As Time Rolls By

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

As the years roll by, items that aren't "proper" antiques, but vintage, nostalgic and retro, interest us more and more. Out-of-date styles and low-tech materials look familiar, yet dated in a quirky way. Visual buried treasure...like checking out the old high school yearbook.

The roller skates pictured are a good example.

No velcro, nylon or graphite here. These are manly skates...heavy and hand-tied. Their bruised leather and worn wooden wheels are emblems of action. They hail from a time when "circuit" meant once around the rink. I'll wager they spent many a Saturday night laced to a guy falling for a girl, or perhaps, just falling.

Friendly paintings

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ
07848

973-383-6057

Of course, we love old china. There is the richness of the cobalt blue that ginger jars wear and the comfort of the swaggy little borders on plates that filled the cupboards of our childhood.

But oil paintings picturing these items sometimes thrill us even more. It's like seeing an old friend become famous.

Still lifes that offer that "reach-into-the-painting" sensation are a feast for the soul as well as the eye.

As realistic as these portrayals might be, there is
always a softness that canvas renders unavoidable.

Still-life artists possess the knowledge of what touches us and the skill to capture the essence of their subjects.

"Ladle and Plate", Robert Sabo/ 2007
"Ginger Jar", G. Rhodes/ English/ 1923

Container Day

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

Sure...the new merchandise that arrives from the UK looks good set up in the shop. But, let's be honest. It's much more appealing when everything is strewn all over the driveway, half-wrapped and crated.

If it weren't for the elements, etc. , we'd be tempted to walk away, leaving it topsy-turvy, as is, upside down, unpriced and unpolished....the display we all find most intriguing.

Sorry folks, we have to bring it inside!

Tailor's Dummy Re-purposed

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ

973-383-6057

Tailor's Dummy Re-purposed

Lucky me.....I have the most clever friends! Francis and Barbara, English colleagues, have installed a tailor's dummy in their entryway. It wears a worn leather coat, topped with an old fisherman's jacket, loaded with pockets. This "sculpture" is quirky and has great character, but it wasn't until I examined it closely that I realized it is also the "charging station" for their mobile phones. With the wires snaked up the back, behind the lapels and aimed in different directions , everyone's phone gets its own pocket.

There was no choice...........I had to swipe the idea.

Upon my return, I quickly dressed my old mannequin in a sporty, vintage Admiral's jacket and wired it up. Everyone loves it. It adds personality to the room. I like the way it looks and I like what it hides. Best of all...........It reminds me to charge the phone!

Toy Boats

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ

983-383-6057

"There is nothing-absolutely nothing-
half so much worth doing as simply
messing around in toy boats!"

-Rat, in Wind in the Willows

Simple, yet stately, these toys of
our youth evoke memories of of
less complicated times and help
us navigate around the rough edges
of our existence. ...They are a
specialty of ours, and you're invited
to stop in anytime and mess around with them!

Small collections

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette NJ
973 -383-6057

Have you ever noticed how when similar things are grouped, whether by color or shape, the most insignificant items become important? Strength in numbers. These little, old ashtray hands are elevated to collage stature. Their friendly, open palms extend a welcoming gesture.

Arranged on an old glass cakestand, their sugary white surfaces remind me of pastries........quite a delicious thought.

One customer bought a few for little soaps in guest rooms. Another uses them to hold rings. Postage stamps and paper clips fit just fine.

Please visit us via our new weblink at the bottom of this page.

Shell boxes

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ

973 383-6057

My friend, Barbara, has an impressive collection of old
shell boxes. They draw you into her parlor. In souvenir and sailor art, the late Victorians excelled at taking ordinary items (like shells) and re-surfacing common objects (like boxes) into works of art. Color, pattern and texture create magical mosaics....stunning beauty on a small scale from, not gold or silver, but free seaside gifts found underfoot.

Once offerings for a sweetheart, these naive objects, with
their crowded, swirling surfaces,

have a lively spirit that makes them hard to resist.

They are unique treasure boxes...but the treasure is
held on the outside.

Thank you, Whitney, for the shell box photos.