Yesterday's Trinkets

Most antiques you find for sale online are probably not what the seller claims. I knew this when I spotted this "Antique French" trinket box on eBay; I've seen another one in better shape for sale on Etsy (which the seller claims is one of a kind, no less.)

I can tell you that this is indeed an antique, but not as old as you may assume. It was likely mass produced in China or India, not handmade in France. From the slightly sloppy soldering work I'm going to guess China.

Another tipoff is the two gold ribbon roses on the top of the box, which are the mass-produced variety. True antique French ribbon roses are loosely woven to better resemble the real flower, and often have metallic golden centers surrounded by lighter tulle or organza layers.

Trinkets were probably never kept in this box; I unearthed two rusty straight pins from the interior. It was likely where a lady from the 40's or 50's kept her sewing notions. How do I know all this when I'm obviously not an antique expert?

My grandmother actually kept hers in a box just like this one, which vanished after she passed away. My mother gave away a lot of her things that were precious to me. Anyway, that's the real reason I bought this one -- not to invest in a questionable antique, but to remember her.

Comments

Better than Fried

I cut some chives from the kitchen garden to make garlic-chive baked fries for dinner. This is a great side dish for veggie burgers. Click here for the recipe from Taste of Home.com.

Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

In the Kitchen Garden

Our strawberries are taking over the kitchen garden, but I don't mind. This week I want to make some strawberry banana nice cream (a vegan version of ice cream) and maybe a chocolate cake with berries and cream for the topping. There's thyme in the garden now, too, which I'll dry and jar for cooking along with the chives and the oregano. Next we'll plant cucumbers, as I use a ton of those in our salads and for snacks.

Rayen

Search This Blog