...'tray'-dreaming

'Quickie' stop by the thrift the other day to drop off a couple of bags of donations...

...and to get a 'stuff-fix' in this cold-weather, mid-winter, junkin' drought!

I did LOTS of ...looking and ...hunting and ...digging, but alas the only things that truly captivated me to the point of hauling them away were these three.silly.trays.

They will joint another of my 'I DO NOT COLLECT' collections, that I can't seem to leave behind. Vintage Souvenir trays from States that I have visited.

That was it. Three measly little trays. Retro BBQ. Maine. Arizona. Fifty cents each. The Maine reminiscent of almost yearly visits for the past 20yrs... Arizona ~ J's college alma mater...

For lack of anything else more interesting to post about, I'll give you a glimpse behind our cabinet doors, into our 'non-tray-collection'....

high upon a shelf... but still within easy reach, because a different tray is used almost nightly during the summer months to carry dinner supplies from the kitchen to the porch...

most of the trays are the typical vintage black background of just states that we frequent

occasionally I stumble upon one from an 'extra speshul' journey that I just can't resist!!

(New Orleans, Montreal, Las Vegas)

some locations that you frequent ALL.THE.TIME. you just have to double down on!

Then there are others that I have never been to, and just 'tray'-dream about...

(plus it went BEAUTIFULLY with our Hawaiian porch a couple of summers ago!!!)

...'Don't send me flowers,'

'Don't send me flowers,...
...just the vase (or planter, or urn, or...) is fine!'While sorting through my pottery the other day, I found myself daydreaming (once again) as to what it would have been like to have lived in the 50's. Oh, come on - don't EVEN try to tell me that the thought has Never crossed YOUR mind!!

Imagine florists having stacks of these catalogs on their shelves...

Haeger, Hull, McCoy, Shawnee, Kenwood...

"Let's see if anybody has anything new or different this Spring..."

"Who has the best prices..."

These were just 'the-run-of-the-mill' containers to deliver flowers in!!!

Why-oh-Why do we get stuck we cheapo flimsy plastic or boring pressed glass vases today??

So, how did I get into this delicious daydream you may ask? Okay... you probably didn't - but I'm going to tell you anyway!

Anybody out there in the market for a beautious Solid Oak, Mission Style entertainment center?

I have finally conceded to a LARGE flat screen, wall mounted TV,

but first things first...

entertainment center must find a new home,

and

do you see what is on top of the ent. ctr.???

green agate.

which is going to get relocated to....

the Computer Room.

.

.

.

The particular shelving unit that I have in mind for it has a Big Ole Mish~Mash on it... misc. Haeger...Bennington...VERA China... inherited Waterford... and my entire Shawnee / Kenwood Pottery collection (yes, I'm a closet Shawnee collector...).

I must CLEAR THE SHELVES!!!

Most of the small, misc. collections are being purged - so to ease my anxiety I'm daydreaming while dusting and sorting to 'go' !! 8o

GOOD BYE SHAWNEE!

GOOD BYE KENWOOD!

it's been a good trip.

(anybody interested in giving them a good home... they are coming to svelteSTUFFj ETSY store SOON!!!!)

...something good on the EBOR horizon??

One of my favorite parts of this whole 'stuffing adventure', is the journey ...

Part of the journey, is the learning and the research involved. No matter how small, it seems that every day there is some interesting, albeit useless, tidbit of info to be gained!

Recently I had the fun of sorting through a stack of hat boxes for work (I work part-time @ an antique / old-time hardware store!). They were F.U.L.L. of HATS - Christian Dior, Sibley's, Bollman, and the list went on and on...

One box held a couple that were 'new' to me - "MONTALDO's". A bit of quick research found that 'Montaldo was not a designer, but rather a Store in the South - a rather 'Upscale Store', along the lines of Sibley's or B.Forman.

http://www.januarymagazine.com/artcult/crowns.html

...and there you have it - the svelteSTUFF Useless Trivia TidBit of the Day (UTTD)

(if anybody has any other info to add - I would love to hear it!!)

and....

I know that you have been waiting to hear the outcome of the Holt Howard mugs...

well....

I W.A.S. going to be GOOD, and put the PAIR into the ETSY shop, but as I was getting ready to do the photos, I noticed that one had a crack,

so....

Now, the cracked one resides in MY 'orphan' collection!

guess it was 'meant to be' 8-)

(it is looking right at home, don't you think?!!)

Onto a MUCH more serious note...

The jean situation in MY closet has taken a serious turn for the worse in the past couple of weeks. This is the state of T.W.O. of my favorite pairs of jeans.

That leaves me with only ONE good pair of jeans (which I promptly spilled coffee down the front of yesterday...). Keep your fingers crossed - they are washing as I type!!

Oh yes, there are others in the closet - (a bit snug, a bit short, 'mom' jeans...) that will do in a 'pinch' - with the right boots, and the right 'long' sweater, and...

OH, the HORROR!!

RETAIL JEAN SHOPPING!

DOES it get any WORSE?!?!

(anybody out there have any recommendations??? I went out the other day... UGH! Regular 'TALL' jeans are NOT long enough for these 36" inseam legs - I Hate ordering from catalog/online 'cause I want to try on and see how they look!!)

To relieve a bit of the retail jean stress, I did a little Thrift therapy...

no jeans,

but...

VERA 2011 #2 - and HALF PRICE - only .50¢ !!

Oh, there better be some good EBOR coming my way for this jean stress!!!!

...should it stay or should it go?...

"Darling you gotta let me know

Should I stay or should I go?

If you say that you are mine

I'll be here 'til the end of time

So you got to let know

Should I stay or should I go?

always tease tease tease
Siempre - coqetiando y enganyando

You're happy when I'm on my knees

Me arrodilla y estas feliz
One day is fine, next is black

Un dias bien el otro negro

So if you want me off your back

Al rededar en tu espalda
Well come on and let me know
Me tienes que desir

Should I Stay or should I go?

Me debo ir o que darme

Should I stay or should I go now?

Should I stay or should I go now?

If I go there will be trouble

An' if I stay it will be double

sO come on and let me know
This indecision's bugging me

Esta undecision me molesta

If you don't want me, set me free
Si no me quieres, librame
Exactly who'm I'm supposed to be

Diga me que tengo ser
Don't you know which clothes even fit me??
Saves que robas me querda?
Come on and let me know
Me tienes que desir

Should I cool it or should I blow??

Me debo ir o quedarme?

Should I stay or should I go now??

Yo me frio o lo sophlo?

if I go there will be trouble

i me voi - va ver peligro

And if I stay it will be double

Si me quedo es doble

So you gotta let me know

Me tienes que decir
Should I stay or should I go??
Yo me frio o lo sophlo?"

(FOR THOSE OF YOU TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER, THESE ARE THE LYRICS FROM A BELOVED SONG BY THE INFAMOUS 'CLASH' ...ahhh, memories...)
**NO, 'I' am not what is in question of going... or 'J'... not to worry 8-)

Just off a WONDERFUL Holiday season of days upon days filled with family and friends!! Now the New Year finds me feeling a bit restless and unsettled... not a way I like to bring in a New Year that is supposed to Welcome fresh new starts. In hopes of uncovering the roots of these feelings I have dove deep into this series of 'Clutter Clearing' books by Don Aslett that I picked up at a sale last summer.

I'm generally not a 'go-to' person to get book or movie reviews from, because my opinions are usually completely the opposite from 'the masses', so take what I have to say with a grain of salt! Halfway through the first book, I am forcing myself to proceed, although so far (HOPING it is going to improve and there is something to gain!!!) the reading for me compares to scraping my fingernails down a chalkboard. Like I said, 'just my opinion'. I must admit the reading has caused me to give pause, take a deeper look at my personal situation and my motives (the book over generalizes). Yes, there are areas in my life that could benefit...
Some of the points that he emphasizes (not 'exact quotes', but pretty close!):

• 
  
  'People spend all their time hunting and gathering when they could be spending their time doing more valuable things'. How many interesting journeys have I taken as a result of a 'treasure hunt'? How many early morning sunrises, beautiful backroads, adventures with J have I experienced that I wouldn't have taken the time for if it wasn't for my 'stuffing ways'?! I guess it depends on what we qualify as 'valuable'.


• 
  


• 
  
  'It is costing people SO much in time/energy/storage/maintenance, just to 'save some money', when it would actually in the long run be cheaper for them to go out and buy new.' So he is saying that the time people put in at 'real jobs' to make the $$ to buy new is more efficient - where does he take into account the stress of the job/effect on the earth??

• 'People become slaves to their junk and spend great amounts of time cleaning, maintaining and worrying about their junk' I think that I have probably mentioned this on here before - one of the wisest 'life lessons' ever taught to me by my Mother..."Never stay home to clean". Don't get me wrong, my parent's house was always picked up, clean and presentable - (yeh, if you moved a couch there were probably dust bunnies- but who really cares??), but Mom, given the opportunity to experience Life or enjoy her family / friends would NEVER choose 'maintaining her stuff'!

I'm sure that there are some good ideas to be gained from these books, and damnit - I.WILL.FIND them!! I definitely DO have a few areas in need of some purging... but that is another post ;-) Anybody else read these books and have any opinions?

I have also gone out and hit a few thrifts in hopes that maybe this would calm my restlessness...

A couple of 1966 Holt Howard mugs. Loving on the retro style!! I have a small collection of HH orphan retro mugs that I have been trying to decide if one of these should become of member of (although I KNOW that a pair would sell MUCH better than a single!!)

Hawaii souvenir scarf

1891 Medical book - started reading some of the text - what a RIOT!!!

"Women of pleasure never give to the world sons of genius, or daughters of moral purity." Maybe they give Daughters of genius and sons of moral purity?!

Italian Bocce ball set

The restlessness has Not dispersed.

I have been purging.

I have been engaging the right brain (though I cannot show you photos ((yet)).

I have made NO RETAIL purchases yet for 2012 8-).

Life.Is.GOOD.

Bring it on 2012
VERA 2012#1 .50c