What Makes You Smile?

The scavenger hunt on ESN this week is for a sale item that has to do with smiling.  I like to think that everything I have listed at Hazel's HodgePodge, and even all the stuff I have collected in boxes to list, will bring a smile to someone's face.  We hope that each and every one of our items will be "a treasure to brighten someone's day",when they find the piece to complete their collection , a replacement for the broken item, something that brings back good memories, or just the right finishing touch for their new or retro decor.

What makes you smile?  Sometimes it's hearing something slightly funny or cute.  Sometimes it's getting a gift or having someone think of you or do something special for you.  Sometimes it's finding something special you are looking for, or even remembering good times from the past, or anticipating good times to come.

As a teenager, I enjoyed walking down Houston St. in downtown San Antonio (where everyone went to shop before the days of shopping malls) and smiling at the people I passed.  It was good to see them smile back.  This holds true today. Going through Wal-Mart, or anywhere you meet people, even if only in passing, try sharing a smile with them.

By way of reminscing--there was a hatter somewhere along Houston Street back then who had a mirror placed strategically above the sidewalk so you saw yourself coming.  It read : "look at your hat, everyone else does."  It could have said, look at your smile, or attitude; everyone else does.

Here are two of my items for sale,that share a smile or at least a weird facial expression.

Does Red have a crooked smile...or what?
See and buy this M&M candy jar HERE.

Ernie has a happy smile on his way to your birthday party with a gift.
Buy this cake pan HERE for that special party.

Look through the offerings at Hazel's HodgePodge and the other vendors at ESN to find something that will make you smile--"a treasure to brighten your day".  You can be sure that your purchase will bring a smile to the seller's face, as well as making you smile when your package arrives.

Retro Dining

The scavenger hunt on ESN last week was for things related to dining.  This a good subject for someone with a store like Hazel's HodgePodge where we have all kinds of dishes,china,glassware, and also cookbooks, with more and more waiting to be listed.  I am just slow as usual about getting my blog together.

I recently acquired some FireKing cups and saucers.  These made me think of some of the dishes we had when I was a kid.  Of course we all sat down at the kitchen table for supper every evening.  We ate breakfast and lunch at the same kitchen table which was covered with oil cloth which was periodically replaced with a new piece from the neighborhood dime store.  Winn's was a south central Texas 5 and dime which had stores in the various neighborhood like the Dollar stores do today. Their slogan was: "Save a trip to town; shop at Winn's."  I even clerked at a Winn"s store while in high school, fulfilling on of my early ambitions.

Some other things we used for everyday meals was a set of various colored aluminum tumblers.  The ones we used most were a set of 4 shorter ones.  But Mama accumulated a set of 8 taller tumblers and a pitcher from the Borden's Milkman.  I am not sure if these were free or reduced price with the milk we bought several times a week.  I do remember the home delivery of  milk and ice--back when we had a real "ice box".
I remember getting green jade-ite and gold peach lustre fire-king dishes out of the oatmeal.  We had fire-king coffee cups and saucers and cereal bowls,  For Sunday dinner at Grandma's we set the round table in the dining room more formally and used the "good" dishes, which I have since learned were the Mildred pattern and came from the Kress store downtown.  Grandma and Mama both had some of these dishes.

Later Mama got dishes in the green Old Curiosity Shop pattern at the HEB grocery.  HEB, pronounced as initials aitch, e, bee, is a south Texas company.  You got pieces each week with your groceries, and both Mama and my aunt collected them for Mama.  My youngest daughter has these dishes today, and she has even found pieces to add to the set.  As even more time passed and I got married, Mama got me  a set of Onieda stainless steel flatware.  You might guess that in the early 1960's we got it with trading stamps.  I know S& H green stamps were popular across the country, and we got S & H green stamps some places we shopped--notably Piggly Wiggly, but the "silverware" was bought with Texas Gold Stamps from HEB.  There was even a Texas Gold Stamp Center attached to the HEB store in our neighborhood.  We got a lot of things with Texas Gold and S&H Green stamps.

The Fire-King cup and saucer that started these remembrances.
See and buy them here.

Check out our glassware at Hazel's HodgePodge to see more pieces of Fire-King.  Also take a look at ESN   for more items to enhance your dining experience.

Soap Dishes!

The ESN Scavenger hunt this week is for items that connect with "splish splash I was taking a bath".
Well, I have two counts against me before I even got started. One, I am running half a week late.  Two, I have absolutely nothing in my store right now that I can remotely relate to bath time.  So, I decided to go scavenger hunting for soap dishes among the scavenger hunter stores.  I hit pay dirt right quick when I visited CarolinaBlueLady Vintage Collectibles.  She has a number of beautiful Avon soap dishes listed for sale.

I especially like this one and the little bird soaps that come with it.  You may have seen this in a TV commercial not too long ago. We've all heard the adage: "a bird in the hand is worth two in a bush"

See and buy this dish Here!

Everyone wants to make their bathroom  as attractive as possible.  You can find all kinds of bath related products among the sellers at ESN. (Just not right now at Hazel's HodgePodge.But we do have a wide assortment of items and will be adding more)

K-9 playing cards

We are continuing our search for puppies this week for the ESN scavenger hunt,

I came across this really unique deck of cards at La Petite Marche.  Isn't this the cutest little pink puppy as a case for the cards?  This features a different breed of dog on each card; making it a  neat deck of cards for the dog fancier in your life.  It would also be good for young children to learn to identify the various breeds of dogs.  Whether you play cards with the deck, keep it as a collectible, or use it to learn about dog breeds this is a truly different set of playing cards for you to enjoy.

See it HERE!

Be sure to take a look at the various stores on ESN. There are stores that specialize in a certain product or type of product and there are many that have a good assortment of collectibles and vintage items.  chances are that you will find what you are looking for at ESN.

How Much is That Doggie...

ESN scavenger hunt this week is for"Puppies".
The only "puppy" in my store, Hazel's HodgePodge, right now is this  stylized Basset Hound figurine. Don"t you love his soulful eyes?  

Check out this adorable pooch HERE!

I did enough research to find that a basset hound has a superb sense of smell, second only to a blood hound, and the word basset means "rather low". Bass meaning low.

Some dog lover, and/or hound fancier should like to have this cutie.

I have always been partial to collies, but we've also had an Irish Setter, a Beagle, and several other really neat dogs. I know there are fanciers of every breed of dog.

The nose on this figurine reminds me of a picture we have of my son with his Irish Setter way back when. You look at it and say "Like Master, like Dog".  

Also thinking about our dog's names.  You can bet the Irish Setter was called "Red".  We got a collie pup when the kids were small.  Even though "Dad" and I wanted another name, you guessed it, she was "Lassie."



Now when we see a doggie at a garage sale, Hubby likes to sing, "How much is that doggie in the window"?

A Swimming We Will Go!

The ESN theme this week is swimming. We used to sing a little ditty "A-hunting we will go, we'll catch a little fox and put him in a box, and never let him go.   We can change that around a bit to "A-Swimming  we will go,We'll catch a little turtle and put him in our jewelry box, and never let him go.  (Just don't want to catch him on our toe!)

See more detail and purchase here

This fine specimen of a turtle makes a really attractive brooch pin. It is a vibrant green on gold, and can add just the touch of color you need for your ensemble.  Or some youngster can treasure it as a novelty pin. It is a cute item.

Be sure to check out our friends at ESN. You never know what you might find whether it has to do with swimming or not.

Household Tips and Home Improvements

This week at ESN we are scavenger hunting for things to do with housecleaning. This has been a real challenge,  and to our credit, we have had some very creative approaches to the topic.

I felt sure I could find something appropriate at Comyc Gyrl Collectibles and she did not fail me.  This neat book is one I would like to look at. I am all for picking up tips to make things easier and being a true SHE (per flylady: SHE=Sidetracked Home Executive) I can use all the help I can get. 

ComycGyrl also has a number of books on Home Improvement, repair, and renovation, if you want to go one step further than housecleaning.

You can find all kinds of things among the ESN sellers.  We would be thrilled to have you drop by and shop with us.

Check it out HERE!

Housecleaning without a Hassle

This week we are concerned with House cleaning on our ESN scavenger hunt.
I am featuring this Cherub Clock as my contribution to " Housecleaning".  This is not a usual tool for housecleaning, but according to Flylady you can do anything for 15 minutes.  By cleaning clutter (or anything else) for 15 minutes at a time and following daily routines you can have a clean, uncluttered home.  A number of years ago my house was in a worse shambles than usual.  It, I'm sad to say, bordered on filthy, and I was tired and depressed.  There seemed to be no hope.  Then I came across a Dear Abby column in the local paper telling about flylady. I looked it up and tried some "babysteps" and some basic routines.  I even ordered Flylady's timer and calendar.  The place became much more livable and my depression lifted.  I have never been a full fledged "flybaby", but I do enough to keep things going, and I extol the virtues of Flylady every chance I get.  Since being at my mother-in-law's and seeing after her needs and appointments in addition to ours, I especially see the value of routines to get the everyday things done and a calendar to make sure we schedule everyone's activities and appointments with no conflicts.
This is a fine whimsical clock to keep track of your fifteen minute challenges or it is a nice addition to your nice clean, well organized home after Flylady. 

See more details and purchase here.

We have many more decorator items and collectibles at Hazel's HodgePodge.
Also take a look at our friend's stores on ESN.  You will find such an assortment of merchandise. There is sure to be something for everyone.

Love is a Song for Mother

Continuing the Singing theme on ESN this week, we went scavenger hunting in the stores of our fellow ESN bloggers.  Right quick I found this fine collectible at Carolina BlueLady Vintage Collectibles.

What can be nicer than sweet young voices in song and what better than a Song for mother!  Love is a Song for Mother.  That has to be so special for any mother.

See this Avon collectible plate here.

Singing--off key and Remembering the good times!

As I was looking through my eCrater store for an item to go along with this week's ESN theme of singing I came across this pair of black and white cows outfitted in full western regalia. You might well ask what these have to do with singing...or music of any kind. Well, they triggered memories of "way back when" I was just a little girl.  Remember riding across Zarzarmora Street in San Antonio going to or from my grandmother's and singing "I'm an old cowhand from the Rio Grande".  We only sang a small snatch of the song and from what I can find now we didn't even sing it right word-wise. I remember puzzling over how someone could ride (a horse) before they could stand. Mama explained that my little brother had ridden (in the car) before he could stand.  I had no idea until just now the origin of the song and that it was a spoof, I only knew and remembered the phrase we sang as a family.  And it was no doubt off key as well as the wrong lyrics.  We were not a family of singers.
Daddy had been  a real cowboy in his earlier life and he would sing "Get along little doggie, yippee,yi oh kyah!" and taught brother and I a crazy song that went  "Sheep and a hog, walking in a pasture. Sheep says "Hog, can't you walk a little faster?" Hog says, "Huh?"Hog says "Huh!"  Researching that I come up with a fiddle tune called "Sheep and Hogs Walking Through a Pasture."  I can only guess that Daddy made up the lyrics...Maybe so, maybe no...

Here's my "cowpoke" cows, that triggered my memories.

Purchase them HERE!

Jumpin' Frogs!

The ESN topic this week is FROGS! Horrors! I don't have a single frog listed on my ecrater store--Hazel's HodgePodge.   Maybe there is a frog somewhere in my boxes, but it would be an exercise in futility to look for it now. Sometimes I think  the only frog around here is me.  I jump around here everyday like a frog. (actually, I have another analogy for how things go here, but we won't go there now.)  I have so many things going on that I seem to do justice to none of them.  I have been considering a garage sale here, but can't seem to find an open date and good weather for it. I was considering yesterday dropping the ecrater store, or at least the time for promotion on it.  This morning I am writing a blog and doing the ESN tasks. Talk about jumping around like a frog!
Come to think of it, I did have  a neat deviled egg plate that featured frogs sometime back,but, fortunately for me at the time, or unfortunately as I write this blog, I have sold it already. I do still have an Easter type deviled egg plate-complete with bunny salt and pepper shakers. Someone needs to get this to use for Easter. It will add to my Easter dinner table, I'd rather someone else have it.

Grab it now, in time for Easter!

Take a Look at ESN for last minute Easter items and for Frogs and related items.

Pancakes and Syrup! Ummm! Good!

This week for our ESN scavenger hunt we are thinking Breakfast. Several of my fellow scavenger hunters have already posted some really good breakfast ideas.  One of my favorite breakfasts, (or breakfast for supper), is pancakes. Pancakes with lots of butter and syrup, and served with sausage on the side. I know that many people  like hot coffee with their pancakes, but I prefer a tall glass of cold milk with mine. I used to make a lot of things from scratch, and have even made pancakes from scratch, but pancakes are just as good or better made from a mix.  Eccentric Thrifter has this 1983 Aunt Jemima Pancake tin that would be a nostalgic way to store your pancake mix. I remember "Aunt Jemima" Pancakes from even further back in my own childhood.

Who hasn't eaten Aunt Jemima Pancakes?

Store your pancake mix in this vintage canister.

Be sure to look at all the shops at ESN.  Our friends have such a variety of things listed for your shopping pleasure.

Yellow Sunflowers for the Breakfast Nook

Our ESN scavenger hunt this week has to do with Breakfast.  I envision a home with a separate breakfast nook off the kitchen or as part of the kitchen--or maybe a kitchen table where the family has breakfast and informal lunches. These cushions would be a pretty addition to your "kitchen" chairs.  I actually got these with intentions of using them myself. I had some assorted wooden chairs with slat backs and bent wood ice cream parlor chairs. I thought these cheery sunflower cushions would tie the eclectic chairs together. I never implemented that plan, and now our living arrangement has changed. Perhaps someone else can spruce up their breakfast nook or kitchen table with them.

Cheery Yellow Sunflowers on a Blue Check.

Buy this set of cushions HERE.

Check out all our products at Hazel's HodgePodge.

See our new blog: Celebrate the Day--Every Day

Putting "A Bug in Your Ear" Part 2

We continue our search for bugs on the ESN scavenger hunt this week.  I found these cloisonne' Chinese earrings at Le Petite Marche.  What better way to "put a bug in your ear"  than with these lovely butterflies.

See and buy these lovely earrings HERE.

Putting "A Bug in Your Ear"

Our ESN topic this week is BUGS. Since I don't really have anything listed that has to do with bugs, I decided to "put a bug in your ear" about my latest "find". Since high school Spanish when I first really became aware of idioms, I have been fascinated with them. An idiom is something that is generally understood by someone who speaks the language as a native, but its meaning does not translate into another language. For example, "putting a bug in someone's ear" in English means to drop a hint or reminder, or to give someone an idea very subtly.  It certainly would sound crazy translated into some other language to say "I'm going to put a bug in his ear." You'd have to say or write the equivalent of "Give him a hint" for the non-English speaker to understand.  Fans of NCIS see and hear Zeva having trouble with  English idioms and adages and twisting them around all the time.  Another one that is really crazy if you think of it from the non-English speakers perspective is "he's pulling your leg."  Can you see that as really pulling on someone's leg?

Anyway, I found some really neat canisters this past weekend.  I'd like for you to take a look at them, and pass the word on to your friends about Hazel's HodgePodge.  They are big red aluminum apples. They have green plastic stems with green leaves as knobs.  I have found that there was an older version of these aluminum canisters with metal stems and leaves.  So while I figure these are fairly old--vintage if you will--they are not the oldest ones around.

See and Buy these neat collectible canisters HERE

Be sure to check out my other new listings,too.

Celebrate the Day! Every Day!

Our Featured Item this week goes along with the ESN blog of the week.  We were supposed to consider Mardi Gras --wild and crazy, colorful and playful.
I have been thinking more along the lines of celebrating.  Also thinking of Psalm 118:24 --This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Every day is an occasion to celebrate.  We just have to look around us sometimes and to have the right attitude in order to appreciate each day for what it brings and celebrate it for what it is. 


One day we all celebrated was January 1, 2000. And my featured item this week harks back to that Millennium celebration.   As a kid the year 2000 seemed so far away.  Now it is fading not so slowly into the past.
Some celebrated Mardi Gras last week in a wild and crazy way. We all celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Easter, weddings,anniversaries, graduations, homecomings, promotions, and the list goes on.  But do we stop to acknowledge and celebrate the little achievements and victories each day?  We should.

You can buy this cute little collectible here.

We'd love to have you stop by Hazel's HodgePodge where you are sure to find "A treasure to brighten your day" and make it a cause for celebration.

Item of the Week--Pink

The featured item from Hazel's HodgePodge this week is, of course, something PINK.

Divided Relish  Dish

Small Hostess Dish

We have been looking for Pink items for our ESN scavenger hunt this week.
When I first found one of these Rosella dishes by Mikasa, I was amazed. I thought this was such a pretty and unusual piece.  At the time, I really had no idea what it was called or who made it. I just knew it was pretty. i have since learned that it is Rosella by Mikasa and was made from 1989 to1997.  I have also found several pieces of it as we visited garage sales in the area.
Be sure to shop our store Hazel's HodgePodge for more treasures to brighten your day.  Also visit our friends at ESN.

Do you have any "colors"?

When I was a kid we played a game.  I don't know if it had a name, but it went like this. A number of kids sat on someone's front steps and one kid was the "shop keeper" for lack of a better term. The shop keeper assigned each child on the steps a color.  Another child who was "It" then approached the "shop keeper" and asked "Do you have any colors?" The "shopkeeper replied "yes! What color do you want?" "It" then named a color. If someone had been assigned that color they took off running and "it" chased them until they were caught or returned to the safety of the steps. If there was no one of that color, "It" had to continue asking until he/she found a color that was there. (In my mind the colors were eggs, and just now I thought of the steps or base as being the hen house)
We spent many, many summer evenings playing this and other more conventional games which involved everyone in the neighborhood.  Our house was on the corner with a street light so our yard was often the gathering spot for all the kids.  Mama never had the yard of the month but she always knew where her kids were.
Anyway, this week on ESN we are looking for something PINK in our stores.
I have some Franciscan dishes listed. These are in the Duet pattern. The Duet pattern was made from 1956 to 1961. It is one of the transfer patterns. It has twin roses in shades of pink with gray leaves and stems on a oatmeal background.  The dinner plates are slightly oval.  I also have some crescent shaped salad plates among other pieces.

Franciscan Duet Divided Serving  Dish

Crescent Shaped Salad Plate

If you are missing pieces or want to add to your Franciscan Duet China take a look at what I have listed at Hazel's HodgePodge.  Also ask, I may have some other pieces available.


Yes, we have colors!  Yes, we have pink! And yes, we have dishes, collectibles, music boxes, and many other "treasures to brighten your day".  

Looking for the Color Red

Our assignment this week as a scavenger  hunter on ESN is to write about something red.  With Valentine's Day around the corner, there is red everywhere. Well, looking through my store, Hazel's HodgePodge, the only red things I found were Christmas items and a few of my sun hats.  Maybe a few souls who are much less procrastinating than I am would like to look HERE for items for the coming Christmas.

Otherwise get ready for summer with one of these unique sun hats.  They are great for gardening, fishing, going to the local fair or trade days--anywhere you need a portable sun shade. Cute sun bonnets for ladies or girls.

This red little girl's sun hat is reversible.

Cute blue hat is the reverse of red hat above

I will be listing more hats as summer approaches.

For Valentine items see our Featured item blogs last week and upcoming this week.

Also check out the plethora of items offered by our friends at ESN.

Valentine Clock

Featured Item of the Week!
Since Valentine's Day is coming soon--sooner than we can imagine, the way the days keep slipping by--I am featuring a Valentine item this week.
This little clock would make a perfect Valentine for someone who collects angels, or for a clock collector.  The clock which is only 1 1/2 inches across is mounted amid cherubs.  One cherub is in a heart.  Take a look at this and other items on Hazel's HodgePodge.

See and buy it HERE

The ribbon hanger doesn't look it in the picture, but it is a pale pink.