Good Things by David

My collection of L.E. Smith caramel glass cake stands from the Martha by Mail catalog is finally complete.  It took quite a while to gather each of these pieces, because I didn't have the luxury of buying them from the catalog when it was in business.  A vendor here with a set, a vendor there with one, and then the keen eye of a friend of mine (thank you Daniel!) who thought the cake stand may or may not have been a Martha by Mail piece.  That is how I acquired these cake stands.  This exclusive shade of slag glass was commissioned by Martha Stewart for her catalog business (Martha by Mail) in the late 1990s.  I've written  a detailed post about this collection before.  You can read about it by  clicking here .  The plain round cake stands for the catalog come in four sizes.  The smallest measures 6" in diameter and the largest measures 12" in diameter.  The ones in between measure 8" and 10" in diameter.   I had no idea that t...

Here is an index of all the sets of cookie cutters that were made and sold exclusively through the Martha by Mail catalog.  Many of you veteran and budding collectors have been asking for this for quite some time, because of the lack of information out there regarding all of the sets of copper cutters.  A lot of time and research went into compiling this list in its entirety, and as such, there are a handful of unknown cutters/product in the SKU number roster.  I had help from several collectors, friends, a lawyer, and even an appraiser (more on that to come).  Thank you! A Selection of The Oversized Martha by Mail Cookie Cutters I have divided the sets into two lists, each organized by product number.  The product number indicates the order in which each cutter was offered/released for sale through Martha by Mail.  One list consists of the large, closed-back cookie cutters that were sold in sets of two, with the exception of the Nordstrom Tedd...

I came across an antique tobacco sorter, also known as a tobacco sizing box, that I could not pass up.  Little did I know that such tools have been used for about two centuries in this country by tobacco farmers to size the leaves of the tobacco plant upon harvesting.  After a lengthy discussion with a good friend of mine who has gone tobacco picking on a farm in Massachusetts, I was surprised at what an ingenious tool this wooden frame really was for farmers.   At first glance, you might come to the conclusion that it is a spice rack, much like the one that I own ( click here ).   Did you know that a tobacco sorter such as the one above was the actual inspiration for my Martha by Mail spice rack? The first time I saw a tobacco sorter was on the set of Martha Stewart Living Television several decades ago.  I assumed it was a spice rack or a spice shelf, because that is how Martha was using it on the set (above).  Little did I know I was comple...