Musical Menus

Today I dug out my stack of vintage menus, nearly all from steamships of the 1940's through the 1960's. They are not something I collect, but rather are paper ephemera I have inherited, so to speak. 

I decided to list this one, Gentil Coquelicot, in my Etsy shop:

Nice Poppy

 is the translation of the song name.

I have 24 of these menus, from the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique, a shipping company in France, known in the U. S. as The French Line. They are all from the S. S. Ile de France, which was decorated entirely in Art Deco style. Can you imagine how amazing that must have looked?

Each has a different watercolor illustration of a French song on the front cover, and the words and song notes on the back. Inside, of course, is the menu of the day. Some are for Le Dejeuner (luncheon), but most are for Le Diner (dinner).

This song will be familiar to many readers, Frere Jacques, sometimes known as "Are You Sleeping?"

The watercolor illustrations, by Jean Mercier (1899 - 1995), are so lovely with subtle, yet vivid colors. This is one of my favorites.

Fais dodo is baby talk for "go to sleep."

If you would like to hear any of these songs, here is a website to visit:

Mama Lisa's World International Music and Culture

Just type in the name of the song in the search box. Scroll down the page until you find the box titled "Listen." Then click on your preferred audio format.

March to the Vintage Weekend Show

Well, we skipped The Vintage Weekend Show in February, but we are March-ing back this month 3/20 - 3/22.

Seventeen dealer are participating, including these fine shops:

And, of course, yours truly:

Here are links to each dealer's shop:

Vintage Weekend Show Dealers List 

Oh, and by the way, shipping is FREE to any U. S. address!!

Vintage Weekend Show

Here it comes again ! Time for The Vintage Weekend Online Antiques and Collectibles Show, from January 23 through 25.

An "indoor" antique and collectibles show, there is no need to get in the car and drive. You can shop from home or from your favorite coffee place. Participating shops are only open one weekend a month on TicTail.com, from Friday through Sunday and then they close until the next one. If you find a treasure you like, better grab it right away.

Just head to this site:

http://vintageweekendshow.com

to see a list of participating dealers.

Click on their links to head to their "booths."

 All purchases are paid through PayPal and shipping in the U.S. is always free.

Here is my market stall:

Autena Vintage

Do stop by and visit.

Compliments of the Season

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season! 

 

Vintage Weekend... Online Antiques & Collectibles Show

Here comes something fun this weekend... The Vintage Weekend Online Antiques and Collectibles Show, from November 14-16.

It is an "indoor" antique and collectibles show, but there is no need to get in the car and drive--just shop from home (or while you are waiting for the kids to finish their activities!). The participating shops are only open one weekend a month on TicTail.com, from Friday through Sunday and then they close until the next one. So if you find a treasure that you like, better grab it right away.

Just head to this site:

Vintage Weekend Dealer List

to see a list of participating dealers.

Click on their links to head to their "booths."

 All purchases are paid through PayPal and shipping in the U.S. is always free.

Here is my market stall:

AutenaVintage

Do stop by and visit.

A Vintage Win

You won! Don't you just love those words? Well, it rarely happens to me, but it did this week! I entered a contest on the We Heart Vintage Directory and won a free premium ad.

For all of you lovers and sellers of vintage and antiques, especially those of you in the United Kingdom or looking to sell internationally, it is a great resource for finding shops and events related to vintage. Sellers can place ads their website with two options-- paid or free, so don't hesitate to check it out.

There is also a We Heart Vintage blog

as well as the wonderful Vintage Gazer, a vintage sharing community, where you can post and find beautiful photos.

Wine Label Table

 Look at this amazing table, the top of which is decoupaged in an assortment of wine labels from many countries. Very imaginative, don't you think?

Created by Jenerjijewelry

One of my favorite things to sell in my vintage Etsy shop are wine and liquor labels. My mother was an artist whose favorite medium to use was paper ephemera, of all sorts--portraits, advertisements, story illustrations, you name it.

Italian Wine Labels

Years ago she had an acquaintance whose family had a liquor distillery business. His hobby, presumably, was collecting labels off of bottles of liquor and wine and he amassed an enormous amount of labels over a period of years. One day, he decided my mother should have them, since she loved ephemera. He brought her this collection, which she eventually sorted into categories. She used some of them, but could never have gotten through the majority of them--there were just too many.

Bourbon Labels

Four years ago, when I opened my vintage Etsy shop, Autena, she gave me scads of these bottle labels to sell. I admit that I really enjoy looking
through them when I am ready to list a set.
 I don't really have a favorite.
Rum, gin, French, Italian, they are all little works of art, especially
 when paired with others, as they have a variety of shapes and colors,
 sizes and designs.

Champagne Labels

But back to that table... A very creative woman, whose beautiful Etsy shop is called jenerijewelry, turned what I am sure was a lovely wood table into a work of art, using some of these labels. I love the way it came out--the transparency of the labels allows you to see what is underneath, so nothing is hidden. It gives it a wonderful depth and, I can just imagine sitting at this table and getting lost in the labels.

Very inspiring I have to say. I'm sure Mr. F. would be amazed at what his collection has wrought.

Small Bottle Neck Liquor Labels

What's New

Wondering what's new in my vintage shop these days?

Here's a peek...

Van de Kamps

Just listed this vintage metal pie pan that has Van de Kamps stamped into the bottom.

                                                                                                          Autena on Etsy

I used to collect pie pans with names on them, but stopped several years ago when the collection became too big and I ran out of room to display them. Now I am selling them off one by one.

When I do list one, I like to research the name, so I can mention a bit about the company, whenever possible.

Sometimes there is no info, but sometimes it can be quite interesting and such was the case here. 

                                                                   Ebay postcard auction

Most folks recognize the name from the frozen fish found at the grocery. but did you know they used to have a large bakery/coffee shop chain that originated in Los Angeles? They were founded in 1915 and eventually sold the business in the '50s. It continued for many years, but eventually went bankrupt in the 1990s.

  Blue windmills were featured on top of the buildings--how cool is that? Although I must say that I prefer the first incarnation to the more updated one. Wish I could've gone to one back in the day, don't you?

Smalls

I love miniature things and tiny things and all those quirky smalls. So I thought I'd show off some of the little cuties I have in my shop right now, just because they are so fun!

 Miniature Jigsaw Puzzles in Cardboard

Angels on Clouds Die Cuts

Wooden Rooster Cocktail Picks

Authentic Small Wine Labels

Nini Resin Teapot With Double Spout