Hello to whoever is reading this, long time no blog posts. But I've decided to start blogging about old junk and vintage items again. No one blogs anymore, they heyday of the blog has come and gone, but I am a rule breaker by nature so here we go.  I've gotten some good retro finds, stuff so good it would be a shame to hide it from the world. I've been hittin' the flea markets, auctions and thrift shops like there's no tomorrow. The first thing is the cute 1950s era napkin holder with little starbursts. My photo does not do it justice, no siree. It reigns supreme in my kitchen.

When said napkin holder is empty it will be refilled with these glorious pink paper napkins. PINK!!!! I have never seen such wonder before, my grocery store only sells white napkins but these are in a never opened bag and I found 'em at the thrift store. Made my day and then some!! Although for a thrift store they charged me a pretty penny if truth be told. But I had to have them.

Super cool abstract aqua planter. It was destiny I tell you!!

1950s era ceramic flamingo figurine, made in Japan. I got this at the estate auction and had to pay a small fortune and vanquish several other rabid bidders. I overpaid but in retrospect (get it, RETROspect???) I am pleased with my decision to pursue the purchase. I do not say no to the pink flamingo.

WWII era glass Christmas ornaments with cardboard tops and paper hangers due to wartime scarcity. They are in a vintage hammered aluminum ice bucket that was only 49cents at the thrift shop since it was lacking a lid. I did not quibble since it is awesome. Is there any question??

Vintage issue of Modern Screen with La Liz, there is some staining on the cover but La Liz is luminous and the price was right!

retro glassware and carnival glass finds

Now that the warm weather is here I have been out hunting for junk, I mean fine antiquities. I scored some 1950s glasses with a great gold and black design, and some AWESOME smiley face glasses, which I have been wanting ever since the dishwasher faded the designs on the set I had as a child, These are out there in the wild but the sellers always want a huge sum of money for them. These were cheap thank goodness. I also scored some nice carnival glass at the thrift shop, which pretty much blew my mind since the thrifts around here are really lousy.

Who wouldn't want a cocktail after seeing these??

I also got this cute little book from 1925, its adorable!

SMILE!!!!

vintage Christmas Santa mugs plus Rudolph

I scored some vintage ceramic Christmas mugs at the estate auction over the summer. They are made in Japan. I had never seen a Rudolph one before so I was extra happy to get these. One little chip on Rudolph's rim does not mar my joy. No siree.

Below is a Santa centerpiece that I made out of random items. I got the ceramic sled at the auction, it was free because it was broken and someone put it in the discard pile, where I always find good stuff. The sled was missing one rail and the other was broken in half, plus Santa had been knocked off of the seat. I glued him back on, glued the sled to a vintage platter and then glued ornaments all around, to cover the broken areas of the rails. Then I put a 50's era corsage into the back of the sled, and viola, retro Christmas decor! Once considered garbage, he now reigns supreme as my dining room centerpiece over the holidays.

The pink Christmas tree

 

Here is my hot pink Christmas tree, its about 4 feet tall and came with small lights installed, since its new not vintage.  I have it decorated with vintage glass ornaments and a few small old birds that clip onto the branches.

Below are some handmade beaded ornaments in an old pressed glass bowl. The bowl is from an estate auction and I picked up the ornaments here and there at flea markets and estate sales. Over the holidays people freaked out over these ornaments, while the pink tree was roundly ignored. Go figure, I think its a showstopper myself.

Breakin all the Rules!

My dad emailed me this photo, it was titled "Breakin all the rules!"  I love it! 

vintage kitchenware goodies

I scored some vintage milk glass items at the estate auction this week. A pie pan and a mixing bowl with excellent aqua embellishments, ooohhhhh! Now I need to bake something, maybe over the weekend I can whip up some scones. I like scones. Who doesnt?

Lidded divided Pyrex dish in the garland pattern. The dish is shallow so it doesnt hold alot and I am not sure what I will use it for, but I had to have it! I am not a pyrex obsessive, I really dont care about brands, I just like items with panache no matter what their provenance. This caught my eye and I threw down some bids at the auction.

vintage tiki mug from Bob Lee's Islander!!!! AHOY!!! I real score for an east coast gal such as myself. Make mine a mai tai!!! I also got a ceramic measuring spoon holder in a joyous flower shape. It has a chip in the back but I dont care, no one will know but me, and whenever I see these for sale they never have the spoons or are missing some. This was intact and basically free since it came in a boxed lot of stuff that I got at the auction.

Super duper fab tiki tropical placemats with little shells as flowers, meals are extra special now! Even if they come from a can!

pots and pans, vintage style and a warning on where NOT to shop

I have been wanting some colorful enamel pots and pans but whenever I see them at fleas or antique shops they are always trashed, stained and chipped, really bad unusable condition, So imagine my surprise to find 2 small saucepans in a 2 week period! Hooray!! 

And while we are on the subject of antiques stores, I am gonna name some names and tell you where NOT to shop. The Antiques Village of Strasburg, which is in Lancaster PA. I have NEVER been treated so rudely in my life, This shop is owned by a shrewish woman who approached me and started literally SCREAMING at me because I had brought my purse into the shop. Yes, a purse, one of those things that hold your wallet that has the money you intend to spend.   I was busy inspecting an old phone that I was thinking about buying and I hear all this yelling and I turn around and this witch is in my face SCREAMING at me about how I cant bring a pocketbook into the shop. It took me a minute to realize what was happening, and then I said, calmly, that I was leaving and taking my purse with me and she just lost a sale and I wished her "good luck with your business." then she went BANANAS and started YELLING that her business was doing just fine, On my way out the door I said, calmly, "really? I see money walking out the door." I will never set foot in there again. Treating all the customers as if they are criminals. I was unaware that I look like a thief, considering I was dressed like a preppy nerd, I wasn't in a ski-mask carrying a crowbar. Can you imagine if you were one of the vendors who was renting a booth there? This freak is driving away all of the shoppers.
These idiot business owners have no clue on how to run a business. If they were awake they'd know that the cost of a security system is a write-off on their taxes, if they are that concerned about theft. Plus customer service and manners might help as  well. Do not shop at The Antiques Village of Strasburg, which is in Lancaster PA. oh, I have to add an addendum to this post, I was the only customer in the shop when this unfortunate event happened. How bad is that?? This whole thing was such a bummer.