Sunday, June 26, 2011

Granny Craft Motherload

It's probably no secret that I love kitsch. But my favorite kind of kitsch? Granny Crafts! These are the crafts made by the senior set for craft fairs, gifts, home decor...what have you. I'm absolutely obsessed. If you were to take me to an estate sale where one room is full of ten cent vintage Pyrex pieces and the other room is full of granny crafts, I'd run squealing like a child to the granny craft room. And then I'd bite people if they got in my way.

(I can hear all of my fellow Pyrex collectors out there thinking, "Make a note to go junking with Eartha. She would make a mighty fine distraction while I rack up the valuable Pyrex." )

This weekend has been especially good to me in the Granny Crafts department. Didn't bite anyone AND I got tons of crafts and craft supplies! Most of them came from the same estate sale where it was easy to tell that the homeowner had never been afraid of a googly eye. Amen to that.

Most times, estate sales will be packed with people trying to beat each other to the finds. I hit a rare estate sale where well, nobody wanted any of the stuff that I wanted. It was like I'd been really, really good and Karma was saying, "Take all you want, Miss Sassy Skirts! Then go back for more!" And I did. The Mister and I went to this sale three times in one weekend.

Here's some of what I got:


Bunny Corsages! I die!




Tiny little bunnies in baskets!



And as great as those are, these are the ones that really got to me:



Little people! Made of handi-wipes and felt! Whee!


You'll notice my beatnik chicks made by Amber Von Felts up there,
looking pretty bemused at the new additions to Kitschville!


I had never seen these people before so I was as pleased as punch. I got a few pairs of them too! And as a bonus - an unopened pack of the handi-wipes so that I can make my own little people. Whoot! It felt as if the crafty lady had left them there for me so that I could follow in her tiny little footsteps.


Just look at those faces!


I also got a bunch of old craft supplies:


Pom Poms!




Fuzzy Sticks!

The cashier charged me the prices that were on there from back in the day. Which tickled me. I was all, "Time warp!" (Funny how estate sale cashiers never seem to get crazy vintage collector humor.)



Rick-Rack and piping!
My gosh, rick-rack is one of the building blocks of the universe, if you ask me.
What would I take to a desert island? Rick-rack, that's what.



Googly Eyes! Um yes, I have a certain affinity.



And just a few days before, I found four of these girls:


I think I really love them. What I love more is thinking about the person who made them.

I also have them in florescent orange and bright blue.


And this clucky lady:


She's a bread warmer that goes over a bowl or basket.
Just lift up her wing and grab a toasty roll!


And finally, a package of Vogart textileprints:



Not necessarily a granny craft but it does remind me of my own late grandmother. She loved Vogart products. I love the colors in this bullfighting scene. And the lady on the front of the package just Vogarting away.

I'm going to be putting a lot of these crafts in my shop tonight if anyone loves them as much as I do. (see here for not-so-secret discount code) I have vowed not to hoard granny crafts. Granny crafts should be shared with the world!

I found some other great things this weekend too. Things that play right across my heartstrings. I'll share those with you soon! I hope that you all had weekends that were custom made for your kind of happiness as well.

Tune in tomorrow when I share with you a wonderful story about a fella who made his vintage kitchen dreams come true.

Until next time (remember, you can never have too much craft glue or be too close to the front of the estate sale line when the doors open)
x's and o's,
Eartha

13 comments:

Sara In AZ said...

Wow! You really did hit pay-dirt at the estate sale. Way cool! Those bunnys kill me - love!

Poodle said...

Those bunnies are great! I'm glad to see some else is silly for estate sales. I'm pretty sure we'd be an awesome shopping duo - I'm not after pyrex OR granny crafts.

Barbara said...

Man, what cools stuff. I'd love to be standing around Vogarting today. Instead, I'm doing laundry.

Those handywipe people would make great housewarming gifts!

Charm and Poise said...

So many googly (or is that moving?) eyes -- what a thrill! And I'm so happy to finally see handi-wipes being elevated to the level of fine crafting!

Georgie Horn said...

ScORe! Go Eartha, let me know next time you're going to an estate sale...I'll meet you!

cheshirecat666 said...

OMG,my Mom totally made and has one of those old quilted hen roll warmers! We used that at Thanksgiving and Xmas. I'll have to ask her if it's available for shooting,haven't seen it in awhile

Great score on everything!!

Rae - Say It Aint So said...

oh man i am really sorry i missed that one! i would have been racing you for those for sure. i love the bunnies in the baskets! or maybe i did go to it, you just beat me. i went to one in inglewood that had lots of craft supplies. i got an awesome crewel work kit!

Betty Crafter said...

Dang girl! Sounds like you had a great weekend! Your handi-wipes people look a little concerned - I love it! There was a chicken like the one you found in our house when we moved in except it's a door stop (I think). It's heavy.
My guilty pleasure while junking is definitely absurd and creepy ceramic animals. It drives the Mister nuts.

Unknown said...

Oh Eartha, you have to come visit. I vote in a nursing home, and the very enterprising ladies there set up craft tables and sell their wares-they really clean up. Presidential election day is a crochet crafto-bonanza.

Rick rack-be still my heart-and google eyes, (both 12mm and 20mm, come on!), all in one place! Forgive me for working blue here, but Wang's pom poms. Is this heaven?

Lakota [Faith Hope and Charity Shopping] said...

Oh. My. Gosh. The faces on the j-cloth people! It's like they just googled lovely grannies.com. (Don't. Ever. Someone did and found my blog. I think they'd have been very disappointed).

And a childish giggle at 'Wang' too.

Anonymous said...

Wow! You hit the motherlode! I love those Handi-wipe people.
And the chicken. I would love to find one of those. I have a country kitchen with a lot of farm and other animal stuff( an armadillo? how did that get here?)
A friend of mine passed away in February. In the last few years she went on a rooster collecting kick. After she died her kitsch hating hubby cleared out all that and either threw or gave it away. I snagged three of her pr1ze pieces and gave them good homes. One of which was a soup tureen? Anyways it gives me an excuse to start collecting glass,wooden, ceramic eggs again. My other chicken was full.

Amber Von Felts said...

I am a fan of the Granny Crafts too! In our town there is a Senior Citizens Craft shop where you can but all manner of handmade goods made by local seniors! I love it in there. The prices are crazy cheap too. I think they are all still pricing by the 1960's price guide! I love the stuff you found. Those wet-nap people are ridiculous (in a great way). I also love that the beatnik chicks are looking on over all the madness you brought home =) The "Wangs" puff balls made me crack up...heh heh...wangs. You also got the mutha lode on "fuzzy sticks" and google eyes! Good job!

monogirl said...

We had one of those hens when I was growing up. It was a fixture at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. I actually thought of it for the first time in years the other day. I need to remember to ask my mother if she still has it.