needs.

The grand opening celebration is planned for 11.11.11. Workshops and classes are also in the works for the future. But don't wait till November, I recommend you head down there much sooner!

441 Century Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 — across from Founders past the Ballet!

Pixel by Pixel

Living Portraits are nothing unseen these days. With crowds at football games spelling out words and the everyman celebrity in local Lip Dubs, our lives have become a series of portraits.

But in 1917 the idea was something of a novelty. These amazing portraits were taken by Arthur S. Mole and John D. Thomas WITHOUT the aid of a computer in the early 20th century. Best known for their wartime propaganda, the duo was extraordinarily precise in their placement of these human pixels.

Think about what creating one of these would entail. The Statue of Liberty image for example, contains 18,000 men, but because of the perspective, the flame contained 12,000 while her head and body contained only 2,000. (click image to see it enlarged)

The logistics and choreography required to organize a group of this size absolutely blows my mind. I learned about this historic American treasure in an article* from July 2007's Martha Stewart Living. Now I'm on a mission to find a postcard-size reprint at a flea market. It's time to go hunting!

*This isn't the article I read (Patriotism in Formation by Marion Roach – Which I couldn't find online) but it gives a similar history if if you're interested in more information.

Sharpshooting in Allegan

If you're on the chase for the perfect antique for your collection, then I have the perfect hunting ground for you.

The last Sunday of every month April thru September the county fairgrounds in Allegan become the largest antique dealer I've ever seen. 400 vendors!

We spent over three hours there today—in the hot, hot sun—browsing the massive spread of furniture, kitchenware, jewelry, everything really!

If you've got killer instincts, you have two chances left to prove it in 2011: August 28th and September 25th the show will be open 8 am to 4 pm.

When the Clouds Part

It was another successful shopping excursion this weekend. The results were some flare for my yard.

On the left—my new window boxes, and on the right, a new table, purchased at Changing Thymes*. I'm just thankful the rain stopped this afternoon long enough to see my new treasures!

*Changing Thymes is a fantastic home decor/antique store in Grandville, it used to be called Somewhere in Thyme, which I wrote about last July.

A Good Day for Pink.

So it was a snowy February Saturday. Perfect for locking yourself in an antique mall with centuries of junk. I mean... treasures!

It was the annual sale at the Lake Odessa antique mall, on 4th Street in Lake Odessa. It was a big day for Pink Pyrex. Check out my loot for the day on the upper right (the monkey was just cute).

Also swung by Century Avenue to see the new addition on the strip, Lost and Found. A curated display of repurposed retro and vintage items. Looking forward to frequent visits and future finds.

The Lake Odessa sale continues tomorrow, dig yourself out and head on down!

Hand Cut Fries—the ultimate DIY!

So I was given an old french fry cutter for Christmas, which is really just the perfect blend of my love for antiques and my obsession with potatoes.

I finally got to try it out today, and while it's still in experimental stages, my taste buds are very satisfied.

I'd love to tell you where to pick up your own fry cutter. But I like to imagine that mine is one-of-a-kind. :)

If you do find one to call your own, here's the most important tip I can share: if you're lacking in upper body strength, use small potatoes.

Out and About: Phil's Stuff

There's no better place for stuff than Phil's Stuff, at the intersection of Wealthy and Charles in Grand Rapids (across from the home and garden boutique aptly named Wealthy at Charles).

The shop is full of antiques, collectibles, oddities and notions (it's all honestly "stuff"—he's not lying, there's no better way to say it). My favorite section is the low ceilinged room in the basement full of old hardware and fixtures.

Phil always asks me when I'm checking out with my "stuff" what I'm going to do with it. (He really must wonder why people buy some of it.) Today I bought some fabric patterns, which I will use to create my fabric pattern notebooks. Time to start building up inventory before the holiday season!

Oh, and if you're looking for your own pair of Fashion Sunglasses, Phil has a whole stash. Only $8 a pair!

Pining for Pyrex

I love wandering through antique stores. But I've found that wandering is enhanced when you're also hunting.

I've always been drawn to Pyrex®* dishes. No surprise there—bright colors, patterns that blatantly reveal their generation, and shapes that are extraordinarily similar, but just different enough that you want them all.

The idea for Pyrex Glassware came in 1915 from the industrious wife of a Corning Glass Works scientist who was frustrated with her unreliable casserole dishes. Knowing the strength of the railroad signal lantern glass her husband worked with, she begged him to bring home something she could use in the kitchen. The Pyrex baking dish was born. Two years later, it was being sold in department stores. The Pyrex line grew to includes durable products for the entire kitchen in all sorts of colors and patterns.**


White daisy casserole dishes atop one of my greatest antique store scores of all time: a 104-drawer card catalog from Grand Rapids' Community College Library, found at Victoria's Antique Warehouse.

White daisy, more commonly referred to as pink daisy, is the pattern I've decided to prey upon. The design debuted in 1957 and appeared on less than a dozen pieces (though it has been paired with different accessories and re-released as different promotions). It's not an entirely common pattern, which only adds to its charm and appeal.

Now, it's easy to find Pyrex collections online, but I consider that cheating. For me, antiquing is more about the process; about wandering through antique malls and the time spent being inspired by the treasures you find there.

Here's a few of my favorite antique malls in West Michigan:

• Century Antiques:
  445 Century Ave. SW | Grand Rapids, MI 49503 | 616.233.4000
• Victoria's Antique Warehouse:
  449 Century Ave. SW | Grand Rapids, MI 49503 | 616.235.9292
• Sheri's Antiques:
  3270 Chicago Drive | Grandville, MI 49418 | 616.249.8066
• Somewhere in Thyme:
  4165 Chicago Drive SW | Grandville, MI 49418 | 616.534.7948
• Blue Star Antique Pavilion:
  2948 Blue Star Hwy | Douglas, MI 49406 | 269.857.6041
• Lake Odessa Antique Mall:
  1014 4th Avenue | Lake Odessa, MI 48849 | 616.374.3089

*Please note, I am not a licensed collector or expert on Pyrex. These thought are merely based on my experience and observations.
**History from the Pyrex® website.