My Favorite Finds From An Orlando Antique Mart: Toys, Cute Stuff, & All The Nostalgia

Last month I finally got to browse my favorite antique mall again, and it was heaven. Now, I already showed y'all the cursed objects, so here come the COOL objects. At least to me. So really this is more of a gauge to see how much overlap there is in our "cool stuff" Venn diagrams.

For example... 

Are these cool to you?

That's a trick question, of course. These are cool to literally everyone. (Shhhhh. NOT A WORD.)

Ok, maybe "cool" is a stretch. How about "filled with so much cringing-yet-delightful nostalgia you have to laugh a little"? I mean, were you even a child in the late 80s if you didn't have a shiny resin art plaque (Oh! Or clock!) on your wall?

Here's something a little more timeless:

Purple swan bubble bath bottle! We need more packaging like this today, please.

In fact this entire booth was an art exhibit of adorable vintage packaging: hairnets, sewing patterns, toiletries, and more:

Plus it had this kitsch-alicious lamp:

I'm getting strong Mary Blair/Small World vibes.

I tend to only photograph the individual objects, but I'll try to throw a few fun booth photos in here, too. Which thing(s) jump out at you first? What would you make a beeline for?

I dream of assembling a rainbow display shelf someday with glassware like those pretty blue pieces in the upper right. As soon as I find a good spot for it, look out.


This friar cookie jar is from before my time, I think, but he reminds me of Ziggy and that late 70s cartoon style, super cute:

You can tell I gravitate towards all the cheery/cheesy goods, while John pines for the fjords and stained glass lamps like this:

He wants this one real bad, y'all. We didn't get it because I don't know where we'd put it, but if it's still there in the future I'm taking it as a sign, and bringing it home anyway.

Back to my cheery cheesy stuff:

How cute is this owl pitcher's lil face??

It's always a dual thrill/insult when you find your own childhood stuff in an antique mart, and I have to admit this one caused some outrage:

This poster looks just like some of the ones I and my Trekker friends had on our walls during middle school - probably purchased from Walmart - and this vendor wanted $200 for it. Um. WHAT.

Also I'm pretty sure I had this version of 80s Mickey & Minnie on a t-shirt, ha:

Weird angle 'cuz I was digging through stacks of framed flotsam to get to this.

I still want all of Minnie's outfit, btw, and need to wear more pink and yellow together.

Here's a booth of vintage "boy toys", and I am NOT referring to the entire cast of Supernatural:

Batman collectibles are an excellent consolation prize, though:

Tiny wrist compass!

Maybe we should bring these back. After all, no one needs a watch anymore because we have our phones, but we ALSO... don't need a compass because we have our phones. Hm. Drat.

Anyone else a sucker for all the airbrushed big-eye ceramics? You see them everywhere, usually in soft pastels, and I think most are planters?

I like the soft sloppy color style, especially on this Dopey:

So sweet!

This almost made the Cursed Objects post, but it's more hilarious than creepy:

I... almost love it?

I'm also a lover of kitschy mermaid/seahorse bathroom decor, usually the plaster wall plaques. So check THIS bad boy out:

This was in a locked glass case, so not sure if it's plastic or plaster, but THOSE COLORS, am I right?

Cute (and almost creepy) elephant pitcher:

Here comes a Disney park history Pop Quiz: who remembers this character?

Hint: He was later replaced by Stitch, and always goes... to excess.

That pun is friggin' brilliant if you have any idea what I'm talking about, btw.

John & I spent a few minutes playing with this wind-up boat toy:

You pull it back and it waddles forward, swaying side to side, while some of the characters try to move. (It was, uh, kinda broken.)

I doubt this salt & pepper shaker set is very old, but LOOK HOW ADORABLE:

Awwwww.

Then there's this tiny angry owl:

It's only about the size of my hand, hollow, and claims to be a lamp. John tried to shine his phone light through it and only got the faintest glow, but I'd still hook this up as a little night light if I weren't too cheap to spend $55 on it. So cute, so small, SO ANGRY. I feel a kinship with this owl, y'all.


Children of the 80s!

ASSEMBLE:

Just like vintage Care Bears art, I looooove vintage Rainbow Brite art. I think I'll search for old coloring books the next time I'm killing time on ebay.

One booth had a big rubbermaid bin on the floor full of books, but no old Tom Clancy paperbacks here, NO SIR:

Kinda want to find the whole series now.

This one, not so much:

The longer I look at this, the more questions I have.
(Is that a Snickers bar sticking out of his pants??)


Which reminds me:

Don't you just LOVE science?

;p

A duck who is NOT Donald, but I was still tempted to bring home:

And the cookie jar we were all required to have in our kitchens in the early 90s:

Or if you didn't have this, you had the kitchen towels and/or wallpaper border, right? (My mom went the extra mile and had all three.)


Ahh, at last, a USEFUL instruction manual:

:D

And how cool is that cover design?

I don't know anything about this except it's from 1914, but talk about the perfect gift if you're dating - or want to date - a book-loving introvert.


Even up close, these glasses looked like they were full of colorful frothy milkshakes:

I had to pick one up to convince myself there's nothing in them. I've never seen a finish like it! Just gorgeous.

More prettiness:

 

And finally, because this post is long enough and I'm making myself want to go antiquing again, I spotted the SWEETEST vintage Halloween art print hiding behind a metal shelf:

I looked up the artist, and it's Barbi Sargent, the original creator of Strawberry Shortcake and illustrator of lots and LOTS of American Greeting cards during the 1970s. I found a fan group for Sargent on FB if you want to see more, but be warned, it's quite the cute rabbit hole.

I hope virtually antiquing with me made you smile! I'm a little behind this week since I've been down with tummy troubles - lots of couch naps & hot packs - so it's been a nice distraction reliving these fun finds with you. 

Also, just gonna put this out there, but if you're ever visiting Orlando and NOT spending the whole time at the theme parks, come antiquing with me! John and I are officially doing meetups again, and this is a super fun, super chill way to hang out for a few hours away from the touristy areas. And it's air-conditioned. Win-WIN.

******


P.S. If you're like Past Me and still struggling with a microwave hot pack, let me introduce you to the best thing for tummy cramps and achey shoulders:

Neck Wrap Heating Pad

I bought one of these last Fall to help with my arm numbness (caused by tight neck muscles), but since then I've discovered it's also fab for wrapping around my midsection when I have gut pain. The side flaps make it kind of C shaped, so it stays in place when I'm sitting or laying down, and I like that it ONLY heats my abdomen, not my thighs or chest. Plus it plugs in, and there are 3 levels of heat! I use it every few nights on my shoulders, but it's days like today - when I napped with it wrapped around my abdomen - that I remember just how fantastic it is. Ahhhh. Good stuff.