Some people go antiquing for the history or the treasure. I go for the toys.
Vintage Orange Bird & baby Donald!
Yes, they're filthy. But Donald is from 1984, was only a dollar, and c'mon, BABY DONALD. Orange Bird was $15, but he's kinda rare, and I love him. (I'm guessing he's also from the early 80s.)
Anyway, here's a quick tip: If you need to clean toys like Donald, which is soft & rubbery like a squeak toy, then grab one of these bad boys:
Yep, Magic Eraser works wonders at taking off old stains, crayon marks, and even pen ink from soft plastic. Check out the difference!
The blue pen line down the side of his face is completely gone!
Just be careful when scrubbing, since Magic Eraser *will* take the original paint off. It's basically a spongey form of sandpaper.
(And no, this isn't a sponsored post.)
Magic Eraser works well on harder surfaces, too, of course. Here's cleaned-up Orange Bird:
Did I mention he's a bank?
I'm debating touching up his paint, and possibly re-painting Donald all together. (Although those 80s pastels *are* kinda rockin'. Hee.)
I also picked up this tiny purse for $5, because the inside is ridiculously cool:
I'm a sucker for anything small with "hidden" compartments, and LOOK:
That circular screen pulls out to reveal a powder puff & powder compartment, and I guess the other sections were for lipstick and... money? Maybe? They're both suuuper tiny; the lipstick compartment is about 3/4 of the size of a Chapstick tube.
And THEN, there's another section under the mirror!
SO COOL.
It doesn't look like the purse was ever used, but the exterior suede/velvet was crumbling off in my hands. I'm hoping to redo the whole thing, maybe make it usable for a steampunk outfit or something. [brain storming]
And finally, our big splurge: $30 for this amaaazing "Baseball Clock" that sold at the World's Fair during the 1930s:
Fun, right? I've never seen another clock like it! (It winds in the back.)
If you're ever looking for good/cheap antiquing here in central Florida, check out the Orange Tree Antique Mall (my favorite), or the Flea Market and outside areas at Renningers in Mt. Dora. (The inside vendors are too pricey for me, but it's still fun to look.)
Oh, and speaking of funky clocks, stay tuned....
'Cuz I'm working on one last Halloween thing.
[evil grin]
I am a handbag junkie so love the little bag actually all your finds are awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish we had flea markets round here... and that there was more old Disney stuff. I'm so jealous of your Orange Bird! He's just too cute! :)
ReplyDeleteGiven the approximate era of the purse, I'd say that the rectangular space was probably for cigarettes, not money.Remember the days when (sadly) pretty much everyone smoked?
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly. You beat me to the comments! The narrow retangular space was probably meant for a lighter.
DeleteI'd also vote a great big NO to repainting Orange Bird. He earned that aged look and would decrease in value if you painted him.
I love vintage toys, especially the little tin kitchens. The details are just so wonderful and so tiny! *le sigh* Magic erasers are also good for getting fabric dye off of laminate countertops. I speak from experience
ReplyDeleteIf you're ever in NJ, you need to check out Somerville Antiques. It used to be a Woolworth's, so it's massive, two stories (plus a couple satellite stores) stuffed full of vintage furniture, clothes, toys, and the prices are reasonable on most things (except the art, curses), and in the summer, they'll open up the storage rooms in the back, and it's like finding Narnia.
I might enjoy antiquing a little too much
How do you FIND this stuff? All I find when I'm at places like that are issues of People from 1993 from a dentist's office where half the cover (featuring Richard Gere's face) is missing.
ReplyDeletemy parents have a place down there in bradenton, and they always ralk about shopping at the red barn. kinda like a flea market, i think.
ReplyDeleteThe compartment is probably either for lipstick or for a small perfume bottle. They are called vanity bags because it's a compact and a purse. Well bred ladies seldom paid for anything, but did carry make up, combs, cigarettes and such with them. Ill breed ladies had way more fun so they had a coin purse for money in their bags.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love the items you found. And the purse was only $8?! Did I read that correctly? The orange bird bank is so cute!
ReplyDeleteThe purse was originally $15 or 20, marked down to 8, and then when John asked about it, the seller gave it to us for $5! Can you tell I'm a *little* too excited about this? ;)
DeleteWe just binge-watched Flea Market Flip on Netflix, and while we still don't haggle, we DID start asking "Is this price firm?" Every time we asked, the seller offered it for less. Every time! It's like magic!
I saw a purse similar to that on Antiques Roadshow- it was worth quite a bit of money. Maybe you should check into it before you work on it?
DeleteCool antiquing finds!
ReplyDeleteYou're making a spooky Halloween wreath?! Yes, please! Can't wait to see more! Is the decapitated doll going to be a part of that?! Squeee!
KW
A-ha! SOMEONE knows me well. And watches my Twitter feed. ;)
DeleteSecond risforrose - that little compartment looks as if you could fit a ladylike cigarette case in there. Love the whole thing, this little thingamajig is going to be such a brilliant steampunk accessory!
ReplyDeleteThe clock is an amazing find! I'm just a sucker for World-Fair memorabilia. Speaking of which - did you know that the Library of Congress has oodles of really great printable historic photos and graphics FOR FREE? Case in point: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002724881/
BAM! World Fair! …with hot-air balloon :D
(I had that one printed as a poster of some 25'' height and they still could have gone bigger without it getting pixelated. That's some serious image quality.)
You know, Disney is doing a Halloween/Haunted Mansion themed "Show us your Disney Side" contest. That clock would be an awesome entry.
ReplyDeleteGrr. Clock/wreath thing. Guess it pays to focus on the details...
DeleteI am super jealous of your Orange Bird! I love thrifting and I ALWAYS go for the toy section first. I collect little Disney toys and figures, mostly from Happy Meals, but I do have a squeaky Pluto and Dopey that look like they match your Donald. :) It may look silly to have a bookshelf full of toys in my living room, but they make me smile every day!!
ReplyDeleteThe Magic Eraser is also great for removing "invisible deoderant" marks from your clothing as well as scuff marks on a laminate floor. I <3 the Magic Eraser SO MUCH.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who's had giant breed foster dogs, I can avow that magic erasers are the best thing for getting drool off the walls. And occasionally the ceiling. ;-)
DeleteI have an Orange Bird that my parents got me at Disney World in 1987 (I was two and don't remember the trip, but I've always loved the bird.) The only annoying part is that the slot is not big enough for quarters, and nickels have to be forced through.
ReplyDeleteMy mother and I tend to go "antiquing" if you will. But never find anything cool like that! Plus the prices are mostly outrageous, because the owners think everyone wants what they have. Everyone seems a little too self-entitled around here.
ReplyDeleteWe've tried finagling, but we usually just receive a large *sigh* as if we've offended them in some way.
-P
That purse reminds me of the Finishing School books by Gail Carriger. I have been reading them (my first steampunk novels!) and I love them! Lady Linette would be all over that secret compartment purse.
ReplyDeletei want to antique where you antique. prices in california are way higher. magic eraser's are great for barbie dolls.
ReplyDeleteSuch awesome finds! Also, you can buy magic erasers WAY cheaper by searching for melamine magic sponges.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/CLEANING-MELAMINE-CLEANER-ECO-FRIENDLY-MATERIAL/dp/B005HZWYNY
I had a plushy Donald that looked like that as a kid. I wish I still had him. That clock is wicked cool. We have a couple shops that are great and and I love walking around them. There is one that used to be an old office building. And it's huuuge. It will take hours to walk around it all.
ReplyDeleteNone of my compact purses (and I have more than a few) have an open spot like that. Usually they hold a lipstick, blush, comb, mirror, and have a hidden spot for money, or sometimes, cigarettes.
ReplyDeleteRight now I am buying antique card catalogs, fixing them up and using them for furniture throughout my house. So far I have five 2 drawer ones that are now an ottoman (with wheels and a tufted top) and 2 night stands (consisting of 2 large drawer card catalogs stacked and piano stool claw and ball feet), and an 18 drawer one (which I got for a steal because it was on hold and I left my number in case the sale fell through) that is a coffee table (with antique brass library casters that I got 4 of for $15!).
It was fun seeing the lovely purse you found. I enjoy finding things like that for my daughter - she's the girly one in the family. What was really funny, though, is that I have an odd reaction to pictures or stories of some objects - I get a sensation of their aroma very strongly. For instance, someone could talk about grinding their own coffee beans and I can suddenly smell freshly brewed coffee even if there is none around for miles. When I saw the photo of the purse opened up I could suddenly smell the aroma of my mom's favorite make up powder. Thanks for a lovely memory. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure you're my soul sister! I just binged watched flea market flip too. I wish Minnesota had more accessible flea markets!!
ReplyDeleteOh, that clock! Clocks are just cool to begin with, plus it makes me think of my Gramma. She and Grampa honeymooned at the 1934 World's Fair and I loved hearing her stories about it. My favorite was when she'd drop to a scandalized whisper and tell me about seeing Sally Rand, the fan dancer. Pretty daring for a girl from Davenport, Iowa!
ReplyDeleteThanks! just wanted to chime in that the dollar store by me sells a generic version of the magic erasers (tested by me and they work magic!)! Can't beat $1 for a few of those babies!
ReplyDeleteI go for the vintage clothes!
ReplyDelete