25 of my favourite vintage purchases from our trip to Alberta

Over the past few weeks, it's been nothing short of a joy to share some of the highlights, vintage fun, and deeply personal thoughts on our recent travels to Alberta with all of you.

Though, hard as it is to believe, more than a month and half has passed since we set of on our exciting journey, the spirit of adventure, exploration, challenge, and happiness that filled my heart and soul then is every bit as strong still today. I believe that it will remain as such for a long time to come, if not forever, rekindled periodically by future trips to old haunts and new destinations alike.

With my beloved Halloween behind us again for another year, and before we get in the massively busy throes of the coming holiday season that looms on the snow covered horizon, I thought I'd use the first Monday in November as the perfect time to share my last post (or at least that last one I have planned at the moment, one never knows what their travels may inspire down the road on the blogging front) devoted solely to our September 2013 trip to Calgary (and Nanton), Alberta.

I know that many of you have been highly anticipating this post, just as I've eagerly been looking forward to putting it together. This isn't a complete inventory of everything I bought on our trip, instead it’s a collection of twenty-five of my favourite items, each one of which I've listed along with where it came from and what (as best I can remember a few weeks after the fact) I paid for it (as I usually do wherever I go, I bargain hunted big time in Alberta).

As many of us do when we travel, I headed over the Rocky Mountains with a set budget (which, though I pretty much maxed out, I'm happy to say, I didn't exceed) as well as a list, in my head, of items I hoped to find. I'm always a hard core realist when it comes to vintage shopping in Canada, even when I have the great pleasure of visiting a large metropolis like Calgary. I knew that I wasn't going to be crossing all the items on vintage wish list off, didn’t have a snowball's chance of finding my vintage Canadiana holy grail, and was even skeptical as to if any vintage ski wear would come my way.

It's a good thing that I went with this mindset, because none of those items were forthcoming. That does mean however that plenty of fabulous finds weren't to be had, they certainly were, and for every piece I purchased, several other items that caught my eye had to be left behind, both for the sake of my wallet and because we had exceedingly little room to bring things home with us (the trunk on our car makes a matchbox look roomy! :)).

Ultimately, though I didn't find many of the items (such as a corde purse, vintage ski wear, or well priced celluloid and/or Bakelite jewelry) that I'd thought before hand would be awesome to track down, I did find a few things (including a darling lady's head vase, included below) and love everything that I bought, whether I had gone hunting intentionally for it not.

Vintage plastic souvenir fan featuring scenes of Alberta | $6.99 | Inside Avenue Antiques | One of the things that I was keeping my eyes firmly peeled for was vintage collectibles from Calgary and/or elsewhere in Alberta, so when I spotted this charming little plastic fan boasting several small photographic scenes of different spots around the province, I knew immediately that it was coming home with me. 



Vintage paperback copy of Gypsy Rose Lee's autobiography | $10.00 | Inside Avenue Antiques | Though I didn't buy a single vintage magazine (the small number that I saw which appealed to my interests, were exceedingly overpriced), I did find this cool biography of famed burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee, which I'm really looking forward to reading soon. 



Vintage pink floral cake slice plate | $4.99 | Inside Avenue Antiques | That's how this plate was labeled (cake slice) and as I think it's a darling description, I'm sticking to it. I love it's small shape, beautiful colours, and classic floral pattern. I foresee it being used a jewelry catch-all one day when I have more bedroom or bathroom dresser/counter top storage space available. For now I'm going to put it to use in my craft room in the basement.


Vintage Imperial Gem canning jars | $4.50 each | The Raven Store | Long before vintage blue canning jars experienced a massive resurgence in popularity in recent years (thanks in no small part to Pinterest), I'd been on the prowl for some. Though I'd seen others before, they'd always been priced in the $20-$75 (I kid you not!) range, which was a bit too rich for my blood. I'm glad I held out because, these two were a wonderful song at just $4.50 a piece. 



Second hand floral cross stitch throw pillow | $4.99 | Inside Avenue Antiques | This pillow, which measures about 12 inches on each side isn't the easiest thing to date. It doesn't have any tags or identifying marks, nor does it doesn't feel brand new. I'd honestly believe it was as old as from the 1940s and as recent as this decade. Whenever it hails from, I adore it and am happy to have a throw pillow (toss cushion) again, after Annie ate just about all of the ones we had before we got her (thankfully none of them were vintage or expensive!). 



Cute vintage candy tin featuring a bulldog and a chick | $2.99 | Shoulder To Shoulder Militaria & Collectibles | I popped into this small, but thoroughly well stocked shop hoping to perhaps find some WW2 sweetheart or Victory brooches, and though the wonderfully friendly owner did indeed have some sweetheart ones, they were too close to those already in my own collectible for me to invest in. Instead, I picked up this darling little vintage candy tin, a vintage figurine of a Dutch girl, plus two brooches (all included in this roundup as well), and got to meet one of the nicest sellers I encountered on our travels. 



Set of three vintage (1950s) girl figurines with parasols | $7.99 per figurine | Inside Avenue Antiques | I have an unending love of cute, kitschy 1940s and 50s girl and lady (and animal) figurines, be they Napco, Relco or any other brand, and am always on the prowl for more to add to my collection. I'd been looking to find some with their original little parasols (which are all too easily lost over the years) for ages, and was thrilled to discover this trio (plus the solo gal, who's a big bigger than these three, pictured below) on our travels. 



Vintage (1950s) pink girl with parasol planter figurine | $9.99 | The Raven Store | Measuring just a few inches high but packing a hefty dose of old school adorableness, this sweet little planter style figurine was far too darling to pass up. 



Vintage (1950s) Valentine's Day pink girl planter figurine | $9.99 | The Raven Store | This heartwarmingly lovely little planter figurine was a last minute purchase from The Raven Store, simply because she was located on the checkout counter near the cash register and I didn't spy here until I went to pay! :) 



Cute vintage Dutch girl bell figurine | Shoulder To Shoulder Militaria & Collectibles | Though I wouldn't use her as a bell too often, lest her buckets, which work as the bell's swinging pendulums, risked chipping the figure, this precious little circa 1940s/50s girl will get plenty of use as a decorative piece on one of my bookshelves. 



Vintage cream and gold girl figurine lipstick holder | $16.99 | The Raven Store | I'd been hunting for a vintage lipstick holder in the style of this one for as long as I could remember, but had yet to come across on in person. The Raven Store had at least three different ones, of which this elegant cream and gold number was my very favourite. It's now hard at work housing my three most commonly worn lippies and I absolutely love it to pieces. 



Vintage cream and gold lady's head vase | $19.99 | | The Raven Store | Only my second lady's head vase to date and by far the better of the two in terms of condition, this glamorous beauty all but sung out my name (in an Andrews Sisters-esque voice) when I walked past. 



Vintage Lake Louise tourist souvenir dangle charm brooch | $20.00 | Shoulder To Shoulder Militaria & Collectibles | This fun little vintage tourist pin features a cable car and edelweiss flower in a nod to the mountaineers that Lake Louise - and the Rockies in general - has long attracted. 



Vintage plastic flower cameo brooch | $4.99 | Shoulder To Shoulder Militaria & Collectibles | Though I suspect it hails from the 60s, 70s or 80s, this lovely plastic cameo brooch could easily be a decade or two older or younger as well. It's age wasn't a determining factor for me, it's pretty floral design and feminine colour palette were the ticket there. 



Circa 1940s purple ruched gloves | $18.00 | A Vintage Affair | I bought five pairs of vintage gloves from various shops while on our travels, including two from A Vintage Affair on 11th Ave SW, of which these elegant ruched lilac babies are my very favourite. 



Vintage Venetian scene tapestry handbag | $40.00 | Lost Ark Antiques | Being married to a native son of Italy, I always find myself drawn to vintage items featuring Italian scenes. I'd been looking to add a Venetian tapestry handbag to my wardrobe for years and knew this one was the winner the moment I saw it. It's generously sized, in great condition, and just as pretty as pretty can be. 



Vintage spring garden scene woven straw handbag | $8.99 | The Raven Store | A gal can never have too many fun vintage straw handbags, if you ask me, and this well priced cutie will be the first one I reach for when spring returns next year. 



1950s/60s clear plastic cat eye sunglasses | $15.00 | The Raven Store | Between the fact that I'm nearsighted and require prescription lenses in my sunnies and my pesky nickel allergy, which rules frames with exposed metal out, I don't own many pair of sunglasses, in fact, prior to this purchase, I only owned one (seen here). Whether I put prescription lenses in these fun clear frames or just wear them for photo shoots, at $15.00 and fitting like a glove, there was absolutely no way I was going to pass them up! 



Vintage (c. 1950s) mandarin collar pink Chinese style shirt | $15.00 | Divine Vintage | Usually (fold over) collar-less shirts do not look good on me, but I lucked out on that front (I think, at least :)) when I slipped on this delightful 1950s pink cotton mandarin collared top. It's lightweight, comfy and very cute! I foresee wearing it with skinny black capris or cigarette pants (if I buy either) or a black pencil skirt during the spring and summer. 



Vintage yellow peasant shirt with floral embroidery | $14.00 | Divine Vintage | I'd peg this cheerful light yellow peasant shirt to most likely be from the 60s or 70s, but it will be a snap to style in 40s/50s looks, especially if partnered with a vintage a-line or circle skirt and some cute wedge sandals. 



1940s/50 vintage cotton house dress | $24.00 - 10% discount (= $21.60) | Divine Vintage | This dress looks good from a distance, and over all it's not in the worst shape ever, but it does need some TLC for sure, as there's a large split seem on one of the arms, some broken stitches here and there, and a couple of other small issues. When I pointed these out to the sale's clerk at Divine Planet (who I should mention, was very friendly, professional, and helpful), she kindly discounted the price by 10%, and at that point, for little more than $20.00, I felt this lovely vintage house dress was amply worth buying and restoring myself. 



Vintage (probably 1950s or 60s) tropical island novelty print circle skirt | $18.00 | Divine Vintage | Why do I say probably? Because though this skirt could very well be from the 50s or 60s, the hem on it strikes me as quite modern, and thus I'm left to wonder if it is in fact from the 1980s. It's all good either way, of course, especially when a tropical island novelty print is involved.



1950s/60s Mexican Sombrero novelty print skirt | (On sale for) $15.00 | A Vintage Affair | As I chatted about in last month's post about seven of my favourite places we visited in Alberta, A Vintage Affair was, hands down, my favourite vintage clothing store that we shopped in Alberta. From the stellar selection to the friendly, professional, and clearly vintage loving staff, I couldn't get enough of this fantastic shop, where I happily picked up several items, including this fun vintage sombrero print skirt which was on the sale rack, having been marked all the way down from $70 to just $15. Vintage score! :) 



Vintage (c. 1950s) Mexican tourist jacket | $45.00 | A Vintage Affair | Over night my wardrobe went from zero to two south of the border vintage items, both care of A Vintage Affair, with this awesome dark red Mexican tourist jacket being the second. My lovely friend Janey (from the blog Atomic Redhead) is a huge vintage Southwestern fashion fan, and it was her passion for this classic style of jacket (which she's blogged about before, including in this great post) that instilled a desire in me to find one of my own. 



1950s Lilli Ann purple and white polka dot suit jacket | $38.00 | Cat's Eye Vintage | One might argue that I saved the best for last with this playful, yet highly elegant, (circa) 1950s polka dot Lilli Ann blazer, which instantly made me think, the moment I found it, of my dear friend Joanna (from Dividing Vintage Moments), who is a die hard fan of, and expert on, all things Lilli Ann. This jacket was almost certainly part of a skirt suit at one point, but the skirt, sadly, was long gone by the time I found it. Nevertheless, after a thorough soaking in OxiClean and a hand washing in the bathtub, this previously (somewhat) dingy gem sprang back to life and will definitely appear here in its own vintage outfit post when spring returns. 

{All photos taken by me}

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Those with a keen eye may have noticed that not a single one of the items above came from a thrift store. This, I assure you, was not intentional. I set out with a list I’d made in advance of more than thirty thrift stores in Calgary, of which we were able to get to at least 15 during our time there, and - save for two pairs of vintage gloves bought for $1.99 each at a Value Village in North East side of town - I did not find, nor even so much as see, a single pre-1960s garment, accessory, household item, kitschy collectible, or other vintage piece (with the exception of a small number of vintage radios for sale at Zoe's Store on 14th Ave SW) at any of the thrift stores that we visited.

Believe me, we were thorough. Tony and I combed the racks, shelves, bins and displays of every thrift store we visited with a fine tooth combed. I wasn't expecting to show up, waltz into said thrift shops, have the heavens parts, and scores of vintage items come tumbling at feet. No, I know that it in most parts of Canada, as with much of the rest of the world, the days of such being  likely to happen are long gone, but I was genuinely surprised by the fact that I didn't see any pre-60s vintage at all (again, save for those radios).

Granted, we didn't visit all of the thrift shops in town, but we did try to get to a good cross section over the span of a week, and though it's possible that someone had merely beat us to the vintage finds that week, I sensed that 40s and 50s pieces had become exceedingly scare in recent years just about everywhere we visited. If you're headed to Calgary yourself though, do try to visit at least a few. As with thrift stores everywhere, you never know which might just offer up some stellar old school pieces one day, and the hunt is always part of the fun.

Even if the thrift stores were a bust (save for those two pairs of gloves) this time around, I'll still visit some of them - and others that I didn't get to this time around - on future trips to Calgary, just as I will return to all of the places listed above where treasures abounded. Calgary might not have a massive number of vintage and antique shops, but there are a few of each, and Nanton is teaming with antiques and collectibles, so the avid vintage collector is bound to find lots of lovely pieces that catch their fancy while they're in Southern Alberta.

I don't know where the winds of travel will blow us next, but we are hoping that another road trip holiday will be possible in 2014 (quite possibly in the fall time again). When that happens, as with Calgary, I'll head out with a list in mind, but also be open to buying what tickles my fancy, as I discover it. There's much to be said for planning, but also for the delight of finding something you didn't know you wanted, but suddenly can't imagine leaving behind in the moment.

A healthy blend of the two suits me well and helped ensure that my suitcase - and our wee little trunk - were both bursting at the seams as we made our way back to Penticton. Vintage figures wrapped in novelty print skirts, lovely yesteryear handbags stuffed with old-fashioned canning jars, and a wholeheartedly content smile on my face the whole drive home.