Who Loves Vintage Handbags?

Anyone who knows me will know that I love purses and handbags. I am on the lookout for a handbag each time I go out shopping vintage.

Here are some wonderful handbags I have found in fellow Etsy shops! Please take the time to check out the links and some of the details of these bags. Some of them are certainly one of a kind in style.

Vintage Black Bakelite Purse

Italian Leather Purse - I so want this bag!
Vintage Orange Leather Handbag
Black and Chrome Leather Round Purse
Black Leather Gladstone Dr. Bag Purse
Tooled Leather Saddle Handbag
Perfect Purse
Vintage 1960's Tan Purse
Red Vintage Wicker Handbag

Here are some handbags that I either have in my shop or are waiting to be listed.

Lucky's Vintage

I hope you have enjoyed this collection of unique handbags. Do not blame me if I have just interested you in another hobby or collection!

New Vintage Shops on Etsy

One of my favorite features on Etsy is Pounce. I was recently looking through the Undiscovered Shops that are waiting for their first sale to see if there were any new vintage shops. I think one of the great thing about being a vintage seller on Etsy, is the sense of community. I've found that other sellers are willing to help promote each other in the effort to promote vintage overall. I love that! Here are a few new vintage shops that I found...

VintageArtsHome

Noritake Oval Serving Bowl

PhiloVintage

VINTAGE 70S DRESS. Psychedelic Fun

VintageResurrected

Scalloped Edge Painted Ceramic Pedestal Bowl

QueensCache

1930's Bib Diamante' Rhinestone Necklace Choker - FREE SHIPPING

Good luck new sellers!

To Sell or Not To Sell?

I love hunting for hidden vintage treasures... the pieces I really love and can't part with, come home to stay with me. The others get offered up to other vintage lovers in my Etsy shop. These are some finds from the past few weeks that are sitting on my "not sure" pile. I really like them and am not sure I want to part with them...

{ lovely hand-embroidered set of 3 doilies trimmed with crochet lace }

{ set of 3 lotus bowls }

{ bright yellow & white floral print handmade apron }

What do you think... are they keepers?

Look at some of my favorites this week

Here are a couple things I have found this week in Etsy shops that I love.
This hard case suitcase just make me want to travel just so that I can use it! You can find it in the shop of SimplyPear. What great photography!I love the colors on this enamel brooch and earrings set! You find this set in the shop of treasureturf. This brownie Hawkeye can be found in the shop of jessjamesjake. Makes me wonder what ever happened to my grandma's camera.

We've been tagged!

We've been tagged by Kitty at emmasgemsvintage:

Here are some random facts about curiouskitty.

1. I love to travel.

2. I enjoy photography.

3. I have a black Lab named Mae.

4. I met my husband on a blind date.

5. I have an addiction to Pyrex. :)

Here are some random facts about Lucky's Vintage.

1. I love gardening on our country acreage.

2. I have 2 dogs and 5 cats.

3. I am excited to become first time Grandma in April!

4. I am always learning to make or do something.

5. I dated my husband when I was 14.

Rules of tagging:

1. Link to the person who tagged you

2. Post these Rules in your Blog

3. Write 5 Random things about yourself

4. Tag random people at the end of your post and link to them

5. Let each Person know they've been tagged

You've been tagged by VintageLove!

1. boylerf

2.Retro Theadz Vintage Apparel and Accessories

3. Blythe Hopes Vintage

4. clever nettle

5. (Inside A Black Apple)

Enjoy visiting the blog links above!

Goldiez, Lucky's Vintage is featured on a blog

I am featured on Vintage Shop of the Day today!
Please take time to view the post that includes a bio and pics from my shop.

Thanks so much Kitty!

Collections: Part 1

Collections... most people have a collection of some kind... books, buttons, etc. I have many {small} collections. Nothing extensive, nothing obsessive, but each one is slowly growing. I'm going to share them, one at a time. This time, it's my Peach Lusterware {mini} collection.


The first time I saw a piece of Peach Lusterware, I was in L-O-V-E. It has such a rich color, that shines and moves and catches the light. I love how an everyday dish, such as a casserole dish, can really be a show-stopper with that peach finish. It somehow makes a meal more special.


I haven't been collecting Peach Lusterware for very long, only for a few months, and it is tough to find around here... but I've had some luck. Of the Fire King Anchor Hocking Peach Lusterware, I've picked up a 1 1/2 Qt. divided casserole dish for $1.00, a small round casserole dish with lid for $0.75, two laurel tea cups for $0.20 each, and two custard dishes for $0.15 each. As well, I have a few other Peach Lusterware dishes, a teacup and saucer marked Made in Japan and a lovely sugar (?) container with floral design. I can't remember what I paid for those. Good deals!


Stay tuned for more glimpses of my {many} collections...

My Search To Identify These Salt and Pepper Shakers

Oh my... this week I was driven to learn more again about vintage glassware! This is what started it all. What a trail these salt and peppers took me down.

Here are some of the things that I've learned. I have quoted from some different sites that had great information for me a newbee to the history of this glassware.

The King's Crown Collection Page Glassery
Ruby Glass

is properly used to describe glass which is made of a comparatively expensive gold solution formula, and is red in color all the way through, solid color. True "Cranberry" glass falls into this group, although it usually has applied clear glass parts.

Ruby-Flashed

is the proper term for a less expensive method of making a piece of glass appear to have been made of solid color. A small quantity of ruby glass is blown slightly, cooled a bit and then dipped into a batch of clear, molten glass, and the desired item is then made. This gives the finished article a thin colored coat, a mere film of color in relation to the amount of clear glass used.

Ruby-Stained

is the name for the least expensive way of obtaining red color on a piece of glass, the item is fashioned in the usual way from clear, molten glass, usually pressed in one of several thousand patterns. The staining material, usually ruby-red in color, was painted onto the annealed glass with a brush, wherever it was desired for decorative effect, and fired on for permanency. This enabled one factory to produce the glass items and to sell them to various decorating companies, where different portions of the same pattern could be stained. King's Crown is of this variety.

pre-production: Ruby Stained vs. Flashed Glass

In the mid 19th century, in Europe (Bohemia) glass workers developed a process of flashing a piece of glass so that had a very thin layer of ruby glass on the outside. This was done by quickly putting the initial gather into a pot of ruby glass and coating the outside (flashing it) with a very thin layer of ruby. The piece was then finished to be a vase, pitcher, whatever.

After the piece had been through the lehr, glass engravers would engrave scenes, building, animals through the ruby glass. We’re all familiar with these Bohemian pieces.

In the 1880s a process was developed whereby a coating could be painted and then fired onto the surface of already-finished glass products. Silver nitrate produced a yellow coating, or stain, and gold chloride produced a ruby coating or stain.

In any case, these pieces came to be called Ruby Stained. Naturally there is some confusion between the products. Almost all flashed glass is blown, where ruby stained glass is mostly pressed, although there is some crossover. Flashed ruby glassware is generally a darker ruby than stained wares, but this, too, is open to interpretation. Generally, ruby stained wares will be personalized, and have a date, while flashed wares will have a scene, or a building, without the personalization.

I admit it that I am nowhere near able to identify a lot of pieces, but would say that I have learned a lot.

Here is a page from the 1978 Indiana Glass Catologue featuring the complete serving set that my salt and pepper are part of.

I have concluded that this set is Indiana Glass Ruby Band Diamond Point Salt and Pepper.

Thanks so much to CharmingsCollectables at Vintage Village for the assistance she was able to give me!

I hope that you have learned something new today, as have I.

New finds listed in Our Shops

In spite of slow sales in our shops we have been busy listing! Here are some new vintage items in our shops for your kitchen.

Blue Pressed Glass Triangle Shaped Set of 4 Dishes

Vintage Spring Green Table Topper and Apron

Lovely Floral Design Metal Recipe Box

Vintage Green and Cream Hand Crocheted Drink Coasters Set of 6

Here are some of our latest listings in clothing.

Long Vintage Soft Pink and Lace Corhan Nightgown

1970s Lined Leather Belted Coat with Real Fur Collar M

Vintage Grey Wool Tweed Men's Fedora

Valia Vintage 80s Tailored Tweed Jacket

Make sure you check back for regular additions.
Have a great weekend!

All About Bakelite

{ This photo is of a Bakelite radio that's been in our family for years. It is a Northern Electric Baby Champ. }

The history of Bakelite is quite fascinating, as are many of the other stories of how different products/materials came to be. Sadly, I do not own any Bakelite personally, but I hope to come across some jewelry one day.

This is a wonderful site where I found some very helpful information about the history of Bakelite.

"A Belgian scientist named Dr. Leo Baekeland was responsible for the invention of Bakelite. In 1889 he immigrated the the United States, hoping for better career opportunities. In 1907 he was working as independent chemist when by accident he discovered the compound of carbolic acid and formaldehyde. When he tried to reheat the solidified compound he discovered it would not melt, no matter how high the temperature.

Shortly after that, he trademarked "Bakelite" as well as two other variations, "catalin" and "marblette" - which today are also referred to as Bakelite.

Bakelite was the first completely synthetic plastic. Because of its durability and beauty, its uses were limitless. Its popularity grew very quickly, and within 15 years it had taken the world by storm. You could find everything from electrical plugs to ornate jewelry made from Bakelite. It was even used on the dashboard face of the Mercedes Benz car. Because of his invention, Dr. Baekeland is seen as the father of the present plastics industry.

Bakelite could be produced in a wide array of colors, but the most common where white, brown, green and red. Pieces dating back to the 1920s-1940s has oxidized and developed a wonderful patina that is sometimes a completely different hue than the original color. For example, white often turns to butterscotch, light blue changes to forest green, and pink turns to orange.

Costume jewelry from the 1920s-1940s Bakelite era is highly sought after. So how do you determine if a piece is genuine Bakelite? There are a couple of fairly simple tests. Although not foolproof, they work pretty well.

1. Smell.

   When Bakelite is heated it has a very strong odor which comes from the carbolic acid in the composition. On some pieces you can release the smell simply by rubbing them hard with your thumb and creating heat. Others will need very hot water to release the odor. On some the odor is so faint you may not detect it.

2. Sound.

   When you tap two Bakelite pieces together they will make a deep clunking sound, rather than the higher pitched clack of acrylic or Lucite plastics. This test is the most unreliable because the density of the items affects the sound you hear.

3. Hot Pin Test.

   Bakelite is a thermoset plastic so it cannot be remolded with heat. To test if a piece is bakelite get a very very hot pin from an open flame source, then touch the pin to the item. If it is Bakelite it will not penetrate. It may give off the acid smell and it may leave a purple burn mark. If the pin penetrates or melts the plastic then it is not genuine Bakelite.

   Use caution when doing this test as it can devalue the Bakelite piece considerably, and it may do serious damage to other types of plastic should the piece turn out not to be genuine. If you proceed with this test be sure to find a very inconspicuous spot.

   Also if the material should be celluloid, it is very flammable and can be very dangerous. If you suspect the piece may be celluloid, I recommend you do not conduct this test. When ever you are conducting this test you should wear the appropriate safety equipment such as eye goggles and gloves.

4. Formula 409 / Scrubbing Bubbles / Simichrome.

   This product works very well to test whether an item is Bakelite. Make sure the item is clean, wet the end of a Q-tip with Formula 409 then touch it to the piece. If the Q-tip turns yellow then the piece is genuine.

   If you believe a piece is Bakelite but it doesn't pass the 409 test, don't count it out. Sometimes polished Bakelite will not react or pass the test.

Bakelite has always been known as "the material with 1000 uses," and it surely did earn this name. It is now treasured for its unique, irreproducible beauty. When the Bakelite patent expired in 1927, it was acquired by the Catalin Corporation that same year. They began mass production under the name "Catalin". The Catalin Corporation was responsible for nearly 70% of all phenolic resins that exist today.

Bakelite-Catalin was sold mainly to companies like Saks Fifth Avenue, Bonwit Teller, Woolworth's, and Sears. Much of the wealthy society fell into difficult financial times during the Great Depression and could no longer afford Tiffany diamonds or Cartier Jewelry.

Bakelite-Catalin took up the market slack with its colorful carved jewelry adorned with rhinestones. This jewelry was within the reach of all, and its popularity grew from the poorest to the wealthiest in society.

In 1942 Bakelite-Catalin stopped sales of their colorful costume jewelry in order to concentrate on the nation's wartime needs. The company produced thousands of products that found their way into the military.

By the end of the World War II, new technologies for molded plastics had been developed. These new products consisted of plastics such as Lucite,Fiberglass, Vinyl, and Acrylic - all which were molded.

And so Bakelite and Catalin become obsolete, except in the hearts of collectors who still pursue it today."

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about Bakelite and where it all started. When I read the history of different vintage pieces, it just makes me treasure them even more!