I got a major garage sale score Sunday morning – a (broken) antique typewriter, will all the keys intact.

My New Old Typewriter

Okay, so maybe it’s just vintage, not an antique (I’m not sure how old something has to be to be an antique…) but this is a very old, very broken typewriter. I’m estimating the date of manufacture as 1922, since the patent information on the back has dates from 1915 to 1921, and states that other patents are pending (and patents in foreign countries too!)

Tyepwriter Patent Info

Why would anyone want a broken typewriter, you ask?

Besides the fact that old stuff is cool, and typewriters look cool, you can make really cool stuff with the parts.

Jewelry makers are likely familiar with the typewriter key jewelry trend – which is admittedly a few seasons old now – and ever since it got started, I’ve been craving some genuine typewriter keys from an old typewriter – not the new-but-vintage looking beads you can buy from craft supply companies, but *real* old typewriter keys.

Typewriter Keys

I never thought I’d get a complete set – and the best part is, it was free!

It had been rusting away in my neighbor’s garage, collecting dust, and apparently taking up too much space.

I noticed that the keys aren’t the only part that could be put to good crafty use. The part that actually types the letters on the paper (what *is* that called?) are like tiny little stamps:

Tiny Stamps?

Part of me wants to start taking this thing apart right away, but another part of me just thinks it’s such a cool thing all by itself that maybe I need to take 500 more pictures of it and display it somewhere for a while first…

So, today’s inspiration tip: go to garage sales and flea markets, you never know what cool art/craft supplies you might find for very cheap or even free! Perfect strategy for people whose inspiration is on hiatus due to worry about the economy. I saw some other crafty stuff that I didn’t buy: for $3, a big box of “beading supplies” (would have snapped it up, but most of it was stuff I don’t use), and for $1 per bundle, 3/4 yard worth of fabric scraps appropriate for quilting (I was tempted, and I don’t even quilt…she had some great fabric!)

Check out Monday’s Muse for more blog posts about inspiration!