About That Trunk

 My son saved the day when he said YES, he wanted Kathy's Folly!  And better yet, he did NOT want the tray insert with the beautiful blue antique paper.  That part of the trunk stayed with me and I hung it on the wall as a shelf in my art room.  He is going to use the trunk as a jumping-off place to fashion a vintage style tool chest.  If I get the opportunity I will show you his finished result.  We got two for one.
My room is so cluttered that it is hard to get a good picture and I haven't put anything on the shelves yet except my little oil can collection on the top.  A work in progress.

 Maybe this is better.  I am not ambitious enough to remove any junk clutter so I'll remove the color clutter instead!  Hanging the shelf involved much negotiating around all the colorful clutter plus I had to stand on TOP of my workbench with one foot on my vise to balance myself.  Oh, what we won't do in the name of collecdting our treasures!

Here is a closer shot of the blue paper.  Click it bigger so you can see the pattern.  Wouldn't you LOVE to have a whole roll of this!

Holy Color Wheel, Batman!

 I was flipping through the pages of McCalls 1972 Spring-Summer Needlework & Craft Magazine when this wardrobe stopped me in my tracks so I had to share!

 I was a junior in High School in 1972 but I apparently missed this fashion-forward trend.

 I WANT that blue outfit.

 How much would you love to find THIS dress at the next estate sale!

 I'm pretty sure my mother would not have let me wear this one.

Love love love the striped vest!  Funny, I don't think I would have been brave enough to wear any of these in 1972 but I would love them now.
The magazine has the knit and crochet directions so let me know if you want to give any of these a try. Really.

Kathy's Folly

Yes, dear friends, I thought I was being quite sensible in choosing The Bins over The Mall for Black Friday.  To my surprise, The Bins was no less packed than The Mall would have been.  My first big score of the day was a parking space.
 
Once I got inside I discovered that every.single.cart. was in use.  Naturally, I walked right over to a simply perfect typewriter table ($5) that I was unable to claim as my own because I had no shopping cart.  Ever the optimist, I looked around and found a cardboard box and started picking through the bins.  The place was packed and I wasn't finding a lot but the box was awkward to carry around so I went back up to the front of the store no less than five times in hopes of snagging a cart.  Adding insult to injury, after one trip to the front I spotted a woman pushing a cart with MY typewriter table in it.

I must have been wearing my frustration on my face because the gentleman watching the exit pointed out two young ladies loading their purchases into bags and told me to go ask them for their cart.  I took his suggestion and they very kind and dumped the contents of their cart onto the floor and gave it to me.  Added together, they still would have been younger than me, so I don't think I scared them.
 
No sooner did I score a cart and head down another isle than I looked up and saw Kathy's Folly perched on top of a pile of clothes, video tapes and record albums.  I was not going to let THIS one slip through my fingers.  Have cart, can do.  With the help of a young man who figured better to help me than lift is off me, I got it perched across the top of my cart.

In case any of you are wondering, no, you cannot efficiently push a cart through a crowd with an antique steamer trunk perched on top of it.  Small children in real and present danger.  The crowd parted and I made my way to the checkout where I encounter a fourth good Samaritan.

An older gentleman asked how far I had to take that thing to get to my car.  Did I just refer to someone as "older" just because they have white hair?  Now I will admit, I have lived in the city a long time and I am a little jaded.  I had already fended off sob-story-bus-ticket guy and I'll-make-you-a-deal-QZ guy that morning.  I figured this guy just wanted to haul the trunk for me so he could demand a tip like the let-me-help-you-with-the-Can-Do bums.  Not so!  He just wanted a cart, just like me!  Note to self: You meet the nicest people at The Bins!

I think some sort of Black Friday-induced competitive-shopping hysteria must have taken hold of me because I have NO use for this thing and less space to store it.  But it was $10, what could I do?

Those Buttons and LAST Sunday

 Better late than never!  My Blogger issues are still not resolved but I managed to upload some pictures by resizing them.  Still no idea what changed or WHY I need to do that but enough whining and I will take it! 
This is my meager haul from the VOA last Sunday.  A pretty tin, a new hammered aluminum basket for my collection, a steamer of wings and a vintage photo album.  I have no idea why I am attracted to those old photo albums with the black pages, other than the nostalgia factor.  Don't we all have things we are drawn to thanks to childhood memories?

These are my favorite plastics from the button jar I got at Plucky Maidens.  LOVE that cream colored flower and pierced designs are always a favorite!

Bone and china buttons.

 Mother of Pearl.  Does anyone know anything about the ones with the offset holes?  I have a few others and I have always wondered about them.  Laurie?

 Vegetable ivory or horn whistles.  I don't actually know how to tell the difference between horn and vegetable ivory.  Just another thing to wonder about...

 Glass buttons, including one white milk glass button.  I don't have many milk glass buttons so this is a score.

Pretty wooden buttons.

 This is the rest of the story or the "ordinary buttons", as I like to call them.
If Blogger agrees then I will show you my Black Friday adventure tomorrow.  NO, I did NOT go to the mall!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Squint your eyes, please.

This is a picture of a pretty

vintage postcard.

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Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

(According to the forums I am not alone with my broken Blogger.  Hopefully they will have a fix soon.  In the meantime, I am thankful I can still post words and wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!)
Update!  It is working again and I am THANKFUL!

                     

Well Dangit!

This post is supposed to be about my favorite buttons from the jar I got and Plucky Maidens and my Sunday junk.  Alas, Blogger tells me I have finally used up all my free space and need to buy more, which I have done.  Apparently.  But I still cannot upload a photo.  Reboot.  Log out.  Log in. Nada.  The Help says I may have to wait 24 hours.  Really?  I can email back and forth with a friend on the other side of the world in real time but it takes Google 24 hours to upgrade my account?  {Big Sigh} An hour of my life I'll never get back.

Plucky Maidens Junk Fest Fun

 I spent yesterday at the Plucky Maidens Junk Fest.  That Pam, the Pluckiest Maiden Of Them All, really knows how to throw a party!  I had the pleasure of visiting with two of my blog land friends and a fun encounter with a fellow button lover.  The Party Bird above was made by blog-friend Laurie, aka Magpie Ethel and she very kindly gifted it to me. Be sure to link over and check out the photos of her booth.  She has a magic touch!  The two Mr. and Mrs. Snowman sweethearts were gifted to me by blog-friend Amy from Into Vintage. She has an amazing eye for vintage goodness!

 She included the cutest little Christmas gift card.  Dang!  Why don't I ever find these!

 Naturally I had to do some shopping, as well.  Vintage white hankies, pocket watch lenses and a lovely lady that will make her way to an inspiration kit or altered Altoids tin.

 A big score of vintage sewing trims wrapped on wooden spindles.  I am not sure how I will put these to use but for now I am content to get my eyes filled up with the beautiful colors and patterns.

 A nice little packet of vintage bling for adding to my ever-growing stash.

The scale doesn't show up right in this photo because this is a large jar of buttons.  Stay tuned and I will show you my favorites in the next post.
I hope your weekend was filled with wonderful junk!

I Don't Collect These

When I was sorting and putting away all the poke sack loot I realized how many needle threaders I have managed to accumulate.  The key word here is ACCUMULATE.  Another one of those things I never buy on purpose and yet here they are, poke sack collateral.  The funny thing is, I never, ever use one.  I always thread needles the old fashioned way.  But if I ever need one I'm set!
What do you accumulate??

Weekend Picks - Part Two

 The VOA yielded a big poke sack score on Sunday.  Let's take a closer look at some of the goodies.

 Buttons - of course!

 BIG pile of DMC floss that is already listed in my Etsy shop.

 Vintage lingerie notions.  If you are of a certain age I am sure you will recal how UNCOMFORTABLE these were.  Yes, Virginia, there was a time when there were no pantyhose!

 Sweet pink sewing box.

 Crochet forks in three sizes for making hairpin lace - a nearly lost art.  I briefly entertained the notion that I might give it a go, until I Googled how to do it.  I got over the notion pretty quick and listed them in my Etsy store.  Please, someone, keep this art form alive!

 Floral wallpaper border for making tags.

 This is a c.1936 picture puzzle that is stamped with the name "The Guardian Angel".  The box was clearly used for more than one puzzle since it says 300-500 pieces and the picture is glued, not printed, on the front of the box.

 Notice how the pieces are much thicker than modern puzzles and they don't interlock.  It is poured out on the kitchen table right now so we can put it together and see if all the pieces are there.  It is proving to be a challenge since everything except the focal image is VERY dark.

 An assortment of interesting little sewing kits.  The yellow one holds a needle threader and thread and that little red button on the side works the built-in scissor on one end.  The green matchbook is a hosery repair kit.

 The red kit opens up to reveal a very unusual assortment of threads.  Instead of tiny spools or thread wrapped on little tags, it is a woven piece where you pull out the thread color you need.

 This was my very favorite find and addition to my recently-admitted needle book collection.  A WWI needle book. I wish I would have gotten this posted for Veterans Day!

 The inside is complete and appears unused.

I find the back side pretty ironic.  We were at war with Germany and the needle book was made in Germany.  Buying it was certainly a questionable contribution to the war effort and surprising that it was even available!

Weekend Picks - Part One

 Time for just one estate sale on Saturday and I left with a sweet pile of sewing notions for my Etsy store.  Yes, that bowl in the back is the one I bought a couple of weeks ago.  It is holding 50+ zippers.

 Everything isn't headed to Etsy.  This vintage dried flower picture is staying with me.

 And these Fostoria Baroque parfaits will be added to the husband's collection.  They are sitting on a stunning lace scarf head cover that is already listed in my Etsy shop.

 A cute little Royal Ruby vase for my collection and, in front of it, cards of vintage rayon seam binding.  I love that stuff!  My stash is overflowing so I need to get some of that listed, too.

 My proudest accomplishment....  There was a huge pile of doilies and I heaped them right into my box, like I always do, and then...  wait for it....  I put them back!  For once I left them behind for someone else to rescue.  Of course, my box was really full with all the sewing stuff so no promises but, as they say, one step at a time!  I kept this one table runner because it was a unique pattern...

...and this pile of crochet squares that are just waiting to be stitched together into pillows or a tablecloth.  The two tiny salt and peppers will be added to my collection.
Stay tuned for Part Two, Sunday at the VOA.

Better Late Than Never

 Here it is, Saturday already and I am just now posting the finds from last weekend.  My son gave me a heads-up about a new second-hand shop he discovered a little way out of town.  Naturally, I had to check it out.  For those of you who are local, it is called BJ's Imporium and it is on Orient Drive, outside Gresham.

 I wandered through the maze for at least an hour.  The owner came out to chat and asked me what I was interested in.  I told him buttons and sewing notions were my favorite so he took me into the huge barn behind the store to show me a sewing basket.  {Love! these walnut-slice buttons!}

 The barn was packed.  It turns out he has an auction every Tuesday night.  He puts things in the store for a while and then they go to the auction.  From the look of all the boxes piled high in the barn, I would say a lot goes straight to the auction because I can't imagine how he could fit any more in the store. {This small scrap of embroidered Asian fabric was in the bottom of the sewing basket.}

 I'm excited to find out about a local auction that is in my area.  I have always wanted to go to one.  I might wait for the longer Summer days to venture out on the country roads at night but it is absolutely on my to-do list. {Set of 6 hollow celluloid buttons and a thimble marked "Peirce Spork and Beans".  Spork??}

At first I thought this was some kind of hat but once I got it untangled I realized it is a crochet purse.  It is sort of an odd pattern because the motifs on the center sides pouch out.  It looks like it probably had a lining at one time but I can't quite visualize how the lining would work with the bulgy sides.  Just one more thing to wonder about...
That and what is inside all those boxes I saw in that barn!