Chisum Trail Mercantile

The Braithwaite House has been busy

2008-05-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

testing new fragrances for our customers, we've also been searching for accessories that will accent our soy candles and patti melts. After much looking and researching, we think we've found some wonderful items. We will soon be offering simmer oils in stunning decorative bottles, as well as pot-potpourri burners in various styles and colors.

Roswell Stargate is busy gearing up for the up-coming UFO Festival that is held every year here in Roswell. Our "alien sudz" have been a big hit with the locals, now if I could just have 18 more hours in the day! Dawn

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2008-05-02T10:31:00.001-07:00

A Beautiful Secret......

2008-04-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for affordable beauty products, stop by www.abeautifulsecret.com and browse through the wonderful selection that's offered.

At "A Beautiful Secret" you can also browse thru many of the products offered by The Braithwaite House. The Braithwaite House developed a signature fragrance for our soy candles, patti meltz and wickless flames for "A Beautiful Secret". This fragrance is light and has that "spa" like feel to it.

Stop in and visit either shoppe - we'd be happy to have you - Dawn

Finally Friday -

2008-04-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

Decisions, decisions, decisions - so I can pour candles for the Braithwaite House and get prepared for the Roswell UFO Festival in July OR I can attend an estate auction, that promises to be absolutely wonderful. This auction is from a very large estate in the southwestern part of the state, and from the pictures, it seems this lady liked to collect anything and everything. Last weekend entailed cleaning out the barn and what an undertaking that was - just plain 'ole hard work.

Well, I won't be able to stand it if I don't go to the estate auction, at least just to "look" - no harm in looking right? There could be boxes and more boxes. Who knows what treasures could be buried in those boxes - something I might need.........

A New Adventure begins.........

2008-04-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

The Braithwaite House is very proud to announce that our products can now be purchased at: www.abeautifulsecret.com A wonderful store that offers all the creature comforts that we ladies need and deserve - from make-up to hand poured soy candles from The Braithwaite House. Our sample service is also available through A Beautiful Secret.

A New Venture........

2008-04-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

The Braithwaite House will soon embark on a new business venture. We're going to spread our wings a bit and partner with other store owners. Our latest fragrance "God's Grace" has been a great hit with our testers, and will be available on our website in the near future.

Our Roswell Stargate division is gearing up for the 61 anniversary of the UFO Festival held here in Roswell, New Mexico. The entertainment for this years festival are already scheduled. The familiar "lime green" figures are starting to appear in shop windows as well as on the sidewalks of Main Street. I'm sure it will be another outstanding year for the festival.

New Fragrance from The Braithwaite House

2008-03-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

We've been busy testing a new fragrance. We think our customers will enjoy this one - we've named it "God's Grace". A nice light fragrance, perfect for the spring time of year. It will be listed on our website shortly. The Braithwaite House has also created a sample service form for all our customers who need to "sniff" before they purchase. If you'd like a sample patti meltz to try, visit our website www.thebraithwaitehouse.com and complete the sample service form and a sample of your choice will be on it's way to you. The mailing expense is on us - so enjoy - Dawn

Muncaster Castle Fragrance

2008-03-10T13:52:00.001-07:00

After much searching, we've finally decided on a nice fragrance that will do justice to the name "Muncaster Castle". A nice light floral with a touch of leather. We will have this on the website once our testing is complete.

2008-02-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

As we continued our search for our “family ancestors”, it became clear that our family was not only related to the “Braithwaite’s” of England but also to the “Pennington’s” of England. The Pennington family has resided in the Muncaster Castle since the 1200’s. Muncaster Castle is located near Ravenglass in Cumbria. The Pennington family currently reside in Muncaster Castle today. Archeological work that is being done at Muncaster Castle suggests that it may have been the location for a large Roman fort. I think our next endeavor at the Braithwaite House will be to find a soy candle fragrance that pays tribute to our Pennington Family. www.thebraithwaitehouse.com

Aunt Blake and Owens Scones

2008-02-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

Aunt Blake and Owens have lived in Delaware their entire lives. The Braithwaite Family fondly refers to Aunt Blake and Owens as our “Great Baking Aunts”. The sisters were employed by the local school system as cooks, and by “cooks” we don’t mean open and can of something and heat it up. This was cooking (the old fashioned way) they used the ingredients found in the kitchen and made their own versions of meals that fed hundreds of hungry school children. On days our “Aunts” were ill, the school children would have to eat from the snack machines. Upon the “Aunts” return, the children would make it known to Aunt Blake and Owens that there would be no more sick days. The Braithwaite House has proudly named a wonderful baked fragrance “Blake and Owens Scones”. Now, you too can also enjoy the home baked goodness of our “Great Baking Aunts” in your home. Just imagine, the home baked aroma of sweet butter bread smothered with raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon – this fragrance is a touch of days gone by. Stop by and read some more about our Braithwaite family - www.thebraithwaitehouse.com

The Braithwaite House

2008-02-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered how some people come up with the names for their businesses? The Braithwaite House comes from our family ancestors. After some extensive research (years of research and several notebooks later), we have found that our family line comes from England and parts of Germany. They migrated to Virginia. I am pleased to say that I am a decendant of the Braithwaite and Pennington families.Our Braithwaite House business is comprised of family members. Take a tour through our fragrance list and you'll find some of the names of our ancestors as well as the names of their homesteads, businesses and nicknames. It was our decision to use these names as a tribute to ancestors and the heritage they have left us. We're still developing and creating our website. But we'd still love to have you stop in -www.thebraithwaitehouse.com - questions? proprietor@thebraithwaitehouse.com

Vintage Beaded Evening Bag

2007-11-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, yet another classic evening bag. This was purchased at an estate auction earlier this summer along with some alligator hand bags.

My ecrater store has two of these lovely bags available. These would be just perfect for those holiday parties. To see this and my other selections stop in at http://chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com

Auctions Finds......

2007-10-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Sigh..... well not all auctions can be "gems". This past weekends auction was a bit of a let down. The day began with the wind blowing and there was a fall chill in the air - and many of my "regular" auction friends were in attendance (guess they thought they might miss something also!).

This auction didn't have a lot of items that attracted me. I did purchase a vintage wool blanket for the den. They had some nice hand work, but I have plenty of those. I should have bought that branding iron tho - . Well there will be other auctions down the road. Stop in at http://chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com/ to view my vintage handwork.

Auction Events

2007-10-26T13:25:00.000-07:00

Well last weekend was an action packed "auction estate" day. There were two estate auctions on the same day and in two different parts of town. You'd think that maybe the locations could have some how been consolidated to be closer to each other - like next door to each other! I didn't attend either auction but heard that there were some wonderful items.

Now, tomorrow there are THREE estate auctions - I ask you what is a person to do? I would need three of me, not to mention three checking accounts with some serious cash!

In the mean time - take a gander at some of my other auction purchases http://chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com/

Dawn

Estate Auction Results

2007-10-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well the long awaited estate auction has come and gone. The turn out was not to bad, usually when you have a low turn out, you can save a bit of cash. They had a wonderful selection of items.

I did purchase a wool floor rug, and I got a pretty good deal. There were tons of post cards, love letters and such. But with the black and white french post cards I currently have listed at www.chisumtrailmercantile.ecracter.com I didn't feel the need to purchase any more.

I noticed in our local newspaper that there is another estate auction this coming Saturday and they will be featuring Francoma Pottery and Carnival Glass. I just might need some of those!

2007-10-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I had made mention of some vintage sewing patterns. As time has gone on, I've been able to organize the box of sewing patterns that I purchased.

The styles have changed so much from the 1930's and 1940's until now. But fashion is like history, it repeats itself. The a-line skirts will return, so will the padded shoulders that I am so found of. This pattern is an Anne Adams, the simple lines and the bell sleeve is typical of this time period. Anne Adams sewing patterns were obtained through mail orders.

Stop by http://chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com to view my other vintage pattern listings.

It's Here - the official Estate Auction Notice

2007-10-03T11:57:00.001-07:00

Oh boy - I've been waiting sooooo patiently. The first Estate Auction for the fall season is October 13, I'm counting down the days. Some of the items they will be selling are: Full Size Antique Iron Bed, Eastlake Parlor Furniture, Carved marble Coffee and Entry Tables, Original Peter Hurd Painting dates 1957, Turquoise and Costume Jewelry.

I've already looked at the photos they have on-line and the Turquoise jewelry is Native American. Being in the Southwest we have a lot of Native American Jewelry. I did notice that one piece in particular is corral and that is getting hard to come by these days. We also get a lot of Peter Hurd paintings down here, his son, Michael, lives on the family homestead and has his own following for his paintings.

Hmmmm - time to get my shopping list in order! I'm leaning towards the jewelry. The sweater clasp that is pictured above was one of my wonderful purchases this past summer. An absolutely wonderful piece of vintage jewelry, perfect for the upcoming holidays. Stop in and see my collection of jewelry at http://www.chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com

Le Havre - The Harbour

2007-09-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Le Havre was founded in 1517. Le Havre means “the harbour or the port”. In 1793 the city changed its name to Havre de Marat and later Havre-Marat in honor of the recently deceased Jean-Paul Marat, who was seen as a martyr of the French Revolution. In 1795 Havre-Marat changed its name to Le Havre, its modern name. It was during the 19th century, that Le Havre became an industrial center.

The city was devastated during the Battle of Normandy in World War II. The city of Le Havre, on the English Channel in Normandy, was severely bombed during the Second World War. The destroyed area was rebuilt according to the plan of a team headed by Auguste Perret, from 1945 to 1964.

The devastation that Le Havre sustained is evident in the this postcard. Historically, this picture is worth a thousand words, the sheer and utter devastation is just unbelievable. It is estimated that 12,000 people lost their lives during this time. For other historical views of France, stop by http://chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com - we'd love to have you - Dawn

2007-09-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

Isn't this a quaint looking street? This is another one of my favorite french postcard finds. I like the postcards and greeting cards with inscriptions on them - it makes the senders "real people". Someone you can identify with.

The Carlsbad Caverns

2007-09-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

During one of my many postcard sorting days, I ran across this vintage photo postcard of the Carlsbad Caverns.

The letter on the reverse side was written to the writer's mother and was explaining why there had been no contact. She'd been to the dentist to have a wisdom tooth pulled and the dentist broke the bone! Oh - the pain. I must confess I winced when I read the back message of this postcard. The writer goes on to explain that the tooth hadn't come through because there was no room and her gum had to be cut. Then she further explains about a fever that she's had for most of the time. I'm invisioning more severe pain -

This post card was mailed on July 15, the post marked date is not ledgible, but we can use the 2cent stamp for verification.

For this and other vintage postcards stop in and visit me at www.chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com

Vintage Sewing Patterns

2007-09-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

At the estate auction I attended in July (see I can even tell you the month I acquired my items) I ran across a box lot of vintage patterns. I think the prior owner of these items must have been a seamstress at one time.

Imagine my excitement as I was purusing my purchase and found a Betty Grable Pattern which was made by Hollywood Patterns. Oh and the vintage Vogue Pattern which only cost $.50 at the time it was made - have you seen the cost of a Vogue Pattern today? Stop by www.chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com to see my other collectible listings.

Both patterns offer the classic styling of the day. Now, if I could get my figure to those "classic styling" measurements - we'll leave that topic for another day.

Postcards, Postcards and more Postcards

2007-09-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

I tell you I don’t know what I was thinking when I purchased TWO boxes of vintage postcards. These two boxes are in addition to the vintage greeting cards I already had.

At the time I purchased them I thought they were a great find! They had to be sorted into categories and then those categories had to be sorted and sorted some more.

Despite all the work, it was well worth the effort. I’ve seen pictures of the Olympics that were held in Germany prior to the war, Le Havre after the destruction during the war, Napoleon’s Tomb, the liberation of France from Germany. To see these historic places stop by www.chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com.

“Oh Where for Art Thou Next Estate Auction”?

2007-09-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

The affection for “all things old” began many years ago when I was just a small child. My “Grandma” taught me at the tender age of 8 the fine art of collecting. Friday evenings were spent closely scrutinizing the local newspaper for just the right “Garage Sale” ad. Once that was complete our route was carefully laid out. Come the next morning we were off! Oh the anticipation – would there be Barbie Dolls and clothes? Maybe a pedal car? What about a game or two?

Nah – none of that “stuff” for me. I needed “glass” beautiful cut glass in colors and intricate designs, perfume bottles, porcelain tea sets, crystal dresser sets.

Now that I’m all grown up, I still have a need for my “glass”. My venue for purchasing has changed, now it’s Estate Auctions! Love Them!!!! “One Stop Shopping” for the collector – a wonderful concept. My hometown is of average size, so these outings are what my auction going friends and I consider to be a “Social Affair”. We visit, browse and bid.

I have purchased some wonderful items, an iridescent carnival glass paper weight, Spode Cornucopia Vase, vintage Vogue sewing patterns, Betty Grable sewing patterns, and postcards from France during WWII. To see many of my vintage items visit me http://www.chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com/

The auction circuit has been pretty quiet this summer (too hot). Don’t these auctioneers understand that I NEED an auction? Three months without one is too much for one to bear. I’d grovel if I though it do any good -

2007-09-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

I attended an Estate Auction a few months back and was able to purchase a box lot of French Postcards that date back to World War II. The former owner of these postcards was a Chaplin in the Army and was able to travel to several countries during his tour of duty.
Collecting postcards is popular due to the various range of subject matter that is available. Not to mention the historical value of the postcards.
The French postcards I have are from the Divided Back Era - March 1, 1907 thru 1915 and the "White Border" Period. Most postcards produced during this era were printed in Europe, especially by the Germans. The threat of WWI brought a decline and eventually ended the supplying of postcards by the Germans. The war, influenza and a lessor quality of postcard brought an end to the postcard collecting hobby.

The next era for postcards is the White Border Period - 1915-1930. After WWI the German publishing industry was never revitalized. Some of the finest publishing houses both in England and Germany were bombed. With the higher cost of publishing brought down the quality of the postcards. "White borders" were left around the postcards to save on ink.

The "Linen Card" era was next for the postcard collector. Publishers now had the technology to print cards on a linen type paper stock. The high rag content gives the postcards a "textured" look. Most of the production of these types of cards ceased in around 1939 with the introduction of the color "chrome" postcard. With the onset of WWII the postcard industry again saw a decline, which forced many postcard companies to print older views and then only if the printing material was available.

Chisum Trail Mercantile has a large array of vintage black and white matt post cards from France, Brussels and Luxembourg. To relive these historical places stop by www.chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com