freshvintage

Mini Vintage Fan, Cast Iron House Numbers & My Cash Register

Chris and I took a trip to the outlet stores & antique shops around Lancaster, PA a few weeks ago. On the way, we went to a barn sale where we really got to dig. Most of it was real junk, but I did find the wooden caddy and the two fans there. I paid five dollars for those three things.

Do you know what that adorable itsy bitsy baby fan was used for?

If you guessed "a car", then you are absolutely right!

It is a Trico Vacuum Fan that would clamp to a dashboard to defrost the windshield. It doesn't even have an electrical cord - it connects to the car engine using a vacuum tube that runs a little turbine in the fan.  Didn't know I was a car junkie, did you? Intake manifolds and struts make me so hot.

Kidding. I just watched this video, where I saw it in action. That man obviously loves his fan. He hauled an enormous air compressor into his living room to demonstrate an antique car fan to his YouTube audience. If that doesn't prove his love, then I don't know what possibly could. Other than some kind of video of him and the fan tube in a compromising position.

Moving on...

I bought these heavy cast iron house numbers at an antiques store in Strasburg, PA. I love their patina and the mix of black & white.

Here's the cash register that I blackberried you about a few weeks ago. Our super-duper neighbors watched the kids for a few hours while Chris and I went to an auction in Hockessin, Delaware. When we arrived, I scoped out the selection of antiques and made a mental note of what I wanted to bid on. The cash register was not listed on my mental note, but I was stunned that only one person was interested in it. I couldn't let it go for so little money, so I threw up my number. And then I won! I paid $25.

It was made in 1949 by National Cash Register, and is metal with a wood grain-painted finish. The base and drawer on the bottom are real wood. It is so heavy that even my P90x-graduate husband had trouble lifting it.

The age of the machine is based on the serial number engraved on the metal plate above the keys. This web page helped me figure that out.

It doesn't "DING!" when you hit the big black button, but the drawer does open. It even has the keys to the drawer. Nothing happens when I push the buttons, though. The numbers in the top window don't change.

Am I the only one who wants to rip all of those buttons off and make some jewelry? Or something?

Do you think I would make more money selling its parts, rather than selling it whole (and non-functioning)? I've done a little research, and it seems that the brass National Cash Registers are worth much more than the faux wood grain ones. This isn't a surprise.

It would be great on display at an antique store. But I don't have one of those. And I don't want to lug it to an antiques fair to sell. Maybe I'll try craigslist?

What would you do with it?

(And please don't say that you would make a YouTube video of the cash register and you in a compromising position. I would be so offended.)

Jam, Eggs, Majorettes and Hillbillies

I am so far behind in sharing my finds. I've been rolling around in the $260 of virtual paypal money that I scored from those Batman Legos on eBay. It was less than my original estimate, but you will not hear me complaining. Instead of buying Finn a new set of (cheaper) Legos or a Nintendo DS game, we agreed that a subscription to the Lego Brickmasters club would be an excellent idea. For $39.99 plus shipping, he gets a new "exclusive" Lego set every two months for a year. Now we are all happy! (And a little richer.)

Anyway, here are some finds from a few weeks ago. My big bargain that day was the 4 antique yellow egg baskets that I practically stole for two dollars.

The little blue book is a reader called Terry and Billy. It has the sweetest illustrations in it - particularly of the furniture. I mean, c'mon...kids are cute, but black painted chairs and matching twin beds are waaaay cuter.

Here is one of a birthday party in the dining room:

And one of the children's bedroom:

This wooden shelf was a store display for M. Polaner Jellies & Preserves, which was just a small-ish family business before it was bought out by a big company in the 80s. What a cool way to show off a little collection.

I found another one of these orange McCoy pitchers. I already have the same exact one on a shelf in my kitchen (you can see it in one of the photos in this post). And this is my favorite: a jadite scalloped flower pot by Fire King.

It is filled with mini ornaments, with some shapes that I've never seen before.

Everything in the first photo is sitting atop this chippy white bench, which is now occupying my front porch.

If you have a wonderful mother-in-law like I do, then you would be used to receiving random packages of vintage goodies in the mail. Like a big envelope filled with vintage dress forms from the 1940s & 1950s. Including a majorette pattern.

I know...adorable!

 

I found this 1890 ironstone platter at a very scary garage sale for a buck. Picture the 175-year-old stone house from Marley & Me filled with hillbillies selling an inordinate amount of bedside commodes. Do you have that image in your head? Good. Now add a pit bull.

When I walked into the garage, I repeatedly looked behind me to make sure that no one was sneaking up with a sharpened hedge clipper.

P.S. The house used in Marley & Me is ten minutes from the scary yard sale house.

 

Momomatic Jewelry on Etsy. And Batman Legos.

Every once in a while, I check out the Etsy store of my new friend, Lotta, who I met at BlogHer. Her store is called Momomatic and she makes jewelry out of vintage buttons, beads and other nifty parts.

I ordered a necklace from her. It arrived in this pretty little package, complete with a black scottie dog tied to the purple string:

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the words Scrotum, Glans and Urethra on the wrapping paper.

And then I remembered that she bought one of my sex books at the BlogHer Swap Meet in July: Picture Stories of the Sex Life of Man and Woman. This was one of the pages from that book. Surprisingly, I just found the same exact book at an antiques store in Lancaster, PA yesterday. That sex book is a like one of those cats that gets lost, and finds its way home after two years and 500 miles.

Anyway, beneath the ball sack was my necklace:

Isn't it gorgeous? Lotta warned me that it was missing one of the rhinestones, but I didn't care. I receive so many compliments when I wear it (which seems like every day). It is one-of-a-kind, but she has many other fabulous jewelry pieces for sale, and frequently updates her shop with new items. Thanks, Lotta!

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Do you remember my Lego craziness a few years back? When I found five Lego sets at a thrift store for $12 and sold them for over $500 on eBay? Well, the insanity has returned with a vengeance. 

I was at a yard sale last week with my sister, Heather, and I spotted the Batman Batcave Lego set, one of those enormous sets that sells for around $100 in the stores. I tried to hide my excitement, but I'm not very good at that. I literally "called dibs" on it to the homeowner and went in search of any other Legos. Heather hid behind an old fridge in embarrassment. I ended up buying the Batcave set and three Indiana Jones sets for $15.

When I arrived home, I made the grave mistake of giving the Batman set to my seven-year-old son who is obsessed with Legos. I know - what the hell was I thinking? I did this once before with a $100 Harry Potter Lego set and I ended up regretting it.

Finn immediately ripped the top of the Batcave box off. Unlike most moms who wouldn't care if their kid ripped a box, I yelled at him, "You just slashed the resale price by ripping that box!".

Fortunately, he started playing with one of the Indiana Jones sets and didn't start bonding with the Batcave. A few hours later, I checked eBay to see how much the Batcave sells for on eBay.

$300!

That's when I had to have a 30-minute-long conversation with Finn about selling the set on eBay. There was some yelling. And tears. Then I told him about his 15% commission. It is hard for a seven-year-old to understand percentages and commissions. But he understood perfectly when I said he could pick out any toy that he wanted, including a game or two for the new Nintendo DS he got for his birthday a few weeks ago. No more tears.

And so began the four-hour process of checking that all 1075 pieces were in the box. I printed 20 pages worth of inventory listings from Peeron. Maeve helped me sort by color:

The set was missing nine pieces. The ripped box and the missing pieces will bring down the value, but not by much. I am guessing that we will get around $275 for the set. You can follow along with the auction here: 7783 Batcave: The Penguin and Mr. Freezes Invasion Lego.

And here's the bonus: inside the Batcave set was this little boat from an other Batman set, the Hunt for Killer Croc. That set also includes Batman's Batboat, but we only had the Killer Croc's boat.

It recently sold on eBay for fifty bucks! The little crocodile man alone sells for $20.

To recap, your lesson for the day is: If you find boxes of Legos at a yard sale or thrift store, BUY THEM. Also, if you find a big disorganized bin of Legos at a yard sale, dig through them and see if there are any minifigs (those are the little Lego people). They are worth big bucks on eBay!

And don't forget about my 15% commission.

Just won this at an auction...

Don't know what I was thinking.

Touches of Vintage in a Boy's Bedroom

Last year, I shared my photos of my daughter, Maeve's vintage-inspired bedroom. Finn's bedroom is a work-in-progress, but I'll show you what we have done so far. We moved into the house three years ago, but still haven't painted his walls. Or any walls in the upstairs for that matter. We are taking our time (or we are just lazy - you decide).

The mahogany dresser was from a yard sale for $25. The veneer on top was in bad shape, so I peeled off as much as I could, and then hemmed a piece of blue fabric to lay on top. The huge framed 1970s world map on top of the dresser was also from a yard sale ($10). The red shelf was a floor sample from Pottery Barn Kids - there's a matching one on the left side of the big map. The map below the shelf is made by eeboo and came with stickers that say things like "I live here" and "My grandparents live here".

I bought this retro metal office chair at a yard sale for three bucks. I tried selling it, but no one appreciated its curved legs, olive-drab elegance and worn leather cushions. So I said, "Screw it! It's going into Finn's room".

But, really, I don't think a seven-year-old cares what he sits on while he is busily gluing legos onto shoebox lids.

I've written about typewriter tables a few times before. They are so easy to find - I just saw one at a yard sale last weekend. I love this one in particular because it has a bottom shelf for his books. And because I paid one dollar for it. Which constitutes instant love.

I gave Finn his first (last?) sewing lesson a few weeks ago. Shhh...don't tell his friends. We made the throw pillow (above) out of colorful tape measure fabric made by American Jane, which has since been discontinued. I thought it would blend well with his prized Pez collection:

 

His goal is to fill up the entire shelf with an army of Pez soldiers. I think he is on his way.

Photos from the Brandywine View Antiques Fall Fling

So, how was the Brandywine View Fall Fling? Well, it rained half of the day, but we still had a great time!

I caught up with some of my blog readers and friends, including:

• Teresa: My neighbor and the doting wife of Tastykake Man.
• Mary T.: frequent commenter, antiquer, and my new source for local gossip.
• Gloria: Former Vintage Home partner, and one of my antiquing gurus.
• Robin: Fellow student at the antiques class I took a few years ago.
• Allison: One of the owners of Nannygoat Antiques in Narberth, PA.
• Catherine: aka Nutjob (also my new friend).
• Amanda: a local blogger who has a beautiful design blog called Purely Practical Lifestyle.

Here's a shot of some of our wares after we moved them onto the huge wrap-around porch (due to the rain). The cool architectural pieces along the wall and the chandelier were a nice backdrop. They were being sold by the shop owner, Lisa. We can't take credit for those, although we would love to.

We hid mimosas on the floor behind the picnic baskets.

I was finally able to use a glass-doored display case that I purchased a couple of years ago at an antiques store. My mother-in-law Mary was with me at the time. She told me to buy it, just in case I ever had any items that needed to be locked up in a shop or booth.

I'm glad I took her advice! The case was in okay condition, but I decided to spice it up a bit. Here's the BEFORE (that's blue painters tape on the glass):

And here is the AFTER:

I painted it aqua and glued vintage wallpaper to the back. The glass shelves came with the display case, but they were perched precariously on screws. I removed the screws and added proper brackets.

I also added a glass knob, because glass knobs make everything look better.

The worst part about the display case? I could have sold mine five times over. But I didn't want to sell it because I actually want to use it as a display case, dammit!  Here's your tip of the day: buy cool display cases and market them to antiques dealers. You will make millions. (Or maybe just hundreds.)

Here are a few more shots of our junk:

 

 

 

Some of our water-resistant junk that we didn't have room for on the porch:

Here are a few photos of the Brandywine View Antiques shop:

Thanks to all who came to shop!

News, Frogs, Luggage and Balls

My family and my little sis Erin's family went to the big Perkiomenville Flea Market on Monday. We found lots of great deals. Methinks that if we didn't have four children and two husbands tagging along, we would have been able to dig a little more. But that was okay - at least I had my own porter.

I didn't find all of these vintage goodies at the flea market. Some were from yard sales, a thrift store and one barn sale (gotta love those).

The handpainted wooden NEWS sign came from the oldest newsstand in the state of Pennsylvania. The stand is a beloved historic monument now, and was the only wooden shack ever awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Journalism, back in 1934.

Or not. I'm trying to come up with a good story about that sign. "I bought it at a thrift store in Delaware" doesn't quite have the same appeal as my Pulitzer Prize tale.

Do you see those little yellow and blue duckies at the bottom of the photo? They are vintage weighted floating ducks from the Duck Pond carnival game. You'd pick one of the ducks floating in the water, and depending on the number on the bottom, you would win a prize. These brought me waaay back to the days when my siblings and I would spend every waking hour at the Brigantine Castle near Atlantic City, NJ during the summer.

This was the first time I ever found Wedding Cake Toppers that didn't break the bank. There are four toppers of different sizes. And four groomsman (or two pairs of grooms?).

I found a few glass floral frogs and one Coronet Flower Arranger and Pincandle Holder by A.B. Herbert Corp. I know its full name because it came with the original box. It is adjustable, so you can place it in round or rectangular planters.

A bowl of billiard balls. Say that after a few sweet tea vodkas with lemonade. The metal thingy is a snowbird, which would have been nailed to roof to prevent sheets of snow and ice from falling on unsuspecting passersby. You can find them on many old buildings around here.

Mini-bundt tin:

More vintage luggage. Or "Vaudeville case", as one dealer referred to the large one. It has sticker from the Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Philadelphia.

September means school supplies (to me, anyway). This catalog has an array of books, furniture, chalkboards, puzzles and anything else you would envision in a 1920's school.

Desks:

Inkstands:

Sanitary Pencil Holders:

"The Sanitary Pencil Holder will accommodate 56 pencils and serves as an individual holder for each pupil's pencils. Pupils are sure of getting back their own pencils".

Huh? This is a new one for me. I am obviously too young to know about the horrific Bubonic Pencil Plague that ripped through our nation in the twenties.

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Are you coming to the Brandywine View Antiques sale on Saturday? The event is RAIN or SHINE, so don't be a wimp if you see a little rain in the forecast. All of my antiques are water-resistant, so everything will be just fine.

Click with the Crowd

Summer was a dud for me when it came to junking, but things are slowly starting to turn around.

I found these two pairs of vintage sunglasses at a yard sale in Brigantine, NJ (the beach town where my dad lives). I was shocked to find them. I never find cool vintage stuff at yard sales in Brigantine. They are  usually rife with pink and gray seashell-themed artwork from the eighties.

I never thought I'd find a fire company souvenir glass so appealing. The fact that I paid a quarter didn't hurt. It is a Hazel Atlas milk glass tumbler with an image of roses. It is from a local fire company in Media, PA.

Here's an aqua Whitman's tin with a quilted pattern. And a little rust, but I don't mind - Whitman's was a Philadelphia candy company that's been around since 1842 (before it was bought by Russell Stover).

This is a little handmade booklet about the size of an autograph book. "Memory Verses" is handwritten on the cover. The creator cut out verses and pasted them onto each page of the book. Many of the pictures feature children, which is why it caught my eye.

I bought two other advertising booklets at the same yard sale: Click with the Crowd and As One Girl to Another, both from the 1940s.

Any guess as to the topic covered in As One Girl to Another? 

If you guessed Aunt Flo, you are absolutely right! It is essentially one big ad for Kotex. My mom always referred to every brand of pad as Kotex, no matter what it said on the box.

When each of my three sisters and I first "got the pip", my mom read the Period. book with us. I remember being so afraid of her ginormous flapping sanitary napkins and accompanying elastic belt with the clips. I think she used that belt much longer than she needed to. Long after the invention of the sticky maxi-pad.

I'm sure she will contest that fact in the comments below, but don't believe her. She lies.

The other booklet, Click with the Crowd, sponsored by Mum deodorant, offers oh-so-helpful tips on making friends. Mostly by not stinking. And making sure your girdle is washed.

I scanned this invaluable six-page document into PDF format for you. Please - if you care about your daughters at all - share it with them as they return to school and endeavor to make new friends. It contains vital information, like "Use a deodorant between your toes and on sanitary napkins" [pg. 3] and "It's a good habit to shampoo your hair once every ten days" [pg. 2].

You can thank me later!

Fall Fling at Brandywine View Antiques

Calling all locals!

Erin and I will be selling our fabulous vintage finds at the Brandywine View Antiques Fall Fling Tent Sale on September 12th in Chadds Ford, PA.

Not only will the grounds of the store be packed with more than 20 dealers, the store itself is a sight to behold: three floors of antiques in a gorgeous historic home. There's a room set up like a Victorian parlor and one like an old General Store. Not to mention the porch that wraps around the entire house - it is packed with primitive cabinets, benches and farmhouse tables. For those of you who have been reading my blog since 2007, you might remember that Erin and I had a space at Vintage Home Annex. Well, one of the former owners, Gloria, now has a booth at Brandywine View! She shares it with her daughter, who has a great eye for vintage jewelry.

If you've ever longed to visit the Brandywine Valley area of Pennsylvania, September 12th would be the perfect day. Guess what else is going on?

Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square: "Celebrate the mushroom as well as the beauty, history and excitement of Southern Chester County with music, children’s rides and a variety of entertainment." This is a HUGE event. And they have mushroom-flavored ice cream. Yummmmmm.
[10 minutes from the Fall Fling]

Chadds Ford Days: An outdoor festival that celebrates this historical village. Crafters, Fine Artists, Restaurants & Rides, a Colonial Tavern and 18th Century House Tours. Chris and I bought our handmade barn wood kitchen table at Chadds Ford Days two years ago (after much searching for the "perfect" table).
[2 minutes from the Fall Fling]

Other attractions in the area:

• Longwood Gardens. We have a season pass and I just can't say enough good things about this place. And I hate gardening. If you have kids, they have tree houses. Who doesn't love tree houses?
  [5 minutes from the Fall Fling]
   
• For you wine-lovers, the Chaddsford Winery is a thirty-second drive (or a five minute stumble) from Brandywine View Antiques. Stop by for a tasting and tour of this award-winning winery.
   
• Antique stores in the immediate vicinity:  Brandywine River Antiques Market and Pennsbury-Chadds Ford Antiques Mall.
  [2 minutes from the Fall Fling]
   
  
• Brandywine River Museum, more wineries, Brandywine Battlefield, Terrain at Styer's (home & garden store brought to you by the Anthropologie folks)

What you need to know:
Brandywine View Antiques is located on Route 1 in Chadds Ford, PA, next to The Gables restaurant. Here's the Google Map.

The Fall Fling starts at 9am on Saturday. The tent sale will also be running on Friday, Sept 11th and Sunday, September 13th, but we will only be there on Saturday.

Big Daddy's Barbeque will be selling yummy food during the sale.

Email me or leave a comment if you are planning to go! And let me know if you have any questions about visiting the area - I would love to help you plan your itinerary.

P.S. Are you on the fence about going? Can I woo you with some not-for-the-blog stories that I mentioned at the bottom of my last post? You know you want to hear them.

Special Finds for My Special Ladies

We are nearing the end of the summer yard sale season, and I am sad to say that I have nothing to show for it. Weekend getaways and family parties and drinking too much on Friday nights have left me with too many Saturday mornings that were not feasible for junking. And most of the yard sales that I did hit were filled with Tupperware lids and crusty spatulas and tampon boxes.

But, every once in a while, I found something I liked.

I bought four sets of pillowcases at a yard sale for two dollars. My favorite is the aqua floral set on top of these metal drawers:

This industrial chic organizer has removable dividers in each of its four drawers. It is sitting on top of my sewing table, storing thread.

I bought all of these vintage retail signs and tags from one auction on eBay:

This one goes out to all the Special Ladies in the audience...

The auction included a stack of hand-painted signs, very similar to another set that I bought on eBay last year.

Can anyone describe what a Laides Stardust Bra looks like? And who the hell knew that Fruit of the Loom made dresses? I wonder if they had the days of the week printed on the front. And a built-in cotton crotch.

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I'd like to give a big shout-out to my new friend Catherine, whom I met at my cousin Chrissy's bridal shower a few weeks ago. Catherine pushed her way through the throngs of ruffled blouses and pencil skirts to sit at my table. That's when she looked me dead in the eyes and said, "You are my hero". My sisters looked at each other like Who the hell is this nut job? But I knew right away that the nut job was one of my blog readers. My cousin had told Catherine about freshvintage a while back, and she has been a devoted reader ever since.

The poor thing had to sit at a table with all five of the Burke girls. There wasn't much vintage talk going on. I think we wounded her for life with the chronicles of our drug-dealing family members, children-walking-in-on-parents-having-sex stories, and the beloved tale of brand new step-siblings calling each other by the wrong name because we had all just met for the first time at the wedding*.

I really should have a freshvintage meet-up with all of my blog readers, just so you can get a first-person account of the many stories that I can't write about on my blog.

* My sweet, well-meaning husband Chris called my 18-year-old (soon-to-be-ex) step-brother by the wrong name at my dad's wedding. After being corrected by my second mommy, Chris gave him a drunken fist-bump and said, "It's all good, Bro".