Paint By Number

I do not have many...

Nay - only a few....

Yet, how I admire them...

Truly, I do!

Paint Your Wagon

Writing my post yesterday got me thinking about Paint Your Wagon and the song "Gold Fever' from the movie. I really enjoy listening to that that song - love the clever lyrics. I remember reading somewhere that Clint Eastwood REALLY didn't like that movie. Well, I did - I love him singing "Gold Fever", "I Talk To The Trees", and "I Still See Elisa". I love Lee Marvin singing "Wan'drin' Star". Yes, we have the DVD, the VHS version, and the soundtrack CD. That's how I am about movies I like. I have even had the pleasure of seeing the play at least twice, I think one of the times was at the Music Circus in Sacramento years ago with the great Gordon MacRae in the lead. The story of the play is different than the film, and for the film Andre Previn did additional music that was not in the original Lerner and Loewe musical.

So, of course, I managed to find a piece of sheet music, too.
One funny thing about this movie is that when it first came out, I didn't see it. I was at the home of a fellow 4-H family one day, waiting for Mother to come and pick me up after a cooking meeting - she was quite late. I wanted to go home, and I was really annoyed at being there still. Well, the youngest of the three daughters decided she would regale me with tales from the movie - you know, the best parts, funny lines, etc. Their whole family had gone to see it, they LOVED it, they had the soundtrack album- yada, yada, yada! I remember in my selfish little 13 (or so?) year-old mind thinking it was all stupid, and being TOTALLY disinterested in everything she was saying about this movie I hadn't seen, and had no interest in seeing nor hearing about. Well- guess what?? Years later, when I finally saw it myself , I LOVED it! So, here and now I want to formally apologize to Beverly Battaglia - you were right - it's a great, fun movie, and I loved it, too.

Gold (Country) Fever

I saw a story on the local news the other night where they interviewed a man who sells mining equipment, and he said sales are up! No wonder, with the price of gold nowadays, and the state of the economy. I love living in the Gold Country, and all along Highway 49 are wonderful towns full of history. (It doesn't hurt that there are many great antiques shops and thrift stores along the way, either!) The cover of the Sunset book, above, has a photo from Nevada City. The sketches below by Otheto Weston depict images from Columbia California, some good old Miner 49ers,and a scene from a wagon train.

This postcard is a photo of (from the back of the card) "Famed Old Ben Fullingim from Tuolumne County,Calif. with his donkey Nugget on the Columbia to Angels Camp road just above Parrot's Ferry Bridge. Old Ben is a familiar sight in parades throughout Central California". He was a prospector, and certainly looked the part! And speaking of parades, Placerville is the site of the Wagon Train Parade every summer.

Last, but absolutely not least - here is a picture of our very own beloved Grandpa panning for gold sometime in the 60's. I think he must have had a bit of the "Gold Fever" himself. I think he and our uncle even used a dredge, if I recall correctly. And Uncle had a wet suit. I'm not sure how much they found , but I'm sure they found SOME!

Did you notice the Olympia beer can on the rock? Daddy used to drink that, too. We even got to tour the brewery in Tumwater, Washington years ago!

Dad's Vintage Neckties

Like a lot of men, my father-in-law had quite an assortment of neckties in his closet. The floral beauties, above, with a tropical note are some of my favorites. Pretty cotton with sort of a faded look - and I love the label on that middle one. Splash Magic!
I really like the two silver and black silk ones below, as well. I have attached vintage black sequined and beaded shoe clips as my "tie tacks" .
We have sold a number of them on Ebay, but some are just too nice for me to part with. I think he probably purchased all of his ties in California, and most have California labels on them . He must have purchased at least one tie every time they stayed in Carmel, which they loved to do. All four of those below are from Ernst of California, and the 3 at left are all Batik. Such pretty colors.
Those lovely stylized horses on the one on the left, below, really appeal to me. You can't really tell from my scan, but the center one is the prettiest bronze color with a metallic sheen. That one has a tag from Ronne with a little Eiffel Tower on it - French or from a French designer? And the one on the right is fabulous with it's little planes, trains, automobiles, sailboats, and seagulls! All three are silk.

Others in his collection that are special to me have labels from local shops. Trouble is, my husband wears a necktie less than once a year!

What's In That Sandwich?

I think those little handpainted wooden sandwich marker picks pictured above are just too stinkin' cute for words. Am I right, or am I right? I think I'm right. All of the items pictured in this post were actually found at antiques shops here locally. And still on the subject of sandwiches, the Skippy peanut butter lid, below, is from a jar that has a vintage decal of a red rose on it. Had to have that! (I'm actually a smooth peanut butter gal, myself. With grape jelly, on white bread - which I like occasionally because we didn't ever have it in the house growing up, Daddy bought Roman Meal wheat bread mostly - so white bread seems like sort of a treat to me!) I like to use old jars for storage because I just think they look nicer than something new. The Laura Scudder's (mayonnaise?) lid fits on a small (6 oz.or so) jar that now holds Dizzy's kitty treats. (Appropriate with it's little bird mascot, as Diz has been notoriously known as The Bird Murderer in the past, with evidence of his crimes strewn about the yard.) And I had always wanted one of the S/P sets with the tulip lids to go with a grease jar I already had, so when I found the salt shaker alone for a reasonable price, I decided to get it. Perhaps I'll find the pepper, too, one day.

Vintage, attractive, unusual, and useful. Yeah - that's the ticket!

Roses Are Red.....

The framed vintage postcard of a single red rose, above, is one of my favorites. I have more postcards with pink roses than red, but they're all beautiful!
This page, below, is from the cutest children's book I found at a thrift store for 50 cents. The book is falling apart, but it was worth it for the adorable illustrations. The book is My Slippers Are Red by Charlotte Steiner 1957.

The page with Dolly the bunny at the fence is from A Surprise For Mrs. Bunny (1945). I had no idea these were by the same artist until I checked inside the books just now to write it for this post! I chose them because of the red roses.

And this last picture - just one more of my framed vintage postcards from my collection. That's another Dollar Tree frame that was perfect for the lovely red rose.

Kids In The Kitchen

Looks like Mother, above is getting ready for Cupcake Week next week on Martha! And below, with Mom's help, the kids are mixing up something special. Check out those matching aprons on Mom and Sis!

But little Shirley Temple is baking all by herself!

I wish I had everything in all of those kitchens.

Designs To Color 1968

Well, today I just thought I'd post about these because I think they're neat. Colored with felt pens, these are pages from a book I have dated 1968, and titled Designs In Color by Betty Schaffner.

60's psychedelic!
Neato.

Cool, really cool.

Favorite Fruit Crate Labels

I love the Placerville Maid label, above, because the little girl looks very similar to what my sisters and I looked like when we were little, and also because our mother used to work packing pears in Placerville (say that real fast five times!)

I used to deliver mail to the Sierra Glen Ranch, and it is as lovely a place as the picture on the label implies! The label below cracks me up because Placerville is not a "Big City" - although, like a lot of towns, it's much bigger than it used to be! But, I mean, really - skyscrapers? No.

And last, but not least, Placerville in plaid!

To this day, I still love Bartlett pears, but they have to be just right as far as the stage of ripening. I also just plain like the name Bartlett, because I have very fond memories of the Bartlett family, who were friends of ours years ago. Melba and Roger, and their kids Sunny, Laurel, and Paul. They had the most beautiful farm property! I wish I was there right now.

Painted Ladies

I have always LOVED Victorian houses. I still dream of living in one some day. I also love Craftsman bungalows and farm houses - but those aren't what this post is about. All of these books are part of my own collection. The first one, above, was published in 1978; the authors are Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen. These are fabulous and beautiful books for a Victorian house lover. I am so happy that I have all of them! Daughters, below, was published in 1987.

The Painted Ladies Revisited, pub.1989

How To Create Your Own Painted Lady,also pub.1989

America's Painted Ladies, pub.1992


and lastly,The Painted Ladies Guide To Victorian California, pub.in 1991

Perhaps you noticed three of the books have photographs by the great Douglas Keister, whose work I also admire greatly. If you love this style of home like I do, I think you would really like these books!

Betsy In Black And White

I'm back to Betsy McCall again. Can't help myself. These outfits were from a McCall's Magazine paper doll page in the 1950's. See her cute little black and white dress and coat in the bottom corner? Well, below, you see small and large versions of vintage Betsy in a similar long-sleeved version. That picture and the one below are from this great book I have, written by Marci Van Ausdall titled Betsy McCall a Collector's Guide (published by Hobby House Press 1999). If you are a Betsy-lover, it is the ultimate!

This page shows the outfits in differing versions of the black and white gingham checked fabric. She's so sweet with her little black beret.

And this last picture is my very own Betsy in the same outfit! Except mine came with a little umbrella! Not sure where that came from, as it wasn't a part of her original outfit. I love it, though- it looks great as part of her ensemble!

Betsy McCall has to be one of the most adorable little dolls ever created, don't you agree?

The Ralph Lauren Robe

In March of 1991, I ordered the bathrobe pictured above from a Nordstrom mail-order catalog. It is a man's robe, but I bought it for myself. I just fell in love with the fabric- it is so similar to the gorgeous vintage barkcloth that I love so much. It was ridiculously expensive and extravagant for me at the time, but I wanted it! The fabric is more like a twill rather than the weave of a traditional vintage barkcloth. I actually found, and purchased, a shirt in the same fabric on Ebay last year. And the shirt is for a man, too, and it does not fit me, but I felt compelled to bid on it. (And I got a good deal,in my opinion.) It actually looks nice on my husband, but it's a little big, and I am not sure I will ever be able to talk him into wearing it! (Not his style.) Below is a close-up of the fabric. Pretty, huh?

Like I have mentioned before on this blog, I just write about stuff I like, and I refuse to try to explain why I do the things I do, or buy the things I buy. I just do.

Happy Easter!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter, with one of my cutest cards, these little fuzzy ducklings. I am ready now to hear Fred Astaire sing "Happy Easter!"
Hope yours is wonderful.

Our Daddy's Birthday

Today is our wonderful Daddy's birthday. Isn't he handsome in this old photo? He died far too young. He was only 53. We still miss him so.
Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Vintage Easter Cards

The absolutely adorable orange bunny card shown above is one of my favorites. It was given to me in the mid-70's by my sister. I thought it was one of the cutest things I had ever seen. Can't really explain why, but I love it SO much. Just the CUTEST bunny, smiling sun,an egg, a chick, some flowers, and just "Hi!" It has a place of honor on the dining room table. The little orange chalkware covered bunny dish next to it was an Easter gift from Mother from, I think, around the same time period.
The cards above hang on my Hallmark display rack. We got those a couple of years ago after Christmas for 75% (or more?) off - it was a ridiculously low price! And such a handy item! Below, one of my favorite vintage postcards:


And a few vintage cards for children from my collection:

Sweeter than sweet!