The Girly Stuff

More of the loot I found last week...

Rusty, filthy and fabulous vintage bread box and set of glasses destined to hold chocolate milkshakes. Whipped cream and Maraschino cherries, no extra charge!

2 Frenchy girls in round frames (I can never pass these up), miniature perfume bottles, a cigar box and a lantern. But it's not just a lantern, of course. It's a bottle and a music box. The tune it plays is "How Dry I Am". Not kidding.

And the pretty girl on the cigar box loves her smokes so much that she's engraving their initials onto an unsuspecting tree. I smoked a cigar once when I was 19, accompanied by a Bloody Mary and my boyfriend at the time, whose surname was Divine. Not kidding. Perhaps that's a story for another day.

My Favorite Raccoon

We have raccoons living under the deck in our back yard. They're big and lumbering and mean. Sometimes we see them peering in back door plotting, we think, the demise of our beloved and not brilliant dog, Hazel.

I found this guy at a local thrift for 49 cents. But he doesn't worry me. He's so friendly!

Even his tail is friendly!

And he does tricks!

Strawberries in November

I saw the corner of this bowl under a pile of rusty muffin tins and stained Tupperware...

"Hello, my beloved," I whispered.

"I think you'll be coming home with me."

The End

Something About a Girl with a Cake

I couldn't leave this little miss on the shelf at the Sally Army. Something about her appealed to me...and it wasn't just the fact that she cost only a dollar. She's a girl, holding a cake. Sort of like this one that I posted about here.

Now, I have something else to add to my list of must finds. Girls with cakes. Just one more, and I'll officially have a collection!

Dolls Gone Bad

I found these vintage Party Dolls and Dress Me Dolls at a thrift emporium. The kitsch factor was very high, but so was the creepy thing. Very creepy.

These babies look like satin-robed aliens.

And these girls are a little bit glam...and a little bit terrifying. What should I do with them? Please advise!

Vintage Cook Books

Don't you love them? I especially enjoy the ones with photos like these. I mean, who would eat this?

Or this?

I found The Fireside Cook Book while junking in Connecticut years ago. It's my all time favorite.

I'll show you why...

Who wouldn't want to buy chops from this man?

Pasta is yummy.

Oui, bien sur!

"Four persons are wanted to make a salad ~ A spendthrift for oil, a miser for vinegar, a counselor for salt and a madman to stir it all up".

The very best illustration in the book...Eggs, and what you can do to them.

I've never actually tried any of the recipes from the Fireside Cook Book. I just sit with it in my lap, late at night, and read it like normal people read a novel.

It May be Fall, but I'm Feeling Springy!

I was searching and sorting and swearing in my studio this morning when I came across this vintage garden guide from the 1940's....

'Steps to Better Gardening'. See how they are stepping to better gardening? Nice Art Direction! And I always wear white heels when I'm heading out to dig in the dirt.

Look how happy they are! She gets bonus points for being a redhead.

And why shouldn't they be happy? They're about to plant Lipstick petunias!

...and Sweet Peas and Nasturtiums and Zinnias.
I think I'm inspired to head out and dig in the dirt myself today.
Now, where did I put my white pumps?

Who Knew?

This pretty little needlework sampler has been hanging on our kitchen wall for years. Lately, I find myself eyeing our beloved possessions to see what I can weed out and sell. So, during dinner last night, I said to the family, "Would anyone mind if I sell that Home Sweet Home cross stitch?"

The husband: "I never liked it."

The daughter: "It's pretty ugly."

The son: "I hate that thing!"

Just goes to show you...If you don't ask, you'll never know!

I'll slap a price tag on it, and sell it in time for Thanksgiving.

Yippee Ki Yo Ki Yay!

There are 2 kinds of girls in this world. Girls who love horses and girls who don't. I fall into the latter category. I have been on a horse just twice in my life and both times it ended in tears. (Uncontrollable sobs of terror, actually.) We'll let those stories remain untold for the moment while I show you a gem I found at a recent sale.

Someone told me that these vintage metal horses were prizes or trophies at carnivals. And although I'm not a horse person, I think this guy is very handsome. And a much better prize than a skeevy stuffed animal or a gigantic inflatable hammer.

P.S. You can still vote (through 9/15) for One Gal's Trash in Country Living magazine's Blue Ribbon Blogger Reader's Choice Award. Click on the following link. Scroll down to "Click here to vote", the Collecting category is the first one listed. You'll find me there....Thanks!

http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/blogger-awards-submission

Those Wacky French People

I've had this picture for a very long time. I don't remember where I got it, but I do remember it set me back a whole 95 cents. The print is sort of haphazardly slapped on gold painted particle board, but I personally think that adds to its charm.

At first glance, it's a delightful little scene of French people dancing. But on closer inspection, it's clear that something else is happening...some sort of game involving blindfolds and a large wooden spoon. Can anyone out there tell me what the hell is going on?

P.S. One Gal's Trash is up for a Blue Ribbon Blogger Award given by Country Living. You can vote for me in the Reader's Choice Award here. If you tell 5 friends, and they tell 5 friends, and they tell 5 friends...I could win this thing. Go! Vote!

xoxo

Pam

A Stack of Strawberry Goodness

One of my favorite junking spots on the Oregon Coast is the Kit & Caboodle Thrift Store in Tillamook. (Yes, as in the cheese.) I stopped by yesterday and found a boatload of stuff. This was my favorite find. Look at those delectable berries!

Recently, I have been drawn to strawberries in a way that I can't quite explain. So my heart skipped a beat when I saw this...

4 dinner plates, 4 salad plates and 2 bowls.

I would have been happy to pay the sticker price, but it was my lucky day. It was the annual "1/2 Off Everything Labor Day Weekend Sale". My heart skipped another beat.

You know what this means, of course. Yet another collection. Please don't tell my husband.

P.S. One Gal's Trash is a finalist in the Country Living Blue Ribbon Blog Awards! Please click on the Reader's Choice Award and cast your vote for yours truly. You can vote once a day if you are so inclined. Thank you and xo!

Pam

As if it fell from Heaven above

I was pulling into a parking space at the grocery store when I saw a vision in turquoise from across the lot. There it was...alone and abandoned at the Salvation Army donation truck. The lines! The shape! The color! I couldn't possibly bring it home but decided the least I could do was take a photo of it. I drove away slowly, quietly weeping. Farewell, turquoise thing, farewell!

Playing with Scarves

I love vintage scarves. I don't wear them, I just like to look at them. Especially when they're all stuffed into a fabulous old round suitcase.
View #1 - Colors, florals, patterns...

Then you stir and mix...and see all new colors, florals, patterns.

Wait! Do I see mushrooms?

Yes! Mushrooms and...cherubs! The colors are stunning, but I simply cannot fathom the relationship between fungus and arrow-wielding angels. Girls, help me out here.

P.S. I think I might have to actually wear this one for my next evening out on the town.

I've Got a New Attitude. Sort of.

I mentioned here that my space at Found on Fremont is moving from downstairs to up. I'm a bit worried about what will happen to my sales; but mostly I'm annoyed about not being front and center (actually it was back and center, but let's not split hairs) anymore. The actual move was not the chaotic disaster I had envisioned. In fact, it's coming together quite nicely, thank you.


What do you think? Please advise!

Cocorico!

French Pre-school children learn that roosters greet the morning with "Cocorico!" Isn't that so much better than "Cock-a-doodle-do!"?
I found this gorgeous lamp at a recent sale. The first thing that popped into my head was..."Look! A lamp with 2 cocks on it!" Price? $10. Magnifique!

A Thursday Night Surprise

I was driving through the hood on Thursday evening when I saw the tell-tale signs of an estate sale. Cars parked all caddywompus along 15th Avenue, a bunch of malcontents blocking the sidewalk complaining about all the malcontents blocking the sidewalk. You know, the usual. Sure enough, it was indeed a sale...just a few minutes before it opened. I made a U-turn, brought Hazel the dog home and drove back, all in about 45 seconds. The sale was a little fancy pants for my taste, but I found a few goodies.

A couple of red oak farm chairs,

A fantastic olive green Smith Corona typewriter, a print of Lord Fauntleroy,

and 3 small French bowls. (You know how I love anything Frenchy.) The messages are: "Love transcends reason", "One is always 20 years old in some corner of the heart" and "Far from sight, close to my heart". Swoon.

French Torture

O.K. girls. First let me apologize for the grainy quality of these photos. My "friend" Julia sends them to me from her phone while cruising the small towns outside of Paris searching for STUFF THAT REALLY BELONGS TO ME.

Gilded horn-playing Cupid lamps

Ancient wood Nestle boxes. There was a mountain of them. Here's Julia's account of this particular find...."I came close to wetting myself when I saw this. Avenue de Suffren, 7ème arrondissement. 15-20 of them. I was loaded with pkgs so I grabbed one and ran for the car. Back in less than 10 mns. ALL GONE."

Marie Antoinette's mirror.

And this. This is a poster announcing a "Clean Out Your Attic" sale. People bring all the stuff they've been hoarding for years to the town square and practically give it away. Now, how am I going to get to Saintry-sur-Seine by the 26th of June?

A Girls Weekend, Junk Included

Last weekend, some of the Found on Fremont gals and I were vendors at the Junk Salvation show in Puyallup, Washington. My friend Joan showed up too, and helped me with the heavy lifting and booth beautifying. Here are some photos...

The S.S. One Gal's Trash and the cutest nautical hat in the universe.

English elf decal on dotty paper in a vintage frame, candy beads and a sweet floral print.

Home Sweet Home pillow (SOLD!), 1930's print.

A trip to the beach, anyone?

Yummy stuff on a yummy pink shelf.

Pick a number, any number...or letter!

Vera is ready for a dip in the pool. Gigantic flower frogs are practical and pretty.

A glass lamp with a fabulous shade...(SOLD!) and other wonderfulness.

Fruits and flowers.

Cork floats and driftwood and a green seahorse family (SOLD!). What thing would you like to get your hands on? Please advise!