This weekend marked the start of the much-anticipated barbecue season. Even though I eschew meat (and cheese and deviled eggs, for that matter) I thoroughly enjoy the whole backyard barbecue scene, what with its guava drinks and tiki torches and sunburns. Though the barbecue is not an exclusively American activity, the suburban splendor of the American backyard barbecue has a uniquely kitschy and life-affirming quality that has been enjoyed since at least the invention of the suburb.

Sizz lighter fluid tin, currently $9 on ebay

I’m pretty sure the backyard barbecue became so popular in the postwar era because with the general shift from urban areas to single family housing outside of the city centers (thanks to a dramatic increase in housing demand and government subsidies aimed specifically at single family housing, automobiles, and freeways) came the notion that the good life was the private life. Instead of the porch out front and the garage out back, people retreated into their backyards, leaving the carport and front lawn as a barrier to the rest of the world. Perhaps it was the recent trauma of depression and war; actually, the right to privacy was one of the rights/freedoms many felt the war was about, and an escape from crowded urban living signaled the arrival of prosperity. A 1950 House Beautiful article by Joseph Howard entitled “The Good Life is NOT the Public Life” went so far as to say that “if your neighbors can observe what you are serving on your terrace, your home is not really your castle. If you can’t walk out in a negligee, to pick a flower before breakfast without being seen from the street or by the neighbors, you have not fully developed the possibilities of good living.”¹

If this is the case, why go to a public park that provides access to playgrounds, patios, and barbecue grills, when you can keep all that for yourself in your own backyard, and not have to share it with anyone?

I’m sorry, did I say I enjoyed the backyard barbecue? I meant it. I’m being a little snarky here because I fundamentally disagree with many of the values upon which the suburban backyard is built, and I actually lived in a postwar house with a backyard and felt suffocated and anxious. But for some reason I still hold in high esteem the graphic history and the enormously fun present of outdoor entertaining.

Neet-Heet magazine ad, circa 1960, $18 on ebay

Ole Diz charcoal starter tin, $30 on ebay

Set of 35 vintage paper placemats, $10.75 on etsy

Vintage gingham metal bowl, $13 on etsy

Vintage BBQ Time tablecloth, $12.50 on etsy

Vintage barbecue tool set, $30 on etsy

And just to show that not everything barbecue-related was red, behold the simple white divided plate:

Divided barbecue illustrated plate, $10 on etsy

Also, I really hope Joseph Howard picked flowers in his negligee.

¹Treib, Mark. The Architecture of Landscape, 1940-1960. See also Landscape and Race in the United States by Richard H. Schein.

I may be way behind this trend, but I’ve been noticing something around the markets lately. In addition to the already popular schoolhouse and science classroom inspired decor, comme ça:

I’m noticing a ton of trophies around. There’s something a little odd about decorating with other people’s trophies or ribbons, because you didn’t win anything to get them, but their shapes and shine are kind of too pretty to pass up.

The cat may require a particular taste, but I love the chains and the holders.

I shouldn’t really have to sell the idea of hanging plants indoors. They add an instant lived-in, full of life feeling to a space. And since the addition of Grow on Abbot Kinney around the corner from my house, I’ve sort of got plants on my mind. Hanging plants usually come in plastic pots with wire hangers that are zero steps above what you get at the dry cleaners. You’d probably like to free them from this eyesore state, but how to hang them? Often at flea markets I come across pulleys, tools, and yoke parts that would make terrific plant hangers:

Oh, the potential! I'd love to hang a plant or chair from that pulley.

I see pulleys like this one at just about every flea market I go to, but there are plenty of them on ebay:

$14, no bids yet.

opening bid: $12

Also, how awesome is this:

Current bid: $29

or this one for just $12:

$12 via etsy

And these I found at a flea market and antique store, respectively:

have a great weekend!

These are biscuit barrels from the 20's and 30's, respectively.

These lovely little wooden objects are biscuit barrels. What, you ask, is a biscuit barrel? Essentially, it’s a cookie jar, but much smaller and more formal than our American-sized, cartoon-themed cookie jars. English biscuit barrels are about 6-8 inches high, and with less kitsch and more class, they were designed to beautifully sit on the table at tea. They originated in the latter half of the 19th century in England and remained popular through the 1930s. What happened then is anybody’s guess; perhaps the depression made biscuits and their lovely barrels seem frivolous. They are most often ceramic, wood, or glass, sometimes handpainted and typically with silver lids and handles, like this one:

Biscuit barrel by Adams & Co., c.1911-12. Cost: no one can say.

The versions I’ve seen at antique stores and flea markets, however, are wood and silver (like the ones above) and shaped like tiny barrels. They’re lined with ceramic or silver, and often have a silver plate on the front commemorating the gift (the one in front above is from Frank to Blanche, 1934). These wooden versions typically retail from $20-$60, though they and their finer hand-painted cousins can run into the hundreds, depending on maker, quality, and condition.

English biscuit barrel, $428

English biscuit barrel c.1860's, $130

Biscuit barrel, $24.99 opening bid on ebay

So, if you see a small bucket with silver or ceramic lining, it’s quite possible you’ve come across a biscuit barrel. For slightly more information, check out biscuitbarrel.com.

Sometimes, if I’m having a less-than-perfect day, I’ll head over to the Wertz Brothers antique mart in Santa Monica. It’s true that I can’t casually shop here; it has to be a particularly perfect piece for me to justify paying retail prices for anything. But the antique mart is sort of magical, and the staff is always friendly. There are a few vendors with reasonable prices, even if most are way out of my price range, but mostly I just enjoy walking around and looking.

I love the way this stall is arranged.

We coveted these two small tables, but at $300, sadly left without them.

This is one of my favorite vendors. Their prices are reasonable and frequently discounted.

Old things. Lovely.

They also have a furniture store on Santa Monica that is a veritable wonderland of all different styles and eras. Prices for, say, a dresser (which is what we were looking for today) can range from $130 to $900, with most falling in the $200-$300 range. It’s a good place to go if you’re really in need of a piece of furniture and have more than a thrift store/craigslist budget.

Trunks, cradles, and a one-of-a-kind bar.

Whoa, desk!

At $80, this chair was a pretty good deal.

They also have mirrors, sofas, chairs, dining tables, armoires, sideboards, china cabinets, rugs, art, lighting and … stuff. And birds. They have large, whistling, talking parrots. If you are ornithophobic, you may want to send a friend who is not.

Wertz Brothers Antique Mart
1607 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310/452.1800

and

Wertz Brothers Furniture
11879 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Los Angeles, CA 90025
310/477.4251

As part of my personal cure, I’m selling off some vintage Fiesta pieces from my personal collection. Except for the Harlequin plates, they’re all in good to excellent condition (click on the images to view the auctions):

Five deep plates in ivory, good condition, starting at $19.99

Forest Green Harlequin eggcup in excellent condition, current bid $5.50

Cute set of everyday usable Harlequin dishes, $12.99

And the most valuable item in my collection:

Vintage yellow casserole in excellent condition, no chips or cracks, $75 OBO

I *heart* this piece. But I know if I keep it, I will break it, and probably before I even got a chance to use it. The lid is perfect. The handles are perfect. The inside of the bowl is perfect. There are some small light scratches on the outside, which break my heart, but it’s otherwise amazing.

There are also a lot of new things added and going to be added to the etsy store, so check that out too!

I’m not exactly in a position to buy anything right now, but if I were, it would be cheap. Here are a few things I want:

Because I am, right?

I love Qantas posters. I also admire the travel industry until approximately the 1970’s for pretty much eschewing all sensible means of advertising – that is, actual photographs of the advertised destinations – in favor of abstract illustrations by E. McKnight Kauffer, Jean Carlu, and David Klein, among others. Or maybe it’s just that only these were interesting enough to survive.

These rugs are apparently handmade from recycled soda bottles. And I need an outdoor rug.

Okay, so these *aren’t* cheap. But I do want them. I’m going to make a confession here: my drinking glasses are from Ikea. I said it.

And I’ve added some more cheap things to the store:

Jiffy Chest recipe box, circa 1939: $6

Large Couroc tray: $10

So, last night I launched my adorable new storefront on etsy.com, and though it only has five little treasures in there so far, I have a lot more stuff I’ll be adding in the coming days and weeks. Here are a few things I’ve got in there at the moment:

A Harlequin individual salad bowl in yellow, $25

Vintage Fiestaware salt and pepper shakers, $15/set.

Glass syrup dispenser, $10.

A cute little vintage tin for storing unimportant things, $8.

Tell your friends! Buy things! Tell your friends to buy things!

I stopped by this madness this morning, and it was totally worth it. Things vary wildly in price, from $1 dishes and coffee cans to $1500 rugs to $7000 signs, but the stuff was incredible.

For just $7500, you can own a piece of Hollywood history:

Plenty of other whatnot:

I bought these little coffee tins.

Many neon signs, in the $5000 - $7500 range

I forgot to ask how much this was, but isn't it lovely?

Sale goes on until noon at Bergamot Station. Cash only, though I’m guessing you can’t take enough out at the ATM to cover that Brown Derby sign.

A quick note for those in the Los Angeles area – Track 16 Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica is having a clearance sale this Wednesday morning from 8-noon, reportedly with vintage dishes, plus “a mountain of vintage furniture, collectibles, antiques, books, lighting, old signs, advertising, vintage appliances, and neon signs.”

Read about it here (thanks, jake).