TOP SECRET: A SMIDGEN OF ADVICE (Tip No. 1)

NEW WAVE OF INFO COMING AT YOU...

I have decided to start posting tips about random, but useful information that I come across during my day to day research and exploration of the antique and vintage collectibles gig. So far my main focus on this blog has been on glassware, in particularly Depression Glass, but that is not my sole interest or the only topic I plan on covering here. So to kick off my "TOP SECRET: A SMIDGEN OF ADVICE" collection I will start with cast iron.

TOP SECRET: A SMIDGEN OF ADVICE ON CAST IRON COOKWARE...

Cast Iron is an excellent oven and stove-top cooking material. And starting a collection of cast iron cookware can be fairly inexpensive if you know where to look, what to look for, and what to do with that mess once you have found it.

Lodge Cast Iron Chicken Skillet Prior to Cleaning & Seasoning

Honestly, you can get online and go shopping at one of the many auction sites or antique/vintage collectibles sites, such as Quirks By Annie, and occasionally you'll find fantastic deals. But quite often, what you'll find is these sites have already taken the steps to properly clean and season their cast iron prior to listing it for sale. To many of these sellers it does not matter whether the piece is highly desirable or rare, they feel that they can charge outrageous prices, just because they are 'in the know'. Well isn't it time that you were 'in the know'?

Have You Got That RUNNING IN CIRCLES Feeling?

Truly, I amaze myself sometimes! Not always in a good way. I am one of the most easily side-tracked people that I know. I have started and stopped this post about a dozen times, not just the blog aspect of it, but the addition of the information to my website. I have also promised about 1/4 of a dozen times that I am about to launch a new GIVEAWAY, but alas...I have not. The one thing that I can say with absolute delight and conviction about myself is that I AM TOTALLY UNPREDICTABLE. So love me for what I am or bug off (no, please don't bug off, but you get the general vibe.)!!!! Thanks, as always and forever, my faithful readers.

Circle

Manufactured by:  Hocking Glass Company

Years Manufactured: 1930's

Category of Glass: Depression Glass

Colors: Crystal, Green, Pink

Circle-Crystal Tall Sherbet

Circle-Green Low Sherbet

There were approximately 23 pieces made in the Circle pattern. 5 of the pieces are bowls, 4 are plates, and there are 4 tumblers. Bowls are apparently extremely difficult to find in complete sets, therefore this rarity has driven the prices up on bowls considerably. Other than the potentially high cost of the bowls, Circle in considered to be a fairly inexpensive pattern to collect, but not always easily found. There were very few pieces made in this pattern, so there aren't as many survivors as there are in other patterns. Pink was produced in a limited number, so it is mostly found in luncheon sets, and even the, very infrequently. Crystal is found only in stems or stems with green. Green is the color most  readily found, however, there are definite variances in the shades of the green pieces which can make it difficult to create a uniform set, but the difference aren't great enough to detract from a collection of green Circle, to me and many other collectors and experts this just adds to the interest and desirability of the pattern.

Circle-Green Bread & Butter Plate

Great New Treasury on Etsy...Completely Raggedy

Raggedy Ann ♥ More Than Just A Rag Doll

1928 Raggedy Ann 'Magical Wishes'

This is a fun Treasury that I just curated on Etsy. I don't have an item featured in it, I just created it because I love Raggedy Ann and have for as long as I can remember. Please take a look around at the handmade and vintage wonders included here. Thanks for taking the time to look and share with your friends and contacts, you all are wonderful! xoxo

Glass In The Raw - The Ancient Origins of Glass

Man-made glass has an exceptionally long timeline. Researching this subject has fueled my affection for glassware much more than I would have imagined. In all honestly, I kind of drug my feet about getting the official research underway for fear that once I started I would find it so humdrum that I would soon lose interest and not be able to complete the task. I needed to get the lowdown on glass so that I could understand and therefore explain its place in history.

Of course, natural glass, such as obsidian (pictured to left) which is formed as a result of a volcanic eruption, has been in use since the Stone Ages. Stone-Age man used this glass for the production of knives, arrowheads (pictured to right), jewelry, and money. Glass was first made in the ancient world, but very little is known about the methods initially used. Amulets and solid glass beads are thought to have been made in Egypt and Eastern Mesopotamia as early as 3500BC.

The oldest fragments of glass vases were found in Mesopotamia and date back to about 1500BC. These fragments are evidence of the origin of hollow glass production. Hollow glass fabrication was also beginning to blossom in Egypt, China and a few other regions, during this period. Glass production increased quickly over the next 300 years and then began to decline. It was revived again in Mesopotamia approximately 700BC and in Egypt sometime during the 500's BC.

Over the next 500 years Egypt, Syria, and other countries along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea became the center of glass production, primarily in Alexandria. It was from there that it is thought to have spread to Italy. The first glassmaking 'instruction manual' dates back to approximately 650BC. Instructions on how to make glass are contained in tablets from the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (669-626 BC). Truly amazing when you really sit there and think about how long ago that was and what has taken place during the course of history since that time.

At the beginning of the surge of glass production the process was a slow and difficult one. The glass melting furnaces were small and the heat produced was barely enough to melt the glass. It wasn't until sometime between 27BC to 14AD that Syrian craftsman from the Sidon-Babylon area, invented the blow pipe. This was a major breakthrough for the glass making industry. The long thin metal tube used in the blowing process has changed very little since then. In the last century BC, the ancient Romans then began blowing glass inside molds, majorly increasing the variety of shapes possible for hollow glass items.

From 25 to 400AD there was rapid development and growth of glass melting, working and forming technology in the Mediterranean region during the Roman Era. Production flourished and quickly spread from Italy to all countries under Roman rule. In 100AD glass cost rapidly declined and for the first time became available to ordinary citizens, something that would happen again during the 19^th Century with the advancements in technology.

GOOD DAY GONE BAD and Then Some

GOOD DAY vs. BAD DAY...
(I began writing this post 2 weeks ago.)

How does this happen? Woke up in a decent mood, not'overly wiped-out from the get go (like most mornings); all the kids got off to school; baby slept in until like 8:20ish; husband stayed out of my way until 9ish; AND woke up to a couple of sales. Then everything took a flying leap to the dark side. The first unpleasant maneuver was comprised of picking up my 15 year old son to rescue him from yet another 'school incident'. This one caused by some ridiculous English Honors teacher decided it was ok to give him crap in front of the entire class, a class he has a 96 average in. This of course was during the credits of one of the daily movies that she shows them in lieu of teaching them. Seriously, did you not realize that 'The Other Guys' was a literary film or that Leo Dicaprio's performance surpassed any performer that William Shakespeare could have chosen for Romeo & Juliet. WTHeck???? I'm living a nightmare here. I'm guessing this over-reaction is an extension of feeling like a fish out of water, living in The South instead of Southern California. I don't hate the South, it isn't the location's fault that I don't fit in, but no matter what I've tried...I DO NOT FIT IN!!!

A LITTLE TRIP...
So, as noted above, I began writing this post a couple of weeks ago. And, as things sometimes do, circumstances changed. At first they changed from bad to BAD then to REALLY BAD. Ended up deciding that the best scenario for all involved was a long overdue trip to the doctor to get my meds reevaluated. This is not something quirky folks like me like doing. Tends to be a bit tense, but then I realize that it honestly was for the best and now things are all back on track. Of course this process took me off the radar for about 5 days, therefore created a backlog of work (thankfully my husband/partner was there to pick up the slack while I was absent), but with my new and improved attitude, all went well. I got through most of the backlog and am even branching out, getting some great new things going for Quirks By Annie.

THE WRAP UP...
So, I just wanted to bring you all up to date. Let you know what the haps were and why I have been lagging a bit about getting new articles posted and getting additional information linked to the website, quirksbyannie.com. Thanks so much for reading, following, or just scanning. It helps make my day!!! ♥

In the meantime, PLEASE...


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A Post I Wanted To Share...

This blog post was written by my daughter, Natalie Elizabeth. The subject...Adoption and Me!!! It was so touching for me to read that I just felt I had to share with you. xoxo

Natalie and Me (Age 18ish) - Did This Cause
So Many People Were Saying How Much
We Look Alike...Guess They Are Right! :)

And here is the post...


A little bit about me :): Adopted.: "Being adopted never bothered me. I wasn't the kid that found out when they turned 18 and forever hated their parents for it. I have known f..."