freshvintage

Fly Traps, Boxing Babies and Ham Sticks

2012-05-24T21:17:11-04:00

This is a post about the stuff laying around our house that needs to go to our shop. Strangely enough, the shit all over our dining room table isn't making us any money! Weird.

Lots of floral frogs, in all shapes and sizes:

A cement scottie dog: (I love a dog that doesn't shed, bark or poop. Might need to keep this one.)

Vintage golf and bowling trophy parts:

A fly trap:

It's a BIG STINKY FLY TRAP. The makers of this thing don't mince words.

A few brass faucets:

Another Infant of Prague statue. This one has clothes, unlike the other ones I shared on my Facebook page. And it doesn't have eyes that make you wish for a quick death.

A big lab timer:

A World War II-era Navy pilot tin toy gun:

Bottle openers and wine/liquor pourers, some American and some German. The plastic chicken pourer is the best. Seems a little childish for a wine bottle, doesn't it?

A bunch of bottles from a Philadelphia soda maker, Esposito:

Yes, that one on the left features a diapered baby in boxing gloves. "The Champ of Thirst Quenchers!"

Nope - not creepy at all.

We also have hundreds of photos that we bought from someone who cleaned out an local estate. If you compare these photos to those from normal families, you would find that this group has a wildly disproportionate number of random people holding ham products.

And they needed captions.

Feel free to leave your own captions in the comments below!

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Don't forget - Author Mary Kay Andrews is coming to freshvintage for a book signing on June 10th. This will be a great event, with PRIZES for visitors and fun treats. Don't miss it!

And congrats are in order for Mary Kay - she just announced that her paperback of Summer Rental will debut on the New York Times Bestseller List at #18 next week. Yay for you!

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One more thing - we'll be selling again at the Vintage Garage Sale on June 1st in West Chester, PA. We had a great time in May, so we're coming back with more cool finds. There will be some new vendors this month (including Lisa from Brandywine View), and a few of the same from last month. There are a few spots still open, so visit the website for more info.

Mary Kay Andrews Book Signing at freshvintage!

2012-05-10T17:34:53-04:00

The one and only vintage-loving, flea-market-shopping, curbside-picking, New-York-Times-bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews is coming to freshvintage for a book signing!

Join us at freshvintage on Sunday, June 10th at 2pm to meet Mary Kay Andrews. She'll be signing her new book, Spring Fever, which will be released on June 5, 2012. I was lucky enough to get a preview copy, and I am loving it so far!

If you don't have a book already, you can purchase one at freshvintage - Chester County Book Company will have Mary Kay's books available for sale at our shop.

And, in case you need a reason to join us, may I present...

Top 10 Reasons to Meet Mary Kay Andrews at freshvintage:

1. Duh, you love her books and you want to meet her in person.

2. So you can check "Meet a New York Times bestselling author" off your bucket list.

3. You want to talk to Mary Kay about her antiquing adventures all over the country. (Look at her latest junk haul!)

4. You have a sister, friend, cousin, mother, co-worker, or daughter who loves Mary Kay Andrews' books and you want to give that special person the WONDERFUL gift of a personally-signed book.

5. You want to take a beautiful drive in the country, and stop at some fabulous antique shops and restaurants along the way.

6. Strawberries should be ready for the pickin' by June 10th! Ain't nothin' better than reading a book and eating freshly-picked berries.

Photo by Bill Miles

7. She is a long-time fan of freshvintage, so you know she must be totally awesome. (She commented on my blog a few times before I realized it was really her, and then I sent her a silly, gushing email.)

8. You want to meet the woman who decorated the most adorable cottage on Tybee Island, GA. It was even featured in Better Homes and Gardens! (Read my blog posts about my family's trip there.)

9. You can't survive another day without knowing what Weezie and BeBe are up to.

10. You just finished Fifty Shades of Grey, and want to read a book that you don't have to hide in your underwear drawer.

P.S. If you are planning to come, feel free to RSVP on my Facebook page.

Join Us at the Vintage Garage Sale on Friday, May 4th!

2012-05-01T18:51:30-04:00

Join us this Friday night, May 4th, from 4pm to 9pm in West Chester, PA for the very first Vintage Garage Sale! Yes, it's actually in a parking garage. We'll be there with some great local vintage vendors, a cupcake truck, a jazz duo and fresh finds from my recent buying trip to Lancaster County, PA.

The event takes place during West Chester's First Friday, so shops will be open late. Get a bite to eat at one of the many great restaurants in West Chester, and then come and see us in the Chestnut Street parking garage.

Visit the Vintage Garage Sale Facebook page for up-to-the-minute info. The event is rain or shine. The freshvintage shop will close at 2pm on May 4th in order to prepare for the event.

Here are a few items that we'll be hauling to the sale. (And be sure to check out some of the industrial finds that Vidalia's Vintage will be bringing.)

An nice-sized antique shoe rack and shallow woven basket with a hand-painted peacock:

A Corona "Personal Writing Machine", dating from the 1920s. It starts like this...

And folds out to this...

My porch is once again packed with last week's finds:

This antique aqua demijohn (wicker wine bottle) will be difficult to part with. It even has an "S" stenciled on the front. Sauvignon Blanc? Sangria? Sherry?

I prefer "SUPERWINE"...to the rescue!

Join me on Friday night, and maybe I'll share some.

Springtime at Clover Market

2012-04-10T19:34:50-04:00

Yes, it's that time of year again...we are selling at Clover Market on Sunday, April 15th from 10am to 4pm. Our shop at Highland Orchards will be closed that day because we can only keep one ball juggling in the air at a time. Don't hold it against us, please.

There are ONE HUNDRED vendors signed up for this opening day! That's pure insanity! Definitely worth a drive, even if it takes you a few hours to get there. This is the only spring sale at Clover that we'll be participating in. So catch us while you can!

And for those of you who are too far to drive to Pennsylvania, here are a few pics from the freshvintage shop to keep you satisfied...

And, of course...

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We will also be participating in the Vintage Garage Sale in West Chester, PA and it's actually IN a parking garage. It coincides with First Friday in West Chester and runs from 4pm to 9pm. The first one is on Friday, May 4th. They are still taking vendor applications, so apply as soon as you can! It will be a fun evening, filled with vintage, food, music and revelry! More info to come...

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In case you missed it on Facebook, I was the Featured Blogger last week on the new Philly Social Media Mom's website. Find out how different my life would have turned out if I ended up doing what Second-Grade-Colleen-Burke wanted to do when she grew up.

Cubbie Crazy

2012-03-29T18:38:15-04:00

Chris went on some kind of mad cubbie shopping spree last week. And I am totally fine with that.

The long skinny ones in the back left are the perfect size for displaying the Rewined candles in the shop. (The seasonal Mimosa-scented candles just came in and they are delish!)

The one on the right has an old Nail Chart tacked on the side.

The Philadelphia tri-state area is also known as the Delaware Valley (as in the Delaware River, which divides PA from NJ). I might need to keep this crate for myself.

This is my favorite of the bunch. It was probably used in a post office - it has little metal plates with names of Lancaster County, PA towns like Lampeter, Millersville and New Providence.

More cameras. The two Brownie Hawkeyes have already sold since I took this photo last week, and Chris brought six more vintage cameras to the shop today. He just called an hour ago to tell me that one of those sold, too. I wish I could manufacture vintage cameras. Or at the very least, create a time machine and buy up all of the cameras between 1900 and 1950 and stash them in a bomb shelter for safe-keeping until I can retrieve them in the present time.

I'm glad Chris bought this megaphone. He probably remembered that I found one a few years ago.

I don't know why they are wishing death on the poor Schnitzel.

I googled the Die Schnitzel Bunk Jug Band, and immediately found an ad in a 1933 Reading, PA newspaper.

Sounds like a fun night, doesn't it? For a quarter, you get a Hoe Down with a jug band, a bunch of Amish hill billies and the chance to win prizes. I wonder if they had bottle service back then. Oh, wait - 1933 is the end of prohibition, so that place must have been CRAAA-ZEEEY.

Anyway, here are some deer antlers lovingly mounted on a handsewn stuffed fabric heart.

My late grandfather played football for Franklin and Marshall back in the 1930s. That's when the football players wore safari hats instead of helmets. Back then, they didn't have goal posts - they just used a pair of giraffes. They played against lions and tigers, which was good on one hand, since big cats can't catch a football for shit. But bad in that most of the players lost at least one limb by the third quarter.

Okay...I don't know why the hell this safari hat has an F & M label. But my granddad really did play there.

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We had a blast at our Grand Opening and we're very happy to report that our Square got a lot of use! Here we are, in a pic taken by Sue.

Our customers and guests ate lots of yummy cake pops, made by Cakes and Candies by Maryellen in West Chester, PA.

A few guests had a taste of local wine (we had lots left over, which is never a bad thing).

So many friends and family members came to see us, including my mom, grandmom, two aunts, an uncle, a cousin, lots of neighbors, co-workers, siblings, nieces, nephews and some very supportive local antique dealers. Here's a pic of me with Allison from Nannygoat Antiques & Vintage Style and Sue from Vintage Rescue Squad (here's her recap). I am holding a lucky horseshoe (a gift from Allison) and a bottle of Bitch wine (a sweet gift from Sue).

Thanks to everyone who came on March 10th, and those who have visited us since then. We were recently cleaned out by a big-time dealer, so we've been bringing in lots and lots of new inventory.

My in-laws will be visiting for the next week from Yakima, WA and they will be working their little butts off. I don't care if my Father-in-Law, Jim, has a new hip and shoulder - he will be carrying purchases to customers' cars whether he likes it or not. And probably drinking all of the leftover wine, so please be cautious while driving in the parking lot.

freshvintage shop photos & update

2012-03-05T18:12:50-05:00

We are gearing up for our Grand Opening on March 10th! If you are in the Philadelphia area, please join us for some sweet treats and local wine from the vineyards along the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail. Highland Orchards will be sampling some of their yummy products as well. We'll be there from 10am to 5pm, and if you are lucky, you'll get to meet my mom and 92-year-old grandmom. The shop will also be open on Sunday from 11am to 4pm, when the celebration will continue. But only if there are leftovers.

Thanks to all of the blog readers, friends, family and neighbors who visited the shop during the past two "practice" weekends. It was so nice to finally meet some Facebook commenters in person.

We've only been open for a total of four days, but we've already had to do some re-arranging after selling a few BIG items, like a set of lockers and a couple of card catalogs (don't worry - we have more of each, waiting in the wings).

My friend Mary is responsible for the card catalogs and many more primo vintage finds. She already has a booming Etsy shop called Vidalia's Vintage, and will be selling at the freshvintage shop, too. Here she is, helping us set up shop a few weeks ago (I promise, we were not showing stag films on that aqua projector screen).

Mary's vintage biz is a little side project that feeds her addiction to old stuff - she is actually the founder of The Town Dish, a local network of foodie websites, and Dish Trip, a cool food/travel site in partnership with Southwest Airlines. She'll be dishing on all of the fun fresh food news at the Orchard.

My sister, Erin, will also be selling her vintage finds at the shop, just like she does at Brandywine View Antiques in Chadds Ford. She and her husband, Doug, will be at the Grand Opening. If we twist his arm just a little, I'm sure he would do a reading from the infamous blog post about his famous ancestors.

For all of you far, far away readers, I promised some photos...

Our medical cabinet that lights up when you open it (my most favorite thing in the store):

Vintage-style reproduction dish towels:

Tool cart-turned-bar cart:

Mason jar vases:

Antique mason jar soap dispensers (the jars are old but the stainless steel top is new).

HUGE globes and vintage sex ed books (that contain pictures of huge globes).

Vintage metal bed with matching bedside table and adorable floral chandelier. Oh, and Jesus. Can't forget him!

Cardboard signs from funny Pennsylvania towns, including Blue Ball. (I don't know if "2" refers the distance in miles, or the number of balls in question.)

More cool stuff:

Even more cool stuff:

Antique fruit crate used as shelving, and a Brownie camera:

Wine-inspired candles!

It was tough to pick a line of candles to sell in the shop, but I fell in love with Rewined Candles after I saw them on this design website. The deal was sealed after I smelled the samples that they sent me. I particularly love that they are clean-burning soy, are made in the USA and poured into hand-cut recycled wine bottles. Perfection!

If you are planning to visit the shop for the Grand Opening (or any time we are open), I would encourage you to visit some of the other antique shops in the area. Make a day of it! These are all within 15 minutes from freshvintage:

And, if you are looking to get a meal after your day of antiquing and donut-eating, I recommend Four Dogs Tavern for a few beers and plate of calamari and a flatbread. And sit by the cozy fire. (And then when it gets warmer, sit outside on the patio). For even more restaurant recommendations, take a look at West Chester Dish.

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A big thanks to my friend & neighbor, Erin Klimas, for taking most of the above photos. She also takes beautiful family portraits (in the Philly/Delaware areas). Thanks, Erin!

freshvintage at Highland Orchards

2012-02-21T15:41:01-05:00

If you been following my hints on Facebook during the last month, you may have surmised that a freshvintage shop was in the works. Well, you are right!

My husband, Chris, and I are opening a real live brick-and-mortar freshvintage shop! It is located at Highland Orchards in West Chester, PA. Highland Orchards is a family-run produce market, bakery and pick-your-own farm. Families drive from miles around to visit the orchard for their 200 acres of cherries, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, pumpkins, apples and much more. But, they are probably best known for the unbelievable apple cider donuts!

Fresh vintage and fresh produce - can it get any better?

The space we are renting was formerly a gift shop, and when the previous owner retired after 14 years, we quickly snatched it up as soon as we saw the listing. We've been working for weeks to get the shop in shape for our grand opening on March 10th. You are welcome to stop by before then - we'll be open on weekends, starting this Saturday, February 25th.

Here's Chris in the big window (and our friend Rich, actually doing the work).

I'll be taking more pics in the coming weeks, so you can get a better look. But here's a peek:

This is a big step for us (especially Chris, since I am keeping my day job), and we are so excited to finally announce it to you. I know that many of you aren't in the Philadelphia area, so I will try to keep you far-away folks updated with lots of photos.

Stay tuned for more details about our grand opening on March 10th!

P.S. Yes, we still have our space at Brandywine View Antiques, so be sure to stop by there, too.

Paging Dr. A. Willy

2012-02-01T18:46:10-05:00

Methinks the groundhog will not see his shadow, and winter is almost over, because I scored some primo junk this week. Spring junk. My sister Erin (who was BORN on Groundhog Day) and I went to some outdoor markets and shops in Adamstown a couple of weekends ago. It was freezing, and there weren't many dealers in the outside markets, but we were still able to score a few good finds.

The light blue Steelcase desk and office chair weren't from Adamstown. A friend tipped me off to those. The same friend who tipped me off to the aqua metal desk that I shared on Facebook last year. Nice friend, huh?

I'm tempted to keep this tole-painted chandelier for my kids' playroom in the basement, since the main colors in that room are aqua and orange. But the ceilings are too low. And I don't want the neighbor kids swinging from it (because my children would never do that).

I have to keep this old-timey chrome microphone away from Maeve. She'd be belting out Call Your Girlfriend. And doing all of the moves from the video, which she has nearly perfected.

This is my second pair of children's skis by Peters.

Chris and I were watching Hell on Wheels a few weeks ago, and we noticed that a railroad surveyor was holding up extremely tall measuring sticks. When I spotted this pair at the flea market, I had to have them.

Chris found a website called Surveying Antiques, and saw one of our measuring sticks right there in the header of their website, and here in these photos.

The one with the black & white painted numbers extends to 13 feet! Any ideas on how you would use these? I was thinking you could put them along a wall and add hooks. Or, if you were ballsy enough, you could cut them into four pieces and frame an old mirror.

Here's a Brownie Hawkeye camera with flash, and a "Big Community" file box:

Is it bad that I've purchased at least ten copies of How to Attain and Practice the Ideal Sex Life in the past five years? And I still don't know how to attain it OR how to practice it. I am unteachable. (But if you have the urge to be taught, I have a copy for sale in my Etsy shop.)

And then there is my other book - the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Sex. Big thanks to you lovely ladies who pointed out that the first author is named Dr. A. Willy, after I posted a picture of this book on Facebook. What would I ever do without you?

Most of the pictures in the book are run-of-the-mill cross-sections of crotches. Bo-ring. But there were two pages that I had to scan. Just for you.

This page shows the Sexual Excitation of a man. I just love the picture in his brain. Do men really daydream of piles of women awkwardly laying on top of each other?

I don't even want to write about this next picture, because Google will bring perverted people searching for disgusting things. Kind of like me at a yard sale.

Figure C-9 depicts the causes of nocturnal losses of semen. Losses. Like he lost something. "Dammit - where did I put that semen again? It's the middle of the night and I can't find my semen!"

Let us zoom in on my favorite part of this page - the idea that wet dreams are caused by a "Dinner of Exciting Foods". And the picture is inside a stomach. I wonder what his exciting meal is. Lobster? Foie Gras?

Let's be real - he is totally watching a porn in front of his TV while eating a Hungry Man frozen dinner.

And on to my next big sex book score...one about the Amish's Curious Courtship Custom of Bundling. (Okay, okay, I know all of my Amish readers are going to correct me - this is NOT really a sex book.) I had never heard of this custom, but as soon as I opened the book and saw the photo below, I knew it was a keeper.

Bundling is a very old tradition in which young men and women would lay together in bed, but weren't allowed to touch. So, they were totally acting like they were already married, right?

Here's an illustration of the various forms of "decreasing temptations between bundlers" across different cultures (it wasn't just the Amish who practiced this custom).

The lady's body sack is the Amish version of worn-out, comfy sweatpants. Once the drawstring on those sweats from college are tied, there is no chance of any funny business. And you know that the dude in the couple's sack is going to be looking for something he "lost" later that night (see Figure C-9).

At the end of the book was this image:

So, it's not acceptable to touch each other in bed, but it's okay for a girl to hump a railing in the presence of a man. And check him out....he's all like "Come over here, and hump this fence post instead of that rail. It's way better."

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P.S. Happy Birthday to my sister Erin (Groundhog Baby) and Happy 40th Birthday to her husband Doug, whose birthday is February 3rd! I hope you both celebrate with a Dinner of Exciting Foods, followed by a night of passionate bundling!

My Winter Junk & The Vintage Marketplace

2012-01-24T16:35:00-05:00

I got me some winter junk. Which is never as awesome as spring junk or fall junk. But it is the best I can do, considering that it was mostly dug up from local antique malls, thrift stores and auctions. Not many flea markets or yard sales happening these days.

I love that metal Fresh Eggs sign. I "found" it by the side of the road. The sign says "Self-Service", so I helped myself. Yep, a dozen eggs and the sign. Don't worry - I left a dollar in their box. That Amish family can just make another sign.

A pair of industrial work stools:

A glass kerosene bottle, made by Perfection Stove Company:

Ironstone bowl, green & white painted utensil organizer and two huge spools of yarn. If anyone knows what kind of yarn this is, please chime in. It is for making doilies?

A 1950s Bell & Howell Electric Eye 8mm movie camera. The kids are having fun with this one. When I told them that you couldn't record audio with it, they were like, "that's so dumb - who would want to watch a movie with no sound". Later that day, The Artist won the Golden Globe.

The eleven heavy-duty school posters are two feet square and are double-sided. I can picture a few of them lines up along a nursery wall. Some have Wild Animals on them. Or Pets:

But most have letters or words, and illustrations. I want the turquoise phone & turquoise radio on this one:

And the red barn on this one:

Here's a green globe desk lamp that Chris found at an auction. I usually don't like this type of modern style, but the color cancels out all of that. And the cool adjustable handle. I searched online, but couldn't find the same one anywhere. Have you ever seen this type of lamp?

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A big welcome to my new advertiser: Vintage Marketplace! If you are anywhere near Nashville, TN on February 2nd through 4th, I implore you visit this huge market, filled with sellers of your favorite vintage finds. With vendors like Urban Farmhouse, Pure Vintage Chicago, and Time-Worn Interiors, you just can't go wrong. The Vintage Marketplace is a brand new feature of the long-running Tailgate-Music Valley Antiques Show, and takes place at the Hendersonville Expo Center.

There are also some fabulous special events happening at the show: Sue Whitney from JUNKMARKET will be shopping along with you, and sharing her tips on finding the best junk and styling it in your home. You can also witness the magic of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint live and in person, courtesy of Tawnya Norton (and enter a drawing to win a day-long seminar with Annie Sloan herself, which takes place in Nashville in March).

Anyone planning on going? I Google-mapped it, and Nashville is a mere 13 hours from my house in PA. I could make a family trip of it, similar to our journey to Georgia. That was only 12 hours away. Hmmm....

Pigs, Drips and Whimsies

2012-01-05T17:06:53-05:00

I'm back in hunting mode. Watch out, junk, I am comin' to get you.

Last week, I visited a new-ish store in Downingtown, PA called Little Shop of Hoarders. I know - how cute is that name? Among a few other things, I bought this old sign:

The letters aren't painted on, they are gold and black transfer decals. I've seen old sets of these sign letters on eBay in the past, but they usually sell for over $200.

On Monday, the kids had school but most corporate-dwelling adults (like me) had a holiday. So, Chris and I went to Perkiomenville Flea Market, where we met my sister, Erin, and her husband, Doug. (Here are two posts from previous visits to that market.) We thought there would be more outdoor vendors, since a lot of people had off from work, but we were very wrong. Luckily, we found a few things in the indoor section. I bought these three pieces of enamelware from one vendor who had great prices.

The orange & white colander is from Czecholslovakia, but it must have been manufactured for the French market, since it is marked "Tchécoslovaquie".

This blue and white French beauty is an enamelware milk pail ("laitiere") made by BB Depose in the 1920s or 1930s. It has damage on all sides, but it is perfect to me.

The man that sold me this blue & white drainer told me that it would have sat in the corner of a sink, collecting food scraps from the dirty dishes. He went on to say that those scraps would have been collected each day by a local farmer, who would use the scraps to feed his pigs. That's quite an lengthy explanation for what I would have called a "sink colander". I don't know if I will be able to fit his story on my tag.

Maybe I will call it a "pig-food collector". It will totally sell with that description.

Chris and I also acquired THREE heavy-duty metal medical cabinets over the break, each of them different. We had a photo shoot in front of our camper last week, once again freaking out our neighbors. Here's one of them (I'll save the rest for another post):

My massive scheme to get what I want for Christmas (also known as Five Weeks of Fresh Gifts) worked swimmingly. My mom bought me Fresh American Spaces and A Very Vintage Christmas. I bought Chris the Creative Cursing book and the naughty apron from my post about Gifts for the Class Clown. Big laughs all around - especially on the apron. The look on my neighbors' faces when Chris wore it to the neighborhood New Year's Eve party was priceless.

My blog/vintage friends were way too generous this year. Sue from Vintage Rescue Squad gave me an adorable print that I plan to hang in my camper:

And last week, I met my friend Allison from Nannygoat Antiques & Vintage Style for lunch at Terrain. It was the first time I ate there - the food was delicious and the atmosphere was everything you would imagine that an Anthropologie-style cafe would be. Definitely on the pricey side, though, so I'll save it for special occasions (like meeting my vintage friends). Allison gave me this super-awesome sign as a Christmas gift.

She knows me too well. Thanks, Allison!

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If you know anything about Native American Whimsies, please take a look at the photos on my Facebook page. My father-in-law bought two of them, and is looking for more information from all of you highly intelligent people.