COLLECTION #57: Mexicana!

I love my Mexicana collection.... those fun, vintage south of the border items that were oh-so-popular in the 1940s. Somewhat kitschy, and possibly politically incorrect, they are fun, colorful, and evocative of an era when anything from Mexico or other Latin American countries was particularly exotic and romantic.

It's hard to showcase this collection with just a few photos, there are items I have that will probably have to carry over into another category or two of collecting,  (like my Mexican linen collection).

 
I love the fun Sombrero Man & Woman book ends. What sets these apart is that their hats are hinged, and there is a deep hole for storing I'm not sure what? Matches? Cigarettes? Coins? Contraband?  I picked them up for a couple of bucks at a yard sale when we lived in Western New York. I guess these items aren't as popular on the East Coast as they are on the West.

The dolls are cute too, my favorite is the chubby man doll with his little moustache and baby face. Of course, the imagery is totally stereotypical. The sleeping Mexican man with the big sombrero, the donkey, the oxcart, the lovely Mexican lady with her clicking castanets. (Were castanets even from Mexico? I'd better study my Mexican culture!)


This little guidbook on the left is from the California Pacific International Exhibition that was held in San Diego in 1935 .  It was held in the lovely Balboa Park, and many of the gorgeous museum and exhibition buildings are still there.

 I hope you enjoy my little Mexicana collection as much as I do!

THE WEEKEND COLLECTOR: Cowboy Boots

Collector, expert and author Jennifer June has a lovely website called, appropriately, Cowboy Boots. She's an expert on the fine art of bootmaking, styles, and history, particularly the past 70 years or so. Jennifer discovered the beauty of cowboy boots accidentally,  in the late '90s when she picked up a pair of boy's boots at a vintage clothing store, and fell in love. Her interest in the boots took her into the world of bootmaking, and she became interested in the history and artisans who made the boots, and in the designs and particulars of each style and function. She has written a book called: Cowboy Boots: The Art & Soul.  Her book explores the whole culture around the cowboy boot, as well as past and present trends, designs, and designers and bootmakers.

COLLECTION #56: Vintage School Penmanship Books

Do they even do this any more in elementary school? I've heard that cursive writing has gone the way of the dinosaur. Modern children learn to print, but rarely do schools teach the fundamentals of writing in script. I'm sure that's a relief to a lot of children with poor handwriting skills, but it's a shame from a cultural standpoint.  No longer will people have strongly identifiable handwriting. (I love reading my parents and grandparents' writing: letters, postcards and the like. My sisters both have lovely handwriting, distinctive and individual. Lynne's is formal and beautiful, Leslie's is casual and artistic) Can one even tell one printing style from the next? I'm sure there are good reasons to eliminate handwriting (or 'penmanship') from the school curriculum, but I can't think of any. I know computers and spell check have taken the place of handwriting and spelling, but somehow, it's a sad day when the art of the pen is on the verge of being lost forever. And how, pray tell, will the young people who today are not learning handwriting, going to read handwriting in the future? The researchers of tomorrow might have problems reading Abraham Lincoln's writing, George Washington's letters, Great Aunt Wilma's shopping list)

But I digress. These fun little exercise books are memorable for those of us who remember daily penmanship drills.... getting that angle of the paper perfect (and feeling sorry for the left-handers who had to write in a convoluted, backhand kind of way). It looks like the poor little boy who owned this book below struggled to mimic the book's perfect script. I'm sure many of you suffered likewise.

COLLECTION #55: Vintage Walter Foster Art Books

When I was little, I loved looking at, and buying Walter Foster art books. Walter Foster published a line of interesting and inspiring (and sometimes kitschy) books, teaching art & drawing skills of all kinds. Everything from anatomy to boats to cartoons to.....

My small collection of books were originally published in the 40s and 50s. Three of these are my childhood books, and the "Designs" book is one I picked up a few months ago at an antique store.  I love the retro graphics and designs!

Walter Foster had his own advertising agency in the 1920s, and started publishing his own line of self-help art instruction books at that time. Through the years he added other artists with different styles and specialties to his line. Walter Foster Publishing is still producing art instruction books today, and they have quite a diverse line of subjects. 

COLLECTION #54: Lapis Jewelry

It all started with King Tut. In early 1978, I visited the King Tut exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and was mesmerized by the stunning decorative accessories, jewelry, and sculpture. Much of it was decorated with lapis lazuli, a lovely blue marble-like stone from Asia.  At the time, I was recently engaged, and busy designing my own engagement ring. I loved signet rings, and so, with the inspiration from King Tut's Tomb, we purchased a lovely lapis stone, and I designed a ring around this stone.

From King Tut's Tomb

From King Tut's Tomb

My wedding ring, designed by me, 1978

After Bruce and I were married, acquiring lapis jewelry became an ongoing tradition- usually bought for an anniversary, birthday, or on a special vacation, my collection of lapis (and silver) jewelry has grown.  I have probably bought twice as many pairs of earrings as I have shown here, I've lost so many earrings through the years, but a few of those 'singles' I've kept for the sentimental value.

My most recent acquisition was the necklace in the center in the photo below. Bruce bought it for me for our 33rd anniversary this past July, in Ventura Harbor, California.

COLLECTION #53: Toy Robots!

It's Toy Tuesday once again! Here's my little collection of toy robots, looking cute and colorful!  I thought my collection was pretty much complete when I shot these photos a few weeks ago, but over the weekend while we were visiting our kids in Texas, our son & daughter-in-law presented me with this adorable girl robot as a belated birthday gift. I never had a girl robot before, and I think she's mighty cute.

I like to add them to my scrapbook & digital illustrations- I think someone said they are my signature, so that's what they will be. My signature!  I once did a calendar for our daughter Annie, using funny photos of my robots. I'll have to add a few creative things I've done with my robots to this post!

Robot illustration I did for the birth of my grand nephew Jace, born last December. Illustrations below from a calendar I created for my daughter Annie, 2008.  Click on any photo for a closer view.

 

COLLECTION #52: Old Music Strings

 Aren't these fun? Packets and boxes of vintage musical strings- strings for ukulele and mandolin. I love the great old fonts, and the fun graphics on the packaging. It's nice to have something still in its original packaging, untouched and unused. They are still as bright and shiny as they were when they came out of the factory. I really haven't made any attempt to date these strings, but my guess would be the 20s and 30s. Click on any of the images for a closer view.