It's Art Pottery. It's Weller. Roma and Flemish Lines

 

Samuel Weller began making pottery in a log cabin in Fultenham, Ohio in 1872 as a one-man operation.

By 1895, Weller had moved his pottery operation to Zanesville, Ohio and his plant employed over 500 people. He was shipping three railroad cars of pottery per day and had become the largest maker of art pottery in the world.

An Austrian native, Rudolph Lorber, joined Weller in 1905 and was responsible for creating Weller's embossed lines until his retirement in 1940. These lines were beautifully designed and executed and included Roman from 1912 and a series of embossed naturalistic items around 1915, among them Flemish and Woodcraft.

Sam Weller's pottery survived until 1948 when it closed its doors and became a part of American history. 

Both  art pottery pieces are available at CinfulOldies on Etsy.

Sierra Sandhill Crane Batik Wall Art Quilt

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir

Spring in Florida is the time one sees the little Sandhill hatchlings. The Florida Sandhill Crane is far less common than other sandhills with less than 5,000 remaining. Habitat destruction is their main threat. They are a protected species in Florida and killing  them carries a high penalty. Which brings to my mind John Muir, American naturalist, author and founder of the Sierra Club.

 Sierra Sandhill Crane is a tribute to Mr. Muir, often cited as the father of our National Park System, and his tireless efforts to preserve the American wilderness.

Welch's Jelly Glasses - TheThrill of the Hunt

Oh, the 60s. Remember when jelly came in those colorful Welch's jelly jars and you couldn't wait to empty them so you could have your own personal favorite for your OJ? They were decorated with images of the Archies, Tom and Jerry, the Flintstones and later, Tigger, the Dinosaurs and on and on.

Collecting sets of these eclectic glasses has become a popular hobby and the hunt is definitely part of the fun. There are twenty six sets of Welch's glasses dating back to the early 1950's -- this Welch's tradition beginning with Howdy Doody.

You can also find other promotional glasses from several fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Burger King and Hardees along with Pizza Hut and Taco Bell who distributed the popular promotional Disney glasses.

The Archie Series Jelly Glass was copyrighted by Archie Comic Publications in 1971 and is entitled "Sabrina Cleans Her Room". The Tigger Glass is from the "Pooh's Grand Adventure - The Search for Christopher Robbin" - Disney Enterprises. There are six glasses in each of these collections.

Sweet Pickles Series Books

There are forty of them. Set in the fictional town of Sweet Pickles, these books are about animals with different human behaviors and personalities. Twenty six animals in all, one for each letter of the alphabet and each gets into a different "pickle" based on their individual unique character traits.

Written by Ruth Lerner Perle, Richard Hefter and Jacquelyn Reinach and published between 1977 and the mid 1990s, Sweet Pickle books are brightly and colorfully illustrated with wonderfully elaborate endpapers featuring all of the characters.

Several of these stories were read by Captain Kangeroo during the show's hay day. Each story finds the central character getting into and out of lots of trouble while learning an important lesson along the way.

Collect them all. They're great fun!

Porcelain Kitty from Napcoware 1960s

Saucy and cute, this white kitty brings a smile and a hint of whimsy. Our kitten is an example of the many figurines produced by Napco, a company established in 1938 in New Bedford, Ohio as the National Potteries Corporation. The company imported and distributed a wide variety of ceramic, glass and giftware from Japan in all shapes and sizes.

This little kitty has the remnants of a silver paper label and the word Napcoware printed on the bottom. The distinctive, consistently well crafted and designed vintage items are popular again today and continue to hold the interest of many collectors.

Judy Bolton Series Book Clue of the Broken Wing

Margaret Sutton wrote 38 volumes of the Judy Bolton Mystery Series between 1932 and 1967. During this period, Judy amassed quite a following and her adventures entertained a generation of young adults.

 
Based on real life events this volume, her 29th in the series, features Blackberry, Judy's black cat, who finds a curious little pink china wing in the garden.

The Judy Bolton series is unique in that the characters age and address significant social issues along the way. As our protagonist, Judy has a strong character, is smart and a bit of a feminist.

Interestingly enough, the last twelve books in the Bolton picture cover series, this being one, had limited printings and thus are rare, more valuable and are highly collectible.

Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen

As a youth, I was captivated by the fanciful fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. The thick, hardcover book took me to magical places and I read it until the cover was worn and the pages tattered. It has been 205 years since his birth, and still, Andersen's tales are timeless. Suffering from a life of sadness, dyslexia and unrequited love, Andersen crafted some of the most endearing fairy tales ever written.

Thumbelina, written in 1835 and one of his early works, tells the tale of a tiny girl who emerges from a flower and travels through perilous adventures to end up meeting her flower fairy prince and living happily ever after. Does it get any better than this?

This version of Thumbelina is a Little Golden Book illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren, the chief illustrator for the Walt Disney Company in the 1930s. Every page is filled with his bright and fanciful visions and carries you off to that perfect place of make believe.