freshvintage

Fly Traps, Boxing Babies and Ham Sticks

This is a post about the stuff laying around our house that needs to go to our shop. Strangely enough, the shit all over our dining room table isn't making us any money! Weird.

Lots of floral frogs, in all shapes and sizes: 

A cement scottie dog: (I love a dog that doesn't shed, bark or poop. Might need to keep this one.)

Vintage golf and bowling trophy parts:

A fly trap:

It's a BIG STINKY FLY TRAP. The makers of this thing don't mince words. 

A few brass faucets:

Another Infant of Prague statue. This one has clothes, unlike the other ones I shared on my Facebook page. And it doesn't have eyes that make you wish for a quick death.

A big lab timer:

A World War II-era Navy pilot tin toy gun:

Bottle openers and wine/liquor pourers, some American and some German. The plastic chicken pourer is the best. Seems a little childish for a wine bottle, doesn't it?

A bunch of bottles from a Philadelphia soda maker, Esposito:

Yes, that one on the left features a diapered baby in boxing gloves. "The Champ of Thirst Quenchers!"  

Nope - not creepy at all.

We also have hundreds of photos that we bought from someone who cleaned out an local estate. If you compare these photos to those from normal families, you would find that this group has a wildly disproportionate number of random people holding ham products.

And they needed captions.

 

 Feel free to leave your own captions in the comments below!

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Don't forget - Author Mary Kay Andrews is coming to freshvintage for a book signing on June 10th. This will be a great event, with PRIZES for visitors and fun treats. Don't miss it!

And congrats are in order for Mary Kay - she just announced that her paperback of Summer Rental will debut on the New York Times Bestseller List at #18 next week. Yay for you!

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One more thing - we'll be selling again at the Vintage Garage Sale on June 1st in West Chester, PA. We had a great time in May, so we're coming back with more cool finds. There will be some new vendors this month (including Lisa from Brandywine View), and a few of the same from last month. There are a few spots still open, so visit the website for more info.

Cubbie Crazy

Chris went on some kind of mad cubbie shopping spree last week. And I am totally fine with that.

The long skinny ones in the back left are the perfect size for displaying the Rewined candles in the shop. (The seasonal Mimosa-scented candles just came in and they are delish!)

The one on the right has an old Nail Chart tacked on the side.

The Philadelphia tri-state area is also known as the Delaware Valley (as in the Delaware River, which divides PA from NJ). I might need to keep this crate for myself.

This is my favorite of the bunch. It was probably used in a post office - it has little metal plates with names of Lancaster County, PA towns like Lampeter, Millersville and New Providence.

More cameras. The two Brownie Hawkeyes have already sold since I took this photo last week, and Chris brought six more vintage cameras to the shop today. He just called an hour ago to tell me that one of those sold, too. I wish I could manufacture vintage cameras. Or at the very least, create a time machine and buy up all of the cameras between 1900 and 1950 and stash them in a bomb shelter for safe-keeping until I can retrieve them in the present time.

I'm glad Chris bought this megaphone. He probably remembered that I found one a few years ago.

I don't know why they are wishing death on the poor Schnitzel.

I googled the Die Schnitzel Bunk Jug Band, and immediately found an ad in a 1933 Reading, PA newspaper.

Sounds like a fun night, doesn't it? For a quarter, you get a Hoe Down with a jug band, a bunch of Amish hill billies and the chance to win prizes. I wonder if they had bottle service back then. Oh, wait - 1933 is the end of prohibition, so that place must have been CRAAA-ZEEEY. 

Anyway, here are some deer antlers lovingly mounted on a handsewn stuffed fabric heart. 

My late grandfather played football for Franklin and Marshall back in the 1930s. That's when the football players wore safari hats instead of helmets. Back then, they didn't have goal posts - they just used a pair of giraffes. They played against lions and tigers, which was good on one hand, since big cats can't catch a football for shit. But bad in that most of the players lost at least one limb by the third quarter.

Okay...I don't know why the hell this safari hat has an F & M label. But my granddad really did play there.

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We had a blast at our Grand Opening and we're very happy to report that our Square got a lot of use! Here we are, in a pic taken by Sue.

Our customers and guests ate lots of yummy cake pops, made by Cakes and Candies by Maryellen in West Chester, PA. 

A few guests had a taste of local wine (we had lots left over, which is never a bad thing).

So many friends and family members came to see us, including my mom, grandmom, two aunts, an uncle, a cousin, lots of neighbors, co-workers, siblings, nieces, nephews and some very supportive local antique dealers. Here's a pic of me with Allison from Nannygoat Antiques & Vintage Style and Sue from Vintage Rescue Squad (here's her recap). I am holding a lucky horseshoe (a gift from Allison) and a bottle of Bitch wine (a sweet gift from Sue).

Thanks to everyone who came on March 10th, and those who have visited us since then. We were recently cleaned out by a big-time dealer, so we've been bringing in lots and lots of new inventory. 

My in-laws will be visiting for the next week from Yakima, WA and they will be working their little butts off. I don't care if my Father-in-Law, Jim, has a new hip and shoulder - he will be carrying purchases to customers' cars whether he likes it or not. And probably drinking all of the leftover wine, so please be cautious while driving in the parking lot.

Paging Dr. A. Willy

Methinks the groundhog will not see his shadow, and winter is almost over, because I scored some primo junk this week. Spring junk. My sister Erin (who was BORN on Groundhog Day) and I went to some outdoor markets and shops in Adamstown a couple of weekends ago. It was freezing, and there weren't many dealers in the outside markets, but we were still able to score a few good finds.

The light blue Steelcase desk and office chair weren't from Adamstown. A friend tipped me off to those. The same friend who tipped me off to the aqua metal desk that I shared on Facebook last year. Nice friend, huh?

I'm tempted to keep this tole-painted chandelier for my kids' playroom in the basement, since the main colors in that room are aqua and orange. But the ceilings are too low. And I don't want the neighbor kids swinging from it (because my children would never do that).

I have to keep this old-timey chrome microphone away from Maeve. She'd be belting out Call Your Girlfriend. And doing all of the moves from the video, which she has nearly perfected.

 This is my second pair of children's skis by Peters.

Chris and I were watching Hell on Wheels a few weeks ago, and we noticed that a railroad surveyor was holding up extremely tall measuring sticks. When I spotted this pair at the flea market, I had to have them. 

Chris found a website called Surveying Antiques, and saw one of our measuring sticks right there in the header of their website, and here in these photos.

The one with the black & white painted numbers extends to 13 feet! Any ideas on how you would use these? I was thinking you could put them along a wall and add hooks. Or, if you were ballsy enough, you could cut them into four pieces and frame an old mirror.

Here's a Brownie Hawkeye camera with flash, and a "Big Community" file box:


Is it bad that I've purchased at least ten copies of How to Attain and Practice the Ideal Sex Life in the past five years? And I still don't know how to attain it OR how to practice it. I am unteachable. (But if you have the urge to be taught, I have a copy for sale in my Etsy shop.)

And then there is my other book - the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Sex. Big thanks to you lovely ladies who pointed out that the first author is named Dr. A. Willy, after I posted a picture of this book on Facebook. What would I ever do without you?

Most of the pictures in the book are run-of-the-mill cross-sections of crotches. Bo-ring. But there were two pages that I had to scan. Just for you.

This page shows the Sexual Excitation of a man. I just love the picture in his brain. Do men really daydream of piles of women awkwardly laying on top of each other?

I don't even want to write about this next picture, because Google will bring perverted people searching for disgusting things. Kind of like me at a yard sale.

Figure C-9 depicts the causes of nocturnal losses of semen. Losses. Like he lost something. "Dammit - where did I put that semen again? It's the middle of the night and I can't find my semen!"

Let us zoom in on my favorite part of this page - the idea that wet dreams are caused by a "Dinner of Exciting Foods".  And the picture is inside a stomach. I wonder what his exciting meal is. Lobster? Foie Gras? 

Let's be real - he is totally watching a porn in front of his TV while eating a Hungry Man frozen dinner. 

And on to my next big sex book score...one about the Amish's Curious Courtship Custom of Bundling. (Okay, okay, I know all of my Amish readers are going to correct me - this is NOT really a sex book.) I had never heard of this custom, but as soon as I opened the book and saw the photo below, I knew it was a keeper.

Bundling is a very old tradition in which young men and women would lay together in bed, but weren't allowed to touch. So, they were totally acting like they were already married, right?  

Here's an illustration of the various forms of "decreasing temptations between bundlers" across different cultures (it wasn't just the Amish who practiced this custom).

 

The lady's body sack is the Amish version of worn-out, comfy sweatpants. Once the drawstring on those sweats from college are tied, there is no chance of any funny business.  And you know that the dude in the couple's sack is going to be looking for something he "lost" later that night (see Figure C-9).

At the end of the book was this image:

So, it's not acceptable to touch each other in bed, but it's okay for a girl to hump a railing in the presence of a man. And check him out....he's all like "Come over here, and hump this fence post instead of that rail. It's way better."

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P.S. Happy Birthday to my sister Erin (Groundhog Baby) and Happy 40th Birthday to her husband Doug, whose birthday is February 3rd! I hope you both celebrate with a Dinner of Exciting Foods, followed by a night of passionate bundling!

My Winter Junk & The Vintage Marketplace

I got me some winter junk. Which is never as awesome as spring junk or fall junk. But it is the best I can do, considering that it was mostly dug up from local antique malls, thrift stores and auctions. Not many flea markets or yard sales happening these days.

I love that metal Fresh Eggs sign. I "found" it by the side of the road. The sign says "Self-Service", so I helped myself. Yep, a dozen eggs and the sign. Don't worry - I left a dollar in their box. That Amish family can just make another sign. 

A pair of industrial work stools:

A glass kerosene bottle, made by Perfection Stove Company:

Ironstone bowl, green & white painted utensil organizer and two huge spools of yarn. If anyone knows what kind of yarn this is, please chime in. It is for making doilies? 

A 1950s Bell & Howell Electric Eye 8mm movie camera. The kids are having fun with this one. When I told them that you couldn't record audio with it, they were like, "that's so dumb - who would want to watch a movie with no sound". Later that day, The Artist won the Golden Globe. 

The eleven heavy-duty school posters are two feet square and are double-sided. I can picture a few of them lines up along a nursery wall. Some have Wild Animals on them. Or Pets:

But most have letters or words, and illustrations. I want the turquoise phone & turquoise radio on this one:

 And the red barn on this one:

Here's a green globe desk lamp that Chris found at an auction. I usually don't like this type of modern style, but the color cancels out all of that. And the cool adjustable handle. I searched online, but couldn't find the same one anywhere. Have you ever seen this type of lamp?

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A big welcome to my new advertiser: Vintage Marketplace! If you are anywhere near Nashville, TN on February 2nd through 4th, I implore you visit this huge market, filled with sellers of your favorite vintage finds. With vendors like Urban Farmhouse, Pure Vintage Chicago, and Time-Worn Interiors, you just can't go wrong. The Vintage Marketplace is a brand new feature of the long-running Tailgate-Music Valley Antiques Show, and takes place at the Hendersonville Expo Center.

There are also some fabulous special events happening at the show: Sue Whitney from JUNKMARKET will be shopping along with you, and sharing her tips on finding the best junk and styling it in your home. You can also witness the magic of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint live and in person, courtesy of Tawnya Norton (and enter a drawing to win a day-long seminar with Annie Sloan herself, which takes place in Nashville in March). 

Anyone planning on going? I Google-mapped it, and Nashville is a mere 13 hours from my house in PA. I could make a family trip of it, similar to our journey to Georgia. That was only 12 hours away. Hmmm....

 

Pigs, Drips and Whimsies

I'm back in hunting mode. Watch out, junk, I am comin' to get you.

Last week, I visited a new-ish store in Downingtown, PA called Little Shop of Hoarders. I know - how cute is that name? Among a few other things, I bought this old sign:

The letters aren't painted on, they are gold and black transfer decals. I've seen old sets of these sign letters on eBay in the past, but they usually sell for over $200.

On Monday, the kids had school but most corporate-dwelling adults (like me) had a holiday. So, Chris and I went to Perkiomenville Flea Market, where we met my sister, Erin, and her husband, Doug. (Here are two posts from previous visits to that market.) We thought there would be more outdoor vendors, since a lot of people had off from work, but we were very wrong. Luckily, we found a few things in the indoor section. I bought these three pieces of enamelware from one vendor who had great prices.

The orange & white colander is from Czecholslovakia, but it must have been manufactured for the French market, since it is marked "Tchécoslovaquie". 

This blue and white French beauty is an enamelware milk pail ("laitiere") made by BB Depose in the 1920s or 1930s. It has damage on all sides, but it is perfect to me.

The man that sold me this blue & white drainer told me that it would have sat in the corner of a sink, collecting food scraps from the dirty dishes. He went on to say that those scraps would have been collected each day by a local farmer, who would use the scraps to feed his pigs. That's quite an lengthy explanation for what I would have called a "sink colander". I don't know if I will be able to fit his story on my tag.

Maybe I will call it a "pig-food collector". It will totally sell with that description.

Chris and I also acquired THREE heavy-duty metal medical cabinets over the break, each of them different. We had a photo shoot in front of our camper last week, once again freaking out our neighbors. Here's one of them (I'll save the rest for another post):

My massive scheme to get what I want for Christmas (also known as Five Weeks of Fresh Gifts) worked swimmingly. My mom bought me Fresh American Spaces and A Very Vintage Christmas. I bought Chris the Creative Cursing book and the naughty apron from my post about Gifts for the Class Clown. Big laughs all around - especially on the apron. The look on my neighbors' faces when Chris wore it to the neighborhood New Year's Eve party was priceless.

My blog/vintage friends were way too generous this year. Sue from Vintage Rescue Squad gave me an adorable print that I plan to hang in my camper:

And last week, I met my friend Allison from Nannygoat Antiques & Vintage Style for lunch at Terrain. It was the first time I ate there - the food was delicious and the atmosphere was everything you would imagine that an Anthropologie-style cafe would be. Definitely on the pricey side, though, so I'll save it for special occasions (like meeting my vintage friends). Allison gave me this super-awesome sign as a Christmas gift.

 

She knows me too well.  Thanks, Allison!

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If you know anything about Native American Whimsies, please take a look at the photos on my Facebook page. My father-in-law bought two of them, and is looking for more information from all of you highly intelligent people.

On the radio with DJ freshvintage

So...I was interviewed on a local radio show last week: Eat, Drink and Meet Mary. Mary Bigham is a food blogger who has a network of websites about restaurants and events in the Philadelphia suburbs (particularly Chester County, which is where I live). She has a weekly radio show on Fridays from 12-1 EST on WCHE 1520. It is also broadcast live online and recorded for your repeated listening pleasure. Although most of her blog content is local, she has interviewed some big-wig national foodies like Jose Garces, the Beekman Boys, and winners from every Top Master Chopped Iron Chef show that exists. She'll ask them anything, too - which makes her show even more fun. Mary also has a partnership with Southwest Airlines where she (or one of her writers) travels to a city, eats all of their good food and makes fun videos about the trip. It's called DishTrip.com.

And she loves vintage, which is where I come in. You can listen to my stint on her show here. My interview starts around 18:30 (but I encourage you to listen to the whole show, of course). Please keep in mind that it was my first time on the radio and I know that I stammered and sounded a little idiotic on several occasions. I hope you still like me and still think very highly of me.

Since it is a foodie show, Mary asked me to offer some ideas on using vintage finds while entertaining, especially for the upcoming holiday season. One tip I mentioned was using vintage medical or tool carts as a hub for your drinks, bottles & glasses during a party. Here's a medical cart that I sold earlier this year at Clover Market. The buyer was planning to use it as a bar. Smart girl.

 

And a tool-chest-turned-bar-cart that I had for sale at the most recent Clover Market (and is still for sale!):

And this very-newly-acquired tool chest that is for sale now:

I also talked about using small enamel tubs or silver punch bowls as beer & wine coolers. Here's the silver punch bowl that I mentioned (for sale!):

And you can find the (not vintage) pumpkin beer cooler on the Southern Living Magazine website:

Mary asked me if I had any decorating ideas for a Halloween party, and I told her about the pair of large framed photos that Chris bought at an auction a few weeks ago. My kids and I decided to scare them up a bit, and add fangs using white duct tape. You could also use white medical tape.

 

She wants to eat your flesh with her cock-eyed fangs.

My last tip was about using wooden crates, glass cake stands and other inexpensive vintage finds to add height to your appetizer, dessert or buffet table. It is so much more visually appealing when your food is displayed at different heights on a table. And in funky, conversation-starting containers.

These divided cheese boxes would be great for shelled peanuts or pistachios...nuts in one side, and empty shells in the other.

We talked about using soda crates to hold rolled-up napkins with utensils. You could also use them to store the liquor, water or soda that doesn't need to be iced:

Please don't judge me on my current inventory of booze. This looks like something a 17-year-old girl would have stashed in her closet....Godiva Chocolate liqueur, Rumple Minze and Old Smuggler. And don't even get me started on the Tuaca. That stuff is deadly.

I would love to hear your feedback...what did you think of the radio show? Do you have any other tips for entertaining with your vintage home goods? Or creepy Halloween decor using flea market finds?

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.

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!

Playing with My Bird

Yes, I love flea markets. Especially the ones in Adamstown, PA. Chris and I took the kids to Black Angus, Renninger's and Shupp's Grove last Sunday.

Chris and I had lots of fun. I can't say the same for the kids. There weren't many dealers at the markets, so we told them to play tag in the empty spaces. That lasted about 15 minutes. Then they managed to wander into the woods and find two dangerously sharp sticks. Daggers, really. A sword fight ensued. I debated whether I should just leave them alone because we finally had some peace. But then I imagined myself chasing one of their eyeballs as it rolled the dirt, so I made them lose the daggers. When we finished shopping, we erased all of their bad flea market thoughts by taking them to an awesome miniature golf place in Lancaster. 

Amid all of the whining and bribing, we did manage to find some cool stuff. We spent $115 for everything here. Most of our finds were from the flea markets, except for the burlap sacks that Chris bought at an auction last week, the hunting signs (estate sale), and the typewriter, which he scored at a local thrift store.

Isn't she beautiful!? It is a 1926 Underwood portable typewriter with a red faux bois (fake wood grain) finish. Here's a photo of one in great condition that sold for $350 on Etsy. They sold this typewriter in several finishes, including mahogany and green.

These metal hunting signs are so hot on eBay - I found similar signs ranging from $45 to $125. I love to imagine some big, burly hunter ripping the No Hunting sign off a tree as a trophy. Kind of a big "Eff You" to the Parks Service.

Here are a couple of vintage cameras: a Kodak Midget and a Baby Brownie. And a set of small brass stencils that slide together. They are sitting atop a red safe deposit box with painted gold trim.

Each one of the burlap sacks in this pile is different - most of them have great graphics and colors. Chris paid three dollars for all of them at a Lancaster County auction. Some were a little moldy, so we hosed them off and dried them in the sun. No more mold. But they still have that typical burlap smell. Is it possible to get rid of that? Anyone?

I've been wanting one of these potato chip stands for a while. I have the kind that you hang, but not a standing rack. I've seen lots of reproductions around, but I think this one is an oldie. I'm going to use it for displaying postcards or little bags of game pieces and whatnot.

I bought a few "Modern Kitchen" catalogs at Black Angus. These two feature the steel cabinets made by American and Morgan. I've become a little obsessed with those cabinets lately - especially after reading about all of the 1950s kitchens on Retro Renovation. This green & aqua kitchen might be my favorite.

This was our most expensive find: a Victorian-era birdcage on a stand that is a shorter than the ones I normally see. It isn't adjustable, either. Maybe it is chair-height so you could enjoy your canaries while drinking tea or playing cards.

But, more likely, it was a privy birdcage, so people could play with their bird while they did their dirty business. Yes - that sounds right. I'm going with that. 

What's in YOUR Drawers?

Chris brought home these card file drawers a few weeks ago from an auction. I saw a photo of them on the auction's website ahead of time, and asked Chris to bid on them if they were less than $20 for all three. I figured that I would clean them up, maybe re-paint them and sell them in the shop or use them in our office/studio/guest room.

Chris didn't even look in the drawers before he bid on them and won. When he brought them home, we looked inside and saw a bunch of random junk.

Handles, curtain hardware, keys, extension cords, a container of Metamucil...

that, ironically, is labeled "Wood Plugs".

But as we kept digging though the junk, we found more and more gems.

At least twelve cast iron and brass hooks:

These remind me of tribal masks. Or freaky rhinoceros skeletons.

Heavy door handles:

Here are some escutcheons and drawer pulls, including that beautiful brass Eastlake bin pull on the top left.

 

Chris read this post before I published it and asked me "What the hell is an escutcheon?", so I am linking to a definition.

These two-inch-high cast iron escutcheons swing open to reveal the keyhole:

Fancy dresser drawer pulls: (I love the ornate set that is painted light aqua.)

This would make a nice handle for your naughty panty drawer. Every time you think of wearing that sexy g-string, you are reminded that you will surely burn in hell.

This one has little crosses all over it.

Yes, that's for the giant-grandma-panty drawer.

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Since we are talkin' panties, I thought I would share some of the Google keywords that have brought people to my blog. Inadvertently, I assume.  I've shared some wacky keywords in the past, and they always beg the question: MR. GOOGLE, WHY ARE YOU SENDING THESE FREAKS TO MY BLOG? I know that some of these words are in my blog posts, but c'mon....

 

♦ vaginal diagram of a goat

♦ a horse made of lemons

♦ the allisons who started the thrift store movement [From here on out, I'm totally taking credit for the existence of thrift stores.]

♦ "her maxi pad"

♦ peter put your nappy and your pink plastic pants on

♦ old lady who makes molds of actors penis'

♦ amish men get freaky

♦ my excellent metal lawn chairs need a little refreshment [I love that they used the word "excellent" in their search. Must be a very optimistic person to think that a website contained those exact words.]

♦ antiques orgy

♦ aprons matron fetish-vintage

♦ homemade sex videos of women of boyertown last ten years [That small town is close to where my sister, Erin, lives. Do these people know something that I don't know? Erin, you slut!]

♦ arab circus poster looks like penis

♦ why does my cork board stink

♦ he saw me in sanitary napkin and belt

♦ chenille dander creates mucous in my lungs? [Note to self: never snort a vintage bedspread]