For The Love Of Old Grocery Stores....

Oh maaaan....I miss old style grocery stores. I miss the garish lighting, gaudy colors and the entrance doors with the rickety metal dividers. I miss the pastel produce cases and the real fishnets full of plastic replicas of crabs and swordfish in the meat/seafood department. I miss the shiny vct (most likely asbestos) square tiles, the check cashing/courtesy booth and the cluttery decor. I miss the hand painted signs on white butcher paper and the 'cha-ching' sound the clunky cash registers made. By the time the 70s rolled around and I was was shopping in there, these places were beginning to lose their luster. They were still wonderful, but the lighting was dingy and floors were stained & crumbly in places. the pastel produce cases were out of style in a brown world and the carts were squeaky & had bad wheels. Eventually the clunky cash register would be replaced by the kind that beeped and the front door electronics were failing, making them sticky & hard to open. I didn't care, I loved them just the same. Obviously I still do. I'd give my eye teeth for one more trip to 'Bob's Thrift' on 33rd and Perry to buy a Mad magazine, some 'Grease' bubble gum cards and a package of wax bottle candy. Unfortunately, it will never be possible because Bob's is now a Library.

Super Exciting News!

july 1968, a photo by CapricornOneVintage on Flickr.

Well, it is to me anyway...I finally hit 100,00 views on flickr today! I was so excited, I took a screen shot:



I think it's a good time to telly you I added a bunch of new scans. There's everything from tintypes to cookbooks to astrological charts of random famous people and also some old Kodak photos like the one of the girl and her grandparents at the top of the post.

Oh Cute!

Saw this Schilling Fancy Decors bottle at the flea market today. The color is wonderful, the font is great and the illustration of that girl is adorable! Why can't labels be like this anymore? *sigh*

Lil' Softy

So I got off my butt and went thrift shopping this weekend.....oh thrifts how I missed you! I managed to find some cool items to buy, one of which is right here, a 1970s Lil' Softy advertising doll still in her package. She is currently for sale in my Etsy store.



For those of you who are not familliar with Lil' Softy's magic, or just need a refresher course, here is a youtube video I found. I totally remembered this from my childhood (yes, I'm old...shut up!), but I guess I must have blocked out her creepy Carol Channing like voice. (Feel free to ignore the Dairy Queen commercial that comes after, though it's sort of interesting to watch in it's own weird way.)

NO NO NO!

I'm all for upcycling or reusing vintage items when it's appropriate, but this just seems like wanton destruction........

What's Up?

1960 mccormick spices schilling food colors vanilla easter ad, a photo by CapricornOneVintage on Flickr.

Happy egg hunting, candy scarfing and cake eating day! Hope you are all having a nice spring as well. Springtime means sales, and currently there is an awesome one going on! Be sure to check out the VMTEAM + VETT= Spring Fling promo. Two of my favorite teams on etsy (and yes, i may be partial since i'm a member of both) are working in tandem to bring you some great deals on vintage. Just go to etsy and type 'vtgspring' into the search bar and see what you can't live without (Don't take too long, tho. The sale ends on May 2nd) ♥

PS: There are new scans on flickr and now CapricornOneVintage has a tumblr account too!

New vintage ad scans on Flickr

1960s princess phone ad
Originally uploaded by CapricornOneVintage

I've just posted quite a few vintage ads on flickr. My magazine stashing tendencies are out of control and I must get rid of some. I'm taking apart and scanning stuff out of the ones not worth keeping. It's a work in progress, there are so many. I will be selling some of the better magazines in my Etsy and Artfire stores soon. I'll keep you posted.....

Damn cats....

My cats are lucky they are so cute, otherwise this carnage would be unforgivable!



Looks like I'll be busy with the glue bottle soon.......*sigh

Monkees scans on Flickr

monkees monthly nov.1967 back cover
Originally uploaded by CapricornOneVintage

Way back in July I did manage to put up scans of some of my Monkees stuff.....(and some other 60s pop culture stuff too)
go check them out & give them some love ♥

montgomery ward catalog scans on flickr

montgomery ward summer 1959 catalog
Originally uploaded by CapricornOneVintage

i know i haven't been here much this summer. i'm not dead yet and i didn't abandon this blog. this year has been a real see saw with my crohn's disease and i'll probably be having surgery soon....i will post more about that after my appointment with the surgeon next month.
but in the meantime, i did manage to post some vintage montgomery ward catalog scans to my flickr account.... go check them out here!
hope you all survived the cardinal grand cross in one piece, and managed to have a nice summer too.....♥

More vintage packaging on flickr

1970's lysol can
Originally uploaded by CapricornOneVintage

I posted pictures of some of the vintage packaging I found at the hoarder house estate sale....crazy the amount of things that got saved.
click HERE to go there!
The Lysol can just about sums up my childhood. My Great Aunt Hilda (hoarder extrordinare) was totally addicted to it. She carried Lysol everywhere. Couldn't use a public bathroom without it. That smell is forever ingrained in my memory (along with Porcelana & Jergens). She was a germ phobic yet lived in a hovel. I adored her, she taught me all about yard sales (still have my prized A&W root bear bear after all these years..I only paid 5 cents for it) and second hand stores. I was at her house nearly every day & I spent vast amounts of time living in some distant past among all the out of date items. She had phone books from 1966, plates from 1935 & clothes from 1952. She kept everything...from cereal boxes and a skeleton of a seahorse to samples of the first mini pads that didn't use a belt...she was well past 70 and had no need for them, but she said they made good coasters.
My aunt passed away when I was 13. I went to live in California for a few months. My mom cleared out the whole house while I was gone and I've never quite gotten over it.

Selected scenes from a hoarder estate sale

They say pictures tell a story, I only wish I could have gotten a picture of the whole yard & the street it spilled out on. This is the tip of the iceberg, there are still outbuildings in the back to be cleaned out before they get to the house. I've never seen so much stuff in one place and I grew up with hoarders. The weird thing is that this house is small, the yard isn't huge and it's in a residential area, not out on acreage. I lived in that neighborhood and walked by that house for years, I had no idea. The pity of it is that improper storage, mice & bugs had gotten to some of it..and most of it is pretty smelly. Like any true hoarders the items they kept varied: some things found were a mix of trash (literal garbage) in with noritake china, weird stuff like stacks full of old underpants with pee stains, new old stock 1950s,60s & 70s clothes (armloads, boxes & bags full...mini mountians of it), tons of vintage japanese embroidered clothes & asian items, cheap new christmas items mixed with vintage, stuffed animals, stacks of national enquirer magazine from 1980 (I bought them all)...pajamas, pajamas & more pajamas. 8 track tapes, lots of old as seen on tv junk, wringer washers,a pool table, wigs galore & puzzles. so many puzzles. also tons of horse racing items, someone spent some time at the track. wonder if they knew my grandparents? a whole lifetime (or two) of junk up for grabs......can't wait to see what's in the house!

New stuff on flickr....

dolly darlings paper dolls
Originally uploaded by CapricornOneVintage

Well not new as in today, but fairly recent. I did manage to scan some stuff and post it on flickr last month. Hopefully I'll have some energy to post some new things soon. This batch has vintage music ads, packaging & toys.

Item of the week.....

This 1930s goldtone filigree, colorful enamel & purple rhinestones coat/dress clip is springtime in jewelry form.



It's so bright, colorful and cute....and if you didn't like it as a clip, it would make a wonderful centerpiece for a necklace.

Available in my Artfire studio right now. If you tell me you saw it on here, I'll give you free shipping. Click the heart to go there ♥

I have fried my brain with jewelry glue.....

.....and I'm pretty sure I may be permanently cross eyed. In an attempt to work on some of the things on my list from Wednesday, I started my massive jewelry repair campaign. (The light box is on hold until Monday, but it is still happening..) Due to my pack-rat/hoarder tendencies, I have managed to accumulate quite a stash of jewels in need of repair.
I'm sure it doesn't look like it, but I really did have a clean desk to begin with. (as clean as I can get anyways...) After adding the tools, some water & my tea, the vinegar, plates, tools, jewelry & donor parts boxes it got filled pretty fast. *sigh*



Here is about halfway through...



I learned that vinegar works wonders on verdigris. Just brush it on with a makeup or other small brush so you don't soak the piece and wipe it off with a kleenex or q-tip. Sometimes you have to apply it more than once. Make sure if you have a piece with foil back rhinestones or faux pearls that you don't get the vinegar on those parts. Make sure the jewelry dries completely or the verdigras will come back. That green stuff is so nasty and it can infect your other jewelry. Keep infected pieces out of your jewelry box! Usually I use E6000 for simple jewelry repairs, but that stuff is too messy for small pieces, and it stinks like no-ones business. I got some G-S Hypo Cement in the orange box. I love it, it's so much easier to use! The only gripe i have with it is that you need to put the pin back in the long applicator when not using it, and it is hard to see sometimes.



I was very productive today, but I only ended up repairing about 1/3 of what's needed. I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow. I'm determined to get that done. I forget how time consuming repair is. I also have to go on the hunt for some clasps and hook closures. As you can see, there are going to be lots of rhinestone pieces for sale in the near future, and I'm pleased to report that red Vendome art glass & rhinestone demi parure is free of the dreaded verdigris!

What I've been working on......

1950s valentine girl
Originally uploaded by CapricornOneVintage

I have been sorta busy this week, even if it doesn't seem like it. I am currently dosing down on prednisone after my annual holiday Crohn's flare...getting ready to try 6-mp soon. The prednisone and current retrograde planets make me feel very unenergetic but I have forced myself to do some things.
So far this week:
I have cleaned out and organized my workspace (I'm too embarassed to post the before photos, but maybe I will do the afters).
I have made a list of all the things I need for building my photo light box and researched where to get the lights and materials. I will have it done this weekend :) I'm so excited about this!!
I have sorted out all the jewelry that needs repairs and stone replacements. I will begin repairing in the next few days.
I did list an early 1900s Arts & Crafts watch fob on Artfire. Its really very cool!
I also scanned and posted some new things to my flickr account tonight.
Now all I really want to do is eat candy and go vintage shopping............♥

Ruby is lovely isn't she?

ruby is a postcard 1901?
Originally uploaded by CapricornOneVintage

I just uploaded a bunch of scans of pix and ephemera to my flickr account the other day.
Stop by if you get a chance.......
http://www.flickr.com/capricornonevintage

New Years Resolutions

Happy 2010! This year I have decided that I will try to give this blog some attention. Last year I had such high hopes, but I got quickly overwhelmed.
I'm not positive of the exact direction I'm going with it, but I think I want to make this blog a mix of all the things I love and live with on a day to day basis.
Can't wait to see where we are on Jan 1st 2011!

Top 5 New Year Goals
I'll say goals because they sound like less pressure than resolution.

1. Keep up on Blog...read above ;)

2. Learn to take better pictures. I need to make a light box and really learn my camera inside and out.

3. Work on my website. CapricornOneVintage I would like that to be fully functional in the next few months.

4. Be more organized. In my workspace and living space. I'm a terrible pack rat and clutter collector. Is it really that hard to throw it out or put it away? (yes)

5. Eat a bit healthier. I have crohn's disease and eat gluten free, potato free, soy free & mostly dairy free. There are so many good foods availiable that are pre packaged, but it would be in my best interest to learn some better recipes.

I hope if you have some goals or resolutions that you are able to meet them head on and make this a fantastic year and lovely start to a whole new decade!

I Like It When Everyone Is Drunk

I am always fascinated with vintage items that feature loveable drunks. This box of Crazy Cartoon Coasters celebrates lushdom with some whimsical mid century illustrations.

Looks like the man on the lower left has actually achieved every professional drinker's dream.......residency inside the bottle.

This batch features a few fighting drunks, one fake abstainer, and one failed sobriety test.

Look at the poor paranoid crying drunk. One more for the road is so bladdered he's practically flying. Also of note: hallucinating pink elephants is awesome.

This one is my favorite drunk guy. He is striking a jaunty pose, one sock..one bare foot. I don't want to know where his shoes went, they are the same place his shirt is. His cigarette is half ash, and the man is mostly booze. 3/4 full. Clearly he is having a great sloppy time, cos he's a casual drinker! Get it? Casual.....drinker.........hahaha.

Want to own these? Click the button below....

Vintage find of the week..........

It's no secret, I'm a total sucker for cool vintage graphics. I especially love packaging...and this love leads me to buy lots of weird things just for the pretty package. This carpet/stain cleaning kit is just a prime example of some sweet mid-century graphics, and it looks like a briefcase.

I found this box sitting on a shelf at the local thrift store and it was calling me like the siren song. I wasn't dissapointed upon opening......everything is still here, and most of the bottles are nearly full!



Urin-X is my favorite. (Yeah, mentally I'm 12.) It just sounds so futuristic somehow. Plus, I like how the man on the urine bottle is yellow!!



The 'dial a spot' stain remover guide is almost like something from a game. I guess you could make a game out of removing spots......I like the arrow.



The little cleaning brochure is pretty swank. It has a good looking rancher on the front and right above that is a kinda freeform office building. Tres moderne. The inside is full of awesome illustrations of carpeting and Eames type furniture.



Every good product has a coupon for future use. I think this one expired, oh, nearly 51 years ago. August 31, 1957. Oops. The coupon looks like a ticket for a drawing of some sort. The postage on this little thing..........3 cents.



I haven't tried to use any of this on my carpets, though, I'm sorely tempted to give it a go. I did open one bottle and the smell nearly knocked me out. I wonder what Service Master would do if I tried to return this for a refund.......