America’s Catalog (1888-2010) By Ian Moody The Sears catalog – once a four-pound, 1,400 page colossus featuring a staggering 100,000 items – has been tossed into the dustbin of history, but is still appreciated today by collectors. More than a…
Get Rid of Those Nasty Wrinkles By Jessica Kosinski Have you ever had a pressing issue to attend to? Most of us have. It’s called ironing. It is a household chore some people dread, but others seem to find it…
By Judy Gonyeau It is hard to shop anywhere that does not have some form of a rewards program in place. Even in the earliest times, shopkeepers looked for ways to keep buyers coming back for more. The “Bakers Dozen”…
by Jessica Kosinski Today, we are all familiar with home parties such as The Pampered Chef, Touchstone Crystal, Jafra, PartyLite, and more. But who can forget those great vintage home parties like Tupperware, Mary Kay, and Stan Home that brought…
For the Love of Cooking Sue Jimenez, a retired forensic anthropologist who grew up in Toronto but has called Albuquerque, New Mexico home for the last 25 years, holds the Guinness Record for the world’s largest cookbook collection, with over…
The World of Washday Collectibles by Donald-Brian Johnson Some folks collect teacups. Or thimbles. Maybe even swizzle sticks. Tiny treasures that are compact, easy to display, and even easier to store. Other folks collect washing machines. And dryers. And washer-dryers.…
The Price of Art and its Journey By Pontus Silfverstolpe When I was a child, I was told it was ugly to speak about money. Especially, as I understood much later, in the cultural world. But for those who yet…
The Happy Homemaker by Maxine Carter-Lome The term “Happy Homemaker” is a 1950s throwback to a time when housewives took their role and job as wife and mother seriously and, at least publicly, with a smile on their face. In…
Exploring Antique Technologies By Kary Pardy You close your eyes, give the globe a hard spin, and jab your finger at it. Wherever your finger lands is your future homeland, your next vacation destination, or the country that you’ll write…
Thomas Jefferson’s Books By Maxine Carter-Lome “I cannot live without books.” – Thomas Jefferson in a letter to John Adams, June 10, 1815 Throughout his life, reading and acquiring books were vital to Thomas Jefferson’s education and well-being. He relied…
