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!

Easter Egg Cookies Completed!

Whew!  What a busy weekend!  It's amazing how having an enjoyable project can lift one's spirits! 
Saturday morning I got up bright and early, finished my chores, and set to mixing the cookie dough.  While the dough chilled for an hour in the fridge, daughter and I watched an episode of the Walton's.  Then, it was time to cut out and bake the delicious egg shapes.  After they were baked, the cookies were layered into a cake pan, and then put into the fridge to cool completely, before they could be frosted.  If the cookies are not cooled completely, the frosting will not set properly.

By Saturday evening, I had most of the cookies frosted.  I started with the base colors and outlined each shape with "thicker" frosting.  After the outlines were fairly dry, I "flooded" each cookie with a thinner frosting of the same color.  This base coat took about 45 minutes to an hour to harden.  After the base was hardened, I started to add the decorative details.   I used thicker frosting for the details (but not too thick).

Base coat

Saturday night.  By the time I reached this far, my hands were soar from squeezing the little bottles.  I think I need to buy some different bottles.



 

Sunday afternoon, I mixed up a quarter batch of icing and finished decorating the eggs.

Here they are finished. 

I wish I had been a bit more careful with the decorative details, but these eggs were good practice.  They will make their way to daughter's Monday evening choir group!

Cookie Baking Weekend

Big baking plans are brewing at my house.  This weekend the kitchen will turn into a bakery as I try to make 4 dozen egg shaped sugar cookies for my daughter's choir group.

 

I've got my sugar, butter and eggs.  Plus, you can't forget the vanilla!

Here is a fun little advertisement for McCormick Vanilla I saw floating around on Facebook a few weeks ago.

 

 

And we'll need some food coloring for the powdered sugar frosting of course.  (Actually, for my cookies I've switched to the Wilton frosting tints that we bought when we decided to dye white yarn.)  But we still use food coloring for lots of different things!

Next stop...the local craft store for Meringue Powder.  I've never used royal icing before and am looking forward to giving it a try. 

 

The recipe I found says I'll need...

3 tablespoons Meringue Powder

4 cups confectioners' sugar

6 tablespoons warm water.

This recipe makes 3 cups of icing.

I am going to flavor my icing with vanilla and tint it with the Wilton brand of frosting tints.

 

I'm really hoping they turn out.  I'll keep you posted!

 

Until another time, have a happy, baking day!

Horse Cracker Snacks

Leave it to Grandma Holly to find a cute snack idea!  My mom came one day, supplies in hand, ready to make horse crackers with the daycare kids.  We've had them 3 other times since then and the kids love them.  She found the idea in an "All Recipes" magazine.

 

The snacks call for oval shaped crackers (this is a good time to remind the children what an oval shape looks like), mini chocolate chips, slivered almonds and peanut butter.  If you have a child who suffers from peanut allergies, we found that flavored cream cheese, such as strawberry, can be fun too. 

I usually make the first cracker, then let the children assemble the others using mine as a guide.  We usually have orange slices or the extra banana with the crackers as our fruit.

 

 

  Sometimes we end up with three-eyed horses or horses with ears off to the side like a donkeys, it's a hoot-n-a-half! .  But, when working with children you quickly learn that it's the process, not the product that counts.  This easy, little snack is great for fine motor skills, and yummy to boot!

 

Until next time, have a happy day!