Antiques & Collectibles Crazy4Me - The Modern Bombshell Lifestyle by: Yasmina Greco

Collecting Kitschy Christmas: Noel Sets

November 27, 2020 By: Fan

Yasmina Greco with her Vintage Christmas NOEL Collection

Christmas is one of the loveliest times of the year. For me, one of my favorite things to do is pull out the vintage and kitschy holiday decorations I’ve been collecting for years and display these vintage treasures as I get my home ready for Christmas.

Yasmina Greco’s Vintage Christmas NOEL Collection Kitschy Mid-Mod Decorations

Today’s blog post features some of my vintage Noel collection that dates from the 1950s-1960s and features Noel candle holders, Noel bells, and Noel figurines. When it comes to vintage Noel collectibles there are so many varieties and themes from Santa Claus, Elves, Poodles, Snowmen, Angels, Candy Canes, and even Clowns, that there really is something for everyone and you can easily have a theme each year for your holiday decorating too!!

WARNING!! Blog has a lot of photos.

One sure way to any collector’s heart is items that come with their original boxes. For me, the box can also be used as part of your vintage holiday decor as they usually have timeless graphics that add so much charm to your displays. Since these vintage items are usually 70 yrs old, if you do find an original box it will probably have some wear and tear or even water damage from being stored in basements and attics and that is completely okay and in my opinion, adds that much more to the story and history of the item.

Here are five of my very favorite Noel sets from my personal collection and I think they are just dynamite. Each set is so unique and has loads and loads of vintage Christmas charm. I actually have them up year-round in my cabinet and they always make me smile when I stop and admire them.

1950s Grimco Japan NOEL Bells Vintage Christmas

This 4 Piece Noel bells set of boys and girls made by World Creations by Grimco Japan 1950s. This set is hard to find and very delicate, made from very fine ceramic so there may be light hairline cracks if you do come across a set. The facial expressions on these kids are so darling. In today’s market expect to pay $275-$325.

2. Christmas Cowboy Santa Noel Candle Holders set by Menschik Goldman in the 1950s. Santa is wearing his western hat with green and red holiday flair, his red suit complete with holster and pistol and his body spells out NOEL. This set is very rare, I have only come across it one time and in today’s market expect to pay $299-$350.

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Collecting Kitschy Cute Vintage Salt and Pepper Shakers

October 26, 2020 By: Fan

Folks collect salt and pepper shakers for many reasons. Some inherit an existing collection, others might focus their collecting on a particular genre or manufacturer, and yet others enjoy the nostalgic feeling they get from their collection. Shakers can increase in value as particular ones become harder and harder to obtain and are highly sought after. Obviously there are many reasons why folks collect, but, the main reason is that it brings people joy.

The fun thing about salt and pepper shakers is that they are usually small in size and can fit on your kitchen shelves, desk, windowsills, and right on your dining table so no matter how small of a space you live in, there is room for salt and pepper shakers and they not only fill the practical need of condiments but also provide decoration to your living space.

Salt and pepper shaker collecting took off in the 1940s-1950s with the creation of ceramics and were being made in a variety of designs, shapes, and themes. Souvenir shakers were especially popular during this time frame as folks started taking to the roads in their Airstreams and Shasta trailers and could pick them up on their road trips at gas stations and rest stops. Shakers from this era were affordably manufactured and therefore affordable to purchase. Today, shakers come in a variety of materials from glass, wood, to metal, plastic and anything imaginable.

My salt and pepper shaker collection is primarily made up of anthropomorphic, animals and vintage Christmas shakers. My requirement is that they have to be cute and make me smile. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt so much and scour internet sites, antique shops, thrift stores and estate sales for rare and hard to find sets. I also enjoy the stories from the collectors themselves and learning what got them interested in collecting and how they found particular shakers. Collecting is also such a fun social activity as most collectors I have met love talking about their collections and sharing knowledge and information.

Vintage PY Anthropomorphic Toothpaste Girls

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✨Collecting Holt Howard Pixieware and Whimsical Kitchen Kitsch✨

August 16, 2020 By: Fan

Yasmina Greco with her Holt-Howard Jam ‘n Jelly Pixieware Jar and matching T-Shirt

There aren’t many kitchen collectibles from the 1950s and 1960s that excite me as much as Pixieware does. From the jam ‘n jelly jars with their little tongues licking the sweet jelly residue from their lips, to the instant coffee pixie jar, relish pixie jar, or the jolly girl set, manufacturers like Holt-Howard, Davar, Lefton, Lipper & Mann, Norcrest, Napco and Menschik Goldman to name a few, displayed creativity at its finest and what thinking outside the box is supposed to be when it comes to dreaming up the colorful creations of the era. Pixieware has been a hot collectible and the enthusiasm continues till this day!!

Holt-Howard Relish Jar with Spoofy Spoon 1958

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Life is a journey, enjoy the ride in a 1956 Nash Metropolitan

July 27, 2020 By: Fan

I am so excited to share with you all the newest addition to our mid-century modern family, our 1956 Nash Metropolitan!! My hubby Gary and I are over the moon excited with this adorable micro car that couldn’t be more perfect for two people (and their cute puppy dog). The fabulous turquoise blue color of Berkshire green just screams let the good times roll.

The story behind our Nash Metropolitan is quite endearing and it puts a smile on my face when I think about it. Our Metro came from Oregon where it was put on a truck and driven down to a well-known Nash Metropolitan restorer in southern California. It belonged to a husband and wife who were Nash Metropolitan enthusiasts and their grown children were selling it as it had sat out in the fields for years since their folks had grown older. Fun fact is that the Nash Metropolitan is also known as the “clown car” because it looks so zany and small and their parents had actually attended the local clown college and drove around in their Metro’s dressed as clowns. Isn’t that wild!! It must have been a real hoot to see them!! The mom even had a convertible Nash Metropolitan for years and her husband purchased the hardtop for her but she never really drove it because she enjoyed the convertible so much.

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Collecting 1950s Vintage Spaghetti Poodle Figurines

July 7, 2020 By: Fan

Today I am sharing one of my passions with you all and it has to do with collecting vintage spaghetti Poodles. The poodles in these pictures are all part of my personal collection and I adore their kitschy cuteness and how they make me smile. These vintage poodles also fit my Pinup and Mid-Century Modern vibe perfectly. My favorite spaghetti poodles are the three on the tray that have glasses and bows and are made by Norcrest in Japan in the 1950s and the little Christmas poodles that spell out ‘NOEL’ made by Lipper & Mann in the 50s. My collection includes poodle lipstick holders, poodle planters and vases.

UPDATE: You can ready about my collections on a recently published piece in the Antique Trader

This post is all about going back to the 1950s of yesteryear when kitschy cute Poodles were all the rage. Poodle motifs came in a variety of items from poodle skirts and sweaters to table linens and decorative collectible figurines like the spaghetti poodle. Ceramic artists in the late 40s-50s came up with a new technique to mimic the poodle’s fur known as “spaghetti art ware” and it ignited a frenzy for spaghetti poodles.

Spaghetti art wear is made from clay, porcelain, and ceramic which is applied as “fur” to form various textures of a poodle’s hairdo. To accomplish the spaghetti look, ceramicists and designers would have different techniques like using tea strainers to push the material through to form strands that were then attached to the poodle giving it a pom-pom look or they would swirl it onto to the poodle for a curly look. The spaghetti is very fragile and tends to break or chip over the years.

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5 Tips for Collecting Lefton Vintage Bluebirds

May 20, 2020 By: Fan

Yasmina Greco Lefton Bluebirds Topline Import Bluebirds — Yasmina Greco Lefton Bluebirds and Topline Import Bluebirds

Today on the blog I am sharing some of my very favorite vintage bluebird collectibles with you all. Back when eBay and Etsy were all the rage for antiques and collectibles I was a PowerSeller (a rating eBay had for their PowerSeller program where sellers needed to consistently sell a significant volume of items and provide a high level of service to their buyers to achieve this rating) and I sold many vintage bluebirds to collectors all over the world. It wasn’t until I came across a bluebird sugar jar from the Topline Imports company that I actually had an emotional reaction. I had listed the sugar jar and it sold within minutes and after a few days I found that I could not stop looking at the pictures I had of the item and that lil’ birdies cute face. I was so sad I sold her. I didn’t start collecting these adorable blue birds till years later and now they are the pride and joy of my collection.

NOTE: You can read about my collections here at Antique Trader Magazine

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