Vintage Life

Here in Wisconsin, planting season doesn’t start for quite  a few more weeks and after last night’s snowstorm those weeks feel like months.  I’m so anxious to get down and dirty in my garden, but until the ground warms up I’m stalled inside, planning, starting seeds, and reading.

What are some good additions to the victory gardener’s library?

My first obvious choice is the Victory Gardener’s Cookbook.  If your budget limits you to just one gardening book, consider this one.  With over 800 recipes plus tips on planting, growing, harvesting and storing, this book is a treasure trove of knowledge.  In print since 1982, this book has remained popular through the years.  Used copies start around $17.00 via the Amazon marketplace.

This book is everywhere.  The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible (also known as the “W-O-R-D System”) is particularly appealing to me because it has helped me make great strides in planning a garden in a relatively small, urban environment.  Filled with useful reference charts and even a list of suppliers, this book is a personal favorite.

I can’t think of victory gardening without thinking of canning, so the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving goes on my list.  With over 400 recipes for everyone from the canning novice to canning goddesses like my own mother, this book has a wide appeal.  The book covers the basics like pickles and green beans, but it offers so much more for those who think they’ve seen it all, including some interesting ethnic recipes.  The book retails for around fifteen dollars.

Trowel and Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies and Shortcuts for the Gardener.  Old hands probably already know much of the advice that author Sharon Lovejoy imparts in this humorous book, but for those of us with limited experience and no real mentor on hand, this book is worth its weight in gold.  Despite its wonderful whimsy, the book is well-indexed and extremely easy to use.  Well worth the $7.50 price tag.

Like any decent human being, I also have a “to be read” stack of books that I’ll get to reading “pretty soon.”  Among them are a few gardening books that I suspect would make this list, but I can’t be certain.  Readers, what are your opinions?

All New Square Foot Gardening.  The concept is interesting, and the reviews speak highly of the technique.  Readers, what are your experiences?

Gardening When it Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times.  My Victory Garden is partially motivated by financial concerns, and I know I’m not alone in that sentiment.  This book sounds like it could have some good advice, but the reviews on Amazon give me pause.

EBay is an excellent source for finding lucite purses, and often for relatively competitive prices.  However, there is always some danger when purchasing something that you can’t physically examine before you buy it, and sometimes the buyer an end up with something that she wasn’t bargaining for.  A lucite purse can be a large investment, with prices ranging into the hundreds of dollars.  A few basic guidelines can help ensure that your lucite purse is what you expect it to be.

Read between the lines. EBay listings can be viewed primarily in one of two ways: by browsing the listings for a particular category, or by viewing a list of items containing a particular keyword.  The easiest way to find lucite purses is to simply do a keyword search for “lucite purse.”  However, the keyword search has led to some abuse by sellers who will pack their item description with key words that aren’t necessarily descriptive of the item that they are selling, but rather that are designed to catch the searches of people looking for similar items.  For that reason, it is not unusual to see lucite purses listed with the terms “lucite” and “bakelite” in the title, even if that particular purse only contains one or the other, or in some cases – neither.  Never rely on the item’s title, and if you have any doubt as to the item’s makeup, do not hesitate to ask the seller if they can verify what the purse is made of.

Make assumptions.  Perhaps I am a pessimist, but as a rule of thumb when it comes to eBay auctions, I try to assume the worst.  That way, I am never disappointed and I rarely overpay for an item.  This comes in handy with lucite purses, as I have noticed many a listing where the seller calls the item a lucite purse, but then backtracks with a disclaimer, alleging to have no knowledge of the actual material.  One purse that I have seen time and time again on eBay is a lovely red purse with a clear top.  It has been advertised by more than one seller as being “lucite or bakelite” but the seller also claims to not be an expert on the material.  In this particular example, the material is actually a very lightweight and nearly modern plastic, and on careful examination it appears to be a sewing basket and not actually a purse.  I found one at an antique store, and while it looked lovely in the glass showcase, it was light and flimsy to the touch, and the handle was so thin that I would be loathe to put so much as a makeup compact in it.  In photos, it appears to be an amazing specimen, but in real life it is a cheap sewing box.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask.  If something in the description is unclear, do not be afraid to ask the seller a question.  The response can bring you more than just an answer to your question: it can also tell you a bit about the seller.  A prompt response by someone who is happy to answer your question is always reassuring.  A seller who doesn’t answer is a good sign that he may not be a good communicator – a very bad thing, should the transaction go awry.  A short or unhelpful answer suggests that the seller is not interested in what he is doing, nor in his potential customers – personally, I like to avoid those.

Take Advantage of the Return Policy.  EBay has been pushing sellers to clearly articulate their return policies in their listings.  Many sellers will guarantee the authenticity of the item, and offer full returns if the buyer is not fully satisfied with the purchase.  This added bit of insurance lends credibility to the seller’s description, and if the purchase ultimately up to your expectations, you can take advantage of the return policy.

Scour the Feedback. Descriptive feedback with links to the actual item are available for recent eBay listings, so before you bid, do not hesitate to review the seller’s feedback.  Do buyers compliment the clarity of the descriptions and the buyer’s communication?  Does the seller primarily deal in vintage goods?  All of these things lend credibility to the seller and should be considered before bidding.

Research.  One of the great advantages of eBay is that you have the ability to comparison shop before making a decision on whether to bid on a particular item.  If a seller is listing a beautful frosted Charles S. Kahn lucite purse with carved lid, take a few moments to run a similar search through the completed auctions.  Seeing the prices that similar purses have fetched in the past can give you a good idea of what final price you can expect on your purse.

In my collection, my most beautiful lucite purses were purchased in person from dealers.  I was able to inspect the purses myself before buying them.  I have also spent the most money on those purses.  My best deals on lucite purses have come from eBay.  While I have been diligent in my research and have been very cautious in my purchses, I have fallen prey to two sellers who sold me “lucite” purses that ended up being something less than satisfactory.  I still purchase lucite purses on eBay, but I exercise even more caution now for the reasons described above.

I spend way too much time and probably a little too much money at Goodwill.  It was actually difficult to narrow down which of my many Goodwill purchses was the “Good Will Find of the Week.”  In the running were things like a lovely white and gold federal ashtray set, a beautiful old desk lamp, and some vintage Disney 78s, but in the end the 1957 edition of the Better Homes & Gardens Handyman’s Book won the day.

This spiral-bound book seriously has it all.  The inside cover features some handy measurement conversion charts.  The first chapter deals with planning out a workshop and hand tools.  Chapter Two looks at various power tools (complete with photos of some excellent vintage tools!).  Chapter Three covers building materials, while Four and Five cover fastening and finishing.  Plumbing, walls and floors, windows, and exterior work are all covered as well.  This book is inifinitely useful, and at just $1.99 at Goodwill, who could resist?

No one has money to spare these days, but just because you’ve tightened up the budget doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your love of vintage. With a little persistence and a little know-how, you can still pay 1950s prices for 1950s goods.

Goodwill is your friend. Goodwill and Salvation Army are great sources of vintage clothing, decor and household items. Become intimately familiar with your local thrift store. Learn which days they have sales, find out what days are best for certain items, and visit as often as you can. If you visit around Halloween, remember that vintage clothing is often lumped in with the Halloween costumes, so scour those racks of vampire capes and you may find yourself a diamond in the rough. With a little persistence and a lot of patience, there are definitely good deals to be found.

Don’t assume that something is expensive just because it is at the antique store. Antique stores, particularly those with multiple dealers, often have hidden treasures at good prices. It is easy to assume that just because something is at an antique store it has a big price tag attached, but that’s not always the case. Many of the multidealer antique stores will rent a space to anyone who can fill it and pay the monthly rental price, but that doesn’t mean they are antiques experts who have a good grasp on the real value of an item. I’ve purchased many items at antique stores for amazing prices just because the seller didn’t realize the value of her wares. Again, persistence and patience are key.

Be tolerant of a few flaws. A pristine lucite purse can cost upwards of $75, and many are priced in the hundreds of dollars. The same purse with a flaw – be it a small crack, a missing hinge, or other cosmetic damage – typically costs just a fraction of that. If you are willing to enjoy something that is slightly flawed, you can find yourself a bargain.

Learn to Sew. The price of a piece of clothing should reflect its condition, and often it is easy to find beautiful pieces marked down because of a weak hem or missing buttons. An easy few stitches can turn an unloved piece of clothing into something beautiful and wearable.

Scour Craigslist for a good deal. For the most part, the Collectibles and Furniture sections on Craigslist are filled with people hoping to make huge bucks on trash they cleaned out of their attic, but every so often someone really needs to get rid of an item and is willing to sell it for a reasonable price. Nearly two years ago we purchased a beautiful working Victrola in pristine shape for a mere $75.00 because the owners just didn’t have room for it. We were the first (of many!) to call, and we picked it up the same day.  Frequent Craigslist browsing can net you good deals.

Don’t be afraid to wheel and deal. Antique store dealers, Craigslist posters, and even your local thrift store may be willing to negotiate on their prices. I had spent weeks admiring an incredible coat at Goodwill that was priced at $99.00. After the coat sat unsold for a month, my husband approached the manager and offered her $50.00. The manager said she noticed the coat was older inventory and I went home with the coat for $50.00.  The last time I wore the coat to an antique show, one seller begged me to never, ever sell it because it was such an incredible specimen. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Let people know what you like. Get friendly with the antique store owners, the Goodwill managers, and anyone you meet in the used goods market and let them know what kinds of things you are looking for, and be vocal about your budget. They may steer you in the right direction when you come in looking for your bargain-priced treasure.

Persistence and patience combined with a cheapskate heart can pay off!

I just finished reading this wonderful article posted at Antiques Avenue, and anyone with a passion for old jewelry – from seasoned collector to new enthusiast – would do well to read this piece.

Modern reproductions or “vintage look” jewelry is cropping up everywhere, filling cases at antique stores and cramming the listing queues on eBay.  Without a real understanding of what to look for, it is easy to mistake a fine reproduction for a real original.  Sadly, such a mistake can mean that the purchaser overpaid for the piece.

As someone who grew up enjoying vintage jewelry (my mother and grandmother both had extensive jewelry collections, and mom spent years selling costume jewelry at swap meets and flea markets), I have always had a hard time articulating how to identify modern reproductions of vintage pieces.  To me, a piece of vintage jewelry has a certain “feel” to it that gives a clue to its age.  Fortunately, Antiques Avenue has a much better grasp on articulating the components that make up that “feel” which can give clues to a piece’s authenticity.  The article features sixteen simply written bullet points, each one pointing to a clue that can lend some authority to a particular piece’s authenticity.  Thank you, Antiques Avenue, for this eminently useful read.

As a part of my continuing love affair with all things bakelite, I have been looking at bakelite picnic sets.  Ebay has a few, although most are missing a few pieces while simultaneously demanding full prices, and I’m way to cheap to pay a premium for something incomplete.

I found one online today that was totally worth sharing : Art Deco Bakelite Picnic Set.

At $105 plus shipping, it is too rich for my blood, but it is just darling.  I love the festive red color, and the art deco look to the flatware is totally right up my alley.  If I continue to gush about it, I may end up spending money, but this was too good to keep to myself.

Here is my confession: my interest in the green movement, in recycling, and in environmental causes is generally very limited. My Victory Garden has nothing to do with saving the planet or reducing waste. I have a thousand reasons for planting my garden, most of which are very selfish. And that’s okay.

1. I am planting a garden because when my sandwich needs a tomato, I want that tomato to be ridiculously fresh and conveniently located just a few steps from my kitchen door.

2. I am planting a garden because even though I am an urban dweller, I grew up in the country and a garden gives me a comforting link back to my roots .

3. I am planting a garden because lettuce from the grocery store smells like chemicals, even after I wash it.

4. I am planting a garden because when my dinner guests compliment my chili on a cold winter night, I want to tell them that the tomatoes came from our garden, lovingly canned by yours truly.

5. I am planting a garden because my mom had a huge garden, with row upon row of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, green onions, and she trimmed it with beautiful marigolds.

6. I am planting a garden because the price of a can of green beans actually shocks me.

7. I am planting a garden because frozen vegetables look so sad and wrinkly.

8. I am planting a garden because I am a cheapskate at the grocery store, but I still demand quality.

9. I am planting a garden because I like knowing where my food has been before it reaches my table.

10. I am planting a garden because sometimes you just need a little bit of lettuce, but I abhor wasting vegetables that I paid good money for at the grocery.

11. I am planting a garden because I see other people touching the fresh produce at the market a little too much, and then putting it back.

12. I am planting a garden because I want the thrill of victory when the garden is full of life, and the agony of defeat when plants fail to make an appearance above ground.

13. I am planting a garden because I want to feel like I am accomplishing something, even if it is a small something.

14. I am planting a garden because if – should I be blessed with my mom’s green thumb – I too end up with a ridiculous amount of tomatoes or peppers or green onions, the farmer’s market is full of friendly folks and right down the street.

15. I am planting a garden because if I spend a little more time outdoors, I may get a tan.

16. I am planting a garden because my husband is just as excited about the garden as I am, and I love working on things with him.

17. I am planting a garden because vegetables are more beautiful than grass, and I am nothing if not utilitarian.

18. I am planting a garden because then I can grow mint, which I never remember to pick up at the store, and fresh mint means mint juleps.

19. I am planting a garden because, in my mind, gardening requires a cute, wide-brimmed straw hat trimmed with a ribbon.

20. I am planting a garden because a vegetable garden makes a house into a home.

This Old House Journal has an incredible feature on new old kitchens.  While the arts and crafts and bungalow kitchens featured in the piece are worth a click, the Victorian kitchen is simply breathtaking.  Want some kitchen envy?

That photo is just one of three from that featured kitchen, and each is just as lovely.  Anyone in the mood for some kitchen envy, or perhaps some kitchen inspiration, should head on over to This Old House Journal.

The rising cost of food along with the renewed intrest in “green” thinking is leading to a gardening revival.  As one website suggests, now is the time to revive the Victory Gardens of World War II.  According to Revive the Victory Garden, in 1943 Americans harvested nearly a third of all vegetables consumed in the United States from their victory gardens.

There’s no reason we can’t revisit the days of home-grown vegetables, and rising food prices are an excellent reason to start planting. Plus, there is a certain comfort in knowing where the food you put on your table has been (ever see Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares? I feel much better when I know the history of what’s on my plate!).  Planning out a garden for the first time can be a daunting task.  I’m working on my own victory garden plan right now, and I’ve taken a few preliminary steps to figure out what to plant, where, and how.  I’ll continue this Victory Garden series of blogs as my garden progresses.

What do you like to eat? The most practical way to determine what to plant is to ask a few basic questions: what do I like to eat?  What foods do I use the most in my cooking?  What vegetables would I love to cook with, but sometimes pass over at the supermarket due to the price?  Asking these questions helped me make a “wish list” of the vegetables I’ll be planting.  At this point, I’m not worrying about time or space constraints, or even growing conditions.  We’ll narrow that down later.  My “wish list” so far includes: lettuce, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, pumpkins, sunflowers, red and green peppers, and green onions.  These are all veggies that we use a lot in our cooking, so they would be smart choices for our victory garden.

What can you grow? Not everything does well in every climate, and some veggies will require a lot more babysitting and hand-holding than others.  The internet is obviously a great source for determining the growing requirements of certain plants.  From my research, I’ve been able to cross carrots off of my list because successful growing in my area takes a lot of skill and effort.  Don’t forget that seed packets also typically list the seeds’ growing needs, including sunlight requirements.   Examine each item on your “wish list” to determine whether it will grow well in your environment.  I have now narrowed my wish list down to: lettuce, green beans, tomatoes, pumpkins, sunflowers, red and green peppers, and green onions.

Plan your Planting. Before turning a trowel, just a little more research is needed.  Planting the garden is something that will need to be done over time based on the needs of the seeds, as some do well when planted early in the season, and others do not.  Further, some plants need a lot more room than others.  Pumpkins, for example, love to sprawl, so if I do decide to go with pumpkins, my pumpkin patch will likely take up more room than the rest of the garden.  If your space is limited, you may want to consider planting space-saving techniques such as planting lettuce (which has shallow roots) in between your rows of peas (which have deep roots).  Some plants love lots of sunlight, while others thrive with a little more shade.  These are all things to work out during the planning phase of the garden so that when the time comes, you’ll be putting the seeds in their optimum places in the garden.

Our Victory Garden has been planned.  Next step: playing in the dirt.  Stay tuned for Part Two of the Victory Garden blog.  In the meantime, here are some great planting resources:

Planning a Garden

Vegetable Gardening

Vegetable Garden Layouts

A great pumpkin page

Top Ten Tomato Tips

Oh, dear.   When I posted my blog a few days ago about testing bakelite, I think I created a monster.  I’ve been really developing a serious case of bakelite envy.  I spent Saturday combing through my usual antique stores searching for a carved bakelite bracelet.  I swear I saw a few just a couple of weeks ago, but now they were nowhere to be found so I have turned my search to the Internet.

A beautiful bakelite specimen from Vintage Jewelry Online

There are a lot of antique and vintage jewelry sites online that feature a limited selection of bakelite, but two sites in particular really stand out, and I visit them again and again.

Vintage Jewelry Online has an incredible selection of bakelite broaches and bangles.  The site features multiple photos of each item from various views – sadly, that attention to detail is a bit of a rarity on antique jewelry sites.

Bakelite Boutique has a huge selection of bakelite jewelry, including some stunning bakelite bracelets.  Sadly, the site has a bit of a primitive feel, and the photos are limited, but nevertheless I have seen some incredibly beautiful pieces there.

I haven’t purchased my bakelite beauty yet as I still have other antique stores in my area to comb.  If I can’t find my treasure locally, though, I’ll likely turn to one of these two sites.