Vintage Hand Painted Tie - Would you wear this?

Found this at an estate sale thrown in a box with hankies, scarfs, scraps of material, etc. Still in it's original box with the tissue paper, it was a steal at $2.00. Are you thinking it was still in the box because it was never worn? Wrong! It did have some faint wrinkles at the knot area and it had a dark spot right about where you'ld expect a drink or some soup to drip. Good news is that the dark spot was just that, a darker area not a blaring stain. Someone mopped up the spill quickly and did damage control, bless their heart. Don't think it was worn often, if more than once, then placed back in it's box and saved with care. Probably dates to the 1940's or 50's, when liquid arches from little boys seemed to be a big source of amusement - obviously these people never changed a little boy's diaper! And if you're still wondering who would want this thing, just let me say that the bidding on ebay proved it a still popular item - go figure.

Pink Flamingos, Their Nests, and Occupied Japan

Here's a perfect example of the twisted way my mind works. Find this Florida souvenir plate at the Goodwill and am immediately drawn to the hand painted pink flamingos. Then notice that one of the flamingos is feeding a baby and it's in my cart. Didn't even notice the Occupied Japan stamp on the back until I got it home. Of course all that stamp means is that it was made sometime between 1945, or the end of WWII, and the early 1950's. The fact that it's handpainted probably says it was made in the 1940's, before the big Made in Japan boom of automated exports.

What really gets me is the detail. A search of flamingos on the web shows that this is how they build their nests, mini volcano looking mounds of mud. Only I can't find any reference to flamingos being native to Japan. So who was the person, probably American, that explained flamingos and their breeding habits to a Japanese artist? Were they homesick? a birdwatcher? What were they doing in Japan? Was it a military man brought in specifically to explain flamingos or a southern businessman trying to get a good deal on gift shop items? Who took the time to provide the correct details for this scene rather than just a painted bird and a palm tree?

Obviously the design didn't take as you don't see it in any of the later mass-produced Florida plates. I like this one a lot better even if it is a little rough looking. And now I know how flamingo nests look - and so do you.

Piero Fornasetti Box - A True Treasure Found in My Stash

Added on January 13, 2010. This Piero Fornasetti box is now for sale in my booth on Bonanzle.

This box is a double treasure find. Bought it awhile back, don't remember where, but the enameled metal sleeve with its bright design of pipes caught my eye and I liked the sliding style of the box. No markings but knew it was probably made mid 20th century and looked Italian. Pretty much a gut feeling buy; the other half says those are my best ones! Eventually it is time once again to rotate my "neat little boxes" collection. If I don't sell a few, there's no room to display the new finds. I price it and put it in my space at the local antique mall. It sits unbought for about 2 months and then one day I get a call from a good friend. My friend happens to specialize in mid-century modern and she advises that I go get the box immediately and do some research using the keywords, Fornasetti, box and pipes. The immediately was stressed because of the price I had on the box and what my friend felt the actual value might be.

Yes, I got myself up and went to get the box. Yes, the research showed that this appeared to be a box by Piero Fornasetti. Unluckily, my box was missing the red felt usually stuck to the bottom to guard table tops which would have had an impressed seal with the Fornasetti name and Made in Italy. But, research gave me a site about Fornasetti that is run by his son in Italy. Some Fornasetti designs are still being made on a limited basis by the family. Because of unauthorized reproductions, and reissues, the site offers to authentic Fornasetti items if you provide them with photos. I received a really nice email from Mr. Fornasetti's assistant saying that this was indeed produced by his father dating to the 1950's or 1960's.

Double thanks to my friend Elle, better known as austinmodern.com! Number one for refinding the treasure among my treasures and Number two for telling me about it instead of buying it and making it her thrift store diva find of the week!

Coffee just tastes better in a Fire King mug...

The old Fire King mugs I find at thrift stores always remind me of happy childhood visits to my grandparents house. So it's hard to leave them behind, even if my name isn't Pat...