So how exactly does a born and bred "So-Cal-Gal" ---from the O.C. no less--- wind up an antiques dealer back in Ohio? Well, one evening when I was in college, I went ice skating to cool off. There I saw a cute guy. The cute guy skated around me for a few years, but finally asked me out on a date. We've been together 27 years now. We got hooked on antiques when visiting his family in Ohio. There's just nothing like a country auction. ... http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/MSDOWANTIQUES Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:38:42 -0600 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.squidoo.com/sand_art Victorian Sand Pictures in a Bottle These antique glass bottles are filled with colored sand-- tiny grains of colored sand, all placed by hand, with what was basically a long-handled hook (see pic of tools at left). Absolutely amazing, right?! The artist who created these beautiful bottles in the late 1800's was Andrew Clemens(1857-1894) of McGregor, Iowa, who was a deaf-mute. The Victorian-era craft is called MARMOTINTO, and Clemens was the undisputed master. The sand is tightly packed, but not glued. It could take the Clemens 3 weeks, or 3 months, or sometimes up to a year to complete one bottle. The really rare matched pair of sweetheart sand bottles Clemens made for Henry Reinken and his future wife Helen Wimmler, have an estimated value $25,000-35,000, according to Cowan's Auctions. shopping Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:06:28 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/antique_bottles Here's a link to the TOP 10 MOST-WATCHED antique bottles currently on ebay, listed in just the BOTTLES category. The list is sorted by the number of ebay members who have put the bottle into their WATCHING file. Not necessarily the best bottles, or the highest prices, but the ones everyone's keeping their eyes on. There are some amazing bottles here! Here's a link to a list showing the TOP 10 list of Most Watched vintage MILK BOTTLES on ebay now. Here's the Top 10 List of the Most-Watched Antique Fruit Jars on ebay now -- better keep your eye on these! With the high-quality jar collections currently being offered on ebay on a regular basis, there should be some real gems! Here's the Top 10 List of the Most Watched Modern (Post 1900) Fruit Jars on ebay now. Read about Phil Robinson and his unique Fruit Jar Museum in Muncie Indiana. Sadly, the museum is now closed as Phil has passed. shopping Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:34:34 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/leapyearpostcards I'm a DELTIOLOGIST, that is, an antique-postcard collector. I just love the amazing artwork on what I call "The Pretties". Art that has stayed vibrant and colorful due to the old printing and lithography methods. I like that there were postcards for just about every taste, theme, subject, and holiday. Even the odd holiday-- such as Leap Year, where the gal gets to chase her man, with societie's blessing, on the one extra day that comes in February every 4 years. Leap Year is supposedly the chance for single women to grab themselves a husband, and he "can't" say no. There are many comical postcards for this tradition. Some show pretty modern women being assertive, and others show less attractive "Old Maids" using whatever means they can to catch themselves a feller. shopping Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:51:45 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/whosyourbozo Sadly, Larry Harmon, an early Bozo the Clown, and owner of the Bozo franchise biz passed away on July 3, 2008. According to CNN.com's article about Larry Harmon: "Although not the original Bozo, Harmon portrayed the popular clown in countless appearances and, as an entrepreneur, he licensed the character to others, particularly dozens of television stations around the country. The stations in turn hired actors to be their local Bozos." entertainment Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:05:18 -0600