trucker hat bonanza

while thrifting last week i came upon a bin chock full to the point of overflowing with vintage 70s and 80s mesh and foam trucker hats. 

it was clearly the collection of one man.  a man who loved baseball caps. he may have had an obsession. 

there were 58 of them, a few of them have doubles, 95% were in unworn brand new deadstock condition.

i've already sold a handful, but you can see photos of the fronts of the entire original collection here: 70s 80s vintage trucker hats

i think it's a fascinating snapshot of a human being. 

what did he do for work? 

where did he buy his tractors?

where did he buy his tools? 

where did he do his banking? 

what did he like to eat?

where did he go on vacation?

what did he do for fun?

 

 what did he consider himself?

to the farmer from western north carolina who donated his lifelong hat collection to the goodwill, i say thank you!

all of the hats that are still for sale can be found here: 70s 80s vintage trucker hats on Skippy Haha Vintage Etsy

WTF Wednesday: Anna Septic, Mucho Gusto, Mountaintop Bass

It's Wednesday already, WTF!

Here's a doll stuffed in a plastic egg. Russ came out with this line of "Preserved Personalities" in the 80's. Maybe a riff off Garbage Pail Kids?  This is Anna Septic. 

 She has a thermometer and nurse's hat. WTF?!

I don't know what to call this.  It's a broken clock. Shaped like a dog. Covered in gold glitter glue. His back feet are floating.

If you're going to donate a frame with the photo still inside, I'm going to WTF Wednesday you.

Hey muchacho! You got a vest of bullets and a bistro chair. Ole!

The Waymasters. Good times in a gazebo. 

The mighty hand of God must have swooped down and lifted that stand up bass clear to that mountain top. 

I would like to be Tony's friend. 

Here's a wall hanging 3-D sculpture. I call this Knock, knock, knockin on heaven's door. 

Last but not least, a puppy tooth:

Sugarhoney was crunching on something, looked over, it's a sugarmolar.

As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions.

For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week:

• 80s You're Rich, I'm Available Gold Digger Duck Tee
• 80s Jeep Cherokee Airbrushed Tee Shirt
• 80s Shih Tzu Myrtle Beach Tee Shirt

how to clean disintegrated foam from a vintage trucker hat

you found a sweet 70's or 80's mesh and foam backed snapback trucker hat. congratulations! 

the snap in back still works, and it fits like a dream.

but....what the hell is this powdering? snowing foam particles covering your hair like dandruff?

the foam used as padding in the back of vintage mesh hats has been known to disintegrate. even a brand new, deadstock hat will eventually lose its foam and start powdering. 

it's not a matter of if, but when. the more you sweat and move, crinkling the hat, the faster it will powder. unfortunately, once it starts powdering, the only thing you can do to make it wearable is to remove all the foam.

the hat will no longer stand up on its own, but it will still be sweet, wearable, functional, and stylin. 

70's trucker hat with foam removed

this is how i have easily removed the foam from powdering vintage hats. 

1. fill a bucket or large pot or bowl with 1 liter of hot water and 1/3 cup white vinegar.

2.  soak, then agitate the hat in the solution. rub the foam against itself. agitate, agitate, agitate some more. (3-5 minutes)

3. rinse with more hot water into the bucket.

4. agitate more until the majority of the foam is disintegrated and floating in the solution. agitate, agitate, agitate.

5. carefully remove the hat from the bucket, roll up a clean rag into a head shape, and stuff inside the hat to dry.

6. dump the water into a container and place in the trash. i don't recommend dumping foam into the ground. 

7. when the hat is dry, take it outside and slap it against something until all the last remaining foam flies away.

*TIP* - do NOT use the sink as a bucket. i can't imagine your pipes would like the addition of a hat's-worth of disintegrated foam.

*This is just one method, which I made up after seeing no other methods online. If you have other, cleaner, faster, better methods, please share them!

See all vintage trucker hats on Skippy Haha Vintage.

WTF Wednesday: Potty Boy, Moon Watching Me

Wednesday is here, yet again, and so bringeth the WTF-ery.

Happy Easter Mamaw! Here is a sweater-wearing teddy bear with no pants. 

Lovely figurine of two old friends.  Maybe they can't walk but they can still swallow, and what more can you ask for in a friend.

Here's another example of WTF bathroom art. 

Hello Potty Boy.

Way to go, Potty Boy.

 Stay gold, Potty Boy.

WTF?

This looks like a "paint-your-own-pottery" creation. 

What's your favorite team? Bears? Panthers? Rubik's Cubes?

Last but not least I leave you with a short poem written by Willie Johnson. (Poetry of a Father Lover & Friend, p, 105)

MOON WATCHING ME

Moon way up high, so bright and full of heavenly light.

I see you, so beautiful, for all the world to see

just sitting but roaming so free

MOON WATCHING ME

Your colors at various stages of the day

and majestic cycle, just blow me away!

Full moon, gibbous and quarters, it really does not matter.

You have your orders, to rise and fall through the atmosphere

each and every day of the year

MOON WATCHING ME.

As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions.

For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week:

• 80s Pocket Full of Ferrets T-shirt
• 80s Bill Construction T-shirt
• 80s Goat Farm Polo Golf Shirt

daily sugarhoney: sugarsnow

2 days ago it was 80 degrees.

this morning it's 30 with 5 inches of snow.

sugarhoney says that's okay!



she has already peed on the deck and learned how to make snowballs.

happy halloween from 1983

ah the good old days! the floor was linoleum and plaid.

the ashtrays were on every table.

the toaster was full of muffins.

i was strawberry shortcake.

my breath was condensing inside this mask.

my brother was "a warlock."

complete with broom.



happy halloween everybody!

ruff time for pups

since the passing of nacho just 2 months ago, 4 of my good friends and family's dogs have gone to join him in doggie heaven.

betsy had to say goodbye to tally.

kid D had to say goodbye to baxter.

sargentina had to say goodbye to baron von sleevenstein, aka steve the dog.

and then my parents had to say goodbye to henry.

it's been ruff! i would like to extend my sincerest sympathy to these 4 families - losing a beloved pet is traumatic and takes a lot of time to heal from that loss. 

the only thing that i know of to speed the healing has four legs and rhymes with fluppy.

good night, henry

a little spark of joy in this world was snuffed yesterday as my parents had to say goodbye to their almost 9 year old cavalier king charles spaniel, Henry.



henry was my fluffy little brother.

he loved to ride in the car.



he loved to eat cookies.



he loved to sit on laps.



he loved to prewash dishes.



he came to visit asheville and had a ball strolling down kimberly ave.



he loved going to the bank.



mostly he loved sitting around looking regal and sweet.



he was a happy go lucky puppy and we will all miss him.

WTF Wednesday: Flower Friends, Bathroom Bunnies, Pegleg Stuyvesant

Just like that, it's Wednesday again. Where my WTF at? 

In olden days, this is how kids washed their hair. 

WTF?!

If friends were flowers...

 ...then you would die in a vase on my table.  

How about a dreamy dog portrait? Maybe a Samoyed or some kind of fluffy Greyhound/wolf hybrid?  Tongue out Tuesday!

Another wonderful craft - two big scallop shells, plus two big conch shells, plus googly eyes equals one WTF duck:

What is this? A kinder, gentler Snakes on a Plane?

WTF?

Who would display this in their house? 

Scowling, Peter Stuyvesant the peg leg figurine.  Okay!

Lastly, here's a WTF wonder of Asheville - a chair affixed to the front of a house. 

  As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions.

For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week:

•  80s Grumpy Teddy Bear 3D Sweater
• Back Door Friends Are Best Wooden Duck
• 80's Caricature Faces Sweatshirt

daily sugarhoney: sugarroll

sugarhoney is not the most svelte puppy i've ever seen.



the extra skin on her back forms a sugarroll. a veritable dorsal fin of chub.

there was a sitcom called E/R from 1983-84 with elliott gould and george clooney. there was an overweight nurse whose husband sang her a song. i cannot find it on video, but it went like this:

i want a woman with loooooove handles
something i can hold on to
skinny girls just don't hooooold a candle
to my sweet meat mama, that's you!

this song reminds me of sugarhoney.
 

 

daily sugarhoney: sugarfoliage

USA Today has just named Asheville one of the top 10 brightest fall foliage destinations in the US.

i must say it's pretty spectacular.

sugarhoney had some fun in the leaves this weekend.

more than leaf peeping, she enjoys leaf eating.

 she also likes leaf sniffing.

and don't forget leaf snuggling.