Bolducs Basement 1980's Garfield Smurf Fire King

Set of 5 Vintage Ornamnets, $12.50 and Oh So Cute at Bolducs Basement

Bolducs Basement

Sometimes shops on Etsy pop up with a particular theme, for instance, the blacksmith artist who only hand forges hooks and metalware.  There are many shops full of the vintage jewelry seller who only sell a certain "type" of item. Whether it be the deco or bakelite circa 1920's or an upscale diamond and gemstone shop, things are streamlined for you.   Although those shops are all fine and wonderful, they aren't really giving the thrill of treasure hunting.

 

Garfield Oh No 4-0 Birthday Mug at Bolducs Basement Etsy $10

Once in a blue moon  you may get lucky and see a shop like Bolducs Basement. In this case, when Tracy from Helotes, Texas decided to open a "treasures" shop on Etsy.  What she has unmassed is a giant collection of knick knacks from the 1970's, 1980's and 90's, so much of it reminds me of my own youth!  What makes this shop different is that it's themed circa 70's to 90's era and a bit of everything which makes great fun for treasure hunting! Great for 1980's Collecting!

Tracy and her 90=yearsyoung grand-mom, who got her started in collecting.

Her inspiration, she says, was from her Grandmother who had a flair for vintage decorating.  Tracy says that her keen eye for recognizing vintage things and fixing up old furniture led her to open a booth locally.  She says, "I opened a second booth closer to home, and then when it became too strenuous with balancing my home life (taking care of demanding dogs and a cat, as well as my daughter before she went to college) so I just kept up the one close to home. When rent became too much, I started selling exclusively online."

Smurfette is only $8.50 a great deal at Bolducs Basement on Etsy.

Tracy balances her store with unique inexpensive items.  Here today, gone tomorrow, so don't wait!  In this shop you will find a big assortment of 80's character items such as Disney, Garfield and Smurfs. I did a huge post on Collecting Smurfs before, and it was one of my most read.  Seems that those little blue creatures seem to be living forever.

Smiling Garfield Collectible at Bolducs Basement on Etsy.

For Chrismas,  Tracy's shop is loaded with vintage Christmas items and ornaments, the kind I used to see my own Mother decorating with.  It's a great shop to bookmark and check often, or favorite on Etsy to get updated of new and recent items.  Tracy says, " To me, everything I have in my store is a treasure. Much like my grandmother's house, where she has some of everything, I hope that people can find a little bit of everything in my basement."

Christmas Kitty Hallmark Ornament and More in her shop!

Find out more: 

BolducsBasement on Etsy

Blue and White Mexican Talavera Pottery

Collecting Mexican Pottery Talavera:  Collecting With a Cause  

Talavera Blue and White Mexican Pottery at Rusticagift.com

Rustica Gift and Pottery site features the work of two old world studios (Talavera la Corona &  Mayolica Santa Rosa) who make this lovely pottery earthenware.   Today I'm featuring the line called "Azul Y Blanco Talavera Pottery."

The stunning look of this blue and white Mexican Pottery is simply shabby , yet functional and handcrafted.

Here we have highlighted the blue and white for those who collect Blue and White items for their kitchen.  The rich color and hearty pottery would look great in a cabinet for display, yet is fully functional to use for dinner time!

Soup and Salad Bowl $44.95

Dinner Plate $59.95 

It's safe to use for dinner and is dishwasher safe.  Great for entertaining those special guests. We love it since it's vintage techniques used and implemented in the making of the pieces...

Rusticagift.com shows how these articles are made in ancient traditions.

According to the website, selling the wares, the pottery dates back to the 12th century Moors via the monks of La Reyna de la Talavera, Spain thereby taking it's name.  The work today is Mexican Talavera, rich in old world techniques and the pottery is hand crafted which means no two exactly alike.  

Coffee Mug $24.95 here.

What's not to love? Did we mention that Rustica Gift and Pottery, who supports  IPODERAC.  The purchase of wares help give back because a portion of proceeds from the sales are donated to the children's fund . Nothing like giving back to the community!

 
Find out more at RusticaGift.com

Vintage Smurf Collectibles Memorabilia

From The Kitschy Corner $12

Smurfs!

Oh how I love thee.   Over the years the Smurfs have been frozen in time, ageless and collecting Smufy memorabilia can be fun and exciting.  Thousands of licensed items have been made.  I wonder how some have survived after all these years.  Many are worth lots of money, others are just so unique you have to have them. Here are a few of my favorites.

Smurf House on Etsy at SleepsWithTurtles $75

In our day we have the smurf house and figures. The earlier figures were sold in Hallmark stores and sold in tiny boxes.  Over the decades a huge variation of smurfs have been made in several countries with many different markings, colors and variations.

1981 Smurfette from The Constant Gatherer

Mold markings are often found on the bottoms in the form of a tiny number, and although the date and stamp may indicate that year the smurf was created, not necessarily the year the smurf was made. Due diligence should be done on investigating your smurf value. Here's a great site to start with called "BlueBuddies.com" which boasts that it's the world's largest smurf compendium and we tend to agree!

Smurf Glasses from 1983, full set sells for $40 at Purveyor of Odd Things

Home decorations, toys and games, party favors and figurines were just a few things you'd fine. Everything from plush animals to bedsheets were smurfed out. These cute little creatures made their ways into many a home.

Smurfy Sheet , Twin, $29.99 at TCGHVintage

Over the years many of the sheets and pillows have been used, gained holes or stains and are hard to come by in good vintage condition. If you are lucky you will still find them vibrant like the one above. Often sheets and curtains have been refabricated and upcycled into pillows and handmade items which also make for fun collecting.  Below we have original mint in package memorbilia which has not been used also getting harder to find.

Rare, Hong Kong Pin the tail Game $18 here

The Kitschy Corner has a lot of period memorabilia that's worth a look see stocked by Lona who is in the "Michiana" area. She says, "If you're ever in the Southern Michigan/ Northern Indiana area, stop by Booth #23 at the Michiana Antique Mall! I have lots of amazing finds on sale."

Smurf Stickers at Apple Picker Vintage $16

So many Smurfs so little time. Gargamel and his cat Azrael kept the smurfs on their toes. Papa Smurf and Smurfette looked different than the rest.  Finding vintage Azrael Merchandise is getting skimpy. It's hard to find that cute cat. Meow!

$99.99 Azrael Plushy rare with original tags at VintageSmurfsandMore

Smurf Napkins at TheKitschyCorner $12

Vintage Orange Juice Pitchers and Glasses

Deal of the Century:  $14 gets you the pitcher and glasses at LemonHeadPress

Orange You Smart?

There used to be an old song on television when I was growing up as a kid. In fact, I found a Youtube Video circa 1982.  Instead of aren't you smart they did Orange you smart, which was catchy and a nice little play on words.  The parts I remember went like this :

 "Orange you smart, for drinking orange juice, for that clean and sunny sunny taste...orannnngeeeege you smart................"

Pitchers in the kitchen with glasses for breakfast didn't just happen in the 50's and 60's but into the 70's and 80's when I was a kid.  It was a big thing having a square breakfast before school. Up until that time mom's didn't always work and mine was home taking care of us making us eat our cereal and drink our juice. That was a lot of liquid let me tell you!  Now those days are long gone, most parents are both working.

LookBackVintage on Etsy has this set for $18

Perhaps the best thing about collecting is these look great on the table . Prices above are considered low and very fair to account for shipping charges.   Orange juice memorabilia can brighten up any retro kitchen.  The vintage milk caps below, even took time to advertise orange juice.  

A cute collectible, these milk caps, get all 40 pcs for $5 at VintageRescueSquad on Etsy

Caps could be fashioned into something fun for the kitchen or in craft projects.  I always thought putting a magnet on the back would make for very cute fridge magnets, or poking a hole and using them for adornments on a fruit basket given to a sick friend. Taking the kitchen decorating a step further, you could look for Florida merchandise. Associated with oranges, Florida was a great place to find kitschy novelties shaped like oranges.

These coasters are souvenirs of Florida, fromVeesVintage are only $6

Corny little oranges can adorn your whole kitchen and look cute in the process. Tons of salt and peppers are on the market for a few bucks.  Find retro orange aprons, tea towels and prints for the kitchen.

Find these at Mabel Street Miscellany, for only $7

Orange Slice Trivet from Etsy Shop WolvesAhead  $12

Vintage Cameras from Upcycled Classics Polaroid Cameras

  

Pink Polaroid Impulse AF With New Film Cartridge $92.00

Who doesn't love vintage cameras? One shop on Etsy has a plethora of vintage cameras for sale. How cool, now you can have a flashback to the past and see lots of Polaroid and other retro cameras at Upcycled Classics on Etsy.  The great part is, they are in working condition and come with film!  The pink one above is super cool, and has been "pink-i-tized" by the curator.

Green AutoFocus Impulse Upcycled Green Camera is $104

Gary G. is the curator and he runs the shop from Santa Rosa, California.  This brings back some memories for me. When I was young, Polaroid instant cameras were everywhere. So much so, some of our weekly runs were to go to the store just to get more film. I remember the one we had was white with a rainbow on the front.  My grandmother had a nicer all black model.

The Big Swinger 3000 in Red is Super Retro, only $72 circa 60's 

The boxed film didn't last long, there we had a big family and I liked to think I may have taken some of my best photographs back then.  I remember the excitement of waiting for the picture to pop out, and it taking a moment to develop.  Now, vintage cameras are in. Not only for collectors to covet but for you to use and rightfully so. Nothing like taking a modern day photo with a vintage style camera.

Check them out here Upcycled Classics.

Collecting Vintage Coffee Pots

Vintage Coffee Pot , West Bend, $350 at Light and Time Art on Etsy

Do you know anyone who actually collects vintage coffee pots? This would be a huge and vast choice for a collector comprising of glass pots, french press coffee pots, aluminum canister pots, commercial pots, plastic pots and home brewing pots.   What about enamel coffee pots?  As you can tell it would be too numerous to fathom and certainly the collector would want to tailor it down to what appeals to them.  Above, a rare Kodak 1970's pot looks, at first glance, like a giant roll of Kodak film. Great for the advertising collector. Although many people thought these pots were only used commercially, we had one in our household growing up. (We had a big family, and loved the coffee.)  You can buy it at Light and Time Art, for $350.

French Vintage Shop offers this coffee pot for $127.10

If I was collecting coffee pots I must admit, I'd have to go for the gorgeous, like the above French enamelware coffee pot. Obviously from the early 1900's this was lovingly used and imagine how lovely the coffee would look being poured out of this back in the day. The issue of course is with the enamelware over time the items would chip, and possibly rust, so finding them in good displayable condition is hard and rare. The above item retails for $127.10 and that's not a bad price considering how lovely this item is to display.  Of course you can't use them , as they are deemed unsafe, but who would want to? This would be a rare gem in the coffee pot collection.

Mid Century Modern Coffee Pot $25 from Circe Collectables

Overlooked and under-collected surely would be the ceramic coffee pots. Many dinnerware manufacturers not only made ceramic coffee pots as specialty additions to their lines, but occasionally you will find whole ceramic sets made with the pot and cups. It's hard to tell if they were originally meant for tea, sake , or coffee but who cares when they are this cool they are a must have addition to the collection.

A big push in the 1960's had many mid century modern manufacturers, novelty companies and the like jumping on the bandwagon selling coffee service sets, and a whole slew came out of Japan for decorative purposes. If you look hard enough you can find real gems to add to your collection, like the one above for only $25 featuring a great Mid Century Modern Design from Circe Collectables on Etsy.

Etsy shop HappyKristen offers this funky Regal coffee pot only $25

Let's not forget plastic!   Plastic fantastic is a whole other wing for collectors, and great finds can be had like this retro coffee pot (11 cup)  available at Happy Kristen on Etsy for $25.  Plastic will be the hardest to find, because over time they've been dropped, cracked or burnt. This is a rare gem!

$12 gets you this great in the box pot at LucyBettynJune

Aluminum coffee pots, although the most common can sometimes still be found unused , in the box, and would be a rare collection addition.  This is only $12 at LucyBettyNJune Shop on Etsy. 

What do you collect?

Collecting Vintage Themes: Lady Bugs Ladybug Ladybird Beetle

For the ultimate lady bug lover: the jean vest $15.99  at One Crazy Shopper Gurl

It's amazing how many people collect different themes. From vintage dinosaurs to poodles, to kewpies or pixies, but what about ladybugs? I remember a lady at an estate sale told me that she would collect everything and anything lady bug that she could find. I thought of here when I saw these things. I have to admit even I was surprised at these great finds on Etsy.

The Unique Bird on Etsy has this adorable and unusual figurine for $6.50

  These are vintage Libbey Ladybug glasses available at 1006Osage

 

 

 

 Erickas Collectibles on Etsy has found a huge stock of vintage ladybug necklaces, just $35 each!