Second Time Around Tuesday ...Toys!

When my husband and I became a Nonna and a Nonno for the first time last year ( which are the Italian words for Grandmother and Grandfather) I was obviously thrilled. It is hard to believe my grandson will be one year old soon! He is growing so big and is such a good boy! We are all very blessed!

Like all children who are almost one year old , he is learning to walk and likes to explore the kitchen cabinets.

There is so much we'd like to show him and so much he has to learn. Now I am thankful I was able to save this.....

...a large collection of toys his Daddy and Aunt played with when they were little!

Most are Fisher Price toys of good quality, and when the time came that they weren't being played with much anymore I cleaned them well and packed them away in a crate in my garage, hoping that one day they might be used again.

They will be staying at Nonna's and Nonno's house for the times our grandson is able to visit us from Colorado, as he has many brand new toys in his own toybox at home. I think he'll enjoy these vintage toys one day .. and there are even a few more I have yet to unpack!

I think they will get very good use "the second time around"!

To see more "Second Time Around" blog posts today please visit Diane at her blog

"A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words" to see links to all the participating blogs. Thanks Diane! I am happy to be part of your group today!

There is also some time to enter my Christmas Lenox china teapot give away on that post, if you haven't already entered. I will picking the winner out randomly out of a bowl in the evening of December 1st. and will announce the winner on Wednesday, December 2nd. Thank you to everyone who has entered! I can't wait to see who wins!

Second Time Around Tuesday -- Antique Cars

I'm joining Diane of "A Picture Is Worth a 1,000 Words" blog's "2nd Time Around Tuesday" carnival today. Thanks Diane!

Seeing Judy's antique 1947 Monarch car in her blog post a few days ago reminded me that I recently took photos of two very cool antique cars that were for sale outside a used car dealer's lot in Brooklyn, New York on Crospy Avenue.

These two beautiful vintage cars were literally stopping traffic outside Capri Auto Sales. Men were hopping out of their own cars to take a closer look. They certainly brought back some childhood memories to me.

Isn't this salmon pink convertible gorgeous? It is a 1957 Ford Fairlane Skyliner Convertible. Thank you, Sally, for helping me identify it!

A two toned green and white Chrysler New Yorker, complete with all the fancy chrome trim and large white wall tires that spoke of luxury in the day and age it was produced.

I'm almost certain both cars were sold that day, or soon afterward, as they aren't listed in the used car store's inventory, and some lucky car collectors have added them to their fleet.

What fun it must be to own and drive around in a beautiful "second time around" cars such as these!

Yankee Trader, Denver Colorado

Today I'm joining Diane of A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words in "Second Time Around Tuesday."

We are supposed to display our second hand treasures, but I'd like to show a whole store of antiques and memorabilia that I discovered on a recent trip I made to Denver, Colorado where I was visiting my son, daughter-in-law and baby grandson.

Located at 4000 Tennyson St. in Denver, Colorado, Yankee Trader is an antique and memorabilia store that was fascinating to visit!

Here are some photos of the front window displays. All photos will enlarge if you click on them so you can see more detail.

Originally a Ben Franklin Five and Dime Store, owners Mike and Sherilyn Thompson have made Yankee Trader a department store of antiques in the 5,000 square foot historic building. The Yankee Trader is heaven for collectors and has a particularly extensive array of toys ranging from the 1800's to the 1970's, encompassing everything from die-cast vehicles, mechanical toys, western themed toys, to vintage board games. There is an entire wall of shelves, top to bottom, filled with all types of cars and trucks, including bright red firetrucks. You could spend weeks at Yankee Trader and still not see everything, but I tried to take a few representative photos of some of their collection. It is very large and stocked from floor to ceiling with fun items of yester-year.

The 1930's green metal Little Orphan Annie toy stove in the window was selling for $ 225, and the vintage fire truck pedal car was marked $650!

The 1960's Ideal Kissy Doll was $160, the JKF needlepoint was $50.

Some original metal advertising signs and automoblia items.

Everything in this display was Coca Cola related. The tin trays on the bottom were commanding high prices -- the 1927 soda jerk tray on the left was $800 and the 1940 fishing girl ray on the right was $350!

I won the exact same adorable antique Willie and Millie F&F Mold and Die Works, Dayton Ohio, salt and pepper shakers last year from Lisa Retostyle blog! It was a surprise to see another pair in perfect condition!

There were cases and cases of antique toys, cars, dolls, doll houses, erector sets, tinker toys, pedal cars, cap guns, train sets, etc., etc.

Everything was well categorized and carefully arranged and displayed in locked, numbered cabinets or glass display cases. If you wanted to examine anything Mike or Sherilyn would be happy to open the case for you.

Yankee Trader is open seven days a week; Monday through Saturday from 10am - 5:30pm and Sunday from 11am - 5pm. They also participate in First Fridays Denver Art Walk on Tennyson Street when they stay open later.

All kinds of cute cookie jars!

It was fun examining the vintage food tins, some of which I remembered. Are you old enough to remember Log Cabin syrup served in a log cabin tin can? What about Durkee spice tins?

Beautiful glassware arranged by color.

This box of Pez containers made me smile! I wish I had the ones I had as a child, but I have saved some of my children's favorite Pez containers.

This display made me feel old -- there were Herman Hermits and The Monkees trading cards in it, similar to the ones I once owned, and other items from what I thought was not such a distant past, but are probably rare finds today.

Lots of antique sporting equipment. I know my husband would have liked looking at the baseball gloves.

The store had so many old books! This was just one wall of them. I could have spent hours browsing through them. Next time I visit North Denver I'll plan a longer visit to do just that. Can you see any books that you would have wanted to buy?

There were separate holiday memorabilia display cases. Above some of the Halloween collectibles, and below some of the Christmas.

I remember we had the same pointed ear Jack Frost plastic figurines when I was a child, and the choir boys too! I used to take them off the tree and play with them.

More Christmas items. I loved the mercury glass ornaments.

There was a lot of beautiful antique Fenton Glass in this display and an expensive Heisey Glass"winger scroll" set that was selling for $665!

Look at all the wonderful John Deere replica tractor and farm machine collectibles!

This collection will make my son feel old -- it was full of "Star Wars" figurines, GI Joe, "He Man"figurines, and Transformer cars from the late 70's early 80's. I guess nostalgia sells no matter what age you are! I have some of these very toys stored away in my attic and garage as I didn't have the heart to throw or give them away. Who knew they'd become so valuable?

This was a whole room full of military antiques of all kinds.

There were also endless showcases of antique jewelry to choose from, filled with rhinestone jewelry of all colors of the rainbow, Austrian crystals, silver and turquoise, etc.

Walking through the aisles of Yankee Trader was like taking a trip down memory lane! It did not have bargain thrift store type prices, but that made me realize all the more that common and familiar objects from the past can become very valuable as long as nostalgia and their scarcity become factors.

I didn't buy anything on this trip, but next time I visit Denver I'll try to allow more time to browse the Yankee Trader Store and I'm sure something will come back to New York with me!

Please visit other "Second Time Around" blog posts through Diane's blog today and enjoy some wonderful vintage treasures!

Trash To Treasure Tuesday

I wanted to participate in Diane's of A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words new "Trash To Treasure Tuesday," today and I searched all around my house to see what I could find, as Diane said it should be "a treasure that you really love that no one else wanted," and it dawned on me that the most important thing I have that fits that description is my cat, Bo!

He was a cat being given away on "Craig's List," because the girl who owned him had to give him up as unfortunately her boyfriend was very allergic to him! How could anyone give away anything so sweet and beautiful? In fairness, the girl's boyfriend became her husband, but luckily my daughter told me about this sweet kitty and I adopted him right away!

He's such a good buddy, and loves to sit on my lap whenever possible and when that isn't possible he's always by my side. Truly, he's a treasure!

Thanks Diane! This was a fun challenge and I hope you will check out all the links in Diane's blog to see more blogs posting "Trash to Treasure" today.

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I hope everyone in the U.S.A. has remembered to VOTE today! It is a privilege and an honor to be part of this great country's elective process, and I have supported each President who has been elected, whether I voted for him or not.

I'd like to share this prayer that President Dwight D. Eisenhower penned for his inauguration, as its message holds true for today:

An Inaugural Prayer

"Almighty God, we beseech that Thou will make full and complete our dedication to the service of the people everywhere.

Give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong, and allow all our words and actions to be governed thereby, and by the laws of this land. Especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people regardless of station, race or calling.

May cooperation be permitted and be the mutual aim of those who, under the concepts of our Constitution, hold to differing political faiths; so that all may work for the good of our beloved country and Thy glory. Amen"

And as President John F. Kennedy said:

"... let us go forth to lead the land we love. asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."