The Scoop on Antique Ribbon Work Powder Boxes

Hello Friends in Blogland,

When I first started my blog back in 2008 I believe it was, I had the intention of doing more "show and tell" of the collections I have and of things that I like.  I've done a  FEW of those types of posts, but not many.  I decided that this week,  it was time that I dedicated a post to a subset of one of my favorite THINGS in the world, antique ribbon work.  Today, I want to share my collection of powder and rouge boxes.  No fabulous ribbon work pieces are easy to find, but these little treasures do seem to be around a bit more often than others, presumably because they were small and easy to display on a vanity table for a little dose of pretty and they were also useful as they held cosmetics.  For these reasons, I presume, we do occasionally come across some of these lovelies.  Never enough, but some. (SMILE)  The piece at the top of the post is actually a glass powder box that has been covered in fabric and metallic lace as well as a beautiful seated porcelain figure.  These glass bases are a bit more rare and this is the only one like it that I have.  She is a bit tatty, but considering her age, she is still pretty darn fine. 

More commonly, these boxes are cardboard that has been covered in fabric and metallic net and then the beautiful silk ribbon flowers which in all but the tiny one at the bottom in the picture above were little lengths of rosettes that were purchased by the yard just like you would have purchased lace or other embellishments. I have know people who have managed to find cards of this rosette trim which was never used.  I have turned appropriately green with envy and then purchased a yard or two from them for much money.  This no doubt made us both happy. This little quintet of boxes are all small with the large one in the middle being just about 1 3/4 inches in diameter.  The marquis shaped one is a very unusual size and I am not sure what it was used for but the others are rouge boxes (we call it "blush" or "blusher" these days) with the exception of the largest one-it is a small powder box.  I know this because when open, it has a mirror in the lid and a cake of face powder is still in it.  The one on the left has a cake of red rouge and a well used puff. 

I have a couple of powder boxes done in this fashion.  Still cardboard underneath, but a short box, sometimes only tall enough for a puff.  In the case of the one above and the one below, the puff is attached to the lid. Neither one has the metallic trim, but they make generous use of silk or rayon ribbon to create the ruffles. I love the heavily eyelashed face on the bottom one!

Below are three which I would consider large pieces.  The one at the top stands a good 3 inches tall.  Each has a powder puff inside made of swansdown.  These pieces are difficult to find and when you do, you will pay a handsome sum for them but if these are your THING, you will find a way to make them yours, just as I did because there is something about them that just makes your heart sing.

Below is piece that is rare as hen's teeth.  It is a triple powder box which sort of reminds me of a wedding cake.  The top section holds a powder cake and a puff, the center a rouge cake, and in the bottom, and large powder puff.  It is an exceptional piece and will, as they say, have to be pried from my cold dead hands.  Hopefully not anytime soon!

These are a few more of the powder boxes in the middle size range.  They are really pretty, especially the one closest to the camera as it has a bouquet of little silk flowers on the top rather than just the rosette trim.

In the more unusual category are these double powder boxes below.  The one on the left has a little strap.  Could have been carried by milady or perhaps just hung on the wall by the vanity.  Again, these are far more rare and the ribbon work on the tops is particularly lovely.

These each have a mirror in the top and their little powder puffs-one for rouge, one for face powder.

This larger beauty may have been for talcum powder.  It is still super full of loose powder which I keep saying I'm going to toss every time I open it and get a nose full of 90 year old powder, but the fact that it has survived this long has kept me from doing so thus far.  This one is special because its condition is excellent and due to the fact that it is topped with a very lovely piece of French Normandy lace which is not the norm. 

Finally, I wanted to share with you my own take on fancy powder boxes.  These 3 have been lovingly created by me from vintage powder boxes and all antique materials.  I sold one very similar to the one on the left in my Etsy shop The French Laundry this last year and just recently made one for myself.  The blue one was originally for sale, but when she got taken for a test drive in my bedroom with the other girls...well, let's just say she begged to stay, at least for a little while.  As I have stated before, it is an occupational hazard when you deal in and create things that you love.  Sometimes, they just don't make it to the shop. The last one did though.  She's a beautiful oval shape (very unusual for a powder box).

If you love antique ribbon work, I highly recommend the book "The Artful Ribbon" by Candace Kling. She not only shares techniques on how to create your own flowers from ribbon, but it has lots of great historical information as well as pictures from private collections that are utterly breathtaking. In the meantime, I hope you have enjoyed your little visit to my part of Blogland and I hope to see you again sometime.

P.S.  I have some price reductions in my shop, so you might want to take a peek when you have a chance.

Sharing with :
Shabbilicious Friday 
Feathered Nest Friday

Until next time,

Happy Birthday to The French Laundry

Hello Blogger Friends,

I can't believe that a year has gone by since I first opened my Etsy shop, The French Laundry, but as of January 6, it will be a full year.  It was a great 2013 and I am looking forward to bringing you more beautiful treasures in 2014.  I'm still trying to find my way around balancing shopkeeping and working full time, but it is getting a bit easier.  I'm challenging myself to get more organized and stop hoarding (well, maybe just cut back on the hoarding :-) I am, after all, a collector myself ).  I also have a few small home projects/purchases to do this year, so the income from the shop becomes even more important.  With all of that in mind, I'd like to offer a little "Happy Birthday" gift to you in honor of my first year in business.  Just stop by The French Laundry from now until midnight tomorrow (1/6/14) and enter HAPPYBIRTHDAY20 at checkout to receive 20% off on all purchases over $20.  Now that Christmas is over, it is a good time for you to pick up that special something you've been wanting for yourself at a special price.

Until next time,

The French Laundry is Open for Business!

My new Etsy shop is now OPEN.  Come on down and check it out when you have a chance.  If you like 1920's antique ribbon work, Victorian and Edwardian perfume bottles, linens, laces, and in general, pretty girlie stuff, you will like what you find there.  I'm tickled PINK!

Until next time,

Because I'm Also a Collector...

I'm getting pretty excited for the opening of my new Etsy shop, The French Laundry, on Sunday, January 6th, but I've also been trying to appreciate some of the treasures I have as part of my collection so as not to be tempted to keep everything that I have been finding, either in my existing stash or in my travels.  Antique ribbon, trims, laces, and ribbon work flowers are probably my most valued collection-I love anything that relates to items made by women, for women, to make their environment more beautiful.  I've always done needlework and handwork myself, so I have always appreciated old textiles, etc.  

Aren't the graphics on these bolts of ribbon divine?  I might add that the silk ribbon wrapped around those bolts is equally divine.  Swoon...

These little ribbon work garland sweeties are only about 3 inches long, but they are so intricate and beautiful.  Never used old stock.  They still have their "made in France" tags on them.  The wide metallic lace they are sitting on is a.ma.zing!  I got it from a lady who dressed dolls.

Well, I know this is a short post, but I may have to resort to short and sweet for the most part because I just got a full time day job.  I will be sad to leave my peeps on the evening shift because I love my girls, but life demands full time and days, so after 12 wonderful years of part time evenings, I am making a change.  I will definitely have to organize my time better if I'm to keep up with the things that nurture my soul, like peddling antique pretties and blogging, so wish me luck.  I'll be starting in February, so I have a few short weeks to figure this all out.  Send some positive energy this way, OK?

Linking up with Debra at Be Inspired Friday and Kerryanne at Shabbilicious Friday.

Until next time,

Happy New Year, a Book Review, and News for the New Year

Happy New Year!  This is a rather random disjointed post, but I hope you'll forgive me.  I've been super busy getting ready to open a second Etsy shop.  I'm very excited about it and I hope you will be as well.  My first shop, Elegant Farmhouse, was opened when I had a plethora of antique grain sack pillows that I made that needed an outlet for sale.  I found that some of the other things I loved, such as white ironstone and zinc items, looked nice with the pillows so a shop was born.  I still love all of those things and have fun hunting and gathering, but something has been missing.  For years, I sold on eBay under the name French Laundry, hence my blog name, and there I had the type of things that probably speak to my heart as much as anything in my many collections...beautiful, feminine boudoir and vanity antiques, fine linens and laces, and pretty china.  I haven't regularly sold on eBay in some years and I have really missed working with the pink girlie stuff.  AND did I mention that I still have a huge backlog of items which were destined for eBay but have just been in a holding pattern since I gave up being a regular seller on that venue?  SO, I hope to be up and running in a week or thereabouts.  You all will be the first to know once that happens.  The shop name is The French Laundry and the picture above and below will give you an idea of the feeling of that shop-fussier than Elegant Farmhouse, but still the same service and variety that you have come to know from me.  If you love 1920's ribbon work, flapper items, and Edwardian perfumes, this is a place you will want to visit often.  Let me clarify, I am NOT closing Elegant Farmhouse, just adding a second shop.

Okay, now that the shameless self promotion is done, I promised you a mini book review of the book "Inspired You", written by Blogland's own Marian Parsons, aka Miss Mustard Seed.  

Let me say that I am an avid reader.  Not like I ALWAYS have my nose in a book, but I do belong to a book club and really enjoy reading.  That being said, I can't remember a time that I've EVER read a design or lifestyle book cover to cover.  Maybe it's shallow, but I buy them for the pretty pictures and while I try to read the content, I generally fall short (read "I lose interest").  This one was the exception.  Perhaps because it is more than just a book about designing a warm and welcoming home.  Perhaps it is Marian's down to earth style and way of writing.  Maybe it is because she spoke to my heart on more than one occasion when she reminds us that our goal isn't to live in a magazine photo shoot but to create a comfortable home for our family and friends and to use our God given talents to make that home truly our own.  Maybe it is because she reminded me to be grateful for what I have and not JUST focus on the things I want to change.  Whatever the reason, I loved the book.  It was an uplifting, REAL book for REAL people.  It has a few easy tutorials for projects, some hints on getting low cost and high style, and lots of pretty pictures of MMS's own home.  It is available from the publisher, Thomas Nelson and can also be found on Amazon.  And did I mention, it is VERY reasonably priced?  Well, now I did, so now you know.  I recently met Marian at a workshop she did here in Colorado and she is just as nice as you might think and then some.  I love that.  I purchased some of her new milk paint in Luckett's Green.  I can't wait to try it.  Her color palate is really beautiful and if you haven't checked it, you should.  There are about 100 retailers carrying the line and, if you are fortunate like me to have an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist who also carries Miss Mustard Seed's products, then you really have it made.

Well, I have only tonight and tomorrow off from work, then it is back to the grind for me.  AND there is a good probability that I will be returning to work full time very soon, so I need to get moving while I have the opportunity and finish some listings for The French Laundry and restock Elegant Farmhouse.  Whew!  This Christmas break has certainly gone by fast!  My kids have off until Monday, so they can enjoy hanging out a while longer-they love that and so do I!

I hope you all had a nice Christmas and a good New Year and that 2013 will be happy and prosperous for all of us!

Until next time,

A Pretty Pink Flapper Gal for Pink Saturday

I thought you might enjoy seeing one of my Ebay listings which happens to be SO very pretty and...PINK! She is from the 1920's and is a powder puff holder. She holds 6 powder puffs in her skirt. Isn't she just adorable? I may have mentioned that I love 1920's flapper boudoir items. Some of them are totally useful, some are totally useless, but most are somewhere in between. I think the thought of the day was that if something held still, you should embellish it! And boy, did they.

I am going to head out to the beach for a family vacation this week, so I must keep this post short and pack my swimsuit and book! When you read this on Pink Saturday, I will be either en route or enjoying the sand and surf. See you all when I get back (or before if I find something interesting...). Until then, pop on over to Bev's and check out the other Pink Saturday participants. It's never boring!

Until next time,

Time for a new collection spotlight...1920's Wedding Toppers

Its been a little while since the rhinestone clock collection post, so I thought today would be a nice time to share one of my sweeter collections with you. I started out just collecting any vintage wedding cake toppers that struck my fancy, however, with Ebay and all of the other online shopping possibilities out there, I could see that this could quickly become an overwhelmingly large collection. Not a problem if you only collect a couple of things...ahem, that would NOT be me though, so I had to reign myself in a bit. I decided that since my most favorite toppers seemed to be of the 1920-1930's era, I would limit myself to just those. I proceeded to sell the ones that didn't meet the criteria and then spread out my remaining little pretties so I could appreciate them fully. Then I put a couple of them under glass cloches which is a way I love to display all sorts of things. Not only does it put them in the spotlight, but it also keeps them from needing to be dusted!

I love the ones that still have their bases and flower arches, but I'm also partial to the little bisque "Kewpie" looking ones. Wedding toppers have become increasingly popular in the collecting circles and the prices have definitely gone up, up, up. Once in a while though, you can still find them at thrift stores or estate sales for a reasonable price. ($10 or less). One of the most striking toppers I've ever seen was offered on Ebay this last September. It featured a very well dressed 1920's couple and the bride's dress went up in the front as was the style back in the day. Even though many flapper brides wore that style of dress, the toppers depicting the dresses that way are very rare and this little treasure brought over $200, if memory serves. OUCH! Needless to say, that one is NOT in my collection, but boy I wish it were. Most of the more "normal" ones can be had well within the $20-50 range. Now these prices I'm spouting off are for the older, say pre-1940 toppers. If you like the toppers from the 1950's on forward, you can probably cut the above prices in half unless there is something particularly rare/unusual about it. I don't personally own any reference books on the subject, but I've just ordered a Schiffer collector book titled, "Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers" by Penny Henderson, so it should be interesting to see if she agrees with me! If you like reference books on collectibles, Schiffer has books on almost any item you can imagine. They are usually fairly well done and have lots of pictures on the subject of interest.

This little couple might just be my favorite. Look how cute they are hugging each other, cheek to cheek! The little girl reminds me of one of the little girls in my baby son's Kindergarten class. I hope you enjoyed this brief little visit into the sentimental and sweet.

Until next time,

A Plethora of Pretty Pink Ribbons

Okay, I admit it. I'm a "hoarder". Have been for years. I hoard vanity pieces from the 1920's, vintage fabric, old rhinestone and glass jewelry, broken antique china, unbroken antique china, shells, chandeliers and sconces, architectural salvage pieces, pretty old papers, silk ribbonwork, old tin cookie cutters, pottery, Victorian rose paintings, all manner of vintage bits and bobs, and ribbon...

I hoard LOTS and lots of ribbon. I have loved ribbon for years and have never quite managed to break that desire to accumulate it. Old, new, doesn't matter, as long as it's pretty. Being Pink Saturday, I thought I'd share a photo of a small amount of my stash that happened to be glorious and pink. Not anywhere near all of it and not even all of it that is pink, but you get the idea.


What do I do with all of that ribbon, you ask? Well, mostly...I look at it. Once in a great while, I make a silk ribbon flower with it or use it in some way, but for the most part, it is one of those collections that brings joy just by its being in proximity to me and I periodically pull it out and touch it and love it for what it is. Okay, now I'm even scaring MYSELF! But, if you share this affliction, known as "Acute Ribbonophilia", you probably totally get what I am talking about. You should know that there is no known cure for this malady, so just embrace it and deal with it as best you can.

Since it is Pink Saturday, I thought I should also share with you one of my favorite pieces of all time, the pink silk box which the ribbon is in. When you are done having a peek, stop by and visit our Pink Saturday host, Bev at How Sweet the Sound for more links to bloggers participating in Pink Saturday.

Until next time,