Crochet Tag Art: Free Printable

 

 

A gift for you . . .

 

 

Click on the text below to receive

Printable Vintage Crochet Photo Tags

 

 

Here's a sample of two of the tags. 

 I created them with photographs of

some of my vintage crocheted items.

 

 

Here's how I used the print-out:

One of the tags was collaged with other items

 into a vintage-like art board.

 

Vintage clip-on earrings adorn the ribbon hanger.

 

A sweet little bird watching o'er the nest.

 

Some buttons from the "French General" collection,

and buttons from my button stash.

 

I used the other three images to create art tags.

I'm planning on using them to decorate

simple brown gift bags or packages.

 

 

 

Have fun with these,

and please share your creative creations!

I'd love to see them.

 

Amy

One lady's trash . . .

. . . is another lady's treasure.

 

Maybe so; maybe not.

 

Come see what I've found.

 

Some nifty china and porcelain containers

for future wool pincushions that I like to make.

 

 

 

A small blue and white plate

 for my blue and white kitchen.

 

Pretty pink plate to use for a dessert plate stand

after I add the crystal candlestick to the bottom.

 

 

Really nice advertising piece.  The advertising information

is printed on the back of this small trinket dish.

I'll probably share the advertising side of this plate in a future

Friday's Find.

 

Vintage West Virginia Souvenir

The old stove holds a secret -- a pull out measuring tape.

 

 

Little vintage bottles.  One is a prescription bottle.

The taller tin holds this amber glass bottle.

A lovely piece of finished stitchery.  I'll either resell the nice piece

or make it into a pillow or wall hanging.

 

 

A nice older book 

 

 

A lovely old book of stories and illustrations

 in not-so-good condition.

 

The title page is missing from this collection. 

Someone had written inside the cover "1913",

 but I found a reference to the year 1920 in one of the stories.

 

I can still use the great graphics and illustrations.

 

Lovely German teacups.  The teacup in the front

includes a place to store your tea bag once your done steeping

the bag in the water.

 

What have you found recently?

 

Please share.  I'd love to know.

 

Amy

Ta-da! So excited!

I can't believe it! 

(If you know me, you won't believe it either.)

This week, I've been focused on creating a blog button.  For someone really hesitant about anything very "techie" this is a big accomplishment!  HTML coding scares me . . . really. (You must remember I love vintage . . . i.e., the typewriter!)

A blogging friend told me I needed to get a Photobucket account to get started.  I did just that.  Photobucket is a relatively easy-to-use photo-editing software that gives users access to the picture or graphic's HTML code.  Oh what fun!

Another blogger from BetweenNapsOnThePorch.net gives really easy to understand instructions on how to get a created image into a blog button.  She doesn't mention Photobucket, but bloggers will understand where to place the image's HTML code after reading her blog post.

Thank you, Amy and Susan

 

I've placed the button on my right sidebar.

 

If you are a blogger

who displays like-minded blogger buttons,

I'd be honored for you to post my button.

 

Blogging is such a fun adventure.

 What do you think?

 

Amy

Wheeling Decorating Company

I love finding the stories behind vintage items.  This past May, I was visiting a West Virginia museum and saw some china dishes displayed.  The museum tag stated that the dishes were from the Wheeling Decorating Company.  Hhmm?  I'd never heard of this West Virginia company.  As a West Virginia gal who loves china, I knew I needed to find out some more information.

 

 

When I needed another sugar bowl for our church's tea, I purchased from an Etsy seller an affordable Wheeling Decorating Co. piece.

 Here is one of many logo markings that Wheeling Decorating Co. used. 

 

 

The Company existed from 1900-1962.  They were a glass and china decorating company -- which means that they did not manufacture the glass or the china that has their logo.  WDC's purpose was to decorate the glass and china bought from other factories with etchings, painting, and gold enamel work.  The Company purchased "blanks" from about 300 different manufacturers including Fenton (WV), Tiffin (OH), and Heisey (OH).

 

Decorated glass from WDC is not marked.  Pieces that have been identified as WDC's work owe their possible identification to a lucky thrifter.  A local man happened to be walking by the then permanently closed WDC while workers were clearing the building.  As the man walked through the clean-up, he noticed a design book ready to be placed in the trash.  He saved the design book from the trash can, and later gave it to a West Virginia museum.  Only from this design book can any WDC pieces be verified today.  Collectors believe only about 1/3 of WDC's patterns have been identified since the design book only covers part of WDC's 69 year existence.

 

 

I happened upon this WDC compote bowl at my favorite thrift store.

It's in rather poor condition. 

This pattern was named "Fingered Swirls, Arrows, and Flowers" or "D-2a." It is one of a few confusing WDC patterns.  Several decorating companies used "versions" of this pattern.  A collector would need an identification guide for verification because the patterns are excruciatingly close. 

 

Many Etsy and Ebay sellers don't realize the enamel pattern is the clue to a glass piece 's maker or decorator.  Don't miss potential buyers.  If you are a seller, be sure to include a close-up of the enamel pattern.  You may not know the manufacturer or the decorator, but your buyer might!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My sugar bowl features the "Doves, Roses, and Daisies" (D-11) pattern.  I thought I had found some salt and pepper shakers that matched my sugar bowl.  After closer inspection, I noticed the shakers didn't have any doves in the enamel work.

 

 

So pretty, but not from the WDC.  My shakers are most likely from the Pickard China Company (Chicago).  This pattern is called "Rose and Daisy" which came after WDC's.  The shakers are so small they cannot carry the usual logo mark.



 

Here's another example of the "Rose and Daisy" pattern on this

extremely small plate with a Pickard logo on the back.

 

 

 

The interesting information I learned concerning the Wheeling Decorating Company came from a beautifully detailed guide called Wheeling Decorating Co.:  Identification & Value Guide by James L. Webster.  Webster used interviews with former WDC employees, the rescued design book, and available archived print resources to write this informative history. 

 

Collector Books Press, 2003

 



 

 

Here are a couple of Etsy sellers who currently have WDC

items for sale.  With their permission, I'm using their photo's and links.

 

It's a Gas Etsy Store

(A possible WDC piece,

but would ask seller for a close-up of the enamel pattern)

 

 

Green Creek Farm's Shop

 This gorgeous set is really stunning.

 

I wish I had more photographs to show you.  

The decorated china pictured in the guide book is absolutely wonderful.

 

I'm going to be watching for more

Wheeling Decorating Co. items.

 

Are you?

 

Amy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sew Sweet Upcycle

This summer I came across a rather odd shelf/rack at a thrift store for $1.00.  The rack looked oddly familiar to me, but I couldn't place where I had seen one previously.  I put it in my shopping cart and told myself if I couldn't figure out what I was going to do with it, I wouldn't take it home.

 

 

When my husband came up to me in the store, I asked him, "What do you think this is?"  He looked at it for two seconds and said, "It's a church tract rack."

    

"Oh, that's it!  You're right!"  Having a preacher as your husband does come in handy!  I knew I had seen a shelf like this, but couldn't place it outside of its usual home.  When he said, he'd like to use it at the church, I made a deal with him.  I had to finish my tract rack project in the next year, or he could have it.

 

Let's just say that deal was motivation to keep this project out of my garage storage area!  I told hubby that I thought the church really needed a more "modern" looking tract rack.

 

 

 

 

I first primed the wood board and then painted it out with a black enamel spray.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then decorated the metal strips with glitter and ribbon.

Can you ever have too much glitter?

Each "pocket" was then backed with decorative paper.

 

 

 

 

 

Then I filled each rack pocket with vintage smalls.

 

 

 

 

 Vintage Buttons

 

French General Scrapbooking Elements

 

 

More French General Scrapbooking Elements

 

 

 

old photographs, vintage buttons and notions, a mini composition book

 

This "Sew Sweet" upcycle now resides on my sewing table

where I can now regularly see some of the "vintage smalls"

that I adore.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today.

 

Amy