April Flea Finds!

Last month I hardly found anything I wanted at the flea market, but this month there was cool stuff everywhere! I think Kimmie might have been my good luck charm!

 I definitely don't need any more planters, but this sweet lamb was just a buck so she couldn't stay behind. When I saw the kangaroo I liked it, but when I turned it over to look for the tag I saw it was Walt Disney! It is the Kanga (and Roo) from the old Winnie the Pooh set! I got Pooh, Rabbit, Eeyore, and Piglet at the world's longest yard sale, so I was happy to find one more! And then of course I couldn't leave any dream pet type reindeer behind! Even missing noses!

 A Junior Deluxe Edition I didn't have, and a wonderful dog paint by number! It is on canvas. Travis found this one, I can't wait to find a frame for it!

 The ice capades!

Some cute cracker jack toys, a little Rat Fink, and some boy scout emblems I want to use as cupcake toppers!

 This cuckoo clock is in rough shape but it was CHEAP and easy to fix. I didn't have one with a dog on it in my collection either! This guy has already been glued back together!

 I've been on the lookout for vintage Star Trek stuff since last summer (My "summer of Spock") but never found anything! Then I found these two gems in one go! Even without his outfit I couldn't resist this Spock action figure! He looks pretty snazzy in the speedo/knee high boot combo! I'll see if I can snag his suit cheap on ebay! And that cup! I saw it out of the corner of my eye when walking past a booth that was pretty mediocre and ran back! Of course I'll show you both sides...

Isn't it cute! I wish it was glass, but I still love it! I don't think I'll use it, I don't want those lovely graphics to wear off!

 I had to get this game because my friend Crystal has it and it is so much fun! You lay those cards out and hit the button on top of the yellow thing. It spins and makes a monster, then you slap the card that matches with the little suction cup hand! It can get out of hand really fast! So much slapping!

 I got some photos of course. A highlight is the kid in the bottom left, you can tell from here, but he has his hand on a DEAD RACCOON! Good pose!

 And last but not least I got this great scrapbook! I'll have to do a whole post on it because it has some amazing photos! I was attracted at once to the florida cut out on the front, then flipping through it I saw dogs, kids in costumes, soldiers, parties, the beach, awkward bathing suits...all the things I like!

 It turns out it is a record of the Demas family and their time in Florida! The father was in the Navy and they had twin boys named Ronald and Donald! Just wait until I scan some of it!  The best part, I didn't notice until I got it home and was looking in more detail, but they lived in Sanford! That is where my Grandparent's live now and where my dad spent most of his childhood! How cool!

The pages are in kind of rough shape and I'm thinking about getting some new, acid free paper  that matches the current pages and attaching all the of photos and clippings, etc in there to preserve it. I would put it between the existing covers of course. What do you guys think?

The April Flea!

I love the flea market! I thought I was going to have to miss it this month, but it turned out they moved it back a week because of Easter. Yes! We headed down to the fairgrounds on Friday. It was a beautiful day! I had my birthday money burning a hole in my pocket.

And after months of talking about it, Kimmie came with us! We had a good time and she was a good sport about me digging through every box of photos in sight! I always worry I'll bore someone who goes with me because I'm pretty slow at the flea, but Kimmie has had lots of practice waiting, since her other half is a record collector.

I found the first Junior Deluxe Edition for my collection I've found in a while. Davy Crockett! I need to update that post! I have over 30 now!

Very realistic!

I wanted that little chalk dog! But I don't have a good place to put it. 

I need this for my future sun room!

Pennants seemed to be everywhere! If this Fantasyland one wasn't in such bad shape (it's hard to tell but it was falling apart) I might have brought it home!

I'm always attracted to decals!

There is something about those shell mantle clocks that I have always liked. So tacky and beautiful. Especially when paired with a kitten plaque and a kind of Elvis.

Gorgeous! 

My favorite colors!

I REALLY want this Chitty Chitty Bang Bang lunchbox! That is one of my favorite movies and I use a lunchbox every day at work! It was out of my price range though, even when the dealer said he could go down 25 bucks! I wish I had gotten a photo of the other side, it had the child catcher on it, who terrified me as a child!

I'll come back and show you what I brought home tomorrow!

My 29th Birthday!

If you follow me on instagram you know that this past Wednesday was my 29th birthday! I took four days off of work for the occasion and had a really wonderful time. Most of the celebrating ended up happening on Tuesday because my best friend was also off of work and was able to spend the whole day with me. Here is what we got up to!

This is Crystal! Who you have seen before. She met up with me at my house and then took me out to lunch at a place in Hillsboro Village. I can't remember the name, but it was all kinds of flatbread things, with lots of vegan stuff on the menu. Awesome!

 Our main objective for the day was going to Sephora for makeovers. It is silly, but we have both been wanting to do it for a long time and were always too chicken. I got that gift card for Christmas, and she gave me the other one. Haha! I felt like since I'm almost 30, maybe I should learn a little about makeup.

 Here is our stunning before...

 And after! It was actually really fun! The girl who did mine was really nice and knew I wanted red lipstick even though I thought I wanted something neutral. They have lots of cruelty free and vegan stuff to choose from too. We both ended up buying some things and I'm excited to play around. I felt like a total freak wearing lipstick all day but looking back I like how it looks. I think I just need to get used to it. I'm so happy we did it! I almost feel like a grown woman!

Then we went shoe shopping and bought matching flats! If you had told me ten years ago that I would be spending my birthday buying makeup and shoes I would have laughed at you. 

 Presents! I still have years worth of that rock and roll tv wrapping paper to use. And I'm so glad!

Crystal got me the Spock shirt! And Travis got me the blu ray and the book! Help! has always been one of my favorite movies! For years I haven't been able to watch it because I just have a VHS tape, I am so happy to have the blu ray now! I watched it the next day and it was just and weird and amazing as I remembered.

 There is Scampi and Murray keeping an eye on the proceedings. 

Travis came home, and we picked up Crystal's husband Marc and had tacos! I am OBSESSED with making tacos. We have been doing it once a week for the past month and then I eat the leftovers for days! We make refried beans, fresh mango salsa, beyond meat feisty crumbles (best fake meat i've EVER HAD) and for my birthday Travis made delicious spicy guacamole! Mmmm I want it again right now!

We talked and laughed and did a little karaoke and then played Catchphrase! The best group game there is! Crystal and I won both rounds, we have kind of a psychic connection.

 Travis got me a cake from Kahn's Desserts in East Nashville. It was chocolate with mint icing between the layers, and vanilla on the outside. It was delicious! And cute. I had such a good time celebrating with my best friends. We are going on vacation together in July and I can't wait!

 On my actual birthday I mostly just sat around, bought some short shorts, and then went and got tattooed! It is a kitsune from Japanese folklore. It is on my left arm. I just got the outline and the black done this time. I can't wait to get it colored! I'll show you a photo of the actual thing later. I didn't get a good one when it was fresh and now it is all gross and scabby. It was done by Jason St.Clair from Flash City as usual. He is the best!

The day after that I went to the lake and laid on the beach with some friends. It was fun but I got my first sunburn of the year! I put on so much sunscreen too, over and over! I'm so mad about it! After the lake I brought my karaoke machine to my friend Jamie's house and had probably the best karaoke session ever. So many people were just as into it as I am! See me second from the right? It was perfect.

The last day of my  mini birthday vacation Travis was able to be off of work and we spent the whole day together at the flea market. And I got so much stuff! I'll tell you about it soon! April has been the best month so far, I hope it's a sign that my summer is going to rule!

Collection 22: Smashed Pennies

This collection isn't really vintage like most of my others, but it is kind of old fashioned. Since I was a little kid I've loved making smashed pennies. I'm sure you've seen the machines. You see them a lot in museums and at zoos. They have TONS of them at Disney World. I don't have lots of them still from when I was a kid, but I have a few! Smashed pennies are a great souvenir because they are inexpensive (they usually cost 50 cents, plus the penny) and don't take up much room.

Here is my current collection:

 I have a LOT of zoo ones. We used to go to any zoo we could get too. 

If you aren't from Tennessee you might not have heard of Opryland but it was a huge fixture in my childhood! It was a country music themed park in Nashville that closed and became an outlet mall in 1997. People my age who grew up here still mourn it. I can remember how scared I was waiting in line for the sky ride. Which is so dumb because it isn't even really a ride! Hah!

They are notoriously hard to photograph. Here are my four different Elvis pennies. There really is a range of resemblance here.

 This weiner mobile one is of my favorites! I think collecting these appeals to me because you usually find them at tacky roadside places, or more old fashioned attractions. When I plan a trip, I often check out the city on Penny Collector so I can get some ideas of places to visit. I'm not as serious as most of the people on that site, though I have picked up some great tips! For example, using a penny that is pre-1982 usually gets you a better press. After that they starting making pennies from zinc with just a copper coating. With the zinc you often get a lot of the silver color coming through.

 When we were dating Travis' parents took him and his brother on a trip to Disney World. When he came back he brought me this penny book filled with smashed coins. It was such a thoughtful gift, and it meant he was thinking of my throughout his trip because he got these pennies all over multiple parks! It was very romantic to 17 year old me. It's still pretty romantic to me now!

 I have one penny from overseas. A friend brought me this back from her honeymoon to London! Another friend brought me a penny from New Orleans. My dad collects them too and used to bring me some home from his business trips. I always loved that!

 I always have that little cat pouch full of pre-1982 pennies and a few quarters on me. That piles are the pennies I've made since last summer. I finally put them in the books after taking these photos. I even got a smashed quarter at Disney Land last summer! I like how those look, but they seem so expensive. You  have to pay a dollar on top of the quarter to smash!

Hope you enjoyed seeing one of my favorite little collections! Do you have any of these? What do you collect when you travel? When I was a kid I loved keychains too and had a huge box full of them. I've always been a collector.