The Crazy Suburban Mom

Last day to enter Jetpens Giveaway!

2012-05-29T07:26:00.002-04:00

Today is the last day to enter my JetPens Giveaway! If you want to enter go to the original post (here) and tell me what floats your boat!

I wanted to tell people who didn't know, JetPens has a wishlist feature. This is mine.

Oh! The amazingness of their stuff makes my heart beat a little faster. There is an Office Supply Feeding Frenzy in my near future, I can just feel it.

If you get like that too there's always my Giveaway!

Vintage Image of the day, Betsy McCall, May 29, 2012

2012-05-29T05:37:00.001-04:00

Starting in 1951Betsy McCall paper dolls were printed in most McCall's Magazines. For 10¢ to 25¢ (depending on the year) cardboard-backed paper dolls could be ordered.

They usually had some sort of theme although this theme is kind of loose. The last dress is about going back to school, pretty appropriate for August.

Betsy McCall became so popular Ideal and American Character Dolls both made a Betsy McCall doll.

I've posted Betsy McCall before here and here if you love paper dolls. I know I did. These images are clickable so if you want to print them and make your own paper dolls, you can!

File O' Fax

2012-05-28T12:52:00.000-04:00

There is a random slip pocket on Mr. Malden's back cover. It came with a lined pre-punched notepad. To me a pad of paper in a binder full of paper is superfluous.

The pocket itself was useful but before long Mr. Malden's backside was stuffed with stickers, tickets, coupons, and unfinished mail. It seemed like a great place to stash stuff until that pocket turned into a Filofaxean Black Hole bulging with a jumble of crap.

To locate one item I had to take everything out.

The final straw was this morning when I couldn't find a nearly completed letter. No idea where it is still, who knows where things go when they vanish into a Filofax's Bermuda Triangle Backside ?

I like the space but one giant void clearly wasn't working anymore so I made a staggered file for it.

It was a little fiddly but my File O' Fax turned out great!

About two weeks ago I got an A5 Size Spiral Planner on clearance. I frankened up my Filo (here) with the guts of a 2012 Mother's Organizer by Plan Ahead and put the rest aside.

This morning I pulled it out again because I needed the dividers. I staggered three of them.

And used Washi tape to hold them in place temporarily. Once the lay out was secure I cut off both edges.

After that it was just about taping it together.

That was the fiddly part.

I wanted the biggest opening possible so I didn't tape straight up the side because that would have cut down on usable space. Although doing that would have made the taping process simpler.

I taped each divider to the other individually.

Taping along the edges in one swoop will cut down the total width. No problem if you don't mind the narrower opening.

I felt it would be more practical if wider.

And it's great.

In one pocket I have stickers, in the other envelopes, unfinished mail and coupons. You could make more pockets but just two allows you to see everything sticking out the top.

....Now if I can just find the missing letter.

Jayne Mansfield lives in my Filofax

2012-05-27T12:22:00.000-04:00

I bought a few vinyl pouches at the dollar store a while back. I've been using them to hold small items in my purse.

This morning I looked at one and yelled, Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! I think they're the same length as my A5 Filofax pages.

My family didn't even respond to that, they are used to me yelling bizarre things about Filofaxes.

And yep, same length as A5 Inserts.

Some of my pens aren't loop-worthy, plus there are pens I don't have room for. I need more then two at a time. So this morning I turned the one dollar adorable zip pouch into a Filofax insert.

Usually I'd just punch away but I had to go through two layers and my template was sliding around on the shiny vinyl something awful.

I put the template over the pouch and made little dimples with a scissor (above).

Punching this way was easy as Sunday morning.

It's in the front of my Filofax holding a few Gel Pens and Jayne Mansfield.

Well, I call her Jayne Mansfield. Goulet Pens calls her Noodler's Flex Nib Piston Fill Resin Fountain Pen in Panther Pink.

I like Jayne Mansfield better.

In case you've never heard of Jayne Mansfield she was an iconic sex symbol in the late 1950's and 60's. In 1957 she bought a 40-room mansion (formerly owned by Rudy Vallée) and turned it pink, inside and out.

After painting the outside pink, adding pink lights, pink furs in the bathrooms, a pink heart-shaped bathtub, and a pink champagne spouting fountain, Jayne named it "Pink Palace".

I found this video on Youtube. It's a photo montage of The Pink Palace accompanied by Jayne singing, Let's Do It. If you have time to watch it, it's pretty wild.

Vintage Image of the day, DIY Apron, May 26, 2012

2012-05-26T07:33:00.004-04:00

I love that old Magazines have DIY projects. This apron project came from a February, 1953 Woman's Day (It cost 7 ¢). All images are clickable.

It's about making new things from what you have around your house.

It's genius!

There's a lot of this kind of thing in mid-century (and before) magazines. Today's magazines are full of articles about decluttering and I get that, we have too much stuff.

But wouldn't it be great to declutter by reusing some of the too much we have?

Peace and quiet

2012-05-26T06:36:00.000-04:00

Peace and quiet, my favorite words.

Click here for more Beautiful, New Jersey

Filofax, outside the box

2012-05-25T09:09:00.001-04:00

I have a metric caboodle of stationary, office supplies, craft items and Filofax supplies. I kept it all within reach of my bed and by the end of each day it looked like Staples threw up. I tried to organize, find homes for things, put stuff away when I was done but I failed, nothing really had a home.

Plus I couldn't find things I wanted and it drove me crazy (although Ventura didn't give flip about my state of office supplies chaos).

Except when the Leaning Tower of Filofax Inserts fell on him. Which was kinda often. This week I made a list of organizing projects to tackle and the side of my bed was first.

Recently I got a huge vintage sewing box. I cleaned it out, put it smack up against my bed, and it's perfect for storing small things.

Ventura sleeps on 'THE THRONE OF MANY PILLOWS' in the space between my bed and the wall. It's not a big space, maybe three, three and a half feet, but he doesn't seem to mind sharing it with a giant wood sewing box.

Closed it's very neat.

Open, I can see all my treasures.

I have colored pencil hoarding issues.

Ventura loves me anyway.

It's hard to find space for a million tiny things but I have to say, this is great!

Everything fits~

Well, the little stuff. The box doesn't fit large things (paper, notebooks, etc) so I stacked vintage suitcases on my night table.

When closed you'd never know I have a paper fetish, it's all neat and out of sight. (I keep paperbacks on the window sill behind them.)

It's not organized in there but it holds my hot mess of paper.

Organizing when you don't have a lot of space takes some doing and a fair amount of energy. For people who don't have a gift for that, it's doubly hard and takes thinking outside the box.

This box actually.

And a couple of suitcases.

vintage image of the day, Ghostess, may, 23, 2012

2012-05-23T05:46:00.000-04:00

I love views inside dishwashers and fridges .

So cool!

Love the couch and flooring too, and how teal is mixed with red and sea foam green. The ad is from McCalls Magazine, August 1958

Son of but would I buy it again?

2012-05-22T09:54:00.000-04:00

Classic Clairefontaine Staplebound Notebook - 6.5 x 8.25, French-Ruled Paper

I heart Clairefontaine Paper and have already repurchased it several times. The French ruled paper is 90 g. and smooth as silk; writing on it with any kind of pen has been NIRVANA! There are papers better for pencil art, not to say this doesn't take pencil, it does. But it's smooth surface isn't really toothy enough for the kind of shading you'd do for drawing.

I hacked apart the notebook and use it for my Filofax. The sheets are a little wide (6.5 in. x 8.25 in.) so I cut some off and there are no micro-perforations. That I can't easily rip pages out is my biggest issue but it's not a deal breaker because the positive aspects of the paper are so strong.

Uni-ball Propus Window Soft Color Double-Sided Highlighter Pen

I love the Soft Color Window Highlighters. They aren't expensive ($1.65) and allow for highlighting that still lets you see what's underneath. Check them out and if you like them too... My jetpens giveaway is still going on (here)

Gel Pens

I'm lumping Gel pens together. The one's I bought in the US (the Pilot G2) and the one's from Japan are equally good. They all write like a dream on any paper but on a smooth paper it's like writing on cloud. The 0.7 mm size and up are smoother then thinner points but it's relative and all write great. Even though I already have many of these I keep buying, it's an addiction all it's own.

Kuretake brush pens and Word Book

I love these, together they are the perfect on the go art kit. The black pen is more expensive at $33 (plus I got the converter) but it's beautifully made and fits my Filofax Pen loops. The waterbrush pen is for water only and is much cheaper at $8.25 and can't wait to get the larger size .

Because I can carry these things I get to practice brush pen art. I never really got better at calligraphy but things are improving in the painting department.

Branded card holders vary for me and are kind of a toss up. Sometimes the vinyl is stiff and too small for maximum use. Sometimes the vinyl is nice and soft but gets stiffer and more brittle with age. I don't use them for cards, I put small catch-all things in them.

These would be good for someone who has to carry cards, but filled they take up a lot of ring space. For me, putting cards in a small pouch I can throw in my purse works much better, so I won't buy any more.

This picture is the cover from a cheap drugstore spiral binder. Taken apart you can make all kinds of things and I will continue looking for good buys on binders and spiral planners to salvage.

Midori Bullet Pencil

Closed these take up very little room.

And open they are full sized. I really like these, writing is like writing with a quality pencil and the design is so classy. I will repurchase the refills and maybe the whole pencil as a gift.

Midori Traveler's Notebook

I love my Midori Traveler's Notebook, it's straight up quality and at the moment it's my wallet. The leather is (what I wish Filofax leather was like) is what planner covers should be. The price is in the mid-$50 range depending on where you buy and there are many options for personalizing.

I want the smaller passport size but I'm hemming about it. Am I just having a planner feeding frenzy? Will it work for me better then the full size? I don't know but I can't help salivating over it and have put it in and taken it out of a shopping cart at least a dozen times.

Padrino fountain pen and Perfect Pen Flush

Padrino belongs to Paradise Pens. I got this pen many years ago and it was cheap, probably less then ten dollars and hated it. I kept it around because it was pretty but recently I dragged it out again; I wanted a nib that would flex more then my Lamy.

Before using I cleaned it really well with pen flush and my whole opinion changed. It writes very smoothly now and the screw-in cap makes me more secure about carrying it.

While Padrino has a few expensive pens they strike me more as a gift/impulse because of their many varied, lovely designs and low(ish) price tag. Definitely something that could attract the new fountain pen user because of the price and look. I'm not sure if I would purchase another for me but I might for a gift.

I have more products I'd like to do still! There may be a Grandson of but would I buy it again!

vintage image of the day, Pink kitchen love, May 22, 2012

2012-05-22T07:41:00.000-04:00

Swoonable pink kitchen

I can't remember where I got the picture, I think it was an early 60's House Beautiful or House and Garden article. It's amazing how current it looks - Even down to a stainless steel sink.

I love the economy of accessories.

It might be my favorite kitchen picture of all time.

...But would I buy it again?

2012-05-21T12:08:00.002-04:00

I try a lot of different things in my Filofax so I want to do a post about a few things that worked, what didn't, and what was fine but wouldn't buy again.

Filofax ruler

I don't mind the clear one but these obscure everything underneath. Plus, with very little trouble and at a fraction of the price I can make a bookmark.

One that's much more to my taste. I wouldn't purchase a Filofax ruler again.

A fly leaf

Again, these can be made easily from other things but I've never made one I liked quite as much as the Filofax branded fly-leafs. Five dollars for a piece of vinyl is robbery but I might buy this again; it's superior to anything I've seen.

Filofax graph paper, yeah... I really like this insert even though I have to buy from outside the USA. So definitely I'd buy it again.

Doan's Whitelines notebook

Not sure about this one, the paper's great although I prefer much smoother paper. If I had to photo-copy my notes I'd probably buy it again but I never have to do that.

It takes ink really well and I like the soft gray color but since I primarily use paper in my Filofax it isn't the kind of paper I 'need'.

Filofax lined paper

This is a definite no. Don't like this paper much and I prefer graph paper for all things. The color allows for finding pages easily which is great but at $4.50 for 25 sheets I'll stick with other options.

The Dodo Inserts

A definite yes. The paper's great and I love the colors. Plus all the calendars are included in your yearly set. You don't have to buy a year view, month view and a weekly - It's part of the package.

I really like the avery reprepositional envelopes (size of a CD) with tabs. At the moment I keep stamps in them. They are sticky-backed so there are a lot of uses for these and I would repurchase.

I'm going to lump all branded zip envelopes here and no, I probably wouldn't repurchase them. There are so many other ways to get an enclosed pocket in your Filofax it seems a waste of money. Everything from regular envelops to vinyl and plastic pockets can be hole punched. Over time the pockets gets stiffer and more difficult to open and close so I'll stick with the cheapest options for storage.

Martha Stewart Office Dividers

I like these, both the paper and plastic versions. They have to be repunched but the whole set is only about $5 and they look fabulous.

Moleskine Folio Color Sticky Notes

These are almost ten dollars but I really love them. When these run out I will re-buy them. I love the colors and there's just something about them that makes them better then Post-It brand stickies. I like that they are in a book and different sizes are include. Post-its tend to come in only garish shades, a stack of sticky fluorescent awful, pretty much.

Pier 1 sticky notes

I found these locally and on clearance. I don't know if they are going to be around again or it was just a test sort of thing at Pier One. I've never seen this kind of thing there before so yes, I would get them again but I don't know if I'll be able to.

I have more products I'd like to do but this got long fast! I'll be doing at least one more of these.

Planner Nirvana

2012-05-20T01:00:00.000-04:00

I've tried to organize my life with planners before and it never worked until I got an A5 Filofax. After giving it a lot of thought I know why. It's the set-up, blank to-do sheets interleaved between dated sheets and the rings. They allow me to add sheets if needed and move them around.

A planner with designated spaces for specific categories doesn't work as well as a simple blank page because they allow me all the space I need and the rings make the whole thing totally flexible.

To-do sheets are my brain dump, anything and everything goes on them. Whatever I have to do, buy, or remember gets written down. If I need more paper I just turn the page and start fresh. If a day wasn't busy and not much was written I start the next day right below, on the same sheet. There is no wasted space.

A lot of planning solutions have too much going on, too many categories, too much space devoted to things I don't do, too many lines devoted to nonsense but not enough blank space for to-dos, grocery lists, reminders, and general planning rambles.

Blank space leaves room for planning. For example, I spent a lot of blank pages trying to figure out what I wanted clean, and when. What I should tackle on each day and why that would work for me.

I now have a list of the (bare minimum) household chores I want to accomplish every day. I put them on my Dodo Inserts at the beginning of each work. If there is a day where I have appointments I make changes.

Here's the breakdown...

Monday is the entry hall, downstairs powder room, and to clear off all horizontal surfaces. I picked Monday for these things because they are all a hot mess after the week end.

Everyone's home, my kid's friends have usually been here and no one is in cleaning mode so nothing gets back to it's home. Especially pens and pencils, I'm forever picking them up and depositing them in the pencil cup. Last Monday I found a pencil hanging off a lamp.

Why, I have no idea but my son's friends were over and someone must have thought it was screamingly funny to hang a pencil off a lamp.

Tuesday I do some laundry and vacuum downstairs. I thought of putting vacuuming on Monday but I'm usually shell-shocked on Monday Morning so I was being kind to myself.

I put vacuum downstairs on Wednesday too. I'm going to try both and see what day I end up doing it and stick with that day.

Thursday is more laundry.

And Friday is about the things I want to get done before the week-end. I clean my car out because everyone uses' my car on the week-ends, wash and change the linens, and clean the master bath.

Friday is the day that's most set in stone, Monday is the second most set day. Deciding what I want to for sure accomplish before and after the week-end has really worked out well. The two day laundry plan has as well.

This isn't a complete list, it's a start. There's more to do, certainly, but I didn't want to overwhelm myself with too many goals and fail.

Planning and schedules are unique to each person. I admit - I get weak-kneed over new found planners. An exquisite leather cover sends me and lots of regimented sections look so appealing. And oh! How I want it but I (try and) restrain myself. It's not going to work, I tell myself.

I take a few deep,cleansing breaths, try to remember they have never worked in the past, rub my Filofax's belly for good luck and go to my planner happy place.

Which because I have rings and can add whatever I want, with no more then a hole punch, my happy place is a section I can paint on.

Ultimate planner nirvana would be better leather ( I'm still not convinced Mr. Malden wasn't born in a chemical lab) and bigger rings but all in all it's the set up not the pretty wrapping that matters.

ad of the day, Save our Saucepans! May 20, 2012

2012-05-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

I can't remember what magazine this ad came from...

But I love everything about it.

S.O.S pads were invented in 1917 by an aluminum pot salesman named Ed Cox. S.O.S. stands for Save Our Saucepans (named by his wife). The S.O.S pads turned out to be more popular than his pots and pans.

Franken up your Filofax

2012-05-18T08:22:00.000-04:00

The cost of branded inserts is shocking considering it's easy to find inexpensive spiral bound planners full of useful pages, pouches, and pockets. Last time I was at Rite-Aid I got several - The perfect size for my A5 Malden - at 75% off.

This is a great time of year to scope out planner possibilities. Everyone is trying to sell out the one's that started in January to make room for the Academic Year Planners. My best find was the 2012 Mother's Organizer by Plan Ahead.

The cover page was enclosed in a very study side-opening pocket. I punched holes in it and now have a sturdy (one side is very stiff plastic) full length document holder.

A suggestion: If you're going to punch hard stuff, sharpen your punch by using it on aluminum foil first.

I love these half-page top-open sleeves and there were two of them. So useful and branded things similar to this cost between five and eight dollars apiece. This whole planner cost less then five.

I bought the planner for the plastic stuff but some of the pages are useful too. The month view on two pages is pretty great.

As is the week view.

And I love the pages that are topic specific. Tons of room for all kinds of information, this one is friends, family, and school data.

A gift record.

Birthdays and Anniversaries...

Take out food info! This one is brilliant, my menus always end up in a void somewhere and since my family tends to order the same things over and over all I really need is the phone numbers.

Filofax inserts aren't easily found in my area but as you can see there are many options to Franken up a Filofax. All you need is a hole punch, scissors, and a little imagination.

My Midori Traveler's Notebook takes a whirl as a wallet.

2012-05-17T17:54:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I tried to use my Filofax Pocket Windsor as a wallet.

Monumental Filo Fail...

I gave it a shot, albeit a brief one, for two reasons; my wallet is huge ( a clutch, really...) and I wanted something agendaish as a place for Mr. Malden's overflow. I fear for his rings...

I considered buying a pocket Chameleon or Cuban, both have space for bills and change. I even drove to Paradise Pens because they are the only place that carries them but the prices were higher then they are at Filofax which is refilodiculous.

My next thought was to buy a Midori Traveler's Notebook in the passport size. I've wanted one ever since I got the regular size but now I had a reason to order... But when I added up all I would need in the way of inserts I was close to a hundred dollars and did I really want to spend that?

No, I don't. I set mine up as a wallet. It's still bigger then I want but if I order the small one and that doesn't work I've wasted a hundred bucks. I'll give mine a whirl and if it's perfection except the size I'll consider getting the smaller one.

I'll admit, I love my Midori and this gave me a reason to take it out and play with it. I hung a new charm off the bookmark.

Put some perfume samples I want to try in the pocket stickers.

I could use a second zip pocket but I'm trying not to spend money.

Everything from money to stamps to prescriptions to coupons is in that one stuffed to busting zip.

I filled my card holder , added a picture of Ben and then added the inserts.

A grid notebook, stationary, and some deliciously crunchy bags.

And my kraft paper insert for artwork. I love this insert, I even put holes in it (here) so it could be carried in an A5 Filofax. This is the perfect notebook for Kuretake Waterbrush Pen fun. I'm having my monthly jetpens giveaway (here) and if you're jonesing for that pen (or something else) check out the link.

The back sticker holds stationary, a note, envelopes and mail supplies.

I've got a rub-on transfer on the back, now I'll be able to see how it holds up.

I don't know if this will work, it's for sure better then the Windsor. If it does I won't have to buy another planner although tweaking is the rule with planners rather then the exception.

And lot's of fun!

ad of the day, Femineering...! May 16, 2012

2012-05-16T08:01:00.001-04:00

This ad is for a refrigerator from International Harvester. They made agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicles, commercial trucks, and apparently, refrigerators. They started producing this kind of thing in 1947 but in less than 10 years they sold the fridge division to Whirlpool.

Didn't want the housewives to feel they were buying a tractor so they girly-ed up their kitchen stuff by saying...

Yeah....

The inside shots not very clear but here you go!

Jonesing for Jetpens giveaway 2.0

2012-05-15T15:03:00.000-04:00

Last months giveaway was so much fun it's time to do it again! Comment with your fondest JetPens object(s) of desire and if it clicks for me I'll get it (them) for both of us.

To get you started here's a couple o' few Jetpen-jewels I keep in my wish list (0r already bought). These may not float your boat but go take a look, there are tons of boat-floating goodies on the website.

PS: For some reason Blogger is making coleslaw out of my links. Hope they are all okay, been trying to post this for days. Now I'm just going to post it and hope for the best.

For whatever reason there are endless pages I want to mark. Nichiban Scented Index Labels can do that for me and make me feel like I'm giving myself a bouquet. I'm a sucker for flowers...

This is a very cool highlighter, I own it.

This highlighter has a transparent window on its tip that allows you to see where you're highlighting, after having four eye surgeries I love anything that helps me see better. It has a broad and fine tip ( 4.0 mm and 0.6 mm ). I love the soft color too.

Last month I got the Kuretake Waterbrush Pen in small, think I want the large one too. They are perfect for on-the-go art. And it's perfect paired with this...

The Maruman Mnemosyne - Word Book. It's about 4 inches by 2 inches and the paper is great for tiny watercolor art.

I've wanted a Copic atyou Spica Micro Glass Glitter Marker Pen for a long time; the clear one. It must be very popular because it's always sold out!

Here is Jetpens discription: The Atyou Spica Glitter pens add non-toxic, long-lasting sparkle and texture to any craft project. The glitter is achieved through the use of micro glass flakes which are more reflective than other possible additives, such as glass beads. The pigment is transparent so it can be used over other inks.

Totally want this.

And these too...

The Sakura Aqualip Gel Ink Pen.

These gel pens look wet when even when dry. As an aside, I think Aqualips would be a great Twitter name.

Another cute name: Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight Gel Ink Pen. Besides the cute name the Moonlight collection radiates fluorescent magic on all your craft and art projects. Ink shows up vibrantly on black and white paper. The fluorescent element even makes the ink glow under a black light source. (Love)

So, all you have to do is go visit Jetpens and tell me why we can't go another day without whatever it is and on May 29, 2012 I'll go over your suggestions and see what makes me clap and giggle more then watching this dog sleep.

I'll ship anywhere so no USA only restrictions. I want everyone to be as happy as I am watching my dog sleep ridiculously.

PS again - Jetpens is having a giveaway now for a $50 gift certificate... What are you waiting for? GO! NOW!

Mr. Malden à la Mode

2012-05-13T21:03:00.002-04:00

Mr. Malden has turned into quite the chunker.

Seriously, look at that beer belly. I didn't want to go to multiple Filofaxes but clearly Mr. Malden was a heart attack waiting to happen.

About week ago I got a leather A5-ish thing at the Visiting Nurse Association rummage sale. The sale is in May and September and I'd stopped going because if there's one more thing I don't need, it's rummage.

I used to go all the time but stopped when I found myself donating things I bought from them six months before. But... on the last day of the sale, when things are half-price or ten dollars a bag, I figured I'd go for it.

My new leather friend is kind of beautiful.

Swoonable... And half price (Three bucks)

Letisse isn't around anymore; they designed and produced leather handbags. The founder, Nicholas Braun, was hospitalized during the 1940's while at Harvard Law School. He started making leather wallets to pass the time and seeing potential in the field, he started and built Letisse into one of the largest and most profitable U.S. leather handbag producers.

The company went through a lot of changes and eventually was sold off. I guess this type of product was one of the 'diversifications'.

My Letisse is about the size of A5 Filofax pages. Here it is having an intimate moment with his new friend, Mr. Malden. 'Scuse them while they make a Filofax Sundae à la mode.

You can see the paper is about the same size but the binder is smaller. There are no rings, just slip pockets on either cover.

I decided to relieve Mr. Malden of a pound or two using my Letisse. I sat Mr. Malden on the scale - Seriously he was like three pounds and couldn't close his rings without laying down.

Something(s) had to go or Mr. Malden was going to need a tummy-tuck. I decided to lose the stuff I don't need to travel with or use every day; recipes, gift ideas, stationary, wish lists, craft projects... I love those things but there was very little space for my to-do sheets and I must have room for them.

In the front slip pocket I slid in a Wreck This Journal book. I've wanted one for ages.

It's tons of fun to wreck; coloring, doodling and pasting all my recipes and things in there.

I'm color coding the pages so I know where the recipes are as opposed to gift ideas. I can easily tell what's where and what's just doodleage.

For the other side I cannibalized a large Moleskine for it's cover.

So I could use my french ruled paper. If I wanted to use the Moleskine paper I could have just slid the whole thing in.

I elastic-ed it all together (à la Midori Traveler's Notebook).

My Midori inserts fit fine (the zip pocket is a Midori insert), I just wanted the French-ruled paper.

It worked out well all around. Mr. Malden less of a chunker albeit he's still fat and happy and I get to play with my Wreck This Journal.

Never underestimate play; it's makes you sparkle and as George Dorsey said,"Play is the beginning of knowledge."

So go take some colored pens and learn yourself something!

Ad of the Day, Dog...Food? May 11.12

2012-05-11T13:35:00.000-04:00

Today's ad from a May, 1943 Woman's Day. It was common to see references to products being good for the War Effort in magazines around this time. The entire as is at the end.

The ad starts with a pup asking for Gaines Dog food by phone.

It adds the Army uses it. I wish they said the Army's dogs use it but that's neither here nor there...

The part I found really odd was this section. It talks about how it gives everything that dogs need but conserves war-strategic table food because Gaines contains few if any ingredients that are needed at present for human use.

I don't even know what that means...

Ads are always targeted to the times but I have to wonder, what the heck was in that stuff?

In 1961 Gaines came out with Gaines Burgers, a meat-ish product requiring no refrigeration. It was a technology later used for people food.

Filofax with some Oh! La! La!

2012-05-10T09:32:00.001-04:00

This week my quest for great paper had me crossing time zones, an ocean, and a continent; to France.

Photo is from Goulet Pens.

It's made by Clairefontaine and it's très magnifique.

It's 90g, French-ruled and white (not all my pictures make it look white, but it's white none the less.... ). I wanted this paper forever and finally ordered it from Goulet Pens. There are a few pads but the one I got has 48 sheets (96 pages) and it's roughly A5 (6.75 in. x 8.75 in.) size.

I was very jazzed to try the French rule (or Séyès paper ) because I thought it would be like like graph paper on steroids, and it is!

This paper is used by students in France. The lines are an 8mm x 8mm grid pattern with thinner horizontal lines spaced 2mm apart. There is a wide left margin.

Goulet Pens has a video about it if you want more info.

There are two minor issues for using it in a Filofax (besides having to punch holes). The first is it's a bit wide for my Malden Filofaxes A5 binder (or in French: Agenda organiseur A5 Malden - Classier sounding don't you think?) and you have to cut off a little. The second is the notebook isn't micro-perforated. Since I bought the staple bound pad I just took out the staples and pulled the whole thing apart.

Considering how much I like this paper neither is enough to even bother me. And look how fabulous it looks next to Do-Do von Teese.

It's great as To-Do sheets and all kinds of lists. I used lots of different inks on it and the Séyès paper dealt with them like a champ.

This is a better picture of the color even though the photo's a bit meh...

Just look at the paper's derrière... Er, backside.

Il est parfait n'est-il pas?

I have another project going with this Oh-La-La! of a paper. The project involves a vintage leather binder, French-ruled paper, a Moleskine, and the book Wreck This Journal.

So far it's coming out great and I'll post when I'm done!

Retro Planet is swoonable!

2012-05-10T07:15:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of things I'd love to find at estate sales but never do. That's why I love Retro Planet. Just look at this table...

Swoon...

There are ton's of great gift ideas but I think I love this stuff too much to share.

This cracks me up... So true!

Yum! I had one of these, I miss her.

This 'Drop Your Pants Here' sign would be very helpful - my family missed the day in class when they told you not to drop stuff willy-nilly.

(Click buy and it will take you to the product page)

And check out their clearance section here HERE! If you've never seen Retro Planet you'll love the thousands of Kitchtastic items.

I have affiliate links with Retro Planet but this isn't a sponsored ad, I just love them.

Vintage ad of the day, Chrysler 1963, April 10, 2012

2012-05-10T05:50:00.000-04:00

Another car ad, Chrysler this time.

The Sports-Bred 300

One reason it's so appealing to me is the colors available at the time. Look at that red interior! It beats the current choices of grey, dark grey or jaundice (the ugly tan color that comes in every car).

Newport

I love the green!

New Yorker

My love of aqua is without bounds...

Vintage image of the day, style inpiration, April 9, 2012

2012-05-09T13:06:00.000-04:00

This is another design inspiration type ad; it's from House & Garden November 1962 and I think the room is fabulous!

I love close-ups where you can see the nick-knacks.

And these chairs are divine!

I tried to get the entire ad, it's for the flooring (Congoleum) but my scanner suddenly won't cooperate. The rest of the ad was just text.

Ginger and Ventura give Cesar Cookie Crunchies 5 pink dog tongues up!

2012-05-08T11:48:00.001-04:00

A little bit ago Mom Central was looking for little dogs to try out Cesar Cookie Crunchies and as luck would have it, I have a little dog.

And a big one

That's Ventura with a stuffy on his head.

Even though he weighs seven times what Ginger weighs, she is the boss and they are BFF's.

Ginger is twenty and since I signed up for this Mom Central blog tour, she's had a health blip. A week ago she suddenly had seizures, I thought I was losing her. I spent a lot of time crying that night but the next day she was herself again. I scooped her up and brought her to the vet. Since there was nothing obvious, lab work was done.

What actually happened is a little unclear, she's got some signs of renal failure and gall bladder disease although at her age it could be other things. She went home with meds and proceeded on with her little life oblivious to whatever her condition is. She seems totally the same except now she's on prescription dog food and some daily medicines.

Here's where the Cesar Cookie Crunchies come in... Ginger (well, Ventura too) loves treats. Her new food is soft so I give her treats because I think crunching is good for my dogs teeth...

... got to keep those few that are left, after all!

And I think something nice and crunchy alleviates stress too. When Ginger was younger she could handle any size bone...

I got her this one for her birthday one year. I know it was a ridiculous bone for her but I love making my dogs happy.

But with her new diet and lack of a full set of chompers she needs something more her size, something geared to little dogs and Cesar Cookie Crunchies are perfect! She loved both flavors

Rotisserie Chicken and..

Filet Mignon very, very much!

I like giving Ventura little dog treats too, he's very food motivated and little treats mean more treats for training.

So you can see, anything is possible with motivation! Rotisserie chicken and filet mignon are very motivating!

Ginger (and Ventura) gave Cesar Cookie Crunchies 5 pink dog tongues up!

If you have a sec check out Cesar on Facebook or give them a Woof! on Twitter it will make their day!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Cesar and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Today's vintage image, Fridge insides, May 8, 2012

2012-05-08T05:01:00.000-04:00

Fridge inside shots are pretty common in old magazines and they're kinda fascinating to me. The fridges are stuffed to busting - mostly with uncovered food- and everything is on or in some pretty fantastic Pyrex (or another magical brand; something that was cheap then and costly now.)

The more I crop the image, the more fun I find.

Love the Coke bottles.

What a packed freezer! Back then none of them were frost-free, you had to deal with that your self. My first apartment had a freezer I had to defrost; I used a hammer.

Here is the entire image.

All are clickable for your viewing pleasure.