And then, there is a wonderful world of matchboxes

https://www.matchboxmart.com/collections/all?page=3

One last thing; something to light!

Is there a block button on this site? You and Oco will be first! :D

Seriously, I love the matches idea and cute matches holder. Your title is right-on. Now I want what I didn’t know I needed .... a Welsh blanket and vintage matches/holder.

Ahh yes. I fell in love with this little guy at the Farmhouse Pottery store in VT several years ago. But I thought, $40? That’s ridiculous. A couple years later I bought one (different one) on Etsy. Sorry to say, it didn’t work well. It went off in a goodwill donation box several months ago.

https://www.farmhousepottery.com/collections/strikers/products/milkmaid-match-striker

I hope you have better luck!

LOL @ Jinx!

Nope, matches and strikers never even entered my imagination, as we always have the ugly wands around, but now that you have them on my radar, I'm intrigued! Aren't they lovely! Thanks ... I think??

I think for best results you need to use white tipped single strike matches on the strikers?

Those are beautiful but I really like my cheap clicky thing. Especially when I am trying to light my pinon incense bricks from Santa Fe. Those little things take forever to light.

ooohh, what are those?

Matches scare me! But yes, i grew up with some beautiful match holders, usually in a set with small ashtrays and a cigarette holder. I’ve not seen a striker, though. I wonder how it looks after awhile? (At home I use an ugly wand, why can’t they make THOSE look nice? I don‘t want to make a trip to dispose of the match, and a small match burns my finger before I’m done lighting candles. And, for our everyday dinner table I use tea lights inside wee holders, I couldn’t get a match down inside,)

Mtn - here is a link to their website. Hopefully, the link won't be a violation. They also sell on am a zon.

https://www.inscents.com/incense/incense-of-the-west.html

My dad smoked so there were always matches around. I have a pretty good backlog of matches from restaurants now. I remember when we had boxes of safety matches that you struck on the top of the oven or the bottom of your shoe. I use the wand things to light my stove when the power is out or the gas grill at times. However, those match holder/ strikers are pretty darn cute.

Mtn, those are the exact matches I bought (like, 10 boxes of) to use with my pottery striker thing. I still have them but what works best for me is the wand thing, which is stored out of sight in a kitchen drawer. 😉

A few years ago at a kitchen shop I bought a wand that looks like a really big match. It’s cute and easier to work than the trigger kind so I will keep it until it runs out of butane (I think that’s what’s in it). Ater it bites the dust I will def be in the market for something different so I will bookmark these gadgets with thanks. Also love the vintage style matchboxes!

Mtn, where is that keyring from? I have to buy it for a friend. She recently traveled from the US to Canada because her mom was in the hospital. She had to quarantine for 2 weeks before she could see her (or anyone), but was able to isolate in her parent's home while she waited. Luckily, her mom survived (not covid), my friend got to see her and spend time with her after the hospitalization. But sometime between arriving in Canada and the end of the quarantine (where she went NOWHERE), she lost her keys. Somewhere in the house. Never found them. Her partner had to get an extra car key made and send it to her in Canada so she could leave to come home. She needs that keyring!

ETA: Um, forgot I could google for it. There are actually some nice looking ones on etsy (not pink plastic, lol).

Lars, I read: "The little skull in this photo belonged to our grandmother" totally out of context and thought "how gruesome that he has his grandmother's skull."

Bwahaha!! I still have THIS.....still in the bottom of the Korean wedding basket that my DM used as her chair side sewing basket....Not sure how matches from the ‘60’s and ’70’s still work...

That’s the bad thing about people not smoking anymore. You have to buy matches.

We always had matches from businesses, restaurants and even weddings.

This is a little pack that belonged to my grandmother and thought to be from the early 1900s. The container is 2” tall. Striker on the bottom.

This is eerily coincidental. I actually added this match striker to my Etsy list earlier this week. I want a match striker, DH and I always light a candle in the evening and it bugs me that once I light the candle I have no where to place the spent match. So I like the idea of a striker with a saucer for spent matches. I was also thinking a match striker could become a component of next year's holiday sibling gift box.

Yes you have to use 'strike anywhere' matches. But I agree even 'strike anywhere' can sometime be hard to get lit. Here's the secret: adhesive match striker strips.

True story (according to neighborhood lore): Incense of the West was born in the basement of my former home in Santa Fe. When we looked at the house we noticed the steps to the cellar were actually quite narrow, with the other "side" of them being a smooth concrete ramp with a large metal eye sunk into the concrete at the top. The eye was designed to work as a come-along to move supplies and goods in and out of the cellar, where there were three 50-amp outlets for kilns.

And yes, now I need one of those match strikers.

DH bought this jar of matches recently at an estate sale & I was like, why!?!?!?

But, they have come in handy!

Those of you on IG, Maura Endes does matches that are gorgeous!

This is just an example of many different & original designs

I like the wand because everything we have to light is low. But the keyring!!! That is awesome. Because.....well...bad words are funny!

The keyring made me laugh out loud - thanks for that!

Haha @ Olychick - Lars' grandmother must've been very, very tiny 😄

I just buy bulk packages of matches from the grocery store and keep all the packages in a decorative tin. The main thing we use them for is lighting the charcoal grill.

The key ring is hilarious. I usually use one of those ugly wands because something is taking so long to light.

This is so coincidental. This was part of my Christmas gift from one of our kids families. I love it. The top is cork and the little strip at the bottom is for lighting the match. At least these matches are long.

Love the match presentation, Mtn. When I was little, we ate in a formal dining room most nights, with candles. As kids, we used to fight over who got to "snuff" the candles. That's a whole 'other rabbit hole.

For example:

This was from amazon. Ours were the very traditional bell shape on a long stick.

That rabbit candle snuffer is so cute.

We have a vintage brass bell one that belonged to my DH’s late wife‘s family. I love it.

When Nancy Dickerson (John Dickerson's mother) owned Merrywood, she had matchboxes with "Merrywood" printed on them, and they were in a tray held by a wooden statue of St. Francis of Assisi.

Nope, I don't. I don't like using matches. Yes, there are some pretty matchboxes, but not after my cabinets/closets, etc. are clean and organized. I am to the point in life where I am getting rid of things. We use the wands, but they are in a drawer/cabinet so no big deal. We use them outside too (we burn outside candles as well as inside). Jinx, we have a vintage snuffer too, they are neat!

jakabedy, that is wild that your house was the Santa Fe incense factory. I love lighting the pinon, it's my treat to myself.

We had one of those French strikers back in the 70s. I'm sure it was a replica. Everyone smoked and we lived where there were no electric lights and we were always futzing with Coleman lamp mantles. I love the smell of matches but now prefer using a long lighter.

Back in the day I always had at least one book of matches in my purse. Twice, within a 6-month period, a book of matches spontaneously combusted *in my purse*!!! The first time seemed just plain weird, but the second one convinced me to switch to lighters.

Yeah, actually one thing I love about the key ring is --- when is the last time you saw a key ring like that?

I love candle snuffers too. Jojo, how elegant!

And Jakabedy, you r a celebrity!

I almost bought those very matches at the grocery store today; but they are the wrong ones. They need to be "Strike "anywhere" matches. Who knew?

I love the strikers.. and Jococo, the bunny snuffer is adorable!

I bought a bunch of beautiful match boxes to tuck into gifts this year-- but the real winner was the usb rechargeable long lighter. My sister texted and wanted to know where i got it as she needed to order more. It uses an electric arc so no click click click!

Peppa, I follow Maura on Instagram and love her matches. But the price!! Yikes. I made my own for a grand total of about $2 (maybe less) a set, and they turned out great!

I bought a couple of the USB lighters....one for myself and one to go with a gift. Love it!

Matches and strikers are all cute - but then there is the spent matches to deal with. Because my mantra this year is donate, don't accumulate I am very happy with the electric arc USB rechargable lighter that my sister gave me with a beautiful candle. I don't know where she got it, but it looks like these.

Our daughter got me a USB rechargeable lighter for my stocking, and I am loving it. It works much better than the regular ones that we have had. We keep it in a drawer in the kitchen and use it mainly for lighting our gas fireplace.

Those French strikers are so cool. Can’t wait to hear how you like yours, Mtn.

@User, I was intrigued by the lighter that looked like a match and looked it up. Some of those are refillable. You may not have to throw it away when it is empty.

I do find it interesting that people still use matches! That little striker and container is charming.

The strikers are cute and tempting, but I was planning on getting a USB lighter for DH's birthday. We use a lighter for the gas fireplace and an occasional candle or the gas rangetop or grill when they are being temperamental. I've never had good luck with the refillable butane type, though I had one I really liked and wanted to work. The disposable ones are disposable, plastic and so poorly made recently that they scare me a bit, but I was having a harder time finding the long matches for the fireplace, so they filled a need for a while. I'm hoping a USB one will be an improvement -- but there is something charming and appealing about the match strikes.

We had a giant match lighter that the store owner gave us when we bought our fire pit. Unfortunately, we could not find any way to refill it.

First thing that came up when googling and now I want a charming "wand".

Match

Not cheap but attractive! Lighter

Ooohh! This one Charming!

OMG, this is great! one minor side effect of the pandemic is that our supply of cute matchboxes from restaurants is tapped. I had to buy some the other day for the first time ever. it has to be matches because we use them in the bathroom. sorry TMI. 😆

Well,I’ve never seen a permanent match before! I suppose you have to replace the wick from time to time, but how cool!

Well, now I need new lighters. But, I know a couple of the empty Bic lighters I have in a drawer are refillable, I just never have done it!

I have a question about lighters. I noticed that when I set it down after lighting the candles for supper, afterwards the surface I set it on might be discolored, because the tip of the wand is still hot. Now I set it on a tile. Where do you keep your wand lighters?

Still have a collection of matchbooks that restaurants used to give out. Those strikers have my interest and make a unique gift idea.

I remember my dad filling the lighters with Ronson lighter fluid before bridge night, and he always did it in the laundry room over the utility sink. Are the butane ones hard to fill? I think one of the ones in Bumblebeez‘s second link would make a great “manly” gift for my son, but tbh his small motor skills are not the most graceful.

bpath you could place a silicone potholder down to protect surfaces from lighters.

I use an old Zippo or the standard Strike Anywhere matches but at one time we used the Cartier lighter that my FIL brought back from France. It hasn't been used in a while and I'd like to have it serviced to make sure the seals are intact before trying to refill it.

Here's my candle drawer, snuffer and the lighter.

But those permanent lights are intriguing.

OMG How pretty! I love it. Where do you buy candles Maire?

I've been buying Northern Lights Candles for years. I've ordered directly from their website but I've also found them on Amazon and Walmart. They offer a wide variety, scented and unscented - I usually order the 12" unscented tapers for the dining table but they also have pillars, tealights, wax melts. I've given their Esque globes as gifts and they come packaged in a fabric covered box which makes a nice presentation even unwrapped.

https://northernlightscandles.com/