Actually, come to think of it, I still hate most of that stuff.
:D
Still, over the years I've learned to love antique stores. Maybe it's because I'm getting so old that there are toys *I* grew up with in them (well hello, Mr. Glo Worm!), or because I realized they're like museums where you can touch stuff (except that crystal, of course) or - dingdingding! - because I'm now a bit of a steampunk devotee. Oh, and can't forget all the gaudy vintage jewelry! Man, I love that stuff. The more sparkle, the better.
Our favorite stall at the world-famous Renningers: everything from antique keyhole latches to chandeliers. Hardware heaven!
Which isn't to say I don't drool over finds like this, though:
I spotted this cash register crammed in a small stall at Renningers last Saturday. Isn't it gorgeous?Here's the back:
Hmm. Anyone have a spare $900? :)Anyway, so last week John and I took some friends to our favorite antique mall, and this is what I came home with:
Check it out: that's a vintage cake decorating icing kit, in the original box, for $5. Suh-weet! And oh yes, I have plans for it. [rubbing hands together] Muah-ha-ha!
The little alarm clock was a splurge - $20! - but it was more than half off because the owner marked it "broken." (It's not.) I just finished working on it tonight, since we're waiting on a few pieces for the radio cabinet in the mail. Before & after pics to follow!
And my third purchase? Why, a $1.50 McDonald's Happy Meal toy from 1986, of course:
And my third purchase? Why, a $1.50 McDonald's Happy Meal toy from 1986, of course:
Anyone else remember these? I used to play with Kermit and his skateboard on my desk at school. Something reminded me of it a few weeks ago, so when I spotted Fozzie here (unopened!) in a pile of toys at one of the stalls there was much rejoicing. And squeeing.Of course, now you know I have to find the rest of the Muppet Babies set, right? (And eventually I'll break down and take Fozzie out of the bag, but I'm going to feel really guilty when I do. Heh.)
So, have I convinced anyone to go antiquing? And am I invited when you go?
Huh. I've got the alarmed version of that clock. I wonder if the kids have broken it yet...
ReplyDeleteMy husband loves antiquing, and I actually got my Stay Puft Marshmallow Man figure as a present from him after one of his trips. He has now been introduced to Steampunkiness, through one of your posts in fact, and is now on the look out for things to re-purpose. Oh, and he is obsessed with <a href="http://www.retrothing.com/2009/06/fred-niell-nixie-clocks.html> nixie tube clocks</a>. If only I had any electronics skills I would make one with him!
ReplyDeleteHeh. The last time we were at my parents house, my daughter found my Miss Piggy that must have been from that same McDonald's run.
ReplyDeleteI still can't really deal with antique stores. My mother made me spend hours and hours in them, ignoring all pleas of hunger and boredom. I'm getting to the point where I do like antique like things, but I really can't do much time in them.
I still have some of those Muppet Babies toys! I think I had two of that one. :)
ReplyDeleteI have always loved antique stores for the "touchable museum" factor, and it is always fun to find stuff I had as a kid (even though it makes me feel old). So far, my favorite stuff seems to be 80s glassware. I even have Muppet Babies glasses!
I used to HATE antiquing--my mom used to drag us around with her when she went. But here and there she'd find something cheap to buy us to make us happy. I have an adorable cat with her eight kittens that are actually place card holders for a formal dinner.
ReplyDeleteNow I love it--I love looking at furniture, the knick knacks, WWI and WWII stuff. Glendale, AZ, about an hour and a half from where I live in Queen Creek, is well known for its antique shops in their downtown district. So if you're ever in AZ, let me know--I'll take you to Glendale during Glendale Glitters (their wintertime/Christmas event) and we can go antiquing!
@kkjayne - any idea how old yours is? Mine's marked 'West Germany,' but that's all I've got to go on. (That, and the glow-in-the-dark paint. Ha!)
ReplyDelete@JRose - I found my Stay Puft that way, too! And building a nixie tube clock is on my craft bucket list. My dad's actually an electrical engineer, so I wish he lived closer so he could walk me through it!
Btw, since I haven't e-mailed to thank you directly yet: thank you for the goodies! They're aaaawesome.
I had that Fozzie, plus Kermit Piggy & Gonzo too. :) I'm not sure if I still do even though I don't think I would have given them away on purpose!
ReplyDeleteI had that Fozzie!!! I loved it. Wish I had places like that around here. . . Whish my small children would let me get things that are nice. Oh Well . . . maybe in a few years. :)
ReplyDeletemy friend has a bunch of the McD's Muppet toys in her kids toybox right now :)
ReplyDeleteMy Piggy in her little pink car actually lasted long enough that I think our boys played with her at one point at my parents' house! Congrats on your Fozzie find!
ReplyDeleteNot about antique shops, but yard sales, which are related, right?
ReplyDeleteThere is a yearly yard-sale (in the fall) called the "roller-coaster yard sale". It stretches through 150 miles and several states. I bought a set of left-handed golf clubs at a used-sporting-goods store in Indiana shortly before the roller-coaster started. My husband, father-in-law and I traveled for about 20-30 miles along the roller coaster near our house in Kentucky, just to see what we could scrounge up.
We stopped by a yard-sale that was located by a large public golf course. The homeowners picked up golf balls and clubs (that people probably threw) out of their yard and sold them for cheap.
I found a left-handed sand wedge (for $1) at their yard sale that had the SAME serial number as the set of clubs I bought in Indiana. My husband didn't believe the wedge belonged with my set until I got it home and showed him the serial number! Just goes to show, you can find some great things in the weirdest of places!
And I LOVE to go to antique stores. I collect those ceramic harlequin-type masks, and flea markets are a great place for me to find masks to add to my collection.
I have a thing for clocks and am already coveting the one you bought. I'm weird, I've always liked antique stores-even when I was younger and shopping with my parents. I always thought most things have a story......
ReplyDeleteI love going to antique stores. I want to buy a house someday that is either a victorian style or an early 1900's style. My husband even bought me a replica of a 1910 crank phone from a garage sale recently (it has buttons to push instead so the crank is just for show). I want to go to this junky antique store in a small town nearby called "Second Hand Rose". It has stuff everywhere. You could definitely come with us but we're in WA state and that might be a little far for you to drive.
ReplyDeleteI was pretty much raised in an antique store. My grandparents had one for 27 years, and I have loved antiques ever since. They unfortunately closed it a few years ago, but by the time I was in 6th grade, I would help them out in their store. They gave me a hand carved marionette puppett with original strings that looked just like William Shakespeare, who is my fave, and I still have him, looking over me while I sleep. I love old things.
ReplyDeleteMcD's Muppet Babies toys!! My cousin and I waited in ridiculously long lines for the different ones! Mine were lost in a fire my parents had a few years back, though, sadly.
ReplyDeleteMy husband has just started allowing antique runs. Much thanks to you for daily inspiring my crafty needs (and mostly for steampunk)! He just couldn't resist all the squeeing I was doing over all this stuff! ;^D
WV: romista - "Romista! You know where I can finds some of those Muppet Babies toys?"
I know what you mean! My mother used to drag me to all the fairs and the stores on the weekends and I just hated it! Now I am older(cough...today's my 28th birthday..cough) I have grown to love antiquing!
ReplyDeleteWhy last year my friend and I went to her lake house in Canyon Lake, Tx and just 15 minutes away is the small town of Gruene( pronounced Green). If you recall in the movie Michael, where John Travolta's character dances at that bar and then gets into a fight..well that was filmed in Gruene. It's also where George Straight was discovered, but I digress! They have the most beautiful antiques there. One shop had a 300 year old Bible that was leather bound, gold on the edges of the pages and the guy showed us that it came from England. Of course it was about 6 inches thick and about 2 feet wide! Then in another house/shop, there was a little girl's room that when you looked at it, it made you think of Mary Poppins/ turn of the century decor! It was pink and lacey and so pretty!!
So if you ever travel near San Antonio, take the little detour to Gruene, Tx and you will not be disappointed!
I LOVE going antiquing. I just love looking at all the old stuff that used to be new and exciting for a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteI do hate how they charge SO much for a lot of it, but it's still really awesome to look at, and if you have a bit saved up, you can always buy at least one thing you like.
I remember those McDonald's Muppet Babies, and I'm from Sweden! Maybe they got here a little bit later on, but it must have been sometime in the middle-80's (maybe 87 or 88?), because I remember playing with them, too. Haven't thought about them in 20 years, though ... :)
ReplyDeletei love how you're taking all your pictures on that penny desk now, gives all your pictures that extra sparkle and pizazz :)
ReplyDeleteRenningers is awesome...it is actually just down the road from my house! I bought some old keys there that I am in love with.
ReplyDeleteI remember those Muppet Babies toys! I think I still have Kermit, Ms. Piggy, and Gonzo in a box somewhere....
ReplyDeleteFlea markets are also a good source of items you can upcycle. There is a really good one held every weekend here at the NC State Fairgrounds (except in October, that's when the actual State Fair is present). If you are ever in the area, I suggest you have a look.
My favorite purchase there was a vintage rhinestone necklace with a "broken" clasp. It was originally marked $80 (ha!). I got it for $20. (I've found that the best way to negotiate on price is to be interested in something until you find out how much the vendor wants. Then look slightly disappointed, put the item down, and start to walk away.)
Wow. I have the, ahem, *vintage* cookie press that is the big brother to your cake decorating kit! And it's in the original shallow box, just like the kit you found. When I was a kid (not all that long ago, mind you!), my mom would pull out the cookie press at Christmas time. It made the BEST buttery, sugary, cream cheesery spritz cookies; I think the recipe came right on the box! It has the barrel-shaped container for the dough with a screw driven press, and on the end is a screw-on cap that holds one of the many interchangeable metal disks that form the cookies in many shapes (Christmas trees, wreaths, etc.). Mmmm...I can taste those cookies now. Now, where do I have that thing stored??
ReplyDeleteI live about a mile from Renningers! The flea market side gives me the creeps though...never again!
ReplyDeleteI used to have all those Muppet Baby McDonald's toy...I'm sure my mom put them in a yard sale at some point over the years. :ox I hate the creepy toys too, especially the ones that seem to watch you everywhere you go. However I LOVE old Pyrex bowls and the old obnoxiously colored Tupperware. I have a serious problem when it comes to kitchenware...lol
ReplyDeleteKermit on a skateboard! ;)
Hehehe those muppet babies happy meal toys have a big place in my heart. My cousins and I got them and played with them during one of my first visits to the US. What a summer!
ReplyDeleteWe normally do go antiquing because I really don't like flea markets and the antique shops around here don't have much. But sometimes when we are bored to tears we will venture out there.
Once we found an original Wicket action figure from the 70's in a bin full of old happy meal toys in great condition. They sold it to us for 5 cents! I was so happy!
Try Etsy for the rest of the Happy Meal toys. I was just looking last week and saw not only the Muppet ones, but the Fraggle Rock ones, too!
ReplyDeleteI had that Fozzie! And I *have* that cake decorating thingie... If you know how to work it, please let me know, the frosting keeps squishing up around the plunger.
ReplyDeleteOMG I have that toy! I used to play with him and Kermit on the skate board for hours when I was a kid. Occasionally they were children for my Barbies. :oD
ReplyDeleteYes, Jen, you have convinced me to grab the bf and going "scavenging" this weekend. I'm sure he'll thank you loads later. I remember Fozzie too! Ah, happy meal toys, what an easy way to make a small child (in our cases big kids) happy.
ReplyDeleteI had that toy!!! Does anyone remember the chicken nuggets that had faces and accesories? I think about those all the time...
ReplyDeleteI had that Fozzie (opened) for years! My cousin convinced me when I was little to save all of those because they'd be worth money some day. I think when we just moved I donated them all...bummer, I should have sent them to you!
ReplyDeleteI had that Fozzie as a kid! and that wheeled horse lived in the bottom of my toybox forever!
ReplyDeleteI had that whole set of Happy Meal toys! I may still have them if I dig around at my parents'. They were well loved so, I doubt they are in very good condition, but still...I'm going on a treasure hunt!
ReplyDeleteMy mom had that exact icing gun thing until it broke about 2 years ago. I would give anything to find her another one! And actually, she has a square alarm clock like that too that she got as a teenager from her grandmother, that winds up to run. She still uses it actually.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have Kermit or Fozzie - my sister and I had Gonzo on a tricycle!
ReplyDeletewe have several other pieces from that muppet set, that i found on ebay. they are my husband's though, so you'd have to ask him if he's willing to part with them
ReplyDeleteAntiquing is one of my new favorite hobbies and like you I despised it when I as younger.
ReplyDeleteBut when my hubby and I movie into a new home in a few months, I'm going to be finding the majority of our furniture and decor at consignment shops and antique stores. I love them better than the expensive new stuff!
I love to go antiquing, and your more than welcome to join if your ever in the area ^_^
ReplyDeleteMy sis and I were antiquing at a young age, we'dd be told at auctions to sit quietly and very still while our mother hoped and wished for so many things.
Sis hates it, I love it! I have yet to make my kiddos sit through an auction, but they do like to antiquing as well. {especially since ty beanies are usually cheap and easy to find}
We have quite a few great spots here for antiquing, one that gets shut down every so often because it's too full of junk for people to walk through! I love that place.
I was so excited when I saw that Fozzie, cuz I had him too! I was all ready to comment on that and then I noticed that about 90% of the comments said the same thing. How cool are we? We know awesome! Here's something I don't see everyone else saying though: I used an icing tube just like that one to decorate christmas cookies every year when I was a kid. I think my mom still uses it.
ReplyDeleteI still have trouble with antique stores, (breathing in them, mainly) but I'm learning to love 'em!
Quit teasing us, Jen! You keep posting tiny tidbits of info about the cabinet, WITH NO COMPLETED PICS. I demand satisfaction! :P
ReplyDeleteI've always had a thing for antique stores. There used to be one down the street from my house that my mom would take me to after school sometimes. I loved thumbing through the old Madeline books and looking at the intricately designed doll houses, plus they sold retro candy, which was an instant win. Can't wait to see the completed cabinet!!!
My daughter was actually playing w/ my old McD's toys this weekend, including Piggy (car) and Kermit (skate board). I also have Gonzo on his trike :)
ReplyDeleteHow weird, I saw Renningers and thought "she couldn't possibly mean the one I know..." but it turns out yours and mine are run by the same people! I grew up near Kutztown PA. I've found some decent old things there, but it's mostly good for the farmer's market. :)
ReplyDeleteWe had all of the muppet baby happy meal toys and (as long as my parents haven't tossed them) they are still at my parents house in a large box of many happy meal toys :) It's fun to go through them with all the memories
ReplyDeleteAw man, I remember playing with Kermit on the skateboard too!
ReplyDeleteFor the ultimate tables of ancient mishmash you can dig through, I present Packrat Pat's in Mishawaka, Indiana. There's so much stuff, it's overwhelming. There's stuff in crates and boxes and drawers and hanging from the ceiling... We have family up there and always stop by Pat's. These pictures don't do it justice.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43601096@N06/4929527273/in/photostream
Check out the picture in the lower right corner: http://www.michianahomesearch.com/2011/01/day-32-of-365-things-to-do-in-michiana/
I'd love to go antiquing with you, but I'm in Virginia. But the next time I visit my mom (in the Villages), I will totally ask if we can get together!
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, if you ever see a really interesting hourglass (that's less than $50), I would pay you to buy it and ship it to me. Collecting unusual categories of things can be tough.
There is a row of flea markets on the old highway on your way in to Ft. Collins, Colorado that I HATED going to as a kid. Now I drag my sister and boyfriend up there at least a couple times a year. I love finding all the random stuff that people didn't even know was amazing. One of my favorite finds: I got a two dollar amber glass "The Last Supper" plate. COOLEST thing ever. Plus, it could double as a last supper jello mold if you turn it upside down. AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteI read in a book (Inventing the Victorians, I think), that the reason the Victorians covered everything in doilies is that all their furniture was hand me downs, or wedding gifts, and no one ever replaced furniture just because they didn't like the style because that would be wasteful. So the doilies were their way of covering ugly furniture/imposing their own decorating style.
ReplyDeleteAlso, those big doilies on the back of couches and chairs were to protect the furniture from icky hair product (call macassar, hence those doilies were called antimacassars). Like with the Jheri Curl/Soul Glo family in Coming to America.
I actually used to work at an auction house. That was one of the best jobs ever. You got to meet awesome people, see awesome things, and play with awesome things while showing them off during the auction.
ReplyDeleteEvery time there was a lot of hats we'd have to parade around in them.
And they had the craziest things sometimes - armadillo ukulele, anyone?
I still have the Kermit, Miss Piggy and Gonzo set from those happy meals. I was always a bit bummed I never got Fozzie too, guess I should be searching the toy area at antique stores!
ReplyDeleteI had that Fozzie!!! You just brought back a flood of memories... I used to play with those all the time! Remember the Rescue Rangers toys they had? My mom must have taken me to McD's daily for over month so I could get all of them!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you -- much prefer the funky and junky vintage store with lots of odds and ends vs. the hoity toity gilded stuff. I love your treasures, particularly that retro pastry bag set, which is right up my alley. That stores looks fabulous! Wish it were closer!
ReplyDeleteJenn
P.S. I can always wax nostalgic for all thing Muppet, even though the Muppet Babies came along when I was technically "too old" for toys ;-)
If you want some SERIOUS browsing, try Brimfield,MA. They have 3 meets a year (May, July, Sept) from Tuesday to Sunday. About 20 "fields", most are at least 2-5 football sized. Any where from 35 to 350 dealers in each field. Let us know if you come up, we will join you in the hunt for whatever!
ReplyDeleteJust Google "Brimfield,MA" to see some arial shots. It is MOST fun!
OMG! I can't believe that you mentioned Renningers in your post! I attended Kutztown University (back when it was still Kutztown State College) and would hunt around at both the antique portion and the Farmer's Market. Talk about a "blast from the past"! Thank You!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that Renninger's had a spot in FLA. I went to college in Kutztown and now live between Kutztown and Adamstown.
ReplyDeleteRenninger's does have some pricy stalls, but if you look you can usually find some fun treasures.
OMG! My grandmother has the same cake decorating set and I just inherited it from her when she passed away last year. I have many great memories of putting icing on cookies at Christmas with that thing. :)
ReplyDeleteJen, I still have all four of those Muppet Babies toys! Fozzie is my favorite, but I really love them all.
ReplyDeleteGo "antiquing" from home and check out the shop Goodwill site/auction. I like to go there when I can't sleep - but there are two downsides: not seeing the item before you purchase it, and having to wait for it to be shipped :/
ReplyDeleteI have the whole Muppet Baby collection still. :)
ReplyDeleteI found 3-4 of those Muppets (and Berenstain bears) on ebay a few years back. My kids recently found them and took them out of the bags... Oh well, at least they're getting some fun out of them too.
ReplyDeleteI love antiquing. I very rarely have the opportunity to do it these days, but when I do, I am lost in my version of heaven for as long as possible. Whether it's a whisk for my collection, a vintage ice cream maker or some other randomly awesome thing, it all makes me so very happy. Renningers looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteWe had that whole line of Muppet Baby toys!!! Warm and fuzzy now. :)
ReplyDeleteI just went to the RC Cola and Moon Pie festival in Bell Buckle TN, the town is full of wonderful (and fairly cheap) antique malls. It was such a good time!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! I had those happy meal toys! I instantly recognized it and I know I had the kermit one, too. I can't believe it's been since 1986! This makes me want to find those and I'd open the bags (and not feel guilty at all..hehehe).
ReplyDeleteSo that's the kind of toy they were releasing the year I was born. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteNow I am slightly curious about what's lurking in the aisles of our antique stores in town. Might take a little more convincing for me to go, though. Or someone to go with. :-)
I have that McDonald's toy in my closet at my mom's house. So crazy to see one again.
ReplyDeleteLOVE antiquing. Whenever I'm in a new city (for business or just on vacation) I have to hit up all the antique stores.
ReplyDeleteI actually have several vintage McDOnald's toy collections- I have them displayed in my house as art instilations and they're always a hit with new company.
I like some antique stores - definitely depends on the store 'vibe'. If I go into a store that has a strange feel to it, I always think of Billy Bob Thorton's fear [I am not making this up] of antique furniture. In those strange instances, I wonder if he's on to something.
ReplyDeleteI love digging for things at antique stalls. :) I know that I had the Miss Piggie Muppet Babie toy at my Mom's house (sans her vehicle), but I'm afraid she got donated after the Great Cleaning of '01. (My Mom tossed a lot of our old toys after we went to college.) The fun is in the hunt.
ReplyDeleteI had that fozzie too!
ReplyDeleteLove the junky antique stores...great for brass mechanical doo-dads. And I found my husband a like-new copy of the Cheap Suit Serenaders (R. Crumb's string band) record on a antique trip for 2 bucks!
I do remember that Fozzie toy!! Awesome score!
ReplyDeleteI had that Kermit on the skateboard. Actually, I probably had them all but I really remember the Kermit. I've eaten a LOT of Happy Meals in my life. That antique store looks amazing. We have two great ones in our area (not as pretty as the one you showed but a lot of cool stuff to look at and most of it you can touch). If you are ever in NW Ohio let us know and we'll make a day of it.
ReplyDeleteI have that Fozzie! I also have Miss Piggy and Gonzo from that set. I'm not sure if I have Kermit. I just googled it and found that in the US, there were only 4 toys in that series. I should go digging my my "old toys" box to see if I have the whole set. I could be RICH! RICH I tell you! Mwaah haa haa. Or not.
ReplyDeleteIn August of 2005 my two best friends and I spent a weekend in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. It's famous for it's hot springs and spas, that's pretty much the only reason to go to the little one street town. HOWEVER it boasts a bunch of antique stores and cute little shops. We ate dinner the first night at a pizza place/flower shop. It was AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, point of the story is that that first night we also found this amazing little antique store. We spent nearly 2 hours searching through crates and crate full of old sheet music and pages from old Life and Saturday Evening Post magazines. For old movie musical junkies like us it was heaven. I came home with an add for the movie version of South Pacific as well as one for On the Town, and sheet music for "Isn't Kind of Fun" from State Fair and "Love You Didn't Do Right By Me" from White Christmas. The music for the one from State Fair doesn't have a copyright date but I have to laugh because it advertises an excerpt "from the new musical comedy 'Oklahoma'" ha ha. The one for White Christmas is copyrighted 1953.
I could spend every last dime I have there.
I've got to ask after watching Pawn Stars, are you ever afraid that you are ruining the value of some priceless antique with your modifications? Or do you not worry about them since they look so much better when you're done with them? I like playing around with found treasures as well, but I'm always afraid in the back on my mind someone will someday say "Yeah, these coins together could have maybe gotten a hundred dollars, but since they have holes drilled in them and are attached to a bracelet now, they are worth maybe ten." Just a little curious about your phiolosophy regarding that.
ReplyDelete@Jen My has "Blessing" written on the face but on the inside it's engraved:
ReplyDelete0 9 7 4
NO (0) JEWELS
UNADJUSTED
BLESSING-WERKE
WEST-GERMANY
If you ever find yourself in Fort Collins, go to the south end of Highway 287 toward Loveland. There are six or seven antique stores all in a row and you could spend days going through them!
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, if you're ever up that way,look me up; I'd be thrilled to take you through! =D
i had the entire muppet babies set when I was small! Gonzo on his tricycle was by far my favourite. I had completely forgotten about it until I saw this post!
ReplyDeleteI just had a flashback to my childhood when you mentioned Kermie on a skateboard :) I secretly liked going to the antique malls as a kid because there were so many odd and interesting things to look at. We have some pretty decent antique shops if you're ever in Tennessee. (hint hint for the Cakewrecks book tour perhaps?)
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure I have Fozzie and Miss Piggy toys. I used to collect them and have a backpack full of random 80s and early 90s happy meal toys.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh!! My mother has that cake frosting kit! I loved using it as a kid, had no idea they're that old (mind you, I'm only 26- I knew the woman loves using old things that "work perfectly fine" but had no clue to what extent)
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, it works pretty well, although awkward with the back plunger. Takes me back to afternoons with goopy bright-green, overly sugared icing and utterly disgustingly wrecked baked goods that I was faaaaar too proud of, haha.
Hope you have fun with yours, however you choose to use it :)
@ Jen M.B. - that's actually a great point to raise. Any time I suspect what I have might be valuable, (and often even when not) I'll do a little research online, just in case. However, since I rarely spend more than $20, the odds of my ending up with anything irreplaceable are extremely low; thanks to the internet, most sellers know exactly what they have these days!
ReplyDeleteOnce I know approximately what I have, I weigh the cost. For example, I have a vintage brass matchstick holder I'm "destroying" by using in a steampunk prop. From research I know it's worth about $20, tho I only spent a buck on it. For me, that's ok to mess with - and most of what I deal with is on that level.
From what I found online I knew my little clock was worth between 10 and 60 dollars - again, that's a range I'm ok tinkering with.
Oh, and we love Pawn Stars! Have you also seen Pickers? Seeing all those old rusty barns piled high with junk makes me DROOL. Heheh.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog for quite some time, but I guess I just realized that your location is so close to mine! I use to rummage through Renningers as a child.
I was curious if you had ever been to Webster's Flea Market.
http://www.websterwestsidefleamarket.com/
This is a massive antique swap meet/flea market/bonanza! Quarterly, they have grow to even larger sizes and have weekend long events. It is the best place to find hidden treasures!
My husband and I found an AMAZING antique shop in downtown Eureka Springs when we last visited. I have no idea what the name is, but it mainly looks like a huge pile of junk when you look in through the front window. When you go in, though, they have everything from Happy Meal toys to Civil War bugles. I could spend days in there digging.
ReplyDeleteI found my pieces from that happy meal set a while ago and gave them to my kids to play with. We have fozzie, kermie, miss piggy. I can't remember who else. They are outgrowing them now...
ReplyDeleteI had the kermit toy too! That thing was AWESOME! Do you remember the Christmas stuffed toys? I had the Miss Piggy one for YEARS! Or the Flounder squirt toy?? Happy Meal toys used to be soooo much better back in the day!
ReplyDeleteI remember making my folks go around to every McD's in town trying to find Kermit - for some reason, he was the rare one around here. :)
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of cool antique places in Ohio (the upside of living in the dying midwest) - one of my favorites nearby Funky + Functional in the Short North - also Grandview Mercantile, and for big stuff, Columbus Architectural Salvage.
I absolutely love antique stores. When my sister and I were little, our parents would take us antiquing with them. The big rule was no touching unless the owner said we could. So we would always have to keep our hands at our sides or fold them. But even when we were really little Mom and Dad got us into collecting things. We both collected Wades for years. When I was little I collected rose patterned tea cups until I realized I didn't like the pattern or tea cups all that much, at least not enough to cover my dresser in them.
ReplyDeleteWhenever we go on vacation we go to antique stores. I love what you can find in them. I have an awesome board game from the 70s called Organized Crime, plus an old version of Risk. My room is filled with various things I've found- a cool yellow metal wall hanging for holding coats and purses, a metal fish candle holder, and lots of glass jars to hold my collection of beach glass and white stones. One of my birthday presents a few years ago was this old poster of my absolute favorite car ever. And the rest of our house has even more antiques. Bowls and cheese graters and wooden lacrosse sticks and lots of other things.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I had every single Happy Meal Muppet Baby... Why on earth didn't I hold on to those???
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, your mention of the Kermit and his skateboard toy totally brought back memories.
ReplyDeleteI was really little either kindergarten or preschool and I kept it in my purse bc I loved playing with it.
Anywho, I was on a public access TV show modeling Victorian clothing and two of the other children even younger than myself weren't cooperating with producers. The producers went through my purse without my knowledge and took my Kermit to try and lure them onto the stage.
I may have been young but I clearly remember being upset that they hadn't asked permission to go through my stuff. hehe
I had the whole set of Muppet Babies McDonald's toys. I think I even still have them - at some point I made a wreath out of old Mickey Dees toys. I just need to find it...
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. I didn't realize the icing kit was considered vintage. Some where along the line I acquired the same thing, without the box. Good to know. Anything anyone else can tell me about it?
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! I have that Fozzie and horse! My four year old daughter has it in her Barbie house in the kids room right now! Lol, I had no idea I got it from McDonalds (ahem) years ago. :o)
ReplyDeleteHaha, I grew up with that cake decorating set, cos my mom never threw anything away. It gets credit for getting me interested in pastry arts, but let me tell you, the piping bag is WAY easier!
ReplyDeleteIf you love old antiques and hardware you can poke around in and sift through (but isn't always cheap) you have to see this 4 floor store in Portland, Or.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hippohardware.com/
In the basement are windows, doors, etc. Another floor is all electrical and lighting(think chandelier parts, bits of lamps from all eras, etc), a plumbing dept that includes fixtures and entire tubs, etc. Its like anything and everything left behind when houses are ripped out, demolished, fallen over and then tucked in to corners in a single building. And? Hidden Hippos everywhere! Like a Mickey hunt in Disney!