Thriftspiration: The Celebrity Lookbook Of Ilda Pellett

A Crown composition book, to Ilda from Ellen.

It was a scorching afternoon at the Columbus Flea Market, the time of day where vendors are keen to packing up their wares.  And I was just about finished with the junking of the day and about to move along to the produce section for some sweet Jersey tomatoes. That's when I stumbled upon a chatty seller with just a few vintage items spread about a single table. We got to talking about our mutual appreciation for vintage photographs and ephemera...and the lost of art of memory keeping. 

While this used composition book was an add-on purchase at the suggestion of the vendor (the original item purchased will be featured in a later post), I was excited to see what was inside, to see what Ilda Pellett of the 4th grade once held dear. 

I was not disappointed to find an entire composition book of celebrity clippings, glamour shots, and fashion spreads from the late 1920s-1930s. Maybe you think this is silly. Or maybe you'd consider it a sort of primitive Pinterest board. But I love it. And hell, I've done it. Being a secondhand fashion blogger in part, putting together a notebook of style aspirations is something that helps me when I go thrifting. It helps me stay inspired and organized. And I've been recommending this sort of tangible on-the-go thriftspiration for years. 

And a special bonus: Ilda had tucked all of her favorite paper dolls and paper doll fashions within the pages of her composition book. 

A pile of paper fashions. 

A selection from the paper doll collection. 

Isn't it sort of amazing that these cherished paper dolls survived some 85+ years intact? I already have some crafty upcycling plans for them, in the form of shrunken plastic jewelry. But in the meantime I'll just enjoy the aesthetic of this collection. I thank Ilda Pellett for her creative vision and dreams of stardom, and to her friend "Ellen W" who gifted the Crown composition book to Ilda. I admire the vendor who saved this from an estate clean-out that could likely have ended in a garbage can, who saw the potential in saving such a personal item...and for selling it to me for just one dollar.

Vintage Photo Friday: Double Your Vintage. Double Your Fun.

Vintage novelty photograph with frame,  99 cents. 

I had almost given up on my pursuit to keep Vintage Photo Friday a regular segment here on Let's Go Thrifting.  Family photographs and snapshots have become increasingly hard to find at the thrift stores. And outside of antique stores (with antique store prices at that. Hello, sticker shock), I fear that they're being forever lost to the landfills. 

But in a recent trip to the Goodwill of Warminster, PA I unearthed several quality finds, including the very subject of this post. While I love the nostalgic nod to yesteryear with staged novelty photos, this vintage-on-vintage photograph was a majorly surreal secondhand score. 

Then? It was faux vintage. Now it's vintage twice over. 

It's circa 1960 and these two couples are posing with a mock Oldsmobile from the 1930s, in front of a suburban landscape backdrop. 1960s and 1930s? It's doubly vintage!

And including the classy filigree frame, this might be my best find for under a buck. 


Have you spotted any vintage pics at the thrift lately?