Vintage Gams

Opera Bag - Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge #7 - Accessorize

2013-04-04T17:05:00.001-05:00

For those of you unfamiliar with the Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge, let me fill you in. Leimomi Oakes, of The Dreamstress blog, has come up with a marvelous idea to challenge the seamstress in all of us by issuing a different challenge each fortnight for one year!

For myself, it's challenge enough to finish anything in two weeks because I am usually working on so many different projects at one time. However, this challenge has really engaged my interest and I am happy to report that I've finished my first project, challenge #7 - Accessorize.
I started into the challenges a bit late in the year because of other obligations and one very amazing overseas travel adventure in February and March. The Accessorize challenge came at a perfect time for me as I'd been wanting to make myself a Late Victorian inspired opera purse. It had to be a structured purse with a separate compartment for my opera glasses. Challenge #7 ends on April 8 and the opera will be performing on April 12th in our small city. So, without further ado, I present my opera purse for your perusal and enjoyment.

Beginning

Wrapping and shaping wire

adding cardboard inside of wire bottom

stitching buckram onto bottom

Adding buckram and boning sides

Wrapped wire around the top

forming the dome lid & covering with buckram

Velvet has been stitched in place over buckram exterior and satin lining, with partition is in place.

Stitching on some trimmings

Lid is in place with satin "hinge"

Back of opera bag

Front of opera bag

Opera glasses in place!

My Windowsill Garden

2013-02-04T06:32:00.004-06:00

Every February, I long for the Winter to be over so that I can, once again, plant my garden and flowers. Alas, the ground is still frozen, and the temps too cold to even begin my seed starting ritual. It will be many weeks before our last projected frost date. (April 11-20) So what am I to do?
Fortunately, I brought in several plants last Fall and have been nurturing them on my dining room windowsill. I even planted some nasturtiums and guess what! They've begun to bloom. A little spindly... yes. But, still a bright spot that tells me Spring is soon to be here!
I hope they bring a little bit of joy into your own soul today.

If you look closely, you'll see that the Jade plant is blooming!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2013-01-26T12:19:00.001-06:00

A sweater turned legwarmer story

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."
- Edith Sitwell

It's also the time for a warm woolen sweater!

I once had such a sweater. A lovely cashmere and angora blend that I'd picked up at a thrift store for next to nothing. It felt luxurious and soft... Sigh!
Perhaps, "had" is not the right word. I still have it. Although, now, it isn't quite what one thinks of when hearing the word sweater.
You see, my husband was trying to help me with the laundry one day and... well, you can probably guess the rest.
Wool sweater + hot dryer = one really shrunken sweater.

Now, I've been told that if you purposely toss a wet woolen sweater into a hot dryer, and wait for it to become child sized, it's call "felting".
(However, if you accidentally do the same thing, it's called a lot of other things... most of which I couldn't possibly put into print here!)
"Felting" shrinks the wool in a way that makes it so tightly woven together that it will no longer unravel when cut.

After learning about felting , and being the "one-part-thrifty-packrat" and "one-part-recycler" that I am, I just couldn't bear to throw the sweater away.
There had to be something I could make from it.
And, last week, after listening to my husband complain about his cold ankles, and being pretty chilly myself, I figured out what that "something" was.
Legwarmers!

Here's how I did it.

First, I carefully cut the stitching between the sleeves and the body of the sweater. Then, I stay stitched 1/2" away from the top of the sleeve all the way around.
I ended up with two pieces that looked like this.

Next, I fixed my embroidery hoop into the top of the sleeve and began to stitch. I already had an idea for a design in my head and this is how it looked part way through the first sleeve/legwarmer.

After I'd gotten the first sleeve embroidered, I needed to transfer some markings to the second sleeve so that the two designs would match in size. I laid the finished embroidered sleeve directly on top of the second unfinished sleeve and took a threaded needle and made tailors tacks through both layers, marking the ends and top of the embroidered design. Then I just pulled the top layer off from the threads and left the thread markings on the second sleeve.

After embroidering the second sleeve, I had two that looked like this.
Not exact, but close enough.

Since wool of any kind can make skin irritated, I lined my legwarmers with a stretch cotton T-shirt fabric for comfort. After lining them, I stitched around the top to make a casing and with a very large blunt needle, threaded pink ribbon through the casing. The ribbon will allow me to tighten the legwarmers so that they don't slip down below my knee when wearing them.
Turning under the excess lining fabric, pinning and then slip stitching in place around the lower cuff gives a nice finished edge.

My new legwarmers!

Hmm.... There's still plenty of fabric left in the body of the sweater.

Perhaps, I'll make my husband a nice pair of ankle warmers too!

Are You Doing Your Art?

2013-01-22T10:09:00.001-06:00

A Tribute to my Friend, Claire

The very first time that I met my dear friend, Claire, she said two things to me.
"You are an artist" and "I love you".
She scared the hell out of me!

Every time thereafter, she would greet me by saying, "Are you doing your art?"
Even after all of these years, she still says it.

You see, Claire has this amazing gift to look through all the facades that people paint on and look at the soul of a person. She saw immediately that I was an artist. A non-productive, doubting and terrified artist, but an artist just the same. Claire gave me permission to be exactly who I was inside. Something that I'd never allowed myself. I needed to learn to give myself permission to do the things that I loved. To understand that it was no sin to develop the God granted skills and talents that I'd been given. Rather, it was exactly these things that God wanted me to develop in myself or He wouldn't have blessed me with the talent, desire and drive to do it in the first place!
Sounds simple, but its been a lesson that I've needed to relearn over and over again.

Now that I'm an old(er) gal, I'm once again happily creating... for the rest of my life.
I've learned that creating, just because I want to, is OK.
It doesn't matter if anyone else understands or approves of my work.
It doesn't even matter whether or not it produces an income for me.
I create because I must. Just like I must breathe... or eat... or sleep.
And as I stitch, draw, paint or sculpt, my soul is finally at peace.

Thank you, Claire, for all of your love and support these past 25 years. Thank you for feeding me, both physically and spiritually. I thank God that He sent you to me to be my friend, to encourage me, build me up and continue to keep me on track by asking,
"Are You Doing Your Art?"

Yes, Claire, I am... everyday!

Claire... Road trip... circa 1990

Helpful Links:

Are You Living Out Your Calling?

Discover the Work You Were Born To Do

Vintage Gams © 2013

'Tis The Season... to look back

2013-01-17T16:24:00.000-06:00

A quick look back on 2012 and the events that happened here at Oak Crest Manor.
Beginning with December, and working backward, these are the highlights from the last five months of 2012.

December
A Quiet and Peaceful Christmas

Christmas eve

Christmas morning... Hey, I think I've been replaced!

Plum pudding

My amaryllis bloomed right on schedule

The table is set for Christmas dinner

November

Renovation and Dust

Entry renovation

New transom opening and beginning drywall

You can see how much we widened the doorway by the patch in the floor.

Pumpkin delivery!

Dining room side of opening

Day after Thanksgiving... No trim yet, but it's coming along.

October - The BIG event!

Our youngest daughter was married in October and as anyone who has planned a wedding knows, it takes months and months of work. This was the main event here in 2012 and the main reason that my blogging suffered so! Every detail was handcrafted and/or designed & executed by myself or family members. From the glued up glassware for centerpieces & paper printables to the silk flower arrangements, the live organ music & vocal numbers, the setting up, tearing down, hair styling, decorating, trailer rental, unloading and reloading of equipment... I couldn't have done it without the help of my dear sisters, daughters and extended family members. Thank you!

These photos, in no particular order, are for your enjoyment & in celebration of a beautiful day!

The Timber frame barn - Reception venue

After rehearsal dinner

Wine bottle labels

Time with Daddy before walking down the aisle

A broken foot didn't stop her from dancing!

Master of Ceremonies... Daddy!

Jordan... WOW! Can he ever dance!

The dance competition is getting serious!

My beautiful girls

Courtesy of Sere Rothert

September

Now, there's something you don't see everyday in the parking lot!

Fluff... helping to organize the closets and drawers...

A very interesting little creature

Attending spiritual warfare class at church.

The American Queen comes through Lock 19 in Keokuk

The stacks lay down going through the lock!

August

Transformation of front guest bedroom into formal parlor. We opened a wall, (as was original to the house), added French doors and completely redecorated this room.

Hand sanded hardwood floor

Danish oil finish being applied

Formal Parlor - East wall

West wall

Ceiling medallion

I hope you've enjoyed this tour of our events from August through December 2012.

Stayed tuned!

2013 looks to be even more exciting!

Here is a little hint as to what we'll be up to during the new year...

Let's Play Catch-Up!

2012-12-02T12:22:00.000-06:00

I haven't been on my blog for quite some time, as I'm sure you've noticed. Life has been incredibly busy in 2012 with youngest daughter getting married, family arriving from Minnesota and Arizona, and now the Holidays are upon us once more. My intentions are to catch you up with all of the happenings but in a backwards motion. I'll start with Christmas since Christmas is nearly here and seems to be on everyone's mind. After Christmas, I'll be posting photos of the wedding, some of the trips we've taken and all of the other 2012 happenings. It'll be just like the New Year's Eve look back at 2012!
But for now, I just want to take time to share this wonderful Christmas video with you.
This is the real meaning of Christmas!

If your browser will not allow you to make the video fullscreen, you can find the video on
Facebook by following this link

Enjoy!

Vintage Gams © 2012

The 1912 Sewing Project - I've Received My First Pattern!

2012-03-12T10:51:00.001-05:00

This past week I was sent an email from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library 1912 Sewing Project letting me know that I have been placed in Group 16. Since the group has not yet received their assigned pattern, I was given the option to choose a pattern that had already been assigned to another group if I wished. I chose the Ladies Wrap #0400 from the April 21, 1912 issue of La Mode Illustree, and downloaded the pattern to my printer. The pattern itself is pretty simple and there's no fitting to worry about, but the detail of the applied beadwork is complicated enough to keep my fingers happily occupied for quite awhile. Actually, I've been toying with the idea of using embroidery, rather than beading, to decorate my mantle. I've not yet decided which way I should go with that, but I'm certain that the idea will firm up in my mind once I've chosen the fabrics that I'm going to use for it.

To date, I've been able to tape the pattern together and cut out the pattern pieces.

It's pretty evident from this photo that there was a lone piece of white paper loaded in amongst the sepia!

Until next time.....

The 1912 Titanic Sewing Project

2012-02-25T10:42:00.001-06:00

I've signed up for the Vintage Pattern Lending Library 1912 Titanic Sewing Project. If you're a member of Facebook, you can find out more about it here.

The project centers around the 100-year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The VPLL is scanning the 1912 issues of France's premiere fashion magazine of the day, La Mode Illustree, beginning with the April 1912 issue. Each issue included patterns for the fashions that were presented within its pages.

By signing up for the project, I've agreed to make up one of the patterns that the VPLL will send to me. A mock up in muslin is fine, but participants are encouraged to make a wearable garment and submit a photo of themselves in their 1912 creation. I must also blog about the project at least once a month. (Maybe they can keep me on track!) If I've successfully met the qualifications after receiving the first pattern, I'll be eligible to receive another.

I have not yet received my pattern but am already excited by the possibility of sewing a garment from an original pattern from 1912. I'll keep you posted as the project progresses!

V~

Vintage Gams © 2012

Unexpected Travel Treasures - Just for Fun!

2012-02-11T16:57:00.001-06:00

Last week, my husband and I traveled to Des Moines, IA for a legislative showcase that was sponsored by the Travel Federation of Iowa. As we headed home the next day, we spotted a couple of fun & very unexpected sights that I want to share with you.

#1 - GIANT COWS!

These giant statues stand outside of the Anderson Erickson dairy building. We actually found these the night of the showcase, but it was to dark to photograph them. I made sure we went back the next morning, so I could get a good photograph, before we headed home. We were told by a local that someone once roped the calf, tied it to the back of a pickup and drug it around several city blocks before finally being apprehended. I'm glad to see that it's been restored to its proper place, right next to mama cow.

#2 - Max's Highway Diner

Heading East out of Des Moines on I-80, we turned off onto the Altoona exit and found this wonderful diner style truck stop. You can barely make it out on this photo, but the door handles are gas pump nozzles!
Our assessment?
The decor - retro 50's & 60's
the restaurant- incredibly clean,
the food - very good,
and the service - remarkable. Our waitress had been there for 40 years (She knew her stuff!)
We're certain to stop there again the next time we find ourselves in the Des Moines area!

V~

Vintage Gams © 2012

Fabulous Fabric Flowers!

2012-02-08T18:59:00.001-06:00

It seems as though fabric flowers have been popping up everywhere these days. Fascinators and hats, clothing and home decor all seem to have sprung into an early Spring. Satin, felt, wool, chiffon and even burlap have been cut, folded, twisted and pinked into the most wonderful faux fleurs. It's little wonder then that I've been bitten with Spring fever and long to have my own felty floral bunch to perk up a bland Winter wardrobe.

The inspiration for my flower project came one day as I was perusing the pages of the latest Victorian Trading Co. catalog. They have a darling little Antebellum jacket that has flowers and lace spilling down the entire front, and around the sleeves.
While I would like very much to be able to purchase the coat from their catalog pages, it simply isn't feasible for me during these economic hard times. So, what was I to do? Why, make my own, of course!

I started with a plain black quilted velvet-looking coat that my daughter gave me a few years ago. The narrow nylon zipper had split out and was beyond repair. So, I replaced it with a heavy duty brass zipper. While I could have devised a clever way to conceal the zipper entirely, I decided to use it to add a bit of modern zing among my very vintage Victorian styled flowers. After the zipper was installed, I attached a long strip of black Venice rose lace along each side of the zipper.

Ready,set go... Now, I had my blank canvas (basic coat), my inspiration photo and a general idea of how I wanted my coat to look when finished. I'd gathered up multiple fabric scraps, ribbon and decorative elements to turn into the stunning floral creations that I knew they could be.
It was, however, at this point that I realized that my flower making knowledge was limited. Correction: it was EXTREMELY limited. My first attempts at flower making came out looking more like a kindergarten art project gone wild. Luckily for me, there are many crafty flower making artisans out there that have posted tutorials on the internet. A little bit of help from them, a bit of practice and I was soon turning out some decent looking fabric flowers.

Bits of Velvet, Felt and Brocade have been turned into a fabric flower garden.

Getting there...

From Basic Black to Brilliant Botanicals!

My floral coat project isn't finished yet, but it's far enough along to give you an idea of the look that I'm trying to achieve.
I've learned a couple of things while working on this project.
They are:
1. Don't set a time limit. Go slowly. Let your floral creation grow. If it takes days or weeks, it's OK!
2. It doesn't have to look exactly like the inspiration photo! (Note to self ...)
3. Enjoy the process.
4. And, finally.... give yourself permission to wear your creation even if it's not yet finished.
You'll notice that the people that see you often will look forward to seeing your project progress,
And, it's a great conversation starter!
I'm posting the links to a few of the many sites that were instrumental in helping me with this project.
I hope these tutorials will encourage you to create your own original look using fabric flowers.

Happy crafting!

V~

Links:
How to Make Ribbon Embroidery Rose on Felt

Big Bloom Fabric Flower Tutorial

Felt Flower Clips

Google Search: How To Make Fabric Flowers

Vintage Gams © 2012

Of Whipping Cream and Glorified Rice: A True Story

2012-01-28T23:14:00.000-06:00

I want to share a humorous story with you about an incident that took place a few weeks ago.
But, first, a little background information is in order ...

My husband and I do our major grocery shopping once a month. I begin with an idea of what meals I'll be fixing throughout the month and how much money I've got in my grocery budget, and then buy ingredients accordingly. I'll build the meals we're going to eat around what's being advertised on sale at each of the grocery stores in our town. For example, if hamburger is on sale, we'll be eating more burgers, meatloaf, tacos and spaghetti that month.
My husband picks up the current sales flyer from each of the grocery stores where we shop, a day before we do the actual shopping. This gives me time to go over each one, circle what we'll be buying and print out coupons to use on the sale items. (It also gives me a rough idea of how much I'll be spending at each of the stores.) The next day, we start our shopping trip at the store furthest away from home. We'll buy the loss leaders and sale items, and then move on to the next store. Once in awhile, I'll come across a really good unadvertised deal. When I find one of those kinds of deals, I'll pick up several of the items and then store them on the pantry shelves or in the freezer. It helps us build up a supply for the lean times and really stretches the grocery budget. That's how we've always done it and it works for us.

Which brings me to my story...
The first week in January, my husband and I went out to do our monthly grocery shopping. Everything was going along pretty normally, until we came across an unadvertised special that was nearly unbelievable! Our local County Market had half pints of Prairie Farms heavy whipping cream for 10 cents each. Yes, you read it right. Just a dime apiece! I looked immediately to see just why these would be marked down to such a ridiculous price and there it was. The sell by date was dated for the next day. Now, you might not be aware of it, but the sell by date is not the date that the product will go bad. It only tells the store what is the last date that they are able to sell the product. Most unopened dairy products will be fine a week or more beyond the sell by date. If the store can't sell the product by the date stamped on the carton, they're forced to throw all of the items out. There were about 30 (or so) half pints on the shelf and I decided that since I knew that I could freeze them with no problem, I took $2.00 worth, leaving ten on the shelf for someone else. You might think that's the end of the story, but no...

The next day, my husband said that he was going to the hardware store to pick something up.
It just so happens that our hardware store is adjoined to the very grocery store where we had picked up the whipping cream the day before. I thought that since he was going there anyway, and since this was the last date that the store was legally able to sell the soon-to-be-outdated half pints, he might as well "get the rest of them on the shelf," if they were still there. My husband takes me very literally and it never occurred to him to question me about just how many I had in mind when I made that statement.
It never occurred to me that the store may have had more in back and might have restocked the shelf overnight...

A portion of the "special purchase"

My husband was very proud of the purchase he made. I'd sent him out on a mission and he'd not only succeeded, but excelled! He came home with more filled grocery sacks than I've seen in quite awhile and a receipt that was nearly a yard long. No, I am not kidding! He relayed to me the astonishment of the check out clerk who said that she had never rung anyone up with so many items for so little money before. ( I could believe that!) She wondered what he would ever do with all that cream. He just smiled and told her that his wife made a recipe called glorified rice and would bring some in for her to sample sometime.
We now have 70+ cartons of whipping cream tucked safely into the freezer.
The good news? He saved $115.00 on whipping cream!

I'll admit that I was pretty surprised, and more than just a little chagrined, when all that cream showed up. But, now I see it as an unexpected blessing. I've got plenty to make my grandmother's Glorified Rice recipe, (My favorite dessert!), enough to share with friends and even some extra to make homemade butter. I may not be able to share the cream with you on this blog, but I can share my grandmother's Glorified Rice recipe.
I hope you'll enjoy the recipe and may you soon find your own special blessing!

Glorified Rice

1 1/2 cups white rice
4 1/2 - 5 cups water
1 1/2 c. sugar
24 large marshmallows, cut up (or, half a 10 oz. bag of miniature marshmallows)
One 15-20 oz. can pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple, drained well
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
cinnamon and/or cloves to taste

Add rice to water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked and water is absorbed.

Turn hot rice into a large bowl. Stir sugar and marshmallows into hot rice. Cover bowl with a large plate and let sit approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sugar and marshmallows should melt into the rice. Cool rice mixture completely.

When rice mixture has cooled, stir in pineapple. Refrigerate mixture until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
Whip cream and add vanilla. Fold the whipped cream into the rice mixture.
Serve plain or with a dash of cinnamon or cloves on top.

Vintage Gams © 2012

The 1939 New England Yankee Cookbook

2012-01-16T19:27:00.001-06:00

I own a great many cookbooks, and most of them reside comfortably upstairs, far away from my kitchen, on library shelves. But there is one special book that is a constant companion in my kitchen. This one is the 1939 New England Yankee Cookbook. I'm not really sure what it is about this book that endears itself to my heart so. Perhaps, it's the sweet and simple dedication, To My Mother. Or, maybe it's the snapshots in time - taken of ordinary people as they went about their ordinary lives. At first glance, the photos seem as though they were taken from a life both long ago and very far away. In reality, it wasn't all that long ago. People really did look like that, worked like that, and I remember it. Only 50 years ago, I remember a man, with his team of horses, plowing and planting the empty (in town) lot right across the street from us. He would come each Spring with his team and I would sit and watch him as he made his way back and forth across that lot. Our neighbor, Ronald Penny, lived just across the alley, and still drove a late model 1940's car. He also kept a 1957 Ford in the tiny one car garage that sat on his small home lot. My own father, who worked for the telephone company, still climbed poles with a safety belt and boot spikes in order to work on the overhead lines. There were no bucket trucks with hydraulic lifts for linemen back then! The photos in my cookbook remind me of that time of my life and of my own grandparent's, or great-aunt's home where we would often go for Sunday dinner after church. It looked pretty much like the photo below when I was a child. So, now perhaps I do know why this book has a permanent place in my kitchen, after all. It's my personal link to the past and to a simpler, safer time in my life. (Sigh!)

Putting all nostalgia and sentimentality aside, however, my 1939

cookbook has gained a permanent place of honor in my kitchen for one very practical reason, as well. The recipes within are really good! Made from real food. Fresh and cooked up with an extra helping of love. Food to fuel the body and refresh the soul. The title page gives us this description of what we'll find inside ...

An Anthology of INCOMPARABLE RECIPES FROM THE SIX NEW ENGLAND STATES and a Little Something about the People whose Tradition for Good Eating is herein permanently recorded BY IMOGENE WOLCOTT from the Files of Yankee magazine and from Time-worn Recipe Books and many Gracious Contributors.

With a write up like that, you just know its got to be good! So, to get all you vintage loving gals and guys out there started cooking up your own vintage style meals, I'd like to present one of my favorite recipes from page 164.

New Hampshire Soda Biscuits

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup lard

1 cup milk (about)

Sift flour once, measure, add soda, cream of tartar and salt, and sift again. Cut in shortening quickly and lightly until well mixed. Add milk until a soft dough is formed. Turn out on lightly floured board and knead with as few strokes as possible, working dough rapidly. Pat 1/2-inch thick, cut with floured biscuit cutter. Bake on ungreased baking sheet in hot oven (450* F.) 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 12 biscuits, marvels of lightness and sweetness. Soda biscuits still retain their flavor when they are warmed over in the oven. Old-fashioned New Hampshire cooks invariably prefer this recipe to all other biscuit recipes.

I can attest to the fact that my husband and I have eaten these biscuits with homemade sausage gravy for breakfast on many a morning. They also go well with soup or stew for an evening meal. I hope you'll give them a try.

Maple Sugaring

Christmas Dinner 2011 at Oak Crest Manor Photos

2012-01-08T10:06:00.000-06:00

I've been fighting a terrible chest cold and so am a bit behind in posting photos and what not.
Here are a couple snapshots of me getting the table ready before our company arrives on Christmas day 2011. I'm ladling the winter fruit compote into sauce dishes. The table is set with a 1912 Noritake china pattern called Ava and we brought out our best Rose Point crystal for the occasion. Both were gifts from a very generous sister a couple of years ago. I dispensed with a centerpiece in order to make more room on the table for the serving dishes at dinner. Simple and elegant!

A Super Saver Website!

2011-12-30T11:52:00.000-06:00

I found a really cool little website and I want to share it with all of you. It's called No More Rack.
They've got everything! Electronics, clothing, jewelry, accessories, even vacation packages. They even have some called Insanity Deals that really are insane!

I don't recommend websites very often, but everyone likes to save money. Give it a shot. You've got nothing to lose and they'll give you a $10 gift card just for registering. If you do decide to take advantage of their deals, they only charge a $2.00 flat shipping fee for each item. Not a bad deal in itself!
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Winter Comfort Food

2011-12-26T07:05:00.000-06:00

The other evening, I needed to come up with something for supper and it was one of those times when I just didn't feel like cooking. To be honest, I was suffering from a touch of the whole pre-Christmas malaise. Nothing serious, but just a bit out of sorts. What to do...
Well, if you're anything like me, you know that there's nothing that can perk you up better than some good old fashioned comfort food.
And I needed some quick!
The casserole that I came up with that night was SO good, and so easy that I want to share it with you. It's hot, creamy and rich. (Definitely NOT low-fat!) I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Karen's Comfort Casserole

Ingredients:
2 boxes macaroni and cheese ( any brand will work)
3 Tbls. butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups chopped, cooked leftover chicken breast (or 2 cans white chunk chicken)
1 or 2 cups frozen green beans ( broccoli, carrots or peas also work well)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp Spice Time Roast Beef Seasoning (You can use your favorite seasoning or seasoned salt instead)
24 Townhouse crackers, crumbled

Cook macaroni as directed on the macaroni and cheese box. Drain and return to pan. Add butter and stir into macaroni until melted. Stir in milk and the powdered cheese mix from the boxed mac and cheese until well blended. Fold in mayonnaise, sour cream, chicken broth, seasoning, frozen green beans and the leftover chicken. Mix well. Pour the whole thing into a greased 9x13 pan and top with the crumbled crackers. Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Update: December 30, 2011
I've had a comment that this has a lot of fat calories. Yes, it certainly does. It is meant to be eaten in small portions though. Add a green salad and some fresh fruit for dessert to round things out. Most of all, enjoy!
That's the purpose of comfort food.

Vintage Gams © 2011

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!

2011-12-24T08:11:00.000-06:00

Tonight is Christmas Eve and I want to wish all of you the Merriest Christmas.

May it be a time of joy, filled with love.

My Christmas wish is for all of you to be warm enough, fed well enough,

and may you know the presence of the Christ as you celebrate His birth.

May you be surrounded by those who love you and may God bless you richly!

Merry Christmas 2011

The Sydney Christmas Stocking

2011-12-20T15:12:00.000-06:00

I've been working on a Christmas stocking for my new grandbaby, Sydney. Since this is her first Christmas and she's far to young for a passel of toys, I settled on making her an heirloom stocking that she'll be able to use and hopefully treasure for many years to come. The velvet and lace is from an antique dressing gown that had seen better days. I used a portion of the still usable fabric for the body of the stocking. The rest will be remade into a new bed jacket for myself. I believe in re-purposing!

The embroidered medallion design is one of hundreds available on the Needle 'n Thread design website. I stretched the design out a bit in order to fit in Sydney's name. Then I simply opened up a writing program and picked a font that I liked for her name. I typed in "Sydney", printed it out and then used dressmaker's carbon paper to transfer the entire design onto the fabric.

Here are a few photos of the progress and the finished stocking.

Enjoy!

A Good Start

Embroidery nearly finished.

All done!

Thrifty Idea: Using Vintage Finds as Artistic & Thrifty Home Decor

2011-12-19T15:07:00.000-06:00

Several weeks ago I spied this little arrangement of vintage items in an antique/thrift shop. The idea of taking found vintage items and arranging them inside of an old painted drawer, and then hot gluing them in place to make a piece of wall art intrigued me. What a brilliant idea! I wish I'd thought of it.

That day, I didn't pay the $12.00 that they were asking, but left thinking about the item. It stayed on my mind during the two weeks that we were on vacation. When we returned home, I went back to the shop and the drawer was still there! But now, it was marked 50% off. Yep, six bucks and it came home with me. I figured that the vintage items alone were each worth that by themselves.

If I ever get tired of it, I can simply heat up the glue a bit to remove the items and then use them as they were originally intended.

Vintage Find #2 - Tea Rose Scented Drawer Liners

2011-12-09T14:01:00.001-06:00

Tea Rose Scented Drawer Liners

This vintage find was a lovely and unexpected surprise.

Scented drawer liners have always reminded me of my mother. In the 1960's, Mother would line her dresser drawers with the beautifully scented papers to make all of her lingerie and bed clothes smell heavenly. I remember that she even put a single liner or two in the linen closet to keep the sheets smelling fresh.
I wasn't certain that anyone sold (much less used) scented drawer liners anymore, so I did an online search to find out. It turns out that they do. The liners come packaged in a variety of colors and scents, and the price generally runs around $20.00 a box. Not a bad price, but it's still just a teensy bit pricey for one of my indulgences-upon-a-whim.... of which I have so many. So, when I happened upon this lovely box of tea rose scented drawer liners at a thrift shop in Phoenix, with a sticker price of only $2.00, I felt that my unnecessary, but still very real, desire to own them was justified.

I wish there was some way that I could share with all of you the heady scent of tea rose that rises each time I open the box. It's one of life's little vintage pleasures that makes me feel very feminine and well kept.

Of course, by indulging my little whim, I realize that I've created more work for myself.
This now means that I'll be forced to clean out all of my drawers, discard well worn or worn out items, and then organize all of the remaining items, before returning them to my newly lined and scented drawers. Still, somehow, surrounded by the scent of tea roses in the middle of Winter, I don't think I'm going to mind very much.

V~

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Vintage Gams © 2011

Vintage Finds - 1950's Lipstick Holder

2011-12-08T09:40:00.001-06:00

Vintage beauty.

I admit it. I'm entranced by vintage beauty ads.
Growing up during the late 1950's and 60's, they made me believe that every woman could be beautiful, confident, radiant and ultra feminine.
I still want to believe that.
So, it should come as no surprise to you that you can find me each morning, sitting at my vanity, carefully pinning up my hair and putting on my makeup, getting ready for my day.

The vanity, or dressing table, as it's also known, is a remarkable little piece of furniture. I'm not certain where or exactly how it originated, but it was, and is, a brilliant idea! A designated place for the Lady of the house, all her own, with every imaginable beauty enhancing item within reach. Once the sole prerogative of royals and landed gentry, they soon made their way into the lives of ordinary women who just wanted to feel like a princess. Myself included..... and yes, I still do.

1930's Dressing Table

The vanity, along with its numerous accoutrements abounded in the last couple of centuries and for good reason..... they made sense! One needed a place for one's button hook, hair brush, hand mirror, cosmetics, etc. etc..... which (finally) brings me to my latest vintage find.... the 1950's lipstick holder.
This little rococo beauty was sitting in an Arizona Goodwill store covered in dust.

As luck would have it, I'd been looking for just such an item. I'd grown tired of constantly having to dig through several tubes of lipstick in the bottom of my makeup box, trying to find the one shade that I wanted to use, so I began to search online for a vintage lipstick tube holder. Most of the vintage holders listed were either out of my price range or not quite what I was looking for. But here it was, a find in the middle of my vacation, just waiting for me, and it was only $3.00.
I had to have it.

Here it is after being cleaned up a bit, sitting on my very own vanity table.
Why the vanity, or dressing table, ever went out of fashion, I'll never know. Perhaps, one day, it will become "all the rage" once again. I do have hope... a friend of mine told me that her granddaughter had recently asked her for a vanity. She told me this with just a hint of embarrassment in her voice, not knowing that I use one everyday. She and her husband found an old waterfall front vanity, repainted it, jazzed it up a bit and presented it to the young lady. She was ecstatic! And so am I.

I'll leave you with a few photos of my own dressing table/vanity, as well as a few vintage photographs and advertisements. I hope you enjoy them. If any of you out there have your own vanity table, please send me a few photos. I'd love to see them!
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V~

Art Nouveau Vanity

My Vanity Top

Another view

Jane Mansfield - 1950's

Wella Spray Ad, 1972

My Computer Has Gone on Holiday.....

2011-12-08T08:30:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that my desktop computer has decided to take some time off. 208 photos from our recent trip, along with several for the new posts that I was working on, are all locked safely inside. Drats! We're working on retrieving them so will have posts, as promised, soon. (Hopefully!)
In the meantime, I'll be taking photos at home of the vintage items that I purchased and will begin posting them here on Vintage Gams for you to enjoy.

V~

Vintage Gams © 2011

Thanksgiving and the Junior Instructor

2011-11-25T06:32:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving has always been the holiday that begins my yearly nostalgic trip down memory lane and this year has proven to be no different. Somewhere amidst all of that turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, the Thanksgiving days of my childhood come flooding back and I am once again reunited with long dead relatives and remember with glee how huge the turkey looked to my child eyes. I can once again smell the smoke from Uncle Bernard's pipe, and see the golden brown tops of Aunt Eunice's homemade dinner rolls. The house was always warm, the rugs clean, furniture polished and the dining room table groaned under the feast that had been prepared. The women of my extended family all wore aprons and bustled between the kitchen and dining room, making sure that all was ready before the "Dinner's ready, Come to the table!" call went out to all in the house. When all of the aunts, uncles and cousins had finally settled in around the table, we gave thanks to God for His enduring mercy and provision, both in the year past and in the year to come.
Thanksgiving was a time for giving thanks.
I believe this was the norm for most people back then. A Norman Rockwell kind of holiday. The kind of holiday that Aunt Bea and Opie and Andy would have shared. Those were our role models back then and most of the families I knew celebrated in the same fashion. The following photo is from my own family history and while technically a Christmas dinner, as evidenced by the small Christmas tree at the table, it embodies the spirit of the family togetherness as 3 generations have come together to celebrate. Why they all look so solemn, I don't know. Perhaps, it was just the style of the day. My mother and father are the couple in the white shirts to the very back right of the photo.

My Family in 1941

Dad & Mom in 1983

Me with my granddaughter, Lexi making pies for Thanksgiving 2011.

There is one holiday tradition that stands out in my mind. Every Autumn, sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving, I would bring out the Junior Instructor books from the hall closet and find my stories & poems of Thanksgiving within their pages. The books were already considered "old" by the time they came into my possession and I imagine them having been bought when my oldest sister was a small child. Whether or not she cared for them I don't know. All I know is that neither of my siblings ever cared enough about them to offer up any objection to my having them. Such is the lot of the youngest child.... "hand-me-downs". Did I mind? Nope. I just thought I was lucky to receive such cool old stuff!

The Junior Instructor Book 1 & 2

These two volumes were just packed full of history, games, songs, and my personal favorite...
arts & crafts projects.

Here is a sample page from Book 1. It was my favorite turkey to trace and color every Thanksgiving.
If my mother ever got tired of receiving the same old turkey picture each year, she never showed it.

Please feel free to click on the photo and print it out for your own children or grandchildren. He hasn't been traced and colored for a good many years now and I'm certain he'd like the attention!

In closing, I'd like to reprint the following poem for you. Though I've sung it on many occasions, I realized after reading it yesterday, that I'd been reciting it incorrectly for some time. Here is the original version of the poem entitled,

Thanksgiving Day

Over the river and through the wood,

To grandfather's house we'll go;

The horse knows the way

To carry the sleigh

Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood,-

Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes,

And bites the nose

As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the wood,

To have a first-rate play,

Hear the bells ring

"Ting-a-ling-ding!"

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river and through the wood,

Trot fast, my dapple gray!

Spring over the ground

Like a hunting hound!

For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river and through the wood,

And straight through the

barn-yard gate;

We seem to go

Extremely slow;

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the wood,

Now grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun!

Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

-- Lydia Maria Child.

Have You Tried to Contact Me Recently?

2011-11-23T16:43:00.001-06:00

I've been away on vacation for the past two weeks and away from my computer. You see, I've been playing with my new grandbaby in Arizona. (It's A Girl) After two glorious refreshing weeks of vacation, we commenced upon three days of mind numbing driving, & finally arrived home on Monday evening. Naturally, I wanted to catch up on my email, & caught a glimpse of a message from one of my readers. I get pretty excited anytime that one of my readers takes the time to send me an email so imagine my chagrin when I found it in my dreaded Spam folder. Imagine again, the horror that I felt when before I could read it, my email program deleted it... permanently. SO... if that email was from you, (or, if anyone else would like to send a message to me), please email me again. Your emails are very important to me and I reply to each and every one of them personally. You can contact me at here.

In the coming week-
I'll be writing about our travel trip, the early Thanksgiving meal and family reunion that we attended, little baby Sydney and some of the new vintage finds that I happened upon along the way. A few of them even came home with me... There's just so much to share with you all!

Can't wait until next time,
V~

Vintage Gams © 2011

Our Iowa Travel Adventure... (translation: Online purchase = road trip)

2011-10-16T17:27:00.000-05:00

My dear husband and I love to shop online. There's no more convenient way to shop, in my opinion. The stores are open 24/7 and one can even shop while wearing bedroom slippers, with a cup of coffee in hand. There's never a need to bother with little things like makeup or hairdo. And usually, just as conveniently, those online purchases are delivered to one's own front door by any one of a myriad of nationwide shipping companies. Once in awhile, however, a purchase made online must be picked-up locally. Locally, of course, refers to where the item is located, and not where one happens to be when one purchases the item online. For us personally, this more times often than not, means a road trip.

The two of us seem to have an incredible knack for purchasing items online that are either to heavy, or cumbersome, or just plain inconvenient to ship. Add to this the fact that my husband is somewhat dyslexic, and has a terrible grasp of geography and you've got the makings for some really interesting, if not confusing, road trips.
Case in point: Recently, my husband made a wonderful trade for a tractor. "Not to far away from us in Bethany, Missouri. Probably less than 70 miles," he said. "We'll be there and back in no time!" And he would have been right..... if it had been in Bethany. Change the location to Bethel, Mo (where the item was actually located) and you've now got yourself a 350 mile, all day roundtrip adventure, on some of the worst roads that I can ever remember riding on.
But I digress....

The beginning of October found us, yet again, en route to pick up a piece of equipment, purchased online, that the seller was unwilling to ship. Much to our surprise, this little road trip turned out to be so much fun that I just had to share some of it with you. We were able to see some beautiful scenery... spied an old Plantation style farmhouse, hidden off road in Illinois... and were treated to a surprise appearance of the Celebration Belle, a paddle wheeler on the river, in Le Claire, IA. We even visited Antique Archaeology, the shop of the American Pickers television stars, while visiting this small historic Iowa town. I hope you enjoy the photos and if you ever get to Le Claire, stop in at the Iowa Welcome Center. It's located on a hill overlooking the Mississippi river. You'll be glad you did! All in all, it was a great adventure, filled with new sights at every turn, and some very friendly folks along the way. And even though it did turn out to be another all-dayer, it was worth every mile of the trip. So much so, that I'm thinking that I just may need to purchase something online again..... perhaps, available for purchase with a local pick-up only... hmmm, now I wonder what's available near New Orleans? Road Trip!!!

Water lilies in the Mississippi River, Illinois side

I barely caught a glimpse of this house as we zoomed by. The trees had hidden it from the highway.
My husband was kind enough to turn around and go back so that I could take a photo.

The Celebration Belle

The view from the LeClaire, IA Welcome Center

Taken from the LeClaire, IA Welcome Center Observation Deck

Look who was sitting in the car next to me at Shopko! Isn't he beautiful?

On the way home, I-80 Truck stop, Walcott, IA

It's A Girl!

2011-10-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

Our new granddaughter has arrived and her name is Sydney Nicole.
She arrived on October 7th.

Here are a couple of photos of our family's newest "Pride & Joy"!

At the Hospital - October 8, 2011

At Home - One Week Later - October 16, 2011
A much happier and contented baby!