The Power of Attraction

I am a firm believer in the power of attraction, and along with that the idea that whatever you focus on expands! Within the last year alone I have acquired a vintage mohair couch and club chair, turntable, fridge, and camper! But this is not solely about purchasing items you like, it's how things come to you in unexpected ways. I think the best example of this is my vintage aluminum canister set. My neighbor gave me a canister set she found in her cabin, and though I was in love with it, it was missing the sugar canister. No matter, I loved them and cleared the clutter (my huge microwave) to make room for them.

 After seeing my canister set on Facebook, my cousin's friend contacted me and told me she had a sugar canister that she thought matched  for me. I picked it up and indeed it did match! A beautiful canister set that came to me for only the price of gratitude.

Just added-S & P set from antiquing in Hixton.

Soon afterwards, my mother gifted me this spice set too!

This holiday season was a particularly delightful one for me. I had decided to cut out the stress of gift giving by not pressuring myself to get the perfect gift. You know what? I do believe that everyone got a well-suited gift from me this year. I also received well-suited gifts this year. The following are a few of my favorite gifts!

Daddy-O got me this gorgeous vintage blue coat!
 Blue is my favorite color, which you don't see too often.

I think this gift was for Daddy-O, but I'm claiming it as mine!

My brother made me a beautiful wooden tray and this vintage sign that goes perfectly in our newly remodeled breezeway.

Good Luck
Compliments of T J Wirrer
General merchandise
Mattoon, Wis.

Bo Peep found this plate in Waupaca brought it home to Mattoon, and fits perfectly in my "new" living room!


Last spring I bought some rocks and shot glasses from my late Great Uncle's estate. I didn't even know other sizes existed until I spied Rebecca's Collins and highball glasses at Mississippi Mayhem! I always gravitate towards glass at any thrift store, but no matching glasses were to be found. Then I received an early birthday present from Bo Peep.

Tom Collins, Highball, Old Fashioned, Rocks, and Shot.

Imagine my delight when I spied the glasses as I opened up the box! Now my mismatched glasses are gone to make way for my beautiful "new" set! Even though they are bar glasses I plan on using them as kitchen glasses. I delight everyday in using these beautiful glasses, and there's no reason to store that joy away!

And would you know it, now I noticed Annie has some too! My focus is expanding.

My mother gave me some of my Great Aunt Helen's lovely jewelry which includes Mount Rushmore sweater clips! Now I am reminded of her whenever I wear one of these.
 I have received many more great gifts, and love witnessing the power of attraction in my life. It never gets old. And if you're wondering what all this power of attraction talk is, I have been reading E Squared by Pam Grout. I highly recommend it!

BOOK REVIEW: Slacks and Calluses

Recently (or actually it was several months ago) Solanah from Vixen Vintage recommended a book for all of us vintage-minded gals dreaming of Life in the 1940s.  First published in 1944, Slacks and Calluses: Our Summer in a Bomber Factory, by Constance Bowman Reid, is a spectacular window into that lifestyle. 

During her summer vacation Bowman, a high school English teacher, along with her co-worker Clara Marie Allen (an Art teacher who illustrated the book) decides it is high time to contribute to the War Effort.  Both Bowman and Allen sign up for the swing shift at the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company in San Diego, California, to learn how to build B-24 Liberator bombers.

What ensues is an enjoyable, easy read about their training, their co-workers, their lack of sleep and copious amounts of greasy clothes.  Bowman is very candid about what it was like not only to be trained by men but also to work side-by-side with them.  She talks about riding the bus to work in her overalls; not a man stood to offer his seat, and several women turned up their noses.  She talks about having to learn the tools and tricks of working on an assembly line.  And she speaks with immense pride at having successfully survived their summer.

"We know that a Liberator was built by many people and many hours; and whenever in a newsreel we saw the inside of the tunnel with the oxygen bottles strapped into place, the belly turret hung down in its hole, the electric wires strung neat and firm along the sides, we saw Joe...we saw Jeff...we saw Blondie and Phyllis.  After a summer on the production line we looked at a Liberator the way you gaze in awe at a great tapestry when the note under it says that it took a hundred women twenty years to make it."

I would highly recommend this book as a wonderful, first-hand account of the softer side of the war effort.

Book Review : LOOK and COOK

This past year for her birthday, my daughter received a children's cookbook from my mother.  Mom always cooked and baked from scratch when I was growing up.  And I think she's determined that my daughter know a pastry cutter when she sees one.  Or an egg beater.  Or a flour sifter.  Tools of the trade that have fallen out of favor in the past years.

LOOK and COOK: A Cookbook for Children, by Tina Davis, is perfect for the retro-housewife whose children show an interest in her daily kitchen routine.  The hardcover, spiral bound, 8x11" book is a delight for the eyes on every page.  The colorful illustrations range from classic 1930s silhouettes to kitschy '60s dancing hotdogs.

And yes, there are three pages of kitchen tools so children can identify what is that they are using.

There are pages on kitchen safety.

Also several easy-to-read pages on measurements.

No children's cookbook would be worth its salt if it didn't include the old stand-by favorite recipes of macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, chocolate chip cookies, chicken noodle soup and blueberry muffins.  This book hits all the big ones.  You know, those dishes that your children request every time you foolishly ask them, "What should I make for dinner tonight?" (as if they'll have some brilliant idea that you haven't thought of yet).

Even Mamie Eisenhower's fudge recipe is included to remind you that this isn't your typical cookbook!

Aside from the classic recipes, possibly my favorite part of the book includes pages on how to set the table.  Teaching young children this simple skill is something that isn't as commonplace as you might think.  It reinforces children's understanding of left and right, and builds a foundation for table manners. 

I highly recommend this book for children ages 6 and up.  The fun illustrations will grab their attention (and hopefully hold it long enough to get all ingredients into the bowl), and the recipes will satisfy their tummies even as they get old enough to cook on their own.  And...I've been known to pull this one off the shelf, too.  Sometimes it's just more fun to mix waffles for the umpteenth time when you can look at that row of dancing can-can eggs!

Book Review: Blueprints of Fashion

Blueprints of Fashion: Home Sewing Patterns of the 1940s

by Wade Laboissonniere

2009 Revised 2nd Edition

Schiffer Publishing

Ever wonder where the seemingly simple task of sewing begins?  Who were the major players in this industry?  And how did they shape the fashion choices that we, as homemakers, have available to us?  

Long before you sit at your machine with fabric in hand, hundreds of people are involved in getting you to that point.  This book gives a clear and concise history of the industy.  Beginning with information on the earliest pattern companies and their marketing goals to reach every housewife in America, this book goes on to cover the trade publications available to retail stores, the pattern company promotions, and the differences in packaging. 

Patterns themselves have evolved quite a lot over the years.  Innovations that we take for granted, such as an instruction sheet, printed pieces and sizing info, was not included in the early years.  Several smaller companies were bought out by the major players of McCalls, Simplicity and Butterick, each vying for its share of the market.  

Vogue was established early on as a premier company, charging $1.00 each for patterns throughout the 1930s while others were selling for 15 cents (unprinted) and 25 cents (printed).  Vogue marketed its image as the couture line, including a speciality label with each pattern sold.

 

By 1944, it is estimated that 82% of American women were sewing for their families.  This was a huge market that, though very much restricted by the War rationing, could be tapped into for homefront relief efforts as well.  

The book devotes an entire chapter to the iconic style of the 1940s, a reflection of both war rationing and garment industry restrictions.  This was a period when women began to wear work clothes that didn't include a skirt and heels!

Of course, the best feature of Blueprints of Fashion is the 110 pages of pattern illustrations.  Full-color photos of not only women's dresses, blouses and skirts, but also bridal, men's, children's and home decor. 

 

 

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in 1940s vintage fashion.  Be you a sewer or historian, this is an excellent reference source to give you a solid feel for the decade that stood out with a strengh and determination all its own.