Saturday, November 20, 2010

Saturday Vintage Booty

After a dry spell of thrifting due to progress reports, parent interviews, and a general lack of fun things at my local thrift stores, I'm happy to say I'm back in action thanks to the two sales I went to today. Come along now...
Duncan and I first went to the Royal Canadian Legion sale at Victoria Park and St. Clair - eerily close to the school I teach at. If any Clairlea parents happen to be reading this, I mean eerily in the best possible way. I found this charming owl wall hanging there for $1.00. Does it get any more seventies? It's a brown and beige Fentex owl tied on real twigs. Excellent. It's going up in our classroom. They'll start calling me That Seventies Teacher.

Alright, I promise you, I'm not making this next part up. Duncan was over at the toy table and I begin perusing the jewelry table. This in itself is unusual since I like jewelry but tend not to wear a lot of it. Just then I hear the opening of Pat Benatar's "We Belong." I've uploaded it for your pleasure. It's a sweet song, complete with an angelic childrens' choir.


I'm humming along in my head and I look down at the table only to spy one of the vintage things I've always wanted - collapsable binoculars from the sixties!!!!
I was blown away by the brand newness of them. The red is still as bright as when they came off the assembly line in Japan.
The make is Emson and yes - we belong together.
Here's the best part. Can you believe they were only asking $3.00? I was going to offer the woman more money, but then I heard my mother's voice saying, "Erin, don't do it!" I'd say "Start the car," but we were traveling by TTC.
I also found this working Gemstone watch for $1.00.
This mod-ish flower brooch cost .50 - another bargain.

On our way out, we noticed a sign for the Victoria Park United Church Bazaar. We ran across the road and ducked in. This was a classic church bazaar, complete with crafts and baked goods. I bought this old timey egg slicer for .50. Our old one bit the bullet when Duncan tried to play it like a guitar.
German looking wooden Christmas bell ornament for .25.
Sixties made in Japan elf that cost a quarter. We always had decorations like this around the house when I was a kid.
Mug shot profile.
I found this rusty old first aid kit. It only cost $1.00. When I opened it, it was a bit like that scene in the movie Amelie when she finds that tin box of memories in her bathroom. If you feel like having a good cry, watch this clip. Scroll on if you want to see what was inside.


Well, no surprises really. But the contents were definitely old fashioned.
I found gauze, little scissors...
tiny bottles of iodine...
And old boxes of bandages...
that still looked pretty clean on the inside.
This was also in the box. Consumers Gas stopped operating under that name years ago.
I thought these were matches, but it seemed weird that a gas company would be giving away matches. Here, go play with these by your furnace!
It turned out to be an emergency sewing kit that came with nail files. I'm just trying to think of the creative mind who decided to put this in the first aid kit. "Hmm, you may chip a nail or pop a button."
A tired and jaded looking couple were selling over-priced things on a table. They didn't look like friendly church folk - more like people who rented a table to sell off their collectables. I did buy this best of The Cure CD for $2.00.
Here's my laugh riot of the day - a ginormous Fonzie puzzle. It only cost a quarter, so I looked past the water stains on the box as well as the possibility that it might be missing pieces. The lady selling it was in disbelief that someone was actually taking it. "Are you sure?" she asked as she bagged it. "Oh yes. Quite sure." I did my best to explain who the Fonz was to Duncan.
Fonzie's famous expressions are emblazoned on the box.
"H-ee'ee Mrs. C." "Oh Arthur. Sit on it!"
The Fonze is cool. Don't forget it.
See? I wasn't making up the price. That's good Happy Days value for money.
Lastly I bought this Oxo cookbook. For a quarter, I couldn't resist buying this hopelessly WASPY cookbook. If you look closely at the bottom, it says, "Gives a meal Man-appeal. Even the Fonze?

This reminded me of my Oxo milk glass mug I'd garage saled a couple of summers ago. I still love it.
And here they are, reunited 'cause it feels so good.

Hope you enjoyed my finds as much as I do. What did you get today?
Erin

7 comments:

  1. Erin, you had a great morning! Some very cool finds there. I remember making one of those owl
    hangings ...not a fond memory btw. Phentex yarn is the absolute crappiest yarn.

    This made me laugh:

    "I thought these were matches, but it seemed weird that a gas company would be giving away matches. Here, go play with these by your furnace!"

    I haven't been thrifting in so long, I'm suffering severe withdrawal.

    Sue:)

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  2. OOOHooo! Holy ginormous thrifty haul Erin!

    Our xmas tree was full of these elves!

    I would've left the Phentex owl there that is way too seventies for me! LOL

    Love the Oxo mug :)

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  3. Erin you really made some great finds. Love the binoculars! Deal! The owl and the Fonz puzzle are other fav's! Way to go!

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  4. the little elf is called a knee hugger elf. They are awesome.

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  5. I am dying over the collapsible binoculars and that first aid kit! You really got some great stuff!

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About Me

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I'm a slightly off-beat Toronto-area teacher who enjoys writing and photography. I come from a family of collectors and now I'm dragging my own family around to yard sales. It's just a bit of fun. Enjoy the scenes.