Humpday Revival

Oh Happy Day! Lots of great finds today, including:

These adorable salt and pepper shakers:

New additions to my fast-growing brooch collection:

A beaded purse in the shape of a grand piano? Yes please:

Love the graphics on this old metal kitchen scale:

Saved the best for last... not vintage, but rather, a brand-spankin-new, still-in-the-box Diana F+ Limited Edition Hong Meow Lomography camera (retails for $110). Got it for $4.50. Seriously??! Who gives this shit away?!! Almost had a conniption fit in the Brick-Brack aisle of Salvation Army on this one. Oh, the spoils of thrifting!

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Hump-day Revival

Still trying to get back in the swing of things. The past couple of weeks, I've been eating too much sugar, smoking/drinking too much, and staying up super late for days in a row. I guess that's what the holidays can do to a person.

Now, I don't really believe in making resolutions - in my opinion, it's just setting yourself up for failure. However, when you manage to get sick twice in one month, you really need to need to take a step back and start making some lifestyle changes. I really shouldn't be smoking anymore. It's a nasty habit. And it wouldn't hurt if I started exercising - not to lose weight or anything, but just to be release some endorphins every once in awhile.

Anyway, I hit up my usual thrifting spots today. I convinced Noel to come with me this time and I think he actually enjoyed himself!

One of my favorite finds of the day was this set of glazed stoneware canisters from 1978. The largest canister is unfortunately missing its lid, but the illustrations were just so pretty I had to snag em. I could always use it for a planter after all:

Next up, some more "flower power" plates, as I like to call them. I really love the whole mismatched look. I think that if I owned a restaurant, none of the dishes would match. So much more fun that way!

Came across an outstanding number of old, beat-up clipboards today. I've always been attracted to the clean and simple design of a clipboard but could never think of what to do with a collection of them... until today! Sadly, the clipboards were left behind as I didn't come up with this idea until after I got home. It's like coming up with a comeback 10 minutes too late. So frustrating. Anyway, here's the idea (which apparently, has already been done):

A clipboard frame inspiration wall of sorts! Duh. I would want to use more ragged clipboards though, like these beauties from moxie thrift:

Hope you all had a nice Wednesday!

I'm gonna try to get to bed early tonight. I refuse to be sick (again).

Hump-day Revival

One of my favorite things about thrifting is that you never know what you are going to find.

Today's discoveries included:

This painting of a wide-eyed "danseuse" (female ballet dancer). I'm pretty sure this little cutie is holding a gun behind her back.

In the 1960s, American painter Margaret Keane developed the unmistakable "Big Eyes" style. Her paintings depicted kitschy, colorful, "teary waifs with equally sad pets" (source). An interesting factoid about Keane is that her ex-husband used to claim all the credit for her paintings. When she and her husband divorced, Keane gained ownership of her paintings by engaging in an in-court paint-off versus her former husband and won by default (he declined to paint due to a sore shoulder - wank, wank).

By the end of the decade, prints of Keane's big-eyed paintings were being mass distributed, along with knockoffs by other artists including Gig, Eden Lee, and Eve's "mod-kids" (seen below).

The wide-eyed fad also inspired Hasbro's Little Miss No Name, Fun World's Suzy Sad Eyes, and the infamous Blythe doll.

How's that for research? We're just getting started... Moving on!

I was particularly proud of the find on the left. It is an old nurse's uniform (I'd say from the 60s) by Barco of California. I actually found another one of these beauties right next to it, but the cashier wouldn't sell it to me because it was missing a tag. Just for the record, thrift stores will NOT sell anything to you that is missing a tag no matter how much you beg, plead, and/or bribe them. I know this from repeated first-hand experience.

My mom used to have a skirt exactly like this one. I wouldn't be surprised if this one was actually hers. I know she just cleaned out her closet. Why would my conservative mother own a full circle-skirt covered in a cowboy boot print? You see, my parents, now retired, used to own a store called Country Furniture Faire. If I can recall correctly, this is the skirt she wore to the grand opening party (with matching cowboy boot earrings).

Perhaps an evening in Hillcrest for some gay-bar line-dancing is in order in the near future...

Here's a close-up of the print:

Lemon-meringue pie 50s/60s formal dress:

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!

This miniature globe. I just love miniature versions of things. In fact, remember that toy piano I blogged about last Wednesday (the one that got away)? It was still there today. It was in my cart. It was out of my cart. It was in my cart again. Then I took it out right before I got up to the register. It was a really emotional process. It was just way too busted.

Anyway, this has got to be at least 20 years old because Russia is still labeled Soviet Union:

After thrifting, I did a pop-in at DSW and couldn't believe my eyes (or my luck) when I came across a pair of Kork-Ease for 60% off... you just can't pass up a bargain like that.

Since this has turned out to be the most extensive, thorough, well-researched hump-day revival post to date, I guess I'll go off on another little tangent now.

Kork-Ease were the original wedge sandal in the 70s. Kork-Ease shoes are constructed from supple, biodegradable, vachetta leather that develops a rich patina over time. According to the Kork-Ease website, "The original Kork-Ease Wedge has been immortalized in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Landmark Shoe Collection -- an honor bestowed to only 25 styles of footwear all-time".

Fury Duty

Today (my day off from work), I fulfilled my civic duty and reported to the Vista Court Complex for jury duty. I've reported to jury duty before, so I knew what to expect and brought some reading material. The last time I showed up, we were all dismissed before noon. This time, my name was called.

Luckily, I was not chosen as a juror, however, I did have to endure a painstakingly long voir dire. I tried not to snicker at the name of one of the potential jurors (Gaylord), not to mention the kid who "worked at a mushroom factory" (huh?).

By the time I was dismissed, it was 2:00. The only good that came of the day was that I got to take advantage of my foreign surroundings and scour some thrift stores in the area.

Let me tell you, it's been slim pickings lately ... well, at least in the clothing department. Today seemed to turn out to be a textile sort of day.

My first stop was at an antique store next to a Goodwill. In the back room, everything was on sale. I dug through a big cardboard box of old linens and eventually, these embroidered beauties materialized:

When I uncover handmade goods at a thrift store, I can't help myself - I must rescue them. It makes me sad to see an embroidered handkerchief or a crocheted blanket collecting dust on a rack when I know, from a personal account, just how much time and love goes into making things with your hands.

Like these hangers, for instance:

Or this quilted swatch of fabric/soon-to-be pillow-case:

Or this table-cloth:

What can I say? I am an advocate of the arts (and crafts).

I've never been to Oregon before, but apparently Portland is the new hipster haven (alongside New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas of course). I never got it before - isn't Portland a wet, grey place? I used to think, "What could possibly be so hip about rubber boots and frizzy hair?"

OK, so maybe the music scene is pretty alright. And maybe there is a really cool computer game called Oregon Trail that I used to play all the time when I was a youngster. However, these extraordinary double-decker business models alone make Portland, Oregon one cool cat.

Here is a double decker bus that was turned into The Grilled Cheese Grill. That's basically like my fantasy restaurant on wheels...Who wouldn't want to eat in a double decker dining room??

Hold the line: The dining tables aren't covered in old yearbook pages from an elementary school in Southeast Asia, are they? Coolest. Restaurant. Ever.

Photo source

Now, I'm not sure if I have blogged about this one before... I read an article a few months ago in the paper about the fabulous Erin Sutherland, who used her unemployment money to purchase a beat-up, 1965 double decker bus and spent 6 months refurbishing it to transform it into Lodekka, a vintage dress shop.

How inspiring! As much as I love grilled cheese sandwiches, I'd have to say I'm more passionate about vintage (it's a close call though). To have a little shop like this would really be my dream come true:

I think a little getaway trip to Portland is in order for the near future...

WINNING