The Thrifting Anthropologist

Here it is almost the holidays again. If Halloween is in the rear view mirror, Christmas is coming head on at 90 miles an hour. In deciding what to write for the holiday and then some, blog, I  looked up Holidays that fall in November, December and stretching into January.  Who knew there were so many celebrations from so many spiritual belief backgrounds in the winter season? No wonder we say Happy Holidays, Christmas just covers one of them! I found: November 7th, Diwali, the Festival of Lights, a Hindu holiday;  November 21st, is the Prophet's birthday, a Muslim holiday; Hanukkah, December 3rd to the 10th, a Jewish holiday; December 21st, the winter Solstice; Christmas, December 25th, a Christian holiday; December 26th, to January 1st,  Kwanzaa, an African American holiday. My personal favorite will always be Saint Nicholas Day, December 6th. It has deep joyful roots in my life going back to my childhood as a California kid, age 8, transported to ...

A set of Wondelier bowls, the first big Tupperware success from the late 1940's-early 1950's Way back in 1938, Earl Tupper figured out a new way to store food, in plastic. His stuff was a hard uphill slog to success until Brownie Wise fell in love with a piece of Tupperware and went to work for Tupper in 1946 and Tupperware was truly launched. In 1946, the world was changing fast, the war was over and women were looking for new products as the atomic age approached. Enter Brownie's concept of the Tupperware “Party”, the great grandma of direct marketing that is still working today with a Tupperware party taking place every two seconds around the world.  Extremely collectable 1960s Tupperware salt and pepper set The company is now headquartered in Orlando, Florida and still coming up with new products. One of their strengths has always been the ability to figure out what the market needs and then respond to it quickly. First, they brought unbreakable food...

Cars mean vacations for the middle class and lots of luggage Luggage as we know it today, has only been around since the end of the 19 th century, right about 1890. Before that if you went on a long trip it was a major undertaking, requiring a heavy metal bound trunk which was wood and waterproofed and required a couple of people to move it, which meant you were probably wealthy and planning on more than an overnight jaunt. This is what a $22,000 Louis Vuitton 1890's trunk looks like T hose who were not rich and had to travel more than a few miles, most likely went in a horse drawn stage coach (called a stage coach because the trip was accomplished in stages and horses had to be swapped for fresh ones, restrooms had to be used, food had to be procured and lodging for the night had to be arranged). Stage coach passengers had wooden boxes, baskets or soft sided bags made of rug material called guess what? Carpet bags.  Stage coaches vanished with the advent of ...

In the 1960s, my mom brought me this Dutch designer hat, I wish I still had it, it's become famous! American women have historically loved hats; but that love comes and goes between the issue of balancing common sense and fashion sense. Baseball caps, cowboy hats, and winter wool have become wardrobe staples, but except for special occasions we have lost sight of the hats that were, and what they were called. Their shapes actually each had a name. Greta Garbo, in a head hugging cloche, the classic French bell shape A little history: Hats for more than any reason beside the absolute necessity of protecting one’s head, didn’t roll in until the Middle Ages when the Catholic church demanded that women cover their hair as part of their religion. Ingrid Bergman, in a great beret, still winter wearable and still popular Women shopkeepers rose to the challenge, creating a new industry, making or providing the needed head covers. After a few centuries, those simple ...

Everyone loves a garden full of color and fun. This is my outdoor living room and relaxing space. We use it all summer long. It’s that time of year! Buds are popping tulips and daffodils are blooming, the birds are singing and the gardens are waiting for us to get out there and grow things! Our own Jerry Cook is the king of clever recycling, this machine has made an appearance at the Olympia arts walk several times. It really works and it's art too  For me, half the fun besides the growing part is the decorating part. I regard my garden spaces as outdoor rooms and I love finding fun objects to tuck into the plants and to dress up my living spaces.   If you have a small hidden piece of wall think about painting it a vivid color, red and green are amazing together. This wall holds a collection of suns and moons and it features seating along the facing wall to just relax and enjoy the space . I’m lucky to have a   husband who builds whatever I ca...

Easter arrived on American shores with the first German immigrants in the 17 th century. They brought the Easter hare to this country and from the Pennsylvania Dutch it has spread like, well, rabbits. Every Bunny was Kung Fu fighting. Sorry, I couldn't help it.  The word Easter comes from Eostre, an ancient German goddess of Spring. Legend says the rabbit was associated with her and it does appear in stories from ancient times. The rabbit somehow got itself associated with the Virgin Mary, a cross pollination of Christianity and pagan rites is very common throughout history, and often you will see paintings of the Virgin and Child with a rabbit tucked in somewhere.   Hats in Easter Egg colors! But a rabbit and eggs?   Eggs would have most likely the easiest food to consume in breaking a Lenten fast. They could be boiled ahead of time and ready to gobble up. They also represent spring and fertility and new beginnings. The Germans discovered that if ...

The Oldest Known Valentine, from 1790, is now Valued at about $5000,  which also makes it the world's most expensive valentine Valentine’s Day is like so many other holidays we celebrate, really old and really pagan in its origins. The  Catholic saint for whom the holiday is named dates back to Roman Christians, and his legend is murky at best. He could have been one of three guys, so you can choose the martyr whose story you like best. They do all have in common that were strong, heroic, and definitely romantic and filled the bill for the church to eradicate one more pagan celebration. Around 270 A.D. the Christian church decided to assign February 14 th to the murky saint as his saint’s day because guess what? A pagan celebration took place the next day. Lupercalia was a seriously pagan festival dedicated to Faunus, the god of agriculture and Romulus and Remus, the twins who are the designated founders of Rome. A Howland Valentine, fussy, frilly and Victori...