Colossal Collection of Clocks

I don't know how I got started on clocks, but I do have more than I really need. I guess it just started the normal way. I needed a clock for the kitchen. Then I needed a clock for the living room. I needed an alarm clock too, because using my phone wasn't good enough. Now I have seven clocks in three rooms. 

My latest acquisition  was a find by my father. It was great find for an amazing price. It is a appliance timer. It is meant to have a radio or light plugged into the back. The appliance will turn on at the set time, and turn off 15 minutes later. The timer is set by little metal dials that are around the face. The dial can be pulled out at the time preferred. There is a little on off knob at the bottom of the clock to activate the alarm. 

This clock is called the Radio Traveler, and dates to the mid part of the 1930s. It also has various time zones on the face of the clock, which I'm not quite sure how it relates to the functioning of the clock. But, it does look interesting. The clock is is great condition. The only thing being wrong with it is a missing knob for the dial that changes the time. I've had it running for several days, and it has kept steady time.

The last clock I bought, has sadly been having some issues. When I use the alarm, somehow the clock looses an hour. I'm going to have to go get it fixed, along with the moonbeam clock I inherited from my great uncle, but I know it isn't going to be cheap. In the meantime, I'll be trying out my new Radio Traveler.

Attending an Estate Sale Through Proxy

I receive periodic emails about estate sales in the area I live from an estate sale company. Often the goods being offered are not my style. But, every once in a while they have a mid century estate. I received one such email last week. What caught my eye were two beautiful green chairs that would match my bedroom. I died when I saw them. The problem was the sale was about an hour away from where I live. On top of that, it started on Friday. I couldn't get off of work, and Saturday I had preexisting plans. The third problem is, I don't have a car. Fortunately, I have friends who grew up in the area. I contacted one of such friends who knew someone who loves estates sales. She would be happy to go for me.

I sent her a list of the things I was eyeing from the photos - at least the ones I could narrow down. I told her how much I was willing to spend. We talked on the phone as she walked through the house, and told me the prices of the items I wanted. As I knew they would be, the chairs were way out of my price range. But, she left my name, number, and the price I was willing to pay with the instructions to call me if they didn't sell by Sunday. I was surprised with a phone call on Saturday morning with a counter offer which wasn't much higher than the price I suggested, but quite a bit lower than the listed price. Happily I accepted the offer, and the chairs are now mine.

The second thing I wanted, a vanity set, was sold. That's ok. I already have a vanity set, even if it is made of mismatched pieces.  I also picked out four purses I wanted from the massive collection that was offered. Each had a different price, but she was able to talk them down to what I was willing to pay. Score! 

When I went to pick up the chairs on Sunday, everything was half off. A lot of things that I kind of liked, and would have purchased half off, were sold. But, I did manage to find a few more goodies. I picked up a hat, a glove box, and a hankie. My shopping companion also scored with a lot of clothes and accessories for $1 each.  Some of the photos below are some pictures that were listed on the Fine Estate Liquidation website and include some of the things I missed out on. I loved the kitchen, and wish I could have purchased that to put into my apartment. 

The dreamy chairs.

In my bedroom.

The vanity set.

The furs.

Other cool things.

The swoon worthy kitchen.

My purses.

The rest of the haul.

San Francisco Vintage Expo

I don't go to the Vintage Expo every year. I tend to not like to pay to enter a place to go shopping. But, a friend asked if I wanted to go with her. We found discounted tickets and made arrangements to attend. The day started off pretty fantastic. I met up with my oldest friend (we have been friends for just shy of 20 years) whom I haven't seen in about a year. I was so excited to see her again. We had lunch, and then I headed off to the Expo.

I love this girl with all of my heart.

There is a lot of ground to cover at the Expo. There were about four long rows of vendors. We took our time going through as many that caught our eye. I had in mind that I wanted to find a new hat, sweaters, and belts, but I found everything else except what I was looking for. There were so many beautiful things, it was hard to narrow down. I cam across the exact same outfit I wore here, but in gold. I showed the owner the picture of the one I have. We both were surprised that the other had a version of the same outfit. We so rarely, if at all, see these types of ensembles, let alone the exact same one.

There was one shop in particular that had more things that I loved than anyone else. That was Juniper Tree Vintage in Alameda, CA. I would have loved to take home half of the clothes that they had available. There were several cotton pants/shorts sets that I really wanted to buy. But, with the weather in San Francisco, I would rarely be able to wear them. Apparently they were all owned by a lady named Dorthy who lived in Arizona. Most still had the labels attached. 

Seriously how cute is she?

Front

Back

In the end I only bought a couple of items. I was proud of myself, though. I came in with a certain amount of cash, and didn't spend more than what I brought with me. Both of the items I picked up were from the same seller. The navy blue swing coat came with a ballerina pin. The two piece was a modern make, but from a vintage table cloth. 

I had a great time hanging out with my friends and buying cute vintage items. 

Happy Monday Blog Give-away

I have had quite a good week. It's the first time in months where I've felt completely relaxed. It's also the first time in a while that I have been able to go crazy with purchases. If you have been reading for a while, it won't be too much of a surprise that I've been on a lucite confetti kick. The latest thing I have been looking for is a black hinged bracelet. I got really frustrated not being able to find what I wanted, and when I did, it was either too expensive, or I got outbid. When that happens, my frustration gets beyond control, and I bid on multiple items at once, and inevitably I win multiple auctions. I still haven't learned. This latest quest was no exception. But, I did get what I wanted.

I found the black lucite confetti hinged bracelet I had been looking for - with matching earrings! It was a 9 day auction and newly listed when I first saw it. I have given up on watching an item and waiting until the last minute to bid. So, I just put in the max I want to pay and leave it alone. This is what I did with this set. Within a day, though, I was outbid. I was sad, but was not going to be suckered into paying more than I wanted. So, I let it go. The auction ended. I got an email stating that there had been a bid retraction and that I was now highest bidder with 12 hours to go. Once again, I was outbid with 15 mins left in the auction. I was sad again. But, when the auction finally ended, I had won the set. It was a miracle. I haven't received the set yet, but can't wait to wear it out. 

That leads me to the giveaway. I was very excited when I decided to give away one of the bracelets I won in a give-away - until I received it. The seller didn't state that there was some minor damage to the bracelet. It appears that it may have knocked against something. A little of the lucite has broken off exposing part of a shell (it's confetti and sea shells!). But, since I have stated a couple of places that I was going to do this give-away, I am going to stick to it. To make it a little better, I've gone through my glove stash, and picked out three pairs of gloves to add to the prize. There are one pair of long off white opera gloves, one pair of wrist length off white leather gloves with little cutouts, and a pair of wrist length black leather gloves with embroidery. I hope that makes up for the chipped bracelet. 

How to enter:

1. Follow this blog and leave a comment below.

2. Post the give-away to your own blog and leave a comment below.

3. Follow the the Red Head Ruby fan page on Facebook and leave a comment below.

4. Post the give-away on your own Facebook page and leave a comment below.

Each item above counts as one entry. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. The drawing will be held on Tuesday, February 12th at 7:30am PST. 

Weekend Purchases and Outfit Post

I almost went crazy. I hadn't been thrifting in months.... MONTHS. I couldn't handle it anymore. I decided to take a trip to visit my parents, where I usually do my thrifting.  My mom and I started our hunt on Saturday. I was quite excited that at the very first store, I found some good finds. Hidden in the vintage section of this particular thrift store were two identical garters, and a panty girdle. All were in mint condition (probably never worn). The two garters are made from cotton and are Sears brands. They are white with blue embroidery. I estimate them to be from the 1960s. I will keep one and sell the other. So, if you're in need of a new garter, check in my shop sometime next month.

In the second store, I found a 1970s sweater that I can wear with my Freddies. I needed this very much, as I had few things to keep me warm with my jeans. The price was very low, too. I also found a plaid wool Lanz dress from 1962. It was also very cheap, though it does have some moth holes at the bottom of the dress. Not to worry though. I can either hem it a bit, or darn the holes. 

The third store was Goodwill by the pound. This is where all the goods that the regular Goodwills can't sell go. They throw the stuff in bins, and you have to dig through the bins while elbowing people out of the way. Most of the stuff is garbage, but sometimes there are some good things there. At this place I found a Mirro cookie/doughnut/appetizer cutter with removable center. I got a few old hangers, two of which were wrapped in pink yarn. I also found a bonnet dryer that I plan on putting in my shop next month as well.

The final store led to the best find of the weekend. I found a beautiful mink stole. I didn't need another stole, but I couldn't pass it up. The price was super reasonable. Unlike the stole I already own, it has molded shoulder. It is also shorter, and has pockets. So, I could totally justify it as it isn't exactly like the one I already own. See how that works?

 The only day I dressed up was Sunday. I didn't really feel like setting my hair. But, I wanted to do a hair tutorial (coming soon). So, I made myself do it. It is much easier to have someone around to take photos than do it alone. So, I took the opportunity at my parent's house to take the photos. I wore a dress that I have had for several years. Unfortunately, this dress has gotten a bit snug, and I ended up ripping the seam. This has been a common thing as of late. I ripped a seam last Sunday in a dress I wanted to show off on this blog. The difference is that dressed ripped up the back exposing my back side. Quite embarrassing. 

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

How exciting is an entire post dedicated to an alarm clock? To me, it is quite exciting, especially when clocks are an important part of our lives. The alarm clock I had been using was a modern battery operated Big Ben clock that was inspired by the 1930s Big Ben clocks. It served me well over the years, but I had always wanted to replace it with something that was actually period. But since it worked, I couldn't justify getting a new clock.

Then one morning I woke up a half an hour late and realized that my alarm never went off. This had happened several times before, but I also questioned if I had just forgot to turn the alarm on. This time, however, I distinctly remembered that I had set the alarm. So, that day I set out to find a new old one.

It wasn't an easy task. Most of the alarm clocks for sale were from the 1960s and 1970s. I was looking for something from the 1950s or 1940s. I honestly didn't know what to look for, though. I had no idea about the evolution of clocks. To make matters worse, prices were pretty high. I even saw a 1990s digital radio alarm clock, the kind that are pretty common at thrift stores, for $30. Most clocks $30 and under didn't work. When shipping is added to the price, it can get a little expensive. 

I did a little research so I knew what I was looking for. I found two great sites. One listed all the Telechron clocks over the decades, and the other listed the Westclox line including Big Ben. I picked out a few that I liked, and searched for those particular models. In the Telechron models, I looked for the Troubadour, and the Dispatcher. In the Westclox, I looked for the 1948 Electric. I actually do have a Moonbeam that I got from my great uncle when he passed away, but that stopped working years ago as well.  In my search, I also discovered that my kitchen Telechron clock, the Buffet, is a little older than I had originally thought. 

The next obstacle was finding one that was in good cosmetic condition. As you can imagine finding a Bakelite or plastic clock without cracks isn't easy.  Most clocks, even metal ones, really look like they have been thrown across the room. Most clocks, as mentioned, were out of my price range. Then I found one that I really liked, but was outbid with just one second left in the auction. That frustrated me and I thought all hope was lost. A couple days later I found the clock that I ended up purchasing. It was on the high end of my price range, but I am extremely happy with it.

It is a 1948 Electric Westclox Big Ben dating from late 1948 to 1952. It runs remarkably quiet, even quieter than the modern clock it was replacing. There isn't a ticking noise, but a very soft, barely audible sound of the motor. It keeps great time so far. The hands are softly illuminated, which is nice for me so that I can tell what time it is when my upstairs neighbor wakes me up in the middle of the night. There are two options on the alarm - soft and loud. I used the alarm for the first time this morning. I set it on loud since I wear earplugs to bed. I wanted to make sure that it woke me. I was in the middle of a dream when it went off, and the loud quite startled me. Tonight I think I will put it on soft. 

I was so excited to use it, that I haven't taken the time to clean it up yet. There is a small crack on the front, but it isn't very noticeable unless looking for it. So, though alarm clocks don't seem like something to create a whole post on, I was so excited, I just had to share.