FUNshiny Day

www.etsy.com/treasury/MTA0ODU1ODB8MjcyNTEzNjkxNQ/gonna-be-a-bright-bright-bright-funshiny

I'm jazzed today! And not so much because it's sunshiny, but because it's not. We had triple digit heat on Friday and Saturday, and then yesterday clouds moved in and temperatures dropped and it was downright refreshing, even though we haven't yet gotten the rain we could most certainly use. It's still overcast today, though, so it may yet happen.

I was so energized by the change in the weather yesterday that I made one of my rare and typically dubious crafts!

Coffee is life around here and hence our electric percolators don't usually last long. For a while I've been hanging on to the "innards" of defunct pots thinking I might eventually find new old coffeepots to use them with, but it's finally dawned on me that this is never going to happen, so I was clearing out the obsolete clutter when I accidentally hit two of the metal baskets together, and a wonderful rich tone rang out. I was entranced! Such a lovely bell-like sound!

The upshot is, the percolator detritus sat on my kitchen counter for a couple of weeks while I waited for the muse to fall upon me to fashion them into some sort of wind chime, and yesterday it finally did.

Tah-dah!  Behold the wonderful tackiness. And if I can do it, you, too, can make similarly beautiful music:

 

The components: 3 coffee baskets, a wire whisk, and bottle opener, and a little wrench.

I used the wire base from an old lampshade to hang the components on. You could also use embroidery hoops.

Here it is, awaiting a good breeze. You can see how dry the lawn is; it's like walking across Rice Krispies. Why is it that the weeds still flourish?

I can't say this was a difficult craft, but it was tricky getting things to balance and it took a deal of trial and error. My husband showed me how to do a simple boat knot to tie the pieces on; they self-tighten and won't come loose if the wind gets furious.

Anyway, enough about that. I'm pleased with my result; your opinion is none of my business!

Now, about the last couple of weeks' junking expeditions... 

I've had a few terrific finds, including one mystery item, which I'll show you first.

 
I paid 50 cents for this strange kitchen gadget. It's marked Androck and U.S. Pat. 1874412. Obviously it's for rolling something, but what, exactly? The shape is hardly practical for pastry, being oval and not cylindrical. Any ideas? It's nifty, whatever it is.

The weekend before last I rescued some items from being tossed out at a garage sale. I thought I was rummaging through a box ot items not yet priced, but the proprietor explained, "Oh, that's just stuff I'm throwing away." Horrors!  

Let me show you:

These are vintage cigarette cards from the U.K. They've got an adhesive backing which, sadly, let these in for some damage before I rescued them. I guess the box had been sitting out and gotten dew in it and some of them were partially stuck together. They're so cool, though! I love dogs, I love vintage ephemera... Perfect combination.

The little plastic figure is a salt (or pepper?) shaker and was made in Dayton, Ohio. As I understand, he is Aunt Jemima's better half, Uncle Moses, and both he and she were premiums from the Quakers Oats company back in the 1930's or 40's.  Here's a set from an Etsy teammate's shop, RockySpringsVintage:

www.etsy.com/listing/155986231/vintage-little-mose-and-aunt-jemima

Another Etsy teammate has some beautifully mounted-for-framing dog cigarette cards, and this shop, StolaStore, supports Saluki dog rescue efforts, a cause I heartily applaud, and to add the icing to the cake, most of this shop's items ship for free:

www.etsy.com/listing/161270497/vintage-cigarette-card-saluki-gallagher

www.etsy.com/listing/161269975/vintage-cigarette-card-saluki-players-c

 I
Then I found this cool shop, IrrenaysTreasures,a new one to me, with a nifty instant collection of great old dog trading cards:

www.etsy.com/listing/215174003/victorian-dog-art-dwights-cow-soda-cards

I do have a birthday coming up if you're feeling generous.


Okay, NOW for the piece de resistance of my amazing recent finds.

Behold!!!

I was staggered to nab this amazing huge glass dog decanter for a mere... wait for it...

$2.50!!!!!

It was the last day of a local estate sale and for reasons of what I can only deem generalized population brain freeze, no one had seized this treasure. I would have exultantly paid the original $5 asking price, let alone clutched it to my panting bosom at the half-price markdown. As it was, I nearly knocked down my friend Zada in my undignified haste to catapult over to grab it at first sight. 

This wonderful dog is in perfect condition, has no manufacturer's mark, and stands 22 inches tall! I can only surmise what it's worth; the similar dog bottles I've seen are priced at anywhere from $50 - $125, and they're for little pipsqueaks that stand a mere 12 inches tall, not like this majestic beauty.

It was a RED LETTER DAY for sure.

Fortunately for me, my pal Zada is a vintage afficionado herself so she was understanding. And while I'm busily promoting so many terrific shops in this post, I must include hers, AhhMazing. It's full of classy stuff! But then, Zada is a classy person. She was even on hand for the birth of one of my kids.

I must show you this wonderful child's tea set she has for sale:

www.etsy.com/listing/90002447/akro-agate-childrens-tea-set

This ice-chopper is super cool, too, if you'll forgive the unintentional pun.

www.etsy.com/listing/161288277/ice-chopper-polar-ice-brand-red-handle

I hope you'll check out all these terrific Etsy shops, and if you can offer any insight into either my Androck gadget or my big glass dog, I'd love to hear from you!

www.etsy.com/shop/StolaStore

www.etsy.com/shop/RockySpringsVintage

www.etsy.com/shop/IrrenaysTreasures

 

www.etsy.com/shop/Ahhmazing

And if you have an Etsy shop located in the USA and sell vintage or handmade items, I want to recommend TeamVintageusa:

 

https://www.etsy.com/teams/20846/teamvintageusa