Jewels Things is Back

     From Canada to Texas

It's been a very long time since I've added to this blog. During this time I've made a move from Canada to Texas. I admit it's been quite a culture shock, and I'm still adjusting, but as far as my online business goes, it's been an amazing change. After dealing with the high cost of Canadian shipping and the inconvenience of lugging carloads of packages to be weighed, measured and shipped, I can now do all of that in the comfort of my home AND request that the USPS pick it up the very next day! This has been the most significant and positive change to my selling practices.

Then came my introduction to First (and Second, Third, and Fourth!) Mondays. It's like Garage Sale Heaven every week end! I've only just begun to add my amazing American finds to my eBay and Etsy shops, but I'm very excited about them. 

Look for new JewelsThings on eBay!

I'll be listing on a regular basis, so with a little luck, I'll be Blogging on a regular basis, too ; )

 

This is a set of vintage Samsonite hard case luggage, including the hard sought after Train Case....and all the pieces are different! It's all I can do not to keep these gems for myself.

 

 

 

 

 This Bad Boy is an antique WWII Artillery Mortar Shell. Sadly, I'm unable to sell this on Ebay, but it is an impressive item to see.

My next amazing find was to meet a local jewelry artist. I acquired several of her pieces, and still have a few left. I don't normally sell jewelry because I don't really know much about it, but she does such beautiful work, I couldn't resist sharing her form of art.

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The Naughty Blogger

Yes, I have been a very Naughty Blogger...I let WAY too much time lapse between posts, but I'm back now : ) There are WAY too many very Retro vintage Christmas items available!

Vintage Table Decoration

My mind spins with all the technology that's out there right now...cell phones, ipads, Notebooks...so there's something very comforting about seeing all the Traditional Holiday decorations that still exist...sort of brings us back to a much simpler time.

 

Our house was built in 1921, so vintage and antique items fit very well. We have always decorated the Christmas tree with vintage glass balls and other items...some from my own childhood, and the ones I've given to my own children over the years as keepsakes.

                                                                    Vintage Ornaments                                

                                                                                                

Another of my favorite childhood memories were the Pixie Elves and Christmas Angels. My Father always bought me a special Pixie...I still have a few, and I really look forward to unpacking them every year.

                                                               Christmas Angels


                                                                                                       Hand Crafted Nativity


Now comes my all time FAVORITE childhood Christmas memory...the Manger! When my parents were newly married, they received an imported Creche from Italy. It was always a very special treat when my Mother would let me play with it, rearranging all the figures. I still have that actual Creche (being the Baby of the family DOES have      some perks!), and since I have 3 children, I have collected 2 hand-crafted complete Mangers for my daughters. The original one from my own childhood goes to my son, since it was he who always took special care to arrange this very special item under the tree (and he IS the baby, after all)

                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                              Follow @JewelsThings

Vintage Cookbooks, Tips, and Recipes

I'm not sure if my Mother loves to cook, or if she just loves to feed people. Growing up, Sundays were always a busy day, filled with cooking and baking and a family dinner that always included friends as well as family. My mother taught me the value of following a recipe, but also how to add a little something to make it your own. I can't say I love to cook, but luckily for my kids, I paid attention when my mother was in the kitchen, and I can roast just about anything.

Available on Etsy

Baking is another matter...I LOVE to bake. I grew up with my cousin (2 years my senior), and baking cookies was a competitive sport. I remember convincing her that everyone loved butterscotch, so she should make the Butterscotch cookies and to let me make the Chocolate Chip, knowing full well my brothers would eat up all the chocolate chip cookies first (making me the undeclared winner...lol). I also would add just a teensy bit extra salt to my batter, because then my brothers (the Judges, even though they had no idea) would drink more milk and need more cookies to go with the milk.

I have every slip of paper my mother and grandmother ever wrote a recipe on. I bought a little hard cover notebook, just a little cheap one at the Dollar Store, and recopied all the recipes, but for some reason things taste better when you can see their writing, smudges and all.

Available on Etsy

Another thing I love are SUBSTITUTIONS. My husband used to put empty eggshells back in the carton, so at any given time, I would think I had at least half a dozen eggs left, but when the recipe called for eggs, I actually had 5 eggshells and 1 egg. If you have any innovative substitutions, please feel free to leave a comment : )

Here's a very old French Canadian recipe. There are TONS of variations, depending on the area, but this is the one my Mother used, and the one my kids grew up with (my apologies, I have an English keyboard, so I am missing my accents). There are 3 parts to this recipe, all VERY easy.

Pate du Chomeur - Poor Man's Cake

FIRST STEP:

Combine:

1 cup maple syrup

1 cup water

Pour onto bottom of pan (I tend to use different pans, depending on if I've doubled the recipe, if I'm sending my daughter home with one, etc., but my standard pan is a 1 quart glass Pyrex)

SECOND STEP:

Beat all 3 ingredients together:

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

THIRD STEP:

Combine: 

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Heat 1/2 cup milk with 1 tablespoon butter; add to dry mix

Combine second and third steps, then pour on top of the syrup mixture.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

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Vintage Grace and Retro Charm

My love of vintage items comes from my childhood, in particularly from my Mother. When I was growing up in the 70's, she (ironically) didn't particularly like "vintage" items, but loved "new" and "modern" things...which are basically the same items I look for now. She is the absolute epitome of Grace...A cancer survivor herself, I've seen her hold her Father's hand as he sat through chemotherapy...only to have to repeat this painful part of loving someone 30 years later with her own son...she's buried a grand-daughter...watched over her Mother those last few days...stayed by my Father's side when he had his bypass..the list goes on...but to meet my Mother you would think she has only known happiness...she's the one you call when you need help...she's the one you call when you just need someone to talk to...she's the one you call when you need someone strong beside you.

On Bonanza

Chalet Glass on Bonanza

Growing up, she loved to have pretty things around, and collected everything from Canadian Chalet glass to Napco collectables. I guess as I get older, I'm always trying to capture pieces of my childhood :)

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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
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