A bit of fun

from jarjade on Ebay

Several acorn pieces have caught my attention lately, during my on line quests for tasty bits of vintage fashions.
They vary period wise, spanning from the 30s to the 50s (the ones pictured here), and also differ in terms of the material they are made of: celluloid, Bakelite, wood, leather, porcelain or metal.
In spite all these differences, they have a great common trait: they never fail to bring a smile to my lips. I thought I'd share them with you.
They are so much fun and a perfect choice if you're after a "conversational" piece. Can't wait to find my perfect acorn this autumn!

Some of the examples pictured are still available for purchase, others have already found happy homes :)

from myclosetshelf on Etsy

from getreadygo2 on Ebay

from marcy13 on Ebay

from VillaDiZuZu on Etsy

from halsll on Ebay

from vintagewaresplus on Ebay

from dmanson101 on Ebay

from theriverdreamer Ebay

from Frogandthescorpion on Etsy

The wonderful world of combs

The earliest combs were made of bone, ivory and wood;
silver, brass and tin were used later on, and in the early to mid-19^th century, tortoise shell and horn became the common materials for comb making.
The advantage of using tortoise shell and horn was that these materials were soft and moldable when heated and they retained their new shape as they hardened.
The feathers of the Chinese Kingfisher were also used at one point in time for designing the combs.

In the late-19^th century, celluloid was developed through the experiments of two brothers, Isaiah and John Hyatt, who used nitro-cellulose and camphor as primary ingredients.
The aim was to find a cheaper alternative to ivory and tortoise shell. Celluloid rapidly grew popular, leading to the formation of a whole new comb industry.

There are numerous examples of celluloid combs - some in museums due to their quality and beauty - other still out there within the reach of the vintage fashion lover.
There is also an Antique Comb Collectors Club funded not very long ago, in 1993, and contributing to further research in the comb's history.

Check out the Etsy examples bellow:

All the above combs are part of the extensive collection of ElrondsEmporium onEtsy

Storiesfromthepast, Etsy

TheLittlestSister, Etsy

MattiesMenagerie, Etsy

Vintageartshome, Etsy

leesasimpson, Etsy

hblanchard25, Etsy