Sweet Vintage Patterns

I found all of these sweet vintage doll clothing patterns on the same day in one of our local thrift stores. Most of them are from the 60's.








At a mere ten cents apiece, I was rendered unable to resist their cuteness.

I Wish I Had It Still

Back in the 1960's, I had a lamp like this. Mine was turquoise, and Grandma gave it to me. I don't remember ever giving it away, so I have no idea what ever happened to it.
But I sure do wish I still had it.
Because I think it's groovy - and I thought so back then, too.

A Six Apron Day

Barbara over at the fabulous blog Oodles and Oodles writes about estate sales in terms of how many aprons they rated - like five stars, only aprons instead - get it?
So the last time I went to the high-priced thrift store here in town - the one in which I almost never find anything I am willing to pay their price for - imagine my surprise when I discovered an entire basket full of items I wanted! First of all, there were three wonderful vintage aprons:


Gotta love the floral print and the rick-rack, right?

And I love this one - a pocket each for Complaints, Suggestions...

Compliments..

...and Tips - let's fill up those last two first, all right?

Another lovely one in a floral print with red pockets:

And I also found a number of vintage patterns, including these three with aprons:


And so - you see - a six apron day, indeed!

Checking Out A Mountain Retreat

Good morning. Tina here.

Last Saturday my dear hubby and I went on a preview mission to check out a rental cabin for an upcoming family reunion.  The reunion is for my hubby's family, and the first part of it is actually a camping trip.

We have a group campground reserved at the Sly Park Recreation Area in Pollock Pines, right at the edge of Jenkinson Lake.

My hubby's aunt, from Los Vegas, is elderly and is almost blind.  She is not looking forward to camping in a primitive, tents-only, pit toilet area.  So we went looking for an alternative for her.

The cabin we found for her to stay in is just south of the lake, up a gated forest road about a mile and a half, and has wonderful views of the lake.

It has a small kitchen, bathroom, a wood stove, wrap-around deck, sleeping areas on the main floor and in a loft, and also a basement with a laundry area, another sleeping area and a bathroom.

We could watch the boaters on the lake while we were there. The weather was fantastic, only in the 80s, slight threat of rain, and it smelled so fresh, having sprinkled some the night before.

After following the forest road past wildflowers and wild animals, we pulled through a gate created out of logs and discovered this modern take on a mountain cabin.

The bungalow in the hills, with a to-die-for view.

The owners are still completing work on the surrounding grounds, and preparing the cabin for rentals.  My hubby knows one of the owners, so we are able to rent it before they are really ready for the general public.

They plan to someday perhaps have weddings here and host larger family reunions than ours.

This is a summer only rental, it would be unreachable after a heavy snow.  But can you imagine how pretty it would be to be snowed in here?

Someday the owner plans a small fruit orchard and tree farm on the west side of the hill below the deck.  He already has a small vegetable garden started.

Solar power and wood heat.  I think I might bring some flowers with me and fill some of the planters to pretty it up.  They haven't had much time for landscaping yet.

While most of the rest of us are camping, our aunt will be living in style.  We expect Rich's mom will join her, and now his cousin and her husband are also planning on staying there.  Hey, what happened to the family camping trip?

I guess if we had known what a cute little bungalow waited in the woods, we would have all wanted to stay there instead.  But it will be waiting in case we need a shower!

One Happy Hippie Hippo

This happy hippopotamus bank looks as though he is smiling, doesn't he?
I was smiling, too, when I found him.

He's in great condition, considering he's been around since the 60's or 70's. I am glad he is now a part of my collection of these fabulous vintage banks.
He is one cool dude.
Have a happy, hippie day, everybody!
And keep smilin'......

What's Penny Wearing? #73 Another Outfit - All Thrifted

Penny is back again to model another outfit for you - bright as a pretty Penny. I found the skirt a while ago, and it got lost back in the corner of the closet, quite honestly. And that was due mainly to the fact that I did not have the right top or blouse to wear with it. But recently, I found this cute orange linen top, and I wasn't even thinking of the skirt at all. Then, as I was looking for something to wear the other day and digging around in my closet I came across the skirt, and I think they are perfect together!

All I needed to add was the belt (also "thrifted"), and beads I have had since maybe high school.

Colorful and bright....

I really like it!

Finds From Recent Thrift Shop Visits

Just some more of my recent thrift shop finds - a gorgeous orange vase, and the perfect embroidered piece for it to sit upon:
A vintage handkerchief with the cutest geometric kitties on it:

A lovely pair of chartreuse fan-shaped planter/bookends:

A gorgeous piece of vintage (I'm thinking 1970's, judging from the colors) linen fabric - big enough to be a tablecloth for a medium-sized table:

Pretty floral remnant and vintage stationery envelopes, (I already had the ceramic trinket box):

And a neat and stylish wallet-sized shoulder bag, made in Thailand - found at the Waste Management store!

That's it for today - but, you know me - always on the hunt - I'll be back soon with more!

In Loving Memory Of Denise Kerner

My dear friend Denise died two months ago. We used to work together in Columbia, and we took a camping trip up to Oregon together in June of 1979. I have such fond memories from that trip. We toured Oregon Caves, we watched a family of raccoons fight over food near a riverbank on a moonlit night, we went to Mendosa's in Mendocino to buy a London Broil and mushrooms to cook over a campfire, (and a bottle of wine to enjoy with it) at our campsite in Van Damme State Park.
Today after work, I'll be attending a gathering of friends and family who all loved her dearly, and I hope we will all share happy stories, fueled by our mutual love of Denise. She was such a wonderful person - one of the nicest that I have EVER known - and I don't say things like that lightly, believe me.
She's the one in the front in the old-time photo shown here. From left to right in the back, that's Patsy, Ellen and me - taken back sometime in the 80's.
Denise, we will always love and remember you.
(Have you ever noticed how hard it is to type when your eyes are welling up with tears....?)

Just Like Malibu Barbie

So, yes - it's summer. And I kind of wish I could just hang out in the backyard in a pool, havin' some fun in the sun...
just like Malibu Barbie.

Finding Vera

Finding Vera at my favorite thrift store "haunts" is always fun - whether it's a couple of lovely Vera Neumann scarves, like the two you see below......


.....or a great Vera Bradley bag, like this one that looks virtually brand-new:

I simply love COLOR, and great design, and those two "Veras" happen to be two of my very favorites.
And it's just especially nice when you manage to find lovely items of their design like these, at great prices.
Thrift stores, I thank you. Thank you very much.