All right. Finally, a site of my own. First things first. My name is Janey Ellis, and I started this site as a launching pad to post my finds and writings about vintage collectibles and other related discussion, as well as provide somewhat of a steady personal blog for myself, and to have something to offer while out and around at antique shows, car shows, and interviews.I think of this as almost a virtual portfolio and notebook. Just a note, this site has been built from scratch all based on a sketch I threw at my boyfriend a few months ago, and he’s built this baby from the ground up. So please pardon the glitches and errors as we try to work them out.

A bit about myself…I was born in Eugene, Oregon to a pair of baby-boomers who had the collecting bug. While they mainly focused on turn of the century antiques, they also collected Coca-Cola collectibles together, while my dad also focused on space items ranging from space toys to Civil Defense items. My mother focused a lot of her collecting on Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang. My parents divorced when I was three, and just prior to that I had been introduced to antique shows. I actually walked my first antique Expo in Portland.

Early on I was bitten with the collecting bug and understood the value of collecting. Growing up listening to the Beach Boys and Elvis, along with having vintage cars in our garage, I knew more about the 1950s than I did about current affairs. Fast forward to today. I’m a History Major at the University of Oregon, focusing on the period from WWII to Vietnam. I am living with my boyfriend in our first apartment and have decorated it in mostly vintage pieces. I started collecting Heywood-Wakefield early on in high school so I could have a nice stash once I got my own place. For myself, it’s hard to collect just one thing…so I collect wide range of stuff. The big ones include pin-ups (mainly redheads), Pan Am items, 1964 presidential race memorabilia, Anti-Vietnam War buttons, and old cameras. I’m also big into old cars. I myself own a 1976 Ford Cobra II – the same model that Farrah Fawcett drove in Charlie’s Angels.

What’s going on today…I’m in the thick of summer term at this moment. Yes, I am taking summer classes. Mainly because I wouldn’t know what else to do with myself, plus, it helps me get ahead, and professors offer some really interesting courses that are not otherwise offered. Currently, I am enrolled in a history course about Samurai in film. This is to fulfil my Asia credit needed for my History major. After this chunk of summer term is over, I enter the second portion where I’ll be taking Women In the U.S. part II as well as a history course about the Iraq War.

On a more personal level…I also picked up pin-striping as a new hobby. It’s something I’ve always wanted to learn, so after purchasing the gear off Amazon, I’ve been working on pulling lines and sketching out designs. I’ll be sure to post some pictures of stuff once I’ve done something I’m proud of. Additionally, the summer antique expo as put on by Palmer-Wirfs in Portland is this weekend. It’s the BIG one, with booths outside. This weekend also brings the Historic Races at Portland International Raceway. My dad and I have been going to this for about eight years now or so. It is a wonderful opportunity to see some fantastic cars and great racing! So, my dad and I will be hitting I-5 bright and early Saturday morning to make it up to Portland when Expo opens, and to the racetrack right afterward!

That’s about it for now. Remember, we’re working things out! You can contact me via my contact form, but I am also available on Twitter if you’re there too!