The Ball and Paylore Home

After my post about Maynard Parker a while back, I was looking through some of my old magazines when it dawned on me that not only had I seen his work before I stumbled upon it online, I had held copies of his photographs in my hands as I perused some early 1960's "House Beautiful" magazines in my collection.



I especially liked this home, designed for two single gal librarians in Tucson, Arizona from the October 1962 issue of "House Beautiful". Get a load of that revolving porch shade!



If you're a vintage cookbook lover, I've started a series over at Mama Says Vintage called Vintage Cookbook Fridays. Each Friday I'll be sharing a different vintage or antique cookbook from my collection. Today we're taking a look at "The Story of Carnation Milk" circa 1915. We'd love your company!

Neosho And Tell

Well, Dollfaces, I've gone and done it again. I went off and left Sweetheartville deserted for weeks on end. I must apologize. I could give true, but lame, excuses such as the fact that I've been helping my grandmother through a a sudden and unexpected health crisis, or that the demands of a rambunctious toddler who still doesn't sleep through the night leave me exhausted and brain dead, or that never ending home improvement projects and a new business venture have taxed my precious free time to the limit, but instead I'll get right to the good stuff- the thrift scores.
A long, long time ago, way back in April, my mom and I went junking in Neosho, Missouri, like we've done every year for the past eight or so. Here are some of the highlights:
Another copy of the Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book (with bonus panties pattern) and a trio of ceramic poodles...


an awesome plastic peacock plaque (I've been obsessed with peacocks for a couple of years now)...


a whole mess of vintage cookbooks, some dating back as far as 1910. I got a plastic tub full for only two dollars...


two tropical-ish, asian-y paintings laced onto blond wood frames...


two blond end tables (five bucks for the pair!) to go with my three dollar coffee table (seen in the background, pre makeover), two cool 60's lamps, a pair of yummy Danish Modern candlesticks...


this chair I nearly peed my pants over for ten bucks. There's only one small tear in the original vinyl seat...


and for the finale, the pair of lamps I've been waiting my whole life for, scored for only, wait for it...two dollars each!

Try not to be too jealous, Dollfaces. It doesn't become you. These beauties came with the original shades, but, sadly, they were so stained and damaged that replacements are in order. If you'd like to see more of my Neosho 2008 loot, I created a Flickr set for some of my finds.
Now, for reason number 674 why my Mama is too cool for school: Shortly after we returned from Missouri, she took a business trip to another city where she found time to squeeze in an estate sale. Thrifting at every opportunity just runs in our blood, I guess. There she bought me two of my most favorite vintage lovelies to date. Now, it would have been enough to come home with this pair of fabulous sequined peacock wall decorations, but she went and surpassed all limits of Awesome and presented me with this circa 1950's NUDE paint-by-number. It just about hurts to gaze upon its beauty, I tell ya.


Amid all the working and junking going on around here, I have managed to squeeze in some time for a little craftiness. A couple of months ago I stitched up this little puppy for Sugar Pea from a pair of 99 cent gloves with directions I found here. After she was completed, I had one pretty cuff left over, so I made her a jaunty little pillbox hat. I also added a felt belly button. We call her Saji, which was an approximation of Sugar Pea's word for strawberries at the time, and is also her favorite food.


In other news, Christie once again tagged me to list six more unusual facts about myself, so here goes.
1. I am a perfectionist to the nth degree. Always have been. In the first grade I would come home with severe tension headaches from striving so hard to be perfect in every subject at school. I regularly cried over math homework. I never made a grade below a B, and even those killed me because they weren't As. I'm lightening up in my old age, however, because I realize that my perfectionism holds me back and keeps me from tackling new things for fear of not doing them perfectly from the very start. Motherhood is helping in this regard. Motherhood and booze. Sweet, sweet booze.

2. I enjoy watching Yo Gabba Gabba as much as, if not more than, my toddler does.


3. When I was about seven, my bull riding dad strongly insisted that I ride an angry, cattle-prodded sheep as part of a rodeo event for children called "Mutton Bustin'". One of the cowboys cinched my tiny hand against the ewe's back with a rope just like the bull riders used, and the chute was opened to the roar of the crowd. I lasted about three seconds before I was thrown onto the dirt, crying, my one shot at rodeo stardom a miserable flop.

4. I secretly want a tattoo, but know that anything I pick now will be hilariously regrettable in ten years. Plus, I'm kind of a wienie when it comes to needles.

5. When I see something really, really fabulous, be it a book, craft project idea, movie, whatever, I sometimes get a little angry and jealous that I wasn't a part of it's creation. Case in point, The Craftster Guide to Nifty, Thrifty, and Kitschy Crafts, which I finally picked up last week from the library.
I know, I know. I'm about three years behind the times. Anyway, I totally could have written that book, especially since I own a good number of the vintage publications from which the projects were culled. The content, the layout, the colors, the whole thing is awesome from cover to cover. Superb job, Ms. Kramer! I hate your guts. Just kidding! Not really.

6. I am a terrible mother. One day last year, shortly before we moved from our apartment in Tulsa, I began to hear a thumping, scratching noise coming from inside our chimney. I knew it could mean only one thing: some form of wildlife was trapped inside. I nervously attempted to close the flue, and hoped for the best. Later my worst fears were realized when a good sized bird, covered in soot, burst from our fireplace and began flying around the apartment, no doubt scared out of its wits. I am embarrassed to say that I came absolutely unglued. I began screaming, and instead of grabbing my precious, wriggling baby from the floor where she had been playing and now sat startled, but amused, I ran for the safety of my bedroom where I peeked out through a crack in the door and yelled at Mr. Sweetheart to, "Get the baby! Get the baby! Oh my god, get the baby!" Needless to say, when it was all over and my valiant husband had helped the bird find its way out the front door, I felt stupid, overly girly, and ashamed. In my defense, I truly believe that if I had honestly suspected that Sugar Pea was in imminent danger, I would have saved her tiny, juicy, blue eyes at the expense of my own. Deep down I knew there was no safety threat, so I allowed my discomfort at the thought of those sooty wings beating against my face to take over. If it had been a tiger or a rabid dog, totally different story.

"Cut-Ups!!"

The next two months are chock full of birthdays in our family, and since I once read that, statistically, more babies are born in September than in any other month, there's a good chance maybe some of you Dollfaces are thinking about birthday parties and cakes, like I am. Here are some clever ideas for making specially shaped cakes without expensive pans from "Cut-Ups!!", a small cookbooklet from Baker's Coconut, copyright 1970. Click on any image to enlarge.
This lion could be sweet for a child's circus themed party.

I've never been a big Raggedy Ann fan, but this a neat idea for making a doll or person-shaped cake, whatever the decoration used. How about a scarecrow for a fall party or a baby in booties for a shower? You could even adapt this one to represent a child's favorite cartoon character.

The umbrella cake would be just darling for a baby shower or spring birthday. Or maybe decorated in rainbow colors for an "It's Raining Men" themed coming out party?


"The Racer" could be perfect for birthdays or a congratulations cake for a teen just getting his or her license. Concerned parents could mangle the car a little and use globs of blood red icing to illustrate the importance of road safety and the dangers of drinking and driving.

This puppy cake is too cute for words and could easily be decorated to resemble any breed.

Here's one for the choo choo lovers.

The space ship has to be one of my favorites, but let your mind wander a bit, and with a few simple adaptations, one could create a bachelorette party cake that they'll be talking about for years!


"Up, up and away, in my beautiful, my beautiful, creepy doll-filled, balloon!"

Now for some helpful hints and icing recipes.


I've saved a few choice holiday cakes to share with you later, Dollfaces. If anyone makes any of these, please share the results. There might even be a prize in it!

Why I Love Church Garage Sales

Here's a quick post (with rather hastily snapped photos) of all the great stuff I found at a huge church garage sale last weekend. Some of it was purchased for rock bottom prices on Friday, but the majority I got the next day at the buck for a bag clearance sale. Click on any picture to get a closer look.
A fondue pot, a Pyrex decanter with a candle warming stand, and a vintage checked tablecloth...


A queen size green velvet duvet cover, a pink throw pillow made from two washcloths, a blue and green throw pillow with daisies, a pretty cream colored blanket with a sort of "embossed" design, a red, yellow and blue casserole carrier, and a large piece of vintage floral fabric...


Some vintage scarves, a mod laquerware tray, and a old Avon "Sweet Honesty" perfume bottle made to look like a spool of thread with a thimble for a cap...


A whole mess of vintage cook booklets, including some dating from the 1920s and 30s. I'll be sharing some of the fabulous illustrations (and maybe even some recipes) from these in the future...


More vintage cookbooks...


A sheer Christmas hostess apron, two sets of Christmas place mats with some napkins, and a vintage Christmas ideas magazine. The chubby little elf I already had...

Several sewing books and a three volume vintage arts and crafts library...


Even more sewing books and pamphlets, a never opened Jiffy Weaving "Knotty Owl" kit from the late 60s or early 70s, and two partially completed crewel embroidery projects I might do something with...

Bunches and bunches of vintage patterns including several "Stretch and Sew" and some for square dance dresses.


I also came home with a large vintage tin for storing Christmas cookies, a jacket, a nice pair of shoes, a couple of cool belts, some scraps of fabric, some books for Sugar Pea and a few other odds and ends. Quite a haul, wouldn't you say? Don't worry. I'm not keeping all this stuff. I admit that I have a problem, but I'm not that bad. No, I have big plans for a lot of it. In fact, those big plans are what's keeping me so busy that my blog has suffered lately. Stick with me, Dollfaces, and I promise you won't be disappointed.

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.

Neosho Finds #4: Cook Books and Crafty Things

Let's wrap this thing up, shall we? Here are the last of my wonderful finds for your viewing pleasure. Let the craftiness and cookin' commence! Mom found this great folding sewing basket for me, since I've needed one to hold my embroidery works-in-progress for some time.


These are two vintage circle skirts, both with busted zippers, which I'll use for their awesome fabric. They were a quarter a piece.


I found four Aunt Martha's transfers and some vintage pipe cleaners and trim. All of it cost less than $2.


This vintage homemade gingham pillowcase may become an apron, and I'm sure I'll find some use for this scrap of pretty terrycloth. The adorable vintage slippers were only 25 cents. I have so much respect for knitters, as I have no patience to learn much besides the most basic of techniques, and even then it feels seriously awkward to wield those two long needles. Maybe it's because my Grandma taught me to crochet granny squares when I was a girl, and though I'm not very skilled, the gentle undulations of the wrist, and the pencil-like grasp on the hook just seem more natural to me. My awesome friend, M, is another story. She's the one who finally showed me what I just couldn't grasp from looking at diagrams in knitting books that might as well have been written in Chinese, for all the sense they made to me. She knitted Sugar Pea four of the most darling little umbilical cord hats you ever did see.


I got a few pieces of basic fabric (not the vintage haul I was hoping to make), a bag of scraps, and this old plastic sewing machine accessory box full of presser feet that do all sorts of fancy things, if I can figure them out, and if they will work with my Elnita. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Lookee at all these vintage patterns that I got for 25 cents each!


This little doggie pincushion was made in Japan, and even though his old straw stuffin' is poking out of his tummy, I had to give him a home on a little shelf in Sugar Pea's room. Or maybe he's a donkey. It's hard to say. I stuffed him in a grocery sack, along with bunches of other stuff, at a church sale where everything you could cram in a bag was $3.


Don't ask me what I plan to do with this vintage brown and silver wallpaper. Just know that at four rolls for a quarter, this awesomeness needed to come home with me. Gift wrap? A framed wall panel? Tear-away panties? The possibilities are endless.


I found these two old BH&G books for a buck a piece at the nearly tinkle-inducing scout troop sale last Saturday.


At one really good sale we hit in Neosho, I found seven cook books and recipe pamphlets dating from the 1920's through the 1940's. All of them are in excellent condition, and not one was over a dollar.



Okay, Dollfaces. I told you I was saving the best for last, so I know you've been nearly breathless with anticipation, waiting ever so patiently to see what my most special find would turn out to be. Well, as I told you, the Christmas magazines are one part of what I consider to be the greatest treasure I discovered. Here is the other: four McCall's Needlework & Crafts dating from 1966,1967, 1970 and 1971. You already know the story behind them and the amazing price. Can you stand it? These things are chock full of vintage craft ideas and directions, ranging from the gorgeous to the downright hilarious.


I will be sharing plenty of gems from their pages, and maybe a few laughs, too. These beauties are going to provide hours of enjoyment. Astronaut helmets made from bleach bottles, a headboard created with crochet and embroidery hoops, animal beanbags, and more crewel embroidery than you can shake a yardstick at, anyone? Heck, even the ads are a good read. Did you know that in 1967 it was perfectly acceptable (and apparently legal) to advertise mail order pet monkeys for $18.95 in the back of ladies' publications? Neither did I, Dollfaces. Neither did I.

Big Boy and Aunt Chick

Sugar Pea and I hit an estate sale and two garage sales this morning where, despite being dressed in a white shirt with orange ruffles and butterflies, she was repeatedly mistaken for a he. Apparently if a baby is wearing jeans, said baby is automatically assumed to be male, aka a "bruiser". Take a look at what we scored. Besides a GIANT box of records for ten bucks, I found a turquoise plastic bowl with a lid and a fancy cheese cutter(?) to add to my constantly expanding collection of 50's and 60's turquoise things, mostly kitchen ware, but also furniture, clocks, and ceramics. And I found a pretty turquoise and gold ashtray, and an old metal colander with legs. Though it leans a little further late 60's than I generally go for, I bought the insulated drink server should another occasion arise like the soiree I was privileged to attend last evening where, being the designated beverage person, I would have loved to provide some ice cold "Sweet Tea" had I only possessed the means to transport it and serve it with vintage flair. Instead I brought various kinds of pop, or soda for those of you in locales farther north. I also scored these old cookbooks, the prize of which was the "Big Boy Barbecue Book" put out by the Big Boy Manufacturing Co. of Burbank, California in 1956. It's full of really useful cooking and grilling tips and recipes, not to mention fabulous illustrations and technicolor photos. Lest you think it's all about meat, take a look at the Fruit Drink Coolers which, we're told, "belong in the easy-does-it department". Also interesting is the well worn and loved copy of "Aunt Chick's Pies", a cookbook and mail order catalogue dating from 1953 packed with instructions and tips for making perfect tarts, ravioli, cookies, doughnuts, and pies, as well as several ingenious pie pans and utensils and the cutest cookie cutters you ever saw for sale. It's written by Aunt Chick, herself, in a very girlfriendish, down to earth manner with sections like, "Meringue...Let's Talk It Over". Yes, let's.
Being intrigued by the local Tulsa address for the company, I did a Google search and turned up this informative article on Nettie Williams McBirney, better known as Aunt Chick. Well, butter my biscuits! You learn something new everyday. See, Dollfaces, junk collecting can be educational, as well as economical and fun.Last, but certainly not least, I found this little leather cowgirl vest for Sugar Pea to dress up in when she's a little bigger. She'll be cuter than a basket of speckled puppies when she wears it with her little red cowboy hat and vintage gun holsters.