If I pin it, it will come.

Original image can be found here

My current obsession with all things vintage camping rages on and it recently jumped off my Pinterest board and into the backseat of my car.

Just days after I pinned that little plaid camping stove I came across a very similar one, buried in the garage of an estate sale.

I stopped short of a giant squeal of delight when I discovered it but later I turned to the stranger next to me in line to let them know this Very Important News: that-I-just-pinned-this-stove-on-Pinterest-and-now-here-it-is-in-my-hands-and-isn’t-that-amazing? 

Luck was with me since I said it to someone who knows (or was nice enough to pretend to know) what Pinterest is and is tolerant of people who talk to strangers in line at estate sales about random things they find in the corners of garages.

Camping (and outdoorsiness in general) was the theme with some of my favorite finds on my recent road trip with Laurie/Ethel.

 These beauties (Mt. Hood and Crater Lake) were purchased in California & transported back to their home state of Oregon.

This mossy mushroom has already moved on to its new forever garden and may I add a word or two about those blue glass insulators? I don't know much about them other than they're pretty (and were once outdoors) but I always buy them when I can find them for a dollar or less because they're consistent sellers for me. 

I couldn't resist the aqua canteen.

And I bought the birdhouse just for the colors. 

Happy Camper!

Are we there yet?

After many conversations in the car regarding things neither Laurie/Ethel nor I could recall about our previous road trip to Alameda Point Antiques Faire (Did we stop here last time? Does Roseburg come before or after Ashland? Where was that place with the great cupcakes?), I decided to take some notes this time around.

FRIDAY

As planned, we left Laurie’s house in Portland, OR at 8 a.m. to head to Alameda Antiques Faire in the San Francisco Bay area. Woo-hoo! So excited!

One scheduled stop on the way out of Portland at a church rummage sale was quickly followed by two unscheduled stops at estate sales.

 Which resulted in another unscheduled stop back at Laurie’s house to unload her car which was now completely full. Four hours and 16 miles later we are still in Portland.  

Yay us!

New plan!  Leave for Alameda at noon.  The goal is to reach Redding, CA, about 420 miles away, where we’ll stop for the night.

That afternoon we went to three antique malls, a thrift store and a vintage shop before eating dinner and eventually keeling over.

It is weird that it took us 9-1/2 hours to travel 420 miles? The junkin’ just can’t be rushed.

SATURDAY

Laurie/Ethel admires a combo stove/refrigerator. 

We hit the road at 8:45 a.m., eventually ending up in Emeryville, CA, about 200 miles away (an *easy* 3 hour drive) and just a short distance from Alameda Point Antiques Faire, our Sunday early morning destination / reason for living.

We managed to turn a 3 hour drive into 10 hours and here’s why: 3 vintage shops, 1 flea market, 3 yard sales, 2 rummage sales, 1 thrift store, 2 huge antique malls, 2 random shops and 1 estate sale. In 4 cities.

SUNDAY (aka The Really Big Day)

 Got up painfully early at 5 a.m. and the reward was attending heaven-on-Earth, Alameda Antiques Faire, for 7 hours of some mighty fine vintage shopping from (not a typo!) 1,000 vendors.

Eventually I had to rent a shopping cart (as in the type used at a grocery store) to collect the items I’d purchased and left behind with the vendors. I kept it all straight with my Patented System for Remembering© by writing the vendors’ booth numbers on my arm.

In sharpie.

Tired, happy, sunburned and loaded down with vintage junk, we left Alameda at 1:30 p.m. to begin our drive back to Oregon, stopping in Yreka, CA for the night.

MONDAY

Random antique mall vendor in Medford, OR? It's all a blur to me now.

We left Yreka around 8:45 a.m., thinking we’d be back in Portland by 4 p.m., only 325 miles/5 hours away.

After stopping at 8 more antique malls (and one ice cream shop) in 2 cities, we rolled into Portland at 8:15 p.m., taking almost 12 hours to travel 300-ish miles.

 To recap: 4 days / 1400 miles / 3 estate sales, 3 rummage sales, 13 antique malls, 2 thrift stores, 4 vintage shops, 1 flea market, 3 yard sales, 2 random shops and 1 Alameda Antiques Faire (because there’s only one Alameda!).

Thanks for traveling along!

Click the photo above to read Laurie’s version of events.

Just in case

Late last night, when normal people are winding down and relaxing, Ethel and I pulled into town after 4 very full days of hardcore junking and unloaded a car packed-to-the-gills with vintage finds from our road trip to Alameda Antiques Faire.

Today I’ll be processing my finds, going back to Ethel’s house to pick up a second load of vintage junk (!!), and thanking my lucky stars for all of our good luck and great vintage scores.

Please stay tuned for further updates as they become available.

Click photo and prepare to be amazed

 Meanwhile, as my thoughts turn to junking closer to home, I thought I’d share this *beyond amazing* score at a yard sale.

Gives me hope.

Miss America

Do you ever wonder where bloggers go when they suddenly disappear for months on end?

In the case of this blogger, let’s pretend I was touring the countryside in my imaginary vintage camper, having madcap vintage adventures all over the USA and now, just for fun, I’ve pulled a few snapshots from the photo album to share with you.

   A beautiful Fall day – I threw on a skirt, some heels and a blond wig and headed out for an impromptu hike.

Never pick up bears who are hitchhiking. Ever.  

(There I am, off to the right, fiddling with my camera, getting ready to take a picture of me being eaten by a bear).

My favorite, camping! I know it looks like we’re survivalists smoking a side of beef but it’s really just a little campfire for s’mores.

(I am truly a happy camper at heart. Check out my Vintage Camping board on Pinterest).

I mastered a new sport in one afternoon. This is so much easier than it looks! And the ride down the mountain in the ski patrol sled was much more exciting than the ambulance ride that came next.

This was a wacky day when everyone but me put on their vintage plaid shirts and took turns pulling me around by my foot. I am such a good sport!

There was even a little beach frolicking. That’s me on the far right. In the red suit. With my head under a tiny pink umbrella.  (Not in the tiny black shorts and wristwatch).

All goofiness aside, I’ve missed you. 

There’s a big weekend ahead of junking with Ethel (road trip!) and when we return, we’ll tell you all about it.

Have a wonderful weekend!

All of the images are from the pages of my new favorite vintage book, America's Wonderlands, circa 1959.

Things I’d be okay with seeing a lot less of in ‘antique’ malls

On several occasions recently, I’ve had the same conversation with a variety of vintage-loving friends regarding the influx of non-antique, non-vintage items being sold in some antique malls.

That’s right. Here comes a rant. Yippee!

Lately I seem to be finding myself in antique malls that are a combination of a small percentage of vintage vendors mixed in with a large percentage of new gifts, toys, collectibles, hardware, crafts, food, and dollar store merchandise. 

 While I’m not opposed to any of those items, I am opposed to them being sold in a shop that calls itself an antique mall.

It would be like going to grocery store for milk and finding the refrigerator section filled with vintage linens.

Or something terrible like that.

My antique mall criteria is pretty flexible -- I’m usually willing to overlook dirt, digging, poor lighting and piles if the price is right. ( And the stuff is old. )

And I also get it when things are beautifully displayed and perhaps a little higher in price because a vendor has taken the time to present their unique finds in an inspiring way. ( And the stuff is old. )

But this? Not so much.

I will now climb down from my (vintage) soapbox and thank you for letting me get that off my chest.

PS Everything you see here I came across in one ‘antique mall’ earlier this week. 

You Are Getting Very Sleepy.

…and when I count to three, you will awaken, open your eyes and remember nothing of the past three months.

Which ought to be pretty easy to do because there hasn’t been anything here to remember.

Hello! How are you?

I. Am. Fine.  Just wandered a little too close to the edge of the internet and fell off for a bit.

Here’s how I’ve been spending my internet summer vacation:

Feeling rustic for Fall. 

Keeping my space at Monticello Antique Marketplace filled and fluffed while looking ahead to the vintage Christmas holidays. Still waiting/hoping to find that big vintage Christmas score out there, somewhere.  An abandoned Shiny Brite ornament factory filled with long forgotten inventory would be ideal.

Which brings us to…

Fortunately I didn't spend an arm and a leg on these.

Yard sale-ing with mixed results.  Is it just me or does it seem as though yard sales are getting less awesome by the minute? Out here in the country, they’re my main source of vintage treasure during the summer months so every weekend I head out with my fingers crossed.

…and then head home with not nearly as much vintage treasure as I had hoped. Where has it all gone? I double-checked and it’s not in my garage.

Well, maybe a little is in there.

Heaven on earth in Alameda, CA

Junking with Ethel.  Earlier this month, she and I made a speedy trip down to the Alameda Antiques Faire (aka The Vintage Mother Ship) in the San Francisco bay area, with many, many stops along the way at antique malls, thrift stores, junk shops and anyplace else that caught our eye.

Currently obsessing over these mini diorama vintage ornaments

Have a wonderful holiday weekend. Missed you!

Retired.

What started out as a perky update about my antique mall space has somehow morphed into an odd little tribute to one of the items currently for sale there.

Please pardon me while I reminisce about an old friend who was faithful, sturdy and strong, not to mention pretty nice to look at.

We worked well together and even had some banner years.

As they will do, this good friend always supported my projects.

Lots and lots of projects.

And now it’s time for this friend to relax, take it easy and perhaps simply sit in someone's garden. 

I heart funky vintage furniture.