I hope everyone is having a good weekend! I've been incredibly busy because all three of the antique malls in which I rent space have had their holiday sales this weekend, and although the Mega Mall in Lansing and the Livingston Antique Outlet in Howell continue with their sales today, so far I'd say they have been hugely successful! I'm sure the Antiques Market of Williamston broke all records yesterday, judging by the number of customers and the amount of food served!
Here is a lovely crimson satin moire dress, circa 1940's, that I bought at the estate sale of friend Richard Hornaday and took out to my booth prior to our holiday sale:
Homemade cookies ready for customers to enjoy:
We still have plenty of time to stick it to the big chain stores and show them that our hard earned money won't be spent on sweatshop-made merchandise! Buying vintage and handmade is a great way to do that. The sad state of affairs regarding worker safety just made headlines recently with the Bangladesh fire. Those 112 workers that died needlessly because they didn't have a fire exit were sewing clothes for WalMart, Sears, Sean Combs and Disney. We treat our pets better here in the U.S. than they treat their factory workers at some of the factories that supply the superstores! Refer to my post last year if you want to read a little more about this issue that I'm so passionate about.
I snapped a few pictures of my showcase offerings in Williamston, like these toys:
My mercury glass and other small items:
Jewelry, mesh purses, and hat pins:
Also from Richard's sale, a colorful stick spatter ware plate, destined for my Etsy shop:
Speaking of plates, another estate sale yielded a wonderful Palmer Cox Brownie plate. This one I'll be keeping for myself. I have a weakness for little elves, gnomes and Brownies:
A while back, I bought a pile of Popular Mechanics magazines. I had some fun leafing through them.
Do you remember the little ads in old magazines like this? Many ways to make money or learn something new. I wanted to learn ventriloquism so badly when I was a kid, and so did my pal Carrie. We even made our own dummies from paper mache, and checked out a book at the library that promised to teach us all the secrets of ventriloquism.
I like to take time to appreciate little things, like the cool graphics on an old tape measure found in a button tin.
The variations of a tin of white buttons, including pretty mother-of-pearl from the sea:
A charming button card:
I have some exciting news, too! This winter the tale of me and my antique biz will be in the magazine Mary Jane's Farm in their "Every Woman has a Story" feature! The issue will be on the stands in February/March. Don't worry, I'll remind you again when the time comes! Don't you love the cool burlap wreath on the cover of the current issue?
Last but not least, don't forget to visit Kammy's Korner to enter the giveaway she is hosting for me if you haven't done so already. Here's what you'll get if you win:
After this weekend is over, I'm going to get crafting on some projects I've had to set aside. Soon I'll have a couple craft tutorials posted here. I can't wait!
Mitzi
