Jackpot!

A mere six days ago, I commented on Magpie Ethel's blog that I "had no vintage Halloween decor - yet." She has the best collections of vintage, well, everything! I just love the look and she has inspired me to add old Christmas, Valentine and Easter items to my holiday decorations... but since Halloween has to be my second-favorite holiday behind Christmas, I really wanted to find something special and old to add this Fall too.

Some of my favorite vintage paper decorations are made by Beistel. I have their Easter Bunny, and I have long adored their awesome Halloween black cats; sadly vintage ones are pretty expensive.

When researching Beistle online, I discovered some interesting history: that since 1900, Beistle became "a pioneer in honey combed tissue decorations creating a variety of products including bells, balls, toys and Easter bunny nests. Over time the Beistle Company expanded its catalog to cover all the holidays from Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Thanksgiving. But the first seasonal decorations added to the catalog were Halloween. Over 1000 different designs and decorations have been added since 1921 ranging from witches, black cats, bats, owls, spiders and jack o lanterns. The company produced many popular die cut Halloween paper items and helped popularize Halloween decoration in America. The company’s early success was credited to selling inexpensive premade decorations that customers could readily buy from the store."

Original die cut decorations and tissue honeycombs are quite collectible; so you can't imagine my absolute delight at what I found in a big bag of miscellaneous Halloween stuff at Value Village yesterday for $ 2.99.

My cat!!!

Oh.My.Gosh.

Perfect, marked and unpunched. There's one on Etsy for $75 (damaged), one on eBay for $43. 11" long and marked. (As always, click on my photos to biggify)

11" tall Scarecrow with honeycomb haystack! UNUSED and marked!

There's a creased one listed on Etsy for $17. There's not the slightest crease on mine...

Carefully folded open as the slot for the tab isn't even punched out

10" tall unpunched Pumpkin! These simple large diecuts are currently fetching about $10 each.

12" tall unpunched Scarecrow with an adorable mouse in his hat (matches the honeycomb above). Sadly this one has a tear on the right side...

Closeup of maker's mark:

Creepy 11" tall skull... a few tears on the top and bottom though.

Large 15" tall Witch. Unfortunately, because this was the largest item in the bag, the top of the plastic where they stapled it shut caused a few bends in her hat:

Holy crapoly... the 22" tall Beistle skeleton... perfect condition!

I really couldn't believe my luck. I didn't even realize what was in the bag until I got it opened at home... all I saw through the plastic at the store was the honeycomb of one of these (not Beistel, but perfect unused condition still in their original bags). These and the Scarecrows will be great for Thanksgiving!

All the vintage Beistel diecuts were sandwiched between an unused Pumpkin Master's kit (I broke a few of my well-used cutting tools last year, so the two that came with the design book were definitely needed) a plush Halloween black cat toy, some cookie cutters, three sets of unused treat bags (which I use every year) and some fake witch's nails which will be sent back to Goowill / Value Village in my donation pile.

Awesome.

Sharing with:




and Laura, at Inspired Sunday Blog

Oh Canada!

I don't normally check out the items displayed in the glass cabinets at the front of Value Village stores; usually it's filled with high-end collectibles, electronics or jewelry - not really items I shop for there. But the other day I was killing time waiting for hubby to join me after work; so I wandered over.

Am I glad I did... for a found this pewter medallion in a black velvet presentation box that's a perfect addition to my Studio (yep, anything with crowns or Royal emblems fits right in):

It's very heavy and measures about 2.5" across. Canada's Royal Coat of Arms is embossed on the front and the back is inscribed with "Parliament of Canada" in both English and French with the maker's mark on the bottom.

When I brought it home, I couldn't find anything about it online... other than the website for the maker Aitken's Pewter. I contacted them and found out that this medallion is from 2007 and was provided to the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa as a souvenir that MLAs could hand out.

A very cool item to find, especially when Canada Day was coming up.

I just love this tabletop ad I picked up at a restaurant many, many years ago... would can resist a flag-bearing beaver and beer? Oh so Canadian:

Speaking of beavers, here's my favorite one of all


So to all my fellow Canucks across our wonderful, beautiful country I hope on Monday you have a

Happy Canada Day!

Rub A Dub Dub

You just never know what you're going to discover at the Goodwill...

The other day I found this for $6:

Since there was no lettering or graphics on the top, I thought I would decorate it myself. But what to do?

While looking for inspiration online, I found this photo while Googling "vintage washboards":

When I looked closely, I saw "Winnipeg" (my city) written on the left lower corner of the photo... and thought that my washboard looked very much like this one, so perhaps this was the graphic I should use. I found a straight-on picture to print it off so I could use the same technique as when I created my "Antiques" sign  to transfer it to the board.

But first, it needed a good wash as it was rather dirty. I started with the glass and then thought I could at least get some of the dust off the top wooden area so the transfer would adhere better. To my surprise, the more I scrubbed, the more dirt rinsed away, revealing something very interesting underneath...

Well holy crap! It WAS an Economy board! I carefully washed what I could, fearing I would take all the lettering off if I went too far.

So what do you think - leave it original and faded, or should I repaint the writing in black to make it legible?

Now I don't know WHAT to do!

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Nothing Goes To Waste

I share my Victorian Studio with two of my daughter's birdies, since she moved out last year and they aren't allowed in her apartment. Each one is fed special parrot and budgie seed mixes; but being finicky things, pick out all their favorite parts and leave much of it sitting in their bowls untouched.

Not one to waste anything, when I change their food I dump the leftovers into my large vintage Crown mason jar and take it out to my deck to feed the wild birds and bunnies (along with bread ends and pea pod shells after treating the birds with raw peas).

At least they're not finicky - they LOVE it!

Not soon after filling the wooden bowl on the deck and a bird feeder on the patio table, the guests arrive and the feast begins.

Here's the view out my bedroom window this morning -- photos were taken through a pane of glass and a screen, so I apologize that they are not super crisp. Click to biggify.

Awwww... my cute friend who lives under the deck is back.

Hey now... the BOWL is where your food is! Not my new planter and young marigolds!

Aw crap, now our friendly neighborhood squirrel has joined the "Party In The Planter".

Red Squirrel:  "Whatcha doin' rabbit?"

Mischief Rabbit:  "Munching."

Red Squirrel:  "On what? You ate most of the seeds in the bowl!"

Mischief Rabbit:  "Plants." Nom, nom. "They're yummy too!"

If I wasn't half-dressed, getting ready for work and snapping photos I would have gone out and shooed him from my planter....

Oh who am I kidding. No I wouldn't.

*Sigh*

I guess I can always buy new flowers...

AFTER I raise that planter up a titch higher, that is...

Happy Father's Day!

I created two completely different styles of Father's Day cards this year (unlike last year when both hubby and my Dad got the same type of card).

Here is what I created for hubby. I rubbed some of my new Tim Holtz Antiqued Bronze Distress Stain (I got at Michael's for 50% off) and his Black Soot Distress Ink on my Ranger craft mat then rubbed white cardstock around it to marbelize the page for the front of the card. Once dry, I ran it through my Cuttlebug with Tim's Brick embossing folder. Then I edged it with more Black Soot ink and attached it to the front of the black cardstock card.

I wanted to tag the brick with some graffiti, so I downloaded free graffiti fonts and free-handed my sentiment following the shapes of those letters. I used my Copic black brush pen, then outlined it with the Souffle white pen.

Then I attached one of Tim's moth images with Ranger's Glossy Accents to look like it was resting on the brick wall... inside is more distressing with the same materials and copper eyelets.

The second card I created is more clean and neat - for my Dad! I followed Christina Griffiths' video tutorial on how to make this cute shirt origami fold:

I chose some green and white striped paper and found her so easy to follow, I made this on my first try:

 I added five button brads and a pocket. I also found some soft cloth for a handkerchief and tucked it into the pocket.

Behind the shirt I placed a Spellbinder's die cut and a few more for inside the shirt for the sentiment. Inside the card I also placed another die and a hand written note to my wonderful Dad.

I can hardly wait to give them their Father's Day gifts and cards!