FineLine Antiques

2011-10-27T07:34:00.001-07:00

Never Say “Die,” Say “Damn!”

It isn’t classic, It may be profane,

But we mortals have need of it time and again,

And you’ll find you’ll recover from Fate’s hardest Slam,

If you never say “Die,” Say “Damn!”

Maurine Hathaway

Ca. 1920s

Isn’t this just the best saying?

Basically it says don’t give up, even though we may be frustrated or angry or even sad, we must never give up. In a clever turn of words, this phrase allows us to acknowledge our emotions and to indulge in them a moment by suggesting we curse at them. But never does it suggest giving in to those emotions; in fact it is cheering us on to overcome them.

I struggle daily in trying to be a good mom. Being a good mom is not a passive activity, particularly when parenting smart, opinionated, volatile and fast-moving kids. I need to have done the research, done the thinking (gotta be able to outsmart this fresh brains), be able to control my own emotions to keep things from getting out of control and be able to move fast to catch that errant ball that is rocketing toward the plate glass window.

But some days, I just am too tired and cannot muster up the energy to do what it takes to be that good mom. That’s where these little motto prints come in! I have them hanging in a powder room on the first floor of my house. I step in the powder room for a moment, take a look at these, take a deep breath, and mutter “Damn! “ (and maybe a few other choice words) and stomp my feet. I then re-emerge with a fresh attitude and strength to go on. I liken it to my Superman telephone booth.

As you may know I love all things antique and vintage (except my grayhairs!). I have been collecting these motto prints for several years. The first one I found it the one that is just words and border without any real graphics. I found this at a garage sale with my friend Michelle. I paid $1 and was hooked immediately and started hunting for more. They are rather hard to come by though and are usually more expensive that I can really justify (one of the signs of motherhood is never having any money for myself as it all goes to kids activities – they both play hockey!).

I believe the second one I found was the one of the little boy hanging from a tree by his shorts while picking apples. I found this one while at Round Top in Texas. I paid more that I really wanted; I think I paid close to $50. Gulp! But I thought the graphics on this one were so well paired with the saying.

The rest I found on ebay at various times and they were cheaper than the Apple one but definitely more that my first one. I am still hunting for more of these…. Never say die, right? Perhaps I will update the blog when I find a new one.

So, when things get tough today, and they will, remember,

“Never Say “Die,” Say “Damn!”

Who'duv Thunk? My shop was included on a Sports Website!

2011-09-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I was going through my swooonantiques.etsy.com shop stats (akin to google analytics). This is something I try to do this regularly in order to get a sense of my traffic sources as well as to see what key words bring shoppers to my shop. Typically, etsy and google are my top traffic sources.

However when I looked at my stats in line graph format, there was a noticeable spike in shop traffic from a single source.... a source that I have never heard of. Usually etsy and google combined result in 50-150 views in a day. But on September 14, I had 1,163 views! "What the?!?!?!" (in a good way of course).

So I researched the source of the traffic spike. Surprisingly, the source is a sports website called Uni Watch. In my personal life, sports play a huge role. I have two kids who play competitive hockey and a husband who is a huge football fan and plays hockey himself. Naturally, I thought there must be some mistake. The must have been some huge crossing of wires/life compartments. I couldn't fathom why I was getting traffic from a sports website.

Uni Watch is a unique website, one that I would never have imagined existed. It is a website that devotes itself to the "obsessive study of athletics aesthetics". Here is what they say in their "Here's the Deal"/"About Us" section.

"Uni Watch is a media project that deconstructs the finer points of sports uniforms in obsessive and excruciating detail. It has nothing to do with fashion — it’s about documenting and maintaining the visual history of sports design, and about minutiae fetishism as its own reward. If that concept doesn’t make sense to you, no problem — Uni Watch definitely isn’t for everyone, and there have always been people who Don’t Get It™. But for those who understand the pleasures of detail obsession, programmatic classification systems, information overload, and sports history, you’ve come to the right place."

So I read through the website, particularly the posts from the day which caused my traffic spike. "EUREKA-I found it!" The author of one of the articles referenced an item I had in my shop, the only sports-related item I (currently) have listed. The reference is buried deep in the day's post in an article called the "Collectors Corner" by Brinke Guthrie. If you read far enough you will see that he took a moment to go onto etsy and found several vintage sports items including mine. In his article he referred to my item as "some old-timey sports decals".

Phew, mystery now solved; I now know the reason for the traffic spike. I am grateful for the additional traffic and exposure that I received. I must go and thank Mr. Guthrie. Additionally, I found unique and extremely interesting website that I never knew existed. I will be sure to share it with all of my sports fan family and friends.

The "old-timey sports decals" have not yet sold - now is your chance!

Who Am I

2011-09-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

About me.. My name is Jennifer. My mom named me after an African American classmate in the 1960s whom she thought was breathtakingly beautiful. I suppose she hoped I too would be beautiful. I like the name, especially when said as the full name. It sounds sophisticated and maybe even sexy. But that is not me. I am more of a Jen. Not Jenny or Jennifer just Jen.

Jen just seems so much more down to earth, don’t you think? I think of myself as down to earth. I don’t worry too much about how I look, though I don’t wear a bathrobe and slippers everyday. I always wear sneakers because they are the most body conscious shoe I can find. And I wash may hair, but not every day….I have better things to do than to spend too much time messing with it. I also don’t spend too much time worry about what others think. I am quirky and a little different, I am happy this way.

I value humor, compassion, creativity and hard work. Humor and laughter mean the world to me and I could not function with out it. There is a quote by Victor Borge “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” I love that quote. My own version is “Laughter is everything.”. If you cannot laugh and see humor in life, then you are not living compassionately, intelligently and openly.

I am a mother. That is my primary role and one that I take utterly seriously. I have two kids who are so very different. As a result I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out the best way to parent them and guide them. As a result of their distinctness, what works for one, usually does not work for the other. One is ADHD diagnosed and the other is not. One is a teenager (as of today she is 13) and one is still a boy person. Every day is vexing and perplexing on how I will manage to parent them and guide them on their journey.

I am a wife to a wonderful man whom I knew I was destined to marry. While “just friends” in college we eventually drifted apart. But I always referred to him as “the man I was supposed to marry”. Seven years later we were reunited; and at that moment, I knew we were gonna be together forever. We married 12 years after first meeting. He happens to be darn good looking, but the down to earth-ness in me is most drawn to his humor and creativity. He is the love of my life and he is my rock. I cannot imagine my life without this funny, creative, brilliant, strong, compassionate man in it.

I am a small business owner. I own a multifaceted online antiques and collectibles business. This is my passion; this is what keeps me sane (literally) in the chaos of my life. I love finding things that are really cheap (or sometimes free) and turning around to sell them and make some dough!! Plus it is real fun researching some of the oddities I come across. It is really amazing what some people deem as trash and how others will clamor to acquire that same item as a treasure. That is why my business name is FineLine Antiques. The tag line is “…. because there is a fine line between trash and treasure.” But I haven’t used the tagline much because I don’t want people to think I am charging them $50 for trash, even though, once in awhile, I am!

If you are so inclined to take a gander at some of my FineLine Antiques treasures, you can find them at:
www.fineline-antiques.com
www.swoonantiques.etsy.com
www.lucysclosetvintage.etsy.com
or our newsest venture
www.laughingfrogstudio.etsy.com

Now you know a little bit about me….feel free to share a little bit about who you are, I would love to know ya!

2011-06-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Time for a Pretty in Pink Picnic

Well we have finally reached the official start of Summer June 21, 2011. Even through the weather is not cooperating in some parts of the U.S.A., we can still plan for a perfect sunny day’s picnic.

I found a menagerie of things that would really lend a hand to your picnicking fun. It was all spurred on from and idea I saw in the July 2011 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. They had a feature article called “Sharing Summer” about outdoor dining and entertaining. The hostess in the article said she uses vintage tablecloths for her outdoor dining and entertaining; both on tables and on the ground.

So I started poking around the vintage section of etsy to see what I could find. I did find a cool tablecloth that would be “Oh So Cute” as a picnic blanket for two or over a card table under a large canopy tree.

Then I found a great cake carrier in pink and stainless steel.

Then I found a cool set of pink plastic silverware.

Well, I was on a roll. I actually created a Treasury on etsy to showcase my fun finds.

But I will list a few here for your inspiration and enjoyment.

Vintage Pink Therm-O-Jug. Who’d have thunk? A Thermos in pink! Very hip!

Of course you will need some napkins to wipe the cherry juice off your chin when you bite into a ripe cherry….

Don’t let the ants go marching one by one on your pretty event!

Finally you might need some cool eye protection.

Hope your picnic season is stylish and free from pesky critters.

Be sure to stop by one of our many shops for fun new merchandise.

www.fineline-antiques.com

www.swoonantiques.etsy.com

www.lucysclosetvintage.etsy.com

Spring Flowers Everywhere - Even Your Wardrobe

2011-03-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Terri Guillemets

Everywhere you look colorful flowers are popping up in gorgeous colors – despite the snow and dreary weather (at least here in the Midwest).

No, flowers are not poking through the snow yet, they are showing up on a multitude of fashion items: dresses, blouses, purses, jackets, skirts etc.

And I am not just seeing a floral mirage; its official according to People StyleWatch and InStyle!

Many of your favorite fashion icons are donning these romantic beauties. You can see Natalie Portman in the People Stylewatch page above. But others are popping up too….

Now, as flowers have been a theme eternally, you will also find this look in vintage styles. Etsy is a great place to start this search for affordable, trendy vintage floral fashions.

I think my favorite is Selena Gomez with a sophisticated ascot blouse of a crisp white background upon which magenta and navy flowers are happily floating.

Get the look with a fantastic (affordable) vintage blouse by renowned designer Vera Neumann in a soft purple and tan tulip floral. This blouse available at www.lucysclosetvintage.etsy.com. (Click on photos to take you directly to items in this article.) This Vera blouse really has a similar feel as the one Selena is rocking.

Then there is Lauren Conrad. She has her own fashion line for Kohls and she is including these romantic images in her line as well. Here she is modeling one of her own. But you can get a similar look in vintage with a purple floral print & high waisted green and purple satin cumberbund dress at www.oldage.etsy.com.

Wanna try a look like Scarlett Johansson?

Check out these Scarlett Johansson look-a-likes.

Pink dress available at www.Sweetheart.etsy.com.

Green dress available at www.thepigeonchest.etsy.com.

Or do you prefer the styling choice of Kristin Cavallari?

Get a similar look to hers at www.BBDexter.etsy.com with this 1950's Halter Swing Dress.

Or define your own style and really go for the vintage look with these 1960's Dirty Dancing inspired summer sleeveless blouses with peter pan collar available at www.lucysclosetvintage.etsy.com.

Even the T-mobil 4G girl is wearing floral.

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Terri Guillemets

Get your soul and your style in bloom.

2011-03-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

Where oh where did the time go? ....oh that's right I have kids....so time flies at WARP SPEED!

I have been meaning to blog and just don't get to it. Partially because I put so much pressure on myself to come up with something clever. So today, all pressure is off. I am gonna show you what I am focusing on in my shop. I am focusing on bringing www.swoonantiques.etsy.com up to speed in two categories: Tablecloths....Bark Cloth and Sewing...Patterns.

Today I listed two new tablecloths. The first one epitomizes True Spring. It features wonderful colors, floral design and has a light and airy feel to it. Something to brighten your day when the snow begins to melt!!

Look at that I mean doesn't that just make you wanna start to garden and have iced tea?

The other tablecloth I listed today evokes summertime fun. It features ripe red strawberries being poured into their cherry yellow cartons for market. I wanna whip up a batch of homemade lemonade infused with a strawberry syrup and strawberry garnish and watch the kids run through the sprinkler.....oh wait, its 36 degrees out today. Well one can dream.

I have added some new items to the bark cloth category - and I don't mean gags for barking dogs! Cool vintage 1940s 1950s bark cloth cutters that are just perfect for your next craft project......maybe for the throw pillow for your porch glider this summer!

I have many more fun retro tablecloths that are currently in the shop and will be adding more in the coming days. I also plan on adding some more Bark Cloth pieces. So stop by and check them out.

Maybe tomorrow, I can blog about all the new sewing patterns I have been and will be adding. Check back soon!

2010-09-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Next week starts the official first day of Fall – September 22^nd.

Why not get a jump on those Fall fashions now and set the tone for stylish, retro chic in your area.

This season has lots of fur (or faux fur) lots of classic plaids, jewel tones as well as neutrals.

But of course, Classic is always fashionable!

Take a look at this peppy video and start planning your Fall/Back-to-School football and bonfire wardrobe.

Then stop by Lucy's Closet for lots more ideas!

2010-09-05T19:33:00.001-07:00

It's no secret that I love the 1970s.....love the funky music, love the style, love the memories (yes, I am old enough to remember it!)

So I made a little video featuring the 1970s era items in my shops.

The music on the video is really funky! Click on the kitty to the left to see the video.

To see the funky items in this video, "come back pretty baby" to my shops.

Swoonantiques

Lucy's Closet Vintage

Summer Vacation for Mommy!

2010-08-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

The kids are back in school. As much as I love them, this is always wonderful time of year for me…..its like Summer Vacation for Mommy! I climb out of the "Mom" role for a few hours each day and crawl down to my "Lair"!

My “Lair” is the basement of my house out of which I run my business. It is also where I warehouse all the stuff I sell. It is called the “Lair” because it beckons to all who love vintage. Once they get down into it, it is a dangerous place; way too many goodies to pass any up and way too many things make it difficult to walk! I would guess that I have only about 1-2% of my "Lair" merchandise listed on my sites.

I have headed back down to the “Lair” and started to organize (though it does not look organized in the photo!) and plan new merchandise listings. I hope to start photographing and loading items in my shops as soon as possible. Please check my shop often to see what new goodies have surfaced from my “Lair”. I very much look forward to updating my shops, promoting my shops and selling lots of cool vintage stuff!

Also newsworthy, I have joined an esty team vmteam Vintage Market Team. This is a team of etsy shop owners who also sell vintage items. Check out their site and see what other vintage items you can discover! It really is a great, condensed source of funky, retro, antique, vintage stuff…http://vintagemarket.ning.com/. If you like vintage, this is nirvana!

Happiness is a Happy Dog

2009-10-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

Pictures Say it Best.....
A Happy Dog.
More to come soon about antiques and collectibles. I have been adding more merchandise to my sites, but haven't had much time to write on my blog. Check out my sites for the news stuff.

www.fineline-antiques.com
www.swoonantiques.etsy.com

It's Martini Time

2009-09-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

Its Friday, we've survived the week and its time for cocktails.

In the spirit of my postings about Mad Men and its strong style influences, I thought we should consider cocktails from that era: Martinis.

From a 1956 Professional Mixing Guide, here is a "Classic" (Dry) Martini:

Martini

2/3 Dry Gin
1/3 Dry Vermouth  
Stir in cracked ice, strain into a cocktail glass dressed with olive or pearl onions.  Twist lemon peel over top.

If Gin isn't your spirit of choice, perhaps you prefer rum. Here is a recipe from the same 1956 Professional Mixing Guide for a fun-sounding drink called Between-the-Sheets:

Between-the-Sheets
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. Puerto Rican or Cuban Rum (Gold Label)
1/2 oz. Triple sec
1/2 oz. Brandy
Shake well with cracked ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Everything you see featured here is available at www.fineline-antiques.com under the Mad Men category or at www.swoonantiques.etsy.com.

Enjoy your cocktails. Enjoy your weekend. Cheers!

Beauty - As Seen From 10-Year-Old's Eye.

2009-09-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

Today I downloaded a bunch of photos from my daughter's camera. There were many silly ones with girls wearing different hats, there were several blurry close-ups of someone's nostril (yuck) and many blurry dark shots obviously taken with no flash.

But there were also a few really great shots of her brother hanging out in a tree, a darling shot she took of her dad and her brother before they went into the tent on a backyard camping adventure and then these.....

We think of our kids as "kids", who really only worry about candy, fun, friends and trivial things. It is really heartwarming to know that sometimes they can see more broadly and see the beauty in their world.

Creativity Revisted

2009-09-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

Creativity. As you know, this is a trait that I highly value; I admire it in others and I strive for it in myself. I think about it alot and recognize and comment on it when I see it. I write about it often.

Sometimes creativity can be well thought out like a perfect advertising campaign. Other times it can be spontaneous like when a fabulous comedian shoots down a heckler right there on the spot.

Well we had some spontaneous creativity last weekend. My daughter's 11th birthday slumber party really didn't have a theme. The homemade invites had multi-colored squiggly lines and crazy designs. We weren't totally sure of the activities, but one thing we knew for sure was that we were going to have an after dark silly string fight. So the only thing left was to come with a birthday cake to go along with the ill-defined theme.

At the back of the cupboard I found a cake mold that makes cakes in the shape of a sphere. So I figured we would start with this unique cake shape. We would use white frosting and then perhaps make "paint squiggles" and "paint splatters" out of cookie decorating gel and then throw some confetti-like sprinkles. Maybe we could top it off with some crazy squiggly candles. I guess we were sort of going for a 1980s HAPPY BOMB.

So once the cake was baked, I asked my (super talented) husband to frost the cake and take over the creative work. As he began working, my kids heard that "dad was frosting the cake" and came running to have the chance to lick the spatula. As he frosted, it began to take on the appearance of a bandaged head.....something like a mummy! So while he worked we called it the mummy cake. Once it was frosted, my husband asked the birthday girl what to do next and she said to "put eyes on the mummy". After the eyes were put on the cake, my husband took creative direction from the birthday girl. We ended up with a 1980's Punk Mummy!

Definitely creative!

Mad Men Part 2

2009-09-18T17:55:00.001-07:00

What is all the fuss about? I blogged earlier this week, wondering what all the fuss was about for the hit show Mad Men on AMC. Was it great writing? Was it great acting? Was it thought-provoking plots? Was it great characters? Was it sex appeal? Was it the historically accurate style and fashions of the early 1960s?

As I said last blog, I think all of these factors

contribute to the growing success of the show. But again, I think people are finding the styles of the era alluring and fun to revisit, as they are historically accurately portrayed in this show. The style of the time was very distinctive both at home and in the workplace.

This era's home interiors decorating style was characterized by dark woods, streamlined furniture, large sculptural lamps with artistic shades, decorative accessories and art pottery, kitchen accessories intended to "dress-up" the kitchen, and cocktail and smoking accessories.

I have to admit, I never thought that the kitschy-ist home wares of the 1960s would ever be fashionable again. Thanks to Mad Men's power and sex appeal, many home fashions from this era are making a comeback.

Equally as interesting is how the decorating style of the era influence office decor as well. Here you would also see the dark woods, streamlined furniture and large sculptural lamps with decorative shades. You would also see lots of goose neck lamps and use of lots of metals. Industrial design, which started circa the 1920s, had now reached a frenzied crescendo and a new sense of office chic ruled. All things utilitarian in the office had a design sensibility to them from staplers to typewriters to phones to rubber stamp holders to mail carts and the list goes on.

You too can get the look for your home…..

Many of the looks can be found at www.etsy.com, specialty online shops like www.fineline-antiques.com and others, ebay, estate sales, garage sales, junk stores, and the Goodwill.

Table lighters and smoking accessories

Rotary dial phones

Bars and bar ware

You too can get the look for your office…..

Again, many of the looks can be found at www.etsy.com, specialty online shops like www.fineline-antiques.com and others, ebay, estate sales, garage sales, junk stores, and the Goodwill.

Office equipment

Break room accessories

Bar accessories

I hope you have enjoyed this look at the style of Mad Men. It is a fun style trend that is easily accessible and definately affordable...happy shopping! I will highlight more items of the era in the coming weeks......as they say in the business.....STAY TUNED!

Mad Men Part 1- Fashion Flurry

2009-09-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Mad Men This! Mad Men That!

What is all the fuss about? I wondered what all the fuss was about for the hit show Mad Men on AMC. Was it great writing? Was it great acting? Was it thought-provoking plots? Was it great characters? Was it sex appeal? Was it the historically accurate style and fashions of the early 1960s?

Well the continued and increasing success of the show, as well as the growing cult-like following can be attributed to all of these characteristics. But the one characteristic that stands out above all others: the historically-accurate style and fashions.

There is a huge flurry of activity and energy spent on watching and emulating the styles and fashions of the early 1960s. People across the country gather and have viewing parties where they dress in fashions of the period and drink the fashionable cocktails of the day as they watch the show. Mad Men's season premiere for the 3rd season will air Sunday, September 20, 2009. Surely there will be a frenzy as people anticipate the show.

Well there is much to be said for the men’s fashions of this time and how they are portrayed on this show. But I am going to focus on the ladies fashions.The styles from this time had much diversity so many different body types and personalities could be fashionable during this time. There are three main female characters that people really enjoy trying to emulate. Joan Holloway, Peggy Olson, and Betty Draper.

Joan Holloway - Bombshell.

Her signature style features lots of body-hugging dresses that show every last curve.

She is not afraid of bold colors a and lots of accessories that accentuate her “gifts” such as bows/ruffles/buckles, pins and her signature pen necklace that falls in just the right “valley”.

She likes all strategically placed details and accessories that bring attention to her assets.

Body-Hugging Green Dress is a Vintage I Magnin Knit Dress can be found here.

Polka-dot ascot blouse can be found here.

Peggy Olson - Girl Next Door/School Girl.

Blue and white checked vintage dress can be found here.

Vintage classic black wiggle dress with side buttons can be found here.

Her signature style is anything that does show too much of her body.

She is new to this fast-paced world and is cautious in the way she dresses.

She is drawn towards lots of buttons, full a-line skirts, classic school girl sweaters, suit set, bows, peter pan collars, etc.

Understates and earthly colors are her preference as she shies away from bold colors; she is not sure of herself.

Betty Draper - "Perfect" Executive Wife.

Her signature style is classy country club chic.

Everything she wears and how she presents herself is perfect with a capital “P”.

She has a real Grace Kelly royalty and sensibility.

She is drawn to light colors like whites and pastels. When she goes for richer colors she often gravitates towards blues.

Everything about her look is about making an impression of perfection.

Vintage everyday floral cardigan can be found here.

Vintage blue patterned dress can be found here under vintage silk dress with bolero jacket.

Since Mad Men's premiere is tonight, it is too late to get your outfit for this episode. But it is never too late to think about next week's episode! Host your own viewing party next week. Pick your favorite character and get your own look. Then check back later in the week for Mad Men home and office fashions.

Get the Joan Holloway Look here.

Get the Peggy Olson Look here or here.

Get the Betty Draper Look here.

Get the vintage red velvet dress here.

2009-08-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well Hello. Long time - No Blog.

School is just around the corner which means I will soon have more time to work on my blog and my business. So please check back often to see what is new.

I do have a new piece of writing which I would like to share with you. It is an article I wrote for www.ehow.com. The article is titled, "How to Get Your Kids to Behave and to WANT to Behave". This article describes a system I came up with just before the summer started. I was worried that my kids were gonna eat me alive with their crazy antics and misbehaving. I was worried that I would lose control of life and lose control of my emotions. This system helps to encourage good behavior, but deal with bad behavior without losing control.

Good luck!

WINNER!! Give Away - Holiday Gift Tags

2008-12-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

We have a winner for the Holiday Gift Tags Giveaway!!

Congratulations to Valerie!!!

Thanks to all who entered and who read my blog!

If you had your heart set on these gift tags, they are available for sale on my site, so them you can still get some!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

We all know this Christmas Poem. Many of us may know it completely by heart. Others may be able to recite portions of the poem. Surely we all know the first two sections like we know our own names!

This poem has been long-attributed to Clement Moore. However, it was originally published anonymously. The mental picture evoked by the first two parts of this poem are likely quite vivid for most of us. Whoever wrote the poem definitely had a way with words.

I look forward to many things at Christmas, the tree, the warmth, the baked goods, the family gathering, Santa (I really love Santa!) and the framing of a glorious roaring fire with warm and beautiful stockings.

As a child I really looked forward to the stockings. See, my grandmother made a personalized stocking for each member of the family. My mom’s stocking was light blue felt and shaped like a fancy high-heeled boot with a plush rabbit fur cuff at the top. Mine was light pink felt and was sewn together with dark pink yarn. Each stocking was special in that there were trinkets sewn on to each on to represent each person. I loved my stocking….it had a tiny baby doll sewn on to it, a patch shaped like alphabet building blocks, a gold metal heart charm and felt applied balloons.

When I was finally old enough to have my own family and start our own family traditions the old family stockings were a little worse for the wear so we could not really use them. As a result, I tried my hand at making my own family stockings. I did not inherit my grandmother’s gift with the needle!

So, as of now we have a mish-mash of felt, and satin and needlepoint (not family heirloom quality) stockings in over sized shapes and sizes. They are nice enough stockings, but they are not perfect. They don’t hold a candle to the enchanting stockings of my youth.

So I was looking around for some new unique, personal and special stockings to perhaps start our family tradition. You should see some of the wonderful ones I have found…the run the gamut from fancy to whimsical to downright odd. If you want to purchase one, you can click on the photo and it will take you to the sellers website.

Please stop by our shop for many wonderful vintage gift items as well as vintage Christmas decorations and items.

www.BestFriendsStudios .etsy.com

www.sewsewsuckurtoe .etsy.com

www.fineline-antiques.com

www.rethinkcrafts .etsy.com

www.LeLis .etsy.com

www.detailshomegoods .etsy.com

www.buckland .etsy.com

www.Swirlthis .etsy.com

www.FancyLlama .etsy.com

www.XmasMuse .etsy.com

www.aaronsmother .etsy.com

www.dezdlr .etsy.com

www.jojosboutique .etsy.com

Merry Christmas to all

And to all a good night!

Who'd 'Uv Thunk - Pumpkin Ice Cream

2008-11-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

Well we tried something new this year - Pumpkin Ice Cream.

My daughter had her tonsils removed 6 days before Thanksgiving. So I was not able to make my traditional ice cream pumpkin pie (see previous blog) because the pie crust would have been too scratchy for her healing throat. So I decided to make pumpkin ice cream.

I found a good and very easy recipe (see end of post for recipe). Basically you blend everything in a an old-fashioned blender. All ingredients can be mixed ahead of time except for the liquor. When you are ready to make the ice cream, just add the liquor before adding to the ice cream machine.

I then prepared some toppings for the rest of us with healthy throats. We had spicy candied pecans (we made ours, but you can buy some superb ones at Trader Joe's) and Nestle's morsels. For the final topping, I took several ingredients that would normally be mixed together for the pie crust....crushed ginger snaps and powdered sugar.

Dessert was served and everyone was able to choose their toppings. Grandma opted for candied pecans only, I chose the ginger snap mixture and chocolate chips. "YUM-O" as Rachel Ray would say.

I am definitely planning to add the recipe to my family recipe book.

Recipe found on www.elise.com Simply Recipes

Easy Pumpkin Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin (1 15-ounce can)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons brandy (optional)

Directions

In blender place pumpkin puree, sugar, spices and salt. Puree until smooth.
Slowly add the cream a tablespoon or two at a time, pulsing after each addition.
Chill for 15 minutes or longer, this part you can make ahead.
If you are using brandy, mix into the cream mixture right before churning.
Churn in your ice cream maker for 20-25 minutes.
Keep in freezer until ready to serve.
Makes about 1 quart.

Give Away - Holiday Gift Tags

2008-11-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

I just wrapped up my very first giveaway on www.the-giveaway.com. It was a huge success and we have a winner! Nancy from Greensboro, NC won a $25 gift certificate good at www.fineline-antiques.com. Congratulations to Nancy and thank you to all the others who entered - I loved your comments!

Since my first give away, hosted by another site, was such a huge success, I decided to try one on my own.

So in anticipation of the big Holiday Gift-Giving Season, I am offering a set of ten (10) darling Vintage-Inspired Silhouette Holiday Gift Tags.

Prize:

Holiday Gift Tags - Vintage-Inspired Silhouette Christmas tags. A set of ten (10). There are three designs to chose from -it'll be your choice as to the combination of styles.

To Enter:

Go to www.fineline-antiques.com, take a look around and find a favorite item. Then come back to this blog post and leave a comment mentioning your favorite item and why you like it. Please also leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner! If you have already commented, please post your email address now. Thanks.

Additional Entries:

You can do any of these things for an extra entry. You can get up to six (6) extra entries!!

1 additional entry - Subscribe to my blog.
1 additional entry - Blog about this giveaway with a link back to my site. Be sure to post your link in your comment so I know where to find it and make sure your email address is on your profile.
1 additional entry - Email about this giveaway to two (2) people and cc me at jen@fineline-antiques.com
3 additional entries - Buy from www.fineline-antiques.com before the end of the give away. Be sure to provide your email during checkout.

Fine Print

You must have a valid email in your comment or available in your profile so I can contact you if you are the winner!
Giveaway starts 8:00 am November 23, 2008. It was scheduled to start at 8:00 am CST November 27, 2008 (yes that is Thanksgiving Day!), but I had so many eager responders, I upped the start date.
All entries must be received by 11:59 pm CST December 1, 2008.
Winner will be drawn at random using Random.org
Winner will be contacted by email and will be posted here on the blog. Winner will have 48 hours after the winner has been announced, to respond or contact me. Otherwise, another winner will be chosen.
Give away open to everyone worldwide.

Good Luck and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Virtual Food Drive

2008-11-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

As I made my daily Starbucks run, I was listening the radio. There was an interview with a person from the Greater Chicago Food Depository. They were talking about the need for donations, particularly in today's economy. Apparently more people are turning to soup kitchens and food depositories for help; people you wouldn't expect, even those with college degrees.

Here are some stats from the Greater Chicago Food Depository:

Thirty-nine % of the households who receive food from the Food Depository include at least one employed adult
About 33 % of the people the Food Depository serves are children under 18
10 % of study respondents were 65 and older
25 % of households served have at least one family member in poor health
22 % of clients surveyed live in the suburbs
10 % own the place where they live
9 % of clients are homeless

In the past my daughter and I would do a door-to-door food drive in our neighborhood that I would then take to a local food pantry. As the kids have gotten older, life has taken me in every other direction and we have gotten away from that tradition – it’s time to return course.

So I have decided to hold a Virtual Food Drive with Greater Chicago Food Depository (a charter member of America's Second Harvest national food bank network). You can:

donate whatever you want
spend however much you want
you don't even have to leave the comfort of your desk chair!
it's tax deductible!

Food Drive - Click Here

When you click on the link, you will be taken to a secure server where you can shop for the foods you want to donate. You money goes a long way because the The Greater Chicago Food Depository gets a special rate on the items you select; your money goes farther with this process that it would if you shopped for the food yourself.

So if you, like me, have a very crazy life, but long to help others, together,let's get out the virtual wheelbarrow... please consider donating to the Greater Chicago Food Depository with me. Tis the season.

Pen Names

2008-11-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

My daughter has been really inspired this year to read high-level books (think the Hobbit), to do creative writing, and to creative funny and inspirational posters.

Last evening over dinner, I was telling her I would set up a blog for her to start storing her short stories and other creative works. (She makes posters for her teacher to hang in the classroom - I am not sure where she got this art, so I don't know to whom to give credit. if it is yours, comment and I will attribute it to you) .
However, she is young and she is my daughter, so I don't want to put any personal information out there, particularly her name. So we talked about a pen name. I asked he to come up with a pen name that reflects something about herself with out being too personal. While she was hhhmmming and haw-ing, her 6-year-old brother shouted out, "Mrs. Um Um Like".

He was dead on. As a 10-year-old girl (who seems more like a 13-year-old), she has a difficult time explaining things or verbally telling a story orally without every other word being "Um" or "Like". Her brother was brilliant when he said her pen name should be Mrs. Um Um Like.

I think we may keep it.

Getting Something for Free – Really!

2008-11-11T05:26:00.000-08:00

Give-Aways – Getting Something for Free – Really!

FineLine Antiques is Announcing it's First Ever Give-Away!

I just learned about this online phenomenon called “Give-Aways” in which many online stores and blogs participate. Give-Aways are essentially akin to entering a contest or drawing in order to win a prize. But instead of getting a ticket to be placed in a hat to be drawn at said time, you have to enter an electronic comment to be added to the drawing. Many Giveaways ask that you go to a particular website (usually the Sponsor’s site) and find a favorite item. Then you are to come back to giveaway website, log in to a special form and post your favorite item along with some comments. When the contest time is up, a winner is drawn randomly from all entrants and the prize is awarded.

Online stores host it’s giveaways (like Martha Stewart Living used to do), blogs may offer a giveaways, and there are even websites that specialize in running giveaways. Bottom line for you is that you get a chance to get something for free. Well almost free, really all you pay is your time to peruse a cool website.

Sounds like fun…. So, my first foray into this is on a giveaway website called www.the-giveaway.com. FineLine Antiques’ giveaway starts today and runs until November 20^th.

The winner gets a $25 gift certificate to www.fineline-antiques.com.

So head on over to the-giveaway and enter!

Be sure to tell your friends!!

Tell or Not to Sell - That is the Question

2008-11-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

As an antiques lover and an antiques dealer, I often find good pieces to sell.The problem is, I often love these pieces and have a difficult time selling them.

Such is the case this week. I found two small-ish occasional tables of distinctly different styles, yet with equal "love-ability". I had committed to the idea that I was gonna sell these; I purchased them with the intent to sell. There was really no question.......

......that is, until my family chimed in.

As I was setting up attractive vignettes to showcase these tables, my family would walk by and say how nice it looked. What is interesting and unusual about these comments is that they were coming from a 10-year-old girl, a husband who hates when I drag home more stuff that ends up in our house and 6-year-old rough-and-tumbly boy!! Since when do they compliment me on my purchases and creative decorating? They never do this!

They were suddenly involved in my work, supporting my creative energies, complimenting what I was doing..... I was all a twitter. Then I thought, maybe I shouldn't sell these tables. They are just too cool and the vignettes I made work so nicely.

But wait, I bought them with the sole intention of resale, so that is what I shall do. I will sell them

....I think

.....YES - I WILL

......maybe

If you, like my family, like these tables you can purchase them from my store.

Fall Color Falling Leaves Decoration How-To

2008-11-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

A week or so ago, while watching the Martha Stewart Show during my lunch, I saw a fancy-schmancy designer talk about doing the décor for high-end parties. He and Martha were discussing décor for a fall-themed party. One of the décor elements was to simulate falling leaves right in the party venue. This was done by taking real, fallen leaves and gluing them to mono filament (fishing line),then hanging them from tacks in the ceiling.

Well the overall effect was fantastic. But better yet, I thought it would make for a great Fall project for me and my kids. Plus it would make for a beautiful decoration to bring the outdoors in during one of Mother Nature’s biggest shows! Indeed, I was right on both assumptions!

We had perfectly beautiful Fall day here the weekend of Halloween. We went to the wooded pond near our house and hunted for leaves. What a great time we had! We found Linden leaves, Maple leaves, Oak leaves, Birch leaves, and even Ginko leaves! Believe it or not, we even found wild raspberries still putting out fruit with a vengeance! We even found a dead raccoon! Yikes!

The kids collected until their Halloween pumpkin buckets were full. Then we came home to begin the project.

First We Dried & Pressed the Leaves.

We made our own leaf press by using paper towels, old cardboard boxes and bungee cords. Here is the “how-to”.

1. Take a piece of cardboard and place two paper towels atop it.

2. Then the carefully arranged one layer of leaves, being careful that none touched and none went past the edge of the paper towel.

3. Place a paper towel on top of that layer and arrange more leaves.

4. Repeat until all leaves are accounted for.

5. Take another piece of cardboard and place it on top.

6. Secured the bundle tightly with bungee cords. You could also use a large heavy book, rock or even a canister of flour!

7. Leave alone for several days until leaves are dry and pressed.

Then We Made the Decorations.

I believe the Martha Stewart directions called for some fancy glue and “mono filament” (fishing wire). But we didn’t have either. So we just used good ole' Elmer’s school glue and embroidery floss.

1. Gather your mono filament, embroidery floss, yarn or dental floss…. whatever! Cut it to the length you desire.

2. Find two like-sized leaves. Lay one face down on table. Add a dollop of glue to its back.

3. Next take your mono filament, embroidery floss, yarn or dental floss and place it in the dollop of glue.

4. Then take the other leaf and apply to the first leaf with glue and string.

5. Press down gently to adhere.

6. Move down the string to your next leaf grouping.

7. Repeat until desired length is reached.

8. Put aside to dry.

Finally, We Hung the Leaf Decorations.

We placed the decorations in our door jamb to bring the outdoors inside; to make it look as though leaves were falling in the house.

Looks pretty cool and the kids are absolutely thrilled.

Celebrate Fall Leaves by Bringing Them Into Your Own Home!
If you are looking for more ways to celebrate Autumn and its bounty of beauty, take a look at these cool things I found on Etsy. Plus check out my site for recent additions of fall themed items.

At www.fineline-antiques.com you will find several leaf-themed items:Vintage Vera Neumann Scarf,Vintage Bark Cloth Cutter, and a Hand Made Therapeutic Grain Heating Pad.

There are some really great vendors online that are also offering ways to celebrate Fall.

Here is a really ethereal fine-art print of Autumn leaves falling into a vintage train case. You can find this and other phenomenally beautiful nature photographs at www.irenesuchocki.etsy.com.

Take the Fall beauty indoors again with these great handmade soaps. These chocolaty-brown soaps with maple leaf and acorn adornments look almost good enough to eat!
Soaps by www.ShopDavinia.etsy.com.

Finally take a look at this unique item Autumn Leaf crayons by www.Missing6.etsy.com. Made of 100% non-toxic recycled wax based crayons, these almost look like Raku pottery and embody the color and beauty of Fall.

Whatever you do, be sure to make the most of Nature's Fall display before it resigns to a naked quietness for Winter's sleep.