| Room jewelry
Antique brasses on valuable old tables, secretaries, buffets and breakfronts are not to be trifled with or their antique value might drop dramatically. Ever witness the heartbreak of hopefuls appearing on "Antiques Roadshow" when they're told that their furniture would have been worth $50,000, except for the lame hardware replacing the originals? So don't go replacing any drawer pulls, hinges, cabinet doorknobs, locks or latches on family heirlooms or furniture purchased at auction. A new chest of drawers might benefit from a hardware upgrade or style switch, or most any piece from a flea market or yard sale. And isn't it just too easy and fun to switch out the hardware on lesser items around the house, such as drawer knobs on a bedroom chest from childhood, or a piece of unfinished furniture you've nicely painted that's ready for some jewelry do-dahs on the drawers or doors? Bona Decorative Hardware in Oakley always offered me plenty of choices for ceramic knobs of all colors, sizes and shapes - button-flat or spherical - and multiple metal selections - copper, brass, chrome, black iron, bronze-colored...
Thriving market emerges for World War II collectibles
A hoot of laughter erupts. Images -- immediate and intangible and visceral -- slowly materialize. For a moment, it is 1944, and an 18-year-old sailor gazes across a fateful beach called Normandy, where the world clashed on what would be dubbed D-Day. More than 60 years later, H.W. "Huck'' Huckestein, of Franklin Park, can still recall that fateful day, when his LST Naval craft helped transport some of America's "Greatest Generation" to that Normandy beachhead. Together, the veterans and those historic battlefields form a precious national treasure, a collective conscience, of sorts, that has ignited a boom in World War II collectibles. "Renewed interest for World War II memorabilia stems from the fact that 14-year-olds today see World War II the way my generation viewed the Civil War when we were kids.
Editorial: Where is all the hair?
That's not a new thought for me, but a recent confirmed one. When I first arrived here, one of my first thoughts was "man, there are a lot of hair cutting businesses here." That, and antiques. It wasn't difficult to see that antiques could be so common here because the area is an old one and demographics are such that older people make up a larger part of the population. That, and people like antiques. But why so many hair places? I mean, older men don't usually need intensive hair styling. Let's assume that men make up roughly half the population. Women need their intensive hair stylists. But generally, a man just needs to keep the exact same style he's had for about as long as he can remember. No shampooing or hair gels, or sprays, or blowers, or mousse. Just trim it up.
The 99th Chicago Auto Show
What: The nation's largest auto show, spanning 1.25 million square feet. Multiple world and North American introductions. Complete range of domestic and imported passenger cars and trucks, sport utility vehicles, experimental and concept cars -- in total, nearly 1,000 different vehicles. Numerous accessories and auto-related exhibits, competition vehicles, antique and collector cars. For additional information, visit www.chicagoautoshow.com.When: Today through Feb. 18Where: McCormick Place, Lake Shore Drive at 23rd Street, ChicagoHours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (closing at 8 p.m. on Feb. 18)Cost: Admission Ticket prices are $10 per adult and $5 for seniors ages 62 and older and children ages 7-12. Tickets for children ages 6 and younger are free when they accompany a paying adult. Advance ticket sales are available at https://tickets.drivechicago.com/tickets/.
|
