My First Bakelite!

Flashback Summer:  My First Bakelite!

On one of my recent flea marketing adventures with my grandmother, I was on the search for affordable bakelite.

I have searched everywhere.

I haven't ever actually run into any real bakelite in my shopping trips (or so I had thought), but I had theoretical knowledge about how to determine its authenticity (smell, weight, etc.).  I wasn't finding anything I thought was real, until I looked in a corner case of a crowded, small-town, Michigan flea market...

A. SHELF. OF. BAKELITE.

And it was real.  I won't lie to you, I squealed a bit and clasped my hands together in delight. It was heavier than normal plastic, smelled funny, had the right colors!  I was elated!  Then I saw that the average price for a bangle was around $60.  Well.... I scanned for the cheaper, thinner bangles and opted for one of those.  As well, I got a cute pair of yellow earrings and a lovely dress clip (also my first!), thanks to my grandmother.  I now have a whole set of yellow bakelite accessories!


Flashback Summer:  My First Bakelite!

I then decided to compare some of my "fakelite" bangles with the real one, and to my surprise, one of the bangles that I wasn't sure about was a similar color and weight to the bakelite one I bought, and it smelled funny, too!  I realized I actually already had a bakelite bangle all along and didn't know it!  Wonder of wonders, I have TWO bakelite bangles!  What a great surprise, eh?

These are some of my favorite accessories ever.  As I was telling my family, "This is BAKELITE!  This is the holy grail of plastic jewelry!  I'm a real vintage lover; I have bakelite!  BAKELITE!!!"

So, as I close this post, I wish you all the luck of the bakelite in finding some (more) for your own accessorizing delight, hopefully in the corner of a tiny mom-and-pop shop, beautifully colored, and cheaply priced!

Flashback Summer:  My First Bakelite! - Butterick 9779

Flashback Summer:  My First Bakelite!

Flashback Summer:  My First Bakelite! - Butterick 9779

Outfit details:
trousers: made by me, Butterick 9779
shoes: Payless kids
sweater: Banana Republic
lipstick:  Estee Lauder

Bakelite resources:
Bakelite basics

Bakelite tests and maintenance

Bakelite to dream about

Bakelite for sale

11 comments

  1. Now that you have a piece, you won't believe how easy it is to find and identify others while you're out shopping!! Living in the midwest, there's a ton of cheap bakelite to be found. I love your beautiful butterscotch collection! The scallops on the earrings are darling!

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  2. Good find! I've yet to find any bakelite at all where I live but I will keep looking.

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    1. Yeah, I haven't found any in my area of the U.S. either. This store is about 12 hours from where I live.... so I'm hoping to find a local dealer soon (which makes it sound like a drug deal, haha). Good luck to you too!

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  3. Those pieces are fabulous! It's like winning the vintage lottery! I am also really liking your trouser pattern. The whole look is so chic!

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    1. Thank you! Grandma and I nearly committed harey-carey getting the pants to fit. I was ready to burn the pattern and admit defeat, but grandma said she wouldn't be beaten by a dumb piece of tissue paper! She finally got the fit worked out, and now I'm reproducing it like crazy!

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  4. you are so cute! i love all of the colors featured in what you are wearing here, it's so popping! i really want to find a bakelite button and sew it on a winter coat. and hey! you're in missouri! as am i :)

    lindsey louise

    hellomrrabbitblog.com

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    1. Hey Lindsey! Thank you very much! I follow your blog, and I've seen that you know how to do "popping" colors too, so that's a great compliment!

      And yes, MO pride!

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  5. Your elation is radiating right off the screen here, dear gal, and absolutely rightly so!!! Huge congrats on your first Bakelite pieces, they are as timelessly pretty as the day is long. Here's to many more to come in the future!!!

    ♥ Jessica

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  6. Congrats on the score!! And those pants are FANTASTIC!!!

    xoxo
    -Janey

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