Wishing and Hoping and Planning and Dreaming

Hello Meteorites,

     Did you survive Black Friday? How is your Small Business Saturday going? Axl and I did make a trip to the mall yesterday but it was not at a crazy hour. He was a man on a mission for some super sale H&M sweaters (sadly they were out of his size). Afterward, I persuaded him to go to my favorite Denver consignment store where I purchased a blazer for $2.00 to wear to work and won $10.00 in store credit on a prize wheel. I figured that was not too shabby.  

     Since our wedding, we are still budgeting like crazy and that has not left much wiggle room for thrifting but, if the choice is shop or pay the rent, you pay the rent.  The time will come soon when I have walking around money again but I was saddened to see the following Craigslist post. Maybe if you're local you can shop and get some good deals and tell me about it? It was like the universe itself created an estate sale for me but I know if I go I will want to buy something (or lots of things) and that's just no bueno until I am steadily working again.  

     Being on a budget puts a damper on Christmas shopping but I'm a big fan of daydreaming (the law of attraction) so here is my current wish list. These are the things I hunt for when I'm thrifting for my own collection:

      1. A vintage (or vintage-inspired) mannequin head. I'd prefer something "classic" looking with it's hair painted on. I am not a fan of cartoonish-looking mannequins or ones where the mannequin looks bored, zombie-esque, or "above it all". I know that's giving a mannequin a lot of credit but, if I'm using my mannequin to display a great vintage hat, I don't want her looking like Betty Boop (not that there's anything wrong with Betty but, like all good things, she has a time and place). I just want a gal who's pleasant-looking. Maybe something like this: 

{Photo courtesy  of}

     2. Tijuana Picnic. I don't know a lot about this one and I can't even remember where I first heard of it but, being from Kentucky, I have a soft spot for the Colonel (though PETA has succeeded in convincing me not to eat his finger lickin' goods). From what I understand, this record was given out to KFC diners in the mid 1960's. Though it's attributed to the man himself, it is likely that the music is Herb Alpert  and his Tijuana Brass Band.  

{Photo courtesy of Google Images}

3. Betty Crocker's Cooky (no that is not misspelled) Book. I would like to find a 1963 edition, not a reproduction. It's one of those books I always browse thrift store shelves for. I'm pretty sure my Aunt Joann baked me cookies out of this book when I was a kid and that's all it took for me to form a lifelong obsession.  

{Photo courtesy of Google Images}

4. When You Were A Baby. A Little Golden Book by Rita Eng. 1949 edition. This would my all-time favorite find if I ever came across it. My parents read this book to me when I was very wee and I can still recall its illustrations (by Corinne Malvern). Not knowing it had struck a chord with me, my mother handed our copy down to my cousins. I look for it every time I see Little Golden Books.

{Photo Courtesy of}

5. A vintage french enamelware ladle utensil rack with utensils and strainers. I think these are so charming. It isn't practical for me to have one now as we do not own our own home and our kitchen is the size of a postage stamp but one day I would like to have one of these sets.

{Image Courtesy of eBay}

     So, those are the things I look for when I'm thrifting. I know I could purchase some of them online  right now and, when it comes to no. 4, I'm pretty tempted...but that would ruin the thrill of the find. I might eventually break down for that one, especially once I have children of my own.
     If I was to ask for one thing this year it would be:

6. More Facebook "Likes" on the Meteor Vintage Facebook page. Meteor Vintage is now on Facebook and it would thrill me to know that there is curiosity and mutual interest out there for my blog and (eventual) wares.  I use the page to post when there is a new blog post up, when there is something I want to tell folks about that just needs a quick blurb and, once I start posting items for sale on Etsy,   this will be how you will know. Plus, I respond in kind. A "like" for my page equals a "like" for your page. If you'd like to "like" my page you can click here to be redirected to Meteor Vintage on Facebook.
    More than anything, I wish for everyone to have a safe, happy, healthy and successful holiday season. I look forward to reading your posts and celebrating with you.

Yours 'till bobby pins on permanent waves get seasick,

Meteor Vintage

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bob Hope teaches you how to carve a turkey:

Image courtesy of Google search

Yours 'till bobby pins on permanent waves get seasick, 

Meteor Vintage

Denver's Secret (Vintage) Stash

    When we first moved to Denver, I was intimidated. I didn't know the city very well and, literally, everything was different from what I knew it to be in Kentucky. With the help of a GPS, I started making my way around town. Inevitably, I found my way to thrift stores. I still haven’t discovered my dream* thrift store in Denver but there is still plenty of thrift to be had.
     *By “dream” thrift store, I mean a store that has not been severely picked over, where I can find affordable items that are complete, working or undamaged.

     The first thing I noticed about thrift stores (stores such as Goodwill and ARC (Association for Retarded Citizens)) in Denver was that the cost of items is much higher than what I knew it to be in Kentucky. On the other hand, unlike the stores I went to in Kentucky, Denver stores offer discounts and promotions. 

     If you "like" Goodwill Industries of Denver on Facebook, you are eligible to receive their Make My Monday coupon. It’s only on their site for one Monday a month (the next one will be posted Monday, November 26^th). You print off the coupon to receive 25% off an item that (I think) costs $20.00 or more.  Next, the local Goodwills have a 50% off most items sale at least once a month. Finally, this fall, Goodwill rolled out a program called Club Blue. It is a free rewards program. You receive 10% off the first time you use your Club Blue Card, 20% off every time you spend $25.00 or more in one transaction (after senior or military discounts are applied), a $10.00 reward once you have accumulated 250 points (i.e. once you have spent $250 at Goodwill), and a $5.00 birthday reward.  Kinda takes the sting out of higher prices, right?

     ARC has an e-club you can join to receive coupons, every day one of their various colors of tags is 50% off,  every Tuesday seniors receive 50% off nearly every tag and just about every Saturday is 50% off most items.

     So, what’s missing?  Vintage clothing.  I’m not saying I was rolling in vintage clothing in Kentucky but it wasn’t uncommon to find a piece here or there. And, then…I discovered why. I don’t have it on any authority, but it seems to me that Denver thrift stores put vintage clothing aside for Halloween. Imagine my surprise when I walked into my favorite ARC store a few weeks back and discovered rows of vintage clothes. I’m not saying that what I discovered was my favorite style or condition but, for better or worse, there was the vintage clothing I’d been missing.
     For Halloween, ARC promoted a “Boo It Yourself” costume contest. Having only lived in Denver for eight months, I don’t know if this is an annual contest.  Given the array of clothing and materials in ARC designated for Halloween, I figured you created a costume from what you purchased and submitted it to ARC for judging. Then, I learned that you create a costume through a matrix on their website, submit it to ARC and ARC posts the submissions to their Facebook page.  The costume idea that receives the most “likes” wins a $100.00 shopping spree to ARC. 

     As I was planning our wedding and moving towards my career job, it was necessary that I be conservative in my spending but I still managed to enjoy a few good deals from this promotion. For example, this lovely teal dress with its own crinoline sewn in that I'll enjoy wearing come the spring: 

Close-up of the fabric of the dress.

Yours 'till bobby pins on permanent waves get seasick,

Meteor Vintage