Sunday, July 29, 2012

Baking Time Cookie Jar

This is the Ozark summertime cookie jar.

Named "Baking Time" from
Clay Art of San Francisco,
circa 1995.
Clay Art is known for their small line
of black Americana.
I found her at Burlington Coat Factory in 1999,
she was my first collectible cookie jar.

All her colors matched my kitchen very well
Plus,
She reminded me of my 4 years in college
at The Savannah College of Art and Design
in Savannah Georgia.
Many of the great cooks there that kept me fed
looked a little like her.
Have you ever been to Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House?
It's in Savannah and it's a Great place to eat, 
in an old fashion way.
Everyone sits at a table together and 
passes the serving bowls around the table. 
It's a pretty famous place.
But I digress...
 
Many websites refer to her as
the Mammy, or Aunt Jamima cookie jar,
but Clay Art never gave her an official name.
Whenever I see her I think of the slogan
"If you ain't eatin' WHAM. You ain't eatin' Ham."
A phrase uttered by Louise Beavers 

as housekeeper Gussie, in the film
 

"Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House".

Her phrase saved the family's house.
A very fun film. 
Maybe I'll call the cookie jar Gussie.
 

Ebay image 
Clay Art even offered matching salt and pepper shakers.
I never collected those but now I wish I had.

I used to keep her out year round till
the Ozark collection started growing.

Now she's only displayed in the summer season.

She has such a cheery expression
I bet she bakes good cookies too.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Love These Meeces To Pieces, Halloween Pottery Barn Mice

Last year, 
before the Halloween season even started,
I spotted the cutest little bronze finished
metal mice online at PotteryBarn.com.
Unfortunately they were completely sold out
by the time I decided to buy a set,
several weeks before Halloween!
Now
I'm delighted to report they are back for this
year's PB Halloween offering...
Needless to say,
I ordered them as soon as I saw them.
Reg. $19 for the set of two,
they came to $16.15+tax
with a PB coupon 
I just received in an e-mail,
&
shipping was FREE.
They arrived yesterday from UPS.
I plan to stash them away and wait for Halloween
but, just for now,
I'll let them explore their new home.

Pottery Barn does indicate
they can go just about anywhere.

and mine were doing just that...

till they were spotted by the Kron owl!

"EEP!"
Luckily I was there this time...
I just hope they'll make it to Halloween.

Thanks for stopping by
and Happy Hunting!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

KRON

No, it's not some sort of sequel to TRON,
It's the name of the designer of my new
Ebay acquired
vintage "mid-century" TV lamp. 
This is the K559 Kron Owl TV Lamp
by Texans Incorporated in Bangs, Texas.
 
In the 60's people would place
TV lamps on top of their sets.
It was thought the ambient glow would
eliminate eye strain while viewing TV
in a darkened room. 

 
 I just received it in the mail yesterday!
This is the signature of Howard Kron.
He was a multi talented artist,
sculptor, and singer.
He joined Texans Inc. in 1954
as one of their primary lamp designers.
Find out more about The Texans Inc. Lamp Company
and Howard Kron on Mark Stevens' comprehensive
website
The felt base is stamped
Texans Inc, Bangs TX
My brown owl is not very rare because it was
very popular during its late 50s to mid 60's run.
despite reports that it would scare children.
Many of the "brown" owls were produced.
The "white" owl version is more rare,
fetches a higher price, and is highly sought after
by TV lamp collectors.
But in my opinion, not as suitable for Halloween.
On Mark Stevens' website tvlamps.net
He shows off his 2005 purchase of a
Kron owl lamp forgotten in time.
It was never opened, never used
since the day it was packed. 
It was brand new, complete with the sticker
warning not to use over a 25 watt bulb.
Mine was very used but still looks amazing.
I checked, and it even has some residue
left from that sticker.
My enchantment for this owl started
unexpectedly last November.
I was innocently searching Ebay
under the term "Owl Cookie Jar"
to try and fill a gap in
 the Ozark Halloween miscellany.
I so want the Anthropologie Owl cookie jar,
but it's still $128!!!!
So Ebay was my second option
where I found a few cool
Halloween worthy cookie jars....

Carbone, Inc. owl cookie jar from Ebay
this one got away.
Then I somehow stumbled onto
the Kron Owl TV Lamp,
my heart skipped a beat!
It was everything I want in a Halloween
collectable, form, theme, and function!
I HAD TO HAVE IT!
I watched them for a time
and just waited....
so many of them have chipped wings.
Finally, I bid and won 
an undamaged one for only $29.99!
A real bargain and he's perfect!
I'm testing him at his perch on top of the hutch 
for this Halloween season.
Owls seem to be IN this year,
check out the plethora of owls at Pottery Barn...
Get them now online at Pottery Barn
and here is a selection from Pier 1 Imports...
Here's Pier 1's Halloween offering...

I still have my eye on this white owl pitcher
by Two's Company,


as well as a Dept 56 Google Eye Owl
candy dish and lollipop holder,
but, I think I like my scary Kron owl
more than any of these.
Mine actually frightens children!
AND HOW COOL IS THAT?

Monday, July 9, 2012

A Trip to Ely Nevada

Have you ever been to Ely? 
Pronounced EE-lee. 
It's the self proclaimed
"Heart of Nevada's Scenic Wonderland"
It's also a copper mining town.
Sam and I were searching for a small weekend getaway,
and I was hoping for a ride on a historic train.
We had our sights set on the train ride
near the rim of the Grand Canyon.
But cost became the deciding factor.
After seeing ads in the Sunday paper inviting us to
Take a ride back in time on the ghost train
at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum.
We packed and headed to Ely,
located in the middle of
White Pine County, Nevada.
It's about a 4 hour drive from Las Vegas
along a lonely rural road
We did pass a few communities and
some interesting land formations



When we arrived in Ely

We had hoped to find an IHOP for breakfast.
Unfortunately our Garmin (a GPS navigation device)
determined the closest one was over 122 miles away,
as well as a Starbucks
and a Wal-Mart
This is a town set back in time!

We did find a great little place to eat,
The Big Apple Family Restaurant!

And what a spread!
Because of the delicious biscuits and gravy,
I told Sam this is my new favorite restaurant!

After breakfast
we headed to the station...
And stepped back in time.
It was built in 1907

Today we would be pulled by 
The Baldwin Steam Locomotive 4-6-0 No. 40
(4 front wheels-6 middle wheels-0 back wheels)
  bought new in 1910
and called "The Ghost Train" today.
As the story goes, back during WWII
the government was looking for steel
anywhere they could find it. 
The mine train engineers of the time
had taken such a liking to old No. 40
they didn't want to see her scrapped.
First they completely buried her under a
mountain of scrap where she sat for a long time.
When the mountain started to shrink and reveal her,
they dug her out and hid her anywhere they could.
When the government agent would show up to
collect the steel he would ask about No. 40
and was told "Nope, she ain't here"

 or
"you just missed her".
Wherever he went he got the same
answer, "You just missed her"
He dubbed her the "Ghost Train"
in all the years he was collecting steel
he never saw her.
And she survives to this day.
Find out about our train trip
after the jump.



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