Vintage Mugs for the Vintage Lover

I live and love life with vintage mugs. One of my favorite morning rituals, aside from pouring and drinking the coffee, is to pick which vintage mug I'll be drinking from. I get many from my friends, which only adds to the charm of the collection.

While it's ridiculous to think I need more than a few mugs to choose from (I really don't), I still have a couple dozen in my own collection. And I love every one of them and use them, rotating through them every month.

And because I love them so much, and know I can't keep every one I come across, I sell what I love: so I sell, and have sold, a lot of vintage mugs over the years. Something like 500 of them. That's crazy to think about.

August through December is when I list them because vintage mugs make great gifts. What better way to find a niche mug that works for the person you're buying for? Love camping? Get a camper mug. Love Snoopy? Find a Snoopy mug that works for them. It's a fun way to love them for what they love. And who doesn't feel seen when you play into their interests?

I went to a fun rummage sale a month ago and found a good twenty mugs I could sell. Sure, I kept a couple, but most of them are in my shop now or will be over the next couple of months. I love it when this happens! Saves me time. And I love seeing what people have in their cupboards and decided to give up.

So, hop on over to the shop to see what I have listed! As I said, they make great gifts... especially for yourself. 

My vintage friends, may your day be blessed, your coffee hot (or iced, I suppose), and your mug vintage.♥

Aloha from Perennial Vintage

Posting about new vintage Hawaiian finds is one of my favorite things to write about! There is something spectacular about the colors, fabrics, textures, and cuts of all things vintage Hawaiian. 

Now that summer is here, people are planning Luau parties and trips to Hawaii. Here in California and on the West Coast, we travel to the islands year-round, especially in winter. This is our "local" paradise. 

As a result, tourists have been bringing back beautiful Hawaiian shirts and dresses for decades. So, this means I find a bit more vintage Hawaiian clothing than, say, someone who's sourcing vintage in the Midwest. And I love it. It has really become a huge part of my Etsy shop.

Here are some of the latest finds I've added to the shop within the last month. They're all from the '60s era.♥ 

Aloha...

This is so amazing. It's a palazzo jumpsuit!

Gorgeous label.

Bright, fun colors, this one is like an orange crush!

Love this label.

Love the Japanese influence on this one!

Stunning '60s label.

In contrast to the normally bright colors, I love the neutrality of this one.
Beautiful sage and purple.

Vintage Pyrex Collecting Update

I've been collecting vintage Pyrex for a full five years now.

It began in May of 2021. 

I've gone into detail about why I started collecting it in a previous post, but it really had to do with collecting something I could hold onto, use, and love. As a vintage seller, I was tired of selling all the good stuff!

Vintage Pyrex fits that bill for me. Quite well. The only caveat? It all has to be thrifted!

No way will I pay retail prices. 

I knew, being a professional thrifter, that the Pyrex was out there. I also knew there were a lot of other collectors competing with me as well. But I didn't care. That wasn't going to stop me. 

I knew I could get what I wanted if I was willing to do two things: 

One: thrift a lot, more than I wanted to, and even when I didn't want to.

And two: have patience. A heck of a lot of it. I walk away from most of my visits to the thrift stores empty-handed. But, when I find one I don't have, bingo!

Five years later, I have hundreds of pieces. And while I'm still looking for at least a hundred more to complete all of my sets, the needed number has dwindled. 

If I find one piece of Pyrex I don't have, that's a good month. They're few and far between.

But, they're such a joy to find when I do come across a piece I don't have!

It's possible to collect. You can, too. Trust me, it is. If you want to collect it, it's out there. You just have to be willing to thrift a lot (garage and estate sales, too), and be willing to wait for them to come to you.  And if you're looking, they will.

A sweet vintage friend of mine sent me a set of the cutest birthday cards I've ever seen! They're so perfect, I had to show them to you here. I'm having a milestone birthday this year, and these cards are unbelievably apropos.

A couple of months ago, I found the elusive Christmas bowl in March for $6.99. Can't wait to use it this Christmas!

Last month, I found this beautiful white with green flowers Verde Stamp casserole. My collection of this pattern is close to being finished.

Top shelf, bottom rectangular casserole

This month, I found a white with brown images divided casserole of the Americana pattern. I actually thought I'd had this one already, went home to check, and to my dismay, saw that I didn't and went back the next day to get it! 

Bottom left casserole, white with brown

Fortunately, it was still there. 

So, while the pieces I need are few now, they're even more rewarding to find. It makes the find all the more special.

The rows are two deep! There's a lot in this space.

Thanks for taking this vintage Pyrex journey with me, my vintage friends.♥

Denim-mania at Perennial Vintage

It's common knowledge that I love denim. I wear it, love it, hunt for it, and sell it. And, I especially love vintage Levi's! Partly because I'm partial to wearing them, and partly because it's the heritage of my own hometown. 

I live in a city called Gold River, which was aptly named because gold was discovered in its very river, the American River, of the famed gold rush of 1849. This is where Mr. Levi himself went to sell his denim goods (though miles away from me). And it's been history ever since.

But lately, though I've found quite a few USA-made Levi's, as well as Wrangler, Lee, and others. I'm not going to say no to denim just because it isn't Levi's. Here's a short look at some of the denim in my shop right now. 

Here's a beautifully worn-in pair of '90s 505 jeans. Lovely fades, worn in, and decades more worth of wear just waiting to be worn. Following, there are a few other choice pieces in the shop. Take a peek to see what other denim awaits!

-Heather

Levi's 505

Wrangler

Remember this brand? I sure do. Brittania.

80s Levi's Sherpa-Lined Jean Jacket

These cute women's jeans are coming soon! 

Spring has Sprung at Perennial Vintage

Happy spring, everyone. As usual, spring - really, more like summer with almost 90 degree temps - sprung early on us and we are already warm out. Which is a nice change, if I'm being honest. I love warmer weather.

And yet, winter clothing is my favorite item to sell and wear!

Alas, I still haven't come to terms with my dichotomous mind, so today, I picked up a few items from around the globe, which is always so rewarding, and some are for fall and winter, another for spring and summer.

Listed today is this beautiful wool handmade in South Africa cardigan coat. Exquisite. I've never seen anything quite like this here in Northern California. It's thick, woven, and of glorious sunrise or sunset colors. I'm getting Scottish wool vibes mixed with the Baja, Mexico Hoodies!

Then I stumbled upon another fabulous wool Norwegian cardigan, probably from the early '80s. Beautiful colors, exquisitely made, such beautiful details - those buttons! It'll be listed later this week.

And then a little aloha threw itself at me with this late '60s bark cloth shirt, by Iolani. Straight from the islands, I love the pastel palette of this one, since most from the late '60s are vibrant and bright with fuchsia and purple and oranges! It'll be on the site later this week as well.

Thanks for taking a little trip around the world with me!  Have a wonderful week, my vintage friends.

-Heather