Vintage Geek Extraordinaire...What To Do With Vintage Photos?

My Great-Grandmother

I was looking through a box of old family photos the other night with my daughter. I knew I had a problem when I came across an old Christmas photo from the 70's, and my first thought was "Is that a Malibu Barbie..?? What the heck would THAT be worth today??" Then we got to the truly amazing photos. My Grandfather was born in Germany, and came to Canada in the 1930's. The photo on the top is my Great-Grandmother, who died in 1907, so the photo would date around the 1900's. My Grandfather was notorious for GLUING photos into albums (he didn't trust those vintage black triangles), so many of my photos have black paper stuck to the backs, making it hard to read any dates that may have been printed, but every once in awhile you come across a hint of my Grandfather's writing, and you can make out a date.

Grandad and his Harley - circa 1920's

There are some dated in the late 1920's, when my Grandfather had a Harley (!!), some beautiful family portraits, and a large array of wedding portraits, all from the 1920's through the 1930's. I've been researching how best to display them, and came across some great ideas. One in particular is to display them in vintage glass bottles. I like the look of this, but the thought of curling these priceless family treasures hurts.

Germany - around the early 1920's or earlier

Another interesting idea would be to scan and print the photos onto photo transfer paper (you can find this at craft/office supply stores), and then simply iron the images onto fabric or a quilt. Space them out evenly over the whole quilt, and then simply trim the edges and the spaces between the pictures with matching ribbon. You could use this as an actual quilt, or even as a wall hanging.

I finally decided to just invest in some good quality vintage frames, being such a traditionalist ; )

Available on Etsy - NOT family ; )

Available on Bonanza

Also on Bonanza!

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Does Growing Up In The 70's Make Me Vintage? Vintage Dolls on Etsy and Bonanza

Canadian Made Inuit Doll on ETSY!

Since the recent death of my brother, I've been thinking alot about my childhood. I'm the youngest of 5, and the next youngest is 8 years older than I am, so if you do the math, you can just imagine how spoiled I was...or at least that's what my siblings claim ; )

I started collecting vintage toys, just pretty much looking for things I played with as a child. I could have retired in my 20's if I had kept the toys I had back then! My sister is almost 12 years older than I am (lol...I added that "almost 12", just in case she reads this), and I inherited not only all HER old Barbies, but all of her friends as well...I was like a little mascot, and my Barbie collection just kept growing. Then there were the Liddle Kiddles my mother bought me. I had the jewelry, the accessories, the animals, the story book set...my collection was huge!

Krissy on Bonanza!

Then there was my all time favorite doll...the Krissy doll!....with the growing hair and that original orange dress. I played with her the most. I'm not a collector now by any means, but I still love the look and feel of those old dolls. I just hope that at least some of my old dolls made it into somebodies collection.

 

Don't forget to try your hand with the CANADA ROCKS trivia question!! Check my last blog (just below!), and let's see how well you do!

Canadian Regal Doll on Bonanza!

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Getting Organized - Vintage Style! Plus Contests and Giveaways

I've really started to enjoy blogging, and this coming week I'd like to start having certain topics on certain days, I just haven't decided what and when yet. Stay tuned for a better organized blog...which brings me to today's theme...organization with a vintage flair! How's THAT for a segue? ; )

Etsy

Etsy

I've always liked the colors of vintage metal containers. They range from vibrant to a subdued shade that you only seem to find in vintage items. They're very versatile, depending on your color scheme and the room you have in mind. You can store anything from cotton balls for the bathroom to macaroni in the kitchen. When my kids were smaller, I liked to have a variety of sizes and colors to store their toys. It made it easier for them and nicer to look at.

GIVEAWAYS:
I have been mentioned in The Steady Hand Blog. The is a small write up on me and the items I sell, as well as a FREE giveaway of one of my items. It's a great blog with a lot of deals, contests, and great items, so check it out : )

Bonanza

CONTEST:
In my last blog post - you know the one, it's right under THIS one ; )- I started a contest. All you have to do is show Canada some love! ; ) I'll re-post the rules here.

CANADA ROCKS Trivia Rules: 

Eh) Runs from July 1, 2011-July 31, 2011
B) Follow my blog! : )
C) Email me your answers at any time from now until July 31st, and then post "Canada Rocks!" in the comment section
D) After you make your purchase, just put the words "CANADA ROCKS" with your shipping request so I can make the proper adjustments to your invoice.

EMAIL: jewelsthings@bell.net


TRIVIA QUESTIONS:

1) How do you like your Timmys?
2) What is Poutine?
3) Name at least 3 Canadian hockey teams
4) What and when is Canada Day? 

Good Luck, eh!

My Links:
My Etsy Shop
My Bonanza Booth
Join Me On Twitter!
Like Me on Facebook!Follow @JewelsThings

A BONANZA of Games! + Special Thank You For My Followers, and an Etsy Peek

As much as I love a vintage kitchen find, my first love is and always has been vintage toys...and by "vintage", I mean things I probably played with as a child (lol), but my love goes back much further than that, if I'm lucky enough to come across any.

Some of my blog topics will be repeated, but never the items included, unless it's a new find. It will get better as my blog grows in followers, because then I can entice some amazing seller's I know to let me include their favorite items and vintage knowledge to this blog. You'll just have to make sure to check back often so you don't miss a thing! ; )

New On ETSY!

I had to include this new Etsy listing, and not only because it fits the theme, but because it's such a unique find! If you want to know what it is, you'll just have to visit my shop ; )

Now for something fun! As a Canadian, I'd like to spread a little Canadian trivia around. I'm going to have 4 questions, and for any followers that send me the correct answer, I will offer you a 10% discount on any item on any of my sites. Once you have sent me the correct answers, you have the entire month of July to take advantage of the discount. Questions and rules follow.

CANADA ROCKS Trivia Rules: 

Eh) Runs from July 1, 2011-July 31, 2011
B) Follow my blog! : )
C) Email me your answers at any time from now until July 31st, and then post "Canada Rocks!" in the comment section
D) After you make your purchase, just put the words "CANADA ROCKS" with your shipping request so I can make the proper adjustments to your invoice.

EMAIL: jewelsthings@bell.net


TRIVIA QUESTIONS:

1) How do you like your Timmys?
2) What is Poutine?
3) Name at least 3 Canadian hockey teams
4) What and when is Canada Day? 

Good Luck, eh!

My Links:
My Etsy Shop
My Bonanza Booth
Join Me On Twitter!
Like Me on Facebook!Follow @JewelsThings

Vintage Kitchen Gadgets On Etsy Plus Vintage Tips

Maynard

Knife Sharpener

Here I am again, just blogging away...lol. Vintage kitchen items are some of my favorite things, right behind vintage toys, so I thought I'd showcase a few things I have listed on Etsy. I remember when I was little my mother would pull out HER mother's old hand mixer to make some of her favorite recipes. She would only use a hand mixer for scrambling the eggs to make French Toast or the yolks for scrambled eggs. She said it gave true meaning to the expression "Made With Love", and she would always let me help : ).

Jelly Press-Coming Soon!

I found this vintage aluminum jelly press last fall. It was love at first sight! I made sure to keep busy so I wouldn't have time to list it, but the time has come, and it will be going into my Bonanza Booth at some point this weekend. I'll miss it dearly, but I just know whoever buys it will get tons of enjoyment from it!


I like the look of old glass, but containers let you get a glimpse of the way things used to be. In a world built on plastic, it's nice to come across a GLASS vinegar bottle. I like to call it Retro-Eco-Friendly ; )

Currently Listed On My Bonanza!

VINTAGE TIPS #1:
Vinegar...not just for fries! Plain old white vinegar is one of the cheapest household necessities you could purchase and most likely one of the most useful. Here are 3 of my favorites : )
UA-23493378-5

Currently Listed on My Bonanza

1)  put it in a spray bottle and use it as you would an expensive, chemical filled spray cleanser
2) use it to kill weeds - spray it on the weeds full strength until they have starved, and you won't have to worry about harmful chemicals around your children and pets
3) Clean your tea or coffee pots by boiling a mixture of water and vinegar, then just rinse




My Links:
My Etsy Shop
My Bonanza Booth
Join Me On Twitter!
Like Me on Facebook!

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New Listings On Bonanza : )

Newly listed on Bonanza!

Retro style metal bread box

I am just about to list this beautifully vintage canister and bread box set on Bonanza, so I thought I'd give my blog another try.

I absolutely love the look of vintage metals, and I go out of my way to find old bread boxes. We have this great turquoise one in our kitchen, but this milk chocolatey brown color is very warm, and looks great with other earthy tones.

 I had another set in a deeper brown, but my college bound son snagged that pretty fast. Luckily I had this pretty hard to find single loaf one hidden away. I love the retro lettering! : ).

 

Bonanza Bound!

May and June are great months for Garage Sales, Estate Sales, and Yard Sales in my small local area. We have entire communities that get together and make a Garage Sale Week End! This year, I missed every single one of them. My brother John recently passed away after a long illness, and my heart really wasn't in it. Fortunately, I came across this GREAT group of sellers...The Fireside Girls, as I secretly call them...they offer online sales help, information, marketing advice, humor, encouragement....just about anything you can think of to help each other along. I'm hoping to add their links as my blog GROWS (hint-hint)..so follow me on Twitter, add me on Facebook, check me out on Bonanza and Etsy, or drop me a line... : )

JewelsThings on Bonanza
http://www.etsy.com/people/gem6691
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jewels-Gems-and-Things/203331309704714
http://twitter.com/#!/JewelsThings

Me and John

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Why I'm Blogging...or at least trying to ; )

I started selling online in 2003, back when there was really only one game in town. I was an early childhood educator at the time, and with my own children being younger, I had very little time to spend online at all, but a friend of mine asked me to help him out selling some BSA motorcycle parts he had. I've always loved anything vintage, anything with a history, and I had accumulated so many things, online sales was a great way to not just "get rid" of things that I loved, but to actually pass them along to other people who appreciated them as much as I did.
My addiction to garage sales and estate sales had a purpose! : )
Recently, the rules changed, and with new policies in effect, it wasn't so easy to get the exposure needed to sell anymore. I looked for new venues, found a GREAT group of people to help me along, and started learning new terms (for me, at least) like "bounce rates" and "hash tags".
I'll use this blog as a showcase for things I sell, and write a little something here and there, maybe share some things I'm learning about, and try to help others along the way.

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