So I've been itching to do a blog post on some of my recent estate sale finds (there has been a lot lately!) but unfortunately the days are so short now that when I leave the house in the morning it's dark. When I come home in the evening it's dark! On the weekends I've been chained to my desk (or the table at my local cafe) writing my master's thesis. I'm going to be so relieved when that's turned in next month.Anyways, when downloading some photos off my camera the other day I came across some pictures I took of items bought over the summer. Better late than never right?
Uh oh, that sweet looking flapper girl is naughtier than she appears! I found this clever little ashtray and a set of 2 Ovenex (Made in Chicago!) heart-shaped pans at a little estate sale Albert and I went to in August. They had unfortunately carted all the goodies to the basement that was dim and dusty-- probably one of the reasons this item hadn't been snatched up yet.
That same estate sale also yielded these tiny stuffed animals. They have tags marked Japan and are full of a hard material (excelsior?). I thought they were pretty unusual-- a giraffe & a squirrel and I love their little bows and plaid material.
We went to the second day of a sale in their last few hours on the same day... was pretty picked over but I found these two old tins in a basement drawer. I'm amused that the First Aid Kit says "leader" (would this be from a school?) and the hunting scene on the Sharp's toffee tin is pretty fantastic. Old packaging (especially tins) always draw me in-- why is packaging nowadays so predictable and mundane?
A pair of seamed stockings... not sure how old these are but the price and the packaging makes me believe they're from the 1940s or 1950s. Any thoughts? These were found at a small estate sale in the city that had many wonderful items that unfortunately were overpriced. The stockings were only a few dollars though and I don't see old ones like these very often!
The care instructions on the back are highly amusing, they advise you to buy 2 pairs of the same stockings and rotate out the individual stockings to spread out wear. Isn't that kind of bizarre? Perhaps I'm just too used to contemporary tights.
These items were purchased at three different garage sales on a day that Albert & I visited 30+ garage/yard sales (admittedly we went to two block sales which made it easier!). The item in front is an enameled cigarette case that I'll use as a business card holder or wallet. In the middle is an eyeglasses case from the 1960s.
A wonderful matching rhinestone & goldtone necklace and clip earring set came from the first garage sale we stopped at that day-- it belonged to a girl just a little older than me who was also an avid collector.
The tea tin and yellow wooden jewelry box came from one of the best garage sales I've been to in a while... everything was vintage and was from one woman's estate. Inside the jewelry box (unfortunately didn't take pictures) are several pieces of jewelry that I bought at the garage sale-- if I had more $$ at the time I would have bought their entire inventory of jewels! There were tons of necklaces, pins, clip earrings, rings and rhinestone pieces from the 1940s-60s at the sale and I managed to snag a sterling silver bangle, a charm bracelet, several necklaces and a locket that folds out like a miniature album.
The 1920s Kewpie-style wedding cake topper came from the same estate sale as the seamed stockings. The granddaughter of the woman was actually present and she told me that the topper was found at the bottom of a steamer trunk in the attic. She didn't know the history behind it, whether it had been someone's cake topper or if it had just been a party favor of some sort. Either way I thought it was romantic & it's now the oldest topper in my growing collection. One odd thing about this item-- why is the bride topless?? I didn't even notice that until posting this picture here. Have to watch out for those 1920s flapper women, they're loose!