Sunday 20 February 2011

What's in the attic??

Hello

I know posting during the daytime - must be avoiding housework again!!  Actually the house is quiet - big son is spending the day with a friend and little son & MrVV have gone out for a bike ride.

Yesterday morning I went to see my parents. They are due to have their loft reinsulated and roof refelted in the next few weeks and decided to take the opportunity to empty their attic completely. They've lived in their house for about 35 years now and stuff has been put up in the attic but very little has come down until now. I went not to help ( they have son-in-laws for that) but to rescue some of my childhood toys that I knew were lurking up there.

Trust me when I say 35 years worth of stuff is a lot - mostly belonging to us older ones - it was a vintage toy collectors dream or actually nightmare. I am not sure why they kept some things but anyhow the attic is now empty and those that asked have got their favourite things back.

Here's what a I saved for myself;

I was thrilled to find Noddy & Big Ears and their car in the bottom of an old suitcase. Sadly Mr Golly is missing and the car is in a well played with condition. But tbh I thought that this was long gone and was really pleased to find it.


A 5th birthday pressie - my first camera - a little creaky but as soon as I looked through the view finder I was transported back to the days before punk has even happened!! Such a simple toy but I remember playing with it and getting my little siblings to pose.


Another pressie for my 5th birthday - that was a good year!! Sadly the clock hands are no more but just finding all the pieces was lovely as this had ended up in the attic loose!


Lastly for today - the main reason I went was to collect this trio. Tiny Tears was a pressie when I was about 6 but the other 2 were presents for my 2nd birthday from my parents & grandparents. It took a while to clean them up and even now they'll need another good scrub to remove some marks that are on them. Sadly their clothes were beyond saving - its seems that my grandma only knitted dolls clothes in pure wool and the moths had had a field day. My task therefore is to make/knit something for each of these ladies to wear. The one on the right had hair which made her look like Russell Brands lovechild - thanks to the SCC girls and a google I discovered that fabric softener works wonders and she now looks much neater - I don't ever remember her having perfect hair, must have been a trend setter.

What have you saved from your childhood? I'd love to see photos.

Right my cyclists are back so I'd best go and look busy!!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

22 comments:

Vix said...

You've just got me feeling all nostalgic, I used to have the Noddy car, too.
I sold all my Sindy and Pippa dolls on eBay about ten years ago and made an absolute fortune. My brother has kept everything, his old bedroom is like a toy shop from the 1970's. xxx

Pretty at Heart said...

OMG that clockface jigsaw really brings back memories..........not sure whether I had it or it was a favourite from playschool/school - but you know when something just feels familiar and you get a nice warm feeling!!

I still have my tiny tears, tressy doll, baby doll clothes and recently sold a pedigree (silver cross type) dolls pram. Unfortunately my daughter has never been into baby dolls.
But my hubby kept star wars figures and stuff and my son loves them!
-x-

LaaLaa said...

I had the Fisher Price camera too! Sadly, I don't have any of my old toys. xx

topchelseagirl said...

Wow how wonderful. I still have a couple of teddies that were given to me as a baby - I'll have to post a picture of them. You may have started a whole new blog trend.

Anonymous said...

Out of the 5 of us kids in my family 3 of us were very close in age and i think we had the entire Fisher Price range between us!
My brother had the camera, I had the TV that played London Bridge and Row,Row,Row Your Boat and my sister had the wind up record player with the brightly coloured "records"....very sadly though We dont have any left.
Em xxxxxx

VintageVicki said...

Oh Em - we had the tv too and Mum still has the record player at her house - we used it for pass the parcel when we have sister nights @ Mum & Dads :)

♥ emma bear forever ♥ said...

I loved all the fisher price toys, I had the house, hospital, garage and the airport. xx

Unknown said...

awww what a lovely post i bet you had so much fun sorting and finding your things. I have my little dolls to my pip doll and cindy infact i have put them in a little glass cabinet which is in my kitchen i will show it sometime, i have my bear to. And my rollerboots in the loft. And a few books, its nice to remember ;-)) enjoy the rest of your sunday, dee x

Crafts @ Home said...

I do love Noddy, and I collected things for my children on Noddy, infact I think we now have every Noddy book that was written in our spare attic. the one thing I regret most is getting rid of a doll my Grandma gave me when I was about 6, my mother saved it for her grandchildren, and I didn't for mine :(

Lisa said...

How fab you got to rediscover your favourites.
I loved my tiny tears to bits.
Lisa x

Kandi said...

I bet you were delighted to see those again. That Tiny Tears took me right back to 1979! I don't have nay of my old toys left, my parents chucked the lot!
Kandi x

Unknown said...

OMG! I love all that stuff, a real trip down memory lane!

bellaboo said...

Aah,what a lovely 'down memory lane' post! Noddy and Big ears were my favourites.I only have a battered old bear..a Xmas present when I was five,and a few books.A lot of our toys were handed on to my sister's children as I don't have any myself. :0)

Country Cottage Chic said...

How lovely that you have found them all again.
I have always been a hoarder so I actually have a lot of my childhood toys including my first teddy bear, dolls (including Tiny Tears...the older one than yours!). An original Sindy doll & clothes, Julip horses, books & more!

Jayne

Taz said...

I have absolutely no idea what I got for my 5th birthday but I know for definate it wasn't anything as cool as the Fisher Price Camera! :o

Donna -Little Tiny Stitches said...

Oh, aren't you lucky to have been able to go and collect them :0)

I think they all look fab, and can't wait to see the dolls dressed up :0)

Unfortunately I don't have any toys left from my childhood, but I'm gradually collecting the books I used to have as a child. I've been dilligently looking for a 'Ladybird' The Elves and the Shoemaker -that was one of my favorite books as a child - d'you think I can find it anywhere? LOL

Have a great week Vicki. x

Jenny said...

So lovely for you to get some of your old toys back after all this time, Noddy is great! I love a good trip down memory lane too! My parents' loft holds many of my childhood things, am looking forward to the day when I may see some of them once again! Enjoy your evening x

Madison said...

So cute! You're so lucky to have parents who are hoarders. All my childhood belongings are long gone. I look forward to seeing your little dollie outfits.

bibbitybob said...

Ah, how lovely. My parents still have a lot of my old toys, I think they're saving them for the grandchildren! :) x

Sophie - Chez Sophie said...

Oh I love your noddy & big ears. I don't have many toys from my childhood, which when I think about it is a real shame. I have some books though and soft toys. We went to Gav's mum and dads and they have loads of his toys, some of which are now in our house.
Pop over to my blog I'm having a giveaway if you have a mo. Have agreat week, luv Sophie xxx

Coco Rose Diaries said...

Oh wow, what a trip down memory lane! I LOVED my Tiny Tears so much....until those real life looking babies came onto the market, and poor Tiny Tears was shoved to the bottom of the toy box! I found some old teddies up in my attic recently and it's such a lovely thing to find. It's amazing how, with just one touch, you are instantly transported back in time and all the childhood feelings come flooding back!

Have a super day!

Vanessa xxx

p.s If you have scuff marks on the dolls that you can't get rid off, those magic erasers are brilliant for that kind of thing....I use those on the boys toys all the time to keep them looking decent!

Unknown said...

Wow I loved my fisher price toy's. shame my mum passed them on.... I still have some of my teddies and Sindy's in the loft as well as ladybird books and Bunty Albums. I will venture up there at soem point soon....