Vintage Ad Wednesday

Today I'm posting a couple of colorful ads from my "new" October 1941 Ladies Home Journal.  It is full of wonderful ads and I hope to share many of them in the future!

 

Mother-Daughter matching outfits.  I noticed that the Red Cross symbol could be found on many of the covers of LHJ in 1941.

Here is a bright, colorful ad for Royal Tapioca pudding...Orange Coconut flavor!  I do enjoy tapioca, and this does look refreshing.
 



 

Here is a beautiful ad for Congoleum.  I just love the kitchen!  I'm a big fan of the late 30s and 40s geometric linoleums.

 

 

 

And one more.  This one is an ad for Ivory Soap Flakes.

 

 

 

 

That's all for this Wednesday!  Have a fantastic vintage day!



Who Was Miss Ida Vedquam?

Who was Ida Vedquam?
That's what I asked myself, back in March, when I brought home three Needlecraft Magazines from the flea market, each with an address label with the name Miss Ida Vedquam.  The label on both the 1926 copy and the 1940 copy read Miss Ida Vedquam.  During the 14 year time period between the two magazines, the Miss hadn't changed to Mrs.  For some reason, that tugged at my heart a little bit and I wondered who she was, and whether or not she ever married.

No, apparently she did not.

Now, for those who don't know me very well, I love digging into local history (museums, cemeteries, county history books...I love them all), and local history has become somewhat of a hobby.  So, it was no surprise to my family when I hopped onto the internet, looked up the Vedquam family, and started searching for anything I could find about the Vedquam family. 
I came across the Vedquam's 1920 census entry from Bottineau County. 
According to the census, Ida's father's name was Eilert Vedquam, and her mother's name was Julia.  In 1920, Ida was 19 years old.  She had a 15 year old brother named Edwin, and an 8 year old brother named Julius.  Eilert owned land towards the bottom of Eidsvold Township, about 9 miles south of Landa ND. There was a school built just to the Northeast of their home (I think). 
Ida's relatives also took part in the construction of a Lutheran church near the area where the Vedquams lived.  This prairie church, Mouse River Lutheran Church, is still standing.  I think a road trip might be in order this summer *wink*. 
I also discovered that Ida was born in North Dakota in 1900.  In 1940 she would have been 40 years old.  She died in 1990, and is buried in the Mouse River Lutheran Church cemetery.

The Photo above is of Mouse River Lutheran Church found on Rural Churches Database website. I found a digital copy of the township map online and found the Vedquam's small slice of North Dakota heaven.  Using Google Earth, I found that the land seems to be right off of a highway.  Unfortunately, the house is no longer standing, but that got me to thinking....what if there is a picture of the house somewhere!?  What if there is a picture of Ida somewhere!?

At this point, my daughter warned me that I was crossing the line from curious to "creepy", but I didn't listen.  I went to the library to find information about the Vedquam family.

In our library, there is a room (That would be a GREAT start to a children's book wouldn't it!!?  That phrase ranks right up there with "Under the stairs, there was a door.") The room is called the Great Plains Room, and it contains shelves and shelves of local history books, county atlases, centennial books, etc.  It is one of my favorite places in the whole town of Minot.  The books cannot be checked out as they are too valuable to our community and could be lost, or worse yet, dropped in a mud puddle.  Just to think of such a fate for a book gives me the shivers.
In this room I found a book about the people of Bottineau County.  The book did not contain a photo of Ida, her family, or homestead, but there was a small write-up about her.

  
Apparently, she had three brothers.  I find it interesting that she sang and played the organ, she must have been quite musical.  And knowing she received Needlecraft magazines, I figure she may have been very good at handiwork and crafting.  Other than these things, I really don't know much more about her. 

With a sigh of relief from my daughter, we left the library and headed home.  Ha!  Just wait until she hears that I plan to visit the Mouse River Church this summer to see if I can find more information about the Vedquam family and many others who pioneered in the area, during the early 1900s.  There will be some eye-rolling on that trip, but I think deep down she enjoys learning about local history and she realizes that searching for local history isn't always "creepy" it's fun and educational.  Understanding who the pioneers of our state were is something I feel is important.  Having a sense of where we come from, and how we have changed as a society is important.  It gives me pride to think of how hard our ancestors (and other people's ancestors) worked to make this state their home.

Knowing more about the way people lived in the past also helps give me perspective.  When I think my life is tough because I have to stand out in the cold, at the gas station, to fill my car's tank full of gas, I try to remember that at least I HAVE a car to drive, not a cold, horse-drawn sleigh of long ago.  Or when I think my life is tough when I have to stand in line at the supermarket, I think about the books I have read where food was scarce.  Some folks back in the good old days were tickled just to have an Orange in their stocking at Christmas time.  Now, we have supermarkets just a few miles or blocks away from our homes, that have rows and rows of fresh vegetables and fruits waiting to be bought.  We have fruit juice blends and pomegranate juice in fancy plastic bottles that we just toss in the garbage (seems wrong). 

    Woman in garden by Peter Stackpole for LIFE magazine 1944.
Take a moment and compare standing in line at the store to having to plant, tend, harvest and can a large garden.  I think we've got it pretty easy.  And don't even get me started on having to butcher our own chickens and milk our own cows!  I'll take 10 minutes in line any day over killing a chicken.  Although, a sleigh ride would be fun to try, so would milking a cow and growing a garden.  

Yes, learning about the difficulties of the folks before us, does help me to keep things in perspective.  And sometimes, it makes me think that we are somewhat spoiled.
So, I WILL keep studying local history, I WILL ask strangers questions about people I don't know, and I WILL probably find my daughter hiding behind a cemetery tombstone pretending she doesn't know me, but I WILL do it because I like it and I think it's important.  And if I were Ida, I think I would like it very much to know that someone wanted to learn more of my story...more than just my name and address on a faded old label found on a musty old magazine.

Until another time, have a happy vintage day. 


    

More Cookie Baking!

Last week was such a fun and busy week!  I baked and frosted two batches of cookies.  One batch for a family member's birthday party and one for my nieces and nephew.

 

 

 

 

Easter was a good day, aside from the fact that I was very sick with the sniffles.  Church was nice, with organ music, Easter Lilies and familiar hymns. 

 

 

Whew!  This week I plan on catching up on some reading and housework!

Until another time, have a happy, sugar-coated day!

Vintage Kitchen Love 3

Here is a bright, happy kitchen from the 1940s.

 

 

But I have to say, they went a little crazy with the stencils.  I DO like the built-in drain boards on the sides of the sink, and that the yellow and red stripe on the floor match the yellow counter top.  And I just LOVE that little step ladder she has for reaching those out-of-reach cupboards.  I have a little step stool, but it's new and plastic and not half as cute as that one.  I hope that's a jar of spices in her hand, not a bottle of cough syrup or prescription pills she's going to slip into that cake batter she's whipping up there in the red bowl.  I also wonder if there is an actual bird in the bird cage above the sink.  I should hope not!  With the heat of the sun coming through that southern window...bye bye birdie.

 

That's all this strange mind has brewing for now.  Have a happy vintage day!

Vintage Kitchen Love 2

Today's kitchen is once again from Youngstown Kitchens and features a very twerpy teenaged boy.  The little corner shelves next to the kitchen window are very cute, and I've seen them in many older kitchens.  But, I can't say that I care for the green gingham around the window. 

 

Notice the girl doing dishes has a water sprayer.  My sink doesn't have one of those and I wish that it did.  If I was the brother, I'd think twice about snapping her with that towel when she's got control of the sprayer.  Reminds me of a story my dad once told me about his mom teaching him a hard lesson about spraying someone with a hose.  I believe it all started outside with a garden hose, but ended with him having to clean up a very wet kitchen haha!

 

That's all for now!  Have a happy vintage day!

Vintage Ad Wednesday

Today I thought I'd post some advertisements from my 1948 Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  This magazine was a Christmas gift from my Uncle Stan.

These are the days I wished my scanner worked!  This baby is full of great ads!  It's one of my top 3 favorite vintage magazines.

 

To start off, we have a 1948 ad for Crisco.  It's the shortening I use. 

 

 

Canned Cling Peaches

 

 

The little Peach Creature is kinda cute.  Many ads seem to feature an anthropomorphic creature of some sorts.  Here are a few more.

 

 

 

I know Mr. Peanut is somewhat collectible, but to me, he's just a bit creepy.  I think my Dad (or Grandpa) had a Mr. Peanut mechanical pencil when I was a kid.  Apparently, you can still buy them on Ebay for around $15.00.

That reminds me, I had a pen top once that had liquid in it and a little green tractor would drive through a field when you tipped the pen a certain way.  I think that is cool, but would be distracting while writing a check. 

 

Here's an ad for V-8...helping clever moms sneak vegetables into their children's diets since 1933. 

 

 

Next up is an ad for Swan garden hoses.  I especially like the house (no surprise there).

 

 

I like the house so much, I took a close up of it.

 

 

Coca-Cola Ads are a favorite!  And I really like vintage gas station stuff, so this one is double nifty!

 

 

Bon Ami is another favorite!

 

Well, there are many more ads from this magazine, and I will eventually try to share them all.  Every time I turned the page there was another great, colorful layout to shoot!  But I do want to try and scan some of them soon.  So, until another time, have a happy vintage day.

 

Flea Market Finds--April

Last weekend the folks joined us at the April flea market.  This flea was the biggest one I'd seen yet!  I found a few treasures.  Sitting here, I'm trying to decide on a favorite, but just can't! 

They ALL make me happy.

 

 

 The table cloth in the background is one I couldn't pass up.  I have two of the matching napkins in one of my vintage linens boxes and plan to use them all during springtime (If I'm ever able to own a REAL, old-fashioned, little, rectangular, farm kitchen style table like the one below).

 

 

Anyway, back to the flea...I really liked these "springy" napkins.  The flowers are little scraps of cloth that have been appliqued onto the napkin.  The detail and handiwork are amazing!  I highly doubt these are machine made, and must have taken someone a long time to make.  The fruit one is just so wonderfully cheerful. 

 

 

 

 

These items below, I bought from a lady that I like to chit-chat with about crochet and embroidery.  She's usually working on something as she sits waiting for customers.  The Keepsake Needle Arts catalog isn't vintage (unless you think 2006 is vintage) but I'd never seen one before!

 

 

Not sure why I bought this, just thought it was cool.  I can store some little things in it I suppose.  It would've been even cooler had there been a Super-8 film in it. Someone's home movies perhaps, or an amazing train derailment (just a little movie humor there...if you haven't seen the movie Super 8 I recommend you do).

 

 

Autumn and I LOVE this next item, in fact we split the price (even though it cost about the same as a candy bar haha!).  She will use it when she plays with her 1940s era dolls and I will use it all other times.  It's an actual, working, plastic radio but the batteries had corroded inside.  I gave it a good cleaning with an old toothbrush, replaced the little felt pieces and connected a small box on the back that my iphone can slip into.  It now sits on my counter and "plays" 30s and 40s music!

 

My last purchase at the flea was this October 1941 Ladies Home Journal.  I'm always tickled to find old magazines and this one is a beauty, full of neat old ads and articles! (More on this magazine in a later post).

 

 

As we were leaving, my dad surprised me with this P&G soap that I've had my eye on for quite some time.  Thanks, Dad!!

 

 

 

Then it was off to one of my favorite little places in town, Vintage City where I purchased a book and two Needle Craft Magazines from 1916, to add to my little collection.  The book is called Ginnie and Geneva and is by Catherine Woolley.  It was written in 1948 and looks similar to the Carolyn Haywood books I love so much.  I find it interesting that written on the inside is "fifth and sixth" which I'm thinking might mean grades.  But the story and vocabulary is so simple!  I do believe our children today are learning a much heftier vocabulary than those in 1948 (but I could be wrong).

 

 

 

And the magazines.  I can't wait to leaf through these and scan a few pictures and ideas from them.

 

 

Well, it was a fun weekend!  There are only one or two fleas left this spring, and then it will be summer and garage sale season.  Garage sales around here mostly consist of baby items, old game systems and Tupperware.  There's not much luck to be had in the "vintage" department. 

 

Well, until another time, have a happy vintage day!



Vintage Kitchen Love

Not much to share today except for this adorable kitchen!  I like the geraniums in the window.  It's hard for me to have nice plants in the window...I have a cat.

 

Unfortunately, I don't remember where I found the image (I'm thinking Facebook or Pinterest) but I did find out that it was a late 1940s Youngstown Kitchens Advertisement.  I just love those vintage, metal cabinets!

That's all for today, but stay tuned!  Until another time, have a happy vintage day!

 

 

The Mini-Village at Epcot

I don't know if I've ever shared this before, but it's the mini village outside of Germany at Epcot in Florida.   After seeing this set up, I can totally see how someone can love model railroads.  This little village was just SO COOL!

 

There was the sidewalk we were on that goes infront of the village and there was also a sidewalk above (where the woman in pink shirt is).  The sidewalk above overlooked some landscaping and more train track.  The train would spend most of it's time in the landscaping, then travel through a tunnel to drive past the little village, then through another tunnel back to the landscaped part.

 

 

 




Looks like they are setting up a little "Farmers' Market" here on the edge of town.

 

A green house.  Notice the Disney character topiary trees.

 

 

The village from the opposite direction.

 

Some of the landscape above the village on the other side of the walkway.

 

Isn't it just the cutest!?

I thought these flowers and plants were so pretty.

 

That's all for today! Until another time, have a happy day!