My Find of the Week...

Enid Collins designed purses in Medina, Texas from the late 50s until 1970 when Tandy Leather Corporation bought her business. Her handbags are fun to own, like this wooden box purse hand decorated with paint, sequins and rhinestones. This one dates from 1965.

Hors d'oeuvres, canapes? Just find the hedgehog.

Here's a Sallies, or Salvation Army, purchase. Paid a whopping $2.99 for him, just couldn't help myself. I've overheard people in thrifts try to figure out what these items are - toothpick holders? incense burners? They're made of ceramics, wood, plastic and come in animal or bird shapes, abstracts, hats, shells, etc. Covered with little holes, lots of little holes. Wonder no more - they became popular with the age of cocktail parties, the lounge era, rat pack devotees to slightly bad men and women who balanced being proper with knowing how to have a drinkie poo and entertain at home in style. Bits of meat, cheese, or whatevers were pierced with a toothpick and then stuck in the holder of choice. Sometimes they would be used at the "bar" to hold olives, pearl onions, cherries, slices of fruit, to add to drinks.

I think the hedgehog is perfect as all those toothpicks stuck in his back will give him the effect of having all his quills raised.

Susie Lee, East Texas Handbag Co. 1960's 70's

I bought these at different thrifts. One came from the Goodwill and one from a yard sale. $3.00 for the Love purse and $2.00 for the textured material with faux tortoise handles. Several of these purses have passed thru my hands but it wasn't until recently that I found out the baskets they are made from are commonly used for selling east Texas peaches in season. A quick insert here - east Texas peaches are the best peaches I have ever eaten!

Haven't been able to find out much about Susie Lee or the East Texas Handbag Co. but have talked to several ladies who remembered their mama or aunts owning one. This has helped date them to the 1960's and 70's. An east Texas response to Enid Collins perhaps? All the ones I've seen have been made in this style with the drawstring top, lined interior and double plastic or lucite ring handles. And haven't seen any repeats as of yet - all have different material, appliques, colors, some with basket showing and some with basket covered.

1960's Dandylion puff ball in lucite paperweight.

Here's a 50 cent find from a yard sale. One of my thrift treasures that I used for several years before selling on line. A secret pleasure in recycling thrift store vintage and antiques? The ability to rotate them thru your own life for awhile and enjoy them before sending them on to their new homes.

Charge me guilty as found - I love those items with sea shells, dried flowers, petrified wood, scorpions, and so on, encased in lucite. Wall plaques, trivets, small trays, large platters, cheese boards, paperweights - they draw my eye every time. Especially the odd ones like this treasure. How did they do that! A dandylion fluff caught forever. Memories of being a child, making wishes and blowing every bit of fluff off the stem so your wish would come true - all caught in a kitsch era of encasing nature in plastic.

What's on the feedbag?

"What's on the feedbag?" That is my husband's signature phrase. He even has the rest of my family imitating him when it's getting close to dinnertime. For the answer, I love turning to old cookbooks. And of course the place to find the most unusual ones are at the local thrift store.

You helped end the Cold War and this is the thanks you get???

Welcome to a free-enterprise economy, Mr. Gorbachev. I found this priceless piece of 20th century memorabilia at the local Goodwill clearance outlet. How could I resist for just 50 cents? My memories of duck and cover drills in the 1960s and the Red Scare and musty, dark bomb shelter in a neighbor's back yard only made this more irresistible. Who should I find among the piles of cast-off treasures, but Mikhail Gorbachev. Yes, the man who helped end the Cold War, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 crafted of squishy plastic, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit and packaged as a Christmas ornament. Meet Santa Gorby. Complete with the unmistakable birthmark on his forehead. The package says it all--Kinder Gentler Fun all Year!

From the sublime to the ridiculous, the items I've purchased at thrift stores have given me, my friends and family countless hours of pleasure, & laughs along with consternation (what was I thinking??). It's definitely a guilty pleasure and once the thrill of the hunt got in my blood, I've never found a cure. If I hadn't been seeking that thrill, I would never have seen Gorby tricked out as Santa.

Don't forget to brush your teeth....

This is the sort of thing you can only find at a thrift store (or maybe a garage sale.) Teeth are not the usual theme for salt and pepper shakers. On second thought, I think maybe I can see the connection.... Anyway, these are from 1981. They cost me 50 cents and I purchased them at the local Goodwill Outlet Store (the Gold Standard for junking, IMHO.) I was thinking I would give them to my sister, who has a small but impressive collection of unusal S&P shakers. Too bad there is not a dentist in the family...

Picked this fine fellow up for $1.99 the other day. He was so ugly, I couldn't resist him. Never mind the nose on him - his chin sticks out far enough and hooks upwards at the end just enough that you could hang things on it. The inside of chin curve is darker than the rest of the wood. Looks like someone either did use this guy to throw their hat or whatever on - or he was somebody's lucky piece and that chin got rubbed on a regular basis. All hand carved and ready to preside over a new village.