Blog Archives

Jar Re-purposing Project

6/25/2014

At the swap meet last Saturday, we bought four cute glass jars with wood tops from a swap meet vendor.

Each of the lids had a chicken sticker on it.

We decided the jars would make fun display items for the counter, so we pulled off the stickers and replaced them with our own. :)

First, we used our favorite photo editing site, Picmonkey, and designed a new "sticker" for the jar tops, based on what we were going to put inside-in this case; marbles, jars of honey, Zotz candy, and A&W Root Beer Jelly Bellys.

After we printed off the new "stickers", we took 1/2 Elmer's glue and 1/2 water and mixed up a "Modpodge" type glue.

Next we made sure the labels were going to be the right size for the lids...

Then it was time to paint a thin layer of our glue on the backside of the paper and press it down on the wooden lid.

We could have left it just like that, but we decided since the jars already had a "vintage" feel to them, that we would paint a thin layer of glue on over the top too. This smears the ink a little and gives it an aged look.

We wiped the glue off around the edges so we weren't left with a dried crust on the wood. :)

Once they were all dry and filled with the goodies, we were finished!

Voila! Vintage inspired jars with an old fashioned candy store look! :)

Stop by and tell us what you think! :)

-The GA Gang

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All About : Celadon &“A Single Shard”

6/25/2014

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My introduction to this type of pottery was from a children’s book,
“A Single Shard”.

It was written by Linda Sue Park and won the 2002 Newbery Medal. It is a story of an orphan and his dream to become a potter, set in the 12th century Korea.

In the story, the pottery made by the master potter was “Celadon”. The shard mentioned in the title is a shard of Celadon.

I began to wonder “What does it look like"?

That’s what got me started on this blog post. :)

Not being very familiar with the term “shard”, I decided to look up the definition; “a piece of broken pottery, especially one found in an archaeological dig; a pot shred, a fragment of a brittle substance, as of glass or metal, or a small piece or part.”

Celadon is usually a pale green with a hint of blue, a glossy appearance and smooth texture. It can be any shade of that color from a very pale yellow-green or gray green to deepest jade-green color. It has a subtle beauty and elegant simplicity.

Molded(Incised) Celadon

Plain Celadon

Inlaid Celadon

Celadon glazing was perfected during the Koryo dynasty of Korea which dates from 918 to 1392 AD. There are three design types; inlaid, incised(or molded), and plain(called Mu-ju). Celadon in Korean means “green”. It is referred to as “cheong-ja” in Korean. There is also a brown Celadon which is called “bun-cheong” or brown porcelain, as well as white.

These Celadon items are for sale in Grandma's Attic

Celadon is beautiful pottery but the book A Single Shard made it mean so much more to me than just a piece of pottery from Korea. A Single Shard is a very moving story, it will bring Korean Celadon alive for you. Come on in and see these beautiful pieces of pottery and visit your local library to check out A Single Shard, then let me know what you think of it! :)

-The GA Gang

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Dabbs Greer Update

6/18/2014

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We are getting closer to the goal of placing a memorial bench at Dabb's gravesite, but we're not there yet...

BORN: Robert William Greer Known as: Paul Edgecomb, Dabbs, Reverend Alden, Jonas, Billy Bob, and hundreds more names.

Pictures of Dabbs Greer from around the internet

Help us fund the memorial bench in honor of Dabbs Greer. Contact us at Grandmasattic493@Yahoo.com, 417-845-8000, or send us a message on our website or Facebook page, we'd love to hear from you.

We have a bank account set up for direct transfers, contact us for more information.

Thanks for all your help in getting us closer to making this a reality!

-The GA Gang

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All About Antique"Cup Plates"

6/18/2014

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History teaches about the Boston Tea Party on December 1, 1773.

Tea is an important part of our history.

Awhile back, a vendor brought me some little plates and explained that they are “cup plates.” Cup plates are like coasters for tea cups; they were introduced to the tea society around the 1700’s in England and in the United States during the first half of the 19th century.

Photo credit: Harrogate Museums & Arts

Tea was originally consumed from “tea bowls.” In the 1700’s saucers were placed with the tea bowls. The tea was too hot to drink therefore was poured into the saucer to cool before consumption. Tea cups, at that time, had no handles. In order to drink the tea from the saucer two hands were needed, which made it necessary to put the cups down. The saucers were used to protect furniture from marks left by the tea cups.

Authentic Antique Cup Plate

Reproduction Cup Plate

In the 1750’s teacups with handles were introduced. It took a while to get used to cups with handles and saucers, but it eventually spread, and at that time cup plates were no longer necessary.

The vendor had authentic cup plates, as well as some commemorative cup plates-seven plates altogether. They are all between 3 ¼ and 3 ½ inches in diameter. They are clear glass and have decorative designs.

Authentic Antique Cup Plate

Reproduction Cup Plate

This is another good example of how to use your five senses when attempting to identify “the real thing.”

The vendor explained how to authenticate these cup plates;

Hold the plate between your thumb and forefinger then…

thump the end.

If it is authentic it will make a clear “ping” sound.
If it is not authentic it will make a “plunk” sound.

The weight of the commemorative plates is also heavier than the real ones.

The old cup plates are true antiques if you can find them. And now you will know how to tell if you have the real deal. They cost about $3.50 each.

Now, get on out there and hunt up some cup plates! :)

-The GA Gang

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The "Perfect" Pineapple Tablecloth

6/11/2014

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It was about 1985 when my mother decided to make this pineapple pattern tablecloth. The cost of yarn was on the rise. I remember her saying “This will cost me about $100.00.” The 18 balls of J & P Coats yarn cost approx. $3.95 each for 250 yards of yarn. Then add the cost of a size 7 crochet needle. Yep, that works out about right.

I went into Youth with a Mission (YWAM) for the DTS training (Discipleship Training Service) which took six months. It was after I returned and moved to Tulsa, OK for a couple of months, that I remember seeing the almost completed tablecloth. I found out she had ended up purchasing one extra ball of yarn, taking it over the price she had intended to pay for this project. My mother was a person who “counted the cost.” I was around for the completion of the project.

I remember the conversation about why that last pineapple would not be completed, she was not going to pay $4.00 more for another ball of yarn when she would have over half left at the end of the project! She knew then that she would NOT be doing another project with this yarn size. This pattern is labeled “for advanced crochet skills”…

My mother’s passion was quilting. ;)

  HISTORY:

     Little is known of crochet's early history. It seems likely that the earliest crochet was made using fingers, rather than the hooks used today. There are theories that crochet could have existed as early as 1500 BC, as part of a nun's work, which included needlepoint lace and bobbin lace.
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/85872

      The word crochet is derived from the French word 'croche', meaning hook. Crocheting, like knitting, consists of pulling loops of material through other loops, but additionally incorporates wrapping the working material around the hook one or more times. Crochet differs from knitting in that only one stitch is active at one time. Crochet has its own system of symbols to represent stitch types.

This crocheted pineapple pattern tablecloth is a part of my inheritance, just as it is, in its unfinished state, which makes it all the more special to me, since I know why it is unfinished. :) With my mother being the breadwinner and five children in the family, I know how tight finances were.

We seem to always want everything to be perfect, but sometimes, the best “memory items” are the ones we remember,

because of their imperfections. :)

-The GA Gang

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First Goal Reached!!!

6/6/2014

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The first part of the "Billy Bob Memorial Fund" is now fully funded!

Thank you to everyone who has contributed, financially as well as with stories and information about Mr. Greer's life! :)

-The GA Gang

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It's a table, it's a bed, it's a "Ta-bed"!

6/4/2014

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One morning I received a phone call of a person wanting to sell a "Ta-bed". At first I thought I misunderstood what they were saying. They repeated themselves and said it was a table with a bed in it. I had never heard of such a thing.! Negotiations were made and we went to pick up the table, no. Bed, nope. Ta-bed!

At first glance, it looks like a regular, rectangular table.

Then, the seller showed me how the table unfolded into a bed…Ta-dah!
A Ta-bed.

Through research, I have found that it is a “Ta-bed of Chicago”. The Ta-bed is a modern dining table with a flip up top that becomes the headboard while the apron leaves and legs extend to form a single bed. It was designed for the cramped accommodations of the period to save space and money.

This 1916 advertisement shows this interesting piece of furniture. It is considered novelty furniture (often labeled “missions” furniture), from the Depression Era. The “Ta-bed” was made during the 1920’s and 30’s by the United Table Bed Co. of Chicago.

Fred Taylor, an Antique detective says

“it touted the phrase;

'it saves space, saves rent,
perfectly combines in one piece of furniture
the functions ordinarily performed by two.’”

We have this unique piece of furniture for sale here at Grandma’s Attic. I found a similar piece online for $825.00, although the antique detectives say that it usually sells for between $200.00 and $300.00 dollars.

If you have more information on the “Ta-bed”, other furniture made by United Table Bed Co., or general information on the company itself, we would love to see pictures or hear your comments!

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Jar Re-purposing Project

﻿-The GA Gang﻿﻿

All About : Celadon &“A Single Shard”

﻿-The GA Gang﻿

Dabbs Greer Update

We are getting closer to the goal of placing a memorial bench at Dabb's gravesite, but we're not there yet...

-The GA Gang

All About Antique"Cup Plates"

-The GA Gang

The "Perfect" Pineapple Tablecloth

-The GA Gang

First Goal Reached!!!

-The GA Gang

It's a table, it's a bed, it's a "Ta-bed"!

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