Swapatorium

Siamese Twins

This photo is from one of my albums. It's a fascinating look at the Essex Sanatorium, Middleton, Mass., from 1931-36. This particular image was part of an event called the Horrible Parade which appears to be some sort of costume party held each year. Some of the costumes are extraordinary. There are also photos of doctors, nurses, patients, etc. I plan to scan the whole album for Swapatorium in the near future.

Casio Biolator

John picked up this Casio Biolator for $5 at an estate sale. It supposedly calculates your biorhythm. I punched in the numerical sequence needed to calculate mine and according to the booklet, I should be resting, I'll be moody with a negative attitude, and my judgement and perception will be at its keenest. I told John it's best if he stays away from me today.

Howling Success

This is a cool birth announcement from 1946. It's the actual size of a ticket. 

Cut from the Same Cloth

This is my favorite hidden mother photo that I own. It's so surreal. I found it at an antique shop for $2.

A Boy and His Polaroid

Check out a set of Polaroid photos shot by Bill, a boy in the 1970s. They were all in an old sticky back album. Lots of shots of his pet hamster, Kurious. There are a few photos of him too. One of his parents probably shot those or a sibling. The handwriting is neat on the first shots, so I think his mother must have started the album. Later, you can tell the captions were written by a kid.

Modern Market

John shared a booth with our friend, Don, at Lawndale's 13th Annual Modern Market. I feel really old because John and I did the very first show when we still had our shop. Seems like an eternity ago.  All the items John put in the booth are not things we purchased for resell. They were once part of our home or bought for that purpose, but with only so much space, you can't keep it all. You can spot that Richard Schultz coffee table I wrote about that I could not make work in our living room.  We do have two storage rooms and one garage still packed full. One day we will either open another shop or have one helluva garage sale.

Name that Photo #1

Best title wins this original vintage snapshot. Just comment below. Please, keep it clean, but not boring! ;-) Deadline is next Saturday, May 3, 2008.

Stormy's

Effie Elizabeth McCloud

I purchased these three rulers at an antique shop for $1. I looked up the patent and found that they were invented by Effie Elizabeth McCloud, 1939-41.

Coffee Table Contest

This is our current coffee table. I did have a Richard Schultz petal table for the past month, but I couldn't make it fit. So back to the old Nelson. I did a count yesterday and came up with fifteen different ones that we have had since we've been married. Fifteen years of marriage and fifteen coffee tables.  We've probably had even more couches, but that's another story. 

I am constantly rearranging the things on the table top.  It's a fun way to switch out collections and books.  The sunglasses all came from the garage sale of a little old lady a couple of weeks ago.  They are 1970s high-end designer shades and were 50 cents each.  The lenses are HUGE.  Gary Baseman sent me the top book in the middle stack.  He's a big vintage photo collector and I sent him some images for his collection.  In exchange, he sent me a box of some his products.  He's a super nice guy!  The stuffed rabbit is a beuys bunny made by etsy seller, das kaninchen.

I haven't had a contest since the old Swapatorium, so it's time.  The contest is, What's On Your Coffee Table?  Send me a photo and I'll pick my favorite. The winner will get a $25 gift certificate from Amazon.  The deadline is Friday, May 30, 2008.  Email all pics to swapatorium@yahoo.com with the title Coffee Table so I know it isn't spam.  Good luck!

Canceled until further notice.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges

I have not found many work badges in all our years of shopping. I have seen them on eBay, but I prefer finding them on my own.

This is where the badges are displayed. The Foam Bowl is by Marcel Wanders, the rag chair is by Tejo Remy for Droog, the nesting tables are by Gaetano Pesce, and the pillow is from Urban Outfitters (I like the pillow because it's a collage).  All the pieces of furniture were purchased over 10 years ago.  I would say 75% of our home furnishings are second hand, but we also enjoy new design. 

Anne Frank

Anne Frank postcard found in an antique shop. What a great find!

How Much Wood

This is our collection of vintage wood figures which sits in our kitchen. We have picked them up over the years while out junking.  They are mainly from Denmark, although there are some from Sweden, Finland, and 3 from Japan. My favorites are the squirrel, hedgehog, and bird.

Sad Sack

Masks made from brown grocery bags, McCall's 1968.

Colorful Additions

Take a look at the start of my new album, Color My World.

Tijuana 1947

Drawing and photos from a sailor's photo album.

For the Birds

Check out Socus Locus, The Lost Society of Collectors. It's an interesting concept that requires participation from other collectors.

The Funny Place

I bought two of these Coney Island admission badges yesterday at an antique shop for 50 cents each. I love the graphics. I found one on eBay for $90.  I didn't do too bad with my dollar investment.

Indian Burial Pit

I have not had time to look up this site. I just found this real photo postcard in one of the photo lots we purchased last week. Who are these people and why are they excavating Indian bones? The adults might be archeologists, but the kid?  I need to Google when I get the chance.

Atomic Ranch Birdhouse

We had a friend who used to have this birdhouse. I always loved it. We inherited my mother's bird, so I envisioned him living in this cage. Unfortunately, it's too small for him and even if it wasn't, the price tag is much too steep. 

Board Stiff

Mud Wrestlers

Here are the lovely ladies of mud wrestling. Based on the hairdos, I'd say it was the 1970s or early 80s.

They all look mild, except for The Cat Woman. She scares the bejesus out of me! I think she smothers her opponents with her chest.

Miss Fluffy

This vintage cookbook, put out by the Rice Council, is chock full of rice recipes from the sweet to the salty. Perhaps you think rice is nice and would love to try your hand at some of these concoctions. If so, email me and I will mail it to you.  But wait, not so fast.  There is a catch.  I really miss Rakka's awesome vintage recipe posts, so if you want this, you have to make one of the recipes and share your experience with us.  You don't have to do a video.  A photo or two will do, or if you don't have a camera, a description would be fine.  Up for the challenge?  p.s. Rakka, if you miss cooking for us, feel free to participate in this or any cookbook give-away.  Yes, there will be more! (no longer available)

Deltashine

This is the type of ephemera that survives only because the original owner was a packrat.  I like the Palm's Court graphic on the bottom of the "Shine Cloth" which is really more like a piece of Tyvek. I'm guessing it's from the 1950s or 60s. If anyone out there collects motel ephemera or wants to shine their shoes, email me and I will send it to you. (no longer available)

Shotgun Wedding

I found this photo about a month ago at a flea market. It's a fun addition to my head prop collection. An added bonus is the awesome stamp on the back.

Kitchen Computer

Source: Neiman Marcus Catalog, 1969.

Portrait

Some snapshots are just perfect in my eyes. This is one of them. It came from this lot.

The Artist

The photograph studios of today seem so boring compared to some of the images I have from long ago which were so creative with their shots. If I was able to be photographed in a similiar studio setting, I would do mine as a collagist, perhaps with a giant pair of scissors like the big McClean's palette, and scraps of paper all over the floor. I might even be wearing a paper dress. What would your occupational photo look like?

A Message From Elisabeth

We hope you tell in America that in Bavarian is too right people, which hopes that America brings to us the rule peace.

Photo found among large lot of photos purchased on Sunday that belonged to a soldier who fought in WW2 and was discharged when he was shot by enemy fire. There is a transcript of a radio show and some newspaper clippings that tell about his experience in the war.  I'll try to post that soon.

The House that Time Forgot

John went back to the sale where he found the Bertoia chairs last night to help price some items. He told me how extremely dusty the house originally was before it was cleaned by the estate sale employees. Turns out that the owner of the home had passed away and the family left everything as-is for six years. Even the original food was in the refrigerator and cupboards. I found that eerie. While there the second time around, he went into the attic and found a large box and two full bags of photos and ephemera. The family did not want them, so they came home to me. These are a few examples of what I have found so far, including the child's artwork above.

The bottom of their shoes read, To Hell with the Kaiser, '18.

Pin Me

I started a new album of pinback buttons. I have a drawer full that came from estate sale lots. As with many things I own, I didn't set out to collect these, but enjoy them, especially the really worn ones.

Daddy's Got a Squeezebox

I bought this photo for my medical collection. I can't tell if he has a body cast, but he is definitely in some sort of wheel chair/bed. I also can't tell what the tray on his lap is holding. It appears to be pamphlets. I wonder if he was part of an act?

Hanky Panky

"Yours truly" taken out in our drive way under the pepper-tree.

Aug. 1943 -

I had been entertaining my "Button Club" with a Handkerchief Exhibit (indoors). One of the ladies insisted on taking my picture with some of the hankies. I had a time holding them -

I'm Just Wild About Harry

John found this pair of Harry Bertoia Diamond Chairs at an estate sale this afternoon on his lunch hour. I like the black wire with the yellow seat pads.  I'm not sure where I will put them since we have more chairs than we know what to do with, but I'm certain I will find a spot. The nice thing about these chairs is that they match one of my favorite chairs in the house which is a child's Bertoia.

Wacky Packaging

Swapatorium reader, Pete, has an interesting collection of 1970s-80s food and product packaging. He said that it is hard to come by since not many people list it on eBay or it usually gets thrown out. That makes sense because when we go to estate sales, there is never food for sale.  So if you find any old goodies in your granny's pantry, don't throw it away.  I'm sure Pete would be happy to take it off your hands.

Sort It Out

I sat at our dining table today going through piles of photographs. There are a bunch of albums and loose photos that are stored in the dining room built-in cabinets and bookcases. This is where I kept them before converting our guest bedroom into a photo room. Rather than schlep them down a flight of stairs, I utilized the dining table for my task. Sorting is a long process because I record where I bought the items in my notebook, as well as the price and any background notes. I then tag the photos with a number/letter that corresponds with the entry. Just as I got half way through, John returns from the preview of an estate sale. What did he find? You got it, more photos.

Electric Pin Up

I got this from one of my favorite paper dealers on Wednesday. I bought a bunch of photo albums, so essentially she threw this in with the lot.

First Pair of Pants

This small gift box was part of a large group of photos from an estate sale. It's a sweet time capsule of a baby boy's first pair of pants, two of his photos, a pair of socks and booties.   The socks are not dirty from wear, but from age.  The box is marked 1919.

Getting a New Ride

Sorry that I have neglected to post much recently, but John and I have been hunting for a new car for me.  So what did I finally end up buying? A 2008 Prius. It's the exact color shown in the link. I love everything about it, especially the gas milage.