Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Vintage Takes Manhattan, New York Part One

So I'm not in the best of blogging moods at the moment but thought I'd start the obligatory showing of vacation pictures. We had a fabulous time in New York where we found vintage stores, out of print books, Japanese dolls, a swing band in the park and the best Chinese food in the world (well, except for maybe in China itself). Toot shopped at the finest stores (not me, I didn't have the money), I treated myself to a pair of Barbie roller skates, we ate dinner with ninjas and discovered some priceless family heirlooms.

All of that will be explained in further detail later but for now, let's start with the heirlooms. As I've mentioned before, my mother-in-law is Australian. Her and Chris' dad are planning to retire there one day and as they still live in the Bronx apartment Chris' grandparents bought in the 1940's, a lot of his grandparents stuff is still there and they can't take it all to Australia with them.

Enter yours truly...

Once they found out how much I love anything vintage along with making sure family memories are archived and kept up, we left NY with a car load and could have left with three times as much if we had had the room. Here are some highlights:

Handwritten recipes from both Chris' Grandmother and Grandfather:



Both Grandmother's and Grandfather's high school rings, from 1926 and 1930 respectively:



Grandfather's collection of cuff links:



Including this pair which is my favorite:



And his tie tacks/pins:



Grandmother and Grandfather were avid readers and there were books floor to ceiling (literally) so I was able to leave with some:



Including this fabulous gem, a Vogue magazine etiquette book from the 1920's/1930's:





At one point, my mother-in-law came to me and said, "Hey, would you want this box?"



"Sure!" was my response until I realized I had no idea what was in the box. Hey, there could have been snakes in there! Luckily it was not a box full of snakes but a box full of these:



11 picture albums to be exact and 3 bags of misc pictures and cards. I believe they came from one of Chris' great aunts who has passed. Now typically, these types of albums will contain pictures from the 70's and 80's, which I was fine with as long as it was family pictures I could rescue out of these picture eating albums.

So I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when instead of being greeted by polyester and feathered hair, I found 100's of picture like these:





As far as I can tell (because I still haven't been able to fully investigate them yet), there are some pictures that date back to the 1920's. The unfortunate thing is that they are not marked and the details of who the majority of these people are has been lost. But I will still make sure to archive them all for future generations anyway.

So there it is, New York Part One! I will fill you in on the rest of our adventures as soon as I can get my pics off the camera!

Thank you for all of your sweet comments while I was away, I really appreciate it!

34 comments:

avintagespirit (Lizzy) said...

Wow, all that stuff is so amazing! I love the book of etiquette, they're so funny to read about now.
The old books are wonderful too, I love books new and old.
Lovely post! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your NY fun!

Winchester Manor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Winchester Manor said...

How fantastic! I'm so glad these family treasures landed in your hands. I know how much you appreciate these sorts of things and you will keep them safe until it's time to pass them along to the next generation!

Hope your felling better!!!

laterg8r said...

what a wonderful gift for them to give you! things should go to people who appreciate them :) can't wait to hear about the ninjas LOL ;)

Lola said...

What stunning memorabilia - especially the Vogue etiquette book. That's priceless!!

So glad you had such an enjoyable - and eventful - time in the Big Apple!!

xxLOL LOLA:)

PS Thanks once again for the lovely comment over at my place!

Amy Wing said...

Whoa - what a haul! Great stuff! Wow.

Hey Maggi - you've won Gauche Alchemy's purple contest! Gimme your snail mail address by e-mailing gauchealchemy@cox.net

JANN said...

Very nice assorted gifts they gave you :) I know you must be thrilled and thankful they were so generous and thoughtful.
Enjoyed viewing the images - so cool on the cufflinks & tietacks -
kinda sad most guys don't were these much anymore.
hugs 2 Toots :)

Anonymous said...

WOW!!! it's all incredible :-)

Lisa said...

No way! What treasures!

That Crazy Ajumma said...

1st of all,I recently heard about a Ninja resturant there and if it is the same place you ate at,I AM SOOO JEALOUS!!
2nd,I totally know what it's like to go thru those kind of items.No one, I mean NO ONE in my hubbys family is into vintage.But they,well my mil never threw anything out.So everything my fil has me to go thru with him,he says"if you don't want it, get rid of it" lol. I have lot of stuff,more than I can shake a stick at.Eventually I'll grab some photos and post them.
Have a blast in NY!!

yyam said...

Oh wow Maggi...these are fabulous! I really love your fav. pair of cuff links - those are just divine!

You have a lot of work ahead of you...with all the photo sorting...hope you are greatly inspired!

Can't wait to see Part 2 of NY!

Eileen said...

What fabulous, fabulous treasures! How lucky you are to have all that stuff - and how fabulous of you to appreciate it! I've become sort of the keeper of the old stuff in my family, too. Just love it - old photos, old dishes, old jewelry -- I just keep telling Gram to send it my way. Those recipes totally look like the ones my other grandmother (who was a fabulous cook) handed down. I guess everyone of that generation kind of wrote alike. I hope you are feeling better soon. :)

Unknown said...

oh maggi! what treasures! absolutely beautiful! thanks for taking the time to share!

Daniella said...

That is so hot!! I just went to the "junque" store this weekend and got a bunch of postcards, some books, and a doilie and napkin. I have very few heirlooms. Some post cards, and pics and fabrics. I will archive them someday too, but for now, I want to get other people's stuff, so I can play with it!!

Awesome stuff for you. Very lucky girl!!

Jackie said...

Wow Maggi what wonderful family treasures!I love all the old photos!And I am glad you had a wonderful trip. I can't wait to see more :)

Julie Tucker-Wolek said...

Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!! What AMAZING things U brought home!!! WOW! :):):):):):):):):):):)

debra@dustjacket said...

Welcome back honey.

That stuff is amazing, I so wish my grandparents had kept a lot of things like that. You are so so lucky missy ;)

Take care, and see you soon.
xoxo

Julie Camacho said...

That is so awesome that you have all that stuff!!!!

Michelle said...

What amazing treasures from Chris' grandparents!! Sounds like you had quite the adventure in New York! I'm jealous. :)

xoxo

Unknown said...

Look at all those treasures. I love old etiquette books!

Personalized Sketches and Sentiments said...

Oh! Maggi! Ilove looking at vintage any thing...esp old photos, even if they are not even my family!

Wow, Chris' grandfather must have been a dapper dude! Thanks for sharing all your treasures.

(Can't wait until you finish your New York tales...the eating with ninjas is intriguing...more so since my son is a black belt in one of the martial arts, and last night I watched the Bullet-proof Monk with him. haha
...When he's home from college, we'll watch a couple of martial arts movies...along with some comedies...with our daughters, it's the chick flicks...)

*thank you also for stopping by to visit...and for commenting...it's always fun to find you've been there!*

Blessings & aloha!

Decor To Adore said...

Wow! What treasures! I would so turn those cuff links into earrings. The photo albums are true treasures.

Jocelyn said...

Amazing goodies...so glad that you are home!!! rest up!!!

Unknown said...

Hi Maggi! Oh I've been gone for so long! I hate this! I have been without my computer for a month now. It broke, I sent it in to get fixed, it was gone for 2 weeks, then I got it back last wednesday. Well it's still broken! It's even worse than it was before! I plugged it in, turned it on, and right before my very eyes I watched Windows crash and freeze and that was the end of that! So I fought with the company for several days and finally monday they agreed to have me send it back at their expense to get it fixed AGAIN and this time they are telling me they'll have it for 3 to 4 weeks!!! Theyw ant to make sure it's not going to crash or anything else when I fianlly get it back again. So I am borrowing my moms laptop right now but I can't get on often until I have my won computer again. I'm so bummed. I haven't scrapbooked since June, I've lost my mojo for everything without my computer right here next to me! I can't wait to have it back again. Anyway, love all the goodies you got! I LOVE LOVE LOVE vintage! I'll be back a/s/a/p!

NicNacManiac said...

Welcome home!! You are so lucky...all of those fabulous goodies and they are full of family memories, not stranger memories. You scored big time in the the big apple!! Love all the cuff links and tie pins as well as the paper treats...SWEET!!!
Can hardly wait to see more pix!!
Hugs xOxO, Nerina :)

Anonymous said...

Wow Maggi, you sure came home with a lot of treasures! Those photos are a wonderful find! And the cufflinks and tie pins oh my!
I hope you share with people why you aren't in a blogging mood, I think it needs to get out there, but that's totally up to you. Anyhow, I am glad you are home and finally posted. I missed you girl!

jacque4u2c said...

What totally awesome memories. It is so special to have these things but kinda sad at the same time - sniff! Sniff!

HEY CHICK - I saw you won the Purple People Eater stash - YOU GO GIRL!!!!

Karen said...

Holey moley WOW!!! Those are some FANTASTIC vintage, personal, family items. I think my favorite are the handwritten recipes. What a treasure for you to pass down to your Toot! But, the Vogue book, the tie clips, the class rings, and the PHOTOGRAPHS!!! Oh, OH MY! :> What a fantastic haul to bring home!

Marie said...

Those class rings are just amazing! I would love to wear something like that- so neat! And I always look for those vintage etiquette books, they are so fun to read.

Terry said...

Howdy Maggi
Oh I am so happy for you and sooooooooooooooo jealous :)
This is truly an incredible one in a million moments.
Wow ,shazam ,simply amazing.
There are lots of avenues to try and identify some of the photos when you get around to it.
At least in some states there are .
I cannot believe all the treasures ,all the family history.
This is really wonderful.
I do hope they will mail you the stuff you did not have room to travel with .
Oh I am so excited ,this is really going to be great fun as you rest and regroup and have a go at sharing .
Welcome home sweetie pie .
I needed some cheering up and this sure helped .
Thank you for the awesome post.
Hugs
Happy Trails

The Wallace Family said...

Wow Maggi you had Christmas in August in New York! Who could ask for me!! I am glad you are back:) I missed ya!!! I am so glad you were able to rescue those pictures as well. Don't you love my blog! I love it Traci did an AWESOME job...thanks for recommending her:)

Bananastamper said...

Wow you lucky girl, look at all that great stuff you go to bring home! Have fun exploring and researching!

Shanna

Anonymous said...

Dearest Tooty toot toot,
My goodness but you *are* brilliant for your age! I am so proud of you, you weave a good story yes you do! There's a future in wirting for you-just like your mommy goddess, who i just love love love to pieces!

Brilliant the both of ya. Dont know how daddio stands it to be surrounded by sheer beauty, brilliance and hilarity all the time. :-)
Please post again-but maybe dont lets knock out mommy next time kay? just tell her to share the keyboard love!!
xoxoxoxoxox

Duchess of Tea said...

Fascinating blog, I’m following.

Duchess xx