freshvintage

Chiclets, My Pimp and Hideous Babies

We were supposed to use our camper for the first time last weekend, but the forecast was RAIN! FLOODS! LOCUSTS! We cancelled our camping plans, and, of course, it only ended up raining on Friday afternoon. The rest of the weekend was just fine. Damn you, Hurricane Schwartz straight to hell!

The upside, and it's a good one, was that I was able to hit the Antiques Extravaganza in Adamstown on Sunday morning (a thrice-yearly super-duper weekend at my favorite antiquing trifecta: Renninger's, Black Angus and Shupp's Grove).

I spent $37 for everything in this picture. Click on it to enlarge.

I'm kidding! Wouldn't you hate me?! I would hate me!

I actually spent a bit more than I normally spend. But I saw so many things that I wanted. And I have Clover Market coming up on October 16th, so I need to stock up. And, most importantly, I didn't want the good stuff ending up with some loser, so I had to rescue them. For their own safety.

By the way - the table that everything is sitting on was a previous purchase. It is an old table that came from a pizza shop. It is awesome.

That cubby thing on the right was made from scraps of old boxes. You can see the stenciling here (it says "glass", not "ass"):

This bucket bench has a unique design...with the rounded picket corners and the criss-cross bottom boards. I am picturing it on someone's front porch, with a row of colorful mums and pumpkins sitting on top. Hmmm...maybe I'll keep it.

This litho bucket caught my eye. I've never seen one like this.

My maiden name is Burke. And I like Ale. So, I obviously needed to rescue this wooden crate.

I'm not quite sure why I bought all of these crocheted potholder thingies. There are some nice colors in there. And they were fairly inexpensive.

I know exactly why I bought the Pelican Cooler (that has an intact glass liner). Can't you just picture it sitting on the counter?

I also found this painted mahogany two-tiered table, these orange & white napkins and the orange desk lamp:

The seat of this 1950s chrome stool was originally painted aqua, to match the stripes around the edges. Someone painted it white and totally defaced it with a hideous decal, which I promptly removed with a few squirts of Goof Off.

I would keep this if my husband wore ties regularly. Alas, he is more of an outdoorsman-woodsman type. This tie rack made by Nu-Dell in 1937 has a dial that offers you fashion advice, based on the color of your tie.

I don't know anyone, other than my pimp, who can pull off a black & red tie with a gray shirt and a blue suit. But times were different in 1937.

 
I've always wanted an old candy rack for displaying my ephemera and other paper goods at sales like Clover.

Each of the gum graphics are made of metal:

Yes, another dress form. I sold the last one I bought, so this is her replacement. She is an Acme junior-sized dress form.  And she is standing next to an awesome green-painted library cart. On casters!

Sitting on that shelf is Harriet Hubbard Ayer's Book, published in 1899. It is about women's beauty & hygiene.

What kind of super cool lady doesn't even have a title for her book? It's like if I published a book called Colleen Allison's Book. I know - it has best-seller written all over it.

I could devote an entire blog to Harriet's book. (No, not a blog post  - an entire blog). She has one chapter called "The Sin of Dowdiness". These quotes are all from one page in that chapter:

"There is nothing so fatal to a girl's chances as untidiness." [A bad case of The Clap is a close second.]

"Freckles are not pretty, and they are practically there to stay."

"The complexion of the red-haired girl is her most serious drawback. It lends itself to untidiness, so the victim must be careful to keep it looking clean and well cared for."" [So sorry, my dear red-headed sister/victim, Erin.]

"If my little red-headed girl has not nice teeth, she should have them repaired and made pretty and wholesome".  [But I guess snaggle-toothed blondes are acceptable?]

This is from a chapter called "How to Sleep". Yes - A WHOLE CHAPTER!

Not only did she dole out beauty advice, but she also gave out motherly advice - like how to ensure that your hideously-deformed, pug-nosed, disgustingly-ugly baby grows up with a pretty nose:

 

Yes, the crazy bitch is telling you to SQUEEZE your baby's nose. Like, all the time.

And don't forget about those hideous ears! Either strap them down with a specially-made bonnet for Dumbo-eared babies, or just pin them back with your hands.

I'll have to keep reading to see if she has any sound advice on douching. The advice from my last womanly book made me itchy.

Our 1956 Duro Scotsman Travel Trailer

We debuted our 1956 Duro Scotsman travel trailer (aka camper) at the Brandywine View Fall Fling Tent Sale last weekend.

I should've charged admission - I would be RICH! So many people took a peek inside. I enjoyed telling the story of Chris and Doug traveling to Michigan to pick up the camper after we won it on eBay. They ended up stopping at the NFL Hall of Fame and the Soaring Eagle Casino, so the trip wasn't exactly torture for them. I was just glad they made it home alive - it was pretty risky to test out the new hitch on our minivan by driving 700 miles with a vintage camper that you'd never seen before. Two days before a hurricane was forecasted to hit.

Here is the dinette area, which folds down into a twin-size bed. Don't you love the camper-themed fabric on the curtains & pillows? I'm not usually a fan of "themed" fabric, but it has all of my favorite colors and matches the exterior paint colors.

And, yes, that's a flat screen TV. That was not a prerequisite when we were searching for campers, but it definitely will help on rainy days when we are camping with the kids.

Here's the gaucho (that's camper-speak for "couch") in the back. It folds down into a bed.

I'm not fond of the fabric, so I covered it in one of my vintage crazy quilts. I'll eventually re-cover the gaucho and the dinette benches.

The previous owner covered the drawer and cabinet fronts in a few different fabrics that I'd like to change out. I'd like to find a few fun patterns that complement the camper-themed fabric.

The camper has a new fridge and mini microwave, but the propane Princess stove is original.

The floor is also original:

The previous owner did a really nice job of restoring the camper. He replaced all of the walls with new birch panels, and he covered the ceiling in wallpaper that he painted with copper paint.  There is also copper-colored tin backsplash in the sink area.

I'd like to re-paint all the copper eventually. And the birch walls. Is that wrong? I know the die hard vintage-camper-lovers are very much against painting the birch walls. I just love the look of a white interior - it makes the camper seem a tiny bit bigger (if that is possible).

 

The most-asked question at the Tent Sale was, "Are you really going to use it for camping?" The answer is yes. Chris and Maeve have already slept in it once (in the driveway). And we had an impromptu trailer trash party with some neighbors one night, when we plugged it into our house with an extension cord and sat around in folding chairs on our sidewalk and drank beer. But we are actually planning to go to a real campground in a few weeks to celebrate Finn's 9th birthday.

We picked this camper because all of the hard work was already done by the previous owner. The only thing we need to do it a little redecorating. I've been obsessed with Pinterest lately - I created a board of Vintage Camper Inspiration. I would love to hear from you about the changes that you would make. Do you have any paint or fabric ideas?  I haven't made any decisions yet, so I am open to all of your fabulous ideas!

UPDATED: If you are looking for your own camper, I wrote a post with details on how you can search for one!

Back to School in Vintage Style

Chris, the kids and I drove into Lancaster County, PA this morning for the Landisville Annual Labor Day Flea Market and town-wide yard sales. It was our first time there, and we will definitely go again next year. The sky was overcast, so it kept many of the regular vendors away. I imagine that it would have been twice as big if the weather was better.

I spent $35 for everything in this post. That ledger (circa 1901) was only three bucks and the aluminum clamp-on work light was two bucks...which is why I wish this sale was every weekend, and not once a year.

This is my favorite find: the green utensil box with the white painted diamond decoration.

The two sets of flashcards in the first photo were from a big box of 1950s and 60s learning aids that came from an old school. These were all in that big box:

There are cardboard letters, wooden letters and felt letters...

...even flocked letters.  And shapes and animals:

They are made of cardboard. One side is orange, and the other side is white with green flocking. I wonder if these would stick to my fabric corkboards?

I love the simple design and colors on these rulers. They were made in England and are called 'Apex Learner's Measure".

I was excited to open one of the little boxes and find this set of seven magnifying glasses with navy blue grosgrain ribbons.

Rhyming pictures:

GIANT SIZE Alphabet Poster Flash Cards (11" by 14"):

These would look so cute hanging up around a vintage-style nursery.

Here's a box of Ideal Dial-A-Face flashcards and wheels with different facial expressions. I guess the students had to match the appropriate expression with the blank faces on each card.

This card freaked me out a little.  Is he planning to strangle that sweet girl?

And then I was even more freaked out when I found this face on the wheel!

I had to re-read the box to make sure it wasn't some kind of learning aid for kids in juvy. Maybe they should have called it Dial-A-Mugshot.

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I will be selling these vintage finds and much more at the Brandywine View Fall Fling Tent Sale next weekend (Sept 10 & 11th). If you are in the area, please stop by and say hi. There are lots of fun events going on that weekend, like the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival and Chadds Ford Days. It will be worth the drive!

And if you are still debating whether or not you should come, did you see that Brandywine View was included in the Flea Market Style Magazine's list of Best Antiques Malls in PA?! You don't want to miss this sale!

I Heart Stalkers

Every once in a while, the super-awesome readers of my blog send me stuff that they know I will like. They email me and say, "I hope you don't think I'm a stalker, but I want to send you something in the mail. Can I have your address?" Studies show that only 3 out of every 10 people who ask for your address are murderers. I will take my chances if it means that I get a package in the mail.

Katie sent me this cute apple juice label, because she knows that I collect apple-related labels and signs. She is a seasoned junker - look at this unbelievable vintage glider that she found in the trash.

Michelle from Dallas sent me these cufflinks and tiebar, which she had found in her grandmother's house. (I shared these on Facebook a few months ago.) It took me a while to figure out why she thought I would like them. I thought they were baby feet. But, after a couple of minutes, I realized why it was funny. And then I felt sick for thinking that they were baby feet. You can read the comments on Facebook here.

Amy from Into Vintage and Vintage Market Guide sent me this box of "Party Jocs Coasters for your Highballs". What the hell was I going to find in here?

Mini jock straps for your cocktails. And it even says it on the waistband: "For your High Balls". It's a good thing they printed that on the waistband. Otherwise, some dumb man might mistakenly put one on his real balls.

 

If your cocktail glass had a butt crack, you would be able to see it. Just like a real jock strap.

Do you think the number refers to the inches? I'll stick with four, given the options.

Thanks again, Michelle, Amy & Katie!