My Vintage Soul

Thankful Decor

 

This post started out to be a tutorial about how you can make your own vintage Thanksgiving decor, because, for me, finding the real thing has been pretty elusive. A few Gurley turkeys here and there, some honeycomb turkeys, but not much more.

And then, you know what happened? Yes, the same thrift store folks who hoard the vintage Christmas must also hoard the vintage Thanksgiving, because I stumbled on a few things. More about that later. First, my version of vintage Thanksgiving decor.

 

Because I'm always looking for new things that look vintage, I was immediately taken with these paper plates that I saw at the grocery store. I just couldn't figure out how to use them. And then, I thought about pleating some good old crepe paper (gosh, I love that stuff) all around. The result? The perfect accent for the pine cone garland and wreath that I hang above the kitchen sink.

 

 So onto to the real vintage stuff.

 

A Gurley pilgrim gal and a Gurley pilgrim guy. Completely out of proportion, I know, but for 69 cents each, I'm not complaining.

 

A rafter of feathered turkeys, as Barbara says. All three were 50 cents at a church rummage shop.

And that's it, except to wish you and yours a happy and safe Thanksgiving. The VS household is hitting the road soon to see family and friends. And I'm going to try and sneak in a stop or two at an Ohio thrift store just to see if they also hoard all the holiday vintage stuff too.

 

 

 

Miracle(s) at the Thrift Stores

If I could, I would buy vintage Christmas 365 days a year. So, it's a good thing, as I'm sure that Mr. VS would agree, that the thrift stores hoard the Christmas donations they collect and put it out only after Halloween. A store clerk admitted to me as much.

But that doesn't mean it's all good stuff. Actually, most of it is crap, so it's taken quite a bit of timing and luck to find some gems among all those Dollar Tree resin figures. But find them, I have. Here, in random order, is what I consider to be the good stuff that I've found recently.

 

Japanese reindeer, BIG Santa, little Santa, some glittered bells.

 

Plastic foil holly picks, glittery white bells and a bottle brush mini wreath. Those bells, by the way, I found in a box of ugly plastic poinsettia. That's what I mean about luck. 

 

 

Flannel Christmas stocking. It was the retro Merry Christmas script that caught my eye.

 

The best find was inside this box. I think my heart skipped a beat when I looked inside.

 

Quick, somebody call 911. There's a lady hyperventilating in the Christmas aisle, which would have been me.

 

These little candle huggers/holders are in perfect shape. Could it get any better? Why, yes, it did. When I got to the register, the cashier took one look at the beat-up old box and told me he was only going to charge me 99 cents instead of $1.99. Who was I to argue?

And last, but not least, a big roll of vintage wrapping paper.

 

 

I had to buy it. After all, it's everything I want in an extra-big box of vintage wrapping paper: attractive, convenient and economical to use. I hope you like as much as I do because you'll be seeing a lot of it in the coming weeks. I think it's my new backdrop for holiday photos.

 
 
 
 
 

I've Been En-Lightened

Ever since I found a bag-ful of dirt-cheap Christmas candlesticks, I've been on the lookout for C-7 bulbs.

The other day, I found some. And a whole lot more.

I now own what should be a lifetime supply of Christmas lights. I have a big supply of mini lights, including some with fun plastic covers, some C-9s, and, yes, lots of C-7s. I also have some vintage light boxes although they need a little work to bring them back into shape.

 

And, I even found PINK C-7s, which look great in the silver candlesticks, although they still "burn" red.

 

 

Boy, do those suckers get hot. Which I should have known if I had looked closely at one of those vintage boxes. Someone was trying to warn me. I don't know how clear the writing is, but to me, it says "Careful."

 

And finally, after all that digging through the box and a few hours of winding and testing the bulbs (many thanks to my mom who helped), I found a bonus: A envelope of vintage stencils, including that cute Santa. 

 
 

 

Halloween Holy Grail

It took a little time to get the Halloween decorations down. Which, as it turned out, was a good thing. That way, I was able to pack a little something more into the Halloween box.

 

On Saturday, I picked up something totally unexpected at a church rummage sale. On top of a table of otherwise unremarkable stuffed animals and used toys was a vintage child-size witch's cape with very cool flocked graphics. I know I held my breath as I reached for it and hoped that another hand wouldn't get there before mine.

 

I'm not sure how much it was, because I paid $1.50 for it, a dish towel, a made in Japan stuffed Santa and a half-dozen sewing patterns. So, maybe 50 cents????

I packed it right on top of the other Halloween items so that it would be the first thing I see next October. I know it's sure to bring just as big a smile to my face as it did on Saturday.

Wrapping Up The Picasso Project(s)

If you're lucky, then you know that something is magical while you are experiencing it. Today, I am very lucky.

 

And it's not because my daughter's high school marching band on Sunday won its 30th state title (in 36 years). Admittedly, such a finish is a great way to cap the last four years. But I would feel this lucky no matter how the band finished because of the magical journey she's been on and everything she learned from it.

 

 She learned that hard work really does pay off. And that there's a reason for paying attention to the details.

 

She learned to be dedicated through heat and cold and wind and rain, and through all those after-school and Saturday rehearsals.

She eventually learned to remember her gloves and her MTXs (band shoes) but she knew that if she forgot them, she could count on mom and dad. And she learned to be a (section) leader and to count on her fellow bandies too.

 

She learned that it's a privilege to step into a tradition of excellence but that it takes an unselfish attitude to continue that tradition. And she learned that despite a history of winning, that every time you step on the field, you always try your best. Nothing is ever taken for granted.

And maybe, although she may not admit it, she may have learned that the elementary music teacher was right when he told her in the fifth grade to practice her saxophone a little more. Her dedication to her music increased with her love of the band.

I am grateful that she shared the experience with me. Four years ago, when I told her I wanted to volunteer to be a uniform mom, she rolled her eyes just a little and then she let me into her special circle.

And what did I learn?

 

Well, most recently, I learned that in less than one week, I could make 14 decoupaged picture frames, a senior shadow box, a photo album and have my daughter tell me that I needed a cape (to truly be a super mom), which made all my exhaustion worthwhile. Eventually, I'll get around to making her the fourth and final pillow from the show T-shirt. You see, I've learned that sometimes even super moms can't  do everything.

 

I've learned how quickly teenagers can grow from one season to the next. I know that when they hand you their uniform after a performance that you always need to check their pockets for gum, a cell phone or a glove.

 

I learned to look at yards and yards of white muslim fabric and believe that it could really become 75 pairs of angel wings. And that you can make a color guard flag that resembles the sign at a railroad crossing.

And I also learned the value of teamwork because I was only one of a special group of moms and dads who gave as much time and effort as I did over the last four years. Today, I know they're feeling like I do. Lucky.

Coming Up for Air

I've caught my breath. I think. The band held its tailgate party today. Gifts were exchanged. Tears were shed. (Yes, some of them were from me). And lots of hugs were given. It was a great day. Tomorrow, it's onto the (Carrier) Dome to go for the 30th state title. More to come about that of course, plus I will share some of the week's crafting frenzy.

So, while I have a few seconds, here's wishing you a Happy Halloween. And here are some of the few decorations that I managed to put up.

 

This is the black tree that I put up every year with some spider web paper parasols that I found at the grocery store. Yes, the grocery store. I think they're a pretty cool addition. 'The tree is inside one of those plastic web/bat vases.

 

 A new bow tie for the ceramic pumpkin that sits on the table in the hallway. He was a 50-cent garage sale find.

 

 

Some cookie cutters and candles in the kitchen cabinet. I've had these cookie cutters for years and I think I had forgotten about them until I saw that Barbara had the same ones.

 

Finally, the Halloween banner that 's been sitting in a box since I picked it up at a rummage sale years ago. Sorry that the focus isn't what it should be. But I guess it's a pretty good reflection of how I feel after this week. The good thing is that I did survive. 

Dome Week

It's Dome Week, which probably doesn't mean much to you. But around here, it's the most  important week of the marching band season. On Sunday, my daughter's high school marching band will defend its state title at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, hence the term "Dome Week."

For me, it's actually Will I Survive Dome Week. There's no time for junking when I have to a) finish her "state gifts," which are little mementos that I make for a big tailgate party that happens the morning of the championships, and b) help her make state's gifts for her saxophone section ( I think we're doing 13 picture frames). And just because I'm really a crazy person, I'm also making a costume for the play she's in in two weeks (she's playing Puck in "Midsummer's Night Dream"). And I have to do  something about this box, which has been sitting in my living room since Oct. 1, because we're having a party for her saxophone section at our house on Halloween. Maybe I should rename the week to Will I Lose My Mind Week.

 

The up side of all this is that I think I have finally dried out from the weekend. We were in Philadelphia, actually West Chester, where the band was in a regional Bands of America competition. It placed eighth out of 24 bands in the preliminary competition and would have been in a Top 10 evening competition but that was canceled because of rains of biblical proportions. Here's the band playing in the prelims when the rains weren't quite so biblical. The theme of the show is the Picasso Project. The flags, which are hand-painted by one of my neighbors, are really cool.

 
So forgive me if the blogging is pretty sporadic this week. When I can find seven seconds here and there, I'll share some of the gifts that I've made for her over the last four years  and a little bit of Halloween too. Wish me luck.

   

Random Rummage Roundup

There is great joy and great sadness in the Vintage Soul household. It is nearly the end of another rummage/garage/yard sale season. Which makes Mr. VS quite happy. And me, well, not so much. 

But I'm looking at this as an opportunity to focus on other things, including Project Etsy, which is on my to-do list after Halloween, the state marching band competition, the girls' play at school, college entrance applications and so on. OK, so maybe I really won't have time to do anything.

But, here, in no particular order, are the items that I've picked up as the season comes to a close.

 

A pair of very cute dish towels that I nearly came to blows over at a church rummage sale. I wasn't very popular with a woman with rather large elbows who complained that I took "everything good" out of box of otherwise unremarkable bath towels and sheets.

Well, yes, I did. But I was there first. And, come on, who wouldn't keep digging if you came upon this?

 

 

I mean, really, how cute are they?

 

As is an apron of kittens and Christmas trees, which was at an estate sale, in the basement on top of the washing machine.

 

Two nice pieces of vintage fabric that were dirt-cheap, both under $1.

 

And, finally, a group shot of the rest: A 1955 Go to the Head of the Class game, silky wrapped patriotic ornaments (I thinking about something for the Fourth of July), a vintage doll clothes pattern, old sheet music, two spools of old ribbon and an flower pot filled with stuff from the free box.

 

Here's a closer view of the shoot music book, which had these cute stick figure drawings, and the Head of the Class game. Usually, I buy games for the pieces but this one charmed me with its retro-ness. Plus, it was only a quarter, so I knew I couldn't lose. I think it could become part of my first-day-of-school display.

  
 
 
 
 
 

Wedded Bliss

There are so many ways to spend a dollar although you can't buy a cup of coffee or a gallon of gas for that anymore. Which is why this find is so remarkable and by far one of my favorite estate sale purchases. Ever.

 

Meet the happy couple. I found this duo recently at my favorite kind of house sale, you know, at the house that time forgot. Well, apparently, somebody also forgot this wedding cake topper, which was in the garage. Yeah, you heard me, between the snow tires and the garden hose. Who knows why, but you gotta wonder what sort of domestic dispute so many years ago -- the topper is dated 1950 -- prompted its banishment to the garage.

 

Considering where it was, it's in remarkably good shape. The base is a little discolored but I think it will clean up with a soft brush. I actually think that its location turned out to be a blessing for me. I arrived at this sale a good two hours into it and if the topper had been in the house, I'm sure it would have been long gone.

Maybe another factor in my favor was that it was unmarked. I'm sure other people saw it and walked by it because there was no price on it and lots of other things were priced on the high side. I expected it to be at least $10. Instead, when I asked, the lady behind the table held up a single index finger.

I didn't hesitate because I thought if I let her think about it for too long, she might come to her senses. "Sold," I said, and then I took the happy couple to their new home, which, I promise, isn't in the garage. I think we'll be living happy every after.

 

Time Traveling: Past and Future

No, I haven't been flocking and spray painting for the last week. Actually, I've been time traveling -- to the past and future.

I took my oldest daughter -- the high school senior -- on another college visit to western New York, to SUNY Fredonia. So that's the future part, although I know that the future will be here before I know it and way before I'm really ready for it.

As for the past, along the way, we drove through East Aurora, which is just south of Buffalo, and we were quite charmed by its Stars Hollow-ness. You know, that cute little town in "Gilmore Girls."

On one side of Main Street (also Route 20A) was Vidler's 5 & 10,  which has been around since 1930 and hasn't changed much since. I remembered reading about in Martha Stewart Living and being the Woolworth's fanatic that I am, of course I had to stop.

 

Vidler's is four connected buildings that hold all sorts of treasures: candy, soaps, candles, party favors, toys, cooking supplies and on and on. There's even a vintage popcorn machine that dispenses little bags of popcorn. And, least I forget, a huge craft section on the first floor.

 

And what did I buy? Well, I could have bought most of the store but there wasn't time for that. I limited myself to some orange chenille bump and a quilt square that I'll use in a project that I'm working on. But more about that later. 

 

Across the street from Vidler's is the Aurora, a restored 1925 movie theater. Did I mention that my love of old movie theaters is right up with with my love of old 5 & 10s?

 

So, there I was, in just the sort of town that I didn't think existed anymore -- 5 & 10 on one side of the street and old movie theater on the other. No wonder I was seeing stars.