... 'E' is for ECHO!

**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, 

"E" Is for...

echo©

(Edgar C. Hyman cO.)

 'echo' scarves to be more exact.

When Edgar and Theresa Hyman founded Echo Scarfs in the early 1920s, they set up shop in the heart of New York City, capturing its vibrancy in gorgeous colors, patterns and textures. Today, that rich heritage of timeless quality, craftsmanship and integrity lives on in every new line of fashion accessories, bags, beachwear and home design.

Though my First Love will ALWAYS be VERA (Neumann), I also have a couple of 'closet scarf-passions', including PAOLI, Oscar de la Renta, and ECHO.

With all of the hunting and digging for my VERA, it is no surprise that I come across many 'comrades' or 'competitors' of VERA! 

 ...and this 'Crazy-Scarf-Lady' is weak.

… I have succumbed on occasion to their charms, on the pretense of 're-saleability'   

OK.  So I just counted, and am shocked to find that I have 'succumbed' to ECHO 57times.

Don't judge.

I WILL sell them... eventually.

AND, it is very timely that this week I picked up my first HAEGER and VERA for 2019!! 

VERA19-#1

HAEGER19-#1

BE WELL

&

en JOY!

... 'D' is for DUMMIE or DIVA? DISPLAYS, DRESS FORMS and MORE!

Sunday, January 27, 2019

**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, 

"D" Is for...

I can't remember just when it started, but for as long as I can remember I have been impressed with the cool DISPLAYS people do with Mannequins/parts!

...and so my quest for a FULL Mannequin began...

 It started simply enough... a 'hand' here, an 'arm' there...

This was by no means going to be 'easy', on a strict budget (and mind you, this was BEFORE the days of 'On-line' MarketPlaces!!).  MAYBE if I got enough 'parts' it would eventually all come together??

'SIMON-HEAD' -

school art class pottery project

 The thrill of the adventures in finding each new 'DUMMY' has lead me to give each a significant 'Name' (for ease of reference!!)

'SARAH-HEAD' -

cosmetology prop, having an eternal bad hair day!

 Over the years, the more unusual the Display piece, the more it needed a 'home'...

'Miss PeaBody'

Have you ever seen one of these 1950's store clothes hangers??  There is such a wide variety - this 'could' become a collection in itself (alas, we have only found this design...)

'The Journey' has been a !FUN! added bonus to this whole 'quest'...

 I remember the day niece 'L' and I were doing a community sale adventure and stumbled upon 'Miss Laurel' (named for the road where purchased!)- A FULL size Dress Form w/ adjustable height iron base!

Since that day, a few others have joined Miss Laurel!

'Miss Kitcat' -

Upholstered torso on revolving wood base

All of these 'parts' have made for FUN Display inspiration, but the 'Real Dummie' was allusive.

~UNTIL~

BonWit Teller's store closing sale in 2000, when we rescued a poor, long-forgotten display mannequin, left in a pile of parts in a corner!  We brought her home, and soon she was relinquished to a box in the basement, having been deemed a 'FUTURE PROJECT'.  Name of project: Mrs. Bonnie Teller...

~FAST FORWARD TO 2015~

and Mrs. Teller is 're-incarnated' to Sesame Shimmer!

(you can read the full HISTORY here)

SESAME SHIMMER rocking the Summer '80s' Look!!

Sesame has been a center of conversation at MANY house gatherings, and has earned her keep as SalesModel of many of our on-line items

As to be expected, she keeps inviting 'friends' over to our house...  with any luck, maybe a few will find new homes!!

My latest 'DIVING' exploits have resulted in a 'population explosion' in our home...TWO pairs of twins - Miss Crane & Miss Tommi (FULL-Sized, albeit headless!!) and Miss Waters & Miss Loo (headless torsos!)

...and this 'DIVA' is on her way to a 'professional' hair appt. (hairdresser friend repaying a favor!!)

So, do we dare ask who is the Real 'DUMMIE' in this house?!!

BE WELL

&

en JOY!

...a 'Spark of Joy' interruption

We interrupt the regularly scheduled 'ABCs' post with an acknowledgement of 'JOY'!

This time of the year, the web is FULL of articles on "THANKFUL JOURNALS" and LIVING IN THE NOW! While I have never actually formalized this practice by picking up a pen and notebook, I have been trying to make a mental list each morning.  It has been helping me to be more in 'the moment'.  It has also made me aware of how many of the 'SPARKS JOY' (thank you KonMari!) items I currently have are compliments of 'saling'!!

 One of my personal favorite 'guilty- pleasures' is handcrafted or specialty soaps & lotions. Although this could probably be reclassified as a 'non-guilty-pleasure', since it is the rare occasion that I splurge on a FULL Price purchase of this type for myself! 
THANKFULLY, Garage sales provide me with enough of this stock!!!  Now, before you get all 'sceeved' out, and start judging me...  I'm talking 'new', 'clean', & 'sealed', products from 'nice home' sales-  not from the sketchy totes found at  Flea Markets, where the contents have been schlepped around all season and have sat in the HOT sun for days, weathered rainy downpours, and are covered in a layer of dust... (wow, this could be a post for the letter 'S'... sceeved, sketchy, sealed & schlepped!!) NO! 

 I'm talking about: 

 The 'gift set' that somebody received and deemed to be 'saved for a special occasion' ~
( that special day ended up being a Garage Sale!)

~OR~

The Dealer, leaving the business, who has a spare room FULL of samples to get rid of

~OR~

The person who received it as a gift, can't stand the smell and just wants it GONE!  

(Yes!... Believe it or not, these are NOT gifts that everyone appreciates.  For this I am THANKFUL!)

It is no secret as to my love of 'herbies' - growing, studying & using.  So I'm sure my adoration of Patchouli Goat Milk lotion, and everything 'Essential Oils' comes as no surprise.

It is an added bonus that handcrafted soaps and sealed/unused bottles of oils are filtering into the 'saling' scene.  Not only does it make them affordable for 'everyday', but it allows 'dipping your toes in the water' - you know, trying out different scents, without making it a Major Commitment!  Nothing worse than spending $15. on a bar of soap, only to discover you have an asthmatic reaction to it or it leaves you in hives!  If only .25¢ was spent on something, it is MUCH easier to toss it and try another!

~AND~

These products usually have the most adorable packaging!!

What is your 'guilty' 'not-so-guilty' pleasures??

en JOY

& 

Be WELL!

... 'C' is for CYRILLIC, 'CHESAPEAKE CHESSIE CAT' 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, 

(until today) "C" was for...

cha·peau

[SHaˈpō]

NOUN

heraldry

1. a hat or cap.

'Chapeau', 'Cap' or 'Hat'... call them what you will

 
and the associated 'pins' that go with them.

~BUT~
This collection, too, has been covered before!







By chance, our morning was spent doing a bit of research on recent acquisitions, and ironically the queries kept resulting in 'C' answers!!  So what better time to share some Useless Trivia Tidbits??!

First up was this adorable Hankie:

Q: What is the relevance of the title of the hankie-"Chessie, Peake and Kittens"?Q: WHY did Kimball need permission from a RailRoad to create this Hankie?

After a quick web search for the CHESAPEAKE & OHIO RailRoad, I soon learned that CHESSIE  was the mascot for C&O Railway, and has a long history dating back to 1934!

While 'on a roll', I decided to dig deeper into The mystery of the wood Print Block...  

Yesterday we picked up a book at an Estate Sale by Carlos Castaneda (there are those 'C's again!!)- it was Russian, and MANY of the alphabet characters in it looked familiar!  Searched out 'Russian Alphabet' - and Voila'! We now know the alphabet on our wood block is CYRILLIC, we just don't know which Language it is in to do a translation!!  I did figure out how to transform our keyboard to the CYRILLIC alphabet though!

   КАРЛОС КАСТАНЕДА

(CARLOS CASTANEDA: The Wheel of Time)

BE WELL

& 

en JOY!