Hey Bubba! Pass the Gravy!

"I come from a family where gravy 

is considered a beverage!"  ~ Erma Bombeck

 

 

Ok - so I am from Georgia - 

and yes we do eat a lot of gravy down here.

 

 

A true Southern woman always has at least one gravy boat,

and some of us have more!

You know you have to have one for formal dinners

and one for casual meals around the kitchen table.

When I got married, 

I received one in silver plate,

one that matched my china pattern 

and one out of Wilton pewter - that's my everyday!

 

 

(Ha - Like I make gravy on a weekly basis!)

 

 

If I do, 

its out of a jar 

and we certainly don't use a gravy boat! 

On one of my recent junking excursions,

I picked up an attached, silver plate gravy boat!

 

 

 

 

It made me smile and I stood there thinking, hmmm

would someone even buy one of these anymore?

 

 

Then I thought, it is so pretty, I'll take it home and 

use some silver polish and see what I can come up with!

I challenged myself to a 

"Gravy Boat Re-Purpose Challenge"!

Ready to smile?

 Hey, Why Not?  It's perfect to hold water 

and a place to hold your brush!

And speaking of water...what about floating

a flower or candle on the dinner table?

Add a splash of silver to your vanity 

& drop in some jewelry.

I thought this was a great way to serve nuts.

 A fun way to hold your utensils for buffet service. 

 A regal way to collect loose change!

 Dress up your Mints or Candy.

Buttons and Baubles, or Beads or craft items. 

Crafting or Office supplies, 

what a fun idea for your desk.

Rocks - no really!  I collect them, too!

Sea Shells - one of my faves!

 

 

Candle Scape anyone?

  Do you save your corks?  

Why not display them?

Can you think of any other ideas?

When you are out antiquing next time, 

think twice before you pass something up!

 

 

I bet you'll be able 

to come up with other ways to use it!

 

 

We need to give all those dust-collecting,

Gravy Boats out there a new job!

 

 

And isn't that what Re-Purposing is all about?

 

 

Blessings,

Martha

 

Baubles and Buttons

Don't you just LOVE the thrill of the hunt?

At the beginning of the day, 

there is just something spectacular about the anticipation of what treasures you may find!

I pretty much collect anything and everything 

and have a hard time deciding

what to keep and what to sell in my booths!

Vintage BUTTONS are one of my passions!

Don't mind the baby doll hand....LOL!

Not only do I collect buttons for my authentic, vintage pillows...

but I just love looking at them, they just make me smile!

I have little jars and vases and boxes in my 
craft room that I picked up over time.

They are hard to find and when you do....they are expensive!

So...when I ran across a large stash of them 

at a flea market last weekend...

my heart began to pitter patter,

I got a little light headed.....

I asked the gentleman how much would he charge me 

if I just bought all of it.....

waiting...waiting...waiting...

Didn't know if he would say $100...$50....

He said...are you paying attention?   

$10.00!!!!! 

Of course, I about fainted 
and couldn't get them packed up fast enough!

This old glove box was packed with buttons on the original cards!

 I dumped it out on my kitchen table 
and here is what I found:

I even like the old glove box!

A Cornucopia of Buttons!

Love, Love, Love the funky yellow ones....

All the pinks and grays...

White grapes?  Too Funny!  See the bejeweled one on the right...only found one of these!

Snazzy!

Can you see the dainty clear ones on a little girl's dress or collar?

Can you believe it?  But that's not all...

the glove box was inside another bigger box:

I just wanted to clap my hands!

Oooooo....Ahhhhhhh...I'm still giddy!

Inside the box was a blue basket, 
filled with more buttons and baubles and

little boxes and medicine bottles 
and a peanut jar...
filled with precious tiny gifts!

Every once in a while I hit the jack pot!!

This was one of my all time favorites!

If you want to find out more information on
Vintage and Antique buttons,
I found a great article at

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/sewing/buttons


Be careful, you can get addicted!

If you find joy in the simple things, 

your life will be full of happiness!

Live Authentically!

Be Real,

Martha

Sharing an Article on the History of the American Feed Sack!

Sharing this article by Kris Driessen  from 

http://www.quilthistory.com/feedsacks.htm

Feedsacks!

This is an informational page only.

by Kris Driessen

The feedsack story starts in the early 1800's, when goods such as food staples, grain, seed, and animal feed were packed for transportation and storage in tins, boxes, and wooden barrels. This was not an ideal method of storage as tin would rust and the hand made boxes and barrels leaked and were damaged easily. They were bulky, heavy and difficult to transport. Manufacturers were anxious to find another method, but didn’t consider the cloth bags of homespun linen (which was then considered a junk fabric) used by the farmer to store goods for use in the home because the hand sewn seams wouldn’t hold up in heavy use. This changed in 1846 with the invention of the "stitching machine," which made it possible to sew double locking seams strong enough to hold the contents of a bag.
Feedbacks were initially made of heavy canvas, and were used to obtain flour, sugar, meal, grain, salt and feed from the mills. They were reusable, with the farmer bringing an empty sack stamped with his mark or brand to the mill to be filled. This changed when the North East mills began weaving inexpensive cotton fabric in the late 1800's. Feedsacks (or feedbags) were initially printed on plain white cloth and in sizes that corresponded to barrel sizes. For example, a one barrel bag held 196 pounds of flour. A 1/8 barrel bag only held 24 pounds. The brand name of the flour was simply printed on the side of the bag.

The thrifty farm wife quickly discovered that this cotton bag was a great source of utilitarian fabric to be used for dish cloths, diapers, nightgowns and other household uses. Manufacturers decided to take advantage of this and started offering sacks in various prints and solid colors as a marketing ploy to create loyalty. It would take three identical sacks to make a dress, for example, and the farmer just might be induced to buy more that way.
It was not hard for the farmer to purchase his goods in feedsacks. The flour industry consumed the largest share of the feedsack market with more than 42 percent. Sugar was next with 17 percent followed by feed, seeds, rice, and fertilizer. These feedsacks came in different sizes, and the quality of the cloth varied with the item it carried. Sugar sacks, for example, were much finer in weave. By 1914, sacks came in 10, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 pound sizes, although these sizes varied by manufacturer. President Roosevelt standardized sizes in 1937. A 50 pound feedsack measured 34 x 38 inches. A 100 pound sack measured 39 x 46.

Cheater grandmother's flower garden quilt , plus a feedsack in the same print and coloring but a more coarse weave.  Click on the picture thumbnail to see this up close.

Magazines and pattern companies began to take notice of feedsack popularity and published patterns to take advantage of the feedsack prints. Matching fabric and even matching wrapping paper was available, too. (Above)  Directions were given for using the strings from feedsacks in knitting and crocheting. A 1942 estimate showed that three million women and children of all income levels were wearing print feedbag garments.
Feedsacks were used to make:

• Clothes
• Toys
• Underwear 
• Pillowcases 
• Diapers 
• Laundry bags 
• Curtains 
• Table cloths 
• Towels, dish cloths  

Gone with the wind feedsack.  Click on the thumbnail to see it up close

Manufacturers began to compete with each other to provide attractive, useful bags. Some bags came ready for sewing with pre printed patterns for dolls or aprons. Others were specifically printed for pillow cases or curtains. Some sacks were printed as a series such as the 1935 Sea Island sugar doll series.
Many sacks had themes. Some of the more collectible sacks now are those with Walt Disney themes (Davy Crockett, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Goofy), movie themes (Gone with the wind, above), Comic book themes (Buck Rogers) or nursery rhyme themes (BoPeep, Humpty Dumpty)
By1941 there were 31 textile mills that manufactured bag goods. Bemis Brothers (TN), Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills and Cottons Mills of Atlanta had their own textile mills. Percy Kent of Buffalo NY made the famous WWII feedsacks known as Kent’s Cloth of the United Nations which featured wartime symbols.  (Below)

WWII feedsack.  Click on the thumbnail to see it up close.

After WWII, technological innovations provided more sanitary and effective packaging made of heavy paper and plastic containers. It was cost effective, too. A cotton bag cost 32 cents to make, as opposed to 10 cents for the paper bag. By 1948 this new industry cornered more than half of the bag market and the cloth bag fell out of use. But not entirely! Some Amish and Mennonite communities demand, and receive, their goods in feedsacks. 
The pictures on this page are examples of feedsacks.  They are not for sale.
 Feedsacks were once used to make laundry bags. Doing your laundry has come much further since then and we have many tools at our disposal such as a clothesline and a washboard. There are also many resources available that teach us how to clean our clothes.

Dr. Seuss - "Martha" Style!

God Bless my new business,

may it flourish and thrive,

give me the ability

in which to strive...

 For authentic old items

and fun funky junk,

keeping all sorts of treasures

stuffed in my trunk.

May bringing life to old pieces

and renewing their past,

bring joy to their owners

that will continue to last.

These special pieces,

from days gone by,

have so much to offer.

It isn’t a lie.

No reproductions,
no copy cat litter,
nothing so new,
needing a baby sitter!

No tacky cheap stuff

no cardboard or plastics

just quality items that are

AUTHENTICA CLASSICS!

Be the REAL you,

live an AUTHENTIC Life,

 find time to be grateful,

help others in strife.

Be mindful of each moment

and each given day,

God has plans for us all,

and will show us the way.

May those who read this,

be blessed beyond measure.

May you find joy in your life

and wonderful treasures!

Martha Passman

Authentica Classics

Repurposed, Refurbished and Items Resold

Grain Sack Pillows and More To Behold!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

- Dr. Seuss