In preparation for Father's Day I've been attempting to Source some Mantiques for my Booth that might appeal to the Dads and those looking for the perfect Father's Day Gift for Dad, Grandpa or that Special Man in their Life.
I found this Cool Globe Light, though its hard to capture how much better it actually looks lit up through the eye of my lens... I could totally see this in some Man Cave... especially for that Guy that is a World Traveler or has Dreams and a Vision to be.
But a Standard Globe is always a great Decorator Item too... they're really On-Trend right now and I can never keep them in stock very long.
And I know... these Beautiful, Colorful Wooden Shoes from Holland aren't a Mantique at all... but I couldn't resist them and how they lent themselves to the World Travel Theme I had going on with all the Maps, Globes, etc... *Winks* After all, Import Items are always great touches for Styling and add Interest.
And I'm always on the lookout for great Vintage Photos of Arizona Towns... this large turn of the Century one of one of our Family's Favorite "Ghost Towns", Oatman, lasted about 10 minutes in my Booth before a Guy snapped it up who is an avid Arizona History Buff!
One of the appeals of Oatman, Arizona is that it is frequented by a large Wild Donkey population that comes into Town to be fed Donkey Kibbles by the Tourists.
So our Kids always Loved visiting Oatman to see and feed the Wild Donkeys, which still roam throughout the Arizona Desert and who have made the Town of Oatman their personal domain, where they have Trained the Human Tourists quite well. *Winks*
And I confess that we're among the well Trained Humans... after all, who can resist these Sweet Faces? And eeking out a Living in the harsh Desert Climate & Terrain is rough stuff, so ya gotta help a Donkey out by offering Kibble Alms! *Smiles*
But Oatman wasn't always known for it's Wild Donkeys... in it's heyday it was a thriving Mining Town... yep, there was Gold in them thar Hills!!! And there probably still is...
And if you're as tough as an Old Donkey... with the Price of Gold now... well, you might want to just take a trek on up to Oatman and do some Prospecting!?! Or at the very least, feed some Wild Donkeys? *Winks* Awwww... just look at how longingly it's gazing at you with it's Kibble Begging Face on!!! *Smiles*
This really has morphed into an Oatman Tourism and Wild Donkey Post hasn't it?!? *LOL*
And I must confess, that since I haven't been down to Oatman for quite a bit, I'm using Wild Donkey Images from our recent Memorial Day outing near Castle Hot Springs!!! So these aren't even Oatman Wild Donkeys... they're Castle Hot Springs area Wild Donkeys! *LOL* This one even seems to be Smiling at the Irony of her Mistaken Identity. *Winks*
I just Adore taking Photos of God's Wild Creatures that Reveal themselves while we're on our Arizona Adventures in and around the Desert... so any excuse to Share these Images with you will do, right? *Winks*
And as you can see our Wild Donkey population is quite at Home & thriving in the Desert.
And since in Typical fashion I've strayed way off Topic in this Post already... *LOL*, well, you might as well see what Castle Hot Springs looks like too, right? *Smiles* This is what remains of this Historic Resort... so much has been razed and lost in recent years, after an out of State Wealthy Developer bought the property, that it grieves my Heart.
But Thankfully a few of the original structures remain and have allegedly been restored... so I'm Grateful for that. Castle Hot Springs has always been a Private Resort in the 40+ years I've lived in Arizona, it has been frequented by many Presidents and the Wealthy, and not been open to the General Public, so I can't really say how much Restoration has or hasn't been done.
I can only attest to the fact that much of it has been torn down and lost forever, for whatever the reason, from how it looked over forty years ago when I first beheld & Photographed it in all of it's Magnificence, when many more Historic Structures existed.
But it remains a Jewel of a Desert Oasis with Natural Hot Springs in the midst of the Arizona Desert... and is still a Beautiful Sight to behold.
Now, back to Mantique Sourcing in my Booth as I'm getting ready for the Father's Day Event we shall have at THE BRASS ARMADILLO WEST that Father's Day Weekend. *Winks* Yep, I 'scored' a pair of Vintage Volkswagon Hubcap Wheel Covers!!!
The Classic VW Beetles and Vans will never go out of Style... they are Iconic... especially for those of us from the Hippie Era, when a VW Van could very likely be your VW Gypsy Caravan to all of the Concerts and Hot Spots across the Country. *Winks*
And what speaks Mantique any better than a set of Vintage Thermos, Vintage Camper's Graniteware and Old Toolboxes? *Smiles*
Perhaps a big ole' Wall Map???
Or a Pipe Smoker's Vintage Spinning European Ashtray?!? Pipe Smoking is after all a very Manly Image... can't remember the last time I ever saw a Gal smoking her Tobacco in a Pipe?! *LOL*
And with Stag Graphics... very Testosterone laden this Ashtray is!!! *Smiles*
I actually remember my Dear Ole' Dad having one of these Spinning European Ashtrays... as Kids we used to like spinning it like a Top until we got caught! *LOL*
And Guy Ephemera is very On-Trend right now... yep, the Guys do Collect this Type of Stuff too, only theirs has more Manly Graphics than the Feminine Ephemera we Adore. *Winks* Ephemera is after all very heady with Nostalgic Memories... of Places, Good Times, Vacations, Get-Aways etc... from our Pasts.
And really, Male or Female, who can resist Vintage Graphics?
Another Mantique Staple... the Vintage Liquor Bottle Collectible! *Smiles* Del Webb is a big presence here in Arizona too.
And I really liked the Graphics & Colors on this Vintage Bourbon Bottle. You know how I'm a Sucker for anything with Turquoise & Golden Hues... it attracts my Magpie Tendencies for Home or Booth! *Winks*
And I found a great huge Old Rural Mailbox...
With a Sweet Horse & Carriage atop of it... ummm... Okay, on second thoughts, maybe I shouldn't use the word 'Sweet' whilst describing a Mantique in my Booth, huh?! *LOL*
And how about this Vintage Heat Lamp with a Fab Art Deco Style Stand! {Photographed at Home on it's way to my Booth.}
Now this Piece was hard for Yours Truly to part with on account of my Love Affair with Art Deco and THAT BASE!!! Lucky for you I couldn't think of one good reason why I need or could use a Heat Lamp?! *LOL* But if I can think up one... it could come back Home with me, you never know?! *Winks*
And this reproduction Limited Edition Circa 1899 Bottle Coca-Cola set was way Cool!
I have never seen this Style of Coca-Cola Bottle and so it really intrigued me... hard not to want to keep just ONE for myself! *Winks* But I resisted because I wanted the Set to remain intact. For the hard core Bottle Collector this might be just the unique Bottle they don't yet have?
The Young Prince R helped Gramma with the loading and Styling of the new Inventory for the Father's Day Event...
After all, I needed a Stylish Guy's Eye View of things and some budding Pre-Teen Man Muscles to help me with the daunting Project and Vision at hand of moving things out, and in, and around ... and he's Free, Willing Labor, so what can I say, he fit the Bill perfectly as my Executive Assistant this day?!? *LOL*
And well, he didn't exactly come totally Free... {They never do, LOL}... he's been eyeballing these Neopet Cards in my Friend & Co-Worker Mr. Dan's Grand-Daughter's Case... and so we set about haggling with Mr. Dan for the coveted Set as Prince R's 'payment' slash Graduation slash Birthday Gift. {Yeah, I'm a "Bundler" of Special Occassions too! Frank of American Pickers has nothing on me!!! LOL} Hey, whatever gets the Job Done right? *Smiles*
But I'm not the only one who has stocked my Booth with Mantiques in preparation for the Father's Day Event...
There is an abundance of Cool Signage...
Vintage & Antique Agricultural...
Vintage & Antique Commercial...
Neon Signage for the Bar or Recreation Room at Home...
Nothing sets a Festive Party-like Atmosphere quite like the Bright Lights of Neon!
And my Friend Mr. Dan's Booths have a wide variety of Mantiques, Native American and Western Collectibles.
Because Taxidermy is another Hot On-Trend Item now too... and you can 'score' a wealth of Exotic & Unique Taxidermy from around the World at the BRASS ARMADILLO ANTIQUE MALL my Friends.
So let your Dad and the other Special Men in your Lives know how much they mean to you by bringing them in for a unique Shopping Experience this Father's Day Weekend... because we not only have a vast selection of Dealers and Inventory...
But also a FREE GRILL GIVE-AWAY each Day of Father's Day Weekend June 16th and 17th!!!
Saturday it will be this Amazing Grill-Master being given away to the Lucky Winner!!!
Valued at $199.00 couldn't you just see Dear Ole' Grill-Master Dad Grilling up a Storm on this!?! And all Entries are Free, so be sure to come in Saturday and sign your Guy up to Win this Grill!
And on Father's Day Sunday, it will be this Fabulous Weber Grill being given away to the Lucky Winner!!!
Valued at $699.00 this would be the Ultimate Prize for your Dad or Special Man... so be sure to come on down Father's Day and Enter him to Win this top-of-the-line Grill!!!
Til' then may you have a Zen Week my Friends...
Peace be with you... Dawn... The Bohemian