A Family of 4

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Scrapbooking, for anyone who hasn’t been following the evolution of this very old personal art form, has become increasingly sophisticated. Some weeks ago Salt Lake City designers extraordinaire Layle Koncar and Sande Krieger came to Timeless Treasures in search of old letters and numbers and other ephemera to use in their collage and scrapbook design projects. Layle created this arrangement of vintage letters and the number 4 salvaged from a gas station in the Midwest. She also designed this whimsical rhapsody about She Times. See more of her delightful work http://www.laylekoncar.typepad.com.

WORD ART at MARENGO on Union

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Vintage signs, movie marquee letters and old sign letters have always been at the top of our Wish List when it comes to searching for treasures at flea markets, estate sales, auctions and salvage yards.

For more than a dozen years — yikes! Can you believe it has been that long? — we have pursued this quirky passion of working with people to put together old letters in different fonts, sizes and materials to create what we call WORD ART.

Recently Jim Gruettner, co-owner with Kevin Toomajian of Marengo on Union, a popular San Francisco bar and restaurant, stopped by Timeless Treasures and began experimenting with different combinations of old sign letters.

Soon Jim explained his idea — to create the phrase WHISKEY BAR to hang at the entrance to the area where they feature fine wines and whiskeys, along with sliders and salads, in what UrbanDaddy.com calls “an outdoor oasis on Union Street.”

The vintage letters, as you can see here, add an informal but striking design detail. But to fully appreciate the inviting atmosphere, stop by for a bite or a cocktail — you’ll find Marengo at Union and Buchanan St.– and see what awaits you. If Jim or Kevin is behind the bar, be sure and compliment them on their colorful, clever word art.

How would you spell Aidan?

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When Tom Huerter of Omaha contacted Timeless Treasures, San Francisco recently in his search for old sign letters, one of his priorities was that we come up with “an eclectic blend” of letters for a couple of phrases as well as to spell out the name of his son, Aidan.

Jenny Price, who works her creative magic on special requests from customers around the world who have discovered us by googling, assembled the variations for AIDAN shown below using a mix of materials, sizes, colors and type fonts.

Our method for coming up with what we call “word art” — words and phrases made up of vintage letters salvaged from discarded store signs and theater marquees– requires collaboration and a sense of fun with people who go for the look and feel of “the real deal” of found objects with a history.

Tom chose a combination of letter options, which are now enroute to Nebraska. We’re eager to see how he decides to spell out Aidan.

You’ve got (gorgeous) mail!

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Last week Alice So, a San Francisco aficionado of handwritten (and decorated) correspondence, popped by and spent several minutes checking out our vintage rubber stamps. She chose a variety for her collection, including a one-of-a-kind set of vintage stamps with names of musical instruments.

Then a few days ago, we received the most amazingly clever and unique and personal package in the mail. Stunning! Colorful! Enchanting!

Words fail us, actually. See for yourself, both front and reverse of Alice’s one-of-a-kind envelope.

If you’re a scrapbooker, a collage artist or a snail mail correspondent, we invite you to stop by and see the vintage ephemera we’ve got in store for you.

Imagine how delighted your friends will be when they go to their mailbox by the front door and receive your surprise! We applaud people like Alice who make the dying art of letter writing really come alive.

What’s in the window on Sutter Street?

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Occasionally someone comes up with a window display that seems too tongue-in-cheek not to share with more than just passersby who see Timeless Treasures on Sutter Street.
Last week, during a visit to San Francisco, New York photo stylist Nan Whitney created a red-and-white tableau featuring a vintage advertising sign and a checked kitchen table found in France. The advert for LIEBIG-brand soups offered an immediate opportunity for creating slogans in English.
“Lie Big? Expect to pay the consequences.”
“Lie Big? Well, if you must tell a lie, make it a whopper.”
The symphony of red and white, including the vintage stylized red letter L, vintage red marquee numbers and the small white stool with a border of red paint, makes a simple color statement, and something for pundits to ponder.
If you’re interested in purchasing something you see here — including the vintage French glass wine jugs that you can barely make out in the morning sunlight glancing off the window– give us a call.
To see more of Nan Whitney’s work as a stylist and set designer, click here.