It seems like nearly every time I stop at a thrift store or hit up an estate sale I see a piece of Texasware or other type of melamine kitchen items.  Most of the time they have lots of scratches and stains because I think people used them often since they were nearly indestructible.  Every once in a while I will come across pieces that are nearly perfect.  At some even luckier (is that a word?) times I have come across whole small sets of this cute stuff.

I love this sweet shade of pink!

I love it when I find neat old patterned pieces too.

After several years of hunting and gathering I finally decided to let these pieces go and have them listed at my Etsy shop.  They still have a lot of useful life left in them, or they could be turned into something crafty and completely different.

Like this really neat birdfeeder…

…found over at iVillage.

Or, one of those kitschy light fixtures like this one at Craftstylish.

Simple planters from Woman’s Day Magazine.

Okay, I am starting to think I may need to take these out of the shop and make some things for myself instead.  Like one of these:

Photo from Etsy Paper Twirlies.

Or, one of these…

from Cupcakes & Yoga.

Oh man, I am now rethinking the destash, am inspired to create and…well…now I want a cupcake. 

So, how have you reworked some of your collections in the past?

Kitsch Krafts

It occurred to me this morning that we are already past the half way point in January of 20-10!  It seems like time has just flown by.  I have been noticing the luscious Valentine’s Day candy creeping in to every corner of my favorite big box stores, ready to fill the void a week of no leftover Christmas treats has left in my life.  I actually eyed the last few cartons of eggnog last week while grocery shopping, but forced myself to keep walking.  I never allow more than two cartons in the house each holiday.  I am the only one willing to drink the sweet stuff, so that rule is absolutely all about weight management.  I also realized that Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and I need to start figuring out what treats of my own to come up with for my sweetie, and decide if I will make or buy a card.  I always have these great intentions of making the most romantic, yet hip and stylish card, only to end up finding the perfect thing out there already.  I guess I should be happy about this, but I have always seen this holiday as one that demands the handmade.  Unless of course you are in elementary school and have thirty classmates expecting a card from you in their revamped shoebox holiday mailbox.  By all means, please save yourself the insanity and buy a bundle of cute cards.  My Nonna (she is Italian and that’s Italian for Grandma!) actually buys and mails those bundled cards.  She just picks whichever cartoon character set that makes her smile.  Then she writes sweet little notes on the backs of each card, folds them around a $5.00 bill and sends them to all of her grandkids.  I know this because even though I am the oldest of all the grandchildren in her family by about 18 years, I still receive one every February.  This is not done as a senile old lady thing…she thinks it’s hysterically funny to keep sending these funny little cards to me.  She will write things like, “Maybe you can get a cup of coffee!?!  HA!” or “Don’t spend this all in one place!”.  She is a total crack-up and I love her dearly. 

Here are some Vintage Valentine Card images from my FLICKR file. 

www.flickr.com KitschDesigns' Vintage Paper photoset

If you are interested in giving a vintage Valentine I still have several available.  They can all be found on sale at my Artfire Shop.

I hope we all find the perfect treats and cards for our sweeties come February 14th!  Do you have any vintage Valentine’s or other cool vintage paper products that make your heart swell?

Kitsch Krafts

Over the years I have come across some pretty interesting pieces of chalkware and have seen some very cool collections in magazines and on-line.  Chalkware is not something that I come home with very often, but I do have a nice grouping of small fruit pieces like you would find in your grandmother's kitchen.  I have used them before on a kitchen window valance at a sweet little bungalow we rented years ago, but since moving into a bigger home they have yet to find a permanent display spot.  I have been thinking that I may brighten up the laundry room one of these days and just go to town with a vintage tablecloth and fruit chalkware theme.  But, that is another entry for the future.  In the meantime, I wanted to show my fruity fruit, plus some other fun pieces I have come across during my thrifting hunts.

Vintage Fruit.  Perfect for Grandma's red and white kitchen.

One of my favorite pieces and on permanent display in our guest bedroom.  My mother gave us this piece at our first year anniversary.  We think it may have come from a bookend set because it has a flattened back, but we are not sure.  I smile every time I look at this sweet, yellow with age, little couple.

I found this poodle piece at a local store a while ago and I searched diligently for a mate.  I thought these would be great in our pink and gray bathroom, but I never could find a match.  Oh well, I think this one may go in to one of my shops so someone else can add to their collection.

Vintage Chalkware Poodle Plaque

This is another odd piece I found while out thrifting.  I don't know why I grabbed it exactly because it has a very naive quality to it.  But something about the little golden star painted on the forehead was just to much for me to walk away.  I imagined a little girl picking this plaster piece out of all the other fun shapes while she attended vacation bible school or camp, or at some other crafty gathering.  She picked the horse because she had been wishing for a pony since she was three, and after reading Black Beauty she knew what color her perfect horse had to be. 

Vintage Chalkware Horse Bust Plaque

Then at the last minute she decided to crown her pet with a gold star just to make it a little bit special.  At least that's the story I made up about this one.

Do any of you have chalkware or plaster pieces that you collect?

:-D

Kitsch Krafts

About two years ago I was rummaging through a garage at an estate sale and I came across this weird figurine.  I had no idea of the age, what it was used for, or supposed to be for that matter.  However, something about it intrigued me and I had to bring it home.  Plus, it only cost $.50!  I asked as I was paying what this thing was for and the lady at the money box stated she thought it was some kind of doll and that she believed it had been purchased as a souvenir when the family had been in Japan years ago.  So, I left with my strange little treasure and did not think much more about it after that.

Then about a year after later, I was at another estate sale and found two more similar dolls.  This time the sellers gave me a little more info.  They stated that these were Kokeshi dolls that the family had brought back from a trip to Japan.  So, the stories were similar and my research could begin.

(pulled from Internet)

Apparently, these dolls originally date back to the Edo Period (1600-1868), but the reason for their creation varies depending on which site you visit.  The exact city or region of their origin also differs, but I have included some of the stories that I found.  Some people believe they were first made in an area known for forestry and lumber production.  Because the workers in this region had very little money, but plenty of wood scraps they would use them to create very simple (no arms or legs) dolls for their children to play with.  I also read that some historians believed these dolls were created to stand in place of unwanted children (as in infanticide- how sad) or children lost to injury or illness.  I found several sites that seemed to confirm that once these dolls grew in popularity they started being produced in all different areas of Japan for all different types of businesses associated with the tourist trade.  Basically they became souvenirs.

So, that is the Cliff Notes version of the Kokeshi Doll history.  These dolls are very simple, made of wood with very few, if any, features to them, both carved or painted on.  Some of the newer dolls or those from bigger cities show the artisans started to branch out and add more color and carving to their creations.

(my "collection")

One of mine (far right) is one of the very simple variety.  However the colors are pale and nontraditional so I am not sure how old this one is.  Typical colors for these dolls are red and black with some yellow.  I also have two of the "creative" versions that have more of a carved structure to the hair, clothing and even some added accessories.  All three have a Japanese character mark on the bottom showing the maker, but the two with more color also have a "Schmid Bros." sticker.  I cannot find out much about that company, other than that they were importers of small toys, figurines, etc and they were based in Massachusetts.  I am beginning to think they are not that old, however I have found sites stating their item, marked Schmid Bros, Inc. dates back to the late 1800's.  So, your guess is as good as mine as to when this business started up and when they began importing Kokeshi dolls.  Some of my research suggests that some time during the 1940's these dolls started trickling over to America.  I am sure the war had something to do with that.  If anyone knows any more about these dolls or this company please let me know.

My favorite tidbit that I came across during my searches: The Nintendo Wii creators modeled the players after the Kokeshi doll.  That explains the resurgence in their popularity on everything from fabric

Fabric sold at Volksfaden.com.

to notebooks

From BlossomDolly.com.

to keychains

From Wunderkind.etsy.com

and jewelry. 

I believe these are actually vintage, but they are sooo cute!  From ChopSueySistersHawaii.com.

Happy Hunting!

Kitsch Krafts

I definitely have the heart of a collector.  I love the visual impact of items in volume and I enjoy the hunt.  However, like some collectors I have a tendency to move from one new thing to the other very quickly...in fact, often times very passionately.  That passion lasts for a short time and then I see something else that I MUST have.  What that means for my collections is that they tend to be a little on the light side.  I have ended up with lots of different smaller groupings of things I just "needed", at least for a short period of time.  A few of these clusters of like items sit around my home and some hide in boxes until I feel like bringing them out to ponder.  The other day I came across a few card sets in the back of a drawer that I had forgotten all about.  This is one of those collections that doesn't match, grew over many years, and is together simply due to the funky graphics.  I was not born with the ability to walk by a paper product at a thrift store or estate sale if it has a cool vintage graphic.  They fall into the MUST have category.  Here are a few of those must haves that I dug up the other day.

Pink and Black Poodle Bridge Score Cards, [maker unknown].  Yeah, when is the last time you played bridge?  Ever since I found these I have wanted to start a little bridge playing women's group.  I imagine us all gossiping over girlie cocktails while taking drags off of our cigarettes tucked into extra long filters.  This is definitely a dream because I have asthma and would turn blue if I tried this.  But, a girl can dream, right? 

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!  We are so impressed with ourselves that we are advertising the birth of our most gifted human being on the front page!  Either that or this is the Enquirer and the top story is about a giant baby roaming the streets drowning innocent citizens with huge blobs of drool.  You be the judge.  [Gibson Greeting Cards, Pleasant Thoughts line birth announcements]

Now, this is definitely the most politically incorrect card out of my collection and I hope I am not offending anyone out there.  This is a set of 10 invitations by Gibson and I would guess these are from the 1960's.

If you can get past the tacky stereotype you have to admit these are pretty funny little invitations.  For those of you that cannot see the tiny script: Front: Unga Gawa Ooba (You're invited to a Cook-Out), Inside: 'Cause we simply like good people.  Yes, they are are cannibals and they want YOU for dinner.  Sorry, folks, I just think these are hilarious.  Plus, they went as far as to add sparkly gold flecks to the jewelry, headwear and the female's skirt.  That's what I like, quality in my cannibal invites.

Last, but not least for the post today is a groovy teen party invite.  This is another one that I would guess is from the 1960's or maybe 1970's and it is an American Greetings Corporation invite.  It's hard to tell from this picture, but from the blond hair on the girl in the front up, the card is embossed.  So, her hair, and the folks behind her have a little dimension in addition to their crazy colors...fancy!

What's the best part of this invite?  The hip way in which they use peer pressure to get folks to come to the party.

I plan on posting these for sale in either my new Artfire shop or in my old Etsy store.  I am still undecided, but soon you will be able to grab some of the coolest flair for your funky paper projects.

;0)

Kitsch Krafts