Vintage Wooden Playpens: A Good Idea Gone Sour

 Should You Buy a Vintage Wooden Playpen by Abbott ?

  

In theory, a sturdy wooden playpen sounds like a great idea for infants and toddlers who need a place for some contained quiet playtime. But health and industry standards have changed and most older nursery furnishings are no longer safe to use. In fact it is suggested that these items be dismantled and discarded. Read more:  http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_can_I_find_the_value_of_an_Abbott_vintage_wooden_playpen

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 I Antique Online 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 Society of Professional Journalists

Getting Advice On How Much Mom and Dad's Collectibles Are Worth

Figuring Out What To Do With Antiques and Vintage Collectibles From Mom and Dad's Home 

Selling mom or dad's collectibles, art and antiques can be quite the challenge for adult children who are not familiar with vintage.  Just because parents were collectors of "STUFF", doesn't mean that somehow by osmosis their kids know the difference between bric a brac and true collectible vintage treasures.

Take Photographs of Mom and Dad's Vintage Collectibles and Post on I Antique Online.com 

Before you contact a professional (i.e. antique dealer, appraiser, shop owner etc, take pictures with your cell phone or camera. Next, I might suggest that you Visit I Antique Online.com (my site) and post these pictures of what you have in the group "Whadja Find"  as well as in the relevant topic groups i.e. "Depression glass", "pottery" etc. Starting with the general group forum Whadja Find,  you will have an opportunity to discuss what you have with many very knowledgeable members of our site. We now have almost 18,000 members in our antiques and collectibles community. Our revised Whadja Find group has close to 1000 members.

Evaluating The Advice You Get When Asking About Mom and Dad's Vintage and  Antique Treasures

You will discover that I Antique Online.com is a friendly welcoming site with a mixture of members from all backgrounds. We have experts in many areas as well as seasoned collectors who are not afraid to tell you what the bottom line is. Of course this is a social network which means the content is user generated, so you will have to decide if the answers you get make sense. But I think you will find that we are a good place to begin to figure out whether what you have is something special or tag sale or charity bric a brac.

Photos taken by C. Dianne Zweig at the Sandwich Antique Center, Sandwich, Mass.
   
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 I Antique Online 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 Society of Professional Journalists

Creating a Vintage Coastal Display Using Beachy Collectibles

Country Cottage Charm For Beach Style Displays of Antiques and Coastal Collectibles

 What I love about the displaay this gal created at The Sandwich, Mass Flea Market is the use of a painted weathered basket to display sea shells and tins. The combination of vintage tin objects with costal collectibles makes for a very delightful cottage style look. This idea works nicely for a display in an outdoor summer Flea Market, indoor Antique booth or your beach inspired home.  

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 I Antique Online 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 Society of Professional Journalists

Adding An Element of Surprise When Displaying Antiques and Collectibles

How To Add A Hint of Whimzy To Your Outdoor Antique Booth Displays to Engage Buyers

 This is a very well done display of older collectibles. If it was a painting, the viewer could say that the composition is very successful. But then the gal who made this vignette (spotted at the Sandwich, Mass Flea Market took her display one step further. She added a set of newer wooden kitchen utensils and placed them smack in the middle of her well organized "story". The element of surprise is what attracts the buyer to take another look at this interesting display.  

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 I Antique Online 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 Society of Professional Journalists

Varying Sizes,Heights and Shapes When Grouping Vintage Collectibles In Your Antique Booth or Outdoor Flea Market Display

Creating Chic Flea Market Displays  

If you look very closely you willl note that what attracts the viewer to this charming vignette of vintage items is the variety of interesting shapes, sizes and heights. Another visual plus is the use of a black tray as the background for white and glass objects. The tray sits on an old covered basket which is another delightful display element used in this collection.     

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 I Antique Online 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 Society of Professional Journalists

Displaying Ordinary Small Vintage Objects In Your Antique Booth Or Store

The Art of Creating Attractive Displays of Small Common Vintage Collectibles

This lovely display was spotted at one of my favorite summer Flea Markets in Sandwich, Mass on Cape Cod. Here ordinary items are mixed together in a wooden tote creating a very delightful display. The dealer at this market grouped together a variety of different items to make for a very charming display. Using an old wooden box or tote that has divided compartments is a great way to organize small objects.  

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 I Antique Online 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 Society of Professional Journalists

Setting Up Your Art Studio Or Craft Room Space

Discovering Your Art Studio Space Quirks

Once you have shlepped all your art supplies, products, materials, tables, easels etc into your new art space, where do you actually set up shop so you can work comfortably and productively? Each artist has to find out what their unique work vibe is.  Do you like working near windows? Are you an artist who prefers being "hidden" away from public view? "Do you want to paint near the air conditioner or further away? Are you storing paints to close to the sun? Take your time planning out where tables, paints, papers will go and respect the fact that your ideas about placement will keep changing as you begin to work more and more in a given space.

Tips About Art Studio Lighting

The long and the short of this blog is that you shouldn't get too bogged down with where things are going when you first move into a new art studio.  Additionally, be real careful about the kind and location of your lights. I'm still trying to remedy my overhead lighting. Talk to lighting experts and read up on this topic before setting up your lights. While I like the "warmth" of my track lighting in the in between season before the heat goes on,  it gets way too hot under all the lights I ambitiously installed. Yes I want  to be able to see what I  am doing and I also want to light up my gallery walls, but I so think I went way overboard.  So hot that you can fry a chicken is not the goal!  Explore your lighting very carefully.
               
Try hard to take some time to "live in" your space before declaring your interior design a done deal.

Visit my art studio website: http://www.cdiannezweig.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 I Antique Online 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 Society of Professional Journalists