A CRAZY Four Weeks

I looked at my last post and realized I hadn't written in 4 weeks -- that might be a record.  It's been a really crazy month here at Kitschy Vintage land -- in a good news-bad news, up-and-down emotions sort of way.

I don't normally share much personal stuff, partly because I know that everything posted online lives forever and also because I can't really believe that my life is anywhere near as interesting to you all as great vintage finds.  This time, though, I'm making an exception.

Bad News -- Mr. KV had a heart attack a month ago and spent several days in the hospital.  It wasn't the first time he's had heart trouble, but that doesn't make it any easier to go through (for him or me).
Good News -- Thankfully, the heart attack was fairly mild and didn't do any damage.  They were able to clear the affected artery with a stent, rather than surgery.  It was still really scary, though!

Bad News -- When Mr. KV got sick, the entire garage was set up for a yard sale.  Every table we could find was covered and piled up with household junk and LOTS of what-was-I-thinking items from my stash in the basement.  It was terrible timing, but I had to go ahead with it, knowing that once Labor Day weekend was over, no one would be shopping sales.  We were all exhausted but there was no going back.
Good News -- My son and his wife are moving back to this side of the state, so he was around to help me move tables and furniture and get things set up.  My friend Bargain Hunter knew how stressed I was about it and came over after work to help me price things.  She's a master at running sales and is so calm about it that she makes it seem do-able -- she was a real life-saver!
More Good News (I guess) -- With Mr. KV on total rest and not allowed to drive or go to work, he couldn't do anything but sit around, so he sat around in the garage and took people's money.

What was I thinking?

Did you ever see so many glasses?

We spent LOTS of time telling people that my Beetle wasn't for sale!

Junk, junk, junk!

Bad News -- Because it was a week & a half before Labor Day, the entire state of Michigan was on one last vacation before school started! Very few people were shopping the sales and they weren't buying. About half or more of my 'treasures' were left over. SIX loaded-van trips to Salvation Army later, I'm still tidying up the garage and trying to figure out where the leftovers will go...they're NOT going back to the basement!

Bad News (though minor) -- We had a mini-tornado go through our area and, while I don't think the tornado hit our yard, the high winds did. We lost almost all of the apple tree closest to our garden and half of the healthiest one by the barn. It not only made a lot of cleanup work, but I grieve over every lost tree because I'm such a greenie! I think the bumper crop of apples we have this year contributed, too.

The tree by the garden -- only one major branch is still upright.  The tree almost split in half

Good News (and Bad News) -- I had a birthday.  A BIG birthday -- one than ends in a zero.  Those are both a blessing (have health and long life) and a curse (getting old isn't for sissies)...  Mr. KV sent me a HUGE bouquet of beautiful roses, though and took me out to dinner.

This beautiful arrangement is about 3 feet tall!  The vase alone is 18" -- there are LOTS of roses there!

Good News -- My sister & brother-in-law came up from Ohio to celebrate my birthday, too, and we had a great time (plus they took me out to dinner...birthday dinner #2).  We had a great time, with lots of talking and laughter.  They gave me this wonderful birthday gift (a big thank-you to my niece for seeing it on my wish list on the blog).

Fire King polka dots mixing bowl -- YAY!

My birthday was marred by a terribly sad event, though...

Bad News (and Good News) -- A dear friend and co-worker died on my actual birthday, after a very fast but difficult battle with breast cancer.  She was in her early 50s and was much too young to leave us.  All day long I got phone calls and text messages from friends telling me that she'd passed away and ending with 'Oh, by the way, happy birthday'.  I'll miss her so much!   Her funeral was on Labor Day weekend and the Good News is that it was a real celebration of her life and her strong faith and the knowledge that we'll see her again in heaven.

Good News -- I'm going to be a grandmother for the first time in January!   I've known for a while, but wasn't allowed to tell yet.The other good news is that it's a girl!   As the mother of three boys, I can't wait to have a little girl to play with -- I've got all the vintage toys and dishes she could want and still have my baby doll, Ginny Vogue doll and Barbies to play with!

It's a girl!

Good News -- The weekend after my sister and brother-in-law left, my son from Florida and his girlfriend came in to town for a long weekend.   They also took us out to dinner -- it was birthday dinner #3 *SWEET!*   It was so good to see them and get to hang out -- Florida is just too far away!   Since my son and Mr. KV were going to a football game and playing golf, I got to spend some precious time with my son's girlfriend -- always a blessing!

In between heart attacks, sales, birthdays & visits, I've been trying to put the garage back in order (so we can pull our cars in again), continuing to work through organizing the basement, and keeping the Etsy shop and booth stocked. It seems like I haven't had a minute to regroup and figure out what's next.

I think things are getting back to normal.  The 'normal' of shopping and keeping and selling...and telling you all about great finds and fun transformations.  The basement reorganization is almost complete and I can get to my sewing machine again.  I've got so many ideas of creative projects to do -- I'll keep you posted on their progress.  Hopefully, the next post won't be four weeks away!

Barn Sale Finds

Somehow, when it comes from a barn sale, it sounds more exciting...even if it's the same stuff...

I've been getting my 'what were you thinking' items ready for my own yard sale, but still found time to go to several barn sales this weekend.   Here's what I've found...

A lovely copy of a Maxfield Parrish picture.  The seller told me it came from the collection of a former director of the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) -- I have no idea if it's true or not, but I liked it.

A weekender sized suitcase and two cabinets (missing their tops -- I'll have to add those).  The price was right, though, and (again) I liked them.

This is VERY cool!  An unused Nutone clock/doorbell/wall chime) 

Little K&M coffee grinder and a couple of jewelry boxes.  I think it's funny that I buy these, since I wear (and collect) almost no jewelry!

The rose pictured jewelry box was filled with pearl necklaces that the seller didn't want.

A couple of twin headboards.  If you can see the prices, they really were just 50 cents each!  I'm hoping to make one of those headboard benches out of them/

That's what I found this week, while I WASN'T shopping -- because I'm getting ready for my yard sale!  What did you find while you WEREN'T shopping?

Good Choices, Bad Choices & a Trip to Hell

Got you with that title, didn't I?  We'll get to the trip to Hell soon enough, but first, the choices.  And life is all making choices and living with the consequences, isn't it?... I made these good and bad ones in the past two or three weeks.

Bad choice:  Choosing to go first to two estate sales about 10 miles west of my town, which were run by the same company on the same day.  Neither was any good because they were both overpriced and poorly organized.  Only bought a few things.

Good choice:  Putting a pair of Mammy/Aunt Jemima salt and pepper shakers on the 'hold' table at the first sale and then putting it back.  Another lady snapped the set up the moment I put it down, which made me think I'd made a mistake and instantly want it back. Has that ever happened to you?  The very fact that someone else wants something makes it more desireable.  It was a good choice, though, because they're just offensive to me, no matter how popular or collectable they are.

Good choice:  Leaving those two sales and driving to another estate sale 10 miles east of my town (if you're doing the math, that's already 30 miles on the car).  I bought several things there.

Fun styrofoam Santa face.  It will be hard to give this guy up

I really like the Androck whipper in the milk glass bowl!

A great mid-century relish plate -- perfect for cheeseball & crackers.  I may have to keep this for a while

Utensils with bakelite handles

This suitcase is in great condition!

Bad choice:  Taking a chance on an absolutely filthy Pyrex fridge dish, only to find out that the filth was hiding terrible wear.  Seeing mistreated Pyrex like this is so sad!

Bad choice:  Forgetting to make a note on my sale-addresses list of an estate sale the same day that was in my town.  Since I didn't mark 'estate sale' or put a star by it, the address just stayed on my list with all the other garage sales and I forgot to go.  It turned out to be an outstanding sale with lots of stuff.

Good choice:  Going to the forgotten sale on the second day.  I found a few things, but not what I would have gotten on the first day.  Oh well, that's the way it goes.

Nelly Bee loop weaving loom.   Did every little girl have one of these and did we all make potholders for our grandparents for Christmas?

Lots of postcard folders -- I'm always drawn to these!

Two very old (1910s-20s) school composition books with writing inside.  These are really popular with scrapbookers and altered-art artists

Bad choice:  Buying (and paying more than I should have) for a BIG lot of Barbie stuff:  two poor-condition cases, a Midge and a Ken (Ken had flocked hair, but a loose arm -- poor guy) and LOTS of Barbie clothes.  Actually the Bad Choice was taking a garage sale seller's word for the authenticity of all the clothes (in 3 gallon ziplock bags).  When I got it all home and looked through it, I realized that 90% of the clothes were homemade.

Good choice:  Being brave enough to take the entire lot of Barbie, Ken, cases and clothes back to the seller, telling her that it was almost entirely homemade and asking for my money back (I've never done anything like that and it was scary)!  It was only 2 hours after her two-day-long sale had started and she could easily sell the stuff to someone else.   Since I had specifically said "these all look homemade" (as I looked over the big plastic bags of clothes) and she had emphatically told me they were ALL official Barbie clothes, I felt justified.  She finally returned my money, though she did imply that I might have taken some of the clothes out.  I guess I might have thought the same thing in her position, though I don't think I would have said it.

Good choice:  Feeling really rich with my too-much-money-for-the-Barbies returned to me and stopping at another sale on the way home.  I got these cool things there:

My boys used to have this puzzle -- this one is in mint condition

Lincoln Beautyware canisters

These peg hangers are usually brown wood & boring -- this one is really cute

The condiment bowls don't have a maker's mark, but they look like Thermo-Serv

The clock has a roll-cover (from the bottom up).  I don't know if the lucite purse was made for a child or not, but it would be so cute to carry to a dinner or party.

This Fisher-Price light up globe has a little view-master type lens that you put over the circles and see pictures of the landmarks & people of the country the circle is in

A sweet homemade doll cradle

The round thing in the front is a heat spreader for a stovetop percolator

This big (24 x 36) picture has a gold plaster & wood frame

This great industrial cubby hole cabinet.  The yellow dot is the lid of a liter pop bottle on its side with a big hole cut in the 'top'.  The man I bought the cabinet from used it to store his nuts, bolts, screws, etc in bottles like that in the cubbies.  Brilliant!

Finally, the Trip to Hell:  Yes, there is a Hell, Michigan.  It's really big at Halloween and lots of Goth weddings take place there.  There's very little in Hell besides a bar/restaurant and an ice cream shop.  It's about 15 miles from my house, but I like to go to sales there because there because most of the houses are mid-century and there's usually good stuff.  

The day I went, it turned out to be a Bad Choice -- the sale was all new items and lots of 'interior decorator' supplies, flower arrangements and craft supplies.  I left with only an egg beater (a very expensive egg beater, if I factor gas prices).  Still it was a beautiful day for a trip to Hell. 

Community Garage Sale Finds

In my last post, I mentioned going to the community garage sale, but never had show-and-tell of what I got there.

I went about a half hour early and people were already shopping, so I got an early start.  That's both good and bad -- you get first-chance the good stuff that's out, but you miss the things that they haven't put out yet.

Anyway, I found some good things:

I love this cottage picture!  It reminds me of the Anne Hathaway house

1970s dollhouse with furniture and doll family

Cutwork wood shelf

Sunny Suzy play sink

Commodore mustard and ketchup

Commodore made these in response to the popularity of Holt Howard Pixieware.  They have spoons in the lid and are cute, but not as cute as the Pixies!

Mexican-themed tea set

A very sweet 1950s paper lampshade with cowboys

The lampshade is just perfect to top off the horseshoe lamp I got at auction a few weeks ago...

Here are a few other things I've picked up here and there...

Tortoise-shell card rack

1970s stagecoach, made from a kit

Loop weaving loom -- this brings back so many memories!  I may keep it for the grandchildren I might have someday

Mid-century cheese-and-cracker tray.  I'm thinking of keeping this, too