Saturday, April 9, 2011

Finding Childhood Memories at Estate Sales

Sometimes I find myself wondering if I am destined to spend my time hunting for things that my parents used to have. There is a certain comfort, as if meeting up with old friends, that comes from finding objects that reminds you of your childhood.

Today's best finds were these two, midcentury modern pieces of office equipment that reminded me of my dad's desk. The "airplane wing" fluorescent lamp is almost identical to the one I remember sitting on his desk in the den. The Victor, Bakelite adding machine is a little different than what I remember but the sound it makes sends me right back to my childhood. These cost more than I would normally pay but how do you put a price on such fond memories.
I also bought this beautiful, hand-crocheted tablecloth. It is very large and in great condition.

I found these toy building bricks. They look like the modern Legos but are made out of wood. They are copyrighted 1939 by Halsam Products.
At another sale I found several dish towels embroidered with the days of the week and a stack of delicate hankies.
Just in time for Easter, I found this package of Ritz Easter egg decorating transfers. The dye tablets are still inside plus it has the "Mystic Writer" and all of the transfers.

I also bought two, brand new, car engine testing things that my dear boyfriend said my son could use on his cars. I didn't include photos here because they are boring black things with meters and wires and such. Nothing cute or vintage about them at all. 

But speaking of cute and vintage, during the week I received this beautiful table cloth that my dear sister found for me in Iowa. I love the look and feel of vintage tablecloths. This is my favorite one so far.

This is Linked to:

26 comments:

  1. Hi Lynda,
    You always buy the coolest things! Really enjoy seeing what you find at the estate sales etc...!
    The "American Bricks" are awesome! Wondering if they were produced before the LEGOs(?) (Did you know LEGO comes from my country, Denmark? The name LEGO is short for "LEG GODT" which means "Play Well" in Danish...)
    Bedtime here in DK...!
    Have a great weekend... *SMILE*
    /Lisbet
    PS. Thank you so much for caring abt. my dog, Dixie. She has recovered from the surgery very fast... Thank God! ♥

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Lisbet,
    I didn't know that Lego originated in Denmark. I will have to do more research on which came first, Lego or Halsam. I used to have plastic bricks made by a company called Elgo (same letters as Lego) but it looks like they were part of Halsam according to listings on eBay. Doing research is half of the fun of thrifting. Have a great weekend. Glad to hear Dixie is doing well. Thanks for commenting.
    Did everyone else know that Legos originated in Denmark?

    ReplyDelete
  3. F.Y.I.:

    Just found this from the official LEGO-website:
    http://aboutus.lego.com/en-US/group/default.aspx

    ...and from the Halsam website:
    http://www.halsam.com/

    Halsam came first!

    And NOW it's bedtime (00:50 a.m.)
    Z Z Z z z z... ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi! I'm a new follower from Tater Tots blog hop. I love your cute button eggs. I gave you the Versatile Blogger award. I hope you haven't received it before, but you can go to my post here and check it out: http://www.meldreamsoften.com/2011/04/versatile-blogger-award.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is a beautiful tablecloth - love the bright colors. I never thought I would collect hankies, but I have a pretty good pile of them now. They are pretty, aren't they? Happy hunting!
    PS - I went to the Church sale late in the day and it was a bust. But, at least I went! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. You can't put a price on memories! That's why it's so neat to find and have the things that brought joy to your life. My grandmother let us use her adding machine for Yahtzee games, I still remember cranking the handle after inputting the numbers.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You've found some really nice pieces, I love your tablecloth, the colours are lovely ... :0)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just love the wood "bricks"! The '50s desk items are pretty neat too :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. For some reason the best linens are found in Iowa or Kansas. I guess in other states we were too rough on them.

    Interesting info on Halsam vs Legos. The wooden bricks remind me of very old erector sets my brothers had.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You made some great finds. I love the tablecloth. ~~Sherry~~

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi, I'm a follower now! Love this post about childhood memories. There was a penguin ice bucket that I didn't buy at an estate sale, and now regret it mightily - it reminded me so much of family dinners!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the linens you got! It is always a comforting thing to see things that remind us of our parents.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You found some great things-I love the vintage office products--they have so much more character--Thanks for linking to my Share the Love party!
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love all of your finds. Your tablecloth is the best.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your tablecloth is so pretty...at first glance I thought it was a hankie lol! Wouldn't ya know it...i'm always having hankies on the brain and am always looking for more to add to my collection :) Love that you found some finds to remind you of special times...that's just the best thing when that happens :) Happy share the Love...
    Big hugs,
    Queenie

    ReplyDelete
  16. You are bringing back a flood of childhood memories to me, too!
    I love your pretty treasures and I am so happy you joined in the Treasure Hunt Thursday party.
    Rhonda

    ReplyDelete
  17. I LOVE your crocheted tablecloth! And the floral one as well. And the embroidered tea towels. I collect vintage linens, so these all appeal to me!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. You ALWAYS come up with the best goodies, Lynda. I absolutely love that table cloth and would buy it in a heartbeat.

    Thanks for linking to the party.

    Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
    http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  19. You found some wonderful things. I love the vintage linens.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Have been on a vintage office goods kick lately - your finds made my heart go pitter pat, or maybe that should be tap tap tap tap tap tap tap briiiinng (a typewriter return sound).

    ReplyDelete
  21. great vintage finds there.

    i am a new follower here. Pls follow me back, too.

    http://www.diyandmore.com/?p=413

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love vintage linens -- it's the first thing I gravitate to at an estate sale!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh, you found a lot of fun things! My heart skipped a beat when I saw those pretty hankies and then the vintage tablecloth! Beautiful!! Thank you for joining me for TTF! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Such a darling tablecloth, I can just see it for the 4th of July!! xo Debra

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh my! I found you through Apron Thrift Girl and I'm so glad. LOVE the office stuff. I'm an accountant and am just obsessed with vintage accounting ephemera. If you ever let those go...

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...