What's Penny Wearing? #120 Vintage And Thrifted Things To Wear

First of all today, we have Penny modeling a nice green top I found at a thrift store.
 It has embroidered, colorful polka dots all over it:

It's made out of a heavy-duty cotton.

The skirt , below, is vintage (and also "thrifted"), made by "Alice Of California" according to the label:

A wrap-around skirt in bright, fluorescent colors, made of rayon.
It would be perfect to throw on over a swimsuit.

I think it may have had a button - but I was able to make it work on Penny without one:

(Those colors are VERY bright!)
The blouse in the next pictures is one I have had since the 1970's.
I don't think I ever wore it - it looks brand new!

Gingham with flowers, and colorful embroidery; it even has eyelet trim!
And I have no idea why I never wore it, because it's exactly the type of thing I loved to wear back then:

I've also had this little jacket since the 70's:

Now this one, I DID wear, but it still looks nice.
I love the floral print down the front that also lines the hood:

And then, here are two more thrift finds - first up a gorgeous fringed shawl in the most beautiful colors!

And then, last of all, we have this purple rayon beauty with lovely open work flowers along the neckline....

 ... which just happens to look very pretty with one of my vintage Vera Neumann scarves!

 And that's all for today, folks, because Penny is tired of modeling and needs a little break.

Neat Vintage Department Store Gift Boxes

 Department stores used to provide some seriously cool gift boxes back in the day. (I'm sure some still do - but I shop at thrift stores now, remember?)
Joseph Magnin, I. Magnin, Liberty House, Weinstock's - they aren't even around anymore. These stores used to be inside some of the malls in the Sacramento area, and I always enjoyed going to the mall.
 I still do - it's just that I seldom make it into one more than once a year, these days. And I am not a big spender.
I have saved a few of these great vintage gift boxes for many years.
The first one I'm showing you is from Joseph Magnin, circa 1976.
I have been using it to store things ever since then; it was certainly too special to discard:

The next one is also from Joseph Magnin, either 1975 0r 1976:

I have old letters and cards stored in it.
The one you see below is from Christmas 1975, from Joseph Magnin, as well - the stars are on the top of the box, and the stripes you see are on the sides of the bottom of the box.
 I love the pink and green combination!
 This is a big box, a robe came inside:

(I store Christmas ornaments inside of that one.)
And here, below, is an even older Joseph Magnin box - a hat box. You see these fairly often at antiques shops (at least I have).
I've only got the one:

 And here's another hat box, below - this one from Macy's.
My mother-in-law had one of her favorite hats inside this one, and I think it's from the early 1960's:

 The stripes in the picture above are on the sides of the box, and in the next photo you see the entire top of the box.
Macy's stores in the bay area are depicted in some of the drawings, along with iconic landmarks:

 The last one I am sharing today is my most recent acquisition.
I spied it WAY up on top of a cabinet at an antiques shop in Jamestown, California.
 I knew right away that it was a vintage box, from the 1970's, I figured.
I told Lori,"That's a vintage box from Joseph Magnin, I can just tell be looking at it."
It was up so high that I would have needed a stepstool or ladder to get to it myself.
And the cashier was busy.

So I kind of hung around and waited until a tall gentleman was nearby.
He was kind enough to get it down for me.

I wish I knew who the artist was who designed this - I just love it:

Could have been John Alcorn - I'm not sure how I would ever find out:

Once I looked inside, guess what I found?
Yes, just as I expected, it was indeed from Joseph Magnin, but dated 1968!
Even earlier than I thought.
I brought it home and promptly filled it up with hats, and now it is back up high on a shelf where I have to get a stepstool to reach it...
but the difference is that I get to look at it every day.
And I'm so glad that somebody else liked it well enough to keep it in good condition all of these years, and so that I could find it and enjoy it, and add it to my small collection.
Because vintage gift boxes like these are SO cool - and useful, too!

So, We Got A New Refrigerator......

.....  and by "we", I mean myself and this little lady, here:

 It is far from perfect, and it needed to be cleaned up a little,
 (I handled that):

I just happened to have some cute vintage floral Contact paper on hand that worked perfectly to line the shelves
 (they were dark and rusty and not at all attractive!)

 How cute is this as a little cupboard for spices?

 We are both especially fond of the graphics on the inside of the refrigerator door:

"She" would have preferred one that was a little bigger (my real refrigerator is taller than I am, after all).
But this one will do quite nicely.

(Oh - I stuck that floral oilcloth in there first, before I found the contact paper!)
Between you and me, the inside of the door was totally what sold me on it.

Totally.
The sink and stove you see below came with it, too,
 but it was really just the fridge I wanted;
 it's in the best shape of the three.

As you can see, there's a door missing under the sink.
 I think I might add a little skirt there, and they're in kind of rough condition, too.
But I still think they're kind of cute.

Vintage Wranglers From Seventeen Magazine

As I often do, I am revisiting a subject today. When I find more vintage advertisements for a particular product, even if I have already written a post on the subject, I feel the need to do another ( and even a third, if I'm in the mood!)
Today, we have vintage ads for Wrangler jeans and sportswear.
All of these gals are looking "behind" them.......

 

"You have to look for the "W" because it's silent".

 

Keep looking, ladies.......

Let's find that darned "W".....

I don't see it!

I think these cowgirls all dressed in white found it; they're actually from an ad for Avondale fabrics, featuring Wrangler sportswear:

Those ads were all from the 1960's.
Now, here we are in the 70's, and "Wrangler thinks Americans spend too much for clothes."

And "Wrangler thinks Americans should get what they pay for".
I think that's very thoughtful.

And they're "doing something about it".

By this time, they had adopted their new slogan,
"Wremember the "W" is silent."
(Please see my previous Wrangler post, here, if you are interested.)

More Thrift Shop Finds

WHO keeps trolling the thrift stores looking for wonderful vintage things?
That would be me.
And often, my searching pays off - like when I found these cute little owl crewel-stitched pictures:

 I spotted this super-cool candle holder at the Habitat For Humanity ReStore:

And I found a sweet little tablecloth with Scandinavian dancers (by Inger) and a small tile trivet there, as well:

I've also picked up wooden embroidery hoops, bright floral fabric, and two nice vintage baskets to hold casserole dishes:

I found this vintage ceramic panther with rhinestone eyes:

And these two cute little gals:

An old piece of sheet music with fabulous artwork on the front - "The Midnight Fire Alarm March and Two-Step":

Another vintage coffee mug:

And I found a great vintage Whitman book. I don't have too many of these that are based on old television series, and I am always delighted to find another.

 I loved Mission: Impossible, and I used to watch it all the time.
Pictured on the cover are Barbara Bain and Martin Landau at the top, and below them are Peter Lupus, Peter Graves, and Greg Morris.
I was glad to add this one to my collection.
I also found the cutest vintage kerchief, seen below.
 I don't think too many people wear these anymore, but I like them.
 You could always sport one on a bad hair day, or when you're riding in a convertible, perhaps?
 This is sure a pretty one:

And I'm always finding cute vintage patterns - here are some for summer, two for bathing suits:

 And one for a pretty long dress:

Oh - and I "thrifted" a pair of green moccasins with beading - my very first pair of Minnetonkas:

That's it for today!