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itsallourvault's avatarItsAllOurVault

This was a fabulous little find that we came across recently. It’s a vintage A.C. Gilbert erector set from the 1940s. This is the 8 ½ model to build an all electric Ferris wheel. How cool is that!?

It boasted the slogan, “The World’s Greatest Toy!” and I’m sure a lot of boys would have agreed. This is a future engineer’s dream and I’m sure it was on everybody’s Christmas list back when these were super popular.

Our erector set was a little worn. The metal case had some scratches, but not anything too deep or damaging. I’m sure some parts were missing too, but we had over 200 pieces here and a lot of them were still in great shape. There was a little bit of rusting as well, but considering this is 70+ years old…that’s to be expected!

We pitched this as a collector’s item, though we were…

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And while you’re at it, don’t forget to outfit your college kid with a laundry bag from Mom & Me’s Vintage Linens & Lace.

Treasure Shoppe's avatarTreasure Shoppe

School is back in session, but what a time it was to prepare for it.  Clothing, school supplies, lunches, sports preparations, bus schedules, car pools, and you did it all.   Now it is time for you.  There are several fun fashion spots throughout the store.  Purses, shoes, hats, scarves, blouses, did I mention shoes?  There is bound to be something you can’t be without.

Hats are a great accessory.  You will find stylized ball caps as well as the classic types.  These are great to wear when coaching the kids’ soccer or football.  Keep one in the car to shade from bright sun or protection from snow and rain.  Now, there are red hats in the shoppe from time to time, but they aren’t on the shelves long.  Those gorgeous accessories are a must have for many ladies.

Denim is a durable material and the color is classic.  For anyone…

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antique, country, fabric, Green Living, home life, Kitchen Collectibles, lace, repurpose, Uncategorized, vintage

Summertime, summertime, summertime.

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English: Taken at a Chicagoland Flea Market. R...
English: Taken at a Chicagoland Flea Market. Rosemont, Illinois on Sunday. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just looked at my timeline for the first time in a long time.  My o’ my, where has the time flown.  It’s been six plus weeks since I have posted anything.  You would think I fell off the earth.   Actually, I have been quite busy with back to school things.  Things like getting the daughter prepped and ready for school and getting myself ready for the back to school grind.  Actually that part was easier this year because I taught summer school for the first part of the summer and the daughter attended two band camps of which I participated by being the second camp chauffeur .   The hubby did the first camp during my summer school phase.

Then there were the busy summer sales at both stores.  We put these on in between band camp and summer school.  I love summer sales.  I was trying to decide just what items to put on sale when the hubby said, “Just put it all on sale.”  So we did.  He’s so practical.  In the afternoons and on the occasional weekend, we did manage to get out and go picking.  He’s into collecting and selling “netsukes” and vintage pens and I let him put some in “Dad Corner” in my space at American Classics.  He also has his display in Case 409 there as well.  I love our excursions to the antique stores, estate sales, and garage sales.  Together, we love the flea markets.  It’s where he occasionally finds some of his best treasures.  The weather was hot most days, but we endured.  (it’s a tough life isn’t it?)

So that’s my excuse for not writing and I’m sticking with it.  Been too busy to write and too busy being busy.  In all fairness, I could have simply sat around all summer and complained about the heat.  I know many people who did; so I let them, all by themselves while the hubby and I played.    But now, it’s back to work time.

However, every weekend and after school many times, you will still find me in one of my locations, nose deep in my linens, getting my weekly fix.  If you see me at either the Treasure Shoppe (B4) or American Classics (C30) and I have that glazed look in my eye, know that I’m in my own little heaven.  Feel free to grab a handful of freshly laundered linens and join me.   It’s OK, I know what you’re feeling.  You’re welcome here.

antique, crafts, fabric, Kitchen Collectibles, lace, repurpose, sewing, Steampunk, Uncategorized, using color, vintage

Steampunk Colorado – not a place, but a state of mind

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Steampunk

I have to admit I didn’t know much about steampunk.  I probably still don’t know a lot about steampunk, even after my long conversation with two neat people who came into my store dressed in Victorian steampunk style.  I’m learning however.

However, I am always curious and open to new things.  Shrugging off my middle America farm girl cloak, I went looking for answers to my question “What is Steampunk?”  Thanks to Wikipedia I learned that Steampunk is a genre that originated during the 1980s and early 1990s and incorporates elements of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, horror, and speculative fiction.  It involves a setting where steam power is widely used—whether it be an alternate history such as Victorian era Britain or the “Wild West” era United States, Science fiction depicts Steampunk in a post-apocalyptic time —that incorporates elements of either science fiction or fantasy.

Now I understand it.  Turns out I do know some of the steampunk styling’s after all.  TV Shows such as the television series The Wild Wild West (1965–69), which inspired the film Wild Wild West (1999) with Will Smith as James West. is a Steampunk genre.  The popular “Sherlock Holmes” series is considered Steampunk, the modern version with Robert Downey, Jr. more so then the older versions.  I love these type of films.  If you want to know more about the history of Steampunk, look up the Wikipedia article.  It’s a comprehensive look at the genre and the history.  I understand why it is attracting so many young people today.  It’s creative and inventive and that is exciting to anyone who has a pulse and the ability to fly in the face of convention.  I understand this.

I find myself involved because of the linens and the lace that I have in my stores.  Turns out the Victorian style genre that steampunk builds on, incorporates the linens, lace and the styles from the Victorian era.   Both of my stores are perfect for the creative imaginations of the steampunk aficionados.  Even my husband’s collection of desk and writing items; some from the late 1800’s,  plus his ornate watches that he has tucked into “Dads Corner” suit the genre.  I can’t say that you will ever see me dressed in the steampunk style, (as a teacher I may frighten the conservative parents of my students) but I love the freedom of expression and uniqueness the genre brings.  I’ll continue to furnish the lace and satins, but it will take a more creative stylist then I to make the material live in the steampunk tradition.   I would love to see the results however.

I’m sure I will have more to say about this fascinating art in later posts.  Readers feel free to help me out here.  Point me in the right directions.

antique, country, fabric, Green Living, Hints Tips, home life, Kitchen Collectibles, Quilts & Quilting, repurpose, restoration, sewing, Uncategorized, vintage

The Care and Cleaning of Vintage Quilts

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I just put in a bunch of 1900’s to 1960 vintage quilt pieces (scraps, fats, squares, oh my)  Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Anyway, as I started to say before my mind wandered off to its secret place, I put of load of vintage quilt material in both stores, and this got me to thinking about how to take care of vintage quilts.  I called a friend who quilts all the time. First words out of her mouth were “very carefully.”

my new (new to me) antique quilt! i lurve it.
My new (new to me) antique quilt! I love it. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I asked what she meant by very, she explained.  Never dry clean a cotton quilt since the weight of the ‘fluid’ may place more stress than ‘water’ on old fabric.  I emphasized fluid and water for a reason.  Dry-cleaning fluid is heavy with chemicals. (Who would have thought?)  Its weight will tear old fabric.  Her next bit of advice was “never hang a wet quit on a single line.”  Same reason.  The water pools at the bottom, placing stress on the seams and threads at the top as they drape over the small line.  If you have to dry a quilt outside, then hang it over two or even three lines, evenly distributing the weight of the quilt.  If you have a lot of quilts or need to wash and dry many for sale, then consider making a rope drying rack. The look like an old rope bed.  One of my mother’s friends uses an old king size bed frame she weaves a bed of ropes.  Bottom line of all this is be careful with vintage quilts.  I am sure you have seen some beautiful ones for sale in an antique store, only to turn it over and find the material separated, or the stitching torn out.  Makes you want to cry doesn’t it?

———–

About Julie:

Julie is a homemaker, mother, teacher of special needs children and an entrepreneur. As a teacher with along history of teaching students in the elementary grades, she obtained her credentials for Special Need teaching and advocacy late in her career, because – as she puts it, “these kids need to be taken out of the corner and given a voice.” As a means to lessen the stress that comes when one deals with bureaucracy, Julie – her Mother-in-Law and her daughter, opened the Mom & Me Vintage Linens and Lace shops late in 2011. Now with two locations in Colorado Springs, (The Treasure Shoppe – downtown CS and American Classics on N. Academy) she has managed to gather a rich following of friends and steady customers who look forward to seeing her come in with an armload of vintage linens, fine lace and the occasional vintage purse or pillow to round out her diverse selection. Julie can be reached by JClark@Linens2Lace.com . You can also follow her blog at www.Linens2Lace.WordPress.com, and her Tweets at #MomNMe.

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You’ll Wonder Where the Yellow Went

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ImageVintage linens, even well cared for or newly washed linens, sometimes have yellow spots or stains that are often caused by a poor rinse.  To get rid of the majority of these stains mix:

1 Gallon warm water (warm enough to melt the soap)

2 TBS of GRATED Ivory Soap  (buy it by the bar and use an old food grater to shave off 2 Tablespoons)

1 TBS Bleach Mix 

Stir and melt the soap then let cool until liquid has gelled a bit. Apply the gel to the stain. Make sure to test a small area first before using.  As with all vintage pieces, rinse very well, over and over, to remove every trace of the soap.

antique, country, fabric, Green Living, Kitchen Collectibles, lace, Uncategorized, vintage

Squeeze your wet linen

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Drying rack
Drying rack (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Wet vintage linen can be delicate.  When the fibers are wet, they become fragile.  Tears or separations are commonplace.  So, how can you dry vintage linens safely?  The best way is to use a large towel.  Lay the wet linen on a large towel and roll it up, squeezing the water out of the linen as you go.  Repeat as many times as you need until the linen is fairly dry, then drape the linen piece over a drying rack.  Make sure you support the linen across the entire drying rack and not just one rung, as one rung will stretch that area touching the rung. Let it dry – then fold it.  Try it – you’ll never dry fine linens on the line or (shudder) throw them into a dryer again.  I have more tips like this on my new public Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mom-Me-Vintage-Linens-Lace/335108499846187?sk=page_insights  Join me and share your tips as well. 

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This is important information I think needs passing on

kllssnlinens's avatarRocky Mountain Specialist of Bed & Bath Linens

SleepBetter.org  and Carpenter Company recently did a scientific study in regards to bedding products being used by college students across the country.  They took 50 bed pillows and 9 mattress pads and sent them to an independent lab for testing.

What was discovered is that, on average, the pillows in the study had 350,000 potential live bacteria colonies and 91,000 potential live yeast and mold colonies which can be associated with potential health issues and in my opinion is worse than all the talk regarding bed bugs that have been in the news for several months.

The majority of the microbes found were from sloughed-off skin cells, dust mites, and bodily fluids which were to be expected.  Others found can be more problematic, such as Shigella, a food poison that can cause dysentery; Moraxella catarrhalis, which can lead to bronchitis, sinusitis, and laryngitis; and Cladosporium molds which under…

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This would be the perfect project for vintage linen tablecloths. Great idea.

Vanessa Nakoski's avatarBumble

Up until now, I’ve been using safety pins to keep my tablecloths from blowing in the wind and tripping any customers.  It wasn’t a beautiful or perfect solution, but it got the job done for now.  Still, I always knew I wanted to upgrade to fitted tablecloths as soon as possible.

One snag: buying fitted tablecloths is expensive and there aren’t very many attractive choices!  I really like my grey-blue linen tablecloths from Target; they are the perfect shade and they have an amazing texture.  Besides, I’ve gotten used to them and it seems disloyal to abandon them.  SO, I decided to sew them into fitted tablecloths myself.

It was a bit tricky, especially given that I hate hate hate pinning.  Rather than wrestle with the pinning and the sewing machine, I chose to hand sew them.  To be my usual lazy self, I taped the sides to the table…

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Beautiful work. I had to share this with my readers.

Heart To Harp's avatarHeart To Harp

CLICK ON A PHOTO TO SEE THE FULL-SIZE GALLERY PICTURES.

The women in my mother’s family did handwork. Their hands picked up knitting needles, crochet hooks, embroidery floss, or sewing thread whenever completed chores allowed them to sit down. I’ve carted around a trunk of handwork done by my grandmother, my great-aunt and my mother since my mother’s death in 1977.

I am an only child without children. My second cousins both have daughters, so I recently mailed them the “family linens.” I photographed everything before sending the treasures to the next generation. These are four of my favorite pieces, along with one of my own long ago attempts at crocheting doilies.

Seeing the contents of my trunk spread out in front of me, I finally understood why “making” is such an unrelenting force in me, and why all my life I’ve been drawn to doing all things involving yarn…

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