A Humpty Dumpty Tale

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty just can't "shine" at all.

Can all the king's horses
And all the king's men
Make Humpty Dumpty shine bright once again?

What horses?
ONE man
With an "I think I can"
Made old Humpty Dumpty himself one again.

With just tools and some know-how..
One quick little mend
Brought light back to Humpty;
my tale has an end.

Another Counterpoint Box For My Collection

You may or may not remember all of the previous posts I have done about my vintage Counterpoint boxes. Whenever I come across another of these colorful cardboard cuties, it makes me so happy! The one in the photo below was one dollar at a thrift store. It was just sitting there, waiting for ME. I know it.
I've never seen one like it before, with the four little drawers.

And, since I was doing a post about this one, I also found a couple more of them pictured in my vintage Seventeen magazines to share with you, as well. There's one of the little three-drawer ones sitting on the dresser in this advertisement from 1968:

And here's another, also from Seventeen, where they are used in a table setting:

(And  click here for one example of an old post - just in case you don't remember any of  them!)
Jewelry, trinkets, hardware, craft supplies - I can think of all sorts of things to store inside them.

Everything You See

I purchased every single thing you see in today's pictures for the whopping sum total of one dollar and twenty-five cents. You see, I had a fully-stamped loyalty card which entitled me to $5 off my total purchase.The rolling pin rack would look great holding vintage pot holders or aprons. I seldom pass up a nice glass-covered cheese board, and the green scarf beneath it all would also make a pretty table runner:

The daisy covered dish is insulated and has a square Teflon-lined aluminum baking pan inside. I don't know who made it, but I've never seen one before. Just last night, while watching "That 70's Show", I saw the matching ice bucket sitting on a shelf in their kitchen! Too funny. I found another bird trivet just like this one a while back; I think it sold already at the shop.

A vintage Counterpoint house vase or small planter:

Pyrex and Anchor Hocking covered bowls - these are my favorite food storage containers. I've never seen so many for sale in one place. Honestly, I can't understand why anyone would give them up? They are one of the most versatile and useful kitchen items you can own, in my opinion. I use mine every day.

 I didn't know that all of the kitchen stuff was half-price that day.
I got this great  vintage set of souvenir swordfish salt and pepper shakers, too:

From Florida - but made in Japan. Kitschy and colorful:

Brightly colored paisley seersucker fabric:

And, as if all of that were not enough, I also got a nice black tank top, and she even threw in three aprons for free that she thought maybe myself or someone I knew or worked with in the park could use.
 $1.25?
That's right.
Now, that's what I call a good deal!

Vera Neumann Again

 Again? But of course! Any day is a good day to share Vera with you.
This time, it's a lovely floral tablecloth I found at a flea market.

So pretty!

Fire in the Mountains at Kyburz

Good morning, Tina here.

Monday a fire started on Highway 50 in Kyburz.  I just heard they are saying it is now 80 percent contained.

I was in Cool, California which is on a ridge above the American River across from Auburn on Monday afternoon. I hadn't heard about the fire. As I started home I could see the mountains and heavy smoke. It was hard to tell where the fire was. My guess was Pleasant Valley. I finally heard the particulars at 4:00 pm when the local (Sacramento) news came on.

The old postcard above shows the American River near Kyburz.

Students and counselors were evacuated from the Sugarloaf Camp above Kyburz. I am glad all are safe.

Sugarloaf Camp is named after this rock formation shown in this postcard above.  Someone couldn't spell too well (shugar). I always get a little kick out of spelling errors preserved forever.

I hope the fire can be put out soon. I love our mountains and they have seen too many fires in that area.

A Very Regal Beauty

She's a beauty, isn't she?
I found her at Mountain Treasures, where we have our booth in Sonora.

I added the necklace, which I have owned since I was in high school!
I guess I should give her a name.
I name everything else.
How about Emma?

What's PennyWearing? #94 A 70's Summery Jumpsuit

Penny is as cool as a cucumber in this vintage jumpsuit I have had since the mid-seventies:

Stripes, a zipper up the front, pockets, cute trim with wooden beads to tie up on the the top half:

Wide leg pants on the bottom half:

A lightweight, easy-going fabric in a striped print:

What more could you want on a hot summer day........

.......except maybe some shade and a nice, cool drink?

Thrift Finds: For The Guys

"Thrifted" shirts  for the guys this time - first up:  a fabulous vintage pullover shirt, made in Hawaii:

Made with the reverse side of the fabric out

A wild print, vintage "King Original Batik":

I thought this was nice print:

From the "Havanera Company:

And one more Hawaiian style - this one isn't vintage, just a nice tropical floral:

Every one of them just right for going through the summer in style.

Oklahoma!

I had the distinct pleasure of going to see our local Sierra Repertory Theatre's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" at the Historic Fallon House Theatre in Columbia on Wednesday.

 Their productions are always first-rate, and this one was no exception. A lovely young lady named Samantha Bruce stars as Laurey, and she has a truly Broadway stage-worthy voice. She is spectacular. She also played Cinderella last year, and it was a delight to see and hear her again.

If you enjoy a good musical, and you are able to make it to Columbia during it's duration, you are in for treat .
I don't know who designed their program cover and poster, but it looks pretty great, too.
I love Rodgers and Hammerstein's music so much, now I am going to have to put on my old movie soundtrack LP and listen to Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae - and look around and see if I can find my VHS of the movie.....at least, I THINK I have it somewhere!
I have just about every other musical under the sun.
We Gold Country Girls were lucky enough to see Gordon MacRae back in 1977 as Ben Rumson in "Paint Your Wagon" at the Music Circus in Sacramento. Sadly, he passed away in 1986.
But, at least, the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein lives on, not only in the films, but also on stage regularly as live theatre groups stage new productions of their classic musicals year after year, for all of us to enjoy forever.

A Little Dress For Little Lucy

I came across the cutest little dress, and I immediately thought of Lucy, baby girl of the sweet and beautiful Heather, of Moonshine Junkyard.

It just looked like the sort of thing Heather might like for dear little Lucy:

Have you ever seen a more adorable little girl?

I think not.
(She's "reading" the card I sent! I love it!.)
I'm so glad they liked it.

Stars And Stripes Forever

I am so disappointed that the Boston Pops 4th Of July Spectacular will not be televised nationally this year!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAnky-QJwII
(Click above to hear it on YouTube. I couldn't get it to link any other way - guess I don't know what I'm doing!)
I have watched it for so many years, and I have so thoroughly enjoyed it each and every time.
It won't quite be the same for me - but at least I have YouTube, and I can enjoy the music whenever I choose. This version is conducted by John Williams. I didn't find one today with Keith Lockhart, but I like them all, so this will do nicely for today.
I simply defy you to listen to this great tune and not want to march and dance around! Call me quirky and crazy, but that's what I do! Better yet, if you have a flag - or flags to wave while you do so.
So - long may she wave!
And it's the Stars and Stripes forever for me ( but just not on television.....)
Happy 4th of July, everybody!
Now, crank up that sound, and get dancin'!

Memories to Cool Us Off - 4H Camp in Nevada and Swimming in Lake Tahoe

Too darn hot. Today is starting the fifth day we have had over 100 degree temperatures, and it is supposed to continue into tomorrow.  It is hard to remember cool air. The upstairs portion of our house has become off-limits, and that includes when the air-conditioner is on!

I thought about cold, and it made me remember going to 4H summer camp when I was in 6th through 8th grades.

The postcard above (circa 1955) is the only one I have been able to find that shows the camp.  I never saw it in the snow.  I want to go there right now and have to hike through the snow to get to the dining hall! That will cool me off a bit.

A recent photo of the pier, above. We would try to fish for crawdads for a while, and then go swimming. It was so incredibly cold we couldn't stay in for long (and this was in July!) We would come out and our lips would be purple and we would be covered in goosebumps.

The dining hall now. We stayed at camp for a week, and each cabin had to help in the dining hall for a day. It was always a lot of fun. I have photos somewhere of a few cabins and also a panoramic photo of all the campers taken about 1964. I just recently found out that the University of Nevada keeps an alumni list of campers and added my name to it. I may go to a reunion one of these days. How I wish it was today, I could use some purple lips from the cold right now.

My Version Of Christmas In July

My version is this: "thrifted" Christmas finds from the first half of the year.  I do, of course, find vintage Christmas year-round. And yes, storage IS a problem. But I could not resist this gorgeous felt and sequin creation shown below.
 I love that it's so colorful, with some rather non-traditional Christmas colors.
Can you even imagine the amount of time that went into this?

Next we have a sweet little December angel. Some of her poinsettias are chipped, but I don't mind:

New in the package, a vintage vinyl Christmas tablecloth, complete with fringe:

Vintage Christmas lights in those fabulous colors I like so much. The ones that kind of look aqua in the picture are actually more of a jadeite green sort of a color:

This little box of candles from Germany has the cutest graphics:

A vintage Santa towel that says Happy New Year on one side and Merry Christmas on the other, and also a very nice, large Christmas tablecloth:

I really like this sweet, brightly colored fabric in the next photo. My faves are the little houses and birds:

And, finally my last find to show you today is a lovely little tree. This was most likely made in a ceramics class years ago, and  is sized just right to hold party-cake candles on every "branch".
I love it:

Sunshine Napkins

Let's welcome the bright month of July with this gorgeous set of orange and yellow sunshine napkins I found at a thrift store, shall we?

Nothing says "summer sun" like these vibrant shades of color, after all.

I don't mind welcoming July....

....but I never have liked the heat of summer.