Neat Button Find

I recently purchased this large stash of buttons at Goodwill for about three dollars. Unlike my last find, this one did not disappoint. I pulled out a few of the most interesting pieces (click on photos to enlarge):



A large shell and a few clear glass buttons, plus some interesting metal (pewter?) buttons. It's always nice to find a set like the three gold twinkle buttons, on the right. I love the large rhinestone button, pictured in the bottom row. It has a white metal backing and all the stones are intact. I have no idea what the oval, brown tortoiseshell-like piece is.



Button hunting can be a precarious hobby. With so many pins, nails and other sharp items, I'm surprised I didn't stab myself while carrying this bag of goodies to the cashier. I believe the metal tool, in the centre of the photo, is called a bodkin, used for making holes in cloth. I also found three tiny teeth -- I'm not sure if they were human or the remains of a beloved pet. Interesting (and a bit gross) that they'd been tossed into the button tin.

Pressed Glass Goodies

A pressed glass cake stand, from a thrift store, and covered cheese dish, from my mom -- both are lovely, and I hope to actually use them one day. Because of a repaired break (hardly noticeable), the cake stand was only a few dollars. I would love to collect this stuff, but I really haven't the space -- far better to collect buttons, I think, though they're not much good for serving food.

Good Hair Day

I recently discovered this box of British invisible hairpins/bobby pins at Value Village. Although priced at around $10, and not something I normally collect, I still couldn't resist. It's amazing these flimsy, little things were able to hold any amount of hair in place (I've tried them on my own hair without success). I believe this type of hairpin is still used on updos, but usually has an embellishment of some sort at the bend. And now that they've been photographed, whatever am I going to do with them?



I thought this would be a good time to include a photo of my grandfather's hand mirror. The wooden back must have been broken and glued at some point, but the bevelled mirror is intact. And look how wonderfully worn the handle is!

Glass Bead Necklaces

About ten years ago, I purchased two $5.00 bags of jewelry bits and bobs from a second-hand store. Stuffed inside were lots of costume and some vintage necklaces, brooches, earrings and bracelets. I bought them for my daughter, but after arriving home, I put some of the jewelry aside -- it looked just a bit too good for playing dress-up.

The turquoise necklace is about 21 inches long, strung with wedding cake glass beads -- very suitable name, don't you think? The other necklace, a multi-coloured number, is just 14 inches in length, a choker, and is made of hand-blown glass beads.

I should tell you that I don't have much information about all these things I own -- I'm armed with very little experience in or knowledge about vintage goodies. I just know what I like (though perhaps not enough to actually wear it). So ... if I identify something incorrectly, please let me know, as I'm always willing to learn.

The More the Merrier

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been going through my tablecloths. I've never done that before -- usually, I just slip my most recent acquisition into a pile of similarly coloured cloths. To be honest, I often use the same ones, over and over again, because they're at the top and easily accessible. Now, I'm taking a good look, and I've come across a few look alikes:

One is good:

Three are better:


Or in this case:

Five are better:

They must have been popular patterns, reproduced on different fabrics and in different sizes. I remember asking my mom to keep an eye out for tablecloths with poppies because I do like the pattern. It looks like we were successful in finding a few (for a closer look, click on photo).

You Win Some, You Lose Some

I'm always hopeful when I find a bag of buttons at a thrift store, and have seldom been disappointed. But a recent purchase, at Value Village, landed me with an assortment of perfectly new buttons.



There may be a few gems in there, but for now, I've tossed them into a jar with the other dull, but potentially useful, buttons:

I've A Notion

Although I don't collect vintage sewing notions, a few do come my way (click on photo to enlarge). I almost convince myself that I'll add them to a project, but like much of everything else I have stored away (other than tablecloths), I hate to use them -- because once you do, they're gone. I really should resolve to use everything before I die, or at least, give it away -- I wouldn't want my husband or daughter to have to deal with all this stuff. The cowboy fabric was a cool find, but I haven't the slightest idea what I'll do with it because I don't sew. Hmm ... writing this blog has made me realize that I should focus on just a few collections, instead of this "if it's vintage, I'll take it" attitude.

Mama, Don't Take My Kodachrome Away

A few weeks ago, I scored 250 Kodachrome Transparencies (AKA photo slides) at Value Village for about $6.00. Inside the boxes, the numbered slides were still in order and wrapped in crisp paper, looking as though they'd never seen the inside of a projector. Dating from 1962 and 1968, they feature Christmas dinners, a parade, and holidays at the Grand Canyon and Expo 67 in Montreal. One box includes slides of "Ruth Ann in Dressing Room" as she prepares for what looks like a ballet performance.

I'm fascinated by these slides, and somewhat saddened that they were so easily given the boot. I'd like to think that someone took the time to have them transferred to digital, keeping the memories of their family alive. So, considering I have no emotional investment ... what am I going to do with them? When I purchased them, I thought I'd use the mounts for paper crafts or collage, but I'm open to suggestions.

Oh, and after viewing the Expo 67 pics, I pulled out the souvenir I'd purchased at the fair (when I was 10 years old). The tray is a little tattered and rusty, but then, so am I.