...'F' is for enamel FLOWER POWER! (enamel pins, Frocks and FlipFlops)

"F" Is for...

FLOWERS!

as in ENAMEL FLORAL PINS!

(that Nobody wears quite like Ms. KitCat!)
"Part of the appeal of the bright enamel flower pins that came onto the costume-jewelry scene in the early 1960s was that they were not your mother's jewelry," ... "There was nothing conservative about them. They were cheerful, cheap, and mass produced, and you could wear them in all kinds of ways and in all kinds of places,"
"Today, collectors covet the perky pins for the same reasons. They're fun to collect, look great on hats, bags, and dresses, and they don't cost a fortune"
CountryLivingOnline
PINTEREST

~and~

"F" Is for...

vintage Floral Frocks!

 
...that Sesame Shimmer and Miss Crane due proud, while sporting VERA scarves!!
(despite the fact that I can no longer squeeze into them!)

~and~

"F" Is for...

Flip Flops!

I have been working on adding 'earrings' to my FlipFlop Arsenal.  Earrings are previously unventured territory to me, but I think that I am getting the hang of it! It has been a FUN adventure (and diversion)... ~sorting through our seaglass/beach bricks/beach pottery hoards for the perfect sizes and shapes ~a Great excuse to play with the power tools in the Studio Annex (ie: Garage) ~and it has gotten my creative juices flowing again!  SOON this addition to the North Shores Collection will be ready to hit the stores!


 ~BUT, most importantly~

"F" Is for...

Family and Friends!

April 29,2019 , just barely over 2 weeks ago... Such a short time that seems like forever. 

 I've learned what a big hole a persons' departure can leave in my life.  At the same time I'm realizing just how he formed the 'complete' person I am today, and that is something that will never be taken from me.

~My 'creative' side was definitely a gene from him.

~Remain observant and curious, there is always more to learn.

~There is So Much waste in the world.

~If you Want to do something, You CAN.

~Be positive

~Actions speak louder than words.

~Take pride in your belongings.

~Always shine your shoes.

~A man's word is his honor.

~Love until the end.

and

~SMILE.

Over the last four weeks, our Family has rallied and drawn closer.  Friends near and far have been an unending wealth of support.  Family and Friends truly are the most important 'STUFF' we can have in our lives.  MANY THANKS to all!!

“Love people and use things. The opposite never works.” 

 I love you Dad ~ you will always be near in my heart.

BE WELL

and

en JOY!

... 'B' is for BOSSON, brooches, Buddha and MORE!

**DISCLAIMER:  The items that I am presenting in this blog are not an advertisement or endorsements for their original intended use!  I am merely presenting bits of oddities, past cultures, and glances of eras-long-gone!**

With that said, 

"B" is for...

  BOSSON (and similar!)

BOSSON, MADE IN ENGLAND: produced by the W. H. Bossons Company of Congleton, England between 1948 and 1996

We first stumbled upon these 'wall masks' while scouring sales for 'Tacky Chalkware'.  These are of higher quality and detail than the general Wall Chalkware.  Bosson produced a wide variety of masks and figures, but their 'Nautical / Salty' pieces stole my heart! 

*NOT all of these are 'BOSSON', but have a similar feel*

...and they are the perfect accents to our Sea-Loving décor!
We have but only a few - but 
' three or more, a collection does make!'
THANKFULLY, these can be pricey for the 'serious collector', and are seldom found in my price-range (a couple of dollars!)
**Just realized I have done a post previously on BOSSON, I am linking it in case you would like to go check it out!

Of course, "B" is also for...
(But, as with many of our collections, these have been covered in Past Posts TOO!  I am linking to these in case you missed them!)

BROOCHES!

(which we could do an entire ABC's series on in itself!  Amethyst, Bling, Cats... - hmmm, Maybe?)

~AND~

BUDDAH! (PART I)

BUDDAH! (REVISITED)

~AND~

Of course there are MANY MORE, but I will spare you!!

Yesterday, I made a 'new-to-us' find that has been on my list for MANY years...

It was only $8 - so even as a faux-décor piece, I grabbed it in a heartbeat!  BUT it is HEAVY - made of mahogany with a brass center.  No markings.  We have been trying to research it, but are not having much success.  Anybody know how to tell a real vs. faux SHIPSWHEEL??

Regardless of the Shipswheel lineage, it is a sweet addition to our home!!

BE WELL

& 

en JOY!

..."puke path"?!

During these 'short', cold days of Winter, it takes 'little' to amuse me, but I 'think' you may get a chuckle out of some of my recent finds, too!
. 

The fabulous Miss R (my roadtrippin' buddy) joined me on Wednesday for a leisurely breakfast,  some 'errands' and a little Thriftin'. My Wednesday thrifting finds ran the gamut from the 'Usuals' (Part of a Sweater Clip -2015#3, some shell jewelry parts and enamel pins)

To GAME LAND.
NOT a place I venture often, but sometimes you gotta do, what you gotta do. I had never heard of ANY of these games before...

The first game- 1971 'CAREERS' by Parker Bros.
The cover has Seriously Retro 'flower power' graphics - the box was sealed at the edges by 'someones' diligence with clear packing tape.  Thus, I couldn't check out the playing pieces, or actually know 'For.Sure.' what was within.
I came home and carefully sliced the seal.  As I was preparing to lift the cover, my thoughts roamed...
Did a previous owner do this, and even the Thrift has no idea as to the contents?...
Did the Thrift do this to keep a TON of UNIQUE playing pieces from getting pocketed?...
and here's what I found...

A COMPLETE game with fun cards
and
almost .65¢ ! (one penny is Canadian, so technically we can't count that as a full cent.)

The 2nd game 'MixMax' is missing it's dice, but has FUN GRAPHICS!

1982 by: OTTO MAIER VERLAG RAVENSBURG

 The third game really had me scratching my head ~ TIPSY LAND!

It has the rules of 'Shutes and Ladders', but instead of a 'shute' there is a 'puke path'.  The final destination 'BAR'.  It does have adorable GLASS shot glasses and a wonderfully graphic GLASS playing board...  But, really?  Mixing this many GLASS objects with intoxicated people can't possibly end good!!!

... ONE thing leads to ANOTHER!

At the beginning of the week I had just.one.last trace of The Christmas decor to put away... Our 1/2 Half mannequin "Miss Kit Katt" was still adorned in my collection of Holiday brooches!  Time for a new 'outfit' for her, so off I went to my "pin drawer"...

Yes.

I know.

I know.

but it is what it IS. 

BUT!

I adore them all, 

and I DO wear them,

and they Actually ARE Organized! 

... Holiday in one corner

...FELINES together

...SW themes

...FISH/NAUTICAL

...Stylized METALS

...BLING!

and ENAMELS!
YES!  We need a little color ~ these shall be her next 'outfit'!!

I only had about 43 of them... (Oh, and then there is the one I wear everyday on my Winter Coat... and the one on my Bag...) YOU get the idea!
Anyway, there weren't enough to give her a COMPLETE outfit, so I gathered up my 'pin' sweater clips and bedazzled the bottom.

~And then, while I was gathering the Sweater Clips, I realized that I had numerous ones that were waiting to be added to our displays!
~Like my 'pin drawer', the sweater clips are arranged on their respective birdcages / valances by "category" (OCD? Anal?)
~While trying to incorporate the 'newbies' I decided that current space just.wasn't.sufficient!
~Off to the attic storage to dig out ANOTHER birdcage & stand!! (because EVERYONE keeps an extra cage or 2 for 'someday' - HA!HA!)

Cage #3 is now the home to all 'souvenir' / beachy sweaterclips!

Of course, while relocating, I decided the cages ALL needed a Good Cleaning ~ so OFF came ALL of the clips!
Dusted.
Sorted for duplicates...

Re-arranged.
Now, all HAPPILY restored to some sense of logic.

 NO sweater clip was safe from my scrutiny!

Valance of BLING

Valance of 'GOLD'

 Even a couple of new additions to the ON ORIGINAL CARD board!!

If you have read this post to the end - you deserve a PRIZE!!  What is your guess on the TOTAL NUMBER of NON-DUPLICATE Sweater Clips-Guards currently residing in our house??  The 'closest to the clip' guess will receive One of our DUPLICATES (now, I KNOW you are excited about that - Ha!Ha!).  Winner will be announced Monday Morning (1-12-15)!

  (~OR~ if you just can't wait, we'll be listing SOME of the dup's in our ETSY store!!)

CLIP ON YOUR SWEATERS and STAY WARM!!