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State house
Decorate your home with a union of nostalgia and kitsch
BY GENEVIEVE RAJEWSKI

With November fast approaching, and the battle between George W. Bush’s supporters and those supporting anybody but heating up, it feels as though the nation has never been so divided. However, you can still look at the country in a way that transcends swing states and such. For inspiration, just surround yourself with remembrances of a time when Americans were united by road trips — and state memorabilia was produced in copious quantities to meet their demand for souvenirs.

At Aunt Sadie’s, you’ll find vintage state-souvenir glasses ($16) hailing from Arizona to Wyoming. Each tumbler comes decorated with a map or landmarks — or, better yet, both. The Mississippi glass features an antebellum couple bidding bon voyage to a riverboat. A frosted New York glass depicts the NYC skyline, Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and Central Park. Proclaiming the state the "Land of Scenic Splendor," the New Hampshire glass superimposes attractions such as the Cog Railway, Hampton Beach, and the Old Man in the Mountain (sniff!) over a yellow outline of the land better known for the motto "Live Free or Die."

Aunt Sadie’s puts a tongue-in-cheek spin on exuberant 1930s postcards with its Vintage State Postcards line of candles in a can ($14; online only). The letters in each state’s name are styled in "the best that each state has to offer" — such as rolling dice and hasty marriages for Nevada. And like Americana at its ripest, each candle smells like (motherhood and) apple pie.

For heirloom-quality state celebrations, look to Catstudio online, which produces souvenir-inspired hand-embroidered pillows ($136). Although the colorful designs appear similar to those on collectible souvenir glasses, they’ve been updated to reflect what each area is now best known for. This gives the Vermont design a strangely retail feel, thanks to the inclusion of Ben & Jerry’s and Ethan Allen (okay, not the store, but still). For Rhode Island, this translates into coffee milk alongside RISD, Johnson & Wales, and the Tennis Hall of Fame. Catstudio also prints the artwork from its pillows on more affordable frosted tumblers ($44/set of four) and dishtowels ($36/set of two).

Should you prefer to pay homage to the states without picking and choosing among them, you have several options. Aunt Sadie’s sells a Route 66 bathrobe ($65) printed with vintage-art references to Oklahoma, Los Angeles, Missouri, and other stops. The South End shop also carries Cooking USA: 50 Favorite Recipes from Across America (Chronicle Books, $14.95) by Georgia Orcutt and John Margolies. Filled with kitschy travel artwork and state-food trivia, the cookbook features recipes both expected (Virginia country ham and Maine lobster) and obscure (Utah funeral potatoes).

Where to find it:

• Aunt Sadie’s, 18 Union Park Street, Boston, (617) 357-7117; www.auntsadiesonline.com

• Catstudio, (707) 778-1100; www.catstudio.com


Issue Date: August 27 - September 2, 2004
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