Thursday, August 2, 2012

My Vintage Sticker Collection


I’m a sucker for vintage, especially when it’s something straight from my childhood.  I’m transported to the past, to a time I wish I hadn’t grown so fast from. If I would have met Peter Pan, I would have followed him anywhere.

Some of my favorite things as a child were my stuffed animals. I also enjoyed my Fisher Price little people play sets. I would lose myself in play as I acted out daily life with these little friends.  I had favorite story books, puzzles, trinkets and even clothes. Because of the internet, and my great love for flea markets, I’ve been able to collect several treasures I remember as a child.

But there was one treasure I was never able to find or the price on the internet was always out of reach.  I wasn’t always the best student so when I got a sticker on my homework, I was thrilled. The best stickers were the ones you scratched and sniffed.  I loved those and coveted them. At recess we would trade our stickers like baseball cards. Thankfully our teachers bought different kinds. At home I would carefully scratch my stickers and let the aroma of root beer or bubblegum fill my nostrils.  I was careful not to rub the image all up, though they would eventually end up that way.  Sadly they all disappeared one day after mom cleaned my room.  The teachers in Jr. High stopped passing out stickers so all I had were the memories.

Just this week, and out of the blue, my mom sent me a little package in the mail. I opened it in a frenzy, not sure what she had sent me. You can only imagine the thrill I got when I dumped sheet after sheet after sheet of these vintage scratch and sniff stickers in mint condition! Many identical to the ones I remember as a girl! Many I wanted but didn’t get that 100% on my spelling test. The memories flooded back. I was seven years old again. I had pigtails and bell bottom jeans. My kitten’s name was Ashes and my best friend was Pat Parker.

What might be garbage to one person can be a treasure to the next. I’m grateful for those parents who didn’t throw their children’s things away. I’m grateful that they tucked their children’s toys in closets and attics and kept them safe from mice and dust, acting as sentinels to precious memories. I’m grateful for those who can’t throw anything away. Because of them, I can relive my childhood. Because of them, I have scratch and sniff stickers again.  Thanks, Mom! 

9 comments:

  1. Carrie, I adore vintage, too! Thanks for reminding me about my Fisher Price people. My favorite was the little yellow school bus. I'd play with it for hours on end. Fun post :)

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    1. Louise, I should do a post on my FP little people collection. I'm such a hoarder of old toys. I just can't help myself! They were so cute back then! I loved the school bus as well but my favorite was the farm. I always wanted the castle. Thanks to mom I now have it as an adult:)

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  2. Carrie, this is so precious! When I was around that same age I loved buttons. My mom had an old mayo jar in the bottom drawer of her sewing machine cabinet full of buttons that had been removed from clothing that couldn't be salvaged. To this day, I have a tendency to look at the buttons first when I buy clothing!

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    1. Terrie! I too love old buttons! So funny you should mention that old mayo jar for I see those old mayo jars full of buttons at the flea market every weekend. I must admit, I save buttons. I sometimes buy yard sale clothes just for the buttons. Oh, my kids are going to have a fun time someday with all my collections :)

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  3. That's sweet that something like stickers coul make you so happy, Carrie. I'm one who can't get rid of stuffed animals, they were my best friends as a kid. I never want to throw away my kids stuffies either so when my husband says I have to, I apologize to them and explain that it isn't that we don't love them anymore and then I take them to be donated to some other kids who can love them just as much. My 8 y/o daughter still has her baby blanket and I refuse to make her part with it because she sleeps with it and cuddles it. The problem is that after 8 years and many washings, it isn't really pink anymore. It's more of a pinky-gray. lol

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    1. I too was a stuffed animal nut! Dolls scared me. I didn't even owned a Barbie. I had a few dolls that were okay, but it was my sister's Madame Alexander dolls (who I shared a room with, and the dolls were all over our walls) that used to come alive at night and bite me!

      To this day, I still have my most favorite stuffed toy. He saved me from those dolls. I think I'll do a blog on him :)

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    2. That wold be an excellent blog. My ex-mother in law had this like hoarding issue and one room in the house had a bed, dreser and rocking chair full of those cupie doll in all kinds creepiness. Broken, dirty, some with that one eye open and the other half closed thing going on. I think I may have gone in that room twice in 5 years.

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  4. I still have a big box of stickers and some albums dating back to my kindergarten days! It's beautiful to see others recognize the nostalgic joy of such treasures. I wish I could have you over for "trades!" xoxo

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    1. I'm sure all your assignments had stickers. I bet that box is full of those colorful beauties! To trade with you would have been awesome! Because you are such a sweetie, I'm sure you would have felt sorry for my sparse album and for everyone one I traded, you'd give me two. :)

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