And a happy new year
When I was in elementary school, my friends and I had the insipid habit of calling each other immediately after the opening of presents on Christmas morning to compare hauls. This year I’m going to relive those materialistic moments by sharing with you one of the many awesome gifts I got this year, the Kitschy Kitchen Collectibles Field Guide. This book is so much fun it hurts. I had some idea that there were a lot of midcentury gadgets to collect, but this puts it into perspective, organizing gadgets by type and what they looked like on their little displays. As a designer, I am more attracted to the packaging and advertising used to sell these items than I am to the items themselves.
As I found some of the things in the book on ebay, I started poking around for more examples of vintage displays and packaging you can re-appropriate for your own use:
I think this would make a totally unique spice and condiment rack – it looks larger in the pictures, but it’s only 13 inches high.
Next, give me one good reason you’d rather hang your dog’s leash on a mass-market, thousands-of-other-people-have-it Ikea or Anthropologie wall hook than one of these:
The opening bid would be only $20.00 and $9.99, respectively.
Now this one I admit, I have no idea what you could use it for. Socks? Cards? Small things? Gum, perhaps? But it is cool:
It would be fantastic in a store that has nothing to do with gum that has small things to display.
And this little fun friend:
Now I don’t wear jewelry, but I know there are people who do, and for them, I think this would be fun to have in a bathroom for jewelry or in a craft room to organize ribbons and thread and such. It could be wall-mounted or sit on a surface.
Next, who hasn’t wanted to pretend they lived in a gas station or pool hall:
Note: does not come with towels.
Again, I am obsessed with ebay. There are so many old things there waiting to be rediscovered and put to new use. Go forth and discover something!
