The latest spiffy Finds
Despite the fact that it’s already the middle of December, I’m *still* lamenting the fact that tag sale season is over. Of course, there are still estate sales now and again and the ever-popular holiday bazaars. And thrift stores. Though with two small children, my visits to all of the above are few and far between these days. But somehow I’ve managed to go on a few excursions anyway.
And now, for my most recent finds….(insert drum roll here).
Old Santa Heads from an estate sale. They’ll be cute for some sort of crafts project.
Also found Three Wise Men by Shackman, made in Japan. One looks like he got into a brawl with a cat. But the other two survived unscathed.
Vintage Santa Mugs. Think these will be great as planters.
But best of all, this odd little vintage holiday display piece with a reclining gnome!
A few weeks after the estate sale my Mom came to visit and we slid to an Antiques mall. She wound up buying me this awesome retro Pyrex dish! I adore it, and am so excited to have my first blue Pyrex piece.
She also got me these adorable Pyrex Fridge jars that I have been swooning over for a while now. They’re much cuter and more fun than using plastic tubs for food storage. 
A week later I found these lovely jam jars by Commodore of Japan at the same joint. They’re very similar to the Holt Howard pixieware of the day. And if you can believe it, they were only $1 each and on the clearance table because the jam spoons inside are broken. But since I’m only using them for display, it doesn’t matter to me anyway. I just love how the mustard looks seriously really pissed off at the ketchup for reasons unknown.
Also found a cute slot machine bank from the 1970s.
And last but not least, a bunch of lovely quilt blocks from long ago and far away. The first photo shows two sets of blocks, both depression era. The colors are fantastic, and I can’t believe they’re in such good condition given their age. Not sure yet what I’ll make with these, but I’m thinking perhaps a lap quilt or wall quilt?
I also came across some amazing star quilt blocks that were surprisingly affordable. There are twenty of them, these photos only show a few. All are intricately hand sewn and I think they’re just beautiful! Can’t believe that no one scomped them up before I did…must come up with some special way to display them. I’m almost thinking about maybe taking them apart and framing just the star portions? Could make a charming hallway collage.
Joining the thrifty link parties over at Apron Thrift Girl, Her library adventures, Hey Mom What’s For Dinner, and Knick of Time.
The First Tag Sale of the Fall
On Sunday I drove all the way across town to check out a fabulous sounding estate sale, only to find out that it was cancelled at the last minute. Kind of disappointing, but these things happen. On the way home I figured I’d stop at one of the nearby farms and pick up a Halloween pumpkin for our front door. Would you believe that the farm I stopped at just happened to be having a big tag sale?! Oh, happy day! And the funny thing is, the seller and I sort of knew each other because I’ve been buying produce and blueberry jam from her all summer at a local farmers market. Small world!
There was plenty to look at, and I began with the toy table. Normally I don’t spend much time looking for toys at yard sales but something about this sale was different. Maybe it was the curious blend of old and new toys, many of which I actually played with in the late 70s and early 80s. There was no shortage of retro Fisher Price goodness and when I saw tin toys and old Happy Meal preminums it was game on!
The first thing that caught my eye was this vintage hard plastic pencil case with a built in tape dispenser. I like how the writing on the side of the bus actually tells you what it is. In painful detail. You know, just in case you weren’t entirely sure.
And bonus, not only is the exterior in mint condition, but it was never used, all of the school supplies are still inside!
Next I came across a Chein “Storybook Express” tin music box. There is no date marked on it, though based on the graphics, I would venture to guess it’s from the 1960s. When wound up, the train on the front moves on the tracks. It works perfectly and is in pretty good shape, just needs a good cleaning.
The back of the music box tells the story of “The Little Engine that Saw the Light.”
A Fisher Price pocket camera.
A Fisher Price picture story camera.
And a view from the back, cause I love the graphics.
Also found a Fisher Price Pocket Radio.
More graphics to swoon over.
I’ve been collecting fast food toys since I was in college, so I have a good amount at this point. Of course, it’s not every day that you come across early, vintage McDonalds happy meal toys, so today was a special treat. I found quite a few, but these are just a few of my favorites.
A glow in the dark star Ronald McDonald from the early 80s.
“Fling n’ Fly” frisbees from the mid 1980s are really hard to come by and coveted by fast food toy collectors. A lucky windfall indeed!
A Ronald comb.
1988 clip on pins. Remember the fry guys?
Children’s Ronald sunglasses.
Some Hamburgler ring toss toys from the late 1970s.
The housewares tables were next, and I did a bit of a double take when I saw what looked like Frankoma pottery. Could it be?
Why yes, yes it could!
I snapped up this cutesy cow creamer, too.
And some ceramic cats. I have a similar one already, but you can never have too many ceramic cats, can you?
The jewelery table proved to be interesting as well. This vintage hair comb was found amidst some metal necklaces and beads. I suspect it may be bakelite but have to test it to be sure.
A super cute doggie pin.
A textured gold bangle.
Some Coro aurora borealis rhinestone clip on earrings.
And last but not least, I spotted this rusty, dusty thing sitting on the floor amidst a bunch of enamelware pans. I had no idea what the heck it was at first. Neither did the seller, who assumed that it was probably a piece of an antique oven. “I think the bottom part is missing” she told me.
It’s made of metal, and it has glass panels on the door and two sturdy wire shelves on the inside.
A closeup of the dial on the door.
After a little bit of research online I learned that this is actually a portable oven from long ago and far away! It was probably made sometime between the turn of the century and the 1920s. No idea what it’s worth, or if it has any monetary value, but since I only paid a few bucks for it, who cares!
I really love the shape and design…it’s got a certain rustic, almost industrial charm just the way it is. But wouldn’t it be just beautiful cleaned up, painted and used to store something? Krylon makes a paint that allows you to paint on rusted surfaces, so there’s endless potential for this piece.
Giddy!
PS – I’ve joined the swell link parties at Apron Thrift Girl, The Penny Worthy Project and Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures.
Two weekends, two sales.
One of my best friends is, surprise surprise, an avid thrifter.
The best part is, we have totally different tastes and interests, so there is never competition. My “thing” is seeking out all sorts of vintage goodies, especially costume jewelry, old books, craft items, salt and pepper shakers, fabric, quilts and “smalls.” She prefers more modern items, especially useful kitchenware, household items, Christmas ornaments and decor. The one thing we both agreed on last weekend was that we had better high tail it to one of our favorite rummage sales early before all of the good stuff got scomped up!
Right when we arrived I found some bright, jaunty fabric. Love this one! And it was only a quarter for a little over a yard.
This was 25 cents, too.
So was this!
Then I found a 1940′s knitting booklet.
And another one for DIY mittens and gloves.
The jewelry table proved fruitful as well. My first find was this enamel flower pin.
A trident broach.
And my favorite find of the day, a deco bracelet in excellent condition for just $1.
This ring is marked 18k gold! And those just might be diamond chips on the sides. But here’s the clincher….it looks like someone crudely glued poor quality faux beads into the two large settings. What the heck, who does that?! I should probably thank them though, since this was just tossed into the dollar bin with a bunch of costume jewelery.
When I finished jewelry shopping it was off to the housewares section, which was really was pretty impressive. There were four filled to the brim rows of tables. This old screw top mason jar spoke to me for some reason.
So did this candy dish, marked “Royal USA.”
This Napcoware dog was calling my name for 50 cents. It’s already housing my new lipstick plant.
Another planter.
This is actually a vintage cookie jar that I turned into a planter since the top was amongst the missing.
And that, web chums, is what I found. My friend had a fruitful morning as well. Not only did she get a lovely glass syrup dispenser and some Christmas decorations, but she also bought two watches. Later on she found out that one of them retails for fifty bucks and she only paid two dollars. Best of all, the battery still worked!
Fast forward to this Saturday. I got up early and rolled to an estate sale in my town.
They had mostly pottery and dishes, though there was also some sort of nice but overpriced small furniture, artwork and knick knacks.
The jewelery section was small but well laid out, and I knew I’d find something.
Like these nice clip earrings, which I often use as shoe clips to temporarily decorate my piggie covers.
Another pair.
And one more.
A sparkly, mid-century ring.
A very long string of real pearls. They’re hand knotted and quite fetching, especially the clasp. The seller told me that they belonged to his Mother in Law, who always wore pearls every single day, “even before Barbara Bush made it popular.” Heh.
Cute little doggie pins.
An unusual necklace, that I suspect is probably from the 1970s.
And last but not least, a beautiful pair of mod, wooden bracelets.
PS – I’ve joined the swell link parties at Southern Hospitality and Apron Thrift Girl.