Antiques & Collectible Collecting is FUN Collecting Antiques and Collectibles is FUN! The hunt, the amazing stories, the finds, and the Memories. This Blog will entertain you and also give you some great online shopping links like my store Five4us on Rubylane. You will find links to help you Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 9 511

Articles from Antiques & Collectible Collecting is FUN

The Charming Charm Bracelet 2008-01-14 18:16:00 Charm Bracelets! I've read that they have gone back thousands of years, but back then they wore them for religious purpose or to help ward off evil spirits. I would love to see one of those ancient artifacts, wouldn't it be amazing. As time passed, people didn't believe in the power of these bracelets anymore and so it wasn't until the late 1800's when Queen Victoria or England wore one of her family and started a new trend.Many times the Charm Bracelet collector started as a young girl. Her first one might have been a doll or a ballerina, or maybe a cross for confirmation. What started as a young girl likely carried on to womanhood.Women who wear charm bracelets, wear them for a number of reasons. It shows a woman's personality or her beliefs. She might wear a baby bootie, to show she is a mother, or a bottle. Maybe it is one of the popular Ten Commandment charm braceletsto show that she is a religious person, or a dancer charm, a charm of car, or zodiac sign, golf club ...

BECAUSE I SAID SO: Robin Williams on Speed 2007-08-24 10:38:00 BECAUSE I SAID SO: Robin Williams on SpeedThis gal's Blog is so funny, Check it out! ...

Butterflies on Cosmos Flowers in Mom and Dad's Garden 2007-08-24 08:36:00 We just got back from vacation in Nebraska. It had been a couple of years, since Mom and Dad's 50th Anniversary. It was definitely time to see everyone. We live in Kansas and almost all of our family lives in the Panhandle of Nebraska, and believe it or not, it is a 9 hour drive, sometimes longer with potty breaks. We all got to go, except our oldest, Lacy who is in Georgia going to school (I miss her), but Logan who also is in college made the trip with us. We were packed like sardines in that Mountaineer, but we made it without killing each other. It was a great trip.The picture is of a butterfly that I just happened to snap of picture of in Mom and Dad's Garden. I think it is spectacular (if I say so myself) and wanted to share it. The day was gorgeous, warm but beautiful. This butterfly flitted in and landed for just a brief moment in time, and then disappeared. Now, when I look at this picture, I think about that wonderful day at the folks'. It couldn't have been an ...

To Flea or Not to Flea That is the Question! Lexington, Nebraska Flea Market 2007-07-24 14:58:00 This year has been a hard year for me to get out and sell at flea markets. I got called in to work at the Post Office a couple flea market Friday and Saturdays, then the gas prices have been so high that you wonder whether to go at all. And now my husband's company that he works for is changing hands so that I wouldn't have his help at one of the biggest flea markets that I do at Lexington, Nebraska. BUMMER! But that is not all, my son's football game on "set-up friday" is about as far away from Lexington as you can get. Do I try and go, or just use that money to put more into my store on Rubylane? What to do, what to do?I love the flea market atmosphere. The older folk that come up and spy something that triggers a memory or story from their youth, or the REALLY fun ones that just come up and say I have to have that! and just hand you the money without dickering at all! You have your tire kickers -- they're not much fun, you have all the vendors -- which even though y ...

Salt and Pepper Shakers 2007-01-25 20:08:00 Willie and Millie Penguins - KOOL CigarettesSalt and Pepper Shakers come in so many shapes and sizes that they have become a fun and functional collectible!They can be animals such as penguins as seen above in the famous Willie and Millie which were the mascot of KOOL cigarettes, or maybe cows, roosters, monkeys and whatever some artist of the Salinopeperophilia:(The love of salt and pepper shakers) decided to create. Here are some of the terms and types of Salt and Pepper shakers that are available.Anthropomorphic : Items like fruit that have human faces.Kissers: These are just what it says, shakers that appear to kiss.Huggers: Can be human or animal and they nest together in a hug.Go Togethers: They can be like a Car and a driver , a drunk and a jug, Stove and skillet.Stackers or Nesters: These are ones that fit atop each other, like the house shaker that I have online in my store.Long guys or longboys: they are very loooonn ...

Sturgis Bike Rally 2006-08-09 10:40:00 This is close to my old stomping ground.  The Sturgis Bike rally was and still is an annual event.  In fact, Mr. Hoel, from Sturgis, had the largest INDIAN Motorcycle store in the nation.  There are every type of motorcyle found, but mostly you find the Harley Motorcycle.  I remember hundreds of these guys and gals in their leather chaps and boots, and their bandanas on their heads riding along through Rushville and Gordon on their way to South Dakota, through the Black Hills and the Indian Reservations to that famous site.  And the stories that came back, whew, enough to make your toes curl.  Now I look at the blog by the Rapid City Journalist, Bill Harlan, Called the Sturgis Street Blog, and I think, "that looks like fun!" And the pictures of the Motorcycles - like they were straight off of California Choppers or like Bill here says - didn't I see this one on the Discovery Channel?   This time of year was always great to see a celebrity or two ...

Crackle Glass one of the Hottest Glass Collectibles Today! 2006-05-21 15:35:00 Crackle Glass is a beautiful collectible glass. It is truly beautiful and so interesting. It has been made by a number of different glass companies and is highly collectible today. The Venetian Glass Makers of the 16th Century created the process of making Crackle Glass. The process involved the blown glass being immersed in cold water while it was molten hot. This caused the glass to crack. After they did this the glass piece was reheated and the shape the glass blower wanted was either molded or hand blown. They controlled the shape they wanted this way. When the glass was reheated it sealed the cracks making the beautiful Crackle design we see today. If you run your hands over CRACKLE GLASS, you can feel the cracks, but the inside is smooth to touch.This method was used by the glass makers of the 19th century and even is in being used today. CRACKLE GLASS companies are: Blenko Glass Company, Pilgrim Glass Company, Mt. Washington Glass Company, H.C. Fry Glass ...

Hesston Belt Buckles 2005-12-24 11:19:00 Hesston Belt Buckles have been around for years and years and have become such a wonderful collection for the Rodeo fans of yesterday and today. The Voice, a Wichita Kansas publication had a wonderful article about Hesston belt buckles back in the 90's that gave a great account of these buckles. I have taken some gleanings and information from this article to use here.In 1974 Hesston approached the Rodeo Cowboy Association about the possibilities of televising the National Finals Rodeo. The plan was to target Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. So in order to test its effectiveness, they asked each dealer to supply a list of 150 customers and prospects in his area. Hesston then made a direct mailing to the customer asking them to complete a questionaire stating whether they watched the NFR program and if they would watch it again. The customer then took the card to their dealer to be validated and the company mailed them a 1974 Hesston buckle. This allowed Hesston to disperse all of ...

Christmas Candy Chocolate Fudge Recipe 2005-11-28 17:42:00 Christmas is about upon us and I wanted to share an easy home-made candy recipe called EASY FANTASY FUDGE. It is quick, it's delicious, and it is an easy gift to give friends, neighbors, bus drivers, sunday school teachers , whomever you need that little "Merry Christas" gift.EASY FANTASY FUDGE 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) margarine or butter12 oz can of evaporated milk2 pkg. (12 oz. ea) semi sweet chocolate chips 1 jar (13 oz.) marshmallow creme2 cups chopped nuts2 tsp. vanillaLightly grease 2 9 x 13 pans. Mix butter, sugar and milk in heavy 5 quart pan. Bring to full rolling boil on medium heat stirring contantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes on medium heat or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Pour into prepared pans. Cool at room temperature, cut into squares.makes about 6#. This is a yummy recipe.At my store you can find a great recipe bo ...

Collectible Dolls and the Vintage Doll. Includes Collectible Teddy Bears and Barbie - AnythingGoes 08/12/05 2005-08-12 22:11:00 Collectible Dolls and the Vintage Doll. Includes Collectible Teddy Bears and Barbie - AnythingGoes 08/12/05 Here it is, What I promised you. This site has some tremendous information for you about all those great old dolls of yours. Make sure you check them out! Whether you like Madame Alexander, or Raggedy Ann, I'm sure you will find the information you are looking for here. ...

So it's Been Awhile 2005-08-06 20:44:00 You know, I have been chasing my tail this past month. Hubby changed jobs and that meant a move. I guess you know what that means -- UGH! I mean I sell online and do flea markets--I have a whole garage, basement, trailer and more to move just for that! Heaven help us! Any of you that do the flea market or online selling thing, KNOW what I'm talking about! We have our treasures in any available nook and cranny we can find - and throw something away? -- NEVER! SACRILEGE!So, needless to say it has been work! A Lot of Work! Remember, we had to move a household of 7 people's accumulation for 6 1/2 years too! WHEW! That is what we have been doing, and even I was sick of looking at all my stuff. But, it was fun to see some of the things I had bought that I had forgotten about. Wow, some really great things! I found the half dolls I had been looking for, and some McCoy pottery, and So many juicers and reamers I don't think I will ever need to restock those! Now I have to get busy ...

A Great Doll Site 2005-06-09 10:23:00 I have discovered a wonderful new Doll information site. In the next few days, when they approve my site, I will link some information for you to find it.Look at this cute renwal dollhouse baby doll with the green diaper in my store ...

200 Mile Junk Jaunt Flea Market and Garage Sales 2005-05-04 09:42:00 The Junk Jaunt began as an idea, admittedly a borrowed one, but an idea none the less, of a member of Loup Basin Resource Conservation and Development's Tourism Committee in early 2004. That idea has taken hold and grown like a prairie wild fire. Encompassing the entire Loup Rivers Scenic Byway, and portions of the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, including twenty two towns, villages, and cities.This is a new Flea Market just started last year in beautiful Nebraska the state I grew up in and Love. It is a great Flea Market. I stopped by on my way back from Valentine and my family thought I dropped off the edge of the world because I got home Very Late--every town I went through there were more and more Garage Sales!! It was so much fun I didn't want to stop, AND THIS WAS ON THE LAST DAY!I will be doing this flea market this year and you can find me at St. Paul Nebraska, A small town by Grand Island. My Mom and Dad will be joining me and we will have some Wonderful Items like you c ...

Dating an Item by the Patent Number 2005-04-25 17:16:00 There is a great resource out there for all of us who collect antiques or other collectible items. It is a page put out by the government that dates when an item was patented. click on the Title to go to the page. It usually has the plans that were drawn out and submitted too, although you need Adobe to view them. It has been a great help to me and I thought I would share that with all of you too!Other pages that help with this too are: http://www.bottlebooks.com/patentdater.htmand: http://www.mwtca.org/mwpat.htmCheck it out! ...

State Wrestling And Hitting Goodwill 2005-03-30 14:36:00 Well last week was a week of getting ready for state kids wrestling in Topeka Kansas and I didn't get much done with my store or anywhere for that matter. It is always fun to go watch your kids do their sports or other activities but in the back of my mind is usually a little voice that says " Hey, I wonder if they have a great antique store or second hand store that I can slip off to between bouts. I can always find someone who will know where there is a good store to visit. This time was no different. I found a great Salvation Army store just down from the expocenter where my son was wrestling and got a couple fun things there and then on the way home I found the Goodwill store that was just a couple of blocks from my exit to go home. There were a couple great Disney Lithographs I got there, now all I have to do is the research on them. My family thinks I ought to just go to these events and relax and enjoy them. But for me, they are 10 times more fun if I can sneak away for ...