GOING GREEN

What's the only thing greener that recycled goods? Green recycled goods!



This cool Etsy treasury is bought to you by Vintage Station. Help make green "Front Page" news by stopping in and giving it a few clicks!

Vintage Shadows

1960's plant stand throwing shadows on a 1950's flashlight.
Get your weekly shadow fix from Hey Harriet.

HECTOR THE COLLECTOR

Hector the Collector
Collected bits of string,
Collected dolls with broken heads
And rusty bells that would not ring.
Pieces out of picture puzzles,
Bent-up nails and ice-cream sticks,
Twists of wire, worn-out tires,
Paper bags and broken bricks.
Old chipped vase, half shoelace,
Gatlin' guns that wouldn't shoot,
Leaky boats that wouldn't float
And stopped-up horns that wouldn't toot.
Butter knives that had no handles,
Copper keys that fit no locks,
Rings that were too small for fingers,
Dried-up leaves and patched-up socks.
Worn-out belts that had no buckles,
'Lectric trains that had no tracks,
Airplane models, broken bottles,
Three-legged chairs and cups with cracks.
Hector the Collector
Loved these things with all his soul --
Loved them more than shining diamonds,
Loved them more that glistenin' gold.
Hector called to all the people,
"Come and share my treasure trunk!"
And all the silly sightless people
Came and looked...and called it junk.

-Shel Silverstein

Poor, poor "silly sightless people".

Roadside Kitsch

I love roadside kitsch. I'm always wanting to stop and take photos, but usually never do. Well, I finally got in the slow lane and stopped for some kitschy photo-ops. These were all found in Michigan, mostly along US 23. Enjoy...

Ossineke

Pinconning

Onaway

Omer

Oscoda

Ain't She Sweet

This old Victor Victrola is just so sweet I wanted to share it. It belongs to my neighbor who acquired it recently from an estate sale. He's offering it for sale thru Lisa's RetroStyle.

Check it out...I just love the crackly old sound it makes...



You'll want to mute my player on the sidebar before clicking play on the video.

Cool huh?! Now that would make one SWEET Christmas gift for a music lover!!

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY

For more shadowy goodness visit Hey Harriet.

END OF SUMMER BLOG BREAK

It has been a crazy busy summer! I can't believe it's almost over. Only 18 glorious days until the first day of Fall. I intend to savor each and every delicious remaining day. To that end, I will be taking a month long blog break. I expect to return the first full week in October, well rested with renewed vim and vigor!

How are you squeezing every last bit of goodness out of summer?

CONNECTIONS

I really enjoy knowing the ownership history of the things I buy and sell. I like to know to whom things belonged and to whom they will belong in the future. It's a sentimental notion that we are somehow connected by these old possessions.

About a month ago a lovely gal by the name of Sheila purchased a hoop slip from my Etsy shop. She loved it and wrote to tell me so. Very sweet of her! A couple weeks after that she wrote me again to let me know that she had worn the slip to a Faire and was quite pleased with it.

Sheila enjoys going to Renaissance Faires and delights in dressing in period appropriate attire. She was kind enough to send me photos of her in costume...





She looks beautiful! Although it can't be seen...underneath it all is that antique hoop slip! Many thanks to Sheila for allowing me the satisfaction of knowing what exactly has become of this treasure. It certainly is good to know that it is in such happy hands!

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY

For more shadowy goodness visit Hey Harriet. Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

BACK TO THE BRICKS

Last weekend I went to the "Back to the Bricks" car cruise in Flint, Michigan. I was born and spent much of my childhood in Flint. It has been a city in decline since the late 60's or early 70's. Although I haven't seen the movie since it came out in 1989, as I recall, Roger and Me depicts Flint pretty accurately.

Despite its pitiful state, I do have a little soft spot in my heart for this underdog city. I've been pleased to see small but positive changes in recent years and it gives me hope. Back to the Bricks is one of those changes. Rarely does one see this many people in downtown Flint.



I feel like a bit of a traitor saying this (I'm pretty sure T-bird's were made in Detroit), but a vintage Thunderbird is my all time favorite classic car.



A properly loyal Flintoid would have chosen the homegrown Corvette...






But lets face it...there is no room in either of those for all my junk finds anyway! What I really need is something more like this.



Now that's a car I could live with and it's even a Chevy!



Plenty of room back there.



And since I love to camp, I'm betting that old school SUV could even pull this little thing...



How cute!

There were an amazing number of cars at the cruise. Here's a few more that caught my eye.











If your interested in seeing more about the 2009 Back to the Bricks you can check out the video. I think it's a bit over 8 minutes, so be warned.

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY

I haven't seen one of these old ice cream carts in ages. I just love the sound of the bells! Their ringing brought back a flood of happy summer memories!

Get your weekly shadow shot fix @ Hey Harriet's. Happy Sunday!

A NEW BLOGGER ON THE BLOCK and INVITES...

One month last summer, at Allegan, a kindred spirit wandered into my little booth. She was set up in a space nearby. We shared a first name and similar taste in vintage and easily struck up a conversation. Turns out she was a fellow Etsian...and a rather famous one at that! Being new to Etsy, I had a million questions for her. Lisa was so gracious in providing me loads of useful tips. In the course of the conversation she mentioned she had two shops on Etsy, one for her vintage and one for her art. Being my ever nosey self I inquired about her art. When she started describing her block prints...something flickered in my memory.

I knew I'd seen her artwork...somewhere. As soon as I got home I started rifling through my old magazines. Sure enough there it was...in Better Homes and Gardens! It had really left an impression on me!!

Here's a little sample from her art shop, Artgoodies...


Love her work!!

And here's a peek into her vintage shop, Vintagegoodies...


You can always count on finding loads of fun, colorful vintage @ Vintagegoodies!

Lisa and I have continued to meet up at Allegan from time to time and exchange convos on Etsy. Recently, Lisa started blogging. I've added her blog to my blogroll, but since her RSS feeding isn't up and running yet, the link has been stuck down at the bottom of my list. So, I'd like to invite everyone to pay her a visit and welcome her to the blogosphere! I think you'll find Lisa and her blog delightful!

Speaking of inviting, I'd also like to invite anyone planning on attending the Country Living Fair in Columbus Ohio, to meet up with me for a fun day of shopping. Lisa will be set up as a vendor. I'll just be having fun!

One last invite...it's a ways off, but something to really look forward to! I for one have always wanted to go to the Brimfield Antique Show, but have yet to do so. Next spring, the time has finally come. I'm not just going as a shopper...I'm setting up....right next to Vintagegoodies! Lisa did the show this last May and had a great time. So I'm just gonna dive in head first and see what it's all about! Anyone planning on attending...please come by and say hi! We'll be in the New England Motel field. WooHoo...can't wait!!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!