vintage collectibles

One of my favorite vintage things to scope out are pieces by Holt-Howard. Their whimsical childlike designs from the 1950s and 1960s were so uniquely their own that even today it’s not hard to spot them in a sea of vintage pottery and glass.

A little background on Holt-Howard…

Holt-Howard was created in 1948 by John and Robert Howard and A. Grant Holt. The company first focused on Christmas items which became very popular in the 1950s. Soon after, Holt-Howard began to branch out into whimsical kitchen items and giftware. Animal themes quickly made their way into the design with rooster egg cups, cat string holders and more.

Pixieware is what the company is best remembered for — produced from about 1958 until the early 1960s. Pixieware is immediately recognizable for the elf heads which adorn the condiment jars and other kitchenware, painted with bright colors and clever facial expressions.

The Jam n’ Jelly jar above (dated 1959) was my first encounter with Holt Howard. From the moment I laid eyes on it, I was smitten. The pixie’s head lifts off to reveal a small scoop molded underneath the lid for scooping jam. Even though this piece would be considered prize Kitchiana, it’s found a sweet little home on a corner shelf in Gracie’s bedroom.

Here’s another piece I found recently on eBay. It’s a vintage Jack and Jill wall pocket (dated 1958). It’s really petite, measuring only 4 inches wide. I thought I might reinvent it as a really cute business card holder. I’m not quite certain what the holes at the bottom were originally intended for. My guess is hooks were inserted in them to hold keys or measuring spoons? I’ve tried to research this rare piece without luck. If you have any info on it, please share!

Let me count the ways…

Here are some of the many reasons I love Holt Howard. Some of these pieces are currently up for auction on eBay — just in case it’s love at first sight for you too.

‘Dorable Daisy Lipstick Holder - 1960

Lil’ Sugar & Creamer Set

Easter Bunny Candle Climbers

Merry Mice Salt & Pepper Set – 1958

Santa Claus Ashtray – 1959

I keep hearing that song on the radio. We have a station here that plays nothing but Christmas music throughout December (you probably have one of those too). Seems like every time I turn it on, Julie Andrews is belting this one out. I never really considered it a Christmas song or Sound of Music (one of my all-time favorites) a Christmas movie, but okay. Works for me. In the movie, I guess the children are preparing for a holiday concert if I remember it right. I’m way over-thinking this. Moving on…

My favorite things… I’ve kind of been on a hunt the last several years in search of vintage ornaments similar to those that were on our tree when I was a kid. My mother sold all our ornaments in a garage sale years ago. (She knows I love to give her flack about this.) We lived several states apart at the time, so I didn’t even know about the horror until long after the fact. Her reasoning? She wanted to ‘start fresh’ with the tree. And I get that, I do. But it kills me to think about it. I can still remember our tree vividly from all those Christmases growing up. My mom even HANDMADE a bunch of those original ornaments (felt gingerbread men, bells, santas, etc.). How could she sell them a decade later at a garage sale for 25 cents? Can you tell this is a sore spot for me? Don’t get me wrong. My mom is the greatest and she did hang on to sentimental things from our childhood. Unfortunately, the tree stuff — the stuff she made — just wasn’t among them. The upside is that the whole incident reminded me that stuff is just stuff. And it also made me realize that sometimes that stuff can hold childhood memories for the little ones we love most.

My kids may or may not grow up to be the sentimental sap their mom is, but in case they are, I’m making a conscious effort to keep small reminders of their past.

Favorite #1: Vintage Elf: Is he the cutest thing or what? Found him and a few of his buddies at a flea market last year. He’s a total flashback from my childhood. The cool thing is that at the base of his head he has this candy cane-wrapped wire that you can actually twist around the branch of the tree rather than your standard hooks.

Favorite #2: Vintage Stocking: Yep. This is the real deal. This held my very own loot from Santa every year when I was little. Mom held on to this one! It’s made from red felt and lace. Gold glitter sequins spell out my name. It actually inspired me to make handmade stockings for my own family that we now use every year. I’ll have to share them with you in a future post.

Favorite #3: Vintage Santa: Check out this jolly vintage Santa. I was able to grab him and an entire bag of his clones at an estate sale a few years back for $5! Score! Just like the elf, his hat is felt and he has that hard plastic face reminiscent of the 60s and 70s. He also has a fluffy spun cotton beard and his ‘made in japan’ label on the back.

Just as a side note, you’ll probably also notice in this photo that we have a ‘fake’ Christmas tree. I ADORE live Christmas trees. They are beautiful and smell wonderful. And I admire my friends that use them. I know that picking out the tree every year is a tradition for lots of families. If I had any sort of green thumb, I’d probably be tempted to go that route myself. But I don’t. And that makes them a pine-needles-everywhere, fire-hazard nightmare that scares me to death. So I’ll have to stick to enjoying them from afar.

Favorite #4: Vintage Christmas Place Card Holders: I keep telling myself that I’m going to use these at a big Christmas dinner, but so far it hasn’t happened. We usually go to the grandparents’ house for big family dinners, so I haven’t had the chance. I’ve also thought about using them in an altered art project. I found them in mint condition in their original box and couldn’t resist the urge. They’re really tiny. Only about 1-1/2″ tall.

I can’t remember if I told you guys already or not, but the fam has been planning a trip to Disney World since January — yeh, before the whole economy scare. (Our timing is always stellar.) Anywho, we decided to stick with the plan, forget reality for a week, and head to sunny Florida. This will be Gracie and Aidan’s first time to DW. We’re really looking forward to it (minus the 10-hour road trip) and as you might expect, the kids are bouncing off the walls already. Granny & Pop are even joining us (it’s their first time too)!

So in the spirit of our upcoming adventure, I thought now was the perfect time to talk about vintage Disney! When it comes to decorating, I’m personally not a fan of the Disney Princesses, Cars, and Buzz Lightyear decor which is available in every department store from here to eternity. But believe me, I know how much the kids love them. Lightning McQueen is a member of the family. But I’d like to think that maybe there’s a way to fulfill the Disney dynasty with the kids while throwing in a bit of vintage flair that stands apart from the aisles and aisles of Disney-branded merchandise. Is it too much to hope for?

Believe it or not, yesterday was the 80th anniversary of Mickey Mouse’s debut in Steamboat Willie. (Who says my timing is bad!) Finding vintage Disney really isn’t hard. It’s incredibly popular and collectible. Prices on rare pieces can get pretty high, but there’s so much Disneyana (that’s the avid collector’s term) out there, you’re sure to find something in even the most modest price range.

I went through eBay looking for vintage pieces that I thought might inspire you. Let me take you on a little tour…

If you have an extra, say $1000 or so, you might want to check out this fabulous 1930′s Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse doll (shown above) currently up for auction on eBay. Even if you can’t swing the price (yeh, me neither), it’s still worth a peek. It’s the epitome of vintage Disney collectibles.

Another vintage Disney treasure I found was this Mickey & Minnie Vintage Pail. Wouldn’t it look great filled with vintage wooden alphabet blocks? (Stuff the bottom with newspaper first so it doesn’t take so many blocks to fill the pail.) You could use it as an adorable bookend or display it as a central focus on a wall shelf or dresser. This particular one is sold, but you can find many more like it on eBay.

Disneyana isn’t only about Mickey and Minnie though. Bambi, Snow White, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Dumbo (my personal all-time favorite) — the list goes on and on. You can find vintage versions of all of them and more. Here are two more examples of great oldies that are just itching to be rediscovered and adored…

Vintage Bambi Alarm Clock, circa 1964

Vintage Classic Dumbo Comic Book

Are you just giddy now with inspiration? Ok, well maybe that’s overstating a bit, but I hope you did enjoy the trip down memory lane. That’s truly one of the best things about Disney — the characters that we grew up with are still there among the Jasmines and Lightning McQueens our children are growing up with today. And you better believe I plan to point out every one when we get to that amazing wonderland in the sun — Walt Disney World.

I’m back! The surgery saga was a bit more involved than the doc had led on. The surgery wasn’t bad, but the 10 days in a cast up to my shoulder and now the month or more of physical therapy ahead of me were not anticipated to say the least. I’m more than a little perturbed at the doc for downplaying the post-op. But with the busy holiday season coming, not to mention a family trip to Disney World the week of Thanksgiving, I definitely have incentive to push hard with the PT and get full movement back in my hand and wrist. Typing should be an added help!

So I couldn’t let one of my favorite vintage holidays go by without posting. Halloween is #3 on my list of favorite holidays for decorating vintage. It’s only been in the past few years that I’ve really started collecting vintage holiday decorations. It is so much fun though! Let me share with you some of my favorite vintage and vintage-inspired pieces as well as some things that I would dearly love to add to my collection if I could just go crazy. Hope you enjoy!

I’m loving this Scaredy Cat vintage hanging decoration. His arms and legs are hinged.

And check out this rare valentine. It works double-duty for Halloween and Valentines Day. It just ghost-to-show-you, you never know what you’ll find!

What a hoot. This crepe paper tablecloth is vintage and a must-have for any spooky festivity. I could also see these adorable illustrations used in some altered-art projects. Hmm… Better beat me to it. You can find it here.

Treats are a must at Halloween! These vintage cookie cutters will make any goblin grin. These would be in my collection if I didn’t have a drawer full of cutters already. My clutter means YOUR cutters! Find them here.

Guess Who! These vintage masks are an especially fun blast from the past. Great way for little ones to play dress-up any time of year!

Lastly, here’s a view of my front door. Found this vintage-inspired garland at Target (believe it or not) several years ago. These spooky faces are painted wood cutouts with a glitter overlay. They’re strung by wire that’s pretty easy to twist and shape. I wrap it around my boxwood wreath that I keep on the front door most of the year, and voila! Spooky greetings!

Keep a close eye out for all those little goblins running around this All Hallows Eve! I’ll try to ’round up’ some costume photos of my wee ones to share with you this weekend. Happy Halloween!

I’m not sure if the lack of sleep has improved my writing or just made me delirious, but after a really long day, this post title cracked me up. It couldn’t be more appropriate to sum up my recent experience on eBay…

I tend to hit eBay in waves. I get hooked for a week or two and spend way too much time and often too much money. Eventually I snap out of the eBay fog and ban myself for the next few months. Case in point: After a heated bidding war the other night, I narrowly escaped as victor of this wonderful vintage photograph postcard. How could ‘The Baby Gardner’ not fight for this? It epitomizes the shop, right? But it cost me. Boy, did it cost me. Which brings me to the ‘done’ part. I’ve banned myself from eBay for the foreseeable future. But really — can you blame me?

So what do you think about incorporating this into a product for the shop? Good idea or nah, not so much?

Remember the vintage Charlotte and Charlie dolls I had mentioned in a previous post? Thought you might like to see the collection I have hanging in Gracie’s room. Shadow boxes really come in handy when collecting vintage smalls. I have them everywhere displaying all the little vintage treasures I heart most. And check out the scrapbook paper I used in the back of the box. You’ve probably noticed, I heart paper too.

Hope this sparks ideas for you to add your own vintage touches to your little one’s nursery or bedroom. To learn more about the history of Charlotte & Charlie dolls, you can read my brief description in the Cowboy post or search more online.