We have just received our shipment of Polish boxes. After spending the last couple of days inventoring and photographing them they are finally on our website. Check them out under the Polish Boxes Tab!
Polish boxes have arrived!
September 3rd, 2010Polish Boxes
September 3rd, 2010
Decorated Polish boxes that Odds & Ends Enterprises carry are handcrafted from seasoned Linden wood in a village high in the Tatra region of the Carpathian Mountains of Southern Poland. Skilled artisans, decendents of Tatra shepherds and farmers called goral (highlanders) are recognized as the best in their profession. These master craftsmen proudly apply centries old traditions of handcraftsmanship to each Polish box, creating admirationj for the quality and design of their work.
The use of feathered joints, raised interior lining and recessed hinges in the construction of each box insures its lasting as a family heirloom. Polish boxes are decorated with one or more of the following techniques: hand carving, brass inlay, image burning and staining.
Gearing up for the next Shows
September 1st, 2010September has just started and we are bustling about packing merchandise and reorganizing the truck in preperation for heading to Spokane, WA the end of the month. The Denver Gift Show seemed down from past years with less vendors and even less buyers. We did place an order for some Fenton USA, glassware that is being made at the factory in West Virginia. We still have a few pieces of Fenton INternational, glassware which is being designed at the USA factory, but which is being made in China. We’ve kept a couple of pieces of the Fenton International in our collection as an example of the work the Fenton factory is have done overseas. We have also requested our Russian importer get us some icons. They will be new as the older icons are no longer allowed out of the country. We are also hoping to get some Polish decorative boxes on the website in the next few days. They would be great gift ideas for the upcoming holidays.
Navajo Sandpaintings
August 25th, 2010We’ve just added a line of Navajo Sandpaintings to our website. We have been carrying a few of them for quite awhile, but decided to start getting more of them online. Check them out !
Russian Lacquer Brooches
August 22nd, 2010The first brooches and boxes with lacquer miniatures were brought into Russia in the 18th century from Western Europe. At the same time the first private workshops were opened in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the late 18th century a Russian merchant, P.V. Lukutin built his worldwide known factory in the village of Fedoskino not far from Moscow. Though the Fedoskino painters worked in Western Europe art techniques, they used the scenes of Russian everyday life for their miniatures. Fedoskino brooches with compositions of flowers were especially popular among Russian women. The miniatures with pictures of Russian landscapes and finely made portraits were also widely known. The Fedoskino brooches are painted in oils on paper-mache or mother-of-pearl. Since late 19th and early 20th century the production of original lacquer brooches of genuine Russian style were organized in widely known places of icon-painting, such as the Russian villages of Palekh, Mstera,and Kholuy. The local painters used old secrets for new art. Their wares are remarkable for their fine-drawn and very difficult painting and can be very expensive. The artists of Paleka, Mstera and Kholuy use old formulas of paints which were employed for icon-painting. The beautiful “double brush” art technique is used for Zhostovo brooches. Zhostovo flowers are famous all over Russia. Today some Moscow painters are trying to revive the art of lacquer miniatures. Their works are based on some of the best examples of old Russian art which are exhibited in the museums of Moscow and in the Russian Orthodox Church.
Eskimo Artifacts
August 3rd, 2010While ivory carvings made fromwalrus tusks or whale teeth have been the most emphasized articles of Eskimo at, basketry and wood-working are other areas in which these Alaskan Indians excel. Their designs are done through the application of simple yet very dramatic lines and almost stark decorative devises. Though not collected to the extent of American Indian art, the exquisite craftmanship of these northern tribes is beginning to attract serious attention of today’s collector.
Electric Appliances
August 3rd, 2010Antique electrical appliances represent a diverse field and are always being sought after by collectors and decorators. There were over one hundred different companies manufacturing electrical appliances in the first half of the twentieth century. ; some were making over ten different models under several different names at any given time in all fields: coffeepots, toasters, waffle irons, etc., while other were making only one or two models for extended periods of time. Today collectors and decorators alike are seeking antique electrical appliances to add to their collection or to use as accent pieces in a period kitchen. When purchasing any older electrical appliance be sure to ckerck the cord before using and make sure the appliance iis in good condition.
Boehm Sculptures
August 2nd, 2010Boehm sculptures were the creation ofEdward Marshall Boehm, a ceramic artist who coupled his love of the art with his love of nature to produce figurines of birds, animals and flowers in beautiful background settings accurate to the smallest detail. Boehm’s first pieces were made in the early 1950′s in Trenton, New Jersey, under the name of “Osso Ceramics”. Sculptures of historiical figures were also created. These early pieces are very collectable today. ”Osso Ceramics” in upper case lettering was the mark used in 1951 and 1952. Edward Boehm died in 1969 anf the firm, still in business is managed by his wife. Today known as Edward M. Boehm Inc., this private family-held corporation not only produces not only procelain sculptures but also collector plates as well. Both limited and non-limited editions of their work have been issued. Pieces are marked with various backstamps all of which incorporate the Boehm name since 1951.
Buggy Step
August 2nd, 2010The recent increased interest in western collectibles has stimulated a renewed awareness and interest in all horse-drawn memorabilia. One such item is the buggy step. This devise allowed the passenger to enter or exit the buggy without the drivers assistance. The steps could be hinged, pivoted, adjustable, folding, or spring loaded. The elaborate handwork of the blacksmiths who created the buggy step was equal to that of the finest wheel-wrights, carpenters, and leather workersin the manufactiure of early wheeled vehicicles (1865 – 1910).
Calling Cards, Cases, and Receivers
August 2nd, 2010The practice of announcing one’s arrival with a calling card borne by the maid or household servant to the mistress of the house was a social grace of the Victorian era. Different messages (condolences, a personal visit, or a good-by) were related to the lady of the house by turning down one corner or another. Fashionable ladies and gentlemen carried their personally engraved cards in elaborate cases made of materials such as embossed silver, mother-of-pearl with intricate inlay, tortoise shell, ands ivory. Exquisite card receivers held the cards left by visitors who called while the mistress of the house was out or “not receiving”. The custom of leaving and receiving calling cards was sadly forgotten by World War I.