It was a gorgeous day here in Santa Rosa, CA. Sun was shining and it was in the mid 60s. I had been spending much time at home recovering from a darn shoulder injury and for the first time in nearly a month I was feeling well enough to head out for some antiquing. We walked through a couple thrift stores but nothing was calling out to us and then we ended up at Whistle Stop Antiques and it is a small multi dealer mall that had lots and lots of shoppers. I had been to this shop before and nearly always find something and today was great as I found a few really neat items. These 3 mermaids are so cute….I haven’t seen faces like theirs before with lots of color on the cheeks and eyes as intricate as theirs. I am researching the maker of the mermaids and can see the 2 smaller ones are signed with what looks like “Doris King” and the bigger mermaid is signed “SL”. I also found an adorable vintage Valentine couple, pair of  anthropomorphic fish salt and pepper shakers, a sweet table runner with embroidered poodles on each end as well as this really adorable vintage Lefton Miss Priss pitcher. We saw lots of Bakelite radios that I wouldn’t mind collecting but I need to win a lotto jackpot first as many have price tags in the thousands of dollars!! Hope you are all having a great weekend.

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I wanted to share a an exceptional reference book for those of you collecting Black Americana, Cats, Mermaids and Niagara Falls salt and pepper shakers and it is titled “Salt and Pepper over 1001 Shakers” by Larry Carey and Sylvia Tompkins. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. – Salt and Pepper Shakers (Books) 112 pages.

I came upon this particular book while at an antique mall and although I don’t usually look for books, the booth I was in had several antique and collectible books and they were displayed really well so I started to look over them and came upon this one and knew immediately I had to have it even though it was over 10 years old.

The book is compiled by Larry Carey who has over 6,000 shakers and Sylvia Tompkins who has over 7,000 shakers. Larry is the founder and former President of the Novelty Salt & Pepper Shakers Club and Sylvia served as President, Vice President, and newsletter editor of the club. Together, Larry and Sylvia compiled one of the best resources for shakers with a special focus on Black Memorabilia salt and pepper shakers (the first 90 pages is all Black Americana and Natives shakers) as even though I consider myself an expert in Black Americana kitchen items, this book has shakers I have not seen first hand and the book over all has a price guide and 1,500+ photos. A variety of sizes, colors, dates, country of manufacture and price guide included. You will see photos and learn information about shakers made by Miyao, Miyao Japan, Made In Japan, Pre-WWII era shakers, Enesco shakers, Van Tellingen shakers, Fitz and Floyd, Made in Germany shakers, Goebel salt and pepper shakers, American Bisque shakers, Aunt Jemima salt and pepper shakers, Uncle Mose salt and pepper shakers, Luzianne Coffee Salt and Pepper shakers, F&F Mold Dayton Ohio shakers, Ceramic Arts Studio rare salt and pepper shakers, Nodders, Napco salt and pepper shakers, National Potteries shakers and so much more! If you can get your hands on a copy do so as it is a MUST for any collector.

Hi everyone. It has been a while since I posted here but I have been recovering from a major shoulder injury and have been in so much pain and out of commission. I wanted to let my beloved blog followers know I am starting on the road to recovery so hopefully in the coming weeks I will be back at my favorite flea markets, antique and collectibles shops. I do need to sincerely thank my wonderful husband for taking such good care of me through all the tears, sleepless nights and multiple trips to the doctors and filling my many prescriptions. While cooped up at home I have discovered Pinterest wich is a virtual online web-based website that allows members to post up or pinup the things they love and share it with their friends, family, and the world. Lots of “eye candy” on Pinterest!! My Crazy4MePinterest page is a work in progress right now as I can’t yet use my arm to type so my dear husband has been helping me and it now to a point that I can share it with you all. Hope your 2012 is off to a great start!!

Happy New Year everyone!! The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind. We drove to Portland to spend the holidays with our families and then had some relatives in the hospital and other relatives having lots of health issues so we spent our time primarily in the ICU and the cardiac unit. We did have a very nice visit with everyone and I am happy to report the relatives that were in the hospitals are all out and doing just fine now. We didn’t really have a chance to get out and do anything “fun” but a day before we left to head back to California we did manage to make one stop at Main Street Collectors Mall and Soda Fountain in Milwaukie, Oregon. On our way to the antique mall my husband starts to play the Weird Al Yankovic eBay parody song “eBay” that Weird Al performed live in 2003 at eBay Live!! Just listening to the lyrics had us in hysterics as we could so totally relate to it. Many of you who follow my blog know that we love eBay and are eBay Power Sellers. I should have known that this was going to be the start of “eBay themed goodies”. We got to the antique mall and there were a lot of shoppers there. I walked around and found nothing but my husband found this really cool eBay game from 2001 by Hasbro and I just had to have it. We left the mall and made a stop at the local Barnes & Noble. I picked up the latest Romantic Country magazine and on our way to the register I spot this “Crap I Bought on eBay” book and couldn’t believe someone actually got it published…I mean a book of strange and weird crap someone bought on eBay? Well, yes, I had to have it!! To finish off our unexpected eBay themed finds, I also find a book called “I Married an eBay Maniac”. I just can’t explain it but it seemed that our one-day of  a couple hours of fun led us to “eBay” memorabilia and lots of fun and laughter. So, to all of you that sell and buy on eBay, here is an ode to eBay with Weird Al’s song and we wish you all a great 2012!!!

I have always been drawn to the vintage 1950 – 1960 poodle dog figurines and collectibles. The spaghetti poodles ALWAYS catch my eye when I am at flea markets, antique malls, and junk shops. I am amazed at the wide variety of poodle collectibles on the market today and we of course have the fabulous 1950s to thank for all the poodles on the market today. I am a Bichon Frise dog lover and proud owner of Luna – our 3-year-old Bichon but those cute poodles, I can’t stay away from them!

Poodle dogs have been portrayed and modeled into figurines and paintings since the early 1920s and in the 1950s poodles were at their peek of popularity. Nearly all poodles figurines and collectibles were made in Japan (as was nearly everything else) and manufacturers such as Lefton, Napco, Napcoware, Replo, Kreiss, Thames Company, Reubens, Shafford, Holt Howard, Vcagco, Ucagco, Arnart, Bradley, Artmark, Ries, Lipper and Mann, Commodor, Relco, Inarco, and Tilso to name a few, were all producing some type of Poodle collectible and Poodle ware from vanity items, to chained figures featuring mamma dog and puppies to parasol ladies with their poodle pooches. Poodles were depicted to look like mans best friend, silly poses, goofy faces, wearing sunglasses, and in playful poses and even with bees and flies on their noses. CUTE!

Spaghetti Poodles:

Spaghetti Poodles were made from clay, porcelain, and ceramic and their “hair” was applied in various ways to form various textures to mimic an actual poodle’s hair do. To accomplish the spaghetti look decorators and designers would have different techniques like using tea strainers and pushing the material through it to form strands that were then affixed to the poodle giving it a pom-pom look or swirled onto to the poodle for a curly look. Spaghetti is very fragile and tends to break or chip during the years and I am AMAZED at the many spaghetti poodles I come across that after 50 or 60 years old and still retain nearly all their spaghetti! These poodles were certainly loved and preserved to keep them in this type of fabulous condition. Many poodles also have applied on them sparkly rhinestones for the poodle’s eyes and rhinestones were also applied to the poodle’s dog collar. Pearls and ceramic/porcelain florals were also added to many poodles for decorations on their heads, hats and various parts of body to mimic pom-poms.

Today’s Poodle Market
Poodles are highly sought after and collectible today. Seems everywhere one looks we are returning to the nostalgia of yester year in some ways. Prices for poodles will vary depending on the region you are located but average pricing for figurines and such are around $25.00 – $50.00 and go up from their depending on the rarity and maker of the item along with size and condition.

I think that currently eBay is the best place to buy your poodle collectibles right now as you will find a vast selection and prices are unbeatable when you can pick up rare poodles for $8.99 and at prices this low it makes starting or adding to a collection possible even in this tough economy.

When you are out searching for your poodle collectibles be sure to give the item(s) a thorough once-over by making sure rhinestones are all intact, spaghetti is intact, paint is not too worn, chained groups are still chained together with their original chains and items that have parasols still retain their parasols.

Oodles of Poodles to Collect:
Poodle dog figurines, poodle dog salt and pepper shakers, poodle dog themed dinnerware and coffee mugs, poodle dog planters, poodle dog candle holders, poodle dog coin banks, poodle dog brooches and pins and jewelry, poodle dog ashtrays, poodle dog scarf, poodle dog embroidered linens like tablecloths and tea towels, poodle dog bells, poodle dog lamps, poodle skirts, poodle dog pincushions, poodle dog greeting cards, poodle dog vanity trash cans, poodle dog lipstick holders, poodle dog wrapping paper, poodle dog aprons, poodle dog plush toys and more as there are also a slew of Christmas Holiday themed Poodle Dog Figurines and Collectibles too!

Photos from Flickr

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Wrapping up my vintage Christmas pics and images series of posts, here are some of my favorite vintage 1940s and 1950s vintage Christmas tablecloths with images of Santa Claus. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!

As Christmas approaches, we are preparing to wrap the gifts we have for friends and family and I am finding so much vintage gift wrap paper from the 1950s and the paper is so darn cute and sweet that it will surely add that touch of vintage charm to my packages. I tried to snap some pics of the vintage gift wrap paper for you all to see. We head to see our families in the Pacific Northwest this week and will spend the holidays with them and although I am overjoyed to see my family,  I can’t wait to visit a couple of ‘favorite’ spots for antiques and collectibles too!! Hope your holidays are festively underway!!

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I always thought that vintage snowman by Napco, Holt Howard and Lefton were so darn cute!! Here are a couple handsome fellows and their matching mates. Maybe I need to start myself a vintage snowman collection now!!

I am loving these cute vintage Christmas figurines that have a “candy cane” theme.  Many of these are made in Japan by the great manufacturers of the era like Napco, Norcrest, Lefton Wales, Inarco, Kriess, Holt Howard, Relco, Replo, Ucago, and Commadore.  These vintage candy cane themed figurines and decorations are increasing in value each year and a couple years ago you could pick them up for $25-$40 dollars and today they can go over $200, especially the Lefton Christmas kids riding on a candy cane. Keeping my eyes open for one!!

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Dropped our lovely little fluff ball Luna (Bichon Frise) doggy at the groomers and had a few hours to ourselves so we headed to Antique Society in Sebastopol. Antique Society is a multi-dealer mall (my favorite kind of mall) and have been “waiting” for the dealers to put out some vintage holiday items and today we sure saw lots and lots of vintage Christmas collectibles. There were lots of tinsel trees in all kinds of colors, so many Shiny Brite ornaments and lots of Santa’s. I had a blast. Here are a couple pics for you all. I am still searching for a vintage bottle brush wreath and hope to find one very soon. Hope you are all enjoying the holidays.

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