Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Discoveries, discoveries, discoveries!

So, I was given a few boxes of 'stuff' from an estate auction here in TN, but had no idea what the heck was in them. There were a few piece of obvious 'junk' (not the good kind of junk!), but there were also some kinda interesting things as well. The thing I'm loving right now is this bag (?) from the Markle Lead Works that used to be in St. Louis. 

It's been beat up a bit over the years, & has reddish stains on the side that has what looks like a drawing of the factory, but overall it's kinda interesting. I found a quote about the history of the company & such, but other than that most info about what I've found & how old it probably is just isn't jumping out & hitting me. 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this, but it's just too cool to throw away.








"The Markle Lead Works, National Lead Company, and the Hoyt Metal Company were consolidated into the United Lead Company in 1905. This plant covered 30 acres of land and employed 500 men who made lead bullets and pellets for shotgun shells. A wooden "shot" tower 90 feet high was used for making the pellets. At the top of the tower, molten lead was poured through a sieve device which allowed lead particles to splash into a water-filled tank at the bottom of the tower."--Quote from the book Granite City : a pictorial history.




6 comments:

  1. That is so cool. It reminds me of those old flour, sugar sacks and old burlap potato bags. I still see the old burlap bags from time to time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sandwich it between two sheets of polarized glass and mount it in a double sided architectural frame. Suspend from ceiling with piano wire to create a themed floating point of interest room divider, perhaps in a "Southern Contemporary" or similar interior.

    Hope this helps.

    Just a thought.

    VicB3

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'd make it into a pillow... I'd go into Photoshop w the pics, make them black and white (not the tint, but actually black and white; Idk what to call it), print it off, tape the page to contact paper, cut out the letters, put the sticky contact paper onto a dyed pillowcase (to look like the original bag... or you could just buy a tan pillowcase), paint the letters in, peel the contact paper off when it's dry...
    Just my thoughts.
    Don't turn it into monkey Jesus like that old lady! Srsly, she made Jesus look like a monkey! Or like the painting the monkey does of Simba on the rock in The Lion King...

    ReplyDelete
  4. There will be no monkey Jesus going on here. No there shall not.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A better and more long term suggestion:

    -Scan and digitize the front and back

    -Go to http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome

    -Use their service to run up as many yards of patterned fabric as is comfortable.

    -Don't forget the labels. Fabric labels can be ordered online: http://www.google.com/search?q=fabric+labels&lr=&num=100 http://www.clothinglabels4u.com/

    -Time to brand. "Ginger Made That!" sounds like a good brand name. Don't forget to register and trademark the brand. You may also wish to try and copywrite the design, but by now it's probably in the public domain. Still....

    -To register the trademark: http://www.google.com/search?q=REGISTER+TRADEMARKS&lr=&num=100

    -Get away from your computer and start sewing. A 1'x 1' throw pillow sounds about right.

    -You might also try stretching the design over a frame, something to hang on the wall. Don't forget a tag or label. (We're branding here, remember.)

    -Consignment sales boutiques, gift shops, etc. locally. Assuming a $5 total cost, go three up and shoot for a $20 price point. Maybe $15. Depends on the market.

    -Etsy is fine, but don't forget Fab.com.

    -While you're at it, make up some Ginger Made That! throw pillows with, oh, say, a red lip design and the "Ginger Made That!" typeface splashed at an angle across the front. Again, with a $5 cost, you can retail them at your shows for an easy $25, and I suspect that they'll sell very well.

    -Once you've established the Ginger Made That! brand, search out other heritage type graphics. Since you're in the South, a Southern Heritage type of marketing thrust might be easiest. (And no, I'm not talking about Flag of The Rebellion against Northern Oppression, so don't start.)

    Hope this helps!

    Just a thought. (Or several.)

    VicB3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vic, why did you introduce me to Fab.com?! That site seems like a whole new kind of addiction....

      Delete