On the Radar -- Pep Rally

Photo from Honeys Treasures on Etsy

I've explained how much we Blackbird girls love our monthly dose of periodicals.  Well, one magazine in particular, Country Living, is both our favorite AND our nemesis.  More on the nemesis part later.  That's a different post entirely.  If you don't read Country Living, you should.  Especially if you're a collector.  Their design aesthetic is not necessarily what you would think of as "country".  It's really more eclectic than that -- mixing mid-century, industrial, cottage, and other styles together all the time.  I think they are at their best when it comes to highlighting collectibles and decorating with collections.  Even better than Martha Stewart.  And that's really saying something, because anyone who knows me, knows that Martha is my homegirl! 

Anyway, this summer, we decided to start buying some school related items for our Etsy shop.  We had already found some yearbooks and some pennants, but on our infamous buying trip to Ohio, we bought some patches to add to the mix.  The pennants and a yearbook sold in our booth at a Vintage Flea, and we've been selling the yearbooks steadily in the shop for the past month.  Well, lo and behold, what's featured in Country Living this month, under the headline, " The Old College Try"?  Yep.  School stuff.  Patches and pennants, yearbooks, and other miscellaneous college collectibles.

1950s Wool Blankets, Country Living, October 2012

If you want to know what the trends are in collecting, just take a look in this magazine.  Seriously.  If it's not a trend before the magazine is published, then just wait -- a few months after something is featured, it's on EVERYONE'S radar.  Working as closely as we do with collectors and their junk, we Blackbird girls start to notice patterns in what people buy.  And when things start flying out of the shop -- we know it's been featured somewhere.  And here in the south, it's usually Country Living.

From Red Line Vintage

From It Is What It Was on Etsy

Whether you are looking for your alma mater or just want to add some school coolness to your decor or wardrobe, there's tons of options when it comes to college memorabilia.  And since we told you that it's hot here at Four and Twenty (well, and you know, it's also in Country Living), it's going to start showing up more and more.

Check out our school junk at our Etsy shop:

From Blackbird Antiques NC on Etsy

From Blackbird Antiques NC