We are a mother-daughter co owned shop. We feature crafted shabby decor, nautical treasures and vintage finds for your home, a special event, or for gift giving.
~~OUR SHOP~~
Our shop offers shabby home decor that has been collected or has been meticulously crafted. Our items are ones that will bring you feelings of comfort, warmth and coziness.
We choose our shop name North and South Shabby, from circumstance. Since one of us lives in New England, and the other, in The Florida Keys, the name "North and South" seemed to fit. The word "Shabby" was a given, as it's the decorating style that we both use in our homes.
North and South Shabby is an extension our personal home styling. There is nothing in our shop that we wouldn't be proud to display in our own homes. We absolutely love everything in our shop and hope you do too.
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A Guide to Vintage Ceramic Elves
I have been collecting these whimsical big eared elves for many years. Unlike a uniformed vintage seller who happens upon a cute elf on a thrift shop shelf and offers it for sale, this particular style of elf has been my guilty obsession for many years. While not professing to be an expert, over time I have gained a bit of knowledge that might be helpful when deciding to purchase one. I know what the common flaws are, and where to look for them and I try to a fault to describe them accurately in my listings. Every elf I offer has been thoroughly cleaned, and observed under magnification.
Let me start off saying there are no perfect elves! Let’s face it, if you have been around for 60 plus years you are not going to be in the same condition you were in when you were young. The same is true for these guys. Beware of uninformed sellers who boast that their elves are in perfect condition-believe me they are not!
Big eared smiling elves were manufactured in Japan, post-World War II. There were quite a few factories that manufactured these, and from what I see, they blatantly copied each other’s design. Companies such as Thames, Ucagco and Lego were the most prevalent.
These particular elves all have bisque faces with shiny enamel painted outfits that were “cold painted” by hand onto a fired base. Some have gold hearts on their chest, some have gold loops under their chins with a chain that attached them to a smaller pair of elves. Unfortunately, few of these chain attached trios are out there now.
Most elves were plain tabletop figurines, but sometimes they were salt shakers and vases. I have even seen some ashtray face ones! There are some cute sports themed and chef themed elves out there as well. The smaller sized elves were often sitting or leaning on logs. The elves range in height from the of largest in 6 inches, most common size was 5 inches, followed by 4, 3 and 2 inch tall.
The most common color of the outfits was red, and a close second were those with white with red and gold polka dots. Some elves had green outfits, but rarely were they dressed in blue or black or yellow.
INSIGNIFICANT COMMON FLAWS...
PAINT WEAR
Paint wear, in my experience, appears all these vintage elves in varying degrees. It lends an endearing, shabby appearance to the elves and in no way effects the collectibility or value. Some uniformed sellers may touch up the paint wear, but this negatively effects their value. Because the enamel paint used for their outfits was “cold painted’ atop of a glazed surface, the paint, over the years gradually wears off from friction, particularly in prominent spots, such as the top of hats and the edges along arms and legs.
PAINT SPATTER
Paint splatter are stray dots of paint usually appearing on the face, made by careless hand painters. Paint spatter can also refer to stray brush stokes that missed their mark. Usually found on the bisque areas of the face, particularly where the ear joins the head or on thehands, most are observable only under magnification. Paint spatter does not affect the collectibility or value of the piece.
PEPPERING
Little black dots which are specks of carbon which occurred during firing. most visible on the face. These dots are quite common and do not effect the collectibility or value of the piece.
GLAZE POPS
Small round holes in the glaze formed during firing when air bubbles reach the surface of the glaze. There are two types of glaze pops. The most commonly found on these elves are the ones that the bubble burst, forming a small dimple on the surface ranging from a tiny dot to about pin head size. Sometimes, however, they do not burst and look like a bubble instead. I have seen glaze pops on at least 75% of all the elves I have collected. Most glaze pops do not affect the collectibility or value of the piece.
REPAIRS
It is not uncommon to have a repaired elf! Repairs refers to a fix made to an elf when a piece has broken off. Let’s face it, these elves were displayed during a busy time of year, and they often got knocked around. Most common are the leg repairs. I have seen many an elf whose leg has lovingly been glued back on. Though less frequent, heads have broken off and ears and then reattached. Depending on the visibility of the repair, the collectibility or value of the piece could be negatively impacted. Small repairs with glue not showing are acceptable.
SIGNIFICANT FLAWS...
Crazing
Fine crackling or spider web like cracks that often seen on vintage glazed ceramic dishes ceramics. I have not seen this on any of the elves I have collected. This would definitely affect the collectibility or value of the piece.
HAIRLINE CRACK
A hairline crack is a crack that goes into or through the clay body of the ceramic piece. When rubbed with your fingernail you will feel a slight click over the hairline crack. The presence of one of these will affect the collectibility or value of the piece, depending where they are located.
CHIPS
A chip is damage which penetrates the clay body of the ceramic and results in the loss of some of the clay body material. The tips of the elf’s ears are often chipped. Depending on the size of the chip, and the area where it is located, this could affect the collectibility or value of the piece.
GLAZE CHIP
A glaze chip or flake is a shallow chip that does not penetrate the clay body of the ceramic. They involve a flaking off of the glaze surface and sometimes impacts the color at the flake site. They most common area for these is the tips of the elf’s ears and the top of its bangs. Depending on the size of the chip, and the area where it is located, this could affect the collectibility or value of the piece.
I you have questions regarding our elves feel free to send a convo!
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~~OUR TECHNIQUES * DISTRESSING~~
We achieve our time worn look by a process known as distressing. This is achieved by applying at least two layers of premium paint to the original surface. Light sanding is then applied and in selected areas the original base, or the first layer of paint is revealed, thus achieving the shabby “distressed” look.
Our products are then sealed to preserve the look. This is accomplished in two ways depending on the product. One method is by hand waxing, using premium waxes. First, a clear wax, followed by a dark wax in selected spots is applied. Usually we wait a full 24 hours for the wax to set. Then the pieces are hand buffed in order to give it a a smooth feel, a soft shine, and a time worn look. Another method we sometimes use to seal the distressing is by applying an acrylic top coat. Either way the effect creates a shabby time loved look.
~~OUR TECHNIQUES * JEWELRY MOSAICS~~
We find our vintage jewelry by attending estate sales, going to thrift shops, and on line auction sales. A base is designed by hand, or, at times, purchased. Jewelry pieces are then selected that will blend well together. Each piece of jewelry is carefully applied by hand using a strong adhesive. As each piece is applied it is fitted together with other pieces much like alike a jigsaw puzzle. Another layer of jewelry is then affixed on top of the original pieces creating a dazzling, multilayer kaleidoscope of texture, depth, and sparkling color. At times bits of nautical treasures such as real sea glass, and shells are applied as well. The rims of our finished pieces are then finished off with an outline of jute twine, providing a shabby finished detail.
~~OUR TECHNIQUES * VINTAGE INSPIRED RAG Wreaths~~
The fabric we use in our rag creations is vintage, as we feel it lends such a time worn look to the piece. We also sometimes use vintage lace and doily pieces as well. The freshly laundered fabric is hand torn, creating shabby frayed and stringy edges that are characteristic of a true rag piece. The lace pieces are hand cut.
WREATHS ```The strips are hand cut to length and then hand tied to a railed wreath form. Another method is that the strips are hand cut to length and then hand woven around a wreath form and then tied.