Vignettes

 I still take all my photos outside to get the good natural light, but the cold has made my sessions very short--take one item out, photo, back to get warm, then one more item.  Today is in the 40s so I can stand to be out a bit longer and can fuss with putting groups together in vignettes. I also have my painted doors to use as backdrops again, they had been in Clarinda and I never had room in the car to get them back here until the great move. So far, I have some of the plain and primitives done and waiting for the batteries to charge so I can go finish.  This is what I have so far:

Prayers for my Ohio Friends

 I have several customers that live in Ohio, I think all live away from the disaster of the train derailment, but still too close for comfort.  It makes me horrified that it is being ignored by the press and the government.  All hands should be on deck working to clean up the water and the air.  Almost like the screeching climate people don't really care about the earth at all.  I pray you are all safe and if you know of any good charities working to help the people affected by this, please let me know.  I have heard that even the Red Cross is acting like there is nothing to see here and did not show up.

Tiny Laundry

 Feeling Tom Petty this week "I'm so tired of bein' tired..."  Winter blahs even though winter hasn't been so terrible this year.  Very cold, but snow has been semi-scarce.  We had to shovel yesterday, the heavy wet stuff, but warming on the way, so it should all melt again.  I need to stay away from the doomsday internet, so depressing and concentrate on living in the now.  Since I didn't have a good "switch the crafts from Christmas" idea, I just got out the blue fabric and have been wrapping things up.  I found an old quilt top full of small pieces of 1890s blue calico that I have been wrapping clothespins and brooms and spoons up with.  It was such a good bargain and the fabric is so pretty.

I also found some tiny washboards to add milk paint and fabric to:

 

Taking Photos While The Sun Shines

 It looks like this may be the last sunny day above freezing for a while, so I was out taking pictures all day.  It was still so cold even at 35.  My fingers are not doing so well with the typing, still need to thaw out.  January is flying by.  Anna spent a week at her boyfriend's home.  I took her halfway, so two weekends of 4 hours in the car.  Weekend after that, Grace turned 21 so I took her about town, getting her sushi for lunch, Italian for dinner.  She tried a margarita and did not care for it.  And that is about it for news.

These are some of  my photographs:

Arnold Print Works Dolls

Arnold Print Works made these printed doll fabrics that you cut out, stitch up and stuff to make your own doll.  This was in 1892.  They made dogs and cats and rabbits and chickens, Little Red Riding Hood, and many other dolls.  The cats seem to be the easiest to find, as well as the rabbits.  I have never seen a chicken outside of a book.  I had a Little Red Riding Hood, purchased for nothing, sold for a bit more than nothing--one of my antique regrets.  She was in really good condition and was worth about $200, which I did not know at the time.  Anyway, I used to find the kittens occasionally, but had not seen one for about 3 years.  One comes for auction on eBay and I won!  A week later, I find two more at an antique shop.  A week after that, I find another in an antique shop!  So many all at once.  I also found this:

This little dog had damage to his back, so the antique dealer I bought him from took him apart and carefully stitched him to museum board and put him in an antique frame.  I have him hanging over my computer right now.

Now, it is important that you know about the reproductions.  I first learned about the printworks cats when I was in high school when all the fun gift shops carried a reproduction of the cat and kittens.  Later, they were reproduced with a Toyworks label sewn into the bottom.  Some were sold the same way as the originals, a printed fabric to cut and sew, but most were already made.  I think it is really easy to tell the repro from the original.  They just look darker and newer, the faces aren't as realistic on the new ones.  The absolute tell though is to look at the bottom.

an 1892 original has that little white oval that you see on the top left of the base, where the patent date is printed.  The dates are often faded, but the little oval is not on the reproduction cats.  I thought most dealers knew this, but I have seen many of the newer cats listed as being from the 1890s, which they most certainly are not.  A 1970s version used to sell for about $15, now they are more like $50.  The real 1892 kitten sells for anywhere from $75 to $200 depending on the condition.

That's it for todays antique tips.

I did get my Christmas tree up a week before Christmas.  My house is still a jumble of stuff to be sorted through.  Here is a photo of my favorite decoration.  My husband gave me the Fitz and Floyd reindeer and Santa, they are blue, Santa has a bunny in his toy bag, perfect!

 

Not Really Dreaming of a White Christmas

I am hoping that better late than never is still a thing.  I finally was able to finish things that I painted white --some Christmasy, some everyday goods.  I still do not have trees decorated--I still do not have all the Clarinda crap sorted and put away.  I am so very tired of all the mess. 

 

It Only Took Me a Year to Finish These

 I collect funnels all through the year to make Christmas trees out of the stacks of them.  Last year, I painted some and had several stacks that I was going to paint, even went as far as getting one coat of paint on them....then life happened and they got shoved to the side and have been sitting here mocking me for a year.  I even put a second coat of paint on some over 2 months ago but just could not finish them until now.  Behold the funnel tree forest: