Hi Everyone

Wow this week has gone by so quickly!  I guess that'll happen...when you sleep through part of it!! Remember when I said the past few weeks I've been feeling outa sorts. My old bods ready to go, but my head just hovers a little above my neck and then follows a little behind when I do go. Thought it was just that time when us almost Half Centurians just hit the wall...or peek at the top of the proverbial hill and see the steep decline coming on the other side as we approach to go over it. HA. I'm happy to report to all my Blogpals that approaching 50 does not bring on this symptom...seems there's a new fungus amungus or just a moldy oldy. You see I've had what they call acquired allergies to mold, mildew, and fungus. It's a side effect of working in the floral industry for 38 years.
Doc seems to think there's a new allergen that's gotten to me. Since we're still in severe drought conditions, even  though we've had some light showers, all the leaves...dry grasses.....mulches.... the dampness is a perfect breeding ground. Whohoo.

I found my vintage image on Flickr and thought it apprapo....How do you stay happy though ill? ............
I Visit Blogland. Market Monday was fun over at Etsy Cottage Style.. The whole flea market feel  and the number of diverse vendors is great. Wednesday was Rednesday at Sue's It's A Very Cherry World. It makes it a red letter day to see all the redhot vintage finds. Thursday was Time Travel Thursday at Brambleberry Cottage...let me tell you the vintage transformations are just wonderful...and, it's also Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps On The Porch. I just love popping in at everyone's kitchens and Dining Rooms to see their inspiring tables. Now today, Saturday, is Saturday Vintage Love at Southern Lady's Vintage. This weeks  voted theme is Vintage Dolls, sooooo, I couldn't miss this party...and the meds haven't put me to sleep...yet.
Ok I'll admit it....I am a 50 yrear old who still likes to play with dolls...there I said it...it's in writing and I can't take it back. Actually I never really played with dolls, but dressed them. I still have all my old dolls.......................................................................................

 This is  Little Miss No Name. She is from 1967-68. Isn't she pitiful. I thought if I gave her a new dress, hair ribbons, and shoes, she'd feel better and lose the tear. Well, nothing could console her, so, she moped on my bed.

Baby Thumbelina is from 1968. You pulled her cord jn the back and she wiggled like a real baby.

I received this Companion Doll when I was 4 or 5. She was as tall as me and when you held her hand she walked with you. She's big enough to wear child sized dresses. Today she is used in window displays at the flower shop.

Remember Dawn, the original fashionista? She and her friends came with all the glitz and glam of the late 60's and early 70's. They had a house, car, and thier own fashion runway. It ran on batteries and would circle around for the fashion show.

Who could forget Chrissy. I loved to play with her tresses..long or short....and no I did not cut her hair.

 Here's Dancerina, the beautiful ballerina. Once her batteries were in you pressed the center of her crown
she piroetted her way into your heart.

Now today, I love to take dolls of the 1930's to the 60's, that are in need of a little TLC and recreate them.

Whether they need a little body lift....some of these ladies are over 70 so it's hard to keep your body all together...., make-up work..again at this age you sometimes need a good paint job...., new hair-do....okay a bald doll is just sad...., or fashion overhaul....some of these old girls dresses have seen better days and I love to take a little needle and thread and stitch up a new Brown Gingham Creations.

Some of these lovely ladies have found new homes, but there are others still waiting. For information just contact me.

Holy Cow I made it. I finished this post...it took me longer than usual, but yippee...I did it.

It's Rednesday Wednesday so lets go over and see all the other Redhot finds over at It's A Very Cherry World!

Vintage Sewing

I am the first to admit I am no seamstress, but I can embroider. When I was 6 my Mom and Grandma started to teach me. A red gingham and black dog that made a cute pillow when completed by plain straight stitches...small dresser scarf completed with a lazy daisy stitch. Pillow cases.....accenting a jacket with names of friends on it during grade school....wallhangings...By the time I was in High School embroidery was too time consuming and drawing, painting....that was much faster. Any way stores were now selling clothes with machine embroidered designs, sooo it was much easier to pick it up at the store. Embroidery was on the back burner. Now I have to admit vintage textiles were always my passion. That never changes. I was the girl in jeans with lace and calico. Jessica McClintock was my fashion designer...she did a lot of updated retro dresses taking cues from the 19th century. I was even  able to fit some of my Mom's 50's outfits. But, hankies, dresser scarves, table linens, dish towels, potholders were fondly collected....yes I was 10 when my hope chest began...LOL... it quickly became my parents hope basement by the time I was 16...as they joked.  Today embroidery is back in my life. I still do decorative painting in acrylics, but I find...maybe with age....'painting'  with thread relaxing. As I've said before vintage textiles are a pasion. They hold a fascination. When I find a box of scraps....a pillowcase....a love worn tablecloth....an apron. I imagine who may have owned it...used it.  Is this lace from a cotillion gown worn by a young lady soon to say goodbye to her fiance'.....Was this pillowcase stitched as a wedding present......how many parties has this cloth seen and oh if it could talk, what would that apron have to tell?  I love to Rework-Repurpose-Recreate those vintage peices of time.
This is why 3 years ago I began Brown Gingham Creations, where I create designs using vintage textiles, patterns, and embellishments. I have done Wedding pillows for our flower shop Bride's to match thier flowers................
You can click the pics to enlarge.

1950 machined hankie with new pillow and flowers

And totes to put fresh bouquets into rather than just tissue........................................

1940's hankie hand-embroidered and beaded on new canvas tote

 eventually my design ideas utilizing vintage embroidery and textiles started rolling.......................

Angelic Nightlights using vintage textiles. This Pretty in Pink 1960's spun plastic doll sports a dress made from a 50's hankie I hand-embroidered, a 40's hand-tatted doily, and her wings are a 40's heart shaped crocheted potholder.

This vintage inspired pillow, from my 'PillowTalk' collection, is a combo of a new pillow form accented with a 1940's hankie I again hand-embroidered, embellished with new sworovski crystals and a 1940's rhinestone ribbon pin, and finished with new matching trim.

My Anggelic Inspirations are vintage dolls recreated with vintage new dresses.

Like Autumn here. She looks good for being over 60. I find dolls that have been loved.....fix their booboos..and give them new fashions. Autumn sports a dress created from another 1950's hankie I hand-embroidered and them embellished with 1960's plastic flowers and new leaf sequins.  Her wings are dried leaves and she holds a bouquet of dried statice.

I've added a new line called Placesetters. I combine vintage embroidered fabrics with paper embellishments to create unique placemats for the table. The fabric medallion on ths one is a 1940's transfer patterns.

I'll be quite for a minute and you can look at some photos..................................

1960's dishtowel hand-embroidered with new rick-rack

Vintage textiles I hand-embroidered and embellished. Vintage textiles used range in age from 1930's-60's

This tablecloth and napkins were reworked and hand-embroidered. The co-ordinating apron is from flour sack material and hand-embroidered

This 1930-40 apron was created with a new Mom in mind

This 1960's peice was reworked and repurposed into a new pillow

Again the textiles in this pic range from 1930's-1960's

The Chair is one of my hand-painted peices.

This wonderful 1940's tablerunner was fun to complete. I hope the lady that began it is pleased with the finished result.

This clothesline is filled with vintage charm from textiles of the 40's and 50's

This 1940-50 Bridge Table cloth was fun to complete.

Some of these designs have been sold, others are waiting to be put on my sites, and still others are available at Brown Gingham Creations , Brown Gingham Creation , and Apronation.
I will be linking to Southern Lady Vintage Vintage Love Saturday and to Liz over at Brambleberry Cottage for TIme Travel Thursday.
 I can't wait to pop in and see all the vintage pretties.

Vintage Alphabet C is for.....D is for.....

Boy, this month is just flying by, but that seems to be a good thing 'cause it's time again for the Vintage Alphabet Party I host over at the Etsy Cottage Style blog. We had a wonderful turn out last month with everyone showing off their 'B'eautiful 'B' collections.
This month's Vintage Alphabet letter is C/D

C is for......'C'ookbooks.
Not those newfangled cookbooks using microwaves or high intensity light. Not those cookbook's using man-made sugar and oil blends or substitutes. Now I'm not saying that the new recipes and books are bad. The majority of my cookbook collection are new editions and I, of all people, know how we must cook healthy and there are those who must adhere to special diets due to medical condidtions,  but I'm talking about the cookbooks of our Mother's and Grandmother's that are filled with wonderful graphic art and comfort foods.

                           

When you see them they may be dog-eared, food spattered, or contain hand-written notes, but they give insight to the eras they were used and if a family hand-me-down, they bring us closer to the cook. 

This was my Grandma's Cookbook of the 1940's. She has wonderful little notes by some recipes and tucked in between the pages are recipes and old coupons cut from magazines and boxtops. Those snipets date  til the 70's!

Vintage cookbooks of the  depression era and the war years were filled with recipes that were cost effective and usually printed by food makers such as Kellogg's, Calumet, Carnation, Sunkist, Spry(Crisco), just to name a few. The graphic art used was upbeat in color, usually using family oriented themes.

Cookbooks of the late 40's- to the early 60's seemed to be fancier recipes and geared more to entertaining and gatherings. Graphics were color photos, exemplifying serving suggestions

This cookbook printed by Gerneral Foods is filled with 12 months of recipes and dessert tips for everyday and holidays.

This is my collection of Better Homes Creative Cooking Library. I'm not sure how many volumes there were, but they ranged in date from 1960's-70's. The ones with the colorful top border are 1963,the one that is Pies and Cakes at this end is 1968. I have nine volumes of the 1963 set so far. If anyone knows how many volumes came to a set I'd appreciate if you could tell me. I'd love to find the other volumes to complete the set.

They not only contained delish recipes, they gave great serving ideas

The pic on the left is a wonderful lazy-susan serving peice, but my fav is the coffee table on the right that serves as party central....complete with a mini grill and skewer holder! Groovey for those small get-togethers.

I love to include vintage cookbooks with my vintage apron's over at my new Etsy shop Apronation(c) 

(this will soon have more aprons available..Creativity  Still Under Contruction)

These are some cookbooks I've  found ready to be paired with a matching theme apron like the one shown below......

On the left is the 1940-50 State Apron that I hand-emboidered. On the right is the matching 1940 Sunkist cookbook printed by the California Citrus Growers.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the stroll through my yummy cookbooks.

D is for...................Vintage 'D'olls 

                                                                                           

As you can see I have a lot of vintage dolls ready to be dressed, redone, and repaired.

Some need head or an arm reattatched. Others need a new 'do'. Original dresses need to be restitched or romoved and replaced.

Some dolls find their way onto my websites........

The large 'Colonial Doll' with original hand-crocheted dress, wooden wings (new) and hand-tatted accents(edging from 1940's pillow) is from the 60's.and was originally part of a bed pillow.

The 'Hershey Doll' began life as a 1940's Storybook Doll and I embellished with wings and new skirt(originally a tea cozy and potholder set from the 40's) and vintage buttons (1930/40 celluliod)

and 'Rose' at the end comes all the way from the 1930's,,I believe she was in advertising displays..

 she sports a hand-tatted (doily) dress with a (1940-50 hankie) slip and wings (1940 hand-crocheted doily).

These are three of my newest finds.......

     A bonnie lass from Ireland                       a wonderfully preserved Marie Antoinette   

           

and this 1960 beauty that is a nightlight...I had to add the vintage embellishments..she was such a plain little thing......this is her twin

                 in different attire.

Now this is my finally entry for the Vintage Alphabet It covers both the C and D

This cooking themed Angelic Inspiration..

Hazel...  I call her....is from the 40/50's. She must've been a Storybook 'D'oll in her past life. Her dress needed some altering and the apron cried for some hand-embroidery,  she stands atop a wooden 'c'utting- board with a wooden spoon and a 1960's recipe box, but the most wonderful thing in this whole set is this

A 1940's Time for a Party 'C'ookbook filled with photos of Around the World 'D'olls, delish recipes, and great party ideas. 

So, these are my Vintage Alphabet contributions for this month. Some of the Angelic Inspiration Doll designs can be found at my Etsy site Here. The Vintage Aprons with cookbooks can be found at my newesy Etsy  site Apronation (C) or you can visite my website

I'm happy you came by to introduce yourself and it's so nice to you again! I'm on my way over to your blogs and to visit with the other party-goers at Etsy Cottage Style. If you haven't stopped by there we can go through HERE