My Salvaged Treasures: August 2013

Friday, August 30, 2013

The Gregg Writer Magazine

Raise your hand if you remember taking shorthand in high school. Now raise it again if you actually used it in the work place. It's a good thing I never had a job where I needed to use it because I would have been fired after the first attempt to read back my own chicken scratch. I can still hear Ms. Oser trying to dictate a letter to the entire class and losing half of us before she finished. She should have stuck to teaching typing.

I came across a box of The Gregg Writer magazines at a yard sale a few weeks ago and couldn't resist flipping through some of the pages. I wasn't interested in refreshing my shorthand skills, it was all the old pictures, stories, and ads that really caught my eye. It was hard to choose just one or two, so I bought the whole box...at a quantity discount of course.

I even made an attempt to read some of the sample letters and articles. I flunked, but did manage to sound out a few short words.

It was interesting to see how the covers and content changed leading up to and during the war. The box contained 41 magazines dating from September 1935 to June 1943.

Fresh as a daisy at closing time.

Vacation from finger fatigue.

Royal's Selection Competition. Forget the cash, I'll take the typewriter.

Congratulations to Sylvia Keller. You go girl!

Thanks to Ms. Oser, I never stood a chance of winning one of these beauties.

Talking carbon paper?

A must-have for any good secretary wanting to keep her job.

$80 seems like a lot for a calculator!

Just in case you need to know how to write gall bladder in shorthand.

Or....pustule and rigor mortis.

I never would have guessed that spending too much time on the phone was a problem back
in 1939. Some things never change.

This request is from the March 1943 edition. Some of the other editions from 1942 and 1943 referred to typewriters as "front line weapons" and the way to "free seas tomorrow."

We still love our typewriters!!
Do you have memories of classes that are obsolete and no longer taught?

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Labor Day weekend. I'm at Lake Tahoe this weekend for some fun with family and friends.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A BIG THANK YOU

I'm late, I'm late for a very important THANK YOU. Isn't this the cutest necklace? I was thrilled to be the lucky giveaway winner of this whimsical Alice in Wonderland necklace from Marsha at Tattered Chick. You can check out Marsha's Mad Tea Party post to see where she got her inspiration.

I adore the picture on this side of the pendant.

The reverse is just as cute.

It takes a lot of patience to work with such small components. The DRINK and EAT bottles
are so tiny and detailed, and I love the connectors too.

Thank you Marsha. I love it. Keep on creating!!

Friday, August 23, 2013

The Rest of the Junk from my Trunk

I finally got all the junk unloaded from the trunk of the car and started sorting through everything. I need to decide what will stay, what needs fixing, cleaning, or repurposing, and what just needs a price tag.

It's amazing how fast a little trunk fills up!!

If we had only arrived at this yard sale five minutes earlier....oh, the stuff that got away.

This 1954 portion controller scale might have come in handy if I had found it the first day of vacation.

This pretty silver plated casserole holder came complete with the Pyrex dish. That black thingie in the back right is an old ammunition box that was full of fishing lures. I don't fish, so I gave them all to my mom...minus a few bits and pieces for making a necklace.

I was so excited to discover that big white wall decoration until I realized it was plastic. It fooled me at a distance and the price was right, so in the trunk it went. The chippy painted boards will most likely get some hooks.

I'm not sure what these two large brownish wall hangings are made from, but they have so much potential. They'll be getting a paint job.

This one is the real deal. Heavy, rusty, chippy, and gorgeous!

The architectural pieces are from the salvage yard and will be getting a paint job and some additional hardware.

I added a label from The Graphics Fairy to the bucket, and stenciled the newer galvanized bag. I like to take care of the quick and easy projects first.

I have a feeling this Tonka tow truck is going to be showing up in a lot of blog posts. It sure does a good job towing jewelry and buttons.

It does a good job towing jello molds and old kitchen gadgets too.

These old bottles will be getting some labels after I clean them up, and the wheel....well, I'm confident inspiration will hit soon.

These beauties took up most of the space in my trunk, but there was no way I was leaving them behind. They're four feet tall the way they stand here, and can be adjusted all the way up to six feet.

They were repainted at some point and I had quite a time trying to loosen the screw that allows the pole to slide up and down. Why on earth didn't the person paint them with the pole all the way up? Hopefully I'll be able to find some spray paint for the pole that will be a close match...don't want to paint over the rest of the fabulous rust surrounding the candle holders. Or, should I just leave them alone?

This yummy blue Olivetti Lettera 32 typewriter is in perfect working condition and came complete with a zipper case.

This book is hilarious! What else can I say?

For your reading pleasure, these other books on "avoided subjects" were also available for $1.

Last but not least, is this adorable Tiny T-V salt and pepper shaker set.....complete with the box and directions. Turn the dial and the salt and pepper shakers pop up, push in the TV screen to hold a picture of the star of the show. This one's a keeper!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Junk in my Trunk

I just rolled back in town a couple of hours ago from a little getaway up to Oregon. As always, the time went by too fast because we were on the go all day long for five days. We spent lots of time treasure hunting, visiting with family and friends, eating too much, shopping, visiting wineries, eating again, shopping again, and we finally got to see a play this time.

I took one quick picture of some of the junk in my trunk before I attempted to pry it all out. Every nook and cranny was stuffed full of yard sale, flea market, and salvage yard finds with just enough room left over for our bodies and luggage. It's a good thing I decided against buying that adorable end table I was drooling over on the first day. I'll get pictures of the rest of my junk just as soon as I catch up with everything else that's been on hold since I left. You know how that goes:-)