Strawberry Shortcake Magnets

Hullo there everyone! I was over at my folks' place this weekend when my mom mentioned that she found a plastic baggie of some old magnets of mine.

I was pretty delighted to be reunited with my old Strawberry Shortcake buddies. I must have had these since I was a little girl. I can't believe I ever put them away!

I am still charmed by how these girls are named Lemon Chiffon and Angel Cake.

The purple kitty named Souffle is so cute. I loved that cat and remember having a scented figurine of her... Boy would I love to find that piece! I bet it is somewhere at my parents' house too!

I hope you found some goodies this weekend too. I'm linking up to ATG's Thrift Share!

Vintage Tupperware Containers

Every now and then I like to study the traffic stats on the blog. One thing I noticed is that many visitors arrive at SixBalloons looking for my posts on Vintage Tupperware!

I suppose I have posted about the Salt and Pepper shakers, measuring cups, and grater, among other items. But the most iconic Tupperware items I remember from my youth are these vibrant Tupperware lunch containers.

I happened upon a bag of these orange and brown containers with the mismatched lid at Value Village. I didn't mind the lid because it was really the orange one I was after. I think a nice salad of mesclun greens would look beautiful in it. I believe I paid $2.99 for the bag.

Unfortunately, I couldn't do the smell test because VV staples these things up pretty well in the bags, and I'm not one to poke around too much with that. These containers failed the test miserably. They stink! Any ideas on how to get rid of that musty old plastic grossness smell?

Linking up to HLA's Flea Market Finds!

Vintage Care Bears Cheer Bear Plush

One of my most distinct childhood memories is as a five-year old in a toy store, whining to my parents that I wanted a Care Bear. I believe I even remember that it was almost $30, a princely sum at the time.

You see, my parents have four kids, and my mom stayed at home with us - we didn't just get new stuff for no reason! I feel so bad now, remembering how I was sobbing in the aisle of the toy store. Lo and behold, at the next Christmas or birthday event, I unwrapped my beautiful brand new pink Cheer Bear!

I have loved that Care Bear since then... and I also love the lesson my parents taught me. Yes, in the end I got the toy, but I was given the opportunity to realize that it was expensive and not something to hastily purchase. To this day, when I want to buy something, I prefer to think about it, research reviews on it, price shop, and then finally purchase it if I am sure it is a good quality product.  I think this experience probably made me cherish my beloved stuffed bear even more!

A few years ago, when the new vintage Care Bears were rolled out, I thought it was really amusing that the price in modern-day dollars was around $30 as well. I guess these days they are mass produced in China, and it's just a different world. I would imagine my old 80s toy was made in North America somewhere, but you wouldn't be able to tell from the completely faded tush tag.

I have so many wonderful memories of my Cheer Bear. I remember when my Mom wanted to wash her, I was so nervous that she would get damaged. I remember supervising the whole operation, and being quite upset by her appearance when she was drying on the laundry rack outside. Haha! I also remember that my brother could make me stop crying by hiding behind the bear and "magically" flapping her arms as though she was flying.

This is one vintage item I own that wasn't purchased at the thrift!

Linking up with Vintage Thingie Thursday, Flea Market Finds and Thrift Share Monday!

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!

Expo 86 Souvenir Sun Visor

I sure had a hectic weekend! I continued on with my house tidying project with Mr. SixBalloons and brought another load of goodies to donate to the church thrift shop.

I also came upon a great souvenir from the Vancouver Expo in 1986. I have great memories of fun with Expo Ernie, the mascot, and lining up to visit the various pavilions when I was a little kid. It was the event that turned Vancouver into a big city.

I found this really sweet blue retro sun visor at the thrift for a dollar. It was cast aside in a pile of fabrics and junk, but the visor was in perfect condition. I was afraid that the plastic would have been cracked!

It even bears the offical souvenir tag. =) This was another great thrift find that brought back a bunch of great childhood memories.

Linking up to ATG's Thrift Share Monday and HLA's Flea Market Finds!

Sandra Boynton Cards and Mugs

I have read on some thrift reselling blogs about Sandra Boynton's whimsical cartoon drawings on products like greeting cards and mugs from the 80's. Over the last few months, I came upon a few items here and there.

At one particular thrift store that I go to, I have found unmarked, brand new Sandra Boynton greeting cards twice! Believe it or not, some vintage Boynton cards sell on ebay for $70.

Unfortunately, I have no idea why some sell for big bucks and some have less appeal. These Christmas cards I found recently show these little guys under a Santa Hat on the cover...

...and when you flip the card open, it reads "And Happy New Year from all of us!" under a party hat.

Then at my local MCC Thrift Store, I spotted this novelty Boynton travel mug labelled "Untippable Mug for: Car, Truck, Boat, Klutz".

I paid $2 for this and it is in perfect condition, along with its padded bottom. Again, not sure why, but some Boynton mugs are selling on ebay for $30. This one seems to go for about half that.

If anyone has any more information on why Sandra Boynton products are collectible, please share as I would love to know!

Linking up to Colorado Lady's Vintage Thingie Thursday!

Vintage Sesame Street Lamp Light Fixture Cover

I'm sure you all know how I feel about Sesame Street by now, so I was pretty pumped when I came across this sweet light fixture cover recently.  I believe they produced several designs in the Sesame Street series during the 80s.

It was marked with the princely sum of $1.00 so I tucked it under my arm and continued shopping. I once left a similar one behind at a thrift because it was too expensive for my tastes, even though it had a glum-looking Bert glaring at Ernie, who was up to no good.

With the name of my blog being Six Balloons, I also thought it was pretty exciting to have something vintage, Sesame Street-themed, and with balloons on it!

There are so many vibrant colours on the glass, and it was in perfect condition... until I accidentally snapped the corner off!! I fessed up to the church lady of course, and purchased it, justifying that I could at least share this depressing story with you readers.

The chip is right in the corner near Cookie Monster and it's too dangerous to keep as it's so sharp. I put it out in the Recycling Box this week with a wistful sigh! I'll chalk this one up as one of my Thrift Fails and move on!

Linking up to Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm!

Le Creuset 1980s Floral Design

I had a reader contact me regarding a great Le Creuset enamelled cast iron piece found at a yard sale in Florida. It is a beautiful white oval dutch oven from the 80s with a painted floral design.

This piece was purchased for $10 and looks to be in perfect condition! What a bargain.

According to Le Creuset, the design is called Petits Fruits by Perla Meyers. It was designed in 1983 and produced for about 20 years. The only thing I can find out about Perla Meyers is that she is an author of cookbooks, and produced one specific to Le Creuset recipes. I am not sure if she consulted on the design and lent her name to the line? That seems like a very modern way of using celebrity names for marketing... Like Graham Ramsay dinnerware for Royal Doulton...

As you can see, the sizing noted on the underside of the lid uses the vintage lettering convention rather than our numerical sizing we see on modern Le Creuset pieces.

I am actually working on a post that will provide sizing guides to all your favourite Le Creuset pots and pans! I think it will be a handy reference tool.

Thanks to CB from Nova Scotia, Canada for sharing this lovely find with us! I hope you are getting plenty of usage out of this beautiful piece!

Vintage Apsco Pencil Sharpener

I've got another flashback from the 80s here! The local Ukranian church had a rummage sale recently, and I found a pencil sharpener that is pretty similar to the ones I had in my elementary school classrooms. This double barrelled Apsco Star sharpener was $2.

There were a lot of bargains at the bazaar but I restrained myself. Sometimes I excitedly tell people about an item I left behind and get a lukewarm response! This makes me go hmm, perhaps that vintage Gillette silver shaving kit wasn't that great... Or maybe you had to see that purple velvet interior for yourself to be a believer.

The item is marked as being made in Rockford, Illinois. I wonder if Rockford manufactures anything like this today...

I also scooped up a new package of colourful pencil crayons for 25¢ which goes really well with my new office tool.

If you remember my little Danish teak bird, it had a slot in the back for holding pencils or manicure tools. I put him to good use, as you can see.

I just wanted to say hello and thanks to all my followers, new and not-so-new! I hope you will keep reading and commenting!