Vintage Archie Comic Books

Mr. SixBalloons and I just came back from a weekend trip to Vancouver Island for a wedding... The trip back was very hectic as several BC Ferries sailings were cancelled due to high winds! We had quite the adventure in the Provincial Capital though, as we were able to hit up about TEN thrift stores in one afternoon. =)

We are often on the hunt for cheap Archies at the thrift store. We like being able to pick them up for under a $1, and we came upon a huge batch in Victoria.

My favourite of the series are the Jughead Jones ones. Archie's loyal sidekick always cracks me up and I think I like having a break from all the relationship drama that Archie, Betty, and Veronica always seem to be going through.

I love how the books from the 80's give you the perspective of inflation... See how this Single Digest comic book is priced at $1.50? They cost about $5 new these days!

When we were kids, my Mom actually didn't like us reading Archies. She thought they were sexist and a bit inappropriate. As you can see from the cover above, I can kind of see her point. I take the Archies with a grain of salt when I read them. I guess they're like Pulp Fiction, sort of a guilty pleasure and an easy read.

Here's Jughead at it again with his food obsession. I like how this Double Digest was only priced at 49 cents at one thrift!

We came away with a good haul of Archies that'll last us for quite some time. More importantly, I was able to thrift it up in another city this weekend. It was actually a perfect way for us to walk around exploring the town with my marked up maps - even though there were some hits and misses, we had a great time.

Perhaps my next couple posts will summarize the stores we visited and what goodies we saw and purchased!

Linking up to Sophie's Flea Market Finds, Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays and Selena's Thrift Share Monday!

Esquire Cook Book 1955

Last Spring, I picked up this great vintage cookbook at a United Church thrift sale in the FREE pile and forgot all about it. I took it with me because of the whimsical drawings on both the cover and inside of the book.

It is the Esquire Cook-Book published in 1955 and illustrated beautifully by American illustrator Bill Charmatz. Charmatz was known for his editorial sketches, and was featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, and of course, Esquire Magazine.

He passed away in 2005 at the age of 80, but this wonderful book provides such a quirky look into recipes catered towards men... in the fifties!

I love this image of the poor fellow fretting over what he sees on the scale, while being surrounded by thoughts of all these tempting treats!

Like any typical recipe book, this one is organized with appetizers, types of meat, dishes for entertaining, etc. I love how this tuxedo-clad gent is kicking up his feet in anticipation for his party.

This book is going for big bucks on etsy, with some sellers pricing it at almost $70! I sure am glad I plucked it out of the free bin - it may have been destined for the dump otherwise.

There's also a neat centrefold set of drawings teaching the readers about butcher cuts of meat - my photos don't do them justice - they are worthy of framing and putting up in the kitchen!

Linking up to Vintage Thingie Thursday!

UPDATE: For some reason, blogger won't let me comment on my own posts...! Rest assured I am enjoying your lovely comments, but unfortunately I can't respond to them (this glitch has been going on all week).  I'll keep trying; in the meantime, please keep leaving me your thoughts!

Michael Jackson Greatest Hits Music Book

Can you believe that tomorrow will mark exactly two years since Michael Jackson passed away? The world was stunned with the death of the King of Pop. I remember breaking the news to two people - a generation apart, but I got the same reaction of shock and sadness.

Shortly after the news hit, I found a vintage Michael Jackson Greatest Hits Keyboard Music book from the 80s at the thrift for 99¢. I had to buy it.

I feel so bad when I reflect upon MJ's tragic life. He obviously had many struggles and issues, but what an amazing singer, dancer, and entertainer. Did you know that he did not write down his music on paper? When he came up with an idea, he would get out a tape recorder and sing some lines so as not to forget.

When I was a 5-year-old Kindergarten student, my Mom would pick me up at school at lunchtime. Being the youngest of four kids, my afternoons with Mom were rare moments of just the two of us hanging out. One of my favourite things to do together was watch the MuchMusic channel (the Canadian version of MTV), where we'd often marvel at the cutting-edge Michael Jackson videos.

The book contains many of my favourite Michael Jackson songs... There are so many amazing ones that get my head bopping but my current favourite is Man in the Mirror. I love the lyrics, the music, and the message!

Do you have an all-time favourite Michael Jackson song?

Linking up to Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove!

Sesame Street ABC's Book

Happy Friday everyone! I had to share this little purchase I made recently on a perfect condition 1989 Sesame Street book. For 25 cents, I couldn't resist, even though my pile of books is growing a little faster than I'd like...

"On My Way with Sesame Street -  My ABC's" is the first volume of a series that focussed on different subjects. I remember watching Sesame Street as a kid in the eighties and learning all about the Letter B from the great tune that accompanied it. The show was so clever back then, mimicking The Beatles with puppets in such a memorable fashion. Brilliant. Educational. Hilarious.

I like this page especially because it shows so many of the great Sesame Street characters. Isn't it funny that the detective is named Sherlock Hemlock?

Check out some of my Sesame Street posts regarding a couple of finds I have made in the past!

Vintage Charlie Brown Peanuts Books

Although it can be time consuming, I often find myself drawn to looking at vintage kids books while thrifting. Inspired by my Vintage Sesame Street Books find, I kept my eyes open and came upon a couple of Peanuts books by Charles Schultz at two different church basements.

The first one I found was "Charlie Brown's All-Stars" book from 1966 with lots of baseball imagery and a story of Charlie's trials and tribulations on the diamond. Look at his old rotary phone in the image above! Can you believe the book was stamped as a Discard by an elementary school library?

When I look at these drawings, they have such a hand-sketched quality that I feel like I can see Charles Schultz's every pencil crayon stroke. Here is Linus getting measured up for his uniform.

The two books were in decent shape considering their age. The second book was an "All About Friendship" book from 1971. I think I paid a quarter for each book.

The Peanuts comic strip always seemed to inspire you to dream, didn't it? The image below reads "A friend is someone who dares to dream your dreams with you..."

Pig Pen is definitely one of my favourites. Who doesn't love this messy little kid?

This last one makes me think of an estate sale I am planning to line up for on Saturday morning... Hopefully it is worth the wait!

Aluminum Measuring Cups

I love finding practical kitchen stuff at thrift stores. Certain vintage pieces are built sturdier than cheapo modern versions, and are obviously much cheaper!

These cute aluminum measuring cups fit the bill for me. There is a half price sale going on at my local charity thrift store this week, and I purchased this set for 25¢.

Each one is labelled accordingly, Fourth Cup, Third Cup, and Half Cup underneath the rim, and have the numeric fraction embossed on the bottom of the cup. They look so charming sitting on my vintage 1964 Joy of Cooking book!

The handles are small, sized to be held basically between your thumb and index finger when scooping up dry goods, but are well riveted to the cup. It's probably safe to say that these cups are from the 1950s. There is no rust nor dents... They are in great condition for being 60 years old!

I think I can find a spot for these new guys in my kitchen...

Vintage Joy of Cooking Book, 1964 Edition

When I'm whipping something up in the kitchen, I tend to add ingredients based on what seems right. I like the idea of finding a recipe and using it as a backbone from which to experiment. I had never really known much about "The Joy of Cooking" by Rombauer and Becker, other than how Julia Child had it in her kitchen!

I found a 1964 edition a couple of weeks ago at a Value Village in the suburbs for $3.50. It's in quite good shape! I figured I could refine my cooking methods and learn a few things as it is chock full of recipes. The inside cover gives a few pointers on symbols found throughout the recipes.

The book was first published in 1931 after Irma Rombauer lost her husband and wrote to cope with her loss and earn some money. The cute drawings in the book have such a homemade quality to them and really adds to the charm.

Both that fondue pot and saucepan sure look like vintage Le Creuset!  It has been a while since I've found a nice book at the thrift. I was really happy with my pair of Jane Eyre books but this is my first vintage cookbook.

I will say that I most certainly will not be needing the pointers identified on Page 453, which discuss "small game" and details how to skin a squirrel. Yes, there are sketches involved. I must also share that Page 454 provides cooking and stuffing instructions for, yes, raccoon. Yeeps!

Vintage Sesame Street Books

I have always loved Sesame Street, but since my nieces were born, my siblings and I have been sharing our old Sesame Street toys with them and singing songs from the 80s. How can you go wrong with Ernie's la la la song and the Manamanah guys?

I recently came upon a huge throng of vintage Sesame Street books from a combination of a school booksale and Value Village. For 20 cents I picked up a great condition copy of this old colouring book:



I think it's so clever how they have called it the Museum of Monster Art and the drawings inside are hilarious for kids and adults alike.

I really like the idea of Bert being the serious, judgemental fellow while Ernie is such a fun-loving goof.



Speaking of Ernie, I found a "I Can Do It Myself" book in great condition.



But the real thrill for me was when I came upon the old version of the Sesame Street Dictionary... in perfect condition for $1.99!



I understand the book was originally published in 1980, and a reprint was issued with a new cover in 2004 showing the nouveau popular guys, including Elmo. I love how each page is so colourful and has both humour and educational content. The illustrations are great.



I am tempted by the idea of a craft project with featured Letters of the Alphabet. I imagine this as having the Letter Bar across the top and rectangular cutouts of say, 6-8 dictionary terms under that letter. I think if they were neatly arranged under some photo matting and put in a plain frame, it would look great in a kid's room either on the wall or on their door!



This would involve cutting up this great book, so I don't know...