Saturday my mom visited and she, my friend Angelina and I spent the day garage sale’ing.  Mostly in Coburg, which boasted its city wide garage sale.  We also hit up a few in the northern part of Eugene.  While each of us found an array of goodies, one of the highlights of the day was walking into a garage to find this on their wall:

I was in awe.  Here was a man who had actually pinned up (or rather decoupaged) pin-ups in his garage!!  However, there was also a bit of me that was a little sad.  I saw how they were discolored and just falling off of the wood wall, and within a few years, they would no longer exist.  At least they were loved and adored.

Sunday was the Eugene Picc-a-Dilly where I also found some great vintage swag.  I’m really going to miss the flea market, but I think I’ll find myself coming back more often than not to attend.  It seems I just can’t resist vintage shopping.  Plus it gives me opportunities to see my dad and brother.

As for the booty from both events…it is much more impressive than the conservativeness of Portlanding…

Going clockwise…this stellar oriental cocktail dress, which is a bit on the tight side I couldn’t resist because of its cut and color!  Not to mention it was only $20.00! Thankfully, it has some room to be let out!  Next up, the vintage swimsuit, which I’ve been dying to own one for awhile now, and have been hard pressed to part with $50 or more to own one…this one only cost me $25.00.  The score of the day was the poodle, which was mere ten cents!  And the compact next to it was only 25 cents!  Vintage barware is some of the most hilarious, and at times, utterly impractical stuff, but here we have something both great and practical…drink tags!  Each tag clips onto a glass and has the drinks contents and a number so partyers know which is theirs!  For $3.00 I couldn’t resist and can’t wait to use them for our next party!  Then I got these two glasses for 25 cents a piece, I just had to have them since they are just like the ones Don has in Mad Men!

Now it’s back to work…I have three papers due within the next couple of weeks, along with engagement and senior photos soon, and getting grad announcements!

Tuesday the lovely Alex Sandra came to visit as part of her day-trip to California.  I showed her one of my favorite hot spots in Eugene, Nobody’s Baby.  She picked up a pair of lovely spring-o-lator shoes and three purses!  I walked away with the most darling dress that I wish I could have had for Valentine’s Day!

I believe the dress to be homemade based upon the stitching and the fact that it has no label.  I just adore the asymmetrical lines and scalloped edges. It’s classic ’40s/’50s.  I was a little unsure about the length when I tried it on at the shop, but with heels, it’s a great, classic length. Cost: $27.50

Later, my friend, Jen visited and we hit up the Goodwills and St. Vinnies around town.

One of the many things I collect is Pan Am. While I collect vintage flight bags from any airline, Pan Am I collect pretty much anything of, so I was thrilled when I found this “World Wings International Hostess Cook Book” by Pan Am.  Copyrighted 1972, though it is obvious that it was not printed until 1974, based on the International Officers page, the book offers up recipes from around the world.  On the back of each divider is listings for each place Pan Am flies.  Plus, I found this article from the Eugene Register-Guard reviewing the book! Purchased at St. Vincent de Paul for $2.99.

I picked this fabulous Hawaiian dress at Goodwill.  The tag, as you can see reads “Hawaiian Togs”.  I haven’t had any luck digging anything up on the label, but people are asking any where from $20.00 to $130.00 for this label, making me feel pretty darn good about my $5.99 purchase!  Plus I love that the original price of $12.95 is still visible on the tag.

At the same Goodwill I picked up this “Dubl Handi” washboard, for $4.99.  While I adore it for its wording on the back, it’s a shame that the images that were printed on the front have since disappeared, since research online reveals that they were stockings, handkerchiefs and a bra.

I really would love to do a pin-up themed laundry room with pin-ups on the walls, and a washboard and clothes line strung up. Something I can hopefully have one day.

But the icing on the cake at this Goodwill was finding this 1964 Jim Beam bottle (dates are on the bottom of the bottles), for $7.99.  You may recognize the shape because it was the bottle that was used for Jeannie’s bottle in the 1960s TV show I Dream of Jeannie, one of my all time favorite TV shows.  Ages ago, and I mean ages, back when I was in grade school, my dad and I purchased a bottle at the Portland Expo (for $20.00) and my dad hand painted it to look like the second season and forward bottle, and since then I’ve wanted another to paint like the first season (yes, there were two different bottles), however finding bottles is rare and pricey at times, since unpainted bottles can go for as high as $40.00.  I can’t wait to get to work on this.

Last weekend antique collectors flocked to Portland’s Expo buildings for the spring Palmer-Wirf Antique Show to look at over 1000 booths hunting for that special thing.  Sometimes when I’m around my friends who don’t collect, I begin to feel alone, but at these shows, I am reminded that I’m very far from alone.  This year, I observed and met loads of interesting people.  I met a man who has been on a 12 year hunt to collect photographs which were done by his great grandfather, and when sitting down for lunch I sat next to a woman dressed in early 20-century attire eating nachos. “I love your dress,” I commented, “Did you make it?” She nodded yes, and began to tell me how her and her husband are historical re -enactors who portray Teddy Roosevelt and his wife.  Such interesting people and such wonderful things to buy! What could be better?

As for the finds, it was a day of really good deals…

Rose Hat with Veil

This little number I just adore.  With its small cap, faux rose and veil, it screams I Love Lucy.  Also, I’m half tempted to wear it for my wedding, or at least my going away hat.  There are some condition issues, like the rose is a little flattened, and there are some rips in the netting, but overall, not too bad.  There is not label.  Cost: $3.00

Marche Exclusive Hat

Another classic 50s hat, one that says “Wear me on Easter Sunday”.  Like the other one, this one has some rips in the netting, but nothing too horrifying.  There are some remnants of fake leaves in the netting, which leads me to believe this too had some flowers of some sort.  The label here reads “Marche Exclusive” with “Finlan” (yes, “Finlan” not Finland) on the side. And this hat was an even better deal, $1.00!  Especially since my research is digging up an average of about $40.00 for this brand.

Beresford Fur Hat

This certainly was a day for hats, and white ones at that.  This one I couldn’t resist, especially since it was just fun and reminded me of some of the hats that a few Elvgren girls wear.  The top part is bunny fur, and soft as ever to the touch, and the label reads “Beresford”, but I’ve had little luck trying to dig up any info on it.  Cost: $8.00

1955 Montgomery Ward Catalog

I just love old catalogs.  They are wonderful portals into the past.  And this one provides so much insight! Clothes, BBQs, cameras, furniture, shoes, appliances, it’s fabulous!  It’s also interesting to see the cost of things.  $7.98 for dresses!  While that may seem like very little, you have to remember what minimum wages was a heck of a lot less!  But the quality of things made then was a million times better that what comes out of department stores today. Cost: $5.00

Starburst Platter

As you know, I collect Franciscan Starburst. I usually don’t anticipate buying any at Expo because it tends to be very expensive.  Condition is a particular issue with dishes, and especially with Starburst, and often can drastically bring down the price, which is all the better for me! I got this platter for $25.00 due to three small chips on the side.

In case you missed out on this March show, mark your calendars for the July show on the 10th and 11th! It’s bigger and better too!

Well, here we are, in October.  Classes just started on Tuesday, and I feel like I’m drowning already.  I’m taking classes about the American West, and World War II (both 400 level history courses), in addition to my history research seminar.  In my seminar, which is about Oregon History, we are asked to choose a topic (a fairly narrow one) and then write a 25 page research paper, from mostly primary sources.  Thankfully, our library has a rather impressive selection of manuscripts and documents.  My topic, you ask? Vice in the Rose City.  That’s Portland for all you non-Oregonians.  So, that is something that I’ll continue to post about.

Meanwhile, if you’ve been following, you’ll have noticed from previous entries that my dad and I have been making life-size Nightmare before Christmas characters for Halloween and Christmas decor.  Just yesterday, we finished up everything and got it all up.

Total cost: $460.03.  My dad thinks about 500 hours was put into this between him, myself, and the couple days that Patrick came to work.  Needless to say, I’m very satisfied with the outcome.  We also created a Santa Jack and the coffin sleigh and skeleton reindeer as well as other Christmas elements which will go up around Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, today some friends and I check out Bring Recycling in Springfield.  The place is a treasure trove for people who are renovating or are crazy artists.  Bring has everything from light fixtures to lockers to toilets to school desks – there was even a boat and the vintage weight-loss machine as demonstrated by moi on the left.  This type of machine was very popular in the 1950s and 60s, and were often depicted in pin-ups.  Whether they worked or not is another question.  I would have purchased it, had it not been $75.00.

But I didn’t leave Bring empty-handed.  I purchased another retro star patterned glass lamp cover for $2.00 and a small copper bullet shaped lamp (which works) for $4.00.

I also found about 40 drawer pulls in two different boomerang shapes, all at $0.25 a piece! I don’t even have drawer pulls in our apartment, but I couldn’t pass ‘em up because I may have a place in the near future that has drawer pulls.

Overall, it was a successful trip.  Tomorrow is the Canby Swapmeet, but I’m missing out because I have work. Oh well.