Mary Poppins

Can you believe the fabulous Disney film "Mary Poppins" is fifty years old?
The movie was released in Los Angeles  on this date in 1964 (according to IMDB.)
I can honestly say that I have loved it all of these fifty long years! Does that prove that I'm a fan?
 You can believe it.

I just found this Mary Poppins doll a couple of weeks ago at a thrift store.
 She's missing her stockings and her hat, so I borrowed a hat from another doll for her to wear, so she'd at least have something!
I was glad she had her little carpet bag.
I stuck the little umbrella in just for fun:

I've written about my love for Mary Poppins more than once on this blog. I've had all of my books and most of my records, music, etc. for quite some time.

 But "Let's Go Fly A Kite" is a more recent addition to my collection:

Here are a couple of photos of dolls in somewhat better condition than mine - she even has Michael and Jane by her side, here - ready for another delightful outing, no doubt:

And here she has a (damaged) hat, and a parasol - but no carpet bag.

My doll again, without her coat:

She looks rather pensive in the picture above, don't you think?
Perhaps she is thinking of how she will soon need to move on, and leave the Banks family.
Come along now, let's get on with our day.
"Spit spot!"

A Few Special Finds

Cue the fanfare!
 I considered myself very lucky indeed when  I found another little Catherineholm bowl at a thrift store.
It's a wee bit chippy, but that's all right with me.

And I also found another one of these little enamel ware (butter warmer?) pots that I love. I think I have four now:

(Oh, and also the colorful cloth napkins shown with them!)

The sweet little cornucopia vase below was only $1.50.
I'm sure it's Fenton.
I have just a few pieces of Fenton glassware, but it belonged to my mother-in-law, so it's rather special.
This vase will fit right in.

This may very well be my favorite vintage pillar candle holder of all time.

It's red, and it has all of the zodiac signs around the bottom.

It's in perfect condition, even down to the original "Japan" label on the bottom:

And three more candle holders for my collection, all in gold, this time:

And last, but not least - while these may seem boring to you, they are not to me:
 A pair of my favorite vintage painted metal mug trees:

And I'll have you know that I was very happy to find them all, because I  just happen to be the self-proclaimed
Vintage Pedestal Pillar Candle Holder And Vintage Metal Mug Tree QUEEN.
And not one bit embarrassed about it, either.

From Nearby Garage Sales & A Rummage Sale, To Boot

Wandered out just for a bit on Saturday morning, and these were some of the treasures I discovered nearby.
A beautiful framed silhouette picture, pretty vintage soap dish, lovely vintage beads and "pearls" necklace, yellow baby booties and a rattle, and another sweet little framed print:

A Knox Gelatine Cookbook from 1963, a novel about Frank Lloyd Wright, and two decks of cards (one a cute Pinochle set):

And a couple of the oldest transfer patterns I've ever found.

I kind of love it when I can just zip out really briefly, and come home with a few treasures, don't you?

The Drawing Board, Inc.

I have saved this little leaf card with the ladybug on it since I was a teenager.
I loved it then, and I still do:

It is from "The Drawing Board Inc.", which was a Dallas-based company that created some of my favorite stationery items, and some of the most fabulous ones I've ever seen.
I wrote a post back in July of 2009 about my stationery collection, and I am planning to do a couple more upcoming posts on this same subject, as well.
I just love the colors and designs this particular company used on many of them back in the 1970's.
The company was acquired by the American Greetings Corporation in 1985.
I have found a number of other cards, stationery or invitations made by them at thrift stores and on Etsy. I wanted to share some examples with you today.
The self mailers seen below would have been perfect to send as wedding gift thank-you notes:

And here are some more "Thank You" self mailers.
 It's the colorful and fabulous artwork that draws me to these vintage paper items!

A dear little sun invites you to brunch:

I will definitely attend your New Year's party if you send me one of these:

Definitely:

A Surprise Party?
I'm in!
 (Just, please, send me one of these fabulous cards!)

 An Open House?
 I'll be there - just send me one of these colorful cards and let me know when and where:

I'm ready any time for Cocktails with a tipsy pink elephant, too:
(Designated driver, anybody?)

Gorgeous Zodiac stationery:

"Here's To You...." (and the inside says "....coming to this party!")
Now, that really looks like a party:

And I apologize for the poor quality of the rest of these photos, but I snapped pictures from my vintage Seventeen magazines to show you a few more examples of great Drawing Board stationery.
The sunflower with the bee reminds me of my lady bug card!

I love the flowers and colors on this heart:

A hippo and a turtle, both adorable:

I can only hope that you enjoyed seeing all of these as much as I enjoyed finding them to share with you all!

Flutter By...

Mixed in with plain old boring pillow cases at a thrift store here in town,
 I discovered the beautiful embroidered, fringed-edge butterfly pillow cover in the photo below.
I swear, I couldn't put it into my basket quickly enough!

 I also found this small, colorfully striped afghan:

I think this butterfly is gorgeous:

And they look pretty good together, too!

Patterns From The Past: McCall's 2481 A Dress Or Jumper

 Well, school is back in session, and although it won't be fall (nor  cooler autumn weather!) for a while yet, today's pattern is a cute example of great vintage back-to-school fashion.
I don't know why it always seems to be Colleen Corby that I find most often in my examples for "Patterns From The Past"?
Gee, maybe it's because she may have been the busiest model around back in the 1960's and 1970's!
She's one of my favorites, so I don't mind it one bit.
Today she is wearing a jumper made from McCall's number 2481, a pattern from1970.

Here is the front of the pattern:

I was able to find this one is for sale on Etsy right now :

So cute as a jumper for fall, don't you think?
I love the pink cut-out version with the ribbed turtleneck underneath!

I always like to include the back of the pattern in these posts, as well:

As always, stay tuned for more of my Patterns From The Past.

What's Penny Wearing? #109 A "Minnie" Dress

I found this cute polka-dotted dress at a thrift store on half price day.

The minute I saw it, I thought "Minnie Mouse!"

The polka-dots are not as big as the ones traditionally seen on Minnie's dress, but still!

Aren't those sweet little bows on the sleeves?
 I think that for somebody who knows how to do makeovers and/or alterations on clothing, this could be reworked into a fabulous Halloween costume.
You could do any number of things with it.

You could lower the neckline, shorten the hem, add black tights, and a top with long black sleeves, white gloves and heels, maybe some bloomers - and a Minnie mouse headband, and you are Minnie.

 Sounds like a lot of work , I suppose, but for someone who sews it could be made into a super-cute, customized Minnie Mouse costume that is perhaps nicer looking than a purchased costume, and also less expensive.
It was just too cute to pass up.

Minnie says hi, everybody!

A Smith Flat Wedding August 16, 2014 - Holly and Caleb

We were part of the lucky guests at a delightful wedding last Saturday, held in the Courtyard at the Smith Flat House near Placerville, California.

Above are the couple, Caleb and Holly, with Caleb's folks to the left and Holly's to the right. The guests had fun posing in the framed openings as the party went on.

 Our good friend Janet poses with us at our table "Number Nine".

Don't we all enjoy the kissing moment the most of all?

And here they come, the new couple.

All the siblings on Caleb's side gather for a great photo.

They cut their cake. Instead of cake for dessert, the guests had cookies and brownies.

Each table had their own bottle of wine.

Paper fans, designed by the grooms Mom, helped keep the 90 degree temperatures from toasting us.

A slightly unfocused photo of this handsome couple.

A mom chases her daughter into the shade of the courtyard arbor.

The bride from Wisconsin, the groom from California. Cute idea!

A family gathers to remember the day.