Rainy day

Flea Market. Fort Andross, Brunswick, Maine

Craphound

I am genetically suited for this job. My mother was a SERIOUS shopper. My father is an antiques dealer. They were both partial to keeping things. I prefer getting rid of things (and making money from them if at all possible!).

So this week we here at NSV Corporate Headquarters are getting ready for a yard sale (our third!). I have just spent a hot, dusty, head bumping hour in the attic, trying to pull out stuff to sell. Unfortunately, most of it is unsaleable, because it's all family "heirlooms." Approximately 15 boxes of family heirlooms.

Some of the things I've unearthed:

• All my baby teeth
• The high school graduation diploma of a relative (no idea who) from 1920.
• The receipt for my grandmother's clothing purchases when she was visiting Paris in the 20's
  
• Every card given to my mom after I was born.
• The George Washington costume that my mother made for me in 5th grade
• Approximately 300 Christmas ornaments
• My mother's suitcase
• The pamphlet from my 6th grade graduation

I am touched by my parents' devotion to saving every tiny relic of my existence and family history, clutter makes me anxious. Still, all I can do is put my baby teeth and Christmas ornaments back in the box, to hand down to some other hapless craphound.

Helpy

Someday I plan on using these websites. In the meantime I feel like a better person just for having them in my bookmarks.

Color Scheme Designer. Maybe I'll use this when I finally redo the kitchen.
Background Designer
You Work For Them Stock Vectors (basically they're stamps for photoshop)
VDAS Online resource for visual arts (pretty pictures!)
Encyclopedia of Symbols
Smashing Magazine

I love this blog

It's hot. I'm crabby because I only found a few yard sales this morning (Southern Maine people, I IMPLORE YOU, please take down the yard sale signs when you are done!) . I have a hangover.

So I'm nursing a raspberry lemonade, pouting, and reading man blogs.

The Selvedge Yard.
Heavy Tweed Jacket
PTLDME (yay Portland!)
Dandy Nihilism
Archival Clothing

And another thing....

Some good:

• Art of the Kickstart Art Show at Rise Galleries (here I am in attendance with my beloved 1969 BMW R50/2 and vintage BMW shirt.)
• Project Runway
• Madmen
• Top Chef
• The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping by my friend Melody Fortier
• Tossed and Found by my friends Linda Wary and John Meyers
• I got to hang out (and by hang out I mean shop) with Hollis from Past Perfect Vintage
• It's really warm outside
• I got an iPhone.
  
• New brick patio (with lots of delicious bare dirt around it - an excuse to buy more plants!)

And the bad

• RIP John Hughes and Les Paul
• RIP Mary Catherine Lamb from complications of breast cancer.. I never met her in person but we were on several online forums together, and she rocked. I'm feeling like I can't do her justice by trying to explain how cool she was, but this video shows it clearly.
  

The Folly of Excess

My associate, Mr. Northstarvintage, had other plans last Saturday and couldn't join me as I made the rounds. So I brought along my friend, and new favorite yard sale pirate, Sophie, (who runs Rise Gallery) and we scored big time.

Not having Mr. NSV around meant that I didn't have to listen to his occasionally annoying (but always right) voice of reason. Because yes, I do need a child's Huffy bike.

We had to have a super cute old man tie the bike to the back of my car. One advantage of shopping with a cute girl is that the guys are always willing to give us a hand!


Sophie found lots of cool old boxes, that she'll actually end up using.


The things I found - not so useful. Like this 60's enamel plate. (though it is beautiful!)

And this four headed ram thingy. Supposedly from Iran.

I am convinced that I will find a use for this 1940's hand made toy stove. Mr. NSV is not so sure.

Huge bin of mystery fabric. I'm not sure if I love it or hate it. Mr. NSV says "hate" because the bin weights about 50 pounds and I make him move it around the house.

My goal is to train the cats to sleep in this. And look at the graphics!

This fit perfectly between the two chaise lounge chairs on the patio and does a great job holding my gin & tonics.

We're having a yard sale next weekend. You might see some of this stuff for sale.

Catch 22

I've been doing all sorts of cool stuff, finding all sorts of crazy schwag, and my cat, the Stig, has been extra cute. But I've been too busy to blog about it.

However today it's hot, and I have the fan blowing onto me and my computer, so I'm relegated to catching up online (okay, and catching up on Megan Wants a Millionaire and Real Chance of Love 2 - both of which are horribly delicious).

So, after ignoring my Etsy store for several months, I've stocked it with purses, scarves, belts, even a pair of 30's pumps and a great 50's irridescent beaded necklace.

Check it out!

Oh la lingerie!

Summer means vintage lingerie at NorthStar Vintage! (everyone already has their summer wardrobe and it's too damn hot to start thinking about fall clothes).

Click on the image to see the auctions!

Tag!

Actually, were this about this type of tag, the title of the post would more aptly be named "Label." This is about an online blog version of tag. (This is from one of the dresses to be listed on my forthcoming website).

I was tagged by Freudian Slips. Here are here are the rules:

Copy the logo and place it on my blog
Link it back to the person who gave it to me
Pass it on to five fellow bloggers
List 10 things about myself.

Here's the logo:



I've linked back to Freudian Slips above (and wow does she have beautiful stuff!).

I'm going to tag:
Lucite Box
Debutante Vintage
Couture Allure
Damn Good Vintage
Hatfeathers Vintage

These are all people that I have "met" through the online vintage community. Not only do they have amazing clothing and addictive blogs, but they also seem like folks with whom I'd like to have a cocktail or three.

And as for the ten things about myself:

1. My favorite condiment is salt.
2. I am training for a half-marathon in November (provided my joints hold up)
3. I was lucky enough to have Charles Simic as a poetry professor in college.
4. Having grown up in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, I can pick up even the faintest Philadelphia accent.
5. I make up songs about my cats.
6. Growing up I loved clutter and bric-a-brac. About two years ago, I embarked on a major purge, which included three yard sales, and approximately 76 trips to the dump. (I love the local dump - the guys who work there make sculptures out of the trash). Now I try to be a minimalist, and am always editing my belongings. This is a constant battle, and one of the reasons I am planning on having another yard sale later this summer.
7. The trashier the reality show, the more I love it. Charm School, Daisy of Love, Miami Social - I watch them all.
8. To balance #7 - I do the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle every week. And by "do" I don't necessarily mean "finish." I also read 2-4 books per week.
9. It's a cliche to say this, but it's true - I am married to the love of my life.
10. My latest "vision quest" is to try a Bloody Mary in every restaurant in Maine. So far - the best was from Buck's Naked BBQ - it's garnished with a rib! The worst was from Margaritas, where they use grenadine instead of tomato juice. It was undrinkable. Gack!

For those about to rock

We salute you! (click on the shirt to see the auction)






Four concert shirts from the late 80's. I love that the Aerosmith shirt lists the band's show at the Old Orchard Beach Ballpark, which was not exactly a massive venue. Or it didn't seem that way when I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan and Gregg Allman there in 1989 (or 1990 - those years are blurry). That night I thought I was the shizzle because I was wearing my Mr. Zog's Sex Wax T-shirt. THAT is a shirt I have kept.

But of the bunch, my favorite shirt is the Ozzy Osbourne shirt with the shagged perm and burning book. Not because of the front, but because of the back:

In case you can't read it, it's a test about Ozzy.

Ozzy is....
_My Granny's Favorite Singer
_The Demon King
_A Swell Guy Who Like Pets
_A Heavy Metal Madman
_Imperator of the Dark Legions
_All of the Above (which is the correct answer, of course)

If this was the type of question found on SAT's, every kid in my high school would have gone to Harvard.

I don't really go to big shows anymore, but I will make exceptions - for my beloved Rush, and for these guys, who I'll be seeing tonite, on a bayside Pier here in Portland.

What I did on my summer vacation

My beloved BMW R50/2 has been suffering some electrical issues, so instead of riding around the wilds of Maine on two wheels, I saw the sights in a car. And by "saw the sights" I mean, went to yard sales.

Most of the morning was spent trying to find an elusive yard sale which promised 4 stories of accumulation from 4 generations. It yielded nothing - though a giant paper mache Santa's sled did tempt me.

Closer to home I did find one of my holy grails, sort of - a La Creuset pan:


I realized that the heaviness that makes a La Creuset so desirable, is probably what landed it in a yard sale. This bad boy probably weighs 20 pounds, and with a nice curry in it, it's going to need a front end loader.

Also found - lucite/silver side table which will allow me to spill water, without consequence, when I water this crazy curly spider plant:


But it hasn't been all play - I have a bunch of 40's and 50's dresses from a knockout estate, and a pit party worthy buy of 80's concert t-shirts (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Ozzy, though sadly, for me, no Rush).

On a happier note, we fixed my bike today, so for better or for worse, this may be my last weekend of yard sales.

The living is easy

So in honor of The Stig's laziness, and mine, I'm having a 25% off sale on all my store items.

The best cure for a hangover

is finding cool stuff at yard sales!

Visiting friends from out of state + the debut of my husband's rock/metal band (a la Kyuss or Black Sabbath) + the first warm night in Maine in ages = a bit of a rocky start to this Saturday.

But relief was found via coffee and success at yard sales.

To wit:

Vintage Dansk enamel casseroles, to be added to the collection:

Stackable heavy metal (this time not as in Kyuss) candlesticks - Dansk I think. And red plastic serving tray - definitely Dansk.

Vintage Viewmaster Reels (including Little Black Sambo) and cool bakelite Deco Box:



Featuring cutout heads - my favorite graphic technique:



Vintage State of Maine shaped barb wire display (who knew?!)



It is stamped on the back "Amos Crouch, Chandler, Oklahoma." A little googling turns up the fact that Mr. Crouch died in 1989 at the age of 67. He was an insurance salesman. Somehow, knowing all that made me cry a little bit.

Danish Modern dollhouse:



Sadly, in the 80's, someone decided to redecorate. But isn't that always true in real life as well?

And last, but definitely not least, this week's mystery piece. A box with a face mask, featuring uber-creepy slashed rubber eyes. The holes in the back of the box make me thing that someone had this hanging in their house. ***shudder***







After this purchase my associate instituted a "No more creepy faces" buying/decorating rule, which I doubt I'll be able to obey. Sorry honey!

Real Life

It's not often that I find a real life application for the knowledge I've accumulated about vintage clothing. But yesterday, I had my chance.

Dad and I were at a local furniture consignment store, Cherished Possessions, aka amongst my friends (or at least amongst one very funny friend), CherPo. My father found an old chopper and hand mixer. He buys (and sells) certain types of things - Ogee mirrors, nail cabinets, old kitchen tools, Shaker pieces - and I have the exact same obsessive compulsive behavior, or, er, shopping sensibility. But that is a whole other blog post.

I found a teak dining room set, but I didn't recognize the name on the bottom, and it was in such great shape that it seemed new. However, there was an extra tag on the bottom, for B. Altman's - the same tag used for B. Altman's clothing from the 60's through the 80's, before going out of business in 1989 (thank you VFG!)


So I bought it.

And here is is, with a rug purchased this past weekend at a NH estate auction, on another outing with my father.

The Stig and Luna approve!

The table is designed, or inspired by Borge Mogensen with very clever extending Dutch leaves that extend its length to about 6 feet. It's the perfect excuse for a big dinner party.

Danish Modern IQ Test

It's a gorgeous example of usable Danish Modern design.

It's a peppermill - desperately needed to replace the horrible modern green plastic thingy that crushes peppercorns with the force of a fluffy kitten.

It's an IQ test, and one that I have failed. For the life of me I cannot figure out how to get the peppercorns into this thing. When the rings on the bottom are configured in a certain way, there's one wee hole, the size of a single peppercorn. I love this thing, but I refuse to feed it one orb at a time.

Ah well, it still looks good.

The latest addition to the NSV Cast of Characters

The Stig*

Tex

and Luna

are not impressed.

The Stig* sheds a lot, and though he has no contact with the vintage, an occasional ginger coon cat hair may find itself onto a piece, most likely via me, the cat hair magnet.

*Yes, we here at NSV Corporate Headquarters are fans of Top Gear, and the cat's namesake is that "The Stig."

Shop NorthStar Vintage

I'm participating in a vintage trunk sale with several other Maine dealers.

As the daughter of an antiques dealer, I have spent a lot of time at antiques shows. Even as a child, I loved it. So I am terribly excited for my first "real life" experience selling vintage. And I am thrilled to meet the people who are buying my clothes. I can't wait to see what people pick out from all my crazy inventory.

I have about 200 pieces ready to go, including dresses, menswear, purses, and accessories, from the 50's through the 90's. So if you're in Southern Maine, please check it out!

Recent acquisitions

Lilacs, motorcycles, ice cream trucks, black mulch, and yard sales - God I love spring.

Here are a few recent acquisitions:

Black iron lab andiron marked Liberty Fndry


























Beautiful but mysterious metal tray (maybe a candy mold?)





Chartreuse and gold 50's lamp (one of a pair) (needs a new shade!) and perfectly-sized Heywood Wakefield nightstand.











Vintage photo montage of little girl in various poses and outfits (I love montages!).

And about 15 30's and 40's cotton day dresses, a Battenburg lace 60's mini-dress, a Palm Beach 50's tuxedo, and a few other things. But more on that later.

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The best of both worlds

some friends who have inspired me recently.....

You would think that as fellow thrift store/garage sale affecionados, we'd be mortal enemies, but Linda and John are a major source of inspiration. They have opened my eyes to a whole new design aesthetic. You can see their influence in my stack of Hellerware/Dansk

Wary Meyers Decorative Arts

My wickedly talented, fearless friend. I can't keep up with her, but I love trying.

Greta Bank