My Vintage Soul

Today's Trivia Question

Remember guessing how many of something in a jar? I do, and I don't think I ever guessed close enough to win what was in the jar.

So today's trivia questions is this: How many pink bulbs do you suppose are on this 10-inch tall kitchsy Christmas tree?

I thought about that question Friday as I wandered about a rummage sale with this tree.

This must have been some 1960s housewife's project. And I'm sure it was beautiful then. But now, it had seen better days. Still, I knew I could salvage a lot of it. But before I reveal just how much, let's look at what else I bought.

Two aprons with stripes in pink and minty green.

And speaking of 1960s housewife's creations, another net tree.

Some ordinary ornaments for wreaths.

And some extraordinary ornaments that I had to get a little aggressive to buy. Which is really unlike me, but I really wanted them.

There wasn't a ton of vintage at this sale, so when I saw these, I quickly snapped them up. I thought the price tag said $2. And then I realized that I hadn't seen the 1 before the 2 and that they were $12. At a church rummage sale?

So I had a dilemma. Clearly, I didn't want to pay $12, especially when I opened the box and discovered that three of the necks were broken but still serviceable.

So I decided to point this out and see if there could be a discount.

Church lady: How much do you want to pay?

(I hate when they don't say how much they want first. I don't want to insult them, but I'm thinking: As little as possible).

Me: $5?

The church lady, seeing what else I intended to purchase, marked it $5.

So the lesson here is that it doesn't hurt to ask.

But, I digress. Here's our project midway.

And here's what all the plucking and untwisting yielded:

And and the answer to the trivia question:

12 large pink bulbs

97 medium pink bulbs

103 small pink bulbs

And lots of sparkly tinsel garland.

How close did you come?

 

Let Me Call You Sweetheart?

Before a quick weekend trip took me out of state for a few days, we were talking about the Route 34B Sale, where I picked up a slew of sheet music for pennies a song. One of the songs was this little dittie from the 1944 Warner Bros. movie "Shine on Harvest Moon."

The song is "So Dumb But So Beautiful," and if a guy is singing this to you, you might want to rethink the relationship.

A sampling of the lyrics:

"You can't have everything, it isn't in the books,

each person has a fault or two; you very seldom find genius and good looks,

Now for example, let's take you:

So dumb but so beautiful, So dumb but so sweet.

A peanut shell would more than hold your miraculous brain

Why you don't even know enough to come out-a the rain. "

 

And if after that, you're still with that guy, here's even more flattery:

"So dense but so sweet, I bet you couldn't boil an egg without reading a book,

Your mother said with eyes like yours, you'd be crazy to cook.

You're dumb but you're beautiful, so dumb it really hurts.

I gaze upon that lovely dome and realize there's no one home

but gee, you're so beautiful."

 

Naturally, I had to hear this song, so I went to YouTube, where I found a clip from the movie, featuring Jack Carson singing to Marie Wilson. Enjoy.

 

 

Treasures on 34B

I had two good excuses to go on the Route 34B sale: 1) It's the last of the summer's multi-mile yard sales, and 2) with craft show season just around the corner, I needed to stock up on holiday sparkle.

But before I found holiday, I had to brake for dogs.

Actually four of them that are of the Paint By Number breed.

And then there was this cute but small piece of 1960s-era fabric featuring cartoonish kids.

And a huge stack of 1930s and 1940s sheet music. It wasn't priced but the church lady at the rummage sale sold it to me for about a penny a song.

And, yes, I did manage to accomplish my mission. By the end of the day, I had a nice mix of ornaments and lots of sparkly garland.

And a bonus: Another one of those "boozy Santa" chip bowls to hold everything.

Remembering

 

There are all sorts of displays to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9-11. This is the how my church, St. Joseph in Camillus, N.Y., remembered with 911 American flags on the front lawn.

Shameless Etsy Shop Plug

I'll keep this short. There's a sale going on in my Etsy shop.

Through Monday, Labor Day, everything is 10 percent off.

Including:

A newly listed vintage egg carton.

The milk glass mirror and matching sconces.

And the ultimate 1950s red plaid picnic basket.

Go take a look. You know you want to.

 

Not Junkin', Except ...

As you may recall, I've been limiting my junkin' ways this summer, and I've been a good girl, really. I haven't been to every garage sale and rummage sale, and I've been really selective about what I do buy.

Except ...

When I'm feeling a little bit blue about both of my girls going to college, and I come across a collosal rummage sale right across the street from the school that my oldest daughter is attending.

And there are some cool vintage housewares.

The Comet Lint Brush? Bet you would have bought it too. The pressed plastic napkin holder? The cheese plate? (No, it's not vintage but more about that later.)

And could you have resisted a heart-shaped crocheted sachet (or is it a pin cushion)?

Or the too cute fabric that it's sitting on?

And you know I'm a complete and utter fool for holiday stuff.

Which brings me to these vintage ornaments that I bought the day before this sale. I was at a small, family-run estate sale when I came across these boxes tucked way back in the garage.

You would have called me crazy if I didn't snap these up. Especially when they set me back about the same price as a cup of coffee.