Author: Christine Graves

Collecting Vintage Car Pieces

Christine Graves
Image by ThreeMilesPerHour from Pixabay

I wrote a post about collecting old cars, but there’s a huge collectors market for vintage car pieces. Being married to a car guy has taught me a lot of things. One of the biggest things is that it’s not just the cars themselves, that attract the avid collector.

My husband is a Volkswagen guy. He has 3 vintage Volkswagen bugs, but it’s all the little things he’s collected that sparked my attention. He has toys, magazines, emblems, and a lot more. I never realized just how many Volkswagen items—other than the cars—were made.

Because of his love of old cars, we also watch a lot of “car guy” shows. The ones I really enjoy are the ones where they have to find specific pieces in order to make the whole car “right”. That’s when I noticed the collecting part.

There are tons of car-related items to be collected. Hood ornaments are a huge thing right now. Adding an original hood ornament to a classy vintage car could seriously increase the value.

Antique shifter knobs are also a highly-sought-after piece. No matter how classy a restoration may seem, adding an authentic shifter knob brings it up another notch.

One item that kind of shocked me was tail lights. Because a lot of older cars have either had theirs broken out or removed and reused, finding original tail lights for vintage cars can be tricky to nearly impossible.

Car parts aren’t the only thing that can be collected. There’s a huge following of brand name items. Collectors look for things like vintage car ads, old owner’s manuals, antique toys, and gas station displays.

I’m a huge fan of the old cars and trucks we played with as kids. Not these plastic pieces made today, but the big, metal trucks that lost their paint and got rusty just like real ones. I was shocked to realize that I wasn’t alone. Though most collectors would rather their vintage pieces were a little more pristine, I prefer the ones that show that they were well-loved.

I never thought I’d be the kind of person who would enjoy collecting vintage car pieces, but I love it. Do you have a vintage car enthusiast in your life? Check out their collections and see if you can’t find something to add to it. You’ll be amazed at what you can find.

Creating Your Own Collectibles

Christine Graves
7″ x 7″ coffin diorama

As an avid collector, I’m always looking for quirky little things to add to my collections. Like most collectors, I want pieces that nobody else possesses. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just a little something that sets my collection apart from all others. Then it dawned on me that I could make my own pieces.

I collect a lot of things. One of those is vintage jewelry. Sometimes, I’ll purchase a large lot of jewelry on eBay, simply to obtain 1 or 2 pieces. Because of this, I’ve come to own a lot of pieces (or broken pieces) that I don’t actually need. I’ve thought about selling those pieces off but then found something that seemed a much better idea. I found a way to reuse and/or recycle them.

The picture above is a small coffin-shaped diorama I made out of popsicle sticks, wood grain scrapbook paper glued over the top for that authentic look. On the top shelf, I made a crystal ball and 2 potion bottles out of miscellaneous beads. On the 2nd shelf, I placed 2 candles made from the bottoms of pushpins and the tops from beads. The candles themselves are made from toothpicks dipped in melted wax. The book on the 2nd shelf and the books on the bottom shelf are made from popsicle sticks covered in bits of leather. The spider on the side is made from beads, with a web string made from gold embroidery floss. The web in the corner is made from a scrap of black lace. Though I don’t normally collect this type of thing, I do know a lot of people who love the whole Halloween vibe and would love to have this in their collections. I can’t wait to give this to one of them. (I’m making something similar for the others).

This type of thing could fit into several different types of collections. As I said before, I’m giving this to a friend who collects Halloween stuff. However, it could also find a home with someone who loves coffins or for anyone who collects miniatures. I’m finding a new love for the miniature market. I’ve always loved dollhouse furniture, but I had no idea just how far one could go with this idea. The more I looked into the world of miniatures, the more I realized that it was way more than just doll stuff.

Salt dough and air-dry clay pieces.

I’ve also begun working with clay. I’m trying to avoid using the pre-packaged polymer clay. I’ve found several recipes using stuff around my house. The pumpkins and tiny apples are made from salt dough. Simply put, they’re made from flour, salt, and water. The candles, skull, and bone are all made from air-dry clay I got in the kids’ section of my local hobby shop. And leaves in the potted plant are all made from masking tape and wire, painted with cheap acrylic paints.

I’m finding that it doesn’t take a lot of money to make your own collectibles. In total between the 2 pictures, I might have spent a total of $10. My goal is to try and recycle stuff I already have lying around the house, before going out and spending more money. I mean, how cool would it be to add pieces to my collections and NOT spend a dime in the process. I’m also working on a way to make some of these things and put them up for sale. I’m enjoying making a lot of these things, but they’re not things I collect or even have room to keep. Maybe I can give someone else a little something to add to their collections that nobody else possesses.

Think about all the things you collect and see if you can come up with some ideas yourself. You never know when you’ll come up with something that brings a sparkle to your eye, and maybe someone else’s too. Good luck and happy collecting.

A Whole New Collectible World

Christine Graves
Image by ChadoNihi from Pixabay

Hi Kids!!!! I’m back and so is my awesome site Collected Keepsakes. Though it may not look or feel like it, I’ve managed to upgrade this site and a couple of others I run.

This site was originally set up on Blogger with a redirected name. Not anymore. I’ve officially moved all my personally owned blogs to a single host provider. It’s only taken me like 10 years to make this happen. I may be slow but I never give up.

As well as this site, I’ve also added my personal site Graves Publications and a site I’ve owned for some years but never did anything with Online Deals and Sales.  The sad part is that when I switched everything over, I lost everything I’d posted on my personal site over the years. Though I was bummed, I’m also looking at it as a new beginning.

I’m pretty happy with my decision, but we’ll see how things go. I’m still in the process of figuring out just what all I want to do with this site, but I do have some actual ideas. I’m very excited for the future and I hope you’ll all come along with me.

Happy Collecting,
Christine

 

Coming Soon

Christine Graves

Hey Y’all,

Keep an eye out for new posts coming soon. I’m very happy to say that I now have a fully integrated webserver for this site and a couple others that I’ve been letting sit in the background. Now, to make it all pretty and get back to work.

Wish me luck, kids. 🙂

Collecting Old Cookbooks

Christine Graves
Image by Bruno/Germany from Pixabay

 

I grew up a country girl. There were several times a year when my grandmother and her friends would get together and cook for 50 or 60 people. I loved being in the kitchen as they did so. And though they made it looks so easy, each and every one of them would bring along their trusty cookbooks.

Though there are thousands of people who collect antique books, there’s just something about old cookbooks that bring about a sense of the past like no other. You have the chance to relive those memories; the sights, the smells, and all the mystical flavors. These are not your modern heart-healthy recipes.
Old cookbooks offered something more than just pages filled with things to cook. There were pages on how to figure out measurements, ideas on how to substitute flavors, and instructions on how to keep your cast iron cookware clean. They were every housewife’s best friend.
There were a lot of name brand cookbooks, such as Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens. However, some of the best vintage cookbooks came from local organizations. Women would get together through places like church or the VFW, and offer up their best family recipes. These would be printed into small publications and sold as a fundraiser for some upcoming event. The best part is many of these recipes would have been handed down for generations. I still use a lot of these in my own kitchen.
You can find a lot of these types of cookbooks online, but the best places to find them are at yard sales or at your local secondhand store. Many people today won’t use these cookbooks as they’re not health-conscious. You can usually pick them up for a couple of bucks. You’ll be able to tell which ones have the best meal ideas as they’ll be the ones that have been well-loved.
Did one of your ancestors have a favorite cookbook? Do you? If so, be sure to pass it along to the next generation. After all, a good meal never goes out of fashion.