Whatever Wednesday: Baby Buggies

 Remember the old tongue-twister "rubber baby buggy bumpers"???

Grandma Hale told me that her in-laws gave her a baby buggy when she had the twins, because she already had her hands full with baby Barbara.  She would laugh because she would go out with little Barbara sticking out the "wrong end" of  the buggy, and men & women would hurry to her to tell her she'd done it wrong- that the baby should be turned around, under the hood. Then they would be completely surprised to see the infant twins on the proper end- 3 babies in one buggy!!!  =)  

(note- I do not know what brand Grandma Hale had)

1950's "Boodle Buggy":

Advertisement of a 1955 ad for Welsh "Boodle Buggy":

Musical Monday: Eileen Barton's "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake"

I can't believe that I'd NEVER heard of this song before last Thursday night! It was even on Sesame Street in 1969 (watch here) and I watched the re-runs....oh, well...I've now added it to my playlists! =)  It conveys my sentiments very well!

Trivia according to Wikipedia: "..."If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" is a popular song published in 1950.  The best known version of the song was recorded by Eileen Barton in January 1950.  The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on March 3, 1950 and lasted 15 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1....(It also hit #1 in Britain in April of 1950.) ...In 1962, Barton's recording of the song was included in a list of 101 Perennial Singles Hits compiled by Billboard – a group "For year-round programming by juke box operators and radio stations ..."

(embedded below or listen  HERE) 

Spring & Summer clothes: Teena Paige (1950's)

Don't you just LOVE these dresses???  My favorite is the "Dots and Stripes Forever".  =)

Date unknown- 1940's I guess:

  1954:

Lizzie Bramlett wrote:
 "Teena Paige was a popular line of teenage dresses. They made dresses for day wear, but were best known for their party dresses. The label was established in 1944 by the Epstein Garment Company of New York. They reached the height of their popularity in the 1950s. There was no such person as Teena Paige." 

(That last bit was sad news to me, I was SO hoping that she was real!!!)

1954:

Fabric shopping

I'm getting my order for Whittle's Fabrics ready....like I really need more fabric...
...but you see, Whittle's has flat-rate shipping and they also have great prices on quality fabrics that you just can't buy (outside of an expensive quilting shop)!  
((check out their collection of Riley Blake- here))

My plan is that this new fabric will inspire me to clean up the sewing room and SEW!

.....hmmmm...maybe not the best plan, maybe I should clean first, and then maybe buy fabric....maybe. 

But, that would not be nearly so much fun now would it???  

On another note- how do you like these Fabric Advertisements?????
Even if I lived back in the day, I can see (from looking at the prices) that I'd have been buying the cottons and not the silks and rayons!

So next time you want some pretty cotton, give Whittle's Fabrics a try!
(read my pros and cons about Whittle's HERE)

(I'll share this post on "Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson")

Sewing Machine ads part 1

I love vintage ads, even the ones that are for products that I would never buy!
That said, I REALLY love the ads that are for things I'd have bought! =)

Clue & Dinner for Valentine's Day 2018

Again (for the second year in a row) I had SO much fun!!!  To those of you who came: thank you SO very much for coming and joining our fun! To those of you who could not- we missed you, and can't figure out why you would not want to come!  (See 2017 here) We had TWO Clue games going this year, so that meant two guilty parties!  =)

~the whole gang~

~The Table~
(we ate green salad, minestrone soup & cheese bread)

Mrs. White did it!

~The Favors~

Mr. Green

Professor Plum

Colonel Mustard

Mrs. Peacock

Miss Scarlet did it!

Professor Plum

Mr. Green

Mamie Eisenhower’s Cheesecake (here)

Musical Monday: Pete Seeger's "It Could Be a Wonderful World"

I just love this song~ 

When I hear it, I think of Great-Grandma Nina P. Gardner,
as well as my Great Aunt Carol, and my Great Uncle David.

When I sing it, for some reason, I think of Grandma (my Mom's Mom)

Listen to it HERE....

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies...bring all kinds of good memories.😻

 I knew that one had to chop her own chocolate back in the day,
but who knew that you could get it scored, so it would be easier to cut????

Musical Monday: Mantovani "Tulips from Amsterdam"

 Annunzio Paolo Mantovani    (known as Mantovani)

 The book British Hit Singles & Albums states that he was "Britain's most successful album act before the Beatles...the first act to sell over one million stereo albums and [have] six albums simultaneously in the US Top 30 in 1959"
(Listen to it HERE.)

Born November 15th, 1905 in Venice, Italy.  Died March 29th, 1980 in Kent, England

((Oh, if you likes it, and want to here the lyrics, listen to THIS one sung by Johnny Weaver too.))

 ~~~~~~~~~

When it's Spring again I'll bring again
Tulips from Amsterdam
With a heart that's true I'll give to you
Tulips from Amsterdam
I can't wait until the day you fill
These eager arms of mine
Like the windmill keeps on turning
That's how my heart keeps on yearning
For the day I know we can
Share these tulips from Amsterdam

When it's Spring again I'll bring again
Tulips from Amsterdam
With a heart that's true I'll give to you
Tulips from Amsterdam
I can't wait until the day you fill
These eager arms of mine
Like the windmill keeps on turning
That's how my heart keeps on yearning
For the day I know we can
Share these tulips from Amsterdam

Share these tulips from Amsterdam

Clue & Dinner on Valentine's Day

Fun times...thank you all so much for coming!  I had a blast!  =)

 White Chocolate Cheesecake (recipe HERE)

Notes: 1) I put all 3 oz of melted chocolate into the cheesecake. 
AND 2) Sprinkled a fine layer of white chips between the crust & the cheesecake!  
3) I baked it in a 9" spring-form pan. =)

The Table

~the whole gang~

Professor Plum did it!

Mrs. White

Miss Scarlet

 

Mr. Green

Mrs. Peacock

Some of the many faces of Colonel Mustard...  =)

Some interesting info about Clue (according to Wikipedia): 

1940/1950's game

"...In 1944, Anthony E. Pratt, an English musician, applied for a patent of his invention of a murder/mystery-themed game, originally named "Murder!".  Shortly thereafter, Pratt and his wife, Elva Pratt (1913-1990), who had helped in designing the game, presented it to Waddingtons' executive, Norman Watson, who immediately purchased it and provided its trademark name of "Cluedo" (a play on "clue" and "Ludo"; ludo is Latin for I play).  
Though the patent was granted in 1947, due to post-war shortages in the UK the game was not officially launched by Waddingtons until 1949.  
 It was simultaneously licensed to Parker Brothers in the US for publication, where it was renamed "Clue" along with other minor changes.   There were several differences between the original game concept and that initially published in 1949, In particular, Pratt's original design calls for ten characters, one of whom was to be designated the victim by random drawing prior to the start of the game. 

1960's game

These ten included the eliminated Mr. Brown, Mr. Gold, Miss Grey, and Mrs. Silver.  The characters of Nurse White and Colonel Yellow were renamed Mrs. White and Colonel Mustard for the actual release.  The game allowed for play of up to eight remaining characters, providing for nine suspects in total.  Originally there were eleven rooms, including the eliminated "gun room" and cellar.   

  In addition there were nine weapons including the unused bomb, syringe, shillelagh (walking stick/cudgel), fireplace poker, axe, and poison...."

 Anthony Pratt and his wife Elva, in the early 1940s.
Image by Marcia Davies.

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 Our party was nothing like this ONE, but it was fun to look at the photos HERE!

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(I'll share this post on "Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson")