Kowgirl Kitsch: Life Stories

Aaahhh life is good. The weather has been spring-like here in Northeastern Arizona. I actually found little sunflower sprouts poking out of the ground while I was outside watering trees today. I'm loving it and hoping that the weather continues to stay sunny and warm through our Christmas visit to Long Beach. A good ol' fashioned Sunny Southern California Christmas - can't wait!
Besides having gorgeous December weather, I finished all - I'm talking all of my Christmas shopping. That is no easy feat when you consider that I have half a dozen kids, their mates and babies to shop for! I believe this is an absolute first for me. Christmas' past have found me searching for one or two elusive items on somebody's Christmas list right up until the 24th when I finally relent in exhaustion and settle for the "close second". The requested gift is usually some very trendy and scarce request that everyone else in Arizona wants too (last year it was a specific and popular style of girls boots for both of my grand daughters). So I'm brimming with Holiday Cheer and so very proud of myself. I have spare time to Blog and list new loot on Kowgirl Kitsch.
The weekend was not only successful for Christmas shopping; my dining room is cluttered with new vintage finds...again. I hit an amazing estate sale this weekend and found goodies galore. I don't know what I love more; finding new "old" stuff or hearing the stories behind each and every item for sale. A woman here in town is liquidating her parent's estate and I had so much fun "getting to know" her mom and dad through the stories she shared with me.
As I plucked through pieces collected over the course of their lifetimes, I learned that Marie and Tom were married when Marie was 16, going on 17 and Tom was 24. They were happily married for 77 years! I'm absolutely enchanted and blown away by that! They raised two daughters and spent their lives in this little Arizona Burg on Route 66 and had a 77 year love affair. Their daughter told me that they never threw anything away and it was evident by the 40 to 50 cans of shoe polish dating back to the 1940s that Tom kept stored in a large bin. And by the trinkets and kitchen ware that Marie had likewise kept since the 1930s and 40s. And all of it was lovingly cared for and organized. I spotted a pair of tooled leather platform high heels with ankle straps. Judging from their condition and style I thought they could have been just a few years old and assumed that they had belonged to one of Marie's grand daughters. "Your mom didn't wear these high heels, did she"; I asked. Marie's daughter laughed and told me that her mom had loved her collection of high heels and hadn't given them up or stopped wearing them even in to her 90s. The tooled leather platforms are from the 1940s. Awesome!
On the one hand I was sorry that I had only met Marie through her daughter's stories and through the hodgepodge of her life's possessions spread out on tables to be sold to strangers; but on the other hand I was grateful that in a small way I did get to know Marie and Tom and their incredible love story and life. I love vintage shopping and the life stories that are a part of it.


One of Marie's kitsch pieces; A Gilner "Happy Cannibal" dated 1952

These adorable little milk glass dishes are from the 1940s - Marie called them her, "ice cream sundae bowls".

Marie's earrings and her pretty pink satin lingerie bag used for storing her "good" seamed hose in.

I love this gorgeous California Art Pottery Lazy Susan.....awesome for Holiday entertaining.

Awesome daisy-floral afghan blanket made by Dear Marie's hands and took her months to complete.

1940's tooled leather platforms - Marie's daughter said that her mother wanted to be buried in her most beautiful high heels. I wish I'd known this woman when she lived.