V is for Victory

One of my favorite categories of vintage is things that have to do with World War II and especially home front life in America. I love this packet of V-Mail stationery I found in an antique shop a while back.

V-Mail Stationery - See it on Etsy

To my delight when I got home, I found an actual letter dated December 31, 1944 inside.

V-Mail (or V···–MAIL, which of course, the three dots and dash are "V" in morse code) is short for Victory Mail and was utilized during World War II to make shipping mail from overseas expeditious and cost-efficient. V-Mail, based on the British Airgraph used during World War I, was a one-page letter (which also served as the envelope) written on standardized stationery and after passing through mail censors was photographed and transported overseas on micro images and then reprinted in the US and forwarded on to its recipient. The Smithsonian National Post Museum has a great website with many examples and plenty of facts and background on V-Mail.

The letter I have is from Sgt. Ray S. Pestal to his friend, Edward Pallas in Nebraska. I've googled these gentlemen and although I believe they have passed on, I think I may be able to contact Sgt. Pestal's family and see if they are interested in having this letter.

Vintage Finds Spotlight

Nursery Night Light - See it on Etsy

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.

She had so many children, she didn't know what to do;

She gave them some broth without any bread;

Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

From Wikipedia: "There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" is a popular English language nursery rhyme, with a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19132. Debates over its meaning and origin have largely centered on attempts to match the old woman with historical female figures who have had large families, although King George II (1683–1760) has also been proposed as the rhyme's subject.

Such a cute night light or nursery lamp. Marked Pat '72 on the bottom. Light works great and looks really cute lit up. This is one of those items where if I think it's cute, someone else might. (Of course, all the vintage things I find and buy, I want to keep for myself.)

Grandma's Journal Keepsake & Memories Album - See it on Etsy

I just recently became a Grandma (Paige Lerno born November 6, 2012!) and I thought about keeping this book for myself. But I didn't keep a book for my own daughter and I am really, really bad with diaries, journals and whatnot. I've started several over the years but never followed through on ANY of them. Sorta like this blog. 

Pages from Grandma's Journal - See it on Etsy

This book is really neat though. Some of the pages are pockets for photos and mementos and the illustrations throughout are really adorable.

Butterfly and Wheat Libbey Glasses - See them on Etsy

I LOVE these glasses. I have a half 70s/mod, half modern kitchen decor and these would go great in my kitchen. But I need more than 4 glasses and right now I'm using a larger set of vintage glasses. (Which are also really cute vintage and may end up on Etsy soon as well.)

Copy Cat Handheld Game by Tiger Electronics - See it on Etsy

I bought this game and brought it home and did not have a 9-volt battery to test it out. So after a couple weeks I finally remembered to buy a 9-volt battery (does anything modern even use 9-volt batteries anymore?) and I tried out the game. It worked and I was addicted. Except it's a little frustrating when I get going in a long sequence and mess up and the thing buzzes at me. It's a rude kinda buzz - like, na na na na na. Phhtt.

1940s Birthday Cards w/Song Inserts - See them on Etsy

I found these cards at an antique store and they were like 50% off and I got a great deal. I thought I'd be able to sell each card separately on Etsy. I've sold two or three and recouped my cost on the first sale. All the rest are pure profit. 

1940s Birthday Card w/Song Insert - See it on Etsy

The images are just fabulous and each card comes with a 4-page song insert. The box itself is awesome and I may keep that for myself.

1930s Nuway Red Knife Block - See it on Etsy

I've had this knife block for a while. I'm not sure where I got it, probably an antique store. And probably not cheaply. I used to live in this 100-year-old farmhouse out in the country and my kitchen theme was 1950s red. But lately I've been moving towards a 70s mod retro kinda kitchen. I love this knife block because it is so old but is in such great condition. Seems like it was hardly used. I hung it in my farmhouse kitchen but didn't use the knives often because I didn't want to knick it up to much. I think it should go to someone's kitchen that will use it and enjoy it.

1985 Grimm's Fairy Tales - See it on Etsy

Books are my ALL TIME FAVORITE thing to thrift - as evidenced by the Library Section of my Etsy store. I'm a book-aholic. I've moved several times in the last couple years and people do NOT want to help me move because I have so many books. Books are heavy! I especially love books about life in the 50s and 60s and children's books. I'm not actually a fan of fairy tales, but I've sold a few vintage Grimm's books so I know they are good sellers.

1970s Chicago Cubs Puffy Stickers - See them on Etsy

Remember puffy stickers? I once bought a vintage vinyl Yosemite travel bag (totally cute and very hard to part with!) and it was covered in Christmas puffy stickers. I got the bag for an absolute steal (because of the stickers, I'm sure). I removed all those stickers and carefully removed the goo residue and sold that travel bag for a nice profit. 

Arthur Murray 45 Record w/Gift Certificate for Free Dance Lessons
See it on Etsy

I picked up these two 45 records at Goodwill. The graphics on the sleeve covers alone are nifty. I slid the records out and saw that the Arthur Murray one had a gift certificate for dance lessons - cool.

And the Lawrence Welk one had a red record - I'd never seen one of those before - cool. I didn't actually read the records though. I'm just now getting these listed and I realize that the Coral red record is not Lawrence Welk but actually The Terry Pillow Singers. Phhtt. So I'm selling the Arthur Murray one and just throwing the other one as a bonus.

Sterlite Kitchen Set - See it on Etsy

So retro vintage cool. Found these in a plastic bag and they look as if they were never used. And again, would totally fit in with my kitchen decor. If it doesn't sell soon... it's mine.