Creative photos color tinted by picmonkey.com

Summertime!!
It is time for parties!
In my spare time of being Grandmother, selling old photos, and hunting for the latest cool things to make,  I am also a party planner and recently I got excited about making a mannequin made out of photos of some of my past pictures..
It is for a wedding shower of a costume designer, I knew she would appreciate it...and I wanted to share them with you all..

First, I started out with scans, these are now other people's photos, but you can see what you can do with what you have..

and here goes..

thought you all might enjoy..there are scads more..but just a few photos show what you are able to do...stay tuned to the project, it should be done in another week...yahoo..love being creative!!
cathi

Springtime is once again in the air!! (Whew!! thought that winter would never end!)

We live in Chicago, that means that much of the times, we live indoors, during those cold months..but when the seasons change...we love to be out!
So this week, the sun stayed longer in the sky, the snow finally left and spring has come (my allergies have proven it!)
Recently, I have been crafting banners and wedding planning..as well as my true passion, collecting photos. Here are a few of my faves:

Truly from a different era! The top photo..I love..because it shows the dramatic of the early 1900s...
The second, I think she might even be pregnant, since I have yet to see a dress from that era without a waiste accented. The bottom, well that is spring to me, the dog out, the jacked on..but there are shorts..oh and there is also a kodak box!! (now where is kodak today?)

Some cool photos to look at....
Enjoy!!

over a year and I am finally here again...what happened?

Funny
Blogs can be so addictive in the beginning, writing as much as you can..and then time goes by and it falls off..until here I am foolishly admitting how negligent I have been in my photo blog...so so sorry...(of course I have excuses, we all have excuses!!)

Well, here are a few things that I have learned in these past many months:

#1. Time goes fast and memories are what you have to hang on to
(so take some photos)

#2. There are never enough photos to capture a moment (although the iphone with the moving photo is really cool!!)

#3 Most people never mark when the photo was taken and where it is

#4 That photos are definitely becoming a thing of the past and soon they will be extinct (so sad!! and yet they are becoming so much more valuable!)

I have also learned that with grandkids..there is never enough time because you are trying to get the most out of what you are doing with them..and afterwards because you are a grandparent and quite a bit older than you were when you had kids..you are pooped...


So, enough of that on to

Photo news:

Well....let's see, if you have been following my auctions, you will see that
this past year I was able to land some AMAZING dance photos..always a plus!!
I also scored some amazing Wedding photos and some amazing portraits of socialites..as well as various other cool finds..
but I will say that it is painfully obvious to me that this is getting harder and harder to find..and the prices are getting higher and higher..
but that is for me on my end, I still try to start low in my auctions and put up good prices in my store and work hard to either show great quality photos or great subject matter photos..or when it is really amazing..you will get both!!

This week I am featuring a few that are my favs and I will show you them here:

1890s Man with Beard

a rare photograph measuring 5.5x8 of a man with a beard dated 1890  real neat glimpse into the past.

Dancer with long hair

an ethereal dancer with a dress that was definitely copied 50 years later by a major design company.

Children in snow

a true work of art... this photo would be amazing framed in a home~
Have I told you how much I love photos..oh yes...that is right..you know that!!

cathi

2014 has finally come....cold weather and all

Well it has been a long time dear blog of mine..
2013: A hard year..no less than 12 total close friends of mine/and family died in the past year..
Sometimes it was tough just to keep going...
I listed and sold on ebay and etsy  and spent loads of times visiting hospitals, hugging grieving friends, going to funerals..even flying out of the country for one..

a long year...one i hate to say i was happy to leave...

but it has passed..and with it all the adjustments that it means to have gone thru a year of grief.

There were good things in 2013,
we do have a new home, (equipt with a BIG photo room for my collection and shop)  a new grandchild...
and i still sell and collect photos...
loads of them...
and i still hunt for them...all the time...
and lately i have also been doing wedding planning and tablescapes..even won a contest for my tablescape..
(well 2nd place..but that is pretty good..when it is for the whole country, eh?)

So without further ado..(just had to let you know why you have not heard anything new)
I want to update my latest finds..

This past week was a winner...I mean..it was amazing to have found some of the cool ones i did!!!

I really found some beauties..so nice i have a hard time selling them...but i have to pay for Christmas..still..
(hehehehe)

this weeks wonderful find is this charming little lady..isnt she a beauty??? Love the profile..the color, the wonderful lace dress..oh this one is frameable..oh yes it is!!

and even more of this charming young miss...

and oh so much better in person!!Don't you love her playing with her favorite dolly!!

love the hair....i think they did them with long strips of fabric...and rolled them up...
Ahh..childhood...how beautiful...sometimes when life is tough..we have to remember these days.....


happy photo hunting!!

cathi

Life's moments

I found some really wonderful children's photos..photos that so many of you love to collect..
Children's photos are great..because they capture that moment in time when all things are new ....

I have a grandson these days and my daughter is expecting #2! Well, my grandson is 19months old ..and is a handful...yet everything is so exciting to him..
his very favorite thing in the world are dogs! (we have 2) so he is over daily..playing with the dogs..
although he doesn't quite talk..he often barks..telling us he wants to see the dogs!!

When I saw this photo..it reminded me of that wonderful look of wonder...
When all the world is full of hope and life..

oh may we remember what it is like to be a child..and keep that in our own hearts...

cathi

Portraits ~ Stories a face can tell

I love old portraits..I love the art that a face has...and this week for sale on eBay, I have many portraits (ok, I usually have many portraits!!) but this week, I have quite a few that I LOVE. I mean, I looked at them and went..WOW..if only we could know the stories these faces could tell.

One of the things I did when I was young was go to Antique stores and buy old cabinet photos. I would look at the old pictures and make up stories about the faces...making up characters for stories..making them good or evil..or a bit of both!

Anyhow...you must check out some portraits!! God's work of art!!

have a great week!!

Cathi

2013 ~ A New Year!

Well...after a Long hiatus from my blog...
I had a daughter's wedding, a best friend with brain cancer, a father with bone cancer, a daughter who just announced a new arrival..in other words...life has been a lot lately...

So I did what every woman wants to do...
I took off work, redid my office, which meant fixing the walls, repairing the problems with the electrical (ok, it is an Old house!) putting up crown molding, painting, getting new office furniture..and reorganizing my photos..

It has been fun..a bit crazy...especially when my entire office ended up in the living room...

but today it is finished, the furniture is in...and i am cleaning out the living room!!
Spring cleaning really helps during tough times...

I have so many beautiful photos that I will be showing you soon...I have been getting some real art photos..
I am so in love with them..things that are not just the ordinary..but the rare..and beautiful..

hope your winter is good..and that if things are hard a bit of house keeping helps ...

cathi  ( some photos of Daughter Hayleys Wedding...soo beautiful!!)

SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!

Well, if you look at my last post compared to my post today..you will see that
I have not posted in 6 months!! Crazy..
Well, Do  I have a story to tell you..
 a few months ago, I had a daughter with a broken heart..
She and her boyfriend of 3+ years broke up..he just decided he did not want to be married and she, who lived overseas came back home.

To say she was devastated would be an understatement. This was the man she was planning her life with.

So, she picked herself up, worked like crazy..and my small house got full real fast as she kept trying to keep going..

But as most fairy tales go..
Suddenly ..he realized that there really was no one like her...

so he came her from another country..moved his whole life...left his family..friends..
to marry the woman of his dreams..

and (it took my daughter a few moments) she said yes...and the last few months we have been planning a wedding...

He was just scared...

and she..just realized she couldnt live without him..

so i have been juggling planning a wedding, doing my business and life in general...

but in the meantime..i was a bit busy doing some fun things...with photos..
and wanted to show you..

(also have used these in wonderful decorating!!)

 

before:

after:

before:

after:

before:

after:

now these were done with an upgrade in a program where you can color the faces in..and use airbrush..this is all online and wow is it worth it..
when i worked on these, it was like the people came alive!!

hopefully when this wedding is over (i only have 10 more days!!)
then i will be able to show you ways i used some of these for decor in weddings..it is soo fun!!

anyhow..signing off for now..this is the frazzled but happy mother of the bride..

cathi
ps...here is a photo of the happy couple..yes, we have a good photographer!!

Oh the glamour of the 20s! Todays Academy Awards

So this is the photo I am featuring this week...how absolutely romantic...
I love the style..the composition and the romance of the early 20s era

I always...always am hunting for 20s photo..
and especially those wonderful Vaudeville photos...I mean they are simply art..how beautiful......

So the other day I was looking at the news and found out that there is another movie filming where it has the fashions of the 20s, and once again Marion Cotillard is wearing the most beautiful of gowns...now people are wondering if there will be a revival of fashion from this era..

Wow..I hope so!! I hope that this is a new trend, that we take some of the beauty of the 20s and look at it again...

The academy awards this year feature Hugo (take a look at the fashions in this one ~ especially at the end of the movie!! ..sooo magical!!) Midnight in Paris, (love that one!! how absolutely fun!!), and the Artist..(ok, I have not seen this yet..but I will!!)

It was in an era where there was so much change, and the fashions were amazing................

ahhhhh


cathi

When I say STUNNING...I mean it!!

So I am surrounded by photos...and actually I do throw away old photos that are ripped, wrecked, too faint..etc.. Sometimes, yes, it makes me cringe..but it is because I am looking for the BEST...or at least the Different..or the really cute...

But when I list STUNNING in an auction..
it means..
it is the BEST

years ago, we used to be able to advertise our best items. on eBay...and now that is no longer an option..so with 1,469,0000 + photos..it is hard to stand out...

so i write stunning...or Stunning...or Amazing Stunning...or STUNNING..either way it means..
Stop, Look, you wont find one this good for awhile...

This week, I listed quite a few "Stunnings" ...Just decided...ah it is a cold winter..and I have so many pretty photos...and well..I guess it is time to put some out there..

This is of a darling little ballerina...She is perfect...and hard to get rid of...but I did it..and listed it as STUNNING, because I see it in person..and she really is...........

keep watching for the best............

cathi

LOOK WHAT I GOT TODAY FROM EBAY!!

Congratulations!
It's your 12-year eBay anniversary
cathbas, We want to say thanks and let you know how much we value having you as an eBay community member. All of us at eBay wish you the very best in the year to come. Thank you!
John Donahoe President and CEO, eBay Inc.

What are RPPC's?

I am often asked..what are RPPC's

You know, when i first began working with photos, I certainly didn't know.
But RPPC's are real photo postcards

Because people loved to send letters..loads of letters and cards..
and they would develop their photos into postcards and then mail them out to people.

There are some that have several copies..because they would send them to all the relatives.
Usually they are the photos that turned out the best..i mean why else would you want to send them out..but sometimes you find some really funny ones..

Lots of people collect these, because they are small.
Some collect the ones that are written on. They have a newsy note..and a stamp and a stamp mark...pretty cool, because you get a feel for what the world was like at that time in that town.

Some people collect the ones that are not written on because they are in better condition.

I like the ones that are not used usually, because I am all about condition of the image itself, if it can be used for art and things like this.

Rppcs are classified in many different forms, some are places, these can be quite valuable when you find a rare image. Then of course there are people. I personally love people photo cards. Then there are ones that are from Europe that are color tinted and are very pretty, but a bit more mass produced even though it was all at the turn of the 1900s, (so they are quite old) the postcard collectors really know what is rare and what isn't, I am not up on that..but there are some that really have value.

There are marks on the back, where the stamps were that all have different meanings that show date and era. AZO is one of the most common, but there are many others, and European often do not have marks. But primarily most rppc's tend to be from 1900 thru 1915
with the majority being around 1910s. Some are later, into the 20s but most are earlier.

With everything in collecting..it is all about condition condition condition..
but then it is also about subject matter and rarity.

So when you really get into it, it is the hunt that becomes the most fun!

In photos, I collect images that I love..not so much the name of the photographer, I am all about the image and the condition.

Either way..yes, they are a form of photos, and on cardstock and mostly matte finish although some are glossy.

They measure almost always 3.5x5.5
And look great framed!!

Great place to begin while collecting photos...not too big to store...and soo many varieties of images!!

cathi

oooops ..Happy New Years and Photo dreaming

Vera Dawn Walker Early Female Pioneer Avaitor


OOOPS....

I never did post or even make the old photo ornaments for this Christmas..

Christmas is always a BIG thing in our home..and usually we have a theme and decorate with that theme..always fun...and each year..I am sure I will work with old photos..
and each year..i come up with some other idea instead..
sooo there will be a day that I will post how to do it..but I am so sorry ...I just changed my mind..and decided to do Gold and Ivory and we 3 kings...making loads of cut out flowers on Cricket..but that is another story...

Back to photos..
Well, during the holiday season, a good customer of mine, called me up. He was going to move, his mother was quite ill, and he had to put her in a home, and he and his family were moving to her home. That meant packing..and moving..and he loved collectables but had too many..
so would I be interested in some photos..
(would I?? foolish question!!)

so I ran to his home..and got some wonderful unique photos that you will be seeing throughout the next few months...it was sooo much fun............( one is posted at the top of this post)

So keep your eyes open to Chatham Ho Treasures on ebay..cuz there are so many goodies coming up...

For the love of photos...............

do you ever just look at your photos..get lost in your old memories and take a trip in the past while looking at them?

Tonight, as I was getting going through my old photos to get my listings together for the weekend, I found myself doing that...As I looked at them one by one....A warm feeling came over me, and memories began to flood my mind...memories of my own family...with similar photos...and as I kept looking at the photos..it almost felt like having friends around me...reminding me of the past..saying.."remember me!! Dont forget!! remember me!"

Our history is always with us...and sometimes we learn from it, sometimes, we laugh at it, things we might have thought or how we looked long ago, and sometimes we might even get angry with that history, or sad...but I really like those times when our memories just fills us with peace....like a comfortable old friend..that is what those photos did for me tonight..............


anyhow..you photo collectors..you know what i mean..

have a great week...and a wonderful 2012!

and happy hunting..for the most unique images yet.......................

cathi

Holidays around the corner...

Charming Dance photos...................

So I went out of town and visited my daughter who lives overseas...it was WONDERFUL..
but I must confess I missed my grandbaby, my home and even ....my photos!!

Well, the holidays are just around the corner...and I have some AMAZING Photos that I have aquired and that I will be posting soon..................

also I am going to TRY to work on showing projects to make for Holidays..
One year, I used photos to decorate my entire holiday season...and this year..I am thinking of doing the same thing..(that and BRIGHT SHINY ORNAMENTS for the baby to smile at!!)

So keep posted and as soon as I am finished I will show how to use photos for holiday designs..

cathi

Great FREE website for making fun photos!

So...I confess...I have been having fun with the cutest grandbaby...but dear blog..i still miss you..and dont want to forget you..so here I am... I am trying to get back to the photo world..
while still being the babysitter i have always wanted to be!! (yeah!!)


ANYHOW...I FOUND A WEBSITE I had to SHARE WITH YOU!
If you love photos...well this one is FREE, FREE!!

and it is soo much fun...i admit, all night i was addicted to it!!

The name is www.befunky.com
and you will have soo much fun!!





Before and after!!




so you will have fun with this.......


(don't you love this one!!)

Have fun fellow photo lovers!!

cathi