What's Penny Wearing? #148 One Of The Cutest Vintage Aprons EVER!

I was so delighted when I found this vintage apron at a thrift store:

I love everything about it!

I love the colors, I love the patchwork-style print, I love the polka-dot waistband, pockets, ties, and trim:

I love the fact that the fabric is so nice and crisp and clean that it does not appear to have ever even been worn:

I love that it fits me!

I love the fact that if you wear it over a blouse, it can essentially be considered a jumper.
When I found it, I intended to sell it, but the fact that I could wear it myself has proven to be somewhat a deterrent, as far as THAT goes, let me tell you.

Green, blue, flowers, patchwork print, polka-dots - what more could this vintage-lovin' girl want, I ask you??

Well, this is actually pretty darned cool, too:

Just last week, I bought a vintage Better Homes And Gardens magazine (October 1974) at a vintage shop, and when I came home and looked through it, I found the advertisement shown above.
It appears to be just like mine, quite possibly in the "blue" patchwork version.
Made by Sofwear Designs in Houston, Texas.

(Oh, Houston - our hearts are aching for all of you down there in Texas!)

Lounge Chair Road Trip No 19. Death Valley Scotty's Castle

Well, It's Wednesday, and I'm Tina, and I'm hot, and so I'm going on a road trip to Death Valley because the weatherman/person/devil says it could reach 111 degrees in Sacramento tomorrow so why not go to the desert?  And stay in style?

I have been to this sprawling desert compound before with my husband on a winter's day and even explored the outside where there is a gigantic pool that you can go below and watch swimmers' legs through windows (mermaid shows. anyone?) - except it was empty - and a bell tower (I think), lots of interesting things to see.



I should have been ready for this post with lots of info about Scotty but I wasn't. Sorry.

He must have had a lot of money, and a lot of friends, and a love of the desert!



I enjoy the rustic furniture and the natural wood and the beautiful use of tile and I would love to have the stove in this kitchen!



 

Death Valley has very, very hot days, but it also has some cold nights, so I guess a two story fireplace makes sense. And check out those candelabras! They add some heat of their own!

Okay, next year I think I am taking over this dining room for Thanksgiving (I would do it this year, but my sis-in-law in Denver already invited us to come for dinner). We can fit all of the Gold Country Girls and the extended families in here and sleep them and we will even fill the pool and everybody bring their mermaid costumes!

A whole entire gigantic room just for music! I could have kept my other upright piano! Heidi could move in and keep both her spinets! Lori could have kept her baby grand! We could have lots of Chic Jams here and many house concerts! Just a dream because I still won't live in the desert. No, it's plenty hot here in Kelsey, thank you very much!

Okay, before we leave, we settle down to listen to a piano solo in a plain old sitting room that is comfortably furnished and we might just have some sun tea because that is what is outside, a lot of sun. What a great home.



We don't have to leave, you know. There is a large guest house just waiting for us. At least until we take our next lounge chair road trip! See you then!

It's "Time" For More Crewelwork

I'm chiming in with some more crewelwork pieces this morning, because I just think it's about "time"!
I found this great framed clock face picture yesterday:

It is SO colorful and cute!
I mean, check out this closeup:

 (Their little faces are simply adorable!)
This framed autumn-themed beauty, below, was found when Lori and I were on our big road trip this past May:

I just framed this one recently. I had found the finished, (but unframed) little piece quite a while back.
 I think this frame works rather well:

One of my very favorites of my most recent finds is this chicken:

I love the bright colors in that one, which was also found unframed.

Next up, we have the pair below.
Found at different times and framed - again, by me - in matching thrift store frames,
 I think they make a very nice-looking set:

This  next one is a really nice-looking sampler of crewel embroidery stitches:

I also pick up unfinished pieces, when the price is right.
I haven't done any embroidery in 30 years or more, but I may try to finish some of the ones I've found.
I DO love a red barn....

I managed to find a photo of the original Paragon kit online, so at least I can see what it is supposed to look like!

Here's a shot of the way our bed looks now - I was able to put some of my favorite crewelwork pillows together and achieve this look:

That's it for today!
Sorry I have not been able to post much lately; I simply have not been able to find the "time".....
But I am truly going to try to do better - I promise!

My Foyer Plate Displays - Three Ways

My first photo in today's post shows the way my display in our foyer looks currently.
I just decided a few days ago that I wanted to completely change it up!

 I found everything you see at thrift shops, including the Beatles LP, which I framed.
 I love those plates in the center, which I discovered once graced a "House Beautiful" magazine cover back in 1963:

They are the "Lea" pattern, hand painted and made in Finland by Arabia, and I think they're gorgeous. I only found a few, I wish there had been more!
The others with the black and white sort-of abstract pinwheel design are from CB2 (Crate and Barrel), and I think they're pretty cool, too!
Previously, my display had looked like this:

 I had taken some of my souvenir plates and stuck them up there in front of my other plates, from when it looked like this:

Those are my Thomas Kinkade plates.
I still like them - especially because most of the ones I have are Placerville houses - but I just like to do something different once in a while!
(Sorry, I truly do apologize for the terribly poor quality of my photos today!)

Patterns From The Past - And Pattern Boxes

So, I have a wee bit of trouble resisting vintage patterns when I find them, as you may have gathered over the years if you are a reader of this blog.
I just plain LIKE them, and they also remind me of when I was a teenager.

Going to The Quality Shop on Main Street in Placerville and picking out patterns and/or fabric was one of our favorite things to do!

But if you're going to buy a bunch of great vintage patterns, you will eventually need a place to store them, and I happen to think these cardboard pattern storage boxes are the perfect thing:

I had found a couple of them over the years, but now the owners of one of my favorite thrift shops are on the lookout for them for me!
I went in one day and they had acquired four brand new, unused ones!

I was very happy to purchase them, bring them home...

...quickly assemble them....

...and then promptly fill them up!
(Sorry, but no pictures of that, because it was done in the basement and I have very low lighting down there, unfortunately.)
But you'll just have to take my word for it;

I had MORE than enough patterns with which to fill them!

More Oatmeal Cookies - And More Quaker Oats Tins

I'm back today with another post about oatmeal cookies.
Yes, I know  - You may think that I've already written everything there is to say about this subject in my previous post 
but, you see - I beg to differ, LOL!
I baked these yummy little morsels recently....

  ....  because I wanted to try yet ANOTHER recipe!

I had found some file folders in storage that I hadn't laid eyes on in years, and one of them contained recipes.
I don't believe I had ever made the Oatmeal Cookies with the Jell-O Pudding in the batter before. I had tried the Chocolate Chip cookies (many years ago) and I liked them a lot.
I added some cinnamon to the recipe, and then I froze the dough in little balls:

Then I baked them a couple of days later, as early in the day as possible, because it's so hot this summer.

The recipe did, indeed, make five dozen; I ended up with 61 cookies, in fact!

I also came across some more Quaker Oats tins that I had forgotten about.
I found this one in storage with some other tins; it's from 1984:

And the next two were tucked way back in the corner of a cupboard, and I'd forgotten they were even there.
From 1983:

And this one is from 1990:

So, now I guess I'll have to decide which ones I'm willing to part with, because we live in an old house - and there's no way that I have the space to keep five Quaker Oats tins in my cupboards!

Colorful Tiles From Taylor & Ng

I just happen to have found a few of these colorful tiles and tile trivets from Taylor & Ng, San Francisco fairly recently.
They were designed by Win Ng ( Like the name ? I do!)
I love the artwork; it's so original and unique.
I'll start with this one, found in May at a Goodwill in Oregon.
 I almost didn't buy it, but I ended up grabbing it after all.
Too cute and colorful to resist - "Chicken In A Basket"

I've had this next one, below, for a while.
 Most of the ones I've seen are from 1982.
 "Strawberry Snail":

I also found "Doggie Do Good" while we were traveling:

This is a smaller one "Kitty Katfish" -  pretty "kute"!

I believe this one, "Rascal Rabbit" was the first one I ever found:

But then - more recently - I found the small tile trivet and the coffee mug to match!

I was able to find a picture of one other online.
This one isn't mine , "Whopper Whale":

 Aren't they great?

A Few Needlepoint Pictures From The Thrift Shops

I just wanted to share some needlepoint pictures today that I have found at thrift stores.
Let's start with the one below; I just framed it yesterday. I found the unframed piece at a thrift store on our trip in May, and, as often is the case, I had the perfect frame for it at home already:

 ( I think in the photo it looks small, it's actually 8X10".)
I also found this pretty still life recently:

And this cottage scene:

Those two were already framed, but the last one is another where I had a frame that fit the piece perfectly and framed it myself:

Muted colors, bright colors - they're all pretty to me!