1960s Basketball Player Sculpture -- Made in Spain

I've had this quirky little sculpture for a number of years now and it's one of my first views when I get on the computer each day. From what I gather, these miniature works were imports from Spain in the 1960s. They consist primarily of horseshoe nails. These types of sculptures don't go for very much on-line, but I think they are wonderful and at this point they are sleepers. I'll bet within the next ten years they will become a desirable collectible or piece of art. In the meantime, I'll enjoy this little fellow as he slam dunks that basketball for me every morning.

How to Get that Chic Summertime "Mad Men" Look Part II

In a previous blog (see March 25) I discussed two major jewelry importers that flooded the market from the end of WWII until the early 80s. Japan was clearly a master of glass making as was W. Germany, but in my opinion, W. Germany far exceeded any market (including the USA) regarding plastic jewelry. Whether for fun or a sophisticated occasion, the variations and colors were endless. The first picture featured is a W. Germany four strand glass necklace from the 1960s. The rest are plastic pieces from a life like Dahlia pin made of celluloid to late 60s/early 70s faceted plastic necklaces and earrings. If the teasers are correct, the setting for Mad Men this seventh season slides into the 70s. If you want to look the part, check out your local vintage joints and you'll be sure to come across the perfect piece to accessorize that "Mad Men" look, be it from Japan, W. Germany or the USA.

1969 Female Fashions from Simplicity Sewing Magazine

I can't remember where I got this, but I have loved going through the pages and time and again have revisited this Simplicity Sewing magazine, which covers everything from how to resize a pattern to how to work with polyester fabric. The last picture posted here is a sewing room. Love, simply love it.

How to Get That Chic Summertime "Mad Men" Look

After WWII, Japan and W. Germany products flooded the American market, and where Czechoslovakia had once been queen of the glass bead, these two imports took over. Vintage Japan jewelry has always been on the top of my "to die for" list, especially when I find a necklace of glass beads or faux pearls. But one shouldn't forget the vast array of pastel colored molded plastic beauties that were so popular in the late 60s to early 70s. Here's a sampling of Japanese wares that I'm sure any sensible "Mad Men" loving woman would enjoy owning.

Gerard Manley Hopkins Called Them Inscapes

Several years ago when I was working on my Masters thesis, I came across the journals and poetry of poet/priest Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889). A brilliant philosopher and thinker, Hopkins discussed natural objects as having inscapes "unified complex characteristics that give each thing its uniqueness and that differentiate it from other things (Everett, Glenn. The Victorian Web. www.victorianweb.org). I think of the term often, especially when I begin to see the changing of the seasons, which comes later in Upstate New York than in other areas of the country.

O Mexico! -- For the Love of Mexican Vintage

One of my storefront categories on my website is "O Mexico." I have a thing about Mexican art and craftsmanship, especially stuff done for the tourist trade from the 1930s to the 1970s. One of my earliest memories regarding Mexican art revolves around my father's trip to Mexico when my family lived in Arizona in the early Sixties. When he returned, he had pop guns for my brothers and a pair of moroccos for me. They were a deep maroonish color with hand painted flowers on them. So beautiful ... It has been my good fortune to find many hand crafted items such as the moroccos over the years and they grace their presence in my shop whenever I can find them. With the drug cartels controlling much of what goes on in Mexico right now, I often wonder how the artisans who relied so much on tourist revenue are getting along. Here's a sampling of these gifted artisans' vintage wares:

1957 Nude Oil Painting

Here's a quirky and whimsical "nude" painting that is dated 1957 on the back. Unsigned, but attributed to H.L. Rittenhouse, this beauty is done in oil on mason board. Measurements are 16" x 10" . Rittenhouse was a Poughkeepsie artist who was known for his caricatures of the horses and their jockies at the Saratoga Race Track in Upstate New York. This is one of his earlier works and shows some wear, especially on the edges, but would look great framed.

The Great Gatsby & The Roaring Twenties

The original movie version of The Great Gatsby came out when I was in high school. I'm pretty sure it was a required reading for English class, but I honestly don't remember it and had forgotten about the frenzy that surrounded Robert Redgrave and Mia Farrow when the movie came out. Once I began teaching 11th grade English, I was reintroduced to the opulence of the Roaring Twenties era and enjoyed showing classes the old movie. I understand that a remake of the movie will be coming out soon, but in the mean time, feast your eyes on these dazzlers I recently unearthed from the attic: