Weekend Junk Finds: 1960s Estate sale edition

I really do love shopping at estate sales, but I rarely get to go because 1) I have a rambunctious 3-year-old in tow and 2) most of the sales are FAR away from my house. A few weeks ago there were two sales that were relatively close as far as estate sales are concerned (about a 25-30 min. drive as opposed to 45 min. or more) and the 3-year-old seems to be doing a little better lately, so I decided to chance it. We were flying out that afternoon for my brother's graduation so we only had a little bit of time but I got all of my packing and errands done the day before so I could go shop with a clear conscience!

The first sale was in a neighborhood that backs to a golf course, absolutely FULL of really fantastic 1960s ramblers. The homes are set on huge lots with wide, green yards--what looks like it would be kid heaven. The houses themselves are low-slung, excellent examples of classic suburban 1960s architecture and the interior of the house was the same. We got there a bit after opening to miss the initial mad rush in the doors so I know we missed some goodies, but I was happy with the things I did find.

 A pair of old sparkler boxes, with sparklers still inside. These will go with my 4th of July decorations.

A pair of WWII-era letters to Daisy, who I assume is the woman who owned the house. There was a whole box full and I picked out just two, although I wish I could have sat down and read them all.

More WWII stuff--a pair of 8x10 glossy photos that look like they were taken by somebody maybe for professional purposes? There was a whole stack and they seemed much nicer than an average serviceman's snapshots.

Loved this one of the couple dancing! It reminded me of the 1940s Ball I attended last year.

And going along with the WWII theme--at the sale, there were some glossy large group photos of Navy sailors in boot camp at Camp Farragut, Idaho in about 1943. Now, landlocked, mountainous Idaho seems like just about the last place where you'd expect to find a Naval training base, but apparently there was one. In the photos were large canvas flags with each group, and those very same flags were at the sale. They are good-sized and each is made of canvas with dark green felt letters stitched onto both sides. I bought all five of them--they seem like something cool to hang in a boy's bedroom. They're a bit dirty so I've got one soaking in Biz right now to see if I can get them cleaner. I think I'll keep one, and the others will eventually be for sale.

Onto the next sale. Also in a 1960s house, though not as neat as the first one.

Why did I buy these? I've certainly never been to any of these locations! I have a weakness for old postcard folders like these, especially the type where the location is written in large letters with scenes inside like the White Mountains on top left. I actually bought 2 more of these but they're for a gift so I can't show them.

Vintage Christmas. I'm selective in the single color ornaments I buy now--this time I bought pink and one orange, since I rarely find that color.

And a whole bunch of babies, including a handful of the ones that are about the size of a marble. They're teeny tiny.

Two bags of buttons. I haven't bought buttons in a while, because usually they're priced sky-high I forgot that I bought these until I pulled them out to photograph yesterday, so I'm looking forward to sorting them all today.

Did you get to go junking over Mother's Day weekend? I'm linking up with the Nifty Thrifty over at A Living Space!