Birthday Stillness and a Radio Debut

Today I turn 33. This morning, I received a call from my 81 year old grandmother offering to take my children for the afternoon and promising a casserole so I wouldn't have to cook dinner on my birthday. Really, just in case you don't know, that is the most appreciated sort of gift you could possibly give to a work-at-home mother of young children; the gift of time. Time to just be, just to breathe and think without being responsible for some other little person's every physical and emotional need. Time to make an extra special birthday coffee drink with real whipped cream and enjoy it before it's cold. Time to listen to a new album all the way through with no interruptions. Time to stare at a blank, intimidating sketchbook and wonder how to get started. Time to just be still.



And as the icing on the birthday cake, she passed down this beautiful celluloid topped vanity jar, a 1930's hair comb with rhinestones, and hand-painted Bakelite bracelet, all of which she'd owned since childhood. Treasures for sure.



And in other recent news, (which will be old news if you follow me on Instagram or like Welcome Little Stranger on Facebook) a childhood dream of mine came true on Thursday evening. I heard my own voice, singing, on the actual freaking radio when The Spy FM in Oklahoma City played our song "The Governor's Ball" on The Oklahoma Rock Show. That was a ginormous thrill, and hopefully, a sign of great things to come in 2013. Hope it's off to a wonderful start for you as well!

Nutshells of Unexplained Death

‘Before forensics, DNA, and CSI we had dollhouses – an unimaginable collection of miniature crime scenes, known as the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. Created in the 1930s and 1940s by a crime-fighting millionaire heiress grandmother Frances Glessner, the Nutshells helped homicide detectives hone their investigative skills. These surreal dollhouses reveal a dystopic and disturbing slice of domestic life with doll corpses representing actual murder victims, or perhaps something that just looks like murder. Despite all the advances in forensics, the Nutshells are still used today to train detectives.’

- Of Dolls and Murder

Having been a bit of a forensic science nerd since my preteen years, I'm surprised that I've never heard about these gruesome little "nutshell studies" before today when I stumbled upon this story on the amazingly fabulous How To Be A Retronaut.

A documentary film narrated by (who else?) John Waters explores the dioramas and their creator, Frances Glessner Lee, as well as the fact that these vintage dollhouses are still used to train detectives and forensics experts. Astounding.

El hotel eléctrico

I'm putting the finishing touches on my bathroom this weekend, including wiring in two new light fixtures (scary!). Speaking of electricity, I stumbled upon this fantastic video of "If You're a Viper", Bob Howard's 1937 cover of the ode to Wacky Tobacky, ingeniously paired with scenes from El hotel eléctrico.



On an unrelated note, I want to thank each and every one of my faithful readers for sticking with me through all my blogging starts and stops, and for leaving your thoughtful comments. I truly appreciate each one of you, and I apologize for sometimes failing to respond. This is something that I intend to work on, so let me ask you, how do you respond to comments left for you on your own blog? Comment leavers, how do you prefer to receive responses to comments you have made? In the comment section itself? On one of your own blog posts? By email? It seems that there's not a one-size-fits-all solution. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Turtles, Ticks and Dynamite

The Sweethearts went on a little excursion last Monday to one of our most favorite places, Osage Hills State Park. It's where we got hitched nearly seven years ago, and the first (and last) place Mr. Sweetheart accidentally threw a rock at my head. In fact, my head and various rocks have had more than one meeting at Osage Hills. But, those are stories for another time.
Thankfully, the days are getting a bit cooler, so, helmets on, we headed out for a nature hike on a rocky, wooded trail we had never been down. After a while, we came out into a little clearing where we stopped to smell the weeds and watch a deer bound down the hillside.


Then we met a turtle. Here the turtle is hearing all about our summer trip to Silver Dollar City, another of our most favorite places.


Eventually we came upon a couple of small rock buildings built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Most of the native sandstone structures in the park were built by the Corps, including the shelter where we held our wedding ceremony.


This tiny, dilapidated building in the middle of the woods was built to house blasting caps, dynamite being needed to build all of the sandstone structures, I presume. It stands only about five feet high, and entering would require you to crouch down and duck through a small door.


The heavy iron plated door still opens and closes, but the roof, made of corrugated tin supported by timber beams and covered with flat stones, has caved in.


Out there in the middle of the woods and rocks, the sound of the wind in the oak trees and the calling of wild birds were the only noises to be heard. It felt like we'd stepped back in time. Anyone that knows me knows that there is nothing I love more than stepping back in time.


I spent a very long time staring at the weathered wood and rusty nails on the inside of the door.


Then we hiked back to the car, came home, discovered about a million teensy weensy ticks on ourselves, and scrubbed ourselves bloody in the shower. The next day Sugar Pea and I came down with yucky colds that we're just, today, starting to shake.
Tick bites and a cold are small prices to pay for stepping back in time with my two favorite people.

Deluxe Photo Shoot

You may recall me mentioning that I was working on a Depression Era themed project this spring. My friends Sara and J.D., the lovely, hard working ladies behind Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar and Wayward Textile Foundation, asked me to take part in a photo shoot with the two of them and the oh-so-talented Samantha Lamb. I styled our hair in some 1930's-esque styles, and donning some pretty dresses, we spread a tablecloth for a vintage Stitch and Bitch session.


Sam's photography is so beautifully dreamy, and she is a lovely, sweet soul whom I'm so glad I had the pleasure of meeting.


She shot some individual portraits of the three of us, as well.


I love this happy portrait of J.D. and Sara, with the sun in their hair.


It was such a fun project!

Ooh, Swish!

While doing some research for a Depression era themed project I'm working on, I came across this clip of some 1930's fashion designers' take on what we'd be wearing in the year 2000. Enjoy.

Dry, Odorless, Effective

Remember my Asian figure lamps from Neosho? Well, I searched high and low for the right shades, and the best I could come up with were a pair of black chandelier shades that, when clipped on the bulbs, were too high to cover the lamp sockets. So, I did some crafty improvising, and decided to glue black fringe around the inside rims of the lampshades. The fringe I purchased was a few inches long, so a trim was in order. Let me tell you, for someone who prides herself on being crafty, and is professionally trained in the art of haircutting, this proved to be more of a challenge than anticipated! I kept having to trim a little more here and there, until the fringe turned out a tiny bit shorter than I would have liked. In the end, I really like the effect. Sort of vintage Shanghai bordello.


I put the pair on either side of my vanity, which dates from the 1940s or 1950s, and was a wedding gift from my Mama. I've made quite a bit of progress on my bedroom, and after I get some pictures hung, I'll give you a tour. But decorating isn't what I want to tell you about today. Today's post is about my love of vintage beauty products, and a new friend who shares the same passion for old bottles, boxes, and jars.


Bob found Sweetheartville recently, and contacted me because he too loves and collects vintage beauty products and vintage hairdressing magazines. Believe me when I tell you that he is a Dollface of the highest order, so much so, that he sent me a big ol' box of vintage hair goodies in the mail. After I told him that I had dropped my darn Dippity-do jar and broken the lid, he sent me a new one, along with a bottle of Subdue Dandruff Shampoo.


That's not all he sent, though. That sweetheart mailed not one, but three vintage perms, each with its original components still inside the box! These are the first perms in my collection. This "Self" permanent dates from the days of big hair and white lipstick, and is just delightful with the poppy simplicity of its package design.


The "Chemtronic Life Pick-Up Permanent" is designed for touch ups to the bangs and neckline between regular perms, and is my favorite of the three with its shiny gold box.


Last, but not least, comes the "Pin Quick" Pin Curl Permanent from Richard Hudnut. It's weatherproof! Thank you so much, Bob!


I thought I'd share a few recent additions to my ever-growing collection. One of my very favorite pieces is this "EZ Hair Removing Glove" I picked up at a garage sale this spring for a quarter. It is unused and still with its original packaging, a lovely folded card featuring an elegant lady hand with nails manicured in the unpainted tip and half moon fashion of the 1930s, from which it dates. It was made by Helen Neushaefer, who appears to have been the creator of creme nail polish, although information on her is limited.



The hair removing glove is "dry" and "odorless" because it is essentially a loop of sandpaper designed to slip over four fingers. As for the "effective", I guess we'll never know. It certainly would aid in exfoliation. The fact that sanding ones leg whiskers off is a foreign concept to me (and, I would imagine, others), somehow leads me to believe that the results were less than desirable.


Another recent find is an addition to a collection I've shared before-my vintage powder compacts. Despite its battered appearance, this was an especially exciting find for me, since it is a commemorative souvenir of Oklahoma's semi centennial in 1957, the anniversary that spawned the Tulsarama! celebration during which Miss Belvedere was buried. Engraved on the image of our state is the phrase, "From tepees to towers."


The color scheme and Art Deco sleekness of this "Fonteel Toilet Powder" tin just kill me.


Another recent find was this glittery pink plastic 1950s curler hamper. How do I know that it's a "curler hamper" and not a candy dish, you ask?


Because it says so in gold letters on the lid!


I've added lots more photos of my collection to my Vintage Beauty Set on Flickr, so hop on over for a peek!

1939 New York World's Fair Apron

At a junk store housed in a dusty barn in Elberta, Alabama, my mother-in-law and I unearthed one of my most exciting thrift finds to date. After our shopping spree, we returned to the house and began to pore over each piece in the large assortment for which the proprietress of the sale, "Miss T", had charged me sixteen dollars. As I began to take a closer look at the handful of vintage aprons we had snagged off a hook in a dirty corner, I was beside myself with excitement when I realized exactly what I was holding- an authentic souvenir from the 1939 New York World's Fair. The apron is actually a map of the magnificent fair grounds designed to introduce the public to the "World of Tomorrow".

The 1939 World's Fair, despite being a colossal financial failure, was one of the most important and influential world events of the 20th century. It was here that the public was first introduced to television, the electric typewriter, an electronic speech synthesizer, a precursor to the computer, and all the latest in electronics, agricultural science, food production, home construction, architecture and more.


The "Theme Center" of the grounds contained two astounding structures named the Trylon and Perisphere.


The image of the Trylon and Perisphere make up the deco-ish border design of the apron, as well.


One would enter the buildings on a futuristic moving stairway and then exit on a huge curved ramp called the Helicline, pictured in action in this Greyhound ad I found here, along with several other images from postcards of the day. The fountains seen at the base of the Perisphere were part of an optical illusion which also involved mirrored supports at the base, giving the effect that the structure was floating on a giant pool of water.


The grounds were an experimental architectural fantasy come to life, as the firms hired to design the buildings were encouraged to let their imaginations soar. I can scarcely wrap my mind around how beautiful and awe-inspiring the spectacle must have been, even by today's standards. From the central, all-white Trylon and Perisphere, the avenues stretched outward into different "zones", each with a different progression through deeper and deeper shades of one color, all lit up magnificently at night with various types of lighting, including neon, which had only recently become widely used.


The illustrations on the apron are surprisingly detailed and accurate. Above you can see the Corona Gate depicted on the apron, and below is an image of that same structure from a 1939 postcard.

Below, near the apron's border, in the Community Interests Zone, is the Cosmetics Building.

The Maison-Coty sponsored building was designed to resemble a cosmetic jar of the time.

You know how I love my vintage beauty products, Dollfaces, so you know this will be my first stop when I finally get my hands on a time machine and head to New York circa 1939. I found this photo on this informative site, which I highly recommend.


The fair was not exclusive to New York, this was, after all, the World's Fair. Sixty foreign countries participated in the event, each contributing a pavilion highlighting their own particular cultural offerings and commercial products. Central to the Government Zone, was the Lagoon of Nations.


Each night, over the lagoon, there was an elaborate show featuring fountains, flames and colored lighting effects, all synchronized to special music. It must have been truly breathtaking.


Sadly, only one of these beautiful buildings exists today in what is now known as Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. Most of the structures were demolished and later another World's Fair, this time in 1964, was held on the site. My thrifted souvenir apron is about as close as I'll ever come to experiencing what must have been a magical, once in a lifetime event, but it's certainly a pretty fabulous consolation prize, especially for an apron collector such as myself.

Easy Blender Quiche

Here in Sweetheartville we're all about good food that's easy. Now don't get me wrong, I love a day spent in the kitchen baking cookies, breads, cakes or making candy, but when it comes to everyday meals, especially lazy Sunday late breakfasts, I much prefer the simple, (no chi-chi-poo-poo gourmet ingredients or an instruction list a mile long) one dish/skillet/pan variety. I ran across a 1950s recipe for easy quiche, so this morning I took it, made a lot of changes and ran. Boy howdy, was it ever delicious. The Bisquick makes the lightest, most delicate golden crust on top. Even the anti-quiche Mr. Sweetheart gave it his seal of approval by going back for seconds.

Easy Blender Quiche

3 eggs

1/3 cup melted butter or oleo

1/2 cup Bisquick (I use Jiffy Mix.)

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 tsp. salt

pepper

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but swiss would be delicious.)

3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 to 1/2 lb. sausage (I prefer turkey sausage.)

Cook and crumble sausage in a skillet. When it is nearly browned, add bell pepper and onion and cook until they are softened. In a blender or food processor, combine the other ingredients and blend. Pour the mixture into a greased pie plate or 9 x 9" square casserole dish, then add the sausage, peppers and onions, distributing them evenly throughout the pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool a few minutes before cutting.

Feel free to use any veggies you like or those you have on hand. Some fresh spinach or even corn would be quite tasty. Also, you could easily substitute ham or bacon for the sausage, or leave the meat out altogether. The inspiration recipe called for a half cup of butter, but I decreased it to only 1/3 cup to save some calories, and honestly, probably could have gotten away with even less, especially with the fat added by the sausage.


While you've got the blender out, here's a great way to use up a batch of fruit before it goes bad: blend up a mess of bananas, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, cantaloupe-anything that will blend, really- pour the puree into ice cube trays, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. When frozen, transfer the cubes to freezer storage bags and mark with the name of the fruit and the date it was frozen. You can either make cubes of just one fruit or a blend of two or more, adding fruit juice to thin, if necessary. I recently "put up" a big ol' bunch of brown bananas I got for 35 cents this way, along with some strawberries, and even a large jar of applesauce that we couldn't possibly use up before it spoiled. Now I can just pop a few cubes in a dish, zap them in the microwave, and Sugar Pea has fresh, healthful homemade baby food. By mixing and matching various fruit cubes, you can custom blend flavors like strawberry banana apple, or peach and blueberry added to some rice cereal. Even if you don't have babies, these cubes are great for tossing into the blender with a little juice and/or yogurt to make a quick, frosty smoothie. This would also be a great way to save bananas for later use in banana nut bread. Speaking of bananas, the Bananas in the Modern Manor cook booklet from 1930 was one of many vintage cooking and sewing books I got at a great church rummage sale this weekend for next to nothing. It was pure heaven. I'll share more of my finds with you later, Dollfaces.