Category Archives: Pins

VPOD HI/LO: Vintage Wreath Pins and Presence vs. Presents


vintage 1910 wreath pinwreath pin with bow

The hustle and bustle of the Holiday season was interrupted here in LA yesterday morning with the tragic shooting rampage just blocks from my apartment. Perhaps you saw the video on the news. S-C-A-R-Y.

And since a stop at the FedEx office smack dab in the middle of the crime zone was on my list of errands yesterday, had I not taken a wee bit longer than normal to finish my eBay Roundup, I would have actually been on Vine Street when it happened.

Which is why I feel compelled to remind everyone that no matter how many people on your holiday list, no matter how much time you spend searching for the most-perfect gifts, no matter how well you can channel Martha Stewart while wrapping them, at the end of the day, the loved ones in your life will always prefer your PRESENCE to your PRESENTS.

The gift of your PRESENCE will beat out any PRESENT any day of the year.

And there aren’t enough presents in the world that can make up for the lack of presence of someone you love, right?

So why is it that so many of us hold back this perfect present every day?

Why is it that we wouldn’t think of sorting through a stack of our mail at lunch with a friend, yet somehow think it’s okay to go through our email while they read the menu and decide what to order?

Why is it that many of us see family members just once or twice or year and yet find it hard to keep our cell phones in our pockets and resist texting or tweeting for the few hours we’re with them?

It appears that many of us have forgotten what it feels like to be turned ON to life when all of our electronics are turned OFF.

So here’s a radical idea.

What if you celebrated this holiday with no gifts at all EXCEPT your presence.

Instead of spending harried weekends running around town looking for gifts or engaging with web pages, you’d actually have the quality time needed to truly engage with the people you love.

Instead of spending an hour together unwrapping presents and creating a big pile of trash, you could spend a few hours volunteering together as a family and creating a memory that would nourish you for years to come while also helping out your fellow man.

Can you imagine the world we’d live in if we all prioritized PRESENCE over PRESENTS?

But while this thought is lovely, I know it’s probably not realistic. Most of us will still be out hunting for gifts these next few weeks. Hopefully, today’s HI/LO challenge serves as a reminder that beautiful gifts need not cost a fortune.

One of these glitzy vintage wreath pins costs $145, the other over $11,000!

Can you guess the Hi and the Lo?

It’s a Hi/Lo holiday challenge for all you Vintage Crusaders!

Available at Antiques by Bubbleking and Portero.

(HI: Wreath on Right from Portero | LO: Wreath on Left from Antiques by Bubbleking | To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time. | Disclosure: Zuburbia is an affiliate of the eBay Partner Network.)

Written on December 10, 2011 by Mary Kincaid in Brooch, Hi/Lo, jewelry, Pins, vintage, Vintage Jewelry
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VPOD: Vintage Art Deco Diamond Cornucopia Brooch and Food Drives


art deco rock crystal and diamond cornucopia brooch

Both of my parents were the children of coal miners and grew up quite poor in northeastern Pennsylvania. I remember my mother always praising and supporting the Salvation Army because without the food baskets this organization delivered to her family’s doorstep, she and her brother wouldn’t have experienced any type of Thanksgiving abundance.

So I was very interested in a recent LA Times editorial by John Arnold and Katherina M. Rosqueta, the former executive director for Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank and the founding executive director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice.

They suggest that the best way to help families suffering like my parents’ did is not by donating cans of food or bags of rice to traditional food drives. On the contrary, they propose a much better way to amplify your giving and help the millions of hungry people in America. And it’s very simple:

GIVE CASH.

According to their article, for every $10 worth of food that gets placed in a food bin during a traditional food drive, research shows that as much as half may not be used because needy families can’t use it or don’t know how to use it.

So instead of grabbing items off your pantry shelves or purchasing an extra $10 of food at your next visit to the grocery store, consider making a cash donation to a charity that feeds the hungry.

Why? The authors give three good reasons:

1) You can give more. Your $10 cash donation could cost you as little as $7.50 if you itemize your taxes and claim a charitable tax deduction.

2) Needy families are free to choose. Instead of receiving a basket of food on their doorstep with food they may not enjoy or may never use, many charities accepting donations for the hungry display food in “stores” that allow needy families to “shop” for items that are most needed and welcome in their households.

3) Food banks have leverage. Because of their relationship with the food industry, which donates many of its surplus goods to these charities, your personal donation is leveraged. For every $10 you are able to give to the charity, the charity may be able to acquire as much as $200 worth of food!

With over 48 million Americans in families that are struggling to feed themselves, maximizing our efforts to assist them is more important than ever.

Today’s VPOD features a gorgeous Art Deco diamond cornucopia, also known as a Horn of Plenty, which symbolizes abundance.

At Thanksgiving, as always, let’s be grateful for the abundance in our lives and consider how we can share our abundance—be it time, money, possessions, education, or influence—with our fellow citizens. Remember, it’s only by sharing with others, by giving something away, that we can truly experience the abundance and richness of our own lives.

And this is the Attitude of Gratitude that fuels a Vintage Crusader.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Available at Jane Vining Antiques.

(To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

Written on November 23, 2011 by Mary Kincaid in art deco, Brooch, Pins, vintage, Vintage Jewelry
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VPOD: Vintage 18k Peretti Apple Pin and an Ode to Steve Jobs


vintage 18k gold peretti apple pin

“Brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world and talented enough to do it.” – President Obama’s sentiments on the passing of Steve Jobs

I’m typing this post on my iMac and will be forever grateful to Steve Jobs for the technology he’s brought into my world.

Not just because it works like a charm and has freed me from the headaches and frustrations I felt as a solopreneur struggling with PC crashes and malfunctions, but because it looks good sitting on my desk.

That might seem like a little thing but I love great style, in any form.

And Steve Jobs brought great style to technology.

A certain “fashion flair” as noted by Scott McNealy, co-found and chief executive of Sun Microsystems.

For us Mac fanatics who also happen to be fashionistas, he created accessories we covet and love every bit as much as our designer handbags. Gals may have lined up outside Target for Missoni’s new line, but Steve Jobs had even more fans lining up outside Apple stores every time the latest generation of iPods, iPhones, iMacs or iPads came along.

As pointed out by Jessica Guynn in her LA Times article, there are several tenets being taught at Apple University that Jobs believed were critical to the innovation and success achieved by Apple.

These tenets include accountability, attention to detail, perfectionism, simplicity and secrecy.

And these components just happen to be the things that contribute to making any fashion label great, too. Heck, they’re not such bad things to have working for you in your own life!

Today’s VPOD features an 18k apple pin by Elsa Peretti that demonstrates just how beautiful simplicity and attention to detail can be.

And it’s a lovely little apple for a Vintage Crusader.

Available at Peter Suchy Jewelers.

(To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

Written on October 8, 2011 by Mary Kincaid in Pins, vintage, Vintage Jewelry
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VPOD: Vintage 1960s Jerry DeNicola Aquarius Zodiac Brooch and Bright Shiny Object Syndrome


Vintage 1960s Jerry DeNicola Aquarius Zodiac Brooch

Hi. My name is Mary and I suffer from Bright Shiny Object Syndrome (BSOS).

Maybe you do, too.

If you’ve ever had trouble focusing, tend to be easily distracted, or move from project-to-project without really completing any of them, then you know what I’m talking about.

You have a great idea, you’re all excited, you start working on it, but then…oh, look!

There’s another Bright Shiny Object over there.

And this new idea or new project suddenly looks a whole lot more exciting than the one you’ve been working on. So you leave the first project behind, unfinished, to go grab the new Bright Shiny Object.

And you work with great enthusiasm on this new Bright Shiny Object until…what’s that you see out of the corner of your eye?

ANOTHER Bright Shiny Object!

Oooh, that one’s pretty, too. Let’s work on THAT!

And so on and so on.

But Bright Shiny Object Syndrome is a real recipe for failure.

Sure it’s easy to be enthusiastic and energized at the beginning of a big goal or new project, but what often separates the super-achievers of the world from those who never quite seem to achieve as much as they’d like is the ability to RESIST all the other Bright Shiny Objects laying around them.

The super-achievers have the ability to hone in on ONE thing and FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Successful.

Now I admit that I’m HORRIBLE at resisting Bright Shiny Objects as evidenced by my prioritized Master Project List with 28 (!) projects that are currently in some stage of development.

YIKES!

So, after Day 1 and Day 2 of an inspiring 4-day seminar this past week, I vowed to resist any and all Bright Shiny Objects until my #1 priority was completed and implemented.

So of course the Universe decided to challenge me.

I met someone and found myself talking about Project #23!

“No! No! No!” blared my internal Bright Shiny Object Warning Siren.

But before I could pay attention to it, someone who had overheard our conversation chimed in with positive feedback about Project #23.

Well, that just made my Bright Shiny Object Warning Siren blare louder!

But, it also set off my Intuition Siren.

And by the time a third person offered assistance and introduced me to a fourth person who could help, I started thinking “How do I turn off this dang siren?!”

But I wasn’t talking about the Bright Shiny Object Warning Siren.

You see, as a wise colleague reminded me “When a Bright Shiny Object GLOWS, it’s okay to pick it up.”

And this particular Bright Shiny Object, my Project #23, was definitely glowing with synchronicity.

So what Bright Shiny Objects stand between you and your biggest dream? Do you have the discipline to ignore them for as long as necessary while you focus on doing only those things that can turn your dream into reality?

Alternatively, have you been ignoring any Bright Shiny Objects on your path that are glowing like supernovas and really could benefit from your attention?

And do you, like me, sometimes find your focus also challenged by other types of distracting Bright Shiny Objects like today’s VPOD?

This vintage 1960s Zodiac brooch by Jerry DeNicola sparkles with style even for gals who weren’t born under the sign of Aquarius.

And it’s a fine Bright Shiny Object for any Vintage Crusader!

Available at Sharon’s Sparkles . | Discovered at TheFind.com

(To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

Written on September 12, 2011 by Mary Kincaid in 1960s, Brooch, Pins, Uncategorized, Vintage Jewelry
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VPOD: Vintage 1970s Tiffany Brooch


vintage 1970s tiffany moonstone and sapphire brooch

A few years ago, Martin Lindstrom, author of buy*ology, invited 600 women into a room to conduct a little experiment. He hooked them up to monitors and then brought out a bunch of Tiffany-blue colored boxes. And, lo and behold, the women’s heart rates immediately jumped 20%!

Now there was absolutely nothing in those boxes. They were all empty. But that didn’t matter. Good ol’ Tiffany’s has done such a great job of branding that we women immediately associate a box in their signature Tiffany-blue color with engagement, marriage and family. And that alone is enough to get our blood boiling!

So just imagine what would happen if you received a little blue Tiffany box and it had today’s VPOD tucked inside.

This vintage 1970s 14k gold Tiffany brooch features moonstone cabochon petals along with glistening sapphires.

And it’s quite a springtime treat for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Beladora.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

Written on May 23, 2011 by Mary Kincaid in 1970s, Brooch, Pins, Uncategorized, vintage, Vintage Jewelry
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