...SWEATER CLIPS/GUARDS

TWO for TUESDAY!!

On my way home from work today, I swung by the Thrift. What to my wondering eyes should appear (In a store that I have Never, Ever found a Sweater Clip!!), but TWO on ORIGINAL CARDS for .25¢ EACH!!

So... this MUST be a sign that it is time for me to FINALLY do an entry dedicated to my collection! I have had a few requests for this, and far be it from me to disappoint my WHOLE audience of about 6!! Here goes...

Once upon a time, I believe it was the summer of '94, I bought a bag of junk jewelry while out saling. I sorted through the bag and came across this TACKY-NASTY pair of soft plastic, yellow flowers attached to each other with a chain. The next day my parents stopped by for a visit, and I showed it to my Mom to see if she knew why these UGLY 'clip-on' earrings were held together with a chain. She explained that it was a Sweater Clip or Guard... the girls used to wear them in the 50's to dress-up their cardigans or hold the cardigans on when they were draped across their shoulders. "Okay", I thought "now I know". The next Saturday I was out making the saling rounds, and found a BLUE TACKY SOFT PLASTIC Flower one - I know what that is!! Then I saw that it was .10¢, so it had to come home with me to join the Yellow one... I showed the two of them to the guy that I had just started dating (now DH) - he was thoroughly 'impressed' (ha!) - as any Twentysomething Guy would be!! A few days later he stopped by my desk (we worked at the same place at the time) with 'this' creation... 'I made you a sweater clip!'

We ALL know that 'THREE' makes a collection! Now 14 years and approximately 400 clips later...

I have found that vintage bird cages make wonderful displays...Right now I have two of them in use... but there are a couple of more up in our attic waiting to be put to use!
You guys may remember a post that I did back in January, when I made new valances for our Dining Room windows to display more clips...

One has 'all' (six?!) of my signed clips (Monet, Trifari, Coro...) and any other all- 'gold-toned' clips & chains...
The other valance holds any with rhinestones... Yes, believe it or not, they are all organized by colors, materials, etc... so that I can keep track of what I have - NONE of these are doubles (to my knowledge!!). I do sell and trade any doubles that I incur.

The bottom shelf of my Barrister bookcase is devoted to sweater clips that I have on original cards or in original boxes... as well as to my compact collection...
... and various other 'girly' oddities that I have stumbled upon in my Swtr Clip journeys...
hatpins, glass chains, purse ashtrays, handbag holders (below left - a 'prim' Lady never set her purse on the floor while dining out! She would pull one of these little contraptions out of her handbag - set the decorative top on the table with the metal 'arm' suspended under the table edge to hang her pocketbook on!!)...

and 'Glove clips' are displayed on one of the birdcages (again bottom left). These 'oddities' took a LONG time for me to finally stumble upon their true purpose in life - and believe me there were MANY speculations!!!!!! The chain portion was fastened to the handle of a purse, thus leaving the 'clip' easily accessible at meal time to hold The Lady's gloves... I have about a dozen of these!!
As a set standard I don't spend more than $1 a piece on these... unless of course it's signed, or a rhinestone, or something extra special - then I may splurge and go to $2 or $3!!

There you have it folks - the why, where and how of one of my bizarre passions!