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Mushroom Musings

Inside, Outside: Sears Can Do Great Things

3/5/2023

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Since 2020, stylists and designers have noted a shift from the clean and fettered Mid-Century Modern/Atomic Age style to a curated Maximalism eclectic look that mixes colors and textures, and favors collage walls, collections, and house plants. It's a boho style that has many roots to 1970s trends. Who knew my choice decorating style had a name and is now the latest thing?

And who better to inspire us for fabulous decorating than the ones who knew it best, the 1970s designers at Sears and Roebuck, purveyors of the everyday American look.

Again, thanks to Christmas.MuseTechnical.com for procuring, scanning, uploading, and making searchable these catalogs and more.
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Where There is One Mushroom, There is Another

1/8/2023

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Like real outdoor fungi, there are a seemingly endless variety of indoor mushrooms to research, study, and collect. In the 1960s, mushrooms became a popular décor choice. They could be found on everything like bumper stickers, guitars, t-shirts, and, of course, kitchen ware.

The nine companies highlighted here either manufactured and sold, or imported and sold, mushroom kitchen ware and décor from the 1960s to the 1980s.


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2022 by the Numbers

12/25/2022

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Though the year isn't quite over yet, I say thank you for another wonderful year on my Merry Mushrooms journey. Happy Holidays and best wishes for the new year!
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UPDATE: Merry Mushrooms Maker's Mark

10/16/2022

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Nearly two years ago, I explored the maker's marks, import stickers, and other bottom markings on the napkin holder. At the time, the back stamped "MA" or "MR" mark on the bottoms of many of the pieces was a mystery, though I supposed it was the original maker's mark.
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Identifying the Mushrooms that Became Merry

9/11/2022

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Jack Buchanan tells the story that he got the idea for creating a kitchen coordinate line with mushrooms after stumbling on a patch of mushrooms in his backyard in Chicago, Illinois. But what could have been those fateful fungi? What did those real mushrooms look like?

To find the answer, I turned to my fungi books. Besides hunting for Merry Mushrooms in thrift stores and rummage sales, I'm constantly on the lookout for real mushrooms around the neighborhood and in the woods.

Not to clog this blog post with pictures of fungi, but look at all these varieties I've "collected" throughout southeastern and central Wisconsin!

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Family Album: More Canadian Connections

6/19/2022

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The hunt for the Merry Mushrooms of our Northern Neighbors continues! Earlier this year, I snagged the 1976 Spring/Summer, 1978 Fall/Winter, 1979 Fall/Winter, and 1980 Fall/Winter Simpsons-Sears catalogs for decent prices.
Based on the catalog listings so far, the Canadian collection wasn't nearly as extensive as the US one. However, the difference in style and coloring is lovely and compliments any mushroom collection. For more on the Canadian Merry Mushrooms, see Family Album: Canadian Connections and Family Album: Meet the Canadian Cousins.

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Hunting in the Ozarks: Plate and Mug

5/15/2022

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Last week, my husband, Nate, and I headed southwest from home to Branson, Missouri. Billed as the country music capitol of the U.S., we were instead lured to the area by the combined siren songs of the wax museum, the Titanic museum, many rounds of mini golf, Table Rock Lake, roadside attractions in Missouri and Arkansas, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Mansfield. It's like the Wisconsin Dells and Helen, Georgia put together.
​By our last day, the weather turned unseasonably hot, well into the 90s and humid. Looking for indoor activities to pass the hottest part of the day, we turned to our old friend, thrifting.

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A Closer Look: Colors of Merry Mushrooms

4/24/2022

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My original color comparison page.
Butter. Canary. Goldenrod. Yellow. Sunshine. Mustard. Gold. So many names describe the color of the enameled stainless steel pots, pans, and slow cookers. But are they different colors, or just names?

​While writing A Collector's Guide to Merry Mushrooms, I overly fretted over the colors of Merry Mushrooms pieces, studying, comparing, and digitally sampling colors trying to determine them. What makes it challenging was that colors were seldom named in the catalog. When they were, it was "Yellow" and "Almond," and stranger still only the slow cookers, both round and rectangular, have their colors identified.
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March Mushroom Madness: Final Round

3/21/2022

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This is it! It's down to just two Merry Mushrooms pieces, the Ice Cooler/Stool and the Knife Block. Which one will be voted the most sought after, the most intriguing, the most unique Merry Mushrooms item for 2022? This is all in good fun, so vote away! Don't forget you can vote every day.
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Final Round voting is now closed.
​Final Round Results
The 2022 March Mushroom Madness winner is the Ice Cooler/Stool! Over the last day, there was a valiant rally for the Knife Block but it just couldn't overtake the Ice Cooler/Stool's large lead. Thank you to everyone who participated. May your Merry Mushrooms dreams come true!

There were 76 responses.
Ice Cooler/Stool: 46
Knife Block: 30
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March Mushroom Madness Final Four: Round 3

3/14/2022

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Select Merry Mushrooms pieces are going cap-to-cap to find the most sought after, most intriguing, and most unique Merry Mushrooms items. This is all in good fun, so vote away!

Download and fill in your own bracket to play along! Come back to this blog each week and vote. For reminders, like and follow A Collector's Guide to Merry Mushrooms on Facebook.

Round 3 voting is now closed.
Final Round will be open Monday, March 21 at 10am, closes 8:00PM CST Saturday, March 26.
Round 3 Results
Things are heating up with 73 responses. Look who's heading to the Final Round next week.
Ice Cooler/Stool: 53
Wood Canisters: 20
Knife Block: 46
Stoneware Ceramic Casserole: 27
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