Sunday, December 5, 2010

Luv2LuvAntiques Luvs The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guides Gifts For Cooks!

The latest in www.thevintagelist.com 's Holiday Gift Guides, is Gifts For Cooks! I am happy to be a part of this! For a unique vintage gift for that special relative, friend, or coworker, visit www.luv2luvantiques.com for these gift items!



Vintage Cherry Pie Plate Ceramic at Luv2LuvAntiques!



Vintage 1950s Japanese Salad Bowl Set 7 piece Japan at Luv2LuvAntiques!


Thank you Mitzi for featuring these items in your Holiday Gift Guide! :O)
Please visit The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide for Gifts For Cooks!

Gifts For Cooks - The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide

Luv2LuvAntiques Has Gifts For Her!

I am proud to be a part of www.thevintagelist.com 's Holiday Gift Guides! The first one was Gifts For Her. There are many great ideas for gifts for that special friend, loved one, or gift exchange, with vintage or antiques, that are very special and often unique! visit www.luv2luvantiques.com for these gift items!



Vintage Carolee Double Strand Faux Pearl Baroque Style Bracelet at Luv2LuvAntiques!



Vintage Faux Pearl Single Strand Beaded Necklace at Luv2LuvAntiques!


Thank you Mitzi for featuring these items in your Holiday Gift Guide! :O)
Please visit The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide for Gifts For Her!

Gifts For Her - The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Luv2LuvAntiques For The Man In Your Life!

Many blogs, and websites, sell and promote vintage an abundance of items for ladies...but let's not forget the men! For that special man in your life...your husband, brother, son, or friend, visit www.luv2luvantiques.com for these gift items!



Vintage 1950s Cotton Cowboy Round Up Barbeque Apron Cowpoke Campfire Cattle Brand Western Rare at Luv2LuvAntiques!



Vintage Glassware Carrier Tropical Coconut Palm Trees at Luv2LuvAntiques!


Thank you Mitzi for featuring these items in your Holiday Gift Guide! :O)
Please visit The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide for Gifts For Him!

Gifts For Him - The Vintage List Holiday Gift Guide

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Vintage And Antiques Can Blend With The New!



Vintage Mannequin Tea Party!





Julie: "I wonder when Cindy and Marie will arrive...the tea will get cold! My it 'is' warm in here!" (fanning herself vigorously!)

Josette: "Julie, why must you wear a 1920's hat, and jewelry, with 1940's gloves and purse? And you are using a 1960's fan!"
"At least my accessories are all from the 1940's! And my jewelry was featured in the 1947 movie 'Out Of The Past'! (her nose a bit in the air!)

Julie: "uumph!" (with a frown!)

Josette: "Do...do up your bracelet! It's come undone!"
"Your Hallowe'en jack-o-lantern cup is a bit gauche, don't you think? And I know you have chocolate bon bons in that pumpkin candy dish!" (with a slight grimace!)

Julie: "Oh...are you watching your weight?"
(silence....)





Julie 'does' have the right idea in this scenario! Vintage and antiques, from different eras, can blend together quite well, and also with more modern day items!
As you can see, Julie's blended ensemble looks very attractive, and the 1950's tablecloth in the background, adds an autumn harvest flair!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Background Displays Catch The Eye!

When listing vintage / antique items for sale on your website, or online booth, or shop, the photos are extremely important! You want to attract the customer's attention...catch the eye!
Backgrounds and displays can be used to enhance your item, and correct the lighting for the photo. Vintage jewelry, especially with rhinestones, or vintage china and porcelain, can create glare. Your background setting will help correct this. Remember that white backgrounds reflect light, and black backgrounds will absorb it. Different textured backgrounds can change the look for a different style.
I find it is a continuous learning process. I've taken photos inside and out, and in various rooms of our home. A vintage handkerchief, fabric, or postcard, soft wallpaper, or wooden fence can make a difference!


Vintage 1950s Charel Marbelized Stone Earrings at Luv2LuvAntiques' Bonanzle Booth


Vintage 1940s - 1950s Floral Linen Napkins Pride Of Flanders at Luv2LuvAntiques' Bonanzle Booth


Vintage Faux Pearl Single Strand Beaded Necklace at Luv2LuvAntiques.com


Vintage 1950s Donkey Planter Japan Mint Mexican Tex Mex at Luv2LuvAntiques.com

Friday, August 20, 2010

Information On The History Of Plastics...Celluloid and Bakelite!

History of Plastics:
The first human-made plastic was invented by Alexander Parkes in 1855 [7]; he called this plastic Parkesine (later called celluloid). It was unveiled at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. The development of plastics has come from the use of natural plastic materials (e.g., chewing gum, shellac) to the use of chemically modified natural materials (e.g., rubber, nitrocellulose, collagen, galalite) and finally to completely synthetic molecules (e.g., bakelite, epoxy, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene).

Cellulose-based plastics
In 1855, an Englishman from Birmingham named Alexander Parkes developed a synthetic replacement for ivory which he marketed under the trade name Parkesine, and which won a bronze medal at the 1862 World's fair in London. Parkesine was made from cellulose (the major component of plant cell walls) treated with nitric acid and a solvent. The output of the process (commonly known as cellulose nitrate or pyroxilin) could be dissolved in alcohol and hardened into a transparent and elastic material that could be molded when heated.[8] By incorporating pigments into the product, it could be made to resemble ivory.

Bois Durci is a plastic moulding material based on cellulose. It was patented in Paris by Lepage in 1855. It is made from finely ground wood flour mixed with a binder, either egg or blood albumen, or gelatine. The wood is probably either ebony or rose wood, which gives a black or brown resin. The mixture is dried and ground into a fine powder. The powder is placed in a steel mould and compressed in a powerful hydraulic press whilst being heated by steam. The final product has a highly polished finish imparted by the surface of the steel mould.

Bakelite
Main article: Bakelite
The first plastic based on a synthetic polymer was made from phenol and formaldehyde, with the first viable and cheap synthesis methods invented in 1909 by Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a Belgian-born American living in New York state. Baekeland was searching for an insulating shellac to coat wires in electric motors and generators. He found that mixtures of phenol (C6H5OH) and formaldehyde (HCOH) formed a sticky mass when mixed together and heated, and the mass became extremely hard if allowed to cool. He continued his investigations and found that the material could be mixed with wood flour, asbestos, or slate dust to create "composite" materials with different properties. Most of these compositions were strong and fire resistant. The only problem was that the material tended to foam during synthesis, and the resulting product was of unacceptable quality.

Baekeland built pressure vessels to force out the bubbles and provide a smooth, uniform product. He publicly announced his discovery in 1912, naming it bakelite. It was originally used for electrical and mechanical parts, finally coming into widespread use in consumer goods in the 1920s. When the Bakelite patent expired in 1930, the Catalin Corporation acquired the patent and began manufacturing Catalin plastic using a different process that allowed a wider range of coloring.

Bakelite was the first true plastic. It was a purely synthetic material, not based on any material or even molecule found in nature. It was also the first thermosetting plastic. Conventional thermoplastics can be molded and then melted again, but thermoset plastics form bonds between polymers strands when cured, creating a tangled matrix that cannot be undone without destroying the plastic. Thermoset plastics are tough and temperature resistant.

Bakelite was cheap, strong, and durable. It was molded into thousands of forms, such as cases for radios, telephones and clocks, and billiard balls. The U.S. government even considered making one-cent coins out of it when World War II caused a copper shortage.[citation needed]

Phenol-based ("Phenolic") plastics have been largely replaced by cheaper and less brittle plastics, but they are still used in applications requiring their insulating and heat-resistant properties. For example, some electronic circuit boards are made of sheets of paper or cloth impregnated with phenolic resin.

Phenolic sheets, rods and tubes are produced in a wide variety of grades under various brand names. The most common grades of industrial phenolic are Canvas, Linen and Paper.

(I have more on the industrial use.) This is very informative! Thank you wikipedia! :O)

So, celluloid was used for jewelry in the early 1900's, but it is more flammable! Plastic progressed to bakelite, used for household items in the 1920's, then to catalin in 1930, when the company was sold.
(I'll add jewelry photos soon!)

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Friday, April 23, 2010

Vintage Japanese With A Twist!

I keep finding wonderful things at estate sales! What is really interesting was a sale where I found several vintage items that were directly from Japan, brought to Texas by a world traveller!
The twist is that when you purchase items made in Japan in the U.S.A., they are stamped Japan, or Made In Japan. When a visitor to Japan purchases products not designed for export, they are unmarked.
I have a gorgeous 7 piece Japanese Salad Bowl Set listed at
Luv2Luv Antiques that was a direct purchase in Japan!


Vintage 1950s Japanese Salad Bowl Set

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Old Fashioned Charm.Com's Blog Is Up And Running!

Come and follow my second website's blog...Old Fashioned Charm.Com
and see how a 'picker' got lucky and found antique treasure!


Thursday, February 18, 2010

Vintage Country Cottage In The Woods

Vintage Country Cottage was the fourth theme idea that I had for my vintage and antiques websites, but I just needed the proper site banner. On one of my estate sale jaunts, I found the perfect framed vintage print of a country cottage with surrounding gardens...my dream of heaven!
And of course I had always liked vintage photos of ladies in their turn of the century garb (now last century!), so I thought a couple of younger ladies would look very much at home there! Vintage wreath and floral wallpaper, with the young ladies, some victrola music, and my direct links to the store, and other sites, welcome you on the main page.
At 'Cottage Comforts' you will find comfy handmade pillows.
'Linens and Lace' has dresser scarves, table runners, doilies, and lacy items for your perusal.
'Delectable Decorations' is where you will find pitchers, vases, vanity/candy dishes, and cake plates, to name a few.
'Gran's Kitchen' holds vintage linens, such as aprons, tea towels, tablecloths, and curtains, cups and saucers, serving dishes, and much, much more!



1940s Ladies Cotton Voile Butterfly Cocktail Apron at Gran's Kitchen


'Country Trappings' is where the down home country look can be found, such as a chenille country horse.



Vintage Chenille Bedspread Country Horse at Country Trappings


So...come down to my little Vintage Country Cottage in the woods, sit and visit a spell, and see what is going on in 'Gran's Kitchen'!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

The Vintage Crows Nest...

I have always had a luv of the sea and all things nautical! I'm very interested in the denizens of the deep, and those that wash up on the seashore!
On my third website, I want to feature unique things from vintage 1970's, all the way back to antiques from Victorian times, that have to do with the sea!
On the front page of the site you can see the site banner, which is U.S. Coast Guard life rings laid against a hammock, on the side of my back yard fence. Believe it or not...these were discards of my neighbor!
Next is a slideshow of photos taken at Mustang Island, of Bob Hall Pier. My Kodak Easyshare Camera was the best thing I could ever have purchased! All you have to do is point and click, according to my son! LOL
The background on the main page was made from a photo of my Wilendur Lobster towel, that I faded out...the photo...not the tea towel! LOL
The direct links to some of the listings are next. You can click on them and go directly to the item. Or, you can use the shop entrance on the banner at the top.
Then I have my email link, and links to my three other websites, and a link to the second page for my favorite links. The music player features a vintage song for your enjoyment!
The second page features a background from one of my beach photos...the waves and sand on the beach! The banner at the top has only one life ring, and the slideshow features photos of a really neat shop on Padre Island!
Another slideshow I made up features a seashell frame with a vintage 1950s couple from a Coca Cola ad. My email life ring, another favorite beach photo, links to the Vintage Tablecloth Lovers Club, Lace Fairy, Sherry's (Ebay ID - Vintagetresors) Vintage Barkcloth Style Names, links to other favorite sellers, and another player with a vintage sea related song, follow!
I had so much fun designing this website! And it gives me much satisfaction to see my ideas starting to come together, especially as I learned each step of the way!
So visit Captain Kidd's Treasure Chest for your favorite costume jewels, Anne Bonny's Booty for knick knacks for your home, Jean Lafitte's Galley for kitchenware, items, and vintage linens, Calico Jack Rackham's Locker for all your clothing needs (whether it be a bathrobe, belt, hat, or scarf), Henry Morgan's Cantina for all your barware needs, Black Beard's Cabin for everything you would find in a captain's cabin...(ie. vintage seashell mirror), and much, much more to come!



Vintage Nautical Tea Towel at Jean Lafitte's Galley



Vintage Nautical Bathrobe at Calico Jack Rackham's Locker