Tiendas y Un Collar (shops and a necklace)

I found this delightful necklace the other day at an antique mall and just had to get it. You'll see why in a minute...

There are no markings, but it is surely from a Central American country, or possibly Caribbean.

Time for your close-up, senorita!

Like a tropical paradise, it has parrots...

  ...as well as bells, terra-cotta pots, and "coins" too!

Alright, back to the reason for the attraction.

I have a collection of Central American-style storefronts of various sorts and although this is a necklace, it is also a store of a kind, yes? (or should I say, si?) 

 

It all started with this little one, which was given to me as a child by a relative who went somewhere, I don't remember.

 I must confess it did not hold much interest for me at the time, but is precious to me now. Along the way, I acquired this old postcard that bears a remarkable resemblance to my little tienda.

 

So, I keep them together on the shelf.

These two are the largest pieces in the bunch. 

On the left is a fish store and on the right is a flower shop.

Like most of these, they are vintage, though not antiques.

Okay, guess what is in here...

 

Sombreros!
A dear friend gave it to me years ago.

You may recognize this as a Day of the Dead market stall.

The skeleton has springs for arms and legs, so he jiggles! (and he sells meats!)

Now we are getting down to the smallest ones.

In the center is a senora at her craft stand, on the right is a Nativity scene, and on the left is one of my very favorites, a miniature of a woman kneeling by her wares for sale, with a lime dome that covers her! She belonged to my sister, for years. One day I remarked on how cute I thought it was and she was kind enough to give it to me.

Now do you understand why I had to have the necklace?

Pie? Oh My!

Recently I was lucky enough to appear in this Etsy treasury that is so dear to my heart I wanted to share it.

I began collecting tin and aluminum pie pans in 1985 after seeing a photo in a Martha Stewart cookbook.

Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts, 1985, page 22.

Now Martha is controversial, a kind of love her or hate her kind of gal. But this book came out at a time when my mother, sister, and I were heading to outdoor flea markets nearly every weekend. I was getting a bit bored (hard to believe, isn't it? My, how I've changed!).

In Burlington, Kentucky

At the time, I was working in a pastry shop, as a baker and decorator, an avocation that became my vocation. Pies were not particularly my specialty. Be that as it may, the picture resonated with me and I thought how fun it would be to collect pie pans! So I did. 

 

By the way, these are pans with the name of either the bakery or the restaurant embossed into the bottom. When a pie was purchased, a small deposit (between 5 and 10 cents) was left and was given back when the pan was returned.

Little did I know how many are out there.  Along the collection trail, I started to hang them up on my kitchen walls; eventually they were on all four and heading into the pantry. True dust-catchers, I must say!

After many more years, I finally realized I had enough and resisted the temptation whenever I saw one I didn't have.

I got married and when I moved in with my hubby, the pans went into three large boxes, ...

...now down to two because I have sold about 18 of them in my shop.

 I sell them with a bit of reluctance but also with joy 
because I know those who are buying them may have 
the same passion for them as I do --three people 
bought two each and two bought three each!

    “Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness” ~Jane Austen