$9 at an Estate Sale

I got this awesome vintage timer for $2 (and it works). I love the fonts used and the simple black and white look to it.

I bought this beautiful tin with a hinged lid for $2.

I got this Koh-I-Noor pencil box for $5. Inside there were lots of cute things.

There were two pencil cases inside with pencils inside.

And some pencil lead boxes.

And finally, there was a Skum-X box (which is a great name) and an Underwood typewriter ribbon tin—so cute.

Things I Didn’t Buy 23

Here are a few more ads from the 1950s. I like this Lipton Tea ad—with just one sip, everything is just brighter.

This Coca-Cola ad is interesting.

This Birds Eye freezer food ad makes me sad—that’s some unappetizing looking food…

This Campbell's soup ad isn’t particularly enticing; the most interesting part is that back in the day, there were only 21 soup options. Today, there are a seemingly unending number of soup choices.

A Hit Parade cigarette ad. That’s some wholesome and sophisticated fun those smokers are having.

Bought for $6.22

I got a shirt and skirt for $1.22 at a thrift store (since it was pay-by-the-pound). I don’t really wear graphic T-shirts, but because this J.Crew T-shirt was so cheap I decided to get it. It’s my favored navy, white and red color palette, and I thought it was pretty cute.

I tend to gravitate towards wool—I just can’t seem to help myself. I love wool. And I know I have too many wool garments (particularly skirts). But this pleated wool skirt was just so cute…I couldn’t resist. While a younger version of me wouldn’t have liked this skirt because of the colors, the current me likes this desaturated color palette.

I got this old copy of Gone With the Wind from 1937 for $2. I liked the simplicity of the cover and thought the font that was used was quite lovely.

Finally, at an estate sale I bought this Stock Market Game for $3. I played this game as a child at my grandparent’s house and enjoyed it.

Things I Didn’t Buy 22

This airline box is pretty fantastic. I love the different logos on it.

I liked this Needle Book art.

And this Magic Stylus art was interesting as well.

This emergency raincoat’s packaging was nice.

These mixing bowls were cute.

I considered getting this ceramic teacup, but it was chipped so I decided not to.

Thrifted for $11

I bought this black silk Banana Republic skirt for $4. I love the diagonal detail at the top and the basic structure of the skirt.

I got this black leather belt for $2. I’m not sure I love the gold buckle, but I wanted a new black belt since my old one is dying…

Finally, I bought a piece of navy fabric that’s about 2 yards for $2. I liked the drape of the fabric and navy is one of my all-time favorite colors to wear.

And I got this pair of navy and white canvas Land’s End sandals for $3. They are a half size too large for me, but I thought I’d see how comfortable they were. [Pause.] Some days after I took this photo I tried to wear these sandals and realized that they just weren’t comfortable for me. So I donated them to a thrift store. [Sigh.] It’s always a bit sad when I buy something that I don’t end up liking as much as I thought I would.

Quote: To Be Yourself

Updated Blog Look

About every few months I think I should change the look of the blog, and I do some sketches for the banner and start laying some options out. And then I lose my motivation—it’s just not much of a priority for me.

But I figured I should just change the banner to something and I can always change it again if I don’t really like it (although let’s be honest, with my track record it would still take me a couple of years to actually get around to changing it). [Sigh.] So with different components I’ve created over time (hand drawn type and shapes), I’ve finally updated the banner.

Nothing changed organizationally in the blog; I just tried to simplify the overall look of things. I suppose I’m ambivalently satisfied with things…for now.

Things I Didn’t Buy 21

Here are some car ads from the 1950s that were in Life magazine. This Buick ad just reminds me of the movie The Birds (even though it was made before the movie was made, but still, put a an expression of horror on those people’s faces and it could be a scene from the movie…).

A Lincoln ad.

A Mercury ad that’s “Straight out of tomorrow…a dream car you can own!”

Another Mercury ad.

And a Studebaker ad.

Thrifted for $16

I got this black Banana Republic top for $8. I really like the detail around the neckline and the peplum. The back has a gold zipper that goes most of the way down. It’s a really cute top.

And I bought this totally 1980s sweater for $4. I liked the general shape of it and thought it was interesting. Truthfully, I was on the fence about it (as I’m not really crazy about the color pink nor the fuzziness of the yarn), but my friends thought I should get it, and $4 wasn’t much to spend. My guess is that this sweater is handmade just by looking at the inside of the garment and the fact that there’s no tag.

I also got this plaid H&M shirt for $2. It’s lightweight and comfortable.

Finally, got this striped Daniel Hechter top for $2. I often see striped shirts in stores and think they’re cute, but I never like them when I try them on because it just doesn’t feel like me. The stripes often make me feel dizzy and the pattern is just too bold for me. But I really liked this striped top that has thin stripes that lack a huge color contrast—so it’s a more subtle statement.

Things I Didn’t Buy 20

I really liked this slide rule book cover I saw at an estate sale. It’s awesome.

At a different estate sale I found this slide rule. I think the case is nice.

I think this Tru-rite typewriter tape tin is really cute.

I liked this Sucrets tin.

And this Yamaha tin is pretty nice as well.