Decorating Your Baby Nursery With Vintage and Retro Collectibles and Accessories

A Vintage Baby Nursery is Charming

Many young couples today are discovering how charming vintage and retro accessories can look in their baby's nursery. Not only are these collectibles colorful and attractive, but they are often one of a kind and reasonably priced alternatives to expensively made objects.


Hunting for Baby and Nursery Collectibles

There are many collectibles which can be found that are suitable for a charming baby nursery. Here are some ideas of older items that work well in a baby room. Hand painted hangars, painted cottage furniture, old prints, altered art, plastic nursery diaper container sets, ceramic planters, old calendars, vintage records, old dolls, birthday cards, paper dolls, advertising tins, toys, quilts, pillows, framed puzzles, blocks, doll furniture, dog and cat related prints and novelty objects, books, wall decor, child size chairs and rockers, bassinetes, tables, and more.

Choosing a Theme for Your Baby Nursery

Often it is helpful to develop a theme for your baby nursery and than to go out shopping (hunting) to find coordinated textiles, ceramics, prints etc. with that theme. For example, if you love Scottie dogs, you can begin your search with this popular doggie image in mind. The 1940's was an era with lots of Scottie dog accessories. For more ideas about dog collectibles, be sure to read "Flea Market Fido's" by Barri Leiner and Marie Moss.

Other themes could be nursery rhymes, children's book characters, plaids, polka dots, stripes, teddy bears, rabbits, jungle animals, cats, Western (cowboys and cowgirls) etc.

Flea Market Baby

You will see plenty of baby nursery themes illustrated in "Flea Market Baby" also by Leiner and Moss. This is one of my favorite books. While it has been out for awhile, it is still available and a wonderful reference. You will also find ideas and photos in my two books "Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes" and "Hot Kitchen and Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s".

Photos courtesy of http://cottageatleesburg.com/shop/ and http://www.pinkpigwestport.com/

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com


Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.

Vintage Cake Savers Are Popular in Today's Kitchen

Friends Like Martha Stewart

Everyone has a few friends who could pass for Martha Stewart.... you know these types...these are folks who love to entertain.... are wonderful bakers and are talented home chefs. These gals (and even a few guys) also seem to have all the right kitchen gadgets and equipment.

For example, when these Martha Stewart types are invited to a friend's home for dinner, they bring a lovely dessert cake packed snuggly in a cozy Cake Saver or Cake Keeper.

Introducing Cake Carriers
(aka Cake Savers or Cake Keepers)
You have seen these handy cake carriers, the newer ones are generally made of plastic (such as Tupperware or Rubbermaid) and fit tightly over a Bundt style cake keeping in the moisture and protecting the shape of the cake. Cake keepers are used for both toting cakes from place to place or for storage both in and out of the refrigerator.

Re-Usable is "Greener"
For example, a cake made with cream or icing may need to be kept cold, and a Cake Saver is an ideal cake protector. Ecologically conscious cooks also like using cake carriers for storage because they are re-usuable and help keep the kitchen "Green".

History of Cakes
Although cakes have been made for centuries, the earliest cakes were more like breads and were either flat or loaf style. In the 1800's with advances in baking powder and baking soda (which replaced yeast) cakes could rise better and could be made in a variety of molds and styles.

Cake Savers reach Popularity in Dimestore Era
Cake Savers reached popularity in the 1930s,1940s, 1950s when many new kitchen appliances and convenience foods were being introduced into the home accompanied by free recipe booklets.

Housewives were also encouraged to bake at home with dozens of family magazines promoting the latest baking powder, flour products and appliances to make kitchen chores easier.

As a buyer and seller of kitchen collectibles, I'm always interested in learning more about the items I sell. Cake savers are readily available and sought after by collectors who like keeping a retro style kitchen. In my first book, Hot Kitchen and Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s, I show numerous photos of different types of cake carriers.

Years ago, cake carriers were first made of metal, baked enamel or glass and later followed by plastic which gained popularity in the 1950's. their covers sat loosely on top of a bottom piece which could serve as a plate. You can generally date the age of a cake carrier by the materials it is made of and the general design of the product.

Some Cake Keepers are designed with a handle attachment for both easy carrying and added help for keeping the lid in place.

Cake carriers were often part of matching kitchen-ware sets which might include a bread box, canisters and a match safe along with other kitchen accessories.

Who Made Cake Savers?
Some companies such as Harper J Ransburg of Indianapolis, were known to hand paint designs on their wares. Today you will find plenty of vintage cake carriers for sale from a variety of different companies such as Decoware, Lincoln, Ransburg, Kromex, Westbend, Lustroware etc.
They usually sell for $18.00-25.00. Unusual or hand painted enamel varieties may sell for a bit more.

Photo Credits
http://www.vintagegoodies.etsy.com
http://www.seymourantiques.com/
http://www.collinsvilleantiques.com/

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com

Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.

Cooking Your Traditional Holiday Brisket in Vintage Cookware, Roasting Pans or Casserole Pots

Cooking a Brisket Takes Time

Finally after three years of trying to successfully cook a great Brisket for Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Years) I finally mastered this tradition. I am thankful to the Editors of "The Kosher Palette" (see below).

What I learned by trial and error is that you need to cook a Brisket for hours, and hours and then some. Whatever your favorite recipe book says, be flexible! Cooking is not a science...it is an art. Recipes are simply guides. Last year I was very close to a successful Brisket, but it wasn't quite there. This year...Eureka!

Celebrating My Brisket in 5770

So not only do we usher in the year 5770 according the the Hebrew calendar but we will remember 5770 as the date when I pulled off a great Brisket!

Kosher Brisket meat (like so many other items) is very expensive , so you really want to get the cooking thing right. Having a good recipe is a good beginning. Most holiday briskets are accompanied by a "tzimmes", a stew of carrots, apricots, prunes and potatoes. These wonderful ingredients which cook with the beef need a nice size pot to stew in. I have prepared this article to help you find one. Image courtesy of http://www.brandeishillel.org/high-holidays/

Using Quality Pots in Today's Kitchen

While ingredients are very important, so is the roasting pan that you use to cook this traditional meal in. You will want to choose a roomy, heavy, covered oven proof pan or pot which is sturdy yet easy to maneuver. Also remember to choose a pot or pan wisely with regard to how easy clean up will be later. This may be the time for you to ditch your inexpensive or disposable pans and switch over to better products which are not only "Greener" for your kitchen but better for cooking. Pots can be Pyrex, enamel or pottery.
Whatever the pot or pan is made of, using vintage cookware may be an ideal choice for you. You can use a family heirloom or search for an older casserole pot or roaster in an antique shop, flea market or on-line. You would be surprised to find out just how well many vintage housewares have survived several generations.


The Art of Being a Balabuster

In the past, whenever I went out antiquing and spotted a terrific retro roasting pan for sale in wonderful shape, I wondered if the previous owner even turned on their oven....so many of these housewares that I found were in tip top shape. But then I thought about my Aunt Dotty, a balabuster (Yiddish- good homemaker) who loved to cook and who kept all of her dishes and kitchen-wares in pristine condition despite decades of hosting family gatherings. As my aunt has demonstrated, well cared for pots can last for a very long time in great form.

Choosing Vintage Cookware
When you go out shopping for older cookware, be sure to be selective and buy quality items that are in great condition. You are apt to find these "cooking collectibles' in antique shops, flea markets, on-line auctions and even thrift shops. You will see that there is plenty of Pyrex casseroles available in every color and pattern. Besides glass, you can hunt for enamelware, pottery or other heavy materials. When buying Pyrex be sure to take off the lid and run your finger across the base and lid rim to check for rough edges.


Finding Very Large Older Roasting Pans

Very large vintage Roasting pans (the kind to cook a Thanksgiving turkey in) are a little tougher to find than smaller enamel or glass casserole pots. But when you start looking, you will see that they are out there and sell in the $25.00-45.00 range. When buying older enamel pans, check for chipping and stains. the older the enamelware the more likely it will have chips. Later enamelware was manufactured better. A The covered roasting pan shown here is from http://www.laurelleaffarm.com/pages/kitchen&table/graniteware.htm

Vintage casserole type cooking ware is easy to buy. Once you start shopping you will discover lots of styles, colors and eras for these cooking pots. ordinary casseroles sell for about $15.00-25.00, while decorative enamelware by noted designers can fetch $45.00- 75.00.

It seems to me that today's home chefs want to cook in quality products and keep their kitchen "greener" too. Using vintage cookwares and housewares are perfect ways to achieve this goal and perhaps even qualify for the title "balabuster"!

More credits:

Photo of Green Vollrath Kook-King enamel coated on steel roasting pan courtesy of
Modishvintage.etsy.com

Brisket photo courtesy of www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-brisket-s...

Cookbook image courtesy of http://www.thekosherpalette.org/.
Brisket recipe referred to above comes form The Kosher Palette First Edition


C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com


Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.

Organizing Kitchen Collectibles and Displays After Creativity Storms

In my antique shop Kitsch n Stuff at The Collinsville Antiques Company, I am known for my colorful displays of housewares and kitchen collectibles from the 1940s and 1950s. Whenever I am in a particularly creative mood, I am apt to completely pull apart my shop. But in the matter of a few hours, I am ready for business.

If you walked by my booth during one of these "creativity storms" you would see one heck of a mess! There would be linens all over the floor, piles of ceramics tumbling out of an enamel bucket (where I place them while working) , salt and pepper shakers tucked into advertising tins and mounds of goodies waiting for their new placement.

You might even hear lots of banging and clanging during one of my booth makeovers, and a shout or two from me to the front desk staff, "it's just me...don't worry! " I become a "mad scientist" during these major decorating whirlwinds. When the storm has passed I can step back and enjoy the colorful and cohesive look which i seem to be able to pull off time and time again. Here are some pointers about organizing displays to share with you.

Tips About How to Organize Kitchen Collectible Displays
1. Consider organizing objects by theme: "Dutch", "Mexicana" , "fruit", "the color red", "florals".
2. Mix up sizes and shape of similar objects (i.e. aqua ceramic vases of all sizes and shapes).
3. Be consistent with era ( Victorian, Mid-century, Seventies).
4. Group similar material together ( wood with wood, silver with silver , glass with glass).
5. Add a punch of color to displays (a red rose to a clear glass display).
6. Use timely displays (earth tones in the Fall).
7. Keep cheap with cheap and expensive with expensive. (separate Tiffany from Dimestore) .
8. Specialize in several related areas to attract repeat customers.

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com

Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.

Pyrex Refrigerator Storage Dishes Are Back in The Kitchen

Saying Good Bye to Plastic Storage Containers

I took a giant leap forward a few days ago, I emptied my pantry of all the inexpensive plastic storage containers that have been "growing" in there for years. When these lightweight adorable containers first came out, I was hooked, adding more and more sizes and shapes to my collection and stacking my piles higher and higher.

Mixed up Tops and Bottoms
While I was building my collection of plastic containers , the companies that produced these handy products, began experimenting with new designs and plastics and my closet was now cluttered with an assortment of tops and bottoms, many orphaned years ago.

There I was trying to put away a batch of soup with plastic containers up the kazoo spread out over the top of my counter. It was like a challenging puzzle game gone sour. So after taking way too much time fiddling around with trying to find the right match of tops and bottoms, I vowed to empty the entire closet into a super sized plastic bin and say good bye to the entire lot.

Welcome Vintage Pyrex

So what do home owners do when they say goodbye to plastic? They buy vintage Pyrex glass refrigerator dishes. yes, the kind of storage dishes that Baby Boomers and their parents remember very well. The Corning Glass Works Company introduced Pyrex ovenware in 1915.. licensing several glass companies to produce its products and these products are having a comeback.

Refrigerator Dishes Come in Every Color
In 1951, Corning Glass Works advertised "oven and refrigerator sets for $2.95 that had "4 gay-colored" dishes, with clear covers that could be used for baking, serving, and storage.
You will find refrigerator dishes in pastel colors, primary colors, harvest colors, patterned and black and white. Looking at the color of the dish gives you a clue to the age of the dish.
As with other kitchen accessories, products were manufactured to match the palettes of a given era.

Tips About Buying Older Refrigerator Dishes
When buying vintage Pyrex, take the lids off very carefrully and run your finger around the interior edges of the base as well as the lids., checking for rough edges indicating chips in the glass.

Pyrex Refigerator Dishes are Having A Comeback
Today, Pyrex refrigerator dishes (newly manufactured) are being re-introduced and are popular items in the houseware section of major department stores and kitchen shops. Ecologically savvy buyers are re-discovering glass refrigerator dishes for their "Green" kitchens and homes.

Whether you like vintage Pyrex refrigerator dishes, or new editions of this popular kitchen storage houseware, glass is here to stay!

Thanks to Bob at The Flea Market at the Crossing, Plainville, CT for sharing some of his Pyrex with me to photograph. Bob has one of the largest collections of Pyrex dishes for sale you will find anywhere.
http://home.att.net/~handmedown/fleamarket.html

For more information about Pyrex:


Websites;
http://www.pyrexlove.com/
http://iantiqueonline.ning.com/ (I am the editor)
http://home.att.net/~handmedown/fleamarket.html

Books
Hot Kitchen and Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s" (Collectorbooks.com) (My book).
Pyrex:The unauthorized Collector's Guide (Schiffer Books)
Florence's Ovenware from the 1920's to Present (Collectorbooks.com)
Kitchen Glassware of the Depression Years Seventh edition (Collectorbooks.com)
The Complete Guide to Corning Ware & Visions cookware, (Collectorbooks.com)
Pyrex by Corning: A Collector's Guide, Susan Rogove.

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com

Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.

Vintage Industrial Chic Decor Popularize Factory Style Salvage

Industrial Chic has moved from the salvage yards to major home interior design firms. Wire baskets, metal shelving, molds, desks, steel containers and more are being promoted by trendy decorators who creatively blend vintage machine age factory finds with contemporary lifestyles.

Classy Industrial Junk
You will now find lots of vendors of "classy industrial junk" also known as Urban Chic, at flea markets, shows and antique malls. But collectors beware because factory style antiques and furnishings are also being replicated by manufacturers everywhere. Even "rust" is now reproduced along with newly made wire baskets, factory style chairs, metal work benches and other furnishing which look amazingly authentic.

Quirky Combinations of Old and New
Show goers and shoppers in multi-dealer stores will also notice that "antique dealers" are also creating more creative and artistic booths resembling SoHo galleries and designer studios. At The Seymour Antiques Center in Seymour. CT you will find many displays which look like three dimensional still lifes or assemblage art. Old metal tables or wire and mesh baskets become supports for a variety of eye catching vignettes which set the stage for quirky combinations of old and new objects d'art.

Using Balls
The Seymour Antique Center was one of the first group shops to fully embrace industrial antiques. Now other dealers are catching on to this popular decor trend. For example, one highly creative gal I met at The Farmington Polo Grounds Show in Farmington, CT positioned colorful 1940's rubber balls atop a perforated metal factory table. The display was very effective and unique. This same dealer has also used brightly colored Bocce balls in a similar way.

Laura, owner of The Bleu Willow in Simsbury, CT shows off her favorite new acquisition, a ball made out of old barbed wire. This "collectible" now sits atop a cement planter on the front steps of Laura's whimsical shop . The wire "sculpture" was a gift from her "industrial chic picker" who created this "barb ball" just for her. How lovely!

Collectible Metal Bins, Drums, Sinks

At a recent New England Antique show, I stopped into a booth of factory salvage and was surrounded by metal bins, tin sinks and industrial drums, some of which held pretty plants or decorative objects. With my camera in hand, I stepped outside this booth and noted a steel trash can stamped with the show promoter's name. I chuckled and snapped a photograph and wondered if indeed this metal can could pass as "industrial chic"!


C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com


Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.