Archive of ‘Vintage Style’ category
Mid-Century Caro-Nan Basket Purses
I was having lunch at my favorite little co-op last week, lamenting my lack of inspiration for blog posts. As I ate my free range, organic soup, a woman sat at the table next to mine and took out a little picnic basket. As she ate her free range, organic soup, I eyed up the little basket. I’d never seen anything like it. It was very obviously vintage and had clearly seen better days, since its little painted houses were chipped and the wooden lid worn. I summoned up the courage to approach her and interrupt her lunch (which is pretty uncharacteristic of me, but anything for the sake of blogging).
The woman told me that it was a Caro Nan basket and she’d bought it at a local vintage store. She showed me a penny with the year of its manufacture glued to the top. I let her return to her lunch and ran home to research this adorable new discovery.
Very little information exists on Caro-Nan baskets, and the information I did find was anecdotally sourced from people who remember buying the baskets, or whose mothers had one, or were friends with the basket makers themselves. Piecing together this information, it appears that they were created in the 1960s and ‘70s by Carolyn McDaniel and Nancy Steele out of Jacksonville, Mississippi. The two friends started making purses as a hobby which then grew into a business that employed local housewives. Nancy’s daughter had the job of gluing the pennies to the top of the baskets. The baskets enjoyed wide popularity in the South and soon were sold throughout the U.S.
One distinguishing feature of Caro-Nans is the village painted on the sides. Many of the baskets were customized for the places they were sold, and the paintings depicted actual shops and buildings in the town. Other designs were custom painted for the owners and include motifs of animals, mushrooms, insects, fruit or flowers. Decoupage elements were sometimes added to the lid or rim of the baskets, and a floral lining covers the inside.
Here’s the top of a 1968 Caro Nan and the close of up the penny. The basket in the photos is available on Etsy.
Caro-Nan baskets sell for $10-40, depending on the condition. If you want a pristine basket you might have to look harder since these were created to be used as purses and naturally sustained wear and tear. If you’re just looking for a unique lunch box to have passerby admire at the co-op, you’re in luck as they are relatively easy to find online and at vintage shops at a reasonable price point. I know I’m definitely going to be keeping my eye out for one so I can eat my lunch in vintage style.
If you have a story about a Caro-Nan basket or have more information about the history of the purses, I would love to hear from you!
Photography/Vintage Moving Sale in Northeast Minneapolis
On my walk to the coffee shop today, I stumbled across some signage with the magical word “sale.” Being up for an adventure, I followed the signs into one of the buildings in the old Grain Belt Brewery complex. Upstairs, a beautiful artist’s loft with exposed brick and high windows was filled with props, photography supplies and vintage items as photographer Christopher Grey is downsizing his photo studio and putting his stuff up for sale. If you’re a Minneapolis vintage collector, photographer or just an urban adventurer up for a little eclectic shopping, hit up this sale right away as he’ll be gone in a week.
The sale continues through this weekend. Find it at 77 13th Ave. NE Suite 202, Minneapolis, MN 55413. Contact Chris to check on the status of the sale before you go.
Game of thrones fan? Chris is selling a $400 dragon.
And, on the more affordable side, Star Wars cups for only $5.
I love bringing news of vintage sales, pop-up shops and local store and shopping events to Minneapolis fashion shoppers. Know of a current or upcoming sale or event? Let me know!
13 Vintage Valentines That Didn’t Age Well
The good people over at the online Vintage Valentine Museum acquire and painstakingly catalog vintage Valentine cards. Their work is commendable, and without them we would not be able to enjoy these gems from the past. For every innocent and cherubic retro Valentine’s card though, is one that didn’t exactly age well. The messages and images might have been cute in the 1930s, but today…well, see for yourself. This collection of mildly horrifying vintage cards may give you Valentine’s Day nightmares so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Nothing says true love like calling her your Valentine Ho.
“Say you’ll be mine!” Uhh…do I have a choice? This cupid looks positively homicidal.
I’d really rather you didn’t bear me any tidings at all. The only thing I wish for is to go back in time and have never seen this.
And when I thought it couldn’t get worse, this happened.
Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that this cat’s “Token of Affection” is actually a giant turd left over from taking a dump somewhere in your house?
I think this cat loves her tuna, not you. Typical.
The dog meat trade is illegal…right?
Nowadays, we’ve watched too much CSI to find living in a trunk with your stalker, I mean, Valentine, to be a selling point.
This kid is understandably concerned about how this monkey got into his bedroom.
Oh look, we found Don Draper’s childhood Valentine’s card.
Well, that sounds like a recipe for a healthy relationship.
Looks like she’s on the road to rehab and jail time rather than everlasting love.
This card comes with a free restraining order!
Head over to Vintage Valentine Museum to see the entire cataloged collection-they’re not all weird!
Blacklist Vintage Closing Sale
It’s sad to see a good store close, and Blacklist Vintage is no exception. For six years, Vanessa has provided Uptown Minneapolis with one of the best-curated vintage collections in town. She is closing down the bricks-and-mortar store in order to travel and focus on selling exclusively online.
The silver lining of the store closing is my favorite four-letter word: SALE. Blacklist will be clearing out its inventory beginning January 25th and continuing for a month. Vanessa created an event page so her fans can keep updated on the liquidation.
You’ll be able to score finds like the scarves and hats pictured here, among the rest of Blacklist’s collections which include treasures from every era. Everything from 1920s gowns, vintage records, fab furs, 60s aprons, and more, they’ve got you covered. The discounts promise to get steeper as the weeks go by, so you’ll want to check back for the latest updates. After the store closes, you’ll still be able to find Blacklist Vintage online on Etsy.
Vintage-Style Glass Ornaments
Okay, so I’m definitely a sucker for after Christmas clearance sales. Seventy percent off! So many adorable Christmas things. How can I resist? This year, in addition to the tacky discounted decor and really cheap wrapping paper, I found some hidden gems: vintage-style ornaments that look exactly like the ones from the 1950s that my grandmother used to have.
I found some at Target and Michael’s, the two stores I visited the week after Christmas. I’m sure other stores must have them too.
These are all glass and decorated to vintage-accurate perfection. Seriously, how can you not love the hand-painted glitter detail on these?
So I’m totally ready for next year! Bring on Christmas 2014!
