Let us put by some hour of every day for holy things...

I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea
Come drifting home with broken masts and sails.
I will believe the Hand which never fails,
From seeming evil, worketh good for me.
And though I weep because those sails are tattered,
Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered:
I trust in Thee.
--Ann Kimmel

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18

Monday, June 8, 2015

Fast and Furious

It was the best of sales; it was the worst of sales. 

The best, because it was an estate sale of a woman who had apparently kept everything she or her kids ever had from the 1960's-1970's, and the worst because I was sorely pressed for time and cash, and it was the last day of the sale. The stuff a true junker's dreams--and nightmares--are made of!

Most of what I purchased was fabric. The original owner, I was told, had worked for many years at a fabric store, and she had amassed boxes and boxes and boxes full of fabric. There were at least three large tables stacked with these boxes, and overflowing boxes were beneath the tables as well. I did my best to rummage through as quickly as possible, looking for vintage novelty print cottons or other remnants I might make use of. Unfortunately, most of it was polyester double-knit stuff, and though I did find some summery voile and some pretty floral quilted nylon, I wasted valuable time hunting through it, not realizing there were more vintage goodies inside the house and in a side yard. 

By the time I paid for the fabric and found out there was more to see, I was running terribly late and was down to my last few bucks. My husband assured me there was nothing I'd be interested in the other sections, but he obligingly toted my fabric out to the truck and I did a fast and furious run-through of the remaining gems.

Nothing of interest?  

Nothing of interest?
  
NOTHING OF INTEREST?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!


 Where do men keep their heads? (Don't answer that!)

Of course there was interesting stuff! Wonderfully tacky, kitschy, vintage toy stuff and jewelry. And there I was, down to my last $2, surrounded by tables and boxes that everyone else was walking past without a glance, and no time to paw through them properly. Oh, the pain of it!

However, my story has a happy ending of sorts. Not only did I nab an armful of gems, but the gentleman taking the money was either very kind or very sick of the estate sale or very overwhelmed by this "girl stuff" because he gave me all of it for my remaining cash.
I don't even dare speculate on what got left behind to be tossed out or hauled to the Goodwill, but at least I rescued some of it!

Behold, My Two Dollar Trove:




From left to right: Nancy Ann doll in original box with brochure, a vintage "knitting nellie" from the UK, a 1967 Mattel "Tippee Toes" horse, a pink thermoset necklace, and two vintage little girl hairbrushes.

The Nancy Ann doll appears never to have been removed from her box; she's Cinderella from the Fairyland Series, and I believe she dates to the 1940's. Even though I'm not generally a doll fan, I think she's rather pretty.


The horse, being brightly colored plastic, tacky, and of no earthly use is, of course, the item that delights me most. Here's the set in which it would originally have been included:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/227966110/vintage-1967-mattel-tippee-toes-doll
Thank you, Cathy of ArtfulEndeavors, for making identification of my horse so easy! Her shop is a relatively new one on Etsy, and she has some terrific Johnny West toys and lots of mid-century dishes and glassware. I'm sure she'd love it if you'd visit her shop, and click some favorites:  www.etsy.com/shop/ArtfulEndeavors

One of these days if I can squeeze out the time, I'll show you the knitting nellie (spool knitter) and how to make one yourself if you'd rather not buy one. I have a few of these vintage knitting tools which I plan to save for my granddaughters, but I will have some up for sale as well before long.

Meanwhile, with MyPalPeppy closed for the summer, I'm busily sewing 100 favor bags for a wedding, something I haven't done for a good while. I'm enjoying sewing again, but "haste to the wedding"--I'd better get back to work. Need to ship by Friday!

Talk to you again soon, I hope.

 

 



 

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