Happy Easter!

Four Little Bunnies is a children's book from the 30's ~ written and photographed by Harry Whittier Frees, who was born in the town where I grew up ~ Reading, Pennsylvania. A whole series of books like these were created using kittens, puppies and other animals dressed in clothes and set in various different scenes ~ I remember liking these as a child ~ the books must have been my mom's when she was young.
The etsy seller where I found the image of the bunny washing clothes mentioned that the book has two notes in the beginning, the first is a dedication: "Dedicated to all the little bunnies who posed for the pictures in this book" and underneath that: "Note: These unusual photographs of real bunnies were made possible only by the patient and unfailing kindness on the part of the photographer at all times."

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Easter!

Antiques & Alpacas

{ancient embroidered silk lampshade~ beautiful needlework and colors}

Had fun this weekend going to the KC Antiques & Collectibles market and the MOPACA Alpaca Show ~ I managed to spend the entire day at these shows! Got up and out of the house early (for me!) and hit the antique show first ~ it was a combo show and included the KC Toy & Doll show as well as the regular antiques and collectibles. Here are a few items I saw at the show I thought were worth sharing.

{great advertising sign for Nehi soda ~ the peeling paint was an added bonus}

{A set of Creepy Crawlers complete with heating unit and the metal molds!}

I had a Fun Flowers set ~ I made dozens of plastic flowers! I think we also had Incredible Edibles ~ those were bug shaped molds that came with edible goop. These days one can't find anything remotely this fun on the market ~ how on earth did those of us survive this sort of toy? Somehow, despite the plastic fumes, the lead filled molds and the molten plastic, I managed to live to tell about it! So did this guy.

{Beautiful baby book cover}

{Wiggles, a funny little dog ~ a book from the 30's about a runaway scottish terrier}

{great graphics on these tin toy tanks with rubber treads}

{saucy little tin duck}

After the antique show, I headed to the Alpaca Show which was held at the American Royal ~ where oddly enough, years ago, the antique show used to be held. Depending on the weekend, sometimes the smell of manure would waft through the air as you were shopping for treasures ~ just part of the ambiance.

Since I like to knit and crochet, I am familiar with alpaca yarn, but didn't know much about the animals the fiber comes from, so this seemed a perfect opportunity! Alpacas are part of the camel family and look like a small llama, although alpacas are less aggressive than llamas. There are two types of alpacas: suris (their hair looks kind of like dreadlocks or a puli dog) and huacayas (their hair is fuller and fuzzier). The alpaca farmers and breeders that I talked to were very friendly and shared all sorts of information ~ alpacas live about 20 years, a female alpaca will usually have one cria (baby), and their hair comes in 16 natural colors. While their hair is soft and wonderful to touch, most alpacas don't seem to like being touched. Here are some photos from the show:

{two suri alpacas}

{three huacaya alpacas}

{this little guy won a ribbon}

{ears up, ears down!}

{two beautiful skeins of alpaca yarn ~ a souvenir from the show!}

Antiques on the Common Spring 2010 ~ #3

Finally, the third installment of this spring's Antiques on the Common ~ this one features the two items I purchased ~ a gorgeous old ledger book (1862) and an ancient German children's book(1894)! This is the kind of purchase my brother would just shake his head and ask me what was I thinking? Why would anyone want battered old books like these? Well, for one thing, I just love the covers ~ worn and torn, but wonderful patterns and color ~ great for scanning and using in a future art project . . . . then, when I saw the inside pages ~ these were both going home with me! The alphabet index in the ledger sold me in a second!

{spread from the children's book}

{irresistible alphabet index}

{lovely columns and rows of beautifully handwritten lists}

The pages in the ledger book are actually light blue ~ that seemed odd to me, but I was told that light blue paper was quite common ~ it's the first I've seen though. Don't you just love the neat and tidy look of a list? ~ I love things all lined up and orderly!

The Alphabet of Flowers

Spotted this on ebay today and thought it would be nice to add to my collection of old books ~ I love old alphabet books and I have never seen one like this before. The Alphabet of Flowers is from 1860 and is a wrapped paper book for children with beautiful illustrations ~ kind of amazing that it is in such good shape. Alas, too rare and expensive for my pocketbook ~ especially after I've spent the last two days picking up a few things here and there!

{buy it now for $146.25 ~ sale ends soon 6/1 or 2/2010}

Hair Dooos (& Don'ts)

Too bad I didn't find these a few weeks ago as I had my appointment with my hairdresser last weekend! So much inspiration in so many ways ~ of course I love the style of the illustrations themselves ~ but then there is the added bonus of both verbal and visual humor! Those pesky French & English of the late 1700's! Hey, maybe the big hair of the 80's wil return........

{Perfect for the upcoming Halloween season}

{Does this style make my ass look big?}

{Miss Juniper Fox is either a really good animal trainer or her husband is pretty handy with a gun}

All images above - and many others have been posted at BibliOdyssey along with their original links and historical information about each illustration - definitely worth a visit!

Sparks/White Cloud ~ Fall 09 ~ The Trove

At long last, a few photos of some of the things I came home with from Sparks and White Cloud this fall. It always amazes me that I am able to find such wonderful stuff ~ much of it is so old it is a wonder it has survived.

{Arm & Hammer collectible trading cards}

{old marriage certificate}

{glass patterned paperweights}

Below, an exercise workbook of sorts for children from 1923 ~ initially I thought it was a booklet used in school, but after reading the preface, the book was sold for use at home. "These pages were planned with the hope that mothers may be enabled to spend many happy hours with their children..." There are all sorts of activities ~ pages to color, cut out or draw on ~ animals, flowers, birds, paper dolls, mother goose pictures etc. ~ I've just shown a few samples.

{cover and pages from the Juvenile Artist Workbook}

{old & decrepit, but inexpensive music books}

{loved the pattern on this book cover}

{wall registers I plan to use for jewelry display}

{collapsible wire laundry basket to use for display}

{antique crocheted buttons}

Also, a book called Fancy Work for Pleasure and Profit ~ it is filled with all sorts of nice sewing/needlework related graphics and instructions. Unfortunately, the cover was not in the best shape and didn't warrant a photo. I got this book on the way home from my day trip to Sparks and White Cloud ~ at 1/2 Price Books! I'll let you know if there are any really great tips on how to make a profit with fancy work!

{title page and inside pages}

Walnut 2009 ~ The Spoils ~ Part 2!

{beautiful title page}

I know I mentioned in my last post that the McCracken files were my favorite find from Walnut this year, but on second thought, I should have said ONE of my favorite finds. I hate to admit it, but I have shopped so many shows, seen so many things and bought quite a bit, that I had forgotten much of what I acquired ~ until I started rediscovering things as I was cleaning off my dining room table. The dining room table is where I put things until I am ready to photograph them ~ sometimes I get quite a pile ~ obviously I don't use my dining room table for dining!

So, here is a lovely little autograph book with a theme of sealife from around 1881. There are few entries and those that there are are very faint ~ there is one though that gives some interesting information. The book was a gift from Ella Crawford, aged 6 years to her Aunt Minnie ~ she wishes her a long happy life. The entry is dated Sept. 21, 1881 in Crawfordsville, Iowa. Makes me wonder whether Ella's family had something to do with the start of the town she lived in. Quite a beautiful book ~ the cover is decadent and the inside illustrations in color lithography ~ I especially like the "Album" title page.

{embossed, foiled cover}

{one of several vignettes}