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TagYerit's TagYerit Presents Gadgetrees!!

FUNKY TREES FOR A COOL YULE

An
ongo-
ing record
of our holiday
tree building exper-
iences and experiments.
Where the - "If it's funky
feature it" mentality
pre-
sides		 Disc Tree
Click any of the following thumbnails to see the full picture.
[Click to enlarge image]
Record Tree		 [Click to enlarge image]
LP Tree		 [Click to enlarge image]
Record Treetop		 [Click to enlarge image]
Plumbers Tree
[Click to enlarge image]
Eggbeaters		 [Click to enlarge image]
Eggbeater
(detail		 [Click to enlarge image]
Hatree		 [Click to enlarge image]
Hoops
[Click to enlarge image]
Prayer Tree		 [Click to enlarge image]
Pray 4 Peace
snowball		 [Click to enlarge image]
Pray 4 Peace		 [Click to enlarge image]
Pray Bricks
[Click to enlarge image]
Tripod		 [Click to enlarge image]
From Coat Hangers		 TagYerit's Vintage Xmas Store
Vintage XMas Items for Sale

Moving backwards in time - it seems we're not so much deconstructing a christmas tree tradition as discovering parallel paths. Some accounts attribute lighting a tree for Christmas to protestant reformer Martin Luther in Germany in the 16th century, after he noticed how the stars illuminated the fir trees at night. Concurrent with that legend, it had also been a custom of the period to decorate a "paradise tree" with various fruit and possibly even "Adam & Eve" on it - while sitting next to the Paradise Tree might have been a Christmas pyramid. As you might imagine, bringing trees or other plants indoors to celebrate various events have occurred in different cultures throughout history. It is up to each of us to find our own meanings and rejuvenate the look and feel of our traditions ...

Meanwhile ... in the year 2000 an estimated 36 million trees were sold in the US. A record amount of 37.2 were sold in 1995. We'd love to see you create an art tree and save the forest. If you're wondering which states supply the most trees, they are Oregon, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Interesting side notes:
In researching the use of the name Gadgetree, I discovered that a band named Gadgets released an LP title Gadgetree in 1980 ... apparently they released records through 1989. I didn't found out much else about them. They seem to be listed as a UK techno new-wave band...

About recording wire, which sits atop the "Record Tree":
Prior to finding this spool, I had never heard of wire recorders. Apparently they were developing at the same time as tape recorders. Danish Inventor Valdemar Poulsen at the start of the 20th century patented the "Telegraphone," a steel wire recorder for use as probably the first telephone recording machine. Until the early 1950s, its future seemed promising, but in 1954, tape recorders sales jumped, and they soon became obsolete.

We'd love to see and hear about your ideas and creations. Email rich@tagyerit.com

Click to see some Vintage Gadgetrees

Richard Lang & Judith Selby Lang collect trashed & washed-up beach plastic. AND THEN they create art. This wreath was made from "disposable lighters" that is good for any season but especially fine for the "season of light." All of these lighters washed up onto Kehoe Beach in the Point Reyes National Seashore where they have been collecting plastic since 1999.

You can see this and many other of their creations at their website beachplastic.com. (many are available as limited edition Cavallo Point Prints). Here's 2 videos of the Langs and their projects: One Plastic Beach and Deep Dive: The Langs


LINKS

Card Links

Gifts

If you'd like us to swap links, drop me a line ... Thanks ... Rich
We'd love to see and hear about your ideas, creations swap links ... Just email us.

Other Recycled Christmas Tree Links

Vintage XMas Items for Sale

Elf chocolate box $42.00 with S&H

Cardboard Candy Box
A delightful illustration of an elf perched on a Christmas Tree branch with his feet wrapped around a candle and admiring himself in the reflection of a tree ornament. The box is marked "Season's Greetings Assorted Chocolates Net Weight 5 pounds (and then the candy ingredients)". One long side of the box lists the various candies you would have found inside and on either end of the box it says "Miller and Hollis Boston". I couldn't find too much on the M&H company, but they were definitely active in the 30s and 40s until Deran Confectionery bought them for their Haviland Chocolate in 1961. Necco is the current owner. Penciled on one end of the top of the box it says, "Mothers Bills Car Keys". This secondary use is the reason this box survived after the chocolate was gone. There is old scotch tape on the edges in several places.
11 1/2" X 7 1/4" X 2 7/8"

Vintage Iconic Santa Face cutout - Wall decoration $33.00 with S&H

Printed on paper and mounted on board. - Fair to good condition. There are 3 pin holes where someone mounted it through his eyes and mouth and various splatter marks and yet he still looks warm, cheerful and festive.
9" x 13 1/2"

Two Coke Santa Ads on Back Cover 1957 & 1960 National Geographic $16.00 w/ S&H

Santa Coca Cola ads … National Geographic Magazine is ALWAYS interesting and relevant. These magazines show normal wear and tear. Also posting several other XMas gift suggestions from their ads
7" X 10 "

December 1957 - Articles include "I found the Bones of the Bounty"; Satellites; Bright Dyes Reveal Secrets of Canada Geese; Bringing Old Testament Times to Life; President Eisenhower Presents to Prince Philip the National Geographic Society's Medal (no supplements)

December 1960 - Articles on Japan, Central Park; The Long Lonely Leap (World's highest jump) - (no supplements)

"Christmas Gifts That Were Just the Thing in Days Gone By" booklet by Lee Mero $27.00 incl. S&H

Gilded velvety green cover
This was a promotional gift booklet: The inside front page is printed: "With wishes for a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year New England Model Distributing 50 Cross St. Winchester, MASS."
24 pages
5 1/2" X 8 1/2"
The cover is in fair condition with various stains. The inside is in very good condition. If you're having trouble finding a gift for someone, you can get them this booklet as a gift. Then they can feel lucky you didn't buy them an ostrich plume hat or a meat grinder or garters or suspenders etc. as suggested within these humorous pages .

Lee Mero was a highly successful creator of Christmas cards from 1921 and on . Here's a link to his bio http://morrisoncountyhistory.org/history/?page_id=380


Rosbro Plastics Candy Container Santa Boot $15.00 incl. S&H

Red plastic boot with part of the original green label that says "Merry Christmas Net Wt. 1 1/4 oz."
Marked on the plastic it says "Rosbro Plastics Prov. R.I."
Providence, Rhode Island
2 5/8" tall


Vintage Pharmacy / Store Paper Christmas Display - Carolers Street Scene $95.00

This was a store display used in a drugstore in Haverhill, Massachusetts, ca.1940s or 1950s. It is corrugated paper labeled on the back "A Sherman Sales - Winning Display Material".. It is 40 1/4" high and 9' 10" wide. The pattern repeats twice.

A cozy winter scene: X-mas carolers in the snow, under the street lamp in front of an iron fence. Smoke rises from the chimneys as fresh snow flutters to the ground.. Listening from their houses are men with pipes and women waving ... wreaths in the windows .... The tree behind the street lamp creates a halo of light. The colors used are 2 shades of blue, green, yellow and white. (It's the rare christmas scene that has no red).
I think it would be rare to find many like this particular piece that had been saved. I'd consider this to be in good condition for an ephemeral item of that was used yearly. There is some compression on the edges where it rested on the ground.

Includes S&H (9 lbs shipping weight)

1955 Cardboard Christmas Shipping Box for Cards - $25.95 incl. S&H

It's a pretty safe assumption that this is a rare item of ephemera. How many people would save a cardboard box from 1955? It has a few dings and dents, faded shipping label . . . but in otherwise the same condition as when it was unpacked over 50 years ago. A great place to store your some of your vintage christmas items off-season as well as a conversation piece for your holiday display.

"Presenting 1955 National Personal Christmas Card Albums"
"Attention Buyer Stationery Dep't."
"National - Detroit Publishers, Inc, Michigan
Santa's sign reads, "National Service is Dependable Service"
The box is made by Western Paper Box Company, Detroit, Michigan Dimensions: 15" X 12" X 4 1/4"

1940s Lot of Christmas & ephemera $20 with S&H

Creates a nice display of preparing for the Christmas season in the 1940s and 1950s.
2 Card boxes (empty) - 4 1/2 X 5 1/2 & 5 X 6 3/4
Package for Santa & Poinsettia Gift Cards and seals - including several of the original(?) cards and seals. One card was written, but not used "To Frankie from Clara" Several others have ink stains apparently from when Clara was filling these out. The box was originally 4" X 4", though now that it's been flattened, it's now a bit bigger.
1 roll of red Super Lustrous Gift Tie ribbon about 2/3 full - 2 widths in 1 designed so it could be split down the middle.
1 book of Christmas Customs and Carols compiled by Ruthella Rodeheaver 1943


Farm Supplies Trade Paper December 1929 w/ Santa on cover $13 incl. S&H

We're selling this for the cover, but the picture of the 3 farm children on the cow is priceless, and how about placing an order of explosives for your farm?
Vol. 1 No. 4 Pittsfield, MA
64 pages
6" x 8 3/4"


Christmas Lights by Noma $21.00 incl. S&H

Selling as found. The box says: "For a Safe and Brighter Christmas"
"Patented beads holds lamp upright"
11" x 5 3/4"


Three 1950s Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Ideas mags $23.00 incl. S&H

These magazines have some great ideas and suggestions that fit right in with the theme of Gadgetree's attempts to create alternative trees as a few of these pictures should indicate. While we think you'll get much inspiration from these, they are a bit musty.


Lot of 5 Christmas themed magazines from the 1954 to 1971 $19.95 w/ S&H

We have other antique, vintage & collectible items at our Antiques Pages

 

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