Mother of Pearl Marhill Compact

Marhill have to be one of my favourite vintage powder compact manufactures - not only did they produce gorgeous compacts fitted with plates of mother of pearl, but they are compacts that often appear in a better condition - often spotless and unused. I often give my compacts a little clean up with a duster after purchase - this one however hasn't required anything. I already have one Marhill compact and when we spotted this flowered addition we knew we had to add it to our collection - moving to America's giving me a spurt back into collecting them seeing I couldn't bring them all over with me. Like my other Marhill this one is unused, free of powder with it's original shifter and puff, additionally it still has it's branded label upon the mirror and unlike my other, had it's original box. The box itself is nothing remarkable but its nice to have it. 

Manufacturing during the 1950's, Marhill used slabs of mother of pearl upon their products [alongside compacts they made cigarette holders, cases and lipsticks] upon which a decoration is sometimes engraved or stuck upon. With regards to this compact two flowers cross, the flower head of one finished off with a little stuck on gem stone. Mother of pearl itself is delicious - the colours and the waves of the toning upon the stone is pure beauty. One element which has always impressed me about Marhill is how sturdy their compacts are but not to the extent that they are heavy. They really are gorgeous additions if you can find them in such good condition.

There's still the compact blog poll running to the left to the screen if you have time just to quickly share your view - thank you!

Doughnuts and pie

Yesterday [Sunday] was the day we didn't really eat any proper food, save the burger we had at home for lunch. Seeing The Muppet's film at the cinema led to us eating a bag of buttery popcorn [where you actually dribble butter into your bag - I mean how good?!]. After the movie we drove out to the Grand Traverse Pie Shop - it's basically a shop selling gorgeous, home made pies. We brought the Mountain Berry pie - so so good. I loved the detailing on the box with the vintage lady, it came in a proper tough and rigid pie base with the pie themselves topped off with a love heart. Then the Krispy Kreme light just happened to be on the first time ever in passing the local shop. We brought a box of a dozen mixed including a snowman, chocolates one, blueberry and even a red velvet one and were even handed a hot freshly made one. I'm feeling very fat today but being in a new country means you have to sample all these foods, right?

You know your in America when ...

You see the yellow school buses everywhere - even on non school days ...

You hunt out the "English" section of the international food aisle ...

... your lucky you can't see the prices of some of these - whoever knew you'd want to pay nearly £4 for one tiny box of Jaffa cakes?! That's alongside some of the items they claim to be "English" like most of the section of the left of the image, I've never heard of most of that stuff. Also please excuse lame blurry phone picture.

You see flags - from tiny ones to HUGE ones everywhere, from homes to car garages to drive ins, [why do we never have this sense of nationalism in the UK apart from the occasional sporting occasion?!] ...

It becomes just as easy to dine out then it does to eat in - and sometimes even cheaper ...

And one of the best parts -  sticking your Christmas tree up before December and get away with it, the fact that we put ours up on Thanks Giving felt somewhat rebellious to my English background - was a good thrill and looking around at all the homes around us - we are far from the first.

Let's not forget the debate over English verses American baked beans ... that set off a debate on my facebook - but the American version comes with bacon - and that has to be better right?

While i'm at it - you know you have an amazing amazing boy when he brings you home three bracelets he made at work for you.

Well there's two of them - the ladybug one is just beyond cute - has little rose beads between each one. I heart my boy big time. 

Anyways i'm not really looking forward to the next couple of weeks - I probably should because we're getting married in a week and a half, but I still don't have a dress, or shoes, Joe doesn't have a suit and we don't have rings or guests confirmed. I'm having to meet some of Joe's work colleagues and I HATE meeting new people and to top it off he has his stag/bachelor do at the end of the week and I'm dreading it. Its not that I don't trust him - it's the people he's doing it with - i don't know them so it's hard to trust them. I wish we were just eloping and then running off to Chicago.

The Adventures of the Canned Cheese

The recent exploits with the food post made me finally undertake the ordeal of trying the canned cheese. Declaring itself "made with real cheese" [as opposed to that fake stuff] it also doesn't need to be refrigerated - a can and no fridge - this sounds wrong to an English person. The Kraft brand calls it's product "easy cheese" which is a semi solid cheese-food first introduced in the 1970s. We brought the cheddar, but you can also purchase it in "Cheddar 'n Bacon", "American Flavour" and "Sharp Cheese Flavour" with the company suggesting the product can be used as a dip, within nachos and even inside an omelet [crime!] - but I'm playing it safe and trying it with cheese crackers.

The best way to think of it, is like it's squirty cream - it's in the same kind of aerosol container. To "release" said cheese you push against the actual nozzle and it squirts it's way out. It's thick and it's rubbery and it takes a bit to detach itself from the can. It's like glue.

Excuse scabby camera phone photograph.

It really is like those cheese strings that were famous for being in your pack up for a while and then vanished with the really vivid colouring. It has a very sharp, sticky somewhat powerful kind of a taste. A taste that very much isn't cheese like. Would I try it again - possibly on crackers because they are as dry as sawdust anyway and it does give them a bit of taste but never ever as a sandwich filler. That would be a crime to the taste buds. Never, ever, ever.

If you could also poke the poll on the top left of this page that would be excellent - I'm debating starting a separate blog purely for vintage compacts, guides and history. There seems to be a lack of information about them even though there seems to be an audience. Just click the poll and let me know!

Chained Vintage Powder Compact

 

One section of vintage powder compacts that were never easy to come across  in the UK were chained compacts. Typically American these compacts came with a chain attached to the bulk of the compact. First advertised in the late 1920s and they often have more then one compartment. Sometimes they hold rogue, space for cigarettes, lighters or lipstick, yet they never seemed to catch on over the waters in the UK [and if they are ever found, they really are rare] saying that there is very limited information around regarding chained compacts.

Somewhat reminiscent of a vanity case in its sizing and style, we managed to pick up this unused combination wrist chained compact with attached lipstick in an "antiques" shop on our drive back from Frankenmuth, I typed antiques like I did merely because it smelt and felt more like a charity shop with rows of cookie jars and random assortments of video tapes. This compact was locked up with some cigarette cases [as they often are] but after pulling it out and seeing the chain, I knew it was something special, sadly it is unmarked but i'd assume it was from the 1950sish [give or take a decade].

Clasped together the chain fastens from the center with enough length to fit over your wrist - thus allowing the lady easy access in times of need rather then having to rumble through, or even carry a bag. On the side is an attachment to hold a lipstick case and like the compact this too hasn't been used. The compact design itself is patterned with raised alternating styles of blocks and while it hasn't been used shows a little wear and tear around the edges. Opening up the compact from one side reveals a mirror, shifter and puff, and the other empty space which perhaps was used for cigarettes or in some cases stamps and small note paper. It's in a gorgeous unused condition.

Frankenmuth

Some people would be tempted to claim that Frankenmuth is merely a commercial kitsch destination - being one of the states top visitor attractions this former farming community was settled first by 15 German immigrants in 1845 yet I doubt they would recognise their former homes today. Described as "Little Bavaria" in an Americanised German manner its home to a main street of little "German" shops selling sausages, clocks and cheese, a working mill and brewery, plus it's home to the world's largest Christmas shop  and its infamous chicken dinners. We slightly forgot how much of a tourist destination Frankenmuth actually was especially seeing we were visiting on a Saturday - plus with the holiday season approaching it was super busy. We had a good poke around some of the shops - like the cheese shop, the pet store which practically sold everything [and then some] for your cats and dogs and watched some taffy [a sweet which is pretty much all sugar] and fudge being made. We treated ourselves in getting a 1lb bag of Jelly Belly's in the huge candy store - so yummy!

Food Sunday

Home baked cookies

A crime against cheese?!

Strawberry shortcake treat from Astoria

IHOP [international house of pancakes] strawberry pancakes

Astoria cupcake

One of the more obvious differences between the UK and the US is food. Potions are generally bigger [to the point where they are too big to finish], yet food is often cheaper here, some of it can be hit and miss but its generally eat-able. I did my first batch of home baking with cookies - recipes in the states are measured out by cup size, it seems a little less exact but the cookies came out fine so it can't be that odd. The Astoria Pastry shop in the next city is where we shared the huge strawberry shortcake  - which was delicious - the store was crammed full of freshly made pastries, cakes and treats of which we took away something for afters, of which I tried my first American cupcake [last image]. The icing was utterly yummy and overall they make a good rival for their British counterparts, again they tower them in size. One food item I still haven't had the guts to try is canned cheese; you don't even need to keep it in your fridge. The fact that they need to state that it's "real" cheese on the labelling is somewhat disturbing. I think cheese is one of the things i'm missing food wise, proper cheese that's not sliced or out of a plastic wrapper. Cheese out of a tin to a girl that loves her cheese sarnies doesn't fit well.

Crocheting

We'd been looking for some coasters for the new coffee table yet it was harder then you could imagine; they were either non existent or costing the Earth - even the Sally Army was wanting $4 a coaster [how?! They weren't even anything special]. Then I had the sudden and somewhat random brainwave to make some out of the wool scraps of wool we have. A quick Raverly search and twenty four hours later i've made four coasters and two larger sized ones. I'm geekily pleased with them, I haven't crocheted for ages after getting bored of making doilies, but having a purpose for making things for the apartment has helped immensely.

Wandering to Jo Ann fabrics which to a crafter [even an on off one like myself] I found as a total heaven. For some reason the UK doesn't do big craft stores as such but here, oh my! I have never seen so much crocheting or craft products and patterns under one roof. There's scrap booking, wool, fabrics, glitter, fake flowers, photo frames. One of the things I could never find in the UK was crochet patterns; to walk in and see rows of crochet patterns was amazing. I ended up getting a small booklet on crocheting blankets and four huge balls of the softest wool to make one of which I've already started [see the bottom photograph] - for less then the equivalent of £15 its cheap indeed. I'm even tempted to make another and some scarfs. The crocheting bug has been re-caught - this and baking.

Are you making anything crafty at the moment?

You can find the free coaster pattern which I used here.

Brushes and a button lady

On Friday we drove to Ann Arbor, a big university city an hour west of Detroit to poke where we're getting married which in fact is in three weeks today, its in a sweet little district which had a very stereotypical feel of how you'd imagine America to be - with flags on the porch/front garden and a general store, among which was a little antiques store which we just had to pop into. It was filled with old advertisements, cookware, old lipstick containers, and while there was no compacts there was a gorgeous paddle silver brush. They were asking $10.60 [£6.62] for it so it would have been a crime, and a regret to have walked away without it.

The tale behind the brush is that it came from a house which was hit in a storm by a falling tree with the matching mirror splashing to pieces. Age has altered its once shiny appearance and i'm lost in a debate about attempting to return it back to that condition or to shine up the embellishments or leave it as it is. The lady who runs the shop calls herself the Button Lady of at least Michigan if not America [she can command up to $200 hourly in talks just about buttons], she was a lovely lady but she knew how to talk and to escape from the shop took at least an hour after we'd paid. She did suggest that I went full scale into compact collecting, it is something I've considered before but I wonder if its something too many people have converted already because of the ease and the cheapness they can be purchased. It's something to think about at least. 

Downtown Detroit

Built in 1928 the Fisher Building was constructed to house office and shopping space. The towers spire was originally covered in gold gilded tiles, however due to the threat of attacking enemy attention during WWII, they were removed.

Woodward Avenue is home to the Fox Theatre which when it was built in 1928, was the worlds first theatre to provide a sounds system for films. 

The renaissance centre is comprised of seven connecting skyscrapers. As the world headquarters for General Motors it is also home to the worlds tallest all hotel skyscraper in the western hemisphere. Sometimes known as the RenCen building it is seen as one of the core elements of Detroit's international riverfront redevelopment.

The Spirit of Detroit statue sits at the end of Woodward Avenue within one hand he holds a family unit the other a sphere to represent God.

On Campus Martius is the Soldiers and Sailors statue which is dedicated to those that lost their lives fighting the confederacy in the American Civil War.

On Saturday me and Joe with his friend [also called Joe just to confuse matters] drove down into what you'd either call metropolitan and/or downtown Detroit which is about a 20 minute drive from where we live. American cities are pretty much a sprawling mass of suburbia - loads of cities within one huge city [if that makes sense]. I really wanted to try and see proper Detroit for myself, it has a certain image and I wanted to see how try this image was. While you do drive past [predominately once your under 8 miles] shells of former old, gorgeous buildings stand alongside buildings with a purpose, with beautiful facades. There is something about the city though, it has something that makes you want to poke under its skin, the decay is part of what makes it.

Johnny Rockets

A girl with a slight vintage heart couldn't turn down a trip to Johnny Rockets. It drives on providing the theme and feel of true Americana within the atmosphere and look of a 1950s diner with burgers, milkshakes, juke boxes and vintage posters. Our local one is in the Great Lakes Mall and we went up for the trip on Thursday, the mall itself is home to 200 odd shops from factory outlets to smaller independent names, including British recognisable places like The Body Shop, Forever 21, H&M and GAP. I get a bit of a thrill and an "o I know them" moment when I see brands and places I already know. At Johnny Rockets I went for the tuna melt and Joe had a burger, both were utterly delicious, eating out in America can, and is getting rather addictive. Today's note me and Joe filed our petition for the wedding licence - we totally aren't organised and it's like three weeks away but ya know, we've always just wanted an easy, relaxed wedding at least this way we'll get what we want.  

American style Monday

After sorting my first lot of photographs, I thought I would show stuff from the first few days. Settling into America has been like a duck taking to water, my body fixed itself into the correct time and it's never gone back [saying that i've developed the inability of not being able to sleep past 7am]. To try and win Ed [the kitty] over was the first battle, saying that she's a gorgeous kitty with the biggest eyes but she does like to partake in staring contests. I'm trying to win her over by feeding her, its working if only slowly.

Those who follow me on twitter will know how much i'm rating the "blue" mountain dew - I know in the UK we get the green version, but my word the blue is good! My first food experience was the huge pizza from Green Lantern, apparently they're rated very highly in the area. American's know how to make their pizzas! I've developed a thing for taking photographs while Joe's driving. The roads are crazy however, coming from a rural background i've been use to two to four lanes of traffic in both directions, here it's like two or eight! Freeway driving is a bit of an experience too. In comparison British people seem very remote, keeping in the same lane, here its every car for itself with weaving and tail gating and flying off changes. Road rage is an everyday occurrence for all involved it seems. I never thought I could be this happy, life is good. 

Quick question ...

... merely because i'm not sure of the way to go and seeing your the people that read this blog more then me, it's best to provide a format that's easiest for my readers. Question is, i'm taking my normal loads of photographs since moving and trying to fit them into posts gets tricky when you could do loads of posts on the different places you go to in a day for example going into town yesterday could actually result in four or five different posts but trying to sum it all into one post would be huge. 

So I guess I'm asking, would you rather see lots of little posts telling the tale of different places or have one big photo dump detailed by day with rough overviews?!

Part eighteen - the tale of getting through the border

I thought it would be fitting to finalise this part of the visa tale with explaining the process of getting to America. A lot of what you read explains how applicants got their visa but little gets said about how they got through border control; so here's my little version for all it's worth. You buy your plane tickets as if you were a holiday maker, just at check in you declare yourself being on a visa - this is merely because airlines have to transmit passenger information and because with a visa, you don't need the visa wavier document. 

As most people who have been to America know, in flight you complete the customs declaration of checking your not bringing food, gifts or leaving anything of worth in the USA when you leave. When the airhotess pass these sheets around you may also be aware they have the a-94 form, which is merely known as the "white" form. It's basically the form visa passengers complete with address details and plane information. This form is stapled into your passport, stamped and dated with the date you need to leave the country by [unless you adjust your status]. A lot of people in the immigration queue saw me with my form and were stressing that they didn't have one - but it's only for those who don't need the visa wavier and have other paperwork. 

You might have heard some of the ongoing debates about the UK's border control with suggestions that the UK needs to adapt an American approach when it comes to people entering the country. I've heard people declaring how they were grilled about their holiday plans and why they wanted to enter America so I was fearing being dragged off for hours with all my paperwork being questioned. However in reality it was a lot more simple. I handed that delightfully huge envelope over to the immigration lady who basically went through all the papers - that was up to the point were she declared part of it was wrong - the embassy hadn't done something with one of the parts so it needed to be re validated, for which she needed an official to help - said official couldn't find my details on the database until they tried all the numbers on my forms. Finally there uncovered me, stamped my visa, stapled my form and wished me the best. In all it took forty five minutes but most of that was spent queuing and the people you deal with are friendly. You then run for your bags, get questioned again about your goods coming into America and then it was a quick dash to find the boy.

After the stress of the forms and the ten months from filing my application in consideration perhaps going through border control was realistically "easy", I think it's the nerves that push it into the scary territory. On a side note, more regular posting will occur soon, i'm not going to apologise for not being my regular posting self, i'm just catching up on eight months without my boy and befriending his cat.

Image taken from The Telegraph.

Hello!!

Hello everyone I wanted to say and huge and massive THANK YOU for all the comments on my last post, I quickly popped on last night and I totally was not expecting that many! While the boy's had to pop into work for the morning I have full rein over the computer [and being eagerly stared out by his cat]. I thought my body would be dealing with the change of time zones less well then it actually is - it felt really normal doing the time change even though I was up for the bus back from the hotel at 4am yesterday morning. I'll probably end up doing a full and proper post about the immigration process but lets us say the USA embassy in London forgot to re-validate one of my forms which meant a heart stopping moment at the immigration desk with two immigration offers not being able to find me on the immigration system either. Safe to say I finally appeared when they tried pretty much all my details. I was totally expecting to be fully grilled and getting dragged off into a corner to be questioned about my whole life, but they just politely asked when we was getting married.

I haven't really had chance yet to see much of the world that's now around me, we drove up to the mall last night [as a mere way of trying to keep me awake] and poked some shops - totally can't wait to go properly shopping, oh that and developing an addiction already to the blue Mountain Dew.