Then And Now #50 Revere Ware

It seems entirely possible to me that most every mid-century kitchen had some pots and pans by Revere Ware in their cupboard. We grew up with some in our kitchen. This advertisement is from 1955:

I absolutely love this two-page spread featuring Revere Ware sets for mom and daughter. How cool are those playsets?!

I think we may have had one of these double-boilers, seen here in an ad from 1956:
Any time....is time for Revere Ware, from 1958:

I can't say that our household was very good about keeping their copper bottoms polished. We definitely had one of the stockpots seen below in another magazine ad from 1960, and it got a lot of use. Daddy used to make the best soup, chili and pot roast!:

When we moved in to this house, there were some Revere Ware pans already in the cupboard that had belonged to my in-laws. We also have purchased a few new things over the years, including that double-boiler insert on the right, and the whistling tea kettle which I use every morning for my tea.
Still in great shape, still in use - and still not so good with the polishing.

Vintage Crocheted Shawl

I bought this gorgeous vintage shawl years ago, probably in a shop or at an antiques fair. I love it, and I haven't ever seen another one. The label says "Made In Austria for Bullock's Los Angeles". The front:
and the back:
I had to buy this McCall's Needlework and Crafts magazine when I saw this inside! Mine doesn't have fringe, and also has fewer colors, of course- but it is a very similar idea. And, it does say in the article "crocheted decades ago in Austria, ... our silk shawl was discovered at an antiques fair in California!". You can "create a similar shawl in the same technique."
The one shown is the vintage one - they give directions to make something similar, not a look-alike. Still, it makes me wish I knew how to crochet. I think you might need to be an expert for this one - but what do I know?
I think I will just have to stick with the one I've got,
and that's just fine with me.

My Favorite Framed Prints #27

We found a fabulous antique book at a used book store in Fort Bragg, California the last time we were there. A couple of the color plates inside had come loose from the binding, and I happened to have a frame that was the perfect size for this one. The Redwing - isn't it pretty? I love the colors for fall.
Even though the book was already falling apart, I just don't know if I can bear to take any of the other pages out! But there are some real beauties inside. Like these butterflies on this plate in the very front that I managed to scan by placing the entire book on the scanner:
What would you do??

Plants I Know and Love No. 1: Beefsteak Begonia

Good morning. Gold Country Sis Tina here, wishing you a happy Wednesday, and ready to share some photos of some of my favorite houseplants.

These beauties are begonias, and I have always known them as Beefsteak Begonias, although I really don't know if that is the correct name for them or not. They do look a bit like a steak, the bottom side even has that "raw beef" color of red, like they are ready to plop onto your black eye that you got from running into that door last night. My oldest begonia (also shown above) is on the right in the picture below. I have had this plant for so long I have forgotten when I first started it. All I am sure of is that it has to have been at least 20 years ago.

It was started from one lone leaf taken from a plant which belonged to a good friend of my Mother's. Her name was Melba. She had three of these begonias in a large South facing window, in very large clay pots. I always admired them, their shiny leaves and sturdy stems glowing like jewels in the sun. One day my mom brought me home a leaf, and so began my collection of begonias.

Melba lived on a beautiful farm which included a meadow where Native Americans made their camp for hundreds of years. There is a large rock with grinding holes near a lovely creek, a small deep pond encircled with blackberries, an orchard with wonderful pear and apple trees, a big old barn complete with child-pleasing hayloft, and of course the old farm house with those nice big Southern windows in which the begonias resided so happily. Melba passed away, her husband followed several years later, and the house was sold. I don't know what happened to her plants. I hope they are still living on somewhere else and getting good southern exposure.

I won't mislead you by saying they are a cinch to start from a pinching. I have had a lot of failures over the years attempting to get these little leaves to root. But if you stick to it, you can get a nice plant from one leaf. The best method is taking a good quality potting soil, and tucking the edge of the leaf closest to where the stem attaches into the soil. Keep slightly moist. If you are patient and the leaf feels like it, a little teeny tiny begonia plant will come up.

My photo of my first start from my plant didn't turn out, but above is my second plant I started. It is still rather small, but it is only about a year old. I will need to put it into a larger pot by next spring, and then it can stay in the same pot for the rest of its little houseplant life. I have three nice sized plants now, the same as Melba. I think of her every time I look at them. Thank you Melba!

In my kitchen, on top of my spice cabinet, I am attempting to start a new begonia by keeping a few leaves with their stems in a little glass of water. This method works about half the time. If you are lucky, little roots will start on the stem and when they get about 1/2 to an inch long you can pot them up in good soil and you are on your way. But if you aren't lucky, they just rot and you have a leaf and no roots. Then I just try again. There are always plenty of leaves to experiment with. In my garden window I have a couple of starts I am feeling lucky about. I don't have any idea where I will fit these plants in if they do get going. There is only so much southern exposure in my house, and other plants want to share the light. Fortunately, they also do well in a nice bright west facing window. I have lots of those.

Someday I hope to be the "Melba" to someone else, who will take a leaf or two from one of my begonias and get a new plant started, pot it up and place it in her Southern window, and think of me whenever she looks at it.

My Disney Musical "Snow" Globes

Today I am showing you some of my collection of Disney musical globes. Most of them were gifts from my husband.
Snow White and Sleeping Beauty:
Cinderella and Lady And The Tramp:

Mulan and Pocahontas:
Cinderella and The Lion King:
Beauty And The Beast and Mickey, Minnie and the gang "Under The Sea":
The Aristocats and Tinker Bell:
Sometimes, he would order them from The Disney Catalog, and other times he drove all the way to the nearest mall with a Disney Store, which is over an hour each way. He HATES shopping, and he hates malls. He would go in, go straight to the Disney Store, pick one, buy it, and leave.
Thanks , sweetie!

What's Penny Wearing? #14

Today, Penny is modeling my 70's vintage Gunne Sax skirt with an antique silk blouse. I loved this skirt when I bought it, and I love it still to this day. Old-fashioned and fabulous in brown gingham with ecru crocheted lace trimmings on the pockets and at the hem, and a ruffle at the bottom:
I found the blouse at an antiques shop, and with the little brown gingham at collar and cuffs, it looks just right with my skirt!

I am still losing weight, and I truly I believe that one of these days, this skirt will fit me again!

Victorian Homes (Books)

I have written before about my love for Victorian homes. You may remember my post about the "Painted Ladies" series of books? Well, those aren't the only ones I have in my collection! Here are a few more examples. Um, I'm kind of obsessed. I haven't quite given up on my dream of living in one some day. The Gingerbread Age, by John Maass:
The Ultimate Victorians by Elinor Richey:
Victorian Splendor, by Allison Kyle Leopold:
Victorian Exterior Decoration, by Roger W. Moss and Gail Caskey Winkler:
West Coast Victorians by Kenneth Naversen:
My sister Tina gave me this lovely set of glass "pictures" many years ago:
I also subscribed to Victorian Homes magazine for many years, and I have saved every issue. The only reason I don't still have my subscription is because I had to cut back somewhere when I quit working, and I really don't have Victorian furniture, nor do I decorate in the Victorian style.
But I'll never stop loving it!

Thrifted Clothing

I'm not into spending a lot of money on clothes. At all. I never had a job that required me to "dress up", Therefore, I never needed very many nice clothes. When I was a waitress, we wore uniforms, and , as a rural mail carrier? Well - let's just say that when your work day sometimes lasts 12 hours and you might need to change a tire or put snow chains on your car, you want to be as comfortable as possible! Besides all of that, I have been losing weight, so I can't spend a lot on things that will become too large for me at some point. So finding clothes that I like at thrift stores is right up my alley. I am totally loving this top, below. It was hanging on a rack with items they considered suitable for Halloween costumes. I was like "that ain't no costume - that is one seriously gorgeous vintage tunic, and it is gonna be MINE!"
I found a pretty green floral corduroy shirt- and some brown cords to go with it- the pants were free; Salvation Army had clothing "buy-one-get-one-free", so I got a fab pair of jeans that fit PERFECTLY, and the corduroy jeans were my freebie:
A lovely floral LizWear blouse, and a pair of olive green jeans to go with it:
Pretty black and white floral blouse, and a pair of black silk pants:
Now, this one is too big for me, but it was on the $1 rack- brand new w/tags "Isaac Mizrahi for Target" shirt in the prettiest, brightest colors ever. I'll be selling it:
This one was free at a parking lot end-of-season thrift store giveaway. Vintage men's Dacron shirt (the tag says "Iolani Hawaii). I think it's very "Charlie-Sheen-in-Two-And-A-Half-Men":

That isn't nearly all of the stuff I found - just the ones I got the best photos of.
Free stuff, dollar stuff, cheap stuff - it's all good!

Then And Now #49 Karo Syrup

It's all about Karo Syrup today - here in a couple of 1910 magazine advertisements:

This is on the back of my "Karo Cookery" booklet from 1941 - apparently they had just switched from cans to bottles at that time:

An ad with recipes from 1945:
From 1950 - another recipe, this time for popcorn balls! That's what I want to make! I cannot even remember the last time I had a homemade popcorn ball:

Lace cookies from 1965:
And one more ad from 1978:
I always have some in the cupboard, but I really don't use it that often. These two bottles are in my pantry "Now":

I think the last thing I made with it was this decadent bittersweet hot fudge sauce that I throw together. It's the kind that hardens slightly and turns all gooey when you pour it over your ice cream.
I know.
That's why I haven't made it in a long time.
I don't dare.

October Is Here!

I'm very happy that October has arrived! Because I love fall, and I'm hoping for nice cool weather. To celebrate the beginning of this month, I thought I'd show some of the fabulous covers from past issues of Country Living Magazine. Each October issue is without fail one of the MOST attractive on the news stands!
2002:
2003:
2005:
2007:
2008:
Not only are the covers gorgeous, but the contents are always great as well. Since the recent demise of some other publications, Country Living has gone from being one of my favorites to my VERY favorite! While it's true there are many others that I thoroughly enjoy, I have to say that CL is the one I most look forward to opening each month!
(And don't those cakes and cupcakes look good?)