Flea Market Finds

Hi everyone.

What a gorgeous day and week here in New Jersey!

On a recent trek through the Golden Nugget Flea Market in Lambertville, NJ, I found two boxes of great finds! The first box I found is chock full of Ball jars, some with zinc lids and others with glass lids and bale wire closures. Only $10 for the lot, and well worth it. Now they just need a good cleaning!

The second box of treasures is full of vintage green depression glass vases and a green blown glass pitcher. Also $10 for the box, and well worth it. I am not sure that the pitcher is old, but it is very beautiful.

Now that Spring is finally here, I am looking forward to more antiquing trips at the local flea market and various other locations.

What have you found recently? Please comment to let us all know.

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely, Lynn

Barbie Doll History

Hi everyone.

I was just 4 years old when Ruth Handler invented the Barbie Doll in 1959. I remember many days filled playing with Barbie, my sisters and our friends. Mom let us create an entire Barbie town in the basement. Oh, those were the good old days.

Barbie was named after Ruth's daughter, Barbara. The doll was designed to inspire Barbara's dreams for the future and has inspired many millions (billions?) of other young girls in the past 50 years. The Barbie Doll has changed with the times and remains one of girls' best friends. Barbie's clothes and face changed along with societal trends over the years. The Barbie product line has also become multi-cultural, as well it should have. The Barbie product line is the most successful in the history of the toy industry!

You may recall that the first Barbie had a zebra striped bathing suit, sandals, a ponytail, sunglasses and earrings.

The Ken Doll, named for Ruth's son, was introduced in 1961 as Barbie's steady boyfriend. Other dolls introduced in the Barbie line include Midge in 1963 and Skipper in 1965. An African-American doll named Christie was introduced in 1968. Much more recently, Barbie's little sister Kelly was introduced in 1995, followed in 1997 by a disabled friend, Becky.

Barbie dolls became highly collectible. Collecting Barbie dolls seems to have begun in the 1970s, soon after the vintage look dolls were no longer being produced. In the late 1980s, Mattel started creating dolls aimed at adult collectors. By the 1990s, collectors had started hoarding Barbie Dolls and they became hard to find, so Mattel had to increase production, thus making the collectible dolls drop in value. By the end of the 1990s, it appeared that the collecting craze was over.

This Barbie doll, circa 1990, sports a WNBA uniform, complete with a Spalding basketball and a trophie. She will soon be available in my Etsy shop.

In 1999, came the Barbie Fashion Model Collection. Collectors were now excited about the couture fashions and the availability of couture fashions sold separately as well. Accessories were also included. These dolls sold like crazy and became harder to find too. New collectible Barbie dolls have continued to be introduced over the years.

What are your favorite Barbie doll memories? Are you a collector? Please comment to let me and my readers know!

Sincerely,

Lynn

Happy Easter!

Hi everyone.

I hope you have a wonderful Easter! Enjoy these vintage Easter postcards!

I love this beautiful angel.

Sincerely,

Lynn

Easter Tablescape

Good morning. Easter is almost upon us, along with spring, both bringing good tidings of renewal of life and spirit. This Easter tablescape is set for a luncheon, as Mom always celebrated Easter with a luncheon right after church on Easter Sunday. Tuna salad sandwiches anyone? (Made with hard boiled eggs, of course.)

In this setting, antique ironstone luncheon plates from Johnson Brothers. They are gorgeous and in great condition.

This small oval antique ironstone platter, though not in mint condition, is a terrific serving plate.

And, of course, in my house there are always stuffed bunnies and bright colored baskets at Easter time.

I love the new momma and baby bunnies I got this year.

Did you decorate for Easter this year? Did you use any of your antique or vintage collectibles? Please share what you did.

Sincerely, Lynn

Vintage Cookie Cans are for Today!

Hi.

It has been a snowy, rainy day in New Jersey, no April Fool's joke, unless God is playing April Fool's!

I have a collection of vintage cookie cans or tins. I love the vintage pictures on the lids. They are still very usable as, well, . . . cookie tins! Why buy a new cookie can for more than $3 or $4, when you can get a beautiful vintage cookie can for the same or lower cost? Here are some photos of the cookie cans in my collection.

This is a cookie tin I picked up recently for 97 cents at the Goodwill thrift store. This one is in my booth at Rosebush Antiques.

Another way to use vintage cookie cans today, if you like the art work on the lids, is as, well . . . art! Just take the lid off the can and hang it on the wall. They make great kitchen art.

I hope you have a GREAT day.

Sincerely, Lynn

Vintage Brown Bottles

Hi everyone. As many of you know, I LOVE vintage blue bottles and have quite a collection of them. But did you know I also love vintage brown bottles? Any grouping of collectibles, such as bottles, will look great when shown in a grouping where they are all in the same color or color family. On a recent antiquing spree, I found this gorgeous Wan-Eta Cocoa jar, from Boston! It looks like a Ball jar, with a zinc type of lid, but has a unique shape to it. I have not seen a cocoa jar before. This brown jar is from H.K. Mulford Co. Chemists in Philadelphia.

And this small bottle, with the triangular shaped front, is a poison bottle. Up until recently, I had not seen a brown poison bottle, just cobalt blue poison bottles.

Whatever color you love, there are probably some vintage bottles or depression glass pieces that will look great as accents in your home.

Have a great day. Sincerely, Lynn

Easter Cornucopia

Good morning. Although cold this morning, it is a bright sunny day in New Jersey. On Saturday I found this vintage cornucopia basket at the Goodwill thrift store. When I got home, I came up with the idea of making an Easter Cornucopia. Cornucopias are typically seen around Thanksgiving and I don't think I have ever seen one at Easter. It was very inexpensive to make, with a Bunny I already had and a few plastic eggs and some grass from Target.

I think it looks so adorable and I will use it for my Easter decor this year.

I am linking with Masterpiece Monday with Mary @ Boogieboard Cottage.

Have a great week!

Sincerely, Lynn

Today's Use of Vintage Candle Molds

Hi everyone.

On my recent antiquing trips I found a number of vintage candle molds. I have been looking for one I could afford for quite a while and finally found this one. I think it makes a terrific candle holder since this mold has a square bottom that can sit on a table.

This mold was sitting on a table in a vendor's booth, showing how it could be used as a utensil holder. I think that is also a great idea.

My mother had a vintage candle holder that did not have a base like these do. She hung it on a peg rack and put dried flowers in it. That looked great too. My sister now has Mom's candle mold.

Do you have a vintage candle mold? How do you use it in your modern home? Please comment to share your ideas with the rest of us!

Sincerely,

Lynn

St. Patrick's Day Tablescape

Hi.

It has been said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. I really am part Irish on my father's side of the family. As a child, I had red hair, now turned brown. I have the fair skin that freckles and burns easily in the sun.

One of my favorite memories of St. Patrick's Days past is of my Dad wearing his button that says "Kiss Me, I'm Irish". I still have that button in my jewelry collection.

Today I want to share what I have learned is called a tablescape, the table set for St. Patrick's Day. Shades of green and white are really pretty, don't you think?

This closeup shows a green wire basket holding pears. It was a Goodwill thrift store find for 99 cents. Also, the white dish holding the candle was just 39 cents at the Goodwill store. It is just wonderful to be able to be thrifty and at the same time to reuse something that could have ended up in a dump. Both pieces are in great condition, but someone no longer wanted them.

I love the place setting I came up with, though these are new pieces, not antiques.

This photo shows the use of a vintage ironstone plate to hold the St. Patricks's Day green and white sugar cookies I found at the supermarket.

Did you decorate for St. Patrick's Day this year? Please comment to share what you did.

May the luck of the Irish be with you this St. Patrick's Day.

Sincerely,

Lynn

The Weekend Blues

Hi everyone.

No, I was not sad this weekend, but I found some great blue items while I was out antiquing. First, a blue and white crock, a great size for storing utensils. Then a cobalt blue depression glass candy dish and vase that is ribbed around the middle.

I love this blue striped crock!

This candy dish is a really unique shape, not the typical round shape of most candy dishes.

I have found a number of vintage vases that are ribbed in the middle, in either ruby red or green. These were made by Anchor Hocking. I think the ruby red and green must be more common colors than the cobalt blue. This is the first of these vases I have found in cobalt blue.

I hope you all had a great weekend and will have a great week ahead.

Sincerely, Lynn

My New Vintage Etsy Shop

Hi everyone.



I have just opened a new vintage shop, Antiques for Today's Lifestyle by LMACKERELL on Etsy. You can find it at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LMACKERELL .

So far I have only placed one item there, but I will be adding to it regularly. I listed this beautiful berry serving bowl and 6 individual berry bowls by Anchor Hocking in the Royal Ruby Red color with the coronation tab handles. Although vintage, I think they will blend quite well with a modern set of white dishes!





Please wish me luck and success with my new Etsy shop!


Sincerely, Lynn

Blue Plate Special

Hi everyone.

OK, so my sister's blog titles have inspired me to try to come up with more catchy, perhaps corny, titles too!

I will always love blue and white decor. I was gifted three antique blue and white plates by my mother which have hung in my kitchen in a vertical display for quite a while. I recently bought a fourth blue and white plate and moved the collection over the kitchen window in a horizontal display. I think it looks great. The three plates on the left are from Mom and the one on the right is the one I bought. It has a very tiny chip, but you can't even see it unless you look closely.

Here are close ups of the plates. The plate on the far left is a flow blue plate, meaning the blue is "flowing" into the white of the plate.

Plates are a very easy item to collect and display. Although some can be pricey, other single plates can be found at a flea market for around one dollar each, since they are no longer part of a collection. Plates come in all colors and you can be sure to find a few that will match your decor too.

While my plates are hung with individual plate hangers, easy to find at a craft store, you might also like the plate racks available in home stores. I have seen plate racks in vertical and horizontal designs for two, three or four plates.

So why not try some plate art in your home? And please tell your friends about my blog.

Sincerely, Lynn

This Week's Great Find

Hi everyone.

This week's great find is a Singer treadle sewing maching base I found for $25 at an antique mall in Allentown, PA. With a wire brush and can of flat black spray paint this will clean up very nicely. I plan to add a nice piece of stone or wood to make this into a table. Now I will be on the hunt for the table top.

I will share the finished product once I get it cleaned and painted and have added the table top.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely, Lynn

Happy Valentine's Day and American Heart Month

Good morning and Happy Valentine's Day!

This is a beautiful vintage Valentine postcard, though the light colors did not photograph as well as I had hoped.

A very pretty lavendar heart wreath.

The heart wreath I made for my front door.

A beautiful red heart I received in my Christmas stocking!

February is also American Heart Month, sponsored by the American Heart Association. Please be sure to get your annual check-up, including checks of your heart beat, blood pressure and cholesterol. If you are a MacKerell near 50, ask your doctor about a stress test. Women very seldom exhibit the same symptoms as men. As many of you know, I had a triple bypass a year and a half ago at 54 years old. Heart disease runs in our family, but I had no symptoms. My blockages were only caught because I went for a check up and the doctor heard an extra beat in my heart and sent me for further testing. This heart shaped pillow was a gift from St. Mary's Hospital after my bypass surgery to wear in the car under the seat belt to protect the surgical site. It was donated by a women's organization.

Here's to a healthy heart for Valentine's Day!

Sincerely, Lynn

Vintage and More Valentine Decor

Hi everyone.

It is shaping up to be a beautiful day outside. I can't wait for spring!

For this Valentine's Day, I created a little vignette on the top of my china closet.

Valentine colors, for me, are all about red and white, with perhaps some pastels like peach, lavendar or pink. The vintage jar on the left is from Christmas, recycled to be used again. The jar on the right is all red and white.......ribbons, beads, shells, feathers, hearts, flowers, whatever you like will work.

Candles, of course.

This white ironstone pitcher is the same one I used for Christmas, with the same red bow, but red flowers instead of greens.

The table top scene is all set too.

A bird's nest, long since vacated by the birds, serves as a bowl for heart shaped, foil-wrapped chocolates!

Instead of a centerpiece, this vintage carrier is used to hold wine, glasses, napkins and flowers.

All it takes is a little imagination to use vintage items in unique ways in your home.

What did you do for your Valentine decor this year? Please comment to share your idease too.

Please tell your friends about my blog as well.

Sincerely,

Lynn