Bargain Hunt

Nick and Nora took a little time for themselves and enjoyed four days camping in the great outdoors of south-east Queensland.

The return trip necessitiated a stop at the Toogoolawah Red Cross op shop to say hello to the lovely hard-working volunteers and for a bit of bargain hunting.

For the princely sum of $11.50 Nick and Nora acquired:

A late 1950s Midwinter Brand platter ($5)



A 1950 book on Queensland (50c)


A 1953 Queen Elizabeth II coronation souvenir book ($4)



A 1960 children's atlas ($1)


A 1960s blue Tupperware jug with hinged lid ($1)



The Queensland and coronation books are a real treat and they'll make features of their own in coming weeks.

If you're in this part of the world, Nick and Nora also recommend the Beaudesert Swap Meet (this year on September 16).

Be Kind To Plastic Day

They're pink and green. The staples of almost every pantry in the Western world.

They're not rare, they're not expensive.

So what more can one say of these 1960s Tupperware 200ml (approx) containers? Nothing except don't be embarrased - let them see the light of day.

Enjoy these useful utility items. Take them on a picnic.

Vive le Tupperware!

Pineapple Spears with Lime and Honey by Rachel Ray
Source: FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

1 large ripe pineapple
1 lime
Vegetable oil or cooking spray, to coat grill
Honey, for drizzling

Instructions:

Preheat grill or grill pan.
Cut ends off the pineapple. Stand it upright and cut off the skin in strips. Quarter the pineapple lengthwise and cut out the core. Cut each quarter into 3 spears. Zest the lime and reserve. Cut the zested lime in half and squeeze the juice over the spears. Brush the grill pan or outdoor grill with vegetable oil or spray lightly with cooking spray. Grill pineapple until evenly marked all over, 5 minutes. Garnish spears with lime zest and drizzled honey.

The Wonder Years

In picking today's Tupper-Tuesday, Nora was stricken.

How many salt and pepper shakers should she have in a household of two (plus Asta but that doesn't count because Asta is on a low sodium diet).

A quick inventory noted six sets. Only two of which are in regular use.

Wasteful?

The Australian Conservation Foundation undoubtedly would say yes.

But in this particular case Nora must disagree, these sculptoral pieces of plastic dating from the late 1960s and early 1970s are more than a paean to domestic industrial design - it's a harkening back to a childhood when milk was delivered in glass bottles, TV was in black and white and for a child of the mid-1970s all was right with the world.

What price can be put on that?

The answer is none.

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From the television show The Wonder Years

So leave Nora alone with her surfeit of condiment dispensers, their utility is second to memories of barbecues, picnics and family dinners.

Below: Memories, of the way we were - (1977 Australian OTC TVC)

All Shook Up

The wonderful thing about vintage pieces is the level of attention paid to its design.

Little touches done not because they had to but because they could. Like this 1960s vintage Tupperware colander, a piece of kitchenalia which is in daily use in the Charles household.

Picked up for 50 cents at the local Op Shop, this piece appeals not just because of its frugal price tag.

Yes, a very useful household item, but take a look at the decorative pattern the holes marked in the base - a geometric snowflake.


Another thing remarkable about this piece is the stamp - made in Australia.

Unfortunately Nick and Nora have not been able to find out much about Tupperware's manufacture in Australia but Nora seems to recall that in the mid-1990s a dealer telling her that Tupperware stopped local production about 10 years earlier.

She'd love to hear from anyone who can shed light on Tupperware's history in Australia. Nora has found out that an entrepreneurial man by the name of Chris Paton - is not only credited with bringing Tupperware to Australia but is also considered to be the father of the Australian macadamia nut industry - true story.

But if the functionality and the plain aesthetic value of this vintage Tupperware is not appealing enough, take a look what an artist has re-engineered for this perfect piece of petrochemical.

The artist is Tony Meredith a talented furniture and product designer. Do take a look at his web site and his work. It's delightful.

Rock N Roller Coaster

It's interesting how clothing fashion goes in cycles - mini skirts are in one year, out the next, mullets were in and now they're out (thankfully!).

Just as interesting is how home furnishing and homewares go through trends too. Currently it's an emphasis on natural colours and interesting textures. Ten years ago it was a Mexican/Santa Fe
look - strong primary colours and high gloss glazed tiles - particularly in kitchen and homewares. The 1980s was about sleek two-pac high gloss finishes inspired no doubt by Dallas and Dynasty. and the 1970s tapped into deep earthy colours - just look at Elvis' kitchen.

Which brings us back to the 1960s where pretty pastels reigned supreme and this Tupperware Wagon Wheel Coasters were produced.

A little bit of research finds that a complete set - a white 'cradle' containing coasters in pink, blue, green, apricot, yellow and white - is relatively rare. A quick frolic through ebay discovers that 'metric sets' of five and made-up sets are common.

A complete, original set sells between $U5 and $US15 on ebay and other collectible sites.

What is particularly fun about this particular Tupperware product is its innovation. Sandwiched between the colourful perforated tops and white bases is a wafer of foam to soak up the the condensate from frosty drinks or cocktails like the Manhattan, on hot days. How thoughtful!

Earth Laughs in Flowers

If you thought Tupperware was only about keeping food fresh, then you're sadly mistaken.

In 1962 the Floralier, a happy confluence of plastic and necessity was born.

Measuring 20cm high, 19cm wide and 30cm long, the Floralier straddles that time in history between the days women took pride in such feminine accomplishments of actually making arrangements for flowers and today when we expect the arranging to be ready done by the florist who's done a course at TAFE. Or whereever.

The Floralier - a white three-tiered confection of moulded festoons and of doubious neoclassical parentage - means you can actually pretend you know what you're doing when you stick that purple iris next to the white roses and pink azaleas in time ready for the mother-in-law's white glove inspection.


Alas they've fallen out of favour, despite trendy attempts to revive them.

But those stalwarts at Tupperware still stand behind the lifetime guarantee and still have replacement parts available.

Still not impressed?

Never mind, you can always turn that Floralier into a robot. Seriously.

Earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Hamatreya"

Fresh Sealed

Nothing epitomises the marvel of the modern age than Tupperware.

The fantastic plastic, first came on the market in 1946 and from the 1960s spread throughout the globe.

Nora confesses to a certain fascination for Tupperware - is it the practical nature of the product? The retro styling from her op-shop finds? She's not yet decided so Nick has asked her to limit purchases to items that have either practical application in the Charles household or which demonstrate a specific style aesthetic.

That Tupperware's styling reveals much about post-War domestic design is part of the charm of collecting.

Pictured is an excellent condition sugar and creamer in a design called Harvest Gold produced in (we think) the 1970s.

Check out the soft, compact curves in the single moulded body of the creamer and sugar container and the deconstructed floral element.

Come back this time next week to see another piece from the Tupper-Tuesday collection.