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Sunday, December 18, 2011

What NOT to buy at the Antique Mall!


Whether I find something I have to have or not…one of the fun things in browsing an Antique Mall—ESPECIALLY with a Buddy-In-Crime --- is to try to find the weirdest item in there.

Sometimes things can turn out quite cool!  Not sure where *I* would put it, but I am sure that someone ELSE would love to have an old Chevy tail gate that’s been made into a lamp to hang over their sofa or their bed.  This is not the weirdest, no, not by the least.

Sometimes a display just catches my eye…and makes me smile.  Oh, if this wall of PHONES could talk!  Can you imagine the stories they’ve heard over the years?  And what if it was a party line --- My mom tells me stories of the party line they had when she was growing up.  Did you have a party line?

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I loved visiting Lucy’s house because she still has an old wall phone in use….I kind of miss the “ring” of a real phone.  I’ve set the ringer on my cell to sound like “old phone”.  It’s not quite cutting it! 

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How about THIS guy for your centerpiece?  Taxidermy in Antique Malls really cracks me up….

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Or what about a basket of tiny deer skulls and antlers?  Ewww!

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If one basket wasn’t enough….there was a whole wall of some of the tiniest deer antlers I’d ever seen.  You know, it has kind of an artistic ambiance when hung next to a framed art painting…you know…renaissance art…and deer antlers.  NICE! LOL!

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Do you know anyone who would want a concrete Elvis head…..on top of a faux chinese vase?  Ummm..no…I don’t think this is going to fit anywhere in my house!

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But THESE!!  Made me howl out loud!  Holy Ball Fringe, Batman!  Let’s take old lamp shades and cover them with trim!  I can’t see how any light will shine through these shades?  Hoochie Koochie shades!

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Oh. My.  LOL!

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And this is something that made me go HUMMM!?  I’ve loved my Birkenstocks.  I’ve loved Birkenstocks all the way back to High school, and that’s a long time….but when Birkenstocks try to keep up with fashion?  GLADIATOR Birks?  Come on folks…that’s way too many buckles to want to get into when my birks have always been slip on and go! Fashion be danged!

Maybe now that I’m reaching that half century mark I’m just set in the ways of what I like, what is decorative ((for me)) and what is comfortable!  What makes me laugh might not make you laugh.  The opinions expressed here are completely my own and I make NO apologies for what I find funny!



24 comments:

  1. The wall of deer antlers creeps me out! Looks like they were killing baby deer.

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  2. Anonymous9:43 AM EST

    What an eclectic shop! that's one you always will want to revisit to find what new creepies they have found!

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  3. Hmmmm, maybe I should get that tailgate lamp thing for over MR's workbench in the garage, jk. We are old Chevy lovers. He is working on a 58 Chevy Suburban (CarryAll) for me...I call it building the perfect beast!
    I often wonder how you are able to visit those antique malls on your travels. I often loose track of time when I go. There is so much to see!

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  4. We were a party line family until 7 years ago. We shared with the neighboring ranch. We each had different rings. When the phone stopped working, our husbands would have to ride horseback across the mountain to check it and find the problem. The ranch has since burned (Far West Texas fires) and there is no longer a phone line. We also have Moose antlers in our dining room, but we didn't find them in an antique mall! :) There are always so many entertaining things there.

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  5. hahaha we had a party line for about 3 years when I first moved here with my hubby 30 years ago, we also had a beige rotary dial phone, just like first one on the bottom shelf in your pictures. Oh how I hated that partyline! On our line we had a family with 4 annoying teenagers who were always clicking the phone whenever they wanted to call their friends, didn't matter if you just got on the phone or not, when they wanted it they let you know.
    (I don't think the Elivs head even looks like Elvis.)

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  6. I love reading about your wild adventures in the antique malls. Growing up we had party lines, as kids we would always pick it up and listen in on everyones conversations.

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  7. How fun! I sorta like the Chevy lights....

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  8. Until I was in high school, we had a party line, and my father's rule of the house was "Phones are for business....stay off of it!" So I don't ever remember even using it. And our number started with 'Sherwood 6...."; growing up I always wondered who Sherwood was! lol

    When we moved into our house 12 years ago, the one and only phone here was just like the 2nd one from the left on the middle shelf. First thing I did was call my sister, and said, "Listen to this..." then I ran the rotary around a couple of times for the clicking sound......what a hoot! We had a good laugh at the memory.

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  9. Love the football phone! I still remember the Sports Illustrated commercial that went with it.

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  10. Grew up with a party line, 4 families. I, too, had a SHerwood #, ours was SH4-xxxx. When we sold our parents home 6 years ago there was a rotary phone on the kitchen wall.
    Those deer antlers would make some wonderful buttons. Sliced, drilled and they can be dyed too. I have purchased many antler buttons over the years, some sliced and others chunky.

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  11. I think the fringed lampshades gave me the biggest laugh. I'd like to see the home whose decor matched those!!

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  12. We had a party line, also. I remember when I was starting high school, the phone company put in another switching office so we could get our own line. The phone number on the party line started with State8.

    I love the hoochie-coochie lamp shades, but I don't think you'll see them in my house. My DIL (bless her heart) has some purple lamps with fringe on the shades. She thinks they are lovely.

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  13. Okay, now I'm totally thinking that tailgate light would go in our house -- if it was the tailgate of an International Scout. My husband needs a den!

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  14. I know someone who has some ANTLERS...anybody need some, think they ma be for sale...

    The telephone has come a long way..I too was on a 4 party line and it was funny that you could LISTEN in..

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  15. Anonymous3:15 PM EST

    When we moved into our house 15 years ago the ONLY phone was a wall mount black rotary dial. Our youngest daughter wanted to call her friend and came to ask if she could and came back and said, "Momma, how do you use the phone?" LOL Still have the phone and someday when she is settled into her own house she knows she will get the phone...LOL We did upgrade the phone and the "telegraph" wiring we had over the years.

    With hunters in our family we have had full head and shoulder mounts of the prize deer not just antlers. They moved out when our son got married...

    And the tailgate...way to recycle........But the lampshades, oh my, with ALL of those colors they could match any decor.....

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  16. Anonymous3:17 PM EST

    Oh, yeah, party lines...546-2625 was our number and the ring was three long and two short. You could always count on Miss Maude up the road to listen in on every conversation!!
    BTW those are deer, antelope, elk and a few other horns. I should know, there are several sets in hubby's office. (No, not at home!!)
    Have a great weekend!
    Faye abusyquiter@yahoo.com

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  17. When we go into an antique store the race is on to be the first to find Blue Boy by Gainsborough or Pinkie. There is always a picture of one or both (usually both) of these paintings. It's quite an adventure.

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  18. I have and still use a phone that is the same color and model of phone on the bottom row, left side. It works when the electricity goes out. The other phones are all portable.

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  19. OK, I can see the Chevy tail gate in a "man cave", but the only place I can envision those lamp shades is in the dump. And if I want to see deer antlers all I have to do is go downstairs to the basement where DH has his collection. :) Antique and thrift shops sometimes have some of the darnedest stuff on display.

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  20. Anonymous6:20 PM EST

    enjoyed going thru the antique shop with you.my husband would love the tailgate light.as for the lamp shades they look like something my mother in law would have made.bless her heart

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  21. Oh my goodness! I laughed so hard outloud when I saw the lampshades. I showed my DH and read him the post. He didn't find it nearly as funny as you and I! Where is his sense of humor! Made my day anyway. I love antique malls, flea markets and a "buddy in crime".

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  22. My son would love the tailgate lamp gizmo but it would have to be a Ford. It would actually fit nicely in his automotive themed finished basement!

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  23. Anonymous9:04 AM EDT

    Bonnie, I suspect those tiny deer antlers are probably mountain goat horns. Grace

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  24. Our first phone was oak and our number was 3 longs....it was a party line and when someone called it rang at everyone's house...then we got the rotary phone and had pretty much the same people on the party line...the only thing different was it didn't ring in every house so the older ladies didn't know when we were on the phone every time.....however, when the neighbors wanted the phone...they just asked but they sure did like to catch us so they could listen! Now, we would maybe be on the phone once a day and for a very short period...nothing like today!! Things have certainly changed!

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