I don’t know what I was thinking, I did not buy these playing cards at the time capsule estate sale. This is just the kind of thing that I love almost the best.
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From the category archives:
estate sales
The reason that I do not show more of my estate sale treasures is that, generally, I must move very fast to hide everything from Mr. Retro Renovation. He is not so amused by all the Stuff filling every storage space in the house these days. Yesterday, though, he left for a few hours and I was able to linger over and photograph my stash from the late 1940s/early 50s home that I explored on Friday. So what do I buy? Ever since my collage class and in reality, before, I adore “ephemera” — which is defined as things created that were never really intended to survive. Advertising is classic ephemera. So are Betty Brite cupcake holders. There are still some parchment paper bake cups inside. 13 more items after the jump. Heck yeah there is more…
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There was a vintage Kenmore dryer in the basement of the estate sale – right next to the deco-style steel sink cabinet. Sigh. I don’t know how much electricity these vintage dryers use…probably a lot. But they are so beautiful — and goodness, they have lasted a long time, that’s for sure!
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It’s a small world — I literally bumped into reader Cindy (center) as I headed to shop in Northamptom this weekend. This is really kind of freaky, because that’s a half hour from her house and an hour from my house, and there are 6,497,967 people in the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Cindy had been going to tag sales with friends. She picked up this trio of vintage seagull wall art for $5. I think you’d call them “in the danish modern style” – although it might be more true to say “popular 70s.” I think these are great for patios… I have a brassy seagull wall hanging, also a steal $, above our barbecue in the U-shaped patio at the front of our house. Well done, Cindy. See you at the James Taylor concert at Tanglewood in two weeks!
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So what do I buy at estate sales? Things like Sexton cast metal hoot owls from1969 in a perfect shade of avocado green to match my office ($10). And, a Hoover Constellation vacuum cleaner, circa 1955, purchased from this wonderful time capsule house. I am not (yet) and historian on vintage appliances, but this purchase gave me the opportunity to read up on the Hoover Constellation – a very historic vacuum cleaner, initially for its atomic space age shape and then, because the design was tweaked so that the vacuum cleaner actually floated on air, buoyed from the bottom by its own exhaust. Mine is one of the earliest models – the booklet still with it indicates it was purchased in 1955. The vacuum hose attaches from the top. Heck yeah there is more…
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WELL, THIS SONG GETS RIGHT DOWN to brass tacks and sums estate sales right up. I hereby declare it, the new Retro Renovation anthem. Long live, Cheryl Wheeler! So…what did you all find in all the drawers and trunks and closets (and thrift stores, Re-Stores, ebay, craigslist, etsy) this weekend?
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The recent Hollywood Regency style estate sale was such a treasure trove of strange and wonderful mid century details that here are some more photos to scrutize. For example, this may be the only blog in the world to feature Drano in its lead post – but look at the vintage “Dor-File” mounted to the inside of the yellow St. Charles sink cabinet. I love it, I want it! 
Click through here for a total of 24 more photos from this fabulous time capsule! Heck yeah there is more…
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Ruth of the wonderful blue Geneva kitchen has started her own blog “No Pattern Required”. Look what she posted yesterday – a super-cool GE “Celeste” lightbulb, 9″ tall and the likes of which I’ve never seen before. Ruth lives in Michigan — tons of great stuff there and she has started to nosh on it all!
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You just never know whether an estate sale will be out of this world – or a dud. This past weekend, I was fortunate to hit a real a jackpot. A Victorian-industrial-company-town townhouse in a northern Berkshires “hilltown” that appeared to have been redecorated to the hilt in 1961 or so. All what you call “Hollywood Regency” – a very foofy gilded Italianate style so named because it copied the Regency Hotel in Hollywood. Also, think “Rat Pack Viva Las Vegas.” The home was simply amazing as in eyes-popping-out-of-your-head amazing.
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