Thrift Finds From Last Week

Last week my sister made an impromptu decision to come over for a visit, and so what do you suppose we did? Why, we went out a thriftin' - like we usually do! Thought I would show you some of my finds. White swan Avon bottle, Fenton toothpick holder,funky little bird shaker, and a bird - I guess it's a creamer - has a spout in it's mouth - I put some camellias in it for now!
More little wood ornaments for my Easter tree - carrots this time, a Little Brown (and aqua) Jug, grapes plaque, 2 flower pins and a pair of shoe clips, a cute little "telephone" for sewing notions, and a small trowel:
A set of four Vera plates, bird candle holder from Mexico (my sister gave me the tiny one - how cute is he?), pretty little vase, yellow egg box, bunny molds, and a chicken:
Had to show you this adorable card - when I ordered from Oodles and Oodles, Barbara included this as an extra treat! I love it.
I hung the carrots on my tree:
This year I placed it inside a crystal compote for the base:
This was the base last year - I didn't think of it! I didn't get out all of my decorations, so there aren't any of the bigger eggs on it this year.

In retrospect, it really could have used more. Oh, well- there's always next year!

Easter Table

Here's a lovely table set for Easter dinner from a 1959 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine:
And from the same issue, Easter breakfast or brunch:
These lovely centerpieces were designed by Martha Stewart, and featured in an article that I tore out of Family Circle Magazine in April of 1990 - this was before she even published the first issue of her own magazine. I've been a fan for a long time:
And I think this pretty cake would make a nice centerpiece for your table, too. You can enjoy it during dinner...
...and after!

Lovely Vintage Labels

I can't pass up a pretty or nice vintage label. These are some I have purchased, mostly on eBay. Some are in silver:
And others in gold:
Labels for Witch Hazel:
French labels:
And even a gorgeous one for lima beans!
And I have others - but I must save some for another post.

Then And Now #36 - Jell-O

Jell-O was invented in 1897. We all grew up with it, didn't we? I mean "There's always room for Jell-O!", right? I don't really fix it or use it all that often, but I have to say - I do ALWAYS have some in my pantry! This cute little booklet is dated 1937:

And here is one of the recipes inside:
This magazine advertisement is from 1953:My Joys Of Jell-O book was printed in 1961:
This book, "Jell-O A Biography" by Carolyn Wyman was published in 2001:
And here is how the packages look now:
We enjoyed this Ribbon Salad from the Farm Journal Christmas Cookbook many times during the holidays when we were growing up. It's just one of many great Farm Journal recipes that were family favorites for us:
Jell-O or a Jell-O salad of some sort just seems like a nice addition to your Easter table, doesn't it? Think how pretty this salad would be for spring if you used blue and yellow or yellow and green instead of the red.
Oh, I know - wouldn't it look pretty to top each square with a pineapple ring? If you try it, let me know how you like it, all right? One tip - there have been times when I have found it necessary to use not quite all you have for each layer to get it to fit into the glass oblong dish!

Little Rabbit

This is the cutest little story. I bought these pages from Barbara over at Oodles And Oodles. I don't have every page, but you can get the gist of it from these:





Cute, huh?

Shoes Old And New (To Me)

I got a real "kick" out of finding these shoes in Sears Catalog from 1972. See the heels on those two?
They are almost exactly like the clunky/chunky heels on these shoes I found at a thrift store. I'm not sure how old these are - but they're not from the 70's! I love it when I find a pair that fits me, and they're cheap! In style, out of style, back in style - I don't care, I just buy what I like!
Talk about styles coming back around? Gladiator sandals, and laces that wrap around your leg and ankle - here you go! Those multicolor suede ones remind me of a Harlequin. (I like them.)
One more style: Oxfords. See those perforated wing tip oxfords? I had some in high school that were very similar to that in red, white, and blue. And I thought I was cool, too.

I still have some of my shoes from the 70's, and some from the 80's, and.....

Packaging From The Past

I just plain like the look of vintage packaging. Call it nostalgia - call it a desire to go back to "simpler" times - call it whatever you want.
I just like it! Pretty Swan Straws package:

And here's a little cake decorating set - the box:
and the contents:
Cute little miniature salt shakers, and Schilling food coloring - all four colors:
And below, an earlier example of just the green Schilling Food Coloring. The little bottle on the far left is the kind that was found inside the box shown in the picture above:

And look! Tasty Food! I like tasty food. This box held a set of three little tools - with green wooden handles:
And from the laundry room - Soak n' Squeez - so cute in aqua with bubbles on the label!One more thing - ugh! - moth balls! But I do kind of like the graphics on the package.
I was telling my friend a few weeks ago about how everything I had pulled out of the trunk in the basement smelled like moth balls. I'm pretty sure all of the contents had been there since the 1930's. And her teenage son asked:
"What are moth balls?"
It hadn't even occurred to me that he wouldn't know. And forget trying to describe that SMELL to someone who has never experienced it, right? Just tell them how lucky they are NOT to know!

The Kitchen Linens Book!

I was so happy to find my copy of this book by EllynAnne Geisel in the mail last week - I mentioned in a previous post that I won it in a giveaway at Lulu's Vintage. What a fabulous book it is! As if the dust jacket cover wasn't cute enough, here is what the hardcover underneath looks like!
Inside, you will find lovely illustrations and information about ALL kinds of vintage goodies. Like these crocheted hot mats that I wrote about in an earlier post:
Delightful embroidered linens like this one that I showed you in my 2nd post on this blog!
(I hit the 500 mark on Tuesday of last week! Can you believe it?)
Bright and colorful table linens, like this one from my collection:

Crocheted pot holders:

Vintage tea towels - this one is from my linen cupboard, as well:
Gorgeous tablecloths, similar to my geranium one, below:

It is a really lovely book all the way through - I feel so lucky to have won one! Thank you again, Lulu!

April Showers?

So - they say April showers bring May flowers, right? Well, okay - we are all ready here with our umbrellas:
Actually, this lovely lady's parasol may not do her much good!
We're all ready for rainy days...
We NEED more rain - and, besides, I LOVE May flowers ( and every other month, really):

Bring it on!!