Recently I was asked by my parents to go through my stuff in their attic- I don't know about you, but I love going through attics! I had totally forgotten what was up there. I knew some of it was junk- like a lot of old text books and school papers. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of stuff from my childhood in the 80s that I thought was long gone.
It's good to be a hoarder. Because later on you find stuff like this that your younger self thought was important to save!
I was just reminiscing with a friend about these plastic charm necklaces. I actually think I had another one on a red chain- maybe as I dig further into the boxes I brought home I will find it. But I am just waiting for an opportunity to wear this one again. ;)
Another 80s memory was Garbage Pail kids. I LOVED these (obviously- there are probably about 200 here!) I think I have almost all of the first 3 series. I was looking at some on Etsy not long ago, and wondering whatever happened to mine. Thanks again, hoarder self!
My kids totally do not understand these! Oh well, I don't get Pokemon either.
Remember Trapper Keepers? Go search for them on Etsy. But make sure you're sitting down- they aren't cheap! I actually look for these when I'm out thrifting, and have never found one. But now I found my own from 6th grade (1987) and all of the original folders! Too bad it's in piss poor shape or I'd have made myself a nice bit of cash. I think I'll use mine to hold my magazine clippings and such- way cooler than the plain brown accordian file I have been using.
And Swatches! I still have my original ones, and I buy them whenever I see them thrifting. They are so fun, I still wear them. I have some listed in my Etsy store as well, so you can enjoy them too!
Now if I can find my Coca Cola sweatshirt and my Esprit pants we will be all set.
I have used this space many times to malign my local Salvation Army thrift store. To me, it is like the Wal-Mart of thrift stores- huge, noisy, smelly and filled with junk no one wants. It makes even a die hard thrifter like me not want to go there- I almost always go somewhere else when I need a fix.
But lately, my two preferred thrift stores have not had much of anything vintage, much less clothing or Pyrex, the two things I buy most often. Such was the case yesterday when I made my weekly trip- I actually walked out of those stores with nothing. I can't remember the last time I did that. So, I had some time to kill and thought I'd stop in at the Sally Ann, just for kicks. Well, darned if I didn't score.
They had tons of Pyrex! Of course, I scooped up the only Butterprint, a 402 mixing bowl- and for only $2.49! I have almost completed my set of fridgies and Cinderella bowls in this pattern, but this is my first mixing bowl. I left a lot behind for someone else- a complete set of Forest Fancies casseroles with lids, a set of Town & Country Cinderella bowls, and a few others- I think maybe a Colonial Mist mixing bowl- as they are not patterns I particularly care for. (This is the same store where I found my turquoise 503 fridgie and my jadeite mixing bowl- why did I ever doubt it?)
I have also had good luck with blue Ball jars at this store in the past- every other thrift I go to prices the blue ones at $3-$5 each, which is a pass for me. I got this one for only 99 cents, so this was definitely a deal. And I use them all the time to store pantry staples- I was just thinking I could use another one.
The Tupperware ketchup & mustard dispensers were 25 cents each. Tupperware tends to sell well in my Etsy store so I definitely will list them.
But the most fun, and unexpected find of the day was a toy I remember from my childhood:
Remember Alphie the Robot? This version came out in 1983, when I was 8.
I saw him on the shelf and had to bring him home for $3.99. I was hoping he would work and after a few tense moments because the batteries were in backwards, he came to life! My son, who will be 8 on Friday, really fell in love with him. I originally bought him to resell (thinking of Van over at Thrift Core) - because who doesn't want to buy back a cool robot toy from their childhood?- but have a feeling he may be sticking around for a while. He is so cute!
In case you don't remember, here is the original TV commercial from 1986:
