Magpie Ethel

Estate Sale Friday. A Few Good Finds.

I hit one sale today and was in the door with the first wave. Much of what was there was newer, but the few older items I found really made me happy.

An assortment of old needle books with good graphics.  I see these often but a couple of these designs were new to me and they were all bundled together.

A tin mother hen game.

It did not come with the eggs mentioned in the directions, but I liked the hen graphic with the little chicks at her feet.

A nice ceramic duck and some old cups with fun decals.

In the first photo there are three tin cups that are grouped together.  One of them has measurements for half cup etc. The other two are a little more nifty.  Old Mother Hubbard and other nursery rhyme illustrations ring this cup.

Another favorite detail I love to find.  It belonged to FRED taped to the bottom.

Another of the tin cups had a witch on a broom circling the cup!


This Kellogg's advertising book was a favorite today. It is copyrighted 1932.

It folds out and flaps flip back and forth so you can change the attire on the animals.

Of course some of the animals are holding boxes of Kellogg's cereals!

Darling illustrations.  I love the animals on the turtles racing...especially the pig with the hat.

For the few items I found today, I really scored some keepers.

And that cute duck figure I got has already waddled off to join some other friends in my yard.

Here he is on the top shelf quacking away with his new friends.

Happy day and happy loooonggg weekend to all.

Yippee! Payday!

YIPPEE!

A friend of mine had her grandmother move into a retirement home and I was asked to help get her belonging ready for an estate sale.  While we sorted and priced I put aside a small pile of goodies that I wanted to purchase.

Instead of paying for the items this was given to me for my time and efforts.  That is my kind of payday...vintage style!

Definitely the type of paycheck I don't mind receiving occasionally!

happy day!

Collection Challenge #106 - Vintage Moth Ball Canisters

I need to throw in a really odd ball collection now and then.  I must admit this one is not the norm for what people hunt...but I am sure that alot of people have quirky things they look for too.  Right?

I like the graphics on the tins.  The tins open up so one can add mothballs to them and keep them in a closet.  I DO NOT use them for this purpose.  I don't like the smell of mothballs one bit!

The sides had holes so the mothball smell would drift out.

Vaporize those flying nuisances.

It always amazes me how many manufacturers there are for a common product.
I love the colors on this pair and the fact they look a bit fancier with their tassel cords.

I do use these mothball containers as well, just in a different manner in what they were intended for.  A air freshener slides in the can and is easily hidden away.  Vintage style camouflage!

I recently added to this collection in a gifted manner.  Our elderly next door neighbor recently passed away.  He was a hoarder and his house was full of stuff.  It also reeked of mothballs.  REEKED! I asked Doug, the worker cleaning out the house if I could have any mothball containers they found as they were basically just tossing most of the contents of the house in the dumpster.  I would come home from errands and find a moth ball container tucked in my screen door or put in a bag by my back gate.  This thoughtful gesture made me smile with each tin left for me.  I am sure Doug thought I was crazy...but he certainly hunted them down for me!

An unusual collection.  If you have an idea for a future collection challenge, leave me a comment and finish the sentence "Show me your collection of ______."  I bet no one would have thought to suggest moth ball tins!

happy day!

Estate Sale Friday/Saturday. A Good Couple of Days.

I hit a number of estate sales this weekend. Two yesterday and three today...the season is starting once again. I hit one sale this morning and waited in line for about 20 minutes for them to open the door. I was number 10 waiting in line.  When they finally opened they let FIVE people in the door.  Crazy estate sale world.

Two old floral tablecloths and a large metal container.

A metal tole painted top for a cake plate, straw raffia for crafting and a slew of old black and white photos...one with a cute boy as a cowboy.
And for my blog readers that have a passion for quilts, I thought this one was fun.

Miniature playing cards.

A pair of tiny plastic lattices for spun head gals and a celluloid pig with a red hat.

A chalk-ware bunny and a plastic bunny rattle.

I got the masquerade masks in the above photo, but bought the bag of masks for these unusual ones below.

Some old plastic flowers for crafting.  A bunch of old dennison style stickers.  There was also a vintage water decal tucked in with them.

The vintage decal was a score.  It is teeny tiny and features Peter Peter.

It was one of 30 different decals given away with Kellogg's Pep cereal.  I would have been buying boxes of cereal left and right to get the series of decals!

An adorable set of bookends featuring a boy and a girl reading their books. Wonderful crazing and marked Japan on bottom.

A teeny bit of vintage Christmas and a pink storage cabinet. A fun garland made with satin balls and mercury glass beads.

I love this Christmas themed rubber stamp set.

With some great rubber stamps.

A pair of old heavy curtains with good ivy graphics.

And last but not least this crazy Santa vinyl sheet that is meant to cover your garage door.  Note how on the picture the Santa pretty much covers your ENTIRE garage door and the verbiage on the package also states is should fit a standard garage door.

In reality I think the packaging is a bit misleading.

Still like the jolly fellow tho.  Hope your weekend is stellar and have a happy day!

 

 

Spring Flower Holder

I was in a local antique mall and found this little gem. I love the color of the base and the base serves as a reservoir for water.

I have not seen a flower holder like it before.

Spring tulips + a new flower holder = a happy little windowsill arrangement.

Happy day!

Collection Challenge #105 - Vintage Bird Figures

I seem to be in a spring mode.  Last week was vintage garden/flower items and this week with birds chirping outside I decided to feature that collection.  I have collected vintage bird figures for quite a few years picking them up at estate sales.  Condition is not a factor as some of mine have chips and repairs.  They all live in my bathroom.

Lovely cockatoos and parrots.

Birds with birdbaths.

Mother birds feeding their babies in nests.  I love these.

They have terrific detail...you can almost hear those babies chirping away!

4 separate bird figures that rest on big flowers.  I  use these to corral rings and earrings.

Birds that come in pairs with tiny vases attached.

I have a rather large flock of individual birds.

These birds are well detailed.

This bird is another favorite. It does have a repair, but it looks so spring like with the magnolia blossoms.

These birds all have a container as part of the figure. Pastel colored parrots that are simple in their paint detail.

I felt sorry for this bird pair that lost the perch and thus the ability to stand.

They seem to manage quite well when tucked in a cage which hangs from my bathroom ceiling

Some of my birds are a bit more whimsical in design.

This trio is one of my all time favorite figures.

Birds in hats just make me smile.

I have birds hanging from the wide mirror frame in my bathroom.

If you have an idea for a future collection challenge, leave me a comment and finish the sentence, "Show me your collection of _____."

Birds on her head!  You never know where those birds will land!  After this post I realized how many bird figures I have.  I think I may  have to refer to my bird decorated bathroom as the aviary!

happy day!

Ebay Good Fortune

I got lucky on Ebay recently with a little lot of pipe cleaner dolls. The seller had FOUND them in a box in his attic (love that fact) and had listed them on Ebay.

I got them yesterday and they are even more charming in person. These are the fellows.  I love the tiny celluloid (?) heads. The figures are only about 3 inches tall.

They have really cute details like the tiny, tiny flowers on the lapels and a little black button closure at the waist.

The boys came with some adorable girls.

They make quite a couple.Did you notice that each of the figures is carrying a small tube?  I noticed that in the Ebay listing pictures.  The seller did not mention anything about them, but I thought the tube may have some paper rolled up for a message. I was right.

Each of the dolls carries a small fortune in the tubes. I only looked at one since it is hard to put the fortune back in.

I think it was certainly good Ebay fortune with this purchase! (penny in background for size)

Good fortune indeed.

Estate Sale Friday/Saturday. My Favorite Finds Were Free.

Beautiful weekend here weather wise and nice to stand outside waiting for an estate sale to open under sunny skies.  I hit 4 sales this weekend...2 good, 2 duds.

One old plaid metal picnic basket and a BINGO box (with a wonderful enthusiastic boy as the graphic).

Three decks of playing cards.  One dog, one cowboy and one for the game of Rook.  Vintage thumb tacks and old candle holders for the Christmas tree.
I liked this deck of Rook cards as the box had cards with three different designs.  I thought they may be fun for some Halloween crafting.

A teeny bit of vintage Christmas including one of those old metal holiday tape dispensers..which I collect.

Some old faded crepe paper flowers.  They will join a few other flowers in my bedroom to make one BIG bouquet.

Birthday candle holders in a rainbow of colors, old clothespins and some old paper clocks.  The clocks will be perfect for some spun head gals at New Years.

An old blow up Halloween sword and trio of Halloween candles.

A tiny concrete fish and a dress up wig in original box.  The box will be fun to add to my Halloween decor.

In case you were wondering...the wig is for dressing up like a pirate.

My favorite finds of the day were free.  When I was shopping the estate sale I noticed they were using old boxes to corral items for sale.  I emptied a couple of the boxes being used and brought they up front with rest of my stuff. They threw in the boxes for free.

A vintage Halloween Butterfingers box and a old shoebox for a child. I will use the Butterfingers box at Halloween for display.

The shoebox will be for storage with a bonus of cute graphics.

Not a bad weekend in estate sale land and thank you again Debbie for the awesome number! 

Happy Day!

Collection Challenge #104 - Vintage Garden/Flower Items

Spring is here in full swing and it was almost 80 yesterday. Last week at the estate sale I got a box of vintage plant labels.

The box got to me thinking that I have a fun array of vintage garden/floral items that make up a fun collection.  Most of it is collected due to the graphic nature of the item or its quirkiness.

The Garden Club must have been a big manufacturer of various garden related items. Pole Pins in original packaging.

Garden Club company again.  Vintage crumple wire in original packaging.

This collection has to include an assortment of floral frogs. I like the variety on the left as they work well to hold a card or paper item for display.

This box was empty when I got it.  Love, love the graphics on it tho and would have loved to know EXACTLY what was in it once upon a time.

This handmade flower fund container was handmade.  It has a slot in the top to put coins in.

This note was tucked into the slot when I bought it. It reads, "Dad made this for Powell Valley Sunday school birthday offerings about 1925. They repainted and discarded it".  I am glad that it was saved and I found it.

I always pick up vintage flower catalogs when I find them. The illustrations and colors in the catalogs are amazing.  This one dates from 1961 and is from Jackson and Perkins.

It also contained a huge color insert in the catalog.  It is poster size and the colors are vibrant.

Even more awesome is the flip side of the poster.  Daffodils!

Another catalog dated 1958.

A bulb calendar.
 

From the LA Times Home Magazine, October 1958.

And last but not least a metal floral powder duster (for spraying insecticides).  I love the graphics on this and it may become a lamp base someday!

Fun stuff and how I love spring and summer and all the flowers that come with it!  If you have an idea for a future collection challenge, leave me a comment and finish the sentence "Show me your collection of ____." You never know what a new season will bring.

happy day!

Can I Make You Smile on Monday?

Nice swim cap huh?  A perfect addition to my collection!  This one is a vision of tulle like ruffles in a soft lavendar and white.

Renee from My Vintage Mending sent me a surprise package with goodies and the swim cap was included in it. She also included a note with this message about this wonderful swim cap.

"The swim cap belonged to an area socialite who's husband was a big whig in Washington.  Her home was a time piece of 50s house-wife perfection."

So happy to add this swim cap to my collection which now numbers ELEVEN.  I still have no beach house to dispaly the collection in...but still wishing.  Someday.