See's Candies For Easter

It's a rare holiday around here when we don't have some See's Candies in the house.
I found this papier mache egg at a thrift store, and I didn't have a pink one so I picked it up and made it a part of my Easter decorations:

I love the little dancing bunny found on the inside!
Hey, you'd dance too if you had some See's chocolates!

I love chocolate butter creams, and at Easter these eggs are particularly pretty:

I also buy See's tins when I see them at thrift stores....

... because I like to take the candies out of the box, and put them into the decorative holiday tin instead.
It simply looks prettier sitting on the table:

People might think that I save some of the strangest things.
They may even be right, but that won't stop me.
I was digging around in some boxes a little while back (things that have been stored away for years), and I found some "vintage" See's wrapping paper that I had saved from a box of Easter chocolates.
Here it is below, on the left, alongside the wrap they are currently using to wrap up the boxes.
Cute:

Oh - and I saved this foil bag, below, also.
(I'm a See's freak. I save stuff. Deal with it.)
I imagine they still might do this when you purchase some chocolates at a shop during warm weather, but I don't know because that's something I haven't done in a long time!
The nearest shop is more than an hour away away, and we are lucky enough to have fund-raiser booths in our town around holiday times.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:
See's Candies are hands-down the BEST chocolates available.
They use only the best ingredients and they have such a huge variety that there is something to suit every one.
Even if you (horrors!) don't like chocolate.
Get them, if you possibly can!
I don't think you will be disappointed.

Patterns From The Past : McCall's 2053, A Dress With Pretty Trimmings

I love all of the trims that are at the waist and cuffs of this dress,
 made from McCall's Pattern number 2053:

Below, you see the front of this pattern, which dates from 1969:

The description of the dress shown in the top picture (from a "McCall's Pattern Fashions" catalog), reads thus:
"Rows of trimming appear on a high, wide and handsome midriff that separates a bodice from a dirndl skirt. Deep cuffs take trimming, too. Dan River cotton checks, Wright's giant rickrack and peasant ribbon."
I simply love the combination they put together.
(Elsewhere in the catalog, they tell us that the model is wearing "eardrops" by Monet.
Eardrops - I love that. Does anybody call them that any more? )

My Favorite Collections: The Elephant Banks

Whenever I can, I add to my collection of vintage banks.
I haven't shown you any of them for a while, so here we go:
A beautiful elephant of many colors.....

and another.....

And then, just one more:

I just love all of these colorful creatures!
They look simply spectacular sitting on the shelves.
And I'm a bit obsessed with them.
Okay - maybe more than a bit.

What's Penny Wearing? #113 A Pair Of Dresses From Decades Past

I keep finding "vintage" clothing of my own that I want to try and sell, but before I do, I like to photograph them on Penny and share them here on the blog.
The two shirtwaist style dresses today are from decades past. How many decades?
Well, I believe I wore this red one in the late 1970's:

 This one has from "Eber" has a simple and easy-to-wear style:

 I like the colors and the floral design on this fabric.
Gee, I guess that must be why I bought it!

 The next one is basically the same style , but with longer sleeves:

 Very pretty in a pale pastel plaid:

 Oh - and which decade?
Well, as I recall, I wore this one on Easter in 1982:

Pastels are so nice for Easter, don't you think?

Easter Finds: Mostly Bunnies

I have managed to find some cute Easter things at the thrift shops recently.
 Today I'll share the bunnies with you.
We'll start with this sweet little candy tin:

And this little guy, below - now, how cute is he?
And how could I resist those little gingham ears?

I picked up a number of  different cookie cutters.
This one appears to be munching on some grass - looks "good":

Here's a precious Bunny Nest Centerpiece by Beistle:

I've also been finding books; here we have Little Cottontail, and a beautiful vintage book of Bible Stories:

And I found this adorable vintage Hallmark Easter Bunny centerpiece:

 Once I got him home and assembled him, I found that he is a wee bit wonky, it's like he got smashed a bit on one side.
He is so darned cute, though, that I don't mind a bit:

Here's lookin' at you, kid!

Bookends - Something To Think About

I found this pair of "The Thinker" bookends at a thrift store:

Anything that can help hold up some of our massive amount of printed volumes in this house is a good find...
..... in my book,
 so to speak.
:)
Thanks, guys.
You're golden.

Lounge Chair Road Trip No. 5: Daffodil Hill 1968

Good morning, Tina here. We have had an early spring in Kelsey, and our daffodils, which are many, are almost gone. The poppies barely showed up. So I have been wanting to take a drive, and go searching for some wildflower color, but I don't think that is going to happen. 

A facebook friend from Amador County shared two photos of peacocks in Daffodil Hill from 1968. 

So this is my armchair road trip for today.

I guess these particular beautiful birds are no longer around, but their children and children's children are.  We have peacocks just down the street from our home in Kelsey, and it is almost time for them to proudly show off their chicks. They parade across the road showing off, and you can hear their calls from over a mile away.

Have a great day, and if it isn't spring yet where you are, try a lounge chair road trip to somewhere warm!

Because It Isn't Spring Without Azalea Photos...

I think I post photos of these every year, but I can't help myself.

Our azalea bushes out front look so pretty.....

 ... .and they don't last forever, so.......

 All the better to at least try and preserves them with a picture or two.

 
 Or, um, ten.

Yes, that's it.

A New Page

Just the other day, it was time to change my vintage Zodiac calendar over to a new page, and this is the face that greeted me:

How cool is he?
Previously, I was able to enjoy these cool fish representing Pisces:

As you can see below, Saturday was the day to make the change:

I LOVE this calendar, and I had it hanging in my room back in 1970, believe it or not.
I am delighted to be able to use it again.

The Ram looks like he's up to no good, doesn't he?

I decided that, since the colors vary with each illustration, I would try and hang little coordinating things on the clips above the calendar each time.
This is what I came up with:

 I also had to come up with a way to hang it, and I was so glad to discover that the vintage hanger with multiple clips worked the best.
 The calendar did have holes in it from my having used it 45 years ago, but I didn't want to make them worse, and I didn't want to have to deal with removing tacks or whatever every month, as our walls are stucco.
My fabulous vintage Zodiac calendar was printed by Determined Productions, Inc., and the artwork is by the fabulous and talented team of Bruce and Ann Butte.

Pretty cool, huh?

Ladybug Fashions From the '60's And '70's - I LOVE This Artwork!

The artwork from the "Ladybug" clothing advertisements back in the 1960's and 1970's is one of my favorite things EVER that I have rediscovered as I peruse my vintage Seventeen Magazines.

I can't even express how much I loved - and still love  - these ads!

Cutest ads ever!

This one was a fabulous two-page spread, a "calendar" for March and April:

Completely and totally fabulous:

The illustrations, the color, the clothes!
The pretty girls and their sweet faces:

And here is another two-page spread:

Cute clothes.

Oh, I'm pretty sure I'd have been more than happy to wear Ladybug every day back then!

So totally adorable; I love it ALL.
I do not know the name of the illustrator who created these fabulous advertisements, but if I should find out, I will certainly add it here.
And I plan to show you some more of these in the future, as well.
(Advertisements from the Ladybug Juniors Company, photos of the ads were taken by me out of my own collection of vintage Seventeen Magazines.
 If you are going to take my photos from this blog, please at least provide a link back to this blog to show where you got them from. Thank you.)