Celebrating New Year's Eve with 100 Year Old Postcards

Good morning. Tina here. It is New Year's Eve, the last day of 2014.

I am going to share some of the New Year's post cards that were sent out as greetings 100 years ago.

Below a Shirley Temple look-alike, before she was a twinkle in her father's eye, asks for smiles in the new year. A great idea even 100 years later, right?

A cozy New England farm and a horseshoe for good luck.

A greeting shared on a frosted window.

A wishbone and many wishes.

The poinsettia is a familiar holiday flower still.

Even a century ago we were not sure about keeping our resolutions...

Gosh, our snowman looks just like Daddy. Must be the tie.

Oops. This reminds me of the time we were sledding with our Daddy in his homemade toboggan, and the three of us just about crushed him when we ran into a stump.

Mr. Snowman, we wish you a great new year too!

Down by the old mill stream, we send you a new year's greeting.

Finally, a favorite of mine as a nasturtium collector, a lovely floral greeting.

Have a Happy New Year and may your wishes last another 100 years.

Richard Giglio's Artwork From Seventeen Magazine

These delightful illustrations from the pages of Seventeen Magazine feature the artwork of  Richard Giglio, which is truly spectacular.

I even found two more black and white illustrations toward the back of the magazine, along with descriptions and buying information for the clothing, as well:

I hope you enjoyed seeing them; I just think they are fabulous!
(Please do not use my photos or scans without providing a link to this blog and/or source information. Thank you.)

Piggy Bank Casseroles

Just in case your piggy bank may have been depleted , with all of the Christmas shopping and such......

...  today, we have a sweet little cookbook to help you out:
"Piggy Bank Casseroles", from Betty Crocker.
"A Special Collection Of Penny-Wise Recipes."
I had seen this little book on eBay, but I didn't have one, so I was tickled to find it at a thrift shop and have added it to my collection of vintage Betty Crocker cookbooks:

I love the colorful illustrations inside, by Helen Federico:

We have a recipe here for Zippy Beef Casserole:

A happy little cooking pot:

Deli Meats:

Chicken, eggs, cheese and fish, Betty's got you covered in many categories:

Here's a recipe for Fluffy Rice And Chicken Casserole:

And one for Chili-Chicken:

Mexican Medley:

What a cute little book it is!
(Published by Golden Press in 1970.)

A Gemma Of My Own

I found this gorgeous bust, which I feel fairly certain is a Gemma Taccogna piece, at a shop earlier this month.

 I didn't really think I would ever own one of these beautiful ladies, since the prices they quite often command online far exceed my budget.

 But there she was, sitting up a bit high on a shelf - as if she had been waiting there, watching for me, waiting for me to come and rescue her.

 And since the tag on her confirmed that she was most certainly NOT out of my price range,
 I was very happy to bring her home with me.

Very happy, indeed.
(She's actually in very good condition; I'm afraid my close-up photos do not truly do her justice.
 I was finding it difficult to get good pictures with all of the reflections!)

I Think Santa Reads My Blog....

....because he brought me exactly what I wanted!

My very own copy of "Never Stop To Think...Do I Have A Place For This?", by Mary Randolph Carter!
Honestly, I believe that he saw this post from earlier this month.
I love this quote and the accompanying photo of the author:

For I, too, am most definitely a "girl who loved too many things", as you may well know if you are a regular reader of this blog.
Back in this post, I revealed something rather similar about myself.
And I got a major kick out of the fact that on page twelve of the book, here was something of Mary's that I have, too.
 Almost the very same:

 Not that it surprised me at all that we had another of the same type of vintage things. After all, I have the other books of hers, in which I saw numerous vintage things that we just happened to both appreciate and own!
Yes, indeed it IS true that I find beauty in FAR too many things, and my collections may be a bit out of control.
And I think Ms. Carter would completely and totally understand.
(I LOVE the book; but then, I knew I would! If you are a collector like me,  then I am certain that you will enjoy it, too!)

Kitty Love

I found this sweet little figure at a thrift store in San Andreas.

In perfect condition, it had been relegated to the "shed" outside and discounted - I don't know why.

I think it's the cutest thing.
A happy child holding his or her kitty cat.
It's marked on the back "Moss Landing Molds 1974" , which I've never seen before, and am not familiar with.

Kitty Cat doesn't exactly look very happy:

This was our first Christmas here in this house without our dear sweet beloved kitty.
I sure miss that Dizzy little guy.

Twinkle Bright This Christmas Night

This post is simply twinkly things and sparkly Christmas wishes for a wonderful, blessed day to you all.
This simple little tree is a Dept. 56 item, purchased at Dorothea's Christmas in Sonora. It's on the mantel with assorted other items, old and new. It looks SO pretty at night with lights aglow along the mantel behind it, but I was unable to capture it in a photo:

The arrangement of baubles and spikes in this vintage deer planter is one of my favorites every year:

A profusion of vintage picks and spikes sprouts from a vintage pottery vase:

Even Cool Cat wanted in on the Christmas action this year, as you can see:

These two trees, below, and their bases (four pieces total) were all found separately throughout the year at thrift stores. All together I believe I paid around $8.00 for everything.
They look so lovely when lit from within:

And one more thing I wish you - kisses under the mistletoe:

I love these vintage "Thingies" puzzles by Sandy Miller. This is the only one I've ever found at a thrift store.
Happy Christmas Kitsch and Kisses To You!!
And wherever you celebrate today, here's hoping you go jingling all the way.......

A Very Merry Christmas Eve

 Good morning, Tina here.

I am just going to share some photos of our Christmas tree.

We went very simple this year with our old artificial tree and a few glow in the dark ornaments.

We haven't had a lot of time for decorating, due to some health concerns.

But we have discovered we can enjoy the simplicity and still feel the magic of Christmas with less.

I love my glow in the dark ornaments, so I am happy.

The bottom lights on the tree don't light up. We have a Charlie Brown tree.

Ishi has been making sure all ornaments are firmly attached, because if they aren't, they need to be on the floor as playthings.

Have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy your tree, no matter what shape it may be in!