Learning How to Sit on a Sofa

This is an awesome beauty book called "Glorify Yourself". First published in 1942, this is a third edition copy, published in '45. The promotions for this book contained the tagline "Be the kind of woman men admire and women envy!" And to think, this can be achieved in part just by learning how to sit on a sofa. Really.

The book offers a fascinating glimpse into the standards of beauty back in the day, as well as the lengths to which women would go to look attractive. We still do that, of course. Today's methods of becoming beautiful will look ridiculous far in the future, I'm sure. What intrigues me about this book is its focus on body posture, facial expression, how to sit, how to walk, how to pose your hands while sitting and walking. Whew! I'm exhausted just reading it.

Of course, the photos are part of what makes this book so fun. Notice the beautiful brooch in the hand photo. The book contains great shots of clothing from the era, including swimsuits, and an illustration of a full-body girdle thing that looks like a medieval torture device.

The author, Eleanore King, received a Masters Degree in Education from USC (Go, Trojans!) and was a charm and poise coach to movie stars of the 40's. Her husband, Herbert Kalmus, was known as "Mr. Technicolor" for his pioneering work in color film. These were not trivial, superficial people by any means. Movies were a very serious business during the days of the big studios. "Glorify Yourself" even includes photos of some stars, including Claudette Colbert, Rosalind Russell, Mary Martin, Judy Garland, and Margaret O'Sullivan.

My favorite lesson in the book is the one called "To Sit on a Sofa", which is something I thought I had mastered by the age of five. Who knew? For some reason, if you are 5 foot 7 or over, the author states that you won't need to practice this as much as a woman who is shorter.

So much to learn! Although I was gratified (if not glorified) to note one thing about the status of my poise and charm - even without lessons, I know enough not to walk like THIS illustration:

Stay beautiful!

Joni

San Diegan Collectibles

The Earrings Ran Off with the Socks?

I buy lots of vintage jewelry for our eBay and Etsy businesses. Sometimes, I buy it (and sell it) in a Grab Bag format. Look for some great grab bags in the next few weeks at San Diegan Collectibles.

Buying a whole bag of jewelry is so much fun. Is there a buried treasure in it? There always is - I've never been disappointed yet. I do have one question, though. Why are there always so many single earrings? At first, I thought I was just picking the "wrong" bags. Then, when I went through my own jewelry box, I discovered something surprising - earring after earring, lying there mateless. Apparently, through the years prized jewels have been dropping from my ears with alarming regularity! And from everyone else's as well. Either that, or the earrings have all eloped with my many single socks that I can never quite bring myself to throw away.


Now that I've begun salvaging beads and jewels, I am keenly aware of these missing gems. It seems as though the very prettiest earrings are always the solo ones. Perhaps they were worn more frequently, increasing their odds of getting lost. So now they are considered useless, which seems a dreadful shame, considering how beautiful they are. Do you think we could ever start a trend of wearing two different earrings at the same time? I'm tempted to try it - although, at my advanced age (AARP is falling all over themselves to get me to join) people might think it's just a sign of age-related forgetfulness. I think it will take a young and daring fashionista to start this trend.

In the meantime, what to do with all the pretty single earrings? As I've reported in an earlier blog, I have zero talent for jewelry-making. All of you talented crafters out there - how would you repurpose these lovelies?


Joni

Julie & Julia - and Me!

We had the pleasure of seeing Julie & Julia today! What a great movie, with the customary amazing performance by Meryl Streep. Is there anything the woman can't do? The whole cast was wonderful, the story was terrific. But, as usual, I was all wrapped up in ogling the vintage stuff!


To me, stuff is the star of every movie I see. I suppose that if I were to truly follow my passion (which is a central theme in the film) I would become a set decorator. This movie was particularly interesting because so much of it centered in the kitchen. Fantastic vintage furniture and cookware, a gorgeous stove, and of course, Le Creuset pots in "Flame"! My favorites.

Check out the photo of Meryl/Julia at her great vintage stove (of course, it wouldn't have been vintage at that time!). We have the Le Creuset pot in Flame, the requisite pearls, and those awesome shoes!

Meryl/Julia also wore beautiful brooches, my favorite jewelry. I was unable to find photos on the net, but one brooch was a gold-tone sitting cat (ANOTHER passion of mine), and one was a gorgeous initial pin that appeared to be rhinestones. Wow! How I'd love that!

Vintage jewelry with people's names or initials on it is always a special treat to find. I think it adds to the sense that we are keeping people's spirits and memories alive by "recycling" their personalized jewelry pieces. I recently found a silver ID bracelet - remember those? They always seemed to be made by Spiedel, and back in my day (which certainly qualifies as vintage) the boys would give their ID bracelets to a girl to show that they were going steady. The one I have was a boy's ID bracelet, and the first initials were "T.C." Reminded me of a favorite cartoon. Anyone else remember Top Cat? Are you getting the general generational drift here?

In another large lot of jewelry I bought, there were several pins with the initial "E". That's all, just "E". Esther/Elaine/Evangeline had her first initial in two beautiful wood brooches, a gold-tone brooch, and a silver necklace pendant. And, of course, monogrammed antique and collectible flatware is ubiquitous.

Speaking of Spiedel, I also found a great man's Bulova watch with a Spiedel band. Really beautiful watch, and it still keeps time perfectly. It's only problem is surface scratches on the crystal. I will be listing it in the next few days.



Bon apetit!
Joni

Welcome to our eBay & Etsy Blog

Hello,

My name is Joni. I sell collectibles and antiques on eBay, as well as beads and jewelry-making supplies on Etsy. My eBay seller and store name is San Diegan Collectibles, celebrating the gorgeous place which I call home - San Diego County, California. Actually my husband Peter and I live in North San Diego County. Oceanside, to be exact - right in between the beautiful coastal city of Carlsbad, and the magnificent US Marine Corps base, Camp Pendleton.

Living less than one mile from the Pacific Ocean is a tremendous blessing. Living with such gorgeous weather is another tremendous blessing. But I consider our proximity to Camp Pendleton to be our biggest blessing of all. Anywhere you go in Oceanside, you will see young Marines. They are shining examples of our American youth, the defenders of our freedoms, the keepers of our home. They are truly the best this country has to offer, and we take enormous pride in their courage and service. May they inspire us all to strive to be the best in all we do, and to remember always that our country is not ours by right, but by the sacrifice and courage of others.

What does this have to do with eBay and Etsy? Everything, actually. Our ability to conduct business in the free market
is due to the sacrifices of those who have fought and who are currently fighting for that freedom. And eBay and Etsy are
such great examples of free markets! As online business owners, we get to formulate our own business plans, source our own products, market those products or services, meet awesome customers who buy our products, and then we put our earnings back into the economy.

Please help us keep that economy going by visiting our stores. We thank you for reading our blog. And if you should see a service man or woman in your travels, please take a moment to thank them - without them, none of this would be possible.

Best,
Joni