It's Been a Long Long Time

 Wow!  It looks like three years have passed since my last blog entry! 

I'm not even sure I remember how to make a blog post haha!

I'm more into journaling, stationery, and pens now than embroidery and handiwork.

Children's picture books are still a hobby, and I spend many winter evenings in our home library. My husband even installed hidden lighting across the top three shelves for my birthday!

I still enjoy decorating with vintage items, but I have not been purchasing much vintage.  

That's all for today.  It's a beautiful day outside and time for a walk.  

Have a colorful day!--Jen

Vintage Brach's Chocolate Covered Cherries Box

Woot!  Guess what I found at Vintage City!  A vintage box of Brach's Chocolate Covered Cherries in Fondant.  Well, it's not really a full box of them (cherries, chocolate, and all...that would be icky) It's an empty box, in good/great condition, and I'm so tickled that I own it now! (happy dance).
 

 

Here are the few things I know about the box.  Looking on Ebay, I found no other boxes exactly like it. 

But, I did find a couple of listings for two-page-spread magazine advertisements for Brach's featuring the same box.  One was from a 1950 magazine, the other from a February 1948 Life magazine.  Therefore, I believe it is safe to say that my box is from that same era.  I'm going to say the late '40s because I like that time period better *wink*. 

 

Next step--raid my 1948, 1949, and 1950 magazines trying to find a similar advertisement.  That'll be fun! (And no, I'm not being sarcastic).

Farm Journal May 1941

Right when things were really hoppin' on the John C. Krogh farm near Columbus No. Dak., the May issue of Farm Journal arrived in the mailbox.

Grab a cup of tea and a comfy chair and we'll look through it together.

 What a pretty cover!
 

 

I'll admit, I bought this particular issue from my happy place, Vintage City, because of the cover.  I created a strawberry centerpiece for my table and wanted to add it to my "strawberry" collection.

 

 

Here are some photos of the inside of this May 1941 Farmer Journal.

 

 

 

I found this Spring/Summer list of things to do quite interesting!  "Ask your neighbor to come and see your tulips."

 



 

 

Now, there's a more "realistic" photo of a 1950s refrigerator.  Usually, in illustrations they are neat as a pin, with everything lined up and stacked neatly.

 



 

The mom of all Oopa Loopas---and her neatly organized refrigerator.

 

 

I really LOVE this vintage stove!  "Vintage kitchen goals, people!"

I like that the stove top has a cover that can closed when not in use.

The clock and light are special little touches that just add to its vintage loveliness.
 

 

Here are some cute dresses (my mother will love these.)

I personally like the first and third one.  I don't care for the ruffles on the middle one, but if someone offered it to me, in my size, I wouldn't say no.  I find it interesting that two of the girls are wearing gloves.  In my earliest days of dressing vintage I wasn't sure gloves were worn in the early '40s but they were!

 

 

 Yummmmmm, rhubarb pie. 

 

 

And that's all for today.  I hope ya'll enjoyed perusing this magazine with me.  Until another time, have a happy, vintage day!

 



The Strawberry Sugar Bowl

Well, sadly this happened.

 

 

I pushed my crock pot towards the back of the counter top to make room for something and my little strawberry sugar bowl fell off the top of a canister and onto the cupboard.  I could've saved it, but I glued the pieces in the wrong order and couldn't get the final little piece to fit.

 

 

I was very sad. Once, long ago, I read that if you regularly envision all of your material possessions as damaged and broken in pieces, it helps you to deal with the loss.  Yeah, I'm not that person...

 

My darling Shannan jumped onto Ebay and found me a new one!  What a guy!

 

The new one is a smidgen bigger than the original but that's okay with me, the bigger the strawberry, the more sugar it holds.  I love it.  My Cheerioats will once again have a sprinkle of sugar on them each morning, and balance has returned to the kitchen universe.

 



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

 



Valentines Day Surprise

For Valentines Day 2018 my husband surprised me with a couple of items from Vintage City.

 

A fun and fruity tablecloth!

I had actually looked at his table cloth when I was there in January!

 

 

And another pretty apron!

 

 

He had visited there before I had with my folks.  Marla and Bill are good at keeping secrets haha!

I guess my family (and my vintage friends) know what I like!

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



Vintage Reading Book

Peter's Family is quite possibly my favorite vintage reader that I own.  It was published in 1942 by Scott, Foresman and Company, and has the most darling illustrations.

 

 

There is a part in the book where the children visit their grandparents on the farm.

 

 

Here is an old fashioned clothes line!

 

And a picket fence!

 



 

 

Ah, the magic of telephone lines. 

 

    And when the children return home they all have a barbeque in the backyard of their new home.  

 

 

It is all so sun-shiny happy it almost makes you want to toss your cookies, but I love it anyways. 

 

That's all for now.  Until another time, have a happy vintage day! 

 



Vintage City Haul--Feburary 2018 And Vintage Valentines

So, this happened WAY back in February (I need to catch up quite a bit with my blogging).  The folks and I took a second trip to Vintage City in February because they had vintage valentines for sale and I was greatly interested in purchasing some.

Of course, I walked away with much more than valentines!

The first thing I spotted was this AMAZING little purse from (I'm guessing) the 1940s.  For a Lincoln, I couldn't pass it up!

 

This just might be one of my favorite vintage purses!

 



 

We found the Valentines and I went a little crazy.  My mother also bought me some, so now I diffidently have a collection.

 

 

Here are a couple of my favorites.

 

 

Apparently they were both to Mary Ethel...one from Pauline and one from Luella.  I just love it when things have old names and writing on them, gives each one a little story to tell.

 

 

Next I found this beautiful table cloth.  I don't need another tablecloth, but every time I see one I just melt, and this one was so beautiful and in such good shape, I just couldn't leave it there.

 

 

Here it is, in its new home, on my kitchen table!

 This little apron, I had seen on previous visits, and finally decided to purchase it.  But my mom is clever and managed to purchase it for me without me knowing!  I tried it on and as she helped me to take it off, she turned around, quickly handed it to the owner to put with her items!  So it was a gift from my mom, how sweet!  Thanks mom! 

 

I just love the blue background color and the yellow edging.  It hangs in my laundry room, and I have a tiny bit of mending to do on the bottom.  It won't be worn because I don't want it to get dirty or stained, but it's really cute for display.

 



My mother also bought me a book and some old old old valentines.

This vintage book has so many ADORABLE illustrations, I will have to give it its own special blog post.

 

And here are the sweet little Whitney Mage valentines that are older than the ones above.  I'm pretty sure these are from the 1920s.  There is a really interesting website about valentine history (link is below) that helped me find the dates of my valentines...Oh goodness, I think I've discovered a new obsession (eye roll).

 

 

http://www.vintagevalentinemuseum.com/2012/08/maker-whitney-madegeorge-c-whitney.html

 That's all for today.  Next time I will tell you the story of my Valentine's Day surprise.
Until next time, have a happy vintage day!