'FOUND' in Ann Arbor

A couple of years ago at the 3rd Sunday Market in Bloomington, Illinois, I met Mary. This past weekend I finally had a chance to visit her delightful gallery, 'FOUND' in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Lucky for me, Mary was in - here she is:

'FOUND' features the creations of local artists who use vintage materials to create jewelry, art & accessories. A few carefully selected new items are mixed in. 

Then there are the drawer units & cubbies...oh. my. heart!

I loved them all.  

Best of all, you're allowed 

to open every one of those drawers!

Inside are letters, numbers, rubber stamps, game pieces, ephemera, photos, 

and little "junk" items of every description. 

It's all carefully sorted, organized and priced. 

I can't imagine the amount of time it takes 

to sort and price all of those little treasures.

Check out the FOUND blog and site and

if you're ever near Ann Arbor be sure to stop in; 

I know you'll love it!

March 1st...A Glorious Day in Milwaukee

 60's, sunshine, oodles of green,

fragrant blossoms....ah, spring...

...inside the Mitchell Park Domes.

Outside? Well, not so much.

Do Not Fold - - - - - - - or Mutilate

"S-P-I-N-D-L-E "

What does that mean?  

I have a feeling that there's a 

generation or two who have no idea.

 Decades ago bills, receipts and other important

papers were organized by being stuck onto a spindle.

Many were free standing - this one hung on a wall.

Early computers relied on punched cards with 

a series of uniform holes for input & output of data.

A raggedy, misplaced hole would 

muck up the whole operation.

IBM began printing the phrase 

"Do not fold spindle or mutilate"

on the cards.  

And that's the origin of the phrase.

Have a lovely weekend!

Flea Market Style Magazine and Etsy

Found it!  The new Flea Market Style magazine finally surfaced in my local Walmart yesterday and it's another winner put together by Ki & her team.  
Permission  has been granted for me to give you a peek at the contents...here it is; intentionally distorted so that you can enjoy it fully when you get your copy of the magazine!  Find it at your local retailer or order it from the Flea Market Style blog...I promise you'll love it!

In the magazine, there is a shout-out to etsy sellers.  Did you know that there are well over a million vintage items listed on etsy right now? 

Browse the pages, get inspired and get busy.  My fellow etsy sellers offer many of the items featured in the magazine; I've put together a treasury of some of their offerings.


(By the way, do you know how to search on etsy?  Featured in one photo in FMS are bait buckets. Go to etsy.com;  to the right of the etsy logo is a search box; it's a drop-down box that defaults to "handmade".  Click to the right of the word and select "vintage" from the box. Type in "bait bucket", to bring up all listings pertaining to vintage bait buckets.  That's how I found this beauty listed by SquidWhaleDesigns.)

A big thanks to Elizabeth for permission to use this photo. She and her friend Sarah own SquidWhaleDesigns.  Sarah has another fun etsy shop -  Mouse Trap Vintage...check it out!

Do You Love Gnarly?

Most of the grain sacks in my etsy shop have sold so I've decided to dig into the stash and get some more listed.  A year ago my "stash" was huge...I had over 700 sacks at one point. 

I haven't counted lately, but there are not that many left.

It seems that most buyers prefer the ones that are the closest to "perfect"; 

without too many stains, repairs or holes.  

 I'm afraid my heart beats at a different pace.  While I can appreciate the "pretty" ones, what really gets my pulse racing are the gnarly survivors like this one.

It's been around the block and over the river more than once.

It shows honest wear from just going to work and doing it's job.

(At the risk of offending some by getting political for

a moment, I wish our Wisconsin Democratic Senators would do the same...)

I love the way the farmer or his wife patched this with a bit of blue/white ticking.

Charming, yes?

I'm linking up with Capers of the Vintage Vixens for Bloggers' Bodega, (grain sacks are available in my etsy shop with more are being added today)
and
Faded Charm for White Wednesday. 

Love Tokens - Symbols of Victorian Romance

  

Nothing exemplifies the passion and romance of the Victorians more than the simple love token, given as a gesture of love or affection. Coins were taken from circulation, smoothed down and hand-engraved with the initials of a cherished friend or lover.  It's been decades since I've acquired any.  The stars aligned this week and I was able to purchase a small collection.

(Update - this token is sold.)

A token may also have been used as a proposal according to the Love Token Society: "A young man desiring to get married in 1876 may have taken a dime from his pocket and engraved, or had an engraver engrave, his last initial, (family name), and his girlfriend's first initial on it. If she accepted and wore it they were considered engaged..."  How romantic is that?

Most were made from a Seated Liberty dime, dating from the 1850s thru the 1880s.

(I've got one gold love token in my collection; it's in such a safe place that I couldn't find it to show you a photo!  Am I the only one that 'loses' special things on a regular basis?)

This one was made from a quarter, and had a pin attached to use as a brooch.

Some tokens feature unusual motifs

(Update - this token is sold)

 Take a closer look at the whimsical rabbits!

I've yet to find one with my initials, but am still searching.

 

A few tokens will be available in my etsy shop;

while some will be added to my collection. 

Grayslake...Come On Out!

The weather dudes are promising us a warm weekend for the Grayslake Antique Market tomorrow and Sunday. ("Warm" means 30's, which is more than forty degrees warmer than it was yesterday at this time - yaHOO!)  Our booth will be packed with a load of great finds and last minute gifts.  Hope to see you there!  Don't forget to click here and print out yesterday's post for half price admission.

I'm linking up with Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday....and I'm heading over there right now to be inspired by all those great posts.  Grab your coffee and meet me there!