Flea Market Swag: 1910s - 1960s

Match boxes, magazines, keep cases, box cutters, decanters, dolls and floss.

The spoils of a Pennsylvania flea market Saturday with Scott, Janie and Steve.

Kitsch Supreme: 1960s Big-Eyed Mods

I was given this mouse-chewed box by a flea market vendor who just wanted to get rid of it.

I was happy to accept, knowing it would be trimmed down into boldly colorful collage material.

As a kid in the '70s and '80s, I used to find old toys, notepads and pictures with big-eyed mid-to-late '60s graphics like this (most likely childhood leftovers from my Aunt Karen and Aunt Susan) stashed in closets or basement storage areas of my grandparents' house.  I was not only completely transfixed by them, but I somehow understood the sheen of value (and patina of unintentional humor) that these tacky little figures had acquired over time.  

Luckily, I was able to rescue a few.  That said, I get an even bigger giggle when I find them in my travels.

Back To School: Venus Paradise Coloring Set (1964)

Back to school time, kids... Let's do it by the numbers and stay within the lines, OK?  

Happy Birthday, Dame Elizabeth Taylor

Whether Maggie The Cat or Gloria Wondrous, we love you Dame Elizabeth.

Happy Birthday.

Childhood Illustrated, Circa 1910

 

 

While working on one of a series of large collages that I plan to sell, I was digging through a box of large, flea market-bought items to edit and clip down into manageable individual pieces.  In doing so, I was reminded of this rather damaged, but still amazingly beautiful item that I snagged about four years ago:  A 1910s children's book that was used for both coloring and story-telling.  I'm very glad I rescued it from the pile on the ground beneath a folding table in that outdoor flea market in Saylorsburg, PA.

One More Holiday Treasure

Yet another gorgeous vintage surprise from my friends Noreen and Jimmy.

This spectacularly colorful box will be collage/assemblage material (for at least one personal piece and another series piece for sale) and the bulbs that are still viable will go to both Noreen and my pal Steve for their vintage trees.  I haven't tested any of the bulbs yet, but oftentimes some oldies still work.

1968: Bill Johnson Illustrations

Illustrations by Bill Johnson from a story called "The Bait" in a 1968 Reader's Digest Condensed Book.

1968: Al Muenchen Illustrations

1960s illustrations from a Reader's Digest Condensed Book story called "Airport".

Vintage Ladies In Print