Count down

 I am counting down the days till a birthday. I have found the months leading up to this event have brought many deep thoughts on life, analyzing what things mean the most to me. I mentally inventory things I have done and yet wish to accomplish and enjoy. It is the stuff that I thought I would have had opportunity to do thus far but not yet had the chance or time to that seem to most of all dominate my thoughts. I hope I can still do many of those things.

 I find I am a young-thinking person, I am younger in my imagination than the mirror shows me (although, many people swear I don't look my age. I thank them for the compliment... or the good talent of being a great liar!).

I was shopping the other day, with my daughter. I love to have one-on-one time with each of my 3 kids. She reminds me a lot of myself in many circumstances. And I swear it was just only yesterday I was her age at her same school. Really! I was on the hunt for new work shoes for me (boring, ugly ones- darn it!).  In one store we found a great dress for her. I like that she enjoys pretty clothes and pretty shoes, in addition to her fun casual wardrobe.

We also included a visit into a rather off-beat store that sells everything from pin-back buttons to novelty t-shirts to dresses to funky jewelry. It was at my request. I love almost every item in there and told her if I were 20 years younger I would buy nearly one of everything!!.... and she said "Wow Mom!, I would never guess you like the stuff in this store!" She did not say it in a way that she was shocked, but rather that she was happy I liked it!

She bought a dress, very unique and perfect for her.  I bought a dress for myself (which I wore already last night for a birthday dinner out) that is basic, pretty, and age appropriate in style for any young-thinking girl. I think dresses are a super wonderful part of a closet collection, especially when they can be worn for varied occasions. I love empire waist, hemline above the knee-styles.

 I ended up finding some (ugly) perfect for work shoes-- non-slip bottoms, comfortable to wear 9 hrs-on your feet, moving constantly --kind of a deal. My new job of about 6 wks' time has been a learning experience and fun too. I am back to full time work after not having that since last June. What an ordeal that was to live through. Finding you are wa-a-a-y older than your co-workers, and even your bosses too, is a sobering revelation. Middle age has its advantages. I have discovered many. What I have decided is this-- having accumulated more life experience helps me more greatly understand responsibility, prioritizing, and understand what is important and what really isn't, whether on the job or in every day life.

The resume/job search world has changed since my first days in the workforce. The days of face to face meetings and firm handshakes and a well appointed paper resume offered in person seem only an event that occurred in past history, now frequently replaced with fill in their online formatted one size fits all resume and see if a computer program decides to let you be worthy of further consideration or be dumped in the "sorry, no go" bin. My opinion is that many programs of weeding out inappropriate candidates only prove to weed out a certain amount of very worthy ones as well. Real life setting problem solving, strategizing, organizing, and budgeting is acquired through years of first hand experiences. That degree comes only with age, and some failure, and learning day by day to be better, and learn from mistakes. Some online resume applications do not lend themselves to showing complete attributes of one's skills and talents.

My blog used to be a place to sort out my thoughts and review my dreams for days and years ahead. I fell away from that for a time, many times over the years, since my blog started. Maybe this week I will (try to) get back to that, as I do my count down.

I found these ads for products I've used and loved at one time or another. I am a scent-driven person, and I can recall in my memory the way these items all fed that sense. The F.O. shampoo/conditioner was one of my all-time favorites and I used it on my long blonde hair until the product could no longer be found on store shelves. Wish it could come back like some of the retro soda pop brands that have made their returns for nostalgia. I would love that, I would buy a case worth!!

times and other things...they are a changin'

I enjoy a good vintage ad.
Don't you?
Let's look at this one here, shall we?
Let's take a closer look. This looks like an attractive enough woman in the year 1963.
Agree?

Let's take an even closer look. Apparently standards in body image or clothing sizes --or maybe simply just vocabulary--have changed in that many years. Their catalog says "fashions for larger women".

Really?

Did they accidentally use the wrong models' photo shoot for this cover?

Ok.

Let's go in for some details here. Maybe I am just a little confused. Little. Maybe I should say slight.... er, maybe tiny. Oh crap. Let's get on with it.

38-60.

Are they talking about their tablecloth measurements for their dining room table? They certainly aren't talking about these models.

Ok stop, to be fair, the hourglass silhouette that girdles and bullet bras gave these women may have a disillusioning effect on the over-all look of a dress. But still--I think this represents models with 38 as the high end measurement category.

False representation? Cause to starve yourself to compete?

You decide.

Also, does anyone ever still use the vocabulary word= hose? My grandma did. Vocabulary certainly changes over time and through eras of society.

Sorry, the time has expired (a few decades or so) to send for your free style booklet.

" for STOUT Women" !!!

will that be paper or glass?

Maybe I should be like this retro Dixie Cup mom in this ad, instead...

I do drink out of fancy glass glasses and eat off fancy glass plates all from thrifty buys so they can be broken (which they inevitably are! ) without any big financial loss. That way I can say, with hoity toity attitude, to the family as I wield the broom and dustpan, "I can't have anything nice with you kids around here!"

They just reply, "Mom needs to go hunt down more cheap pretty glassware!"

Do you think they have caught on to the fact that I actually enjoy the opportunity to hunt and gather pretty things on the cheap????

It is funny when my kids take a shine to one certain cup or bowl in the thrifty mix and claim it as their own. When that piece gets broken it is a whole different story.

back on the line

My new clotheslines are out under the tall pines and have been nice enough to hold my loads of laundry loads to sway in the hot summer breezes and save me some dollars on the electric bill. Well not really. I am spending the money on the central air conditioning instead, so either way the electric company still gets it. At least my laundry smells sweetly dried in the 100 degree heat index heat of northernmost Ohio.

Forecast calls for a whole solid week ahead of weather in the 90's and horrible seemingly-Ohio-rain forest-humidity!!

Now go ahead and call me crazy, but I actually enjoy hanging wash on the line. But this week I will hang the laundry a little faster to get back inside and enjoy the air conditioning!

1970's childhood

Ahhh, the seventies....Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, Sonny and Cher, David Cassidy, Donny Osmond, yo-yo's, hula hoops, pop can crochet hats, orange shag carpet, transistor radios
and print ads that will live on forever to jog memories of our youth.

Love the Polka Dots, they are always in fashion!! But this........

Oh my!! This Sears print ad brings back memories of polyester pants with the permanent crease down the front of the legs!!!!

Check out the groovy white pleather shoes!!

nostalgia

Hop in the ol' station wagon, kids! We're goin' to Arby's! This ad doesn't have a station wagon but that's how the Brady Bunch would have got there, and my family too. Did you ever sit in the rear facing seat without any seat belts and hang out the back window?? Yep, I did.

Man that dog looks huge next to that sweet little girl. Ken L Ration dog food burger looked just like people food burger.

From the days when you were attached by a cord.

The days when your TV was actually a piece of furniture.

Groovy, man. Groovy!

Cough into your elbow.... We never even thought of that back then.

I swear this could be a close relative of Elizabeth Hasselbeck from The View.

What a groovy modern stove!

More Ken L Ration. Remember the jingle? Sing along....My dog's faster than your dog, my dog's bigger than yours. My dog's better 'cuz he gets Ken L Ration, my dog's better than yours.

(I'm wondering if that would fly today as being politically correct? All dogs are equals aren't they?)

One a day vitamins used to come in those way cool glass bottles that every crafter is seeking these days!!

a new favorite thing to watch

Even if you do not watch or like this show please read the post because it has some history lessons included.

No foolin'!!

My friend Julie has got me hooked! She told me I needed to watch the DVDs of Mad M-n. She knew I loved the "swell" housewifey kitsch of the late 1950's and early 1960's and the fashions of that era as well. She was over the top kind and gave our family a gift subscription to that DVD thing called Ne---ix (you know the one I'm talking about) so I would be assured to order the 1st two seasons and get started watching. And watch I have done!!! The show holds my anticipation and interest with so many factors.

As a little girl, more specifically ever since I saw Darren Stevens (I prefer the FIRST Darren, myself) and Larry Tate on Bewitched, I thought that print advertising was a fascinating concept/subject/career. Maybe that is why I love to gather and sell print ads in my shops. Here and here. The old ones hold such nostalgia for me. Which reminds me, I have many more from the 1950's to list. Big ones from Life magazines.

Anyway, aren't Darren and Larry just a prototype for Roger and Don?

See if you agree...

Larry: white hair, older man, outspoken

Darren: dark hair, younger man, deep dark eyes, a thinker with a secret to hide (he is afraid people will find out his wife is a witch)

Roger: white hair, older man, outspoken

Don: dark hair, younger man, deep dark eyes, a thinker with a secret to hide (he is afraid people will find out about his past) * Shame on you! You thought I was going to say his wife was a witch or maybe that other word that is spelled the same but begins with a b. We'll get to Betty in a minute.

You have to admit the parallels are many. How about the drinking and smoking at the office? Or the "hired as eye candy" secretaries? The only difference is that it is Peggy coming up with the last minute, save the men's butts, "in a pinch" slogans instead of Samantha!

If you watch the special features on the DVD's (which is another reason DVDs are so great) you will see stuff that is actually educational. No kidding!

On one it told and showed the history of both suburban architecture and furniture trends in the mid century in relation to how the authentic sets were created for the show.

In another it was about clothing fashions and hairstyles of the era and how Betty was made to look Grace Kelly like. It also said how it was important for the actresses on the show to wear authentic undergarments from that time period as it made them carry themselves and act like early 1960's women!! Did you know that all business men wore hats as a staple garment; as standard as their grey flannel suit with skinny tie? That is, until president Kennedy stood up to give his inaugural speech and left his hat on his chair behind him. That is focused on as a turning point when men as a society stopped wearing hats and hat sales for men declined (although pill box hat sales for women increased.)

Still another talked about how when men came back from the war and were going to college on the GI Bill, women were made to feel they should leave college to give their seat in class to the men, and get out of the work force also for the men's sake. That's when advertising and the general opinion of society made women feel like they should be happy being domestic and embrace their role as wife and mother, and take pride in their Frigidaire and matching place settings on the ironed linen table cloth as the sun streams in through their spotless windows. Ever notice how the advertising from that era for anything household includes a very dressed up lady with a big smile on her face? Honestly, how many of you dress up in a girdle and full skirt with cinched in waist, heels and pearls to mop your floors or clean the toilet?!!!

Now on to Betty. I love to look at the clothing. I studied fashion history and textile history. I worked for 13 years in fashion retail. I had my own sewing business for many years after that. I am fascinated by all things fabric. Here's a secret about me= I have never used a pattern to sew anything. Nope. Not me. They frustrate me. I can figure out how to make most things by using a tape measure and my imagination. Maybe that's why I really love to study the images on old pattern envelopes. That's how I did my custom order dress business. Honest!

Don't you just love this polka dotty dress with the sashes? I made my wedding dress and my bride's maids dresses, a baptism gown which both my girls wore, and first communion dresses for each of my girls here and here (yes, without patterns). My bride's maids wore wide sashes of a deep wine colored satin.

Ok ok, but back to Mad Men and all things mid century. I am enjoying this time watching the shows. I have one more disc left to watch of season 2 and then I have to wait until the season 3 discs are available to be sent. Darn!

In the meantime, here is an image from my pattern envelope ephemera stash for you to use for your art--in honor of Betty's polka dotty dress! Enjoy!!

I'm Having Too Much Fun...

Since I love to acquire vintage snapshots that catch my attention I often end up with too many (too many, is that possible??) and then offer them to new homes. Sometimes I want to share the same vintage photos that I can't seem to part with, so I sometimes share them here on my blog as free images and sometimes as vintage reproductions.

What occurred to me today was to utilize my old catalog pages for their images as fun backgrounds. I have done this with brooches and other small items but not with photos--

so after playing around with my ephemera this is what I came up with.

I tell ya....wayyyyy too much fun!!

Of course I can never resist the bra and girdle pages just because they make me giggle. And to think of what women used to put themselves through to layer themselves up under even everyday clothing!! Ugh! Double Ugh!!




(this photo above is written on back "Central Park 1937"
Isn't that really cool?)
It seems like whenever I get time on the computer, 1 or all 3 kids need something RIGHT NOW! " Mom!? Can you drive me to ___'s house?"
"Yes. When?"
"NOW!!"
It is like a signal rings in their ear the minute I sit down to work on the computer and they are calling me from another room or even worse, hovering (my son does this) and saying, "How much longer? I can't find anything to do." Apparently I need to be the entertainment committee ONLY when I sit at the computer!! Imagine that!


Don't they know I am having fun? Finding enjoyment at my "advanced years" by matching up old catalog pages with old photos???? I mean, c'mon, sometimes 40 something year old Moms need playtime too!!

So I thought I would show you these and quickly type a blog post before I head out the door again to run a kid or 2 or 3 somewhere (again!), or offer to play another round of Battleship or Uno with a boy who is days away from turning 9 and can't seem to find A THING to do.

I know, You're saying this time will pass and soon I will be an "empty nester", but honestly some days while I am not at that stage yet I am reminded of that (vintage) TV commercial...

"Calgon! Take me away!!"

My mom the wonderful PACK RAT

This is my mom, in about 1946.

She was working as secretary in Ohio.

I don't know the circumstances of this photo other than to tell you she had many photos of herself and her working chums from that time period. I think they enjoyed being both serious and silly with the camera during lunch breaks or something. I'm sure they would NEVER do their photo sessions during "on the clock" time...would they?!

I was looking through photos today and thought I would show you this one. I think the natural sepia aging of the photo paper caught my eye ~~since , as you know, I am in a sepia kind of groove lately!
I find the leather sofa and the twist of her ankle interesting. I'm sure this was not an intricately planned out photo, but I think the composition is wonderful, don't you?

Now on to my story for today...

Every time I think there can't possibly be another closet shelf, drawer, shoebox or attic corner left to sort out ~ sure enough one surfaces. My mom was a pack rat to the highest degree. How do you think I have so much ephemera???? So here it is 12 years on since I began the sorting when today I opened an innocent looking manila folder. The magazine ad above is what I found.

Guess what? This is an ad for Mom's bedroom furniture!!!

It is the only furniture I ever remember her having. My older brothers may remember some previous to this. Mom had the king size bed, night stand and two dressers.

My brother took the king sized bed. I didn't want it because I always thought that it took up too much space in the bedroom.  I now sleep in the what was mom's room ~the very room where she died. Some people think this is kind of creepy. We don't. After all, it is the master bedroom (small as it is). Also, Mom did not die in her king size bed. She became bedridden about 2 weeks before she died and Hospice provided a hospital bed to be brought to the house for her comfort. That was when my brother took the king sized to his house- it had to go somewhere; and he had the big room in which to put it.

The dresser with mirror in the far lower left corner and the tall dresser in the far lower right corner is  mine now.


Click on the image to enlarge. It says:

"How to dream up a room scheme with a happy future..."
It is strange that the day after the anniversary of her death I should find this vintage ephemera magazine ad that she had torn out and saved.


Yes, my mom was the most WONDERFUL pack rat, to be sure!!!

TV Watching Dress Code, 1951

Ok. Are you ready for this? I found a little article in my 1951 LIFE magazine...

Clothes For TV Watching
This winter a lot of women who used to dress formally to entertain at home have found themselves and their guests sitting on the floor after dinner to look at television. This position is not graceful in a short, tight cocktail dress or practical in an elaborate evening gown. A successful solution for floor-sprawling TV fans is "at-home clothes", which are colorful, comfortable fashions in which a hostess can safely relax on the rug. Adding elegance to comfort they are worn with dressy shoes, plenty of jewelry and tops which usually have necklines low enough to compete with almost anything on the TV screen.

This is an ad from the same magazine (left). That's me (above ) in 1964, standing in front of our TV that also had doors that swing open. It was the same kind of blonde veneer wood too.You may recognize this photo of me as a recycle from my post dated April 16, 2007 - titled "High Definition?" A very funny read about my lack of modern technology.

Anyway, I sure hope my Mom wore the appropriate amount of jewelry with her "at-home clothes" while playing hostess back in 1951...relaxing on the rug, watching television with her guests!!