LIFE: Photo An Hour - October 2015

Saturday rolled around marking the October link up for photo an hour organized by Jane and Louisa. The morning actually marked the first frost of the year (even snow in some places) and the first weekend getting around to estate sales for nearly a month. 

But enough of the introductory small talk and get to the juicy bits.

9 am // getting ready to go out - finally back to being scarf season, actually wishing I had some gloves to hand once we got outside because of the aforementioned frost. Chilly days.

10 am // admiring pretty autumnal colours

11 am // Joe was poking boxes with old Transformers toys, I was amusing myself admiring various old plates.

12 pm // blue skies ahead. Misleading Michigan blue skies I should add. They always suggest warm days that are now long gone.

1 pm // library trip - dropping some off, picking some up. Also admiring the huge comic book collection that my local library is home too.

2 pm // late lunch of a bacon sarnie smothered in brown sauce mmm

3 pm // on my bulb planting mission trying to plant over 200 of them. It's endless. Also annoying my squirrel friends by disturbing all their nut collections as I plant away. Take this additionally as my 4pm image.

5 pm // so I was a sucker for the lighthouse fabric, cleaning up an old footstool into yet another sewing box (can't have too many).

6 pm // became all about the n's - Netflix (NCIS), nail painting and reading the newspaper. Easily pleased. 

7 pm // tea time - Buffalo Wild Wing leftovers from Friday night - nom indeed.

The rest of the night was basically spent on the sofa watching Netflix and being lazy with two purring kitties.

How was your Saturday?

VINTAGE: Smart Underthings, 1922

Recently I came across a stack of well loved and used vintage crochet pattern booklets mostly from the 1910's and 1920's. I pounced on them. They were only $1 each after all. There's a number of reasons why I love them - their colouring, their designs, they give a peek into the crafts of nearly 100 years ago, but it's what people wore and what people made. 

But they are far too beautiful not to share, so I'm lining up a couple of posts to let everyone get a quick glimpse inside their pages. First up is one from Clark's - this pattern book Smart Underthings - a collection of patterns for crocheted yokes, edgings for your nightgowns, camisoles and boudoir caps. Published in 1922 it has seen better days but hey it's 93 years old. Clark pattern books from this era have this gorgeous blue tint to their photography, and the ladies and patterns, well they are all just wonderful.

Week-End Set For The Youthful Matron

The Sunflower Camisole // The Cosmos Camisole

Trousseau Set With Fine Crochet

Lazy-Daisy Step-In // The Marguerite Smock

Dainty Set For A Young Girl

Camisole With Star Banding // The Helene Camisole

Pretty huh and nearly too pretty just for the bedroom!

VINTAGE: Thiel College Yearbook 1946

This 1946 yearbook from Thiel College - a liberal arts college in Greensville, Pennsylvania has become one of my favourite estate sale finds of late. It came from residence here in Metro Detroit, but with a basement filled with lots of Pennsylvania based cookbooks and history. I have to admit, I love pouring over the collages of photographs, reading the somewhat charming and often sarky captions.

Of Dorothy - "fond of history and Bill", to Lucile with a "new hair-do every week". To Suzanne who "has a husband ... lucky girl" and of Norman, a Detroit lad who "treats all women alike", whatever that means. Patricia "used to read a book a day"  and Louis well he's "always with Alice".

But those hair styles and dresses - those are the winners in my book.

LIFE: Photo an Hour Jan 2015

I was happy to hear that Louisa picked up the #photoanhour organizing baton for 2015 and it's a little mission of mine to hopefully take part in each monthly challenge throughout this coming year. This weekend marked our since Christmas of going out hitting some estate sales which, with the +2C "heatwave" (we've been stuck at -13C and colder for the last couple of weeks) it was a nice cure for the cabin fever of late.

 9am // starting the day right with a brew, i was actually aiming for an Earl Grey tea bag, turned out I picked a smokey tea. Took me about 5 minutes of drinking to realise this, well after Joe asking if I was drinking a smokey tea and I was like noooooo ... apparently I was after all. I guess I wasn't full awake. 

10am // driving to an estate sale we took I-75 which is basically a freeway to test your patience and humanity levels. Otherwise known as everyone forgets how to drive and does triple lane changes. But anyway we timed it well with seeing a train passing overhead, which being a train geek I am, is always a welcome sight (we can actually hear trains honking from our house - doubly awesome). 

11 am// third photograph of my day hit while we were at our second estate sale and sadly I couldn't take any fancy photographs of the mountain of tupperware in the basement, this old piano would do.

12 pm // prior to this estate sales were kinda lacking on the score front - actually this next estate sale where we found all these vintage cookbooks was the only decent one. Not only did we find a load of cookbooks but also a load of vintage crochet and cross stitch stuff too.

2 pm // quickly glossing over the fact I forgot about the 1pm photograph, well carry on. On the way home we popped into our favorite local liquor store and did some stocking up - some gin, vodka and rum. Stereotypical packaged in a brown paper bag.

3 pm // after getting home, sorting out a vinyl we found today. Boney M will probably go over most people's head but they were a German pop group of the 1980's. They are one of my first vinyl memories growing up as a kid, my dad pretty much had all their records and I always loved playing them. They actually weren't big in America - so it's probably quite a score coming across it, although their recording of Mary's Boy Child that gets played over the festive period that they became more known.

4 pm // I love pouring through cookbooks old and new for some new inspiration, we picked up these at the estate sale I mentioned before. A girl can never have too many cookbooks I reckon.

5 pm // It was still feeling a little spring like as 5pm rolled by and we were buying a parking ticket in Ferndale, the sky was looking rather pretty too.

6 pm // so the reason why we popped over to Ferndale was to try M-Brew - a little local cafe that specialises in Michigan made products - from food to drink (as seen in the photograph enjoying a local beer), while it has a cafe feel upstairs, down in the back basement they have a collection of vintage arcade and some pinball machines. I'm hoping to get around to talking about it more in a future post.

7 pm // home and my plans for the evening - netflix, the internets and a glass of whiskey.

So that was my Saturday, how was yours?!

VINTAGE: Quirky Old Postcards

I love finding vintage postcards, I can spend so much just looking at them to googling the address of the buildings be it motel or restaurant that might be the subject upon the front just to see if they still stand - most often than not you'll just find a ab empty grown over lot, a car park or a McDonalds. 

Vintage postcards are so much more quirky then their modern, highly commercialized counterparts that we may or may not still send today. They often portray the off beat, off the road, or random local places as a form of advertising or vacation souvenir. For me, there's another reason - postcards have taught me a lot about America geographically as well as any tourist website. They are a great peek into social and local history, seeing how a place changes over time, to where people go, or at least use to go vacations and what publishers thought was worthy of sticking on a postcard in the first place. 

So I thought I'd come to share some of the more quirky and amusing postcards I've come across in my pickings.

Snow bank in North Michigan - real photograph postcard (RPPC) probably 1930's/1940's - gets a little snowy around here.

Pam Am's new 747 - the plane with all the room in the world. Pam Am, the world's most experienced airline

Princess Street in Kingson, Ontario, Canada. Postcard 1954 - loving the classic cars.

Oldsmobile Super "88" Holiday Coupe from Rogers Motor Inc., of New London CT - don't you just love her expression - I think I'd be as happy too.

The clowns at Florida's Cypress Gardens - because clowns aren't crazy enough - i'm sure this is what nightmares are made of for some.

1976 Annual American Bowling Congress Tournament, Oklahoma City because bowling is a big deal.

Bergan's Suburban Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge located along route 4 in Paramus, New Jersey. Postmarked 1955

Tulip Time in Pella, Iowa postmarked 1948 - the girl doesn't look all that impressed does she?!

Do you still send postcards?

LIFE: May Your Stockings Be Full Of All Things Dear

It's time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas as I take a step back from the blog and try to get into the festive spirit myself. 

Working in retail and now, as an expat, they both in different ways have a killed a part of the Christmas spirit for me, perhaps that and just growing older. Both make me more aware of what the true Christmas meaning, in turn how this season should be more about love, giving, donating rather than the Christmas wishlists and haul posts that seem to dominate blogging at this time.

I wish you all the best for the coming days - and i'll see you all next week after a recharge of the blogging batteries. 

A very Merry Christmas to you all!

LIFE: The Henry Ford

I guess you could say the Henry Ford is probably one of those must visit museums if you're ever in the area of south east Michigan. Noted for it's collection of many of America's notable historical pieces, the museum began it's life as the personal collection of Henry Ford (the noted automobile industrialist). Now it captures a glimpse of the industrial revolution, the history of the automobile through to pop culture and agriculture.
 

The Henry Ford over in the suburb of Dearborn was the first American museum I ever visited back in 2011, oddly enough around this time of year. Joe was having a work party there so I took to entertaining myself with the displays while he got to eat fancy food.

Driving America has to be my favorite part of the museum, they were revamping it the first time I came to this museum and now it's a well established fixture. The exhibit traces the history of how we got from horse and cart through to the cars we recognize today - how automobiles brought about the travel industry, hot rods to drive thru eating.

I wouldn't mind owning one of these classics myself.

As I mentioned, the Henry Ford has some key items from America's most recent history and the social battles for equal rights. It's home to the Presidential car JFK was assassinated in, the Rosa Parks bus and the chair Lincoln was sitting in when he too, was shot. But you'll also find the first helicopter prototype, Edison's alleged last breath in a tube to a Dymaxion House.

Always around this year, the Henry Ford is home to a gorgeous huge Christmas tree that dwarfs everything and anyone around it. With a golden glow, it's decorated with miniature toy sized vintage cars, planes and trains - it's pretty magical.

I gotta confess I love museums with historic collections, I love standing before history and seeing it for myself. I'd love to hear what your favorite museums are - wherever they are in the world!

You can find the Henry Ford at;

View Larger Map

20900 Oakwood Blvd,

Dearborn, Michigan

VINTAGE: Photographs In Old Cookbook

Odd things fall out of vintage cookbooks. Former old bookmarks made from greetings card, yellowed church service programs, wrinkled torn out recipes from newspapers to magazines, sometimes the odd photograph. More often than not there's never a reference, any description to the photograph - faces, place and events lost in time. I've taken to sharing them on my instagram because, well to me, they deserve to be shared.

A cover-less, title-less cookbook out fell an old passport photograph and tickets for a showing of Dumbo. The darkness of her lips, I can only imagine how dark and red her lipstick was!

The sticky backing of a cut out photograph found itself stuck in place in the index of an old Alice Bradley menu cookbook. I imagine it being an image capturing a couple looking down cutting a cake, an anniversary perhaps.

Then there is the photograph that started it all. When it came to unpacking a box of stock after moving, there in the bottom of a box two photographs had slide out from the pages of a cookbook - which I'll never know. Upon the reverse and along the white space of the bottom edge, a notation - revealing the names of those pictured including a Mr Ivan Harold Browning. 

An old handwritten note graces the photographs reverse - "The Brownings lived in London for more than 20 years. He was orginally one of the four Harmony Kings. He often works in pictures now". The penner notating for themselves the need for "two of these photographs" - one for them, another for Maurice (sp) - the lady to the far right of the image.

Not much can be gleamed from the internet about Browning, but enough for an outline, a mention on IMDB and a clip catching him signing upon YouTube. He was born in Brenham, Texas in 1891 and was part of the aforementioned Four Harmony Kings - a religious harmony group which formed in 1916 and appeared in vaudeville shows and continued their popular run into the 1920's. In addition, Browning appeared in Blake and Noble Sissies celebrated all black Broadway Show - Shuffle Along in 1921 and later stared in movies including Sunrise at Compobele (1960), Mr Peabody and the Mermaid (1948) and The Narrow Margin (1952). He died in California aged 87 in 1978.

And then he stood "on the terrace" all smiles. It makes you wonder the link between the photographer, the person who penned the note, how they knew Browning, how the photograph turned up in an old cookbook.

All the photographs are framed together on my desk. Some of them may be nameless, but they all have stories and I like to wonder what they all were.

MUSIC: Christmas Gifts for the Music Lover in Your Life

They tell you to blog what you know and well, we're a little obsessed about all things music and vinyl around ours. So I thought I'd compile a gift list full of ideas for young and old, male and female for Christmas (or basically any time of year) for the music lover across a range of prices (cuz ya know gift lists with everything over $60 kinda suck). 

Or just for a treat for yourself. 

And ya know what, I wouldn't mind any of these for myself ... hint ... hint.

Vinyl Record Clock - $25.00 via The Vinyl Eaters - Etsy

I gotta admit, the range of record clocks the Vinyl Eaters store has is pretty cool. All made from old records that are too scratched to play, they have a range of clocks in designs from American cityscape's (above), to bands, a Batman clock, Bobs Burgers to zombies. I think I may have to treat myself to something from this store, that's how much I'm loving it right now.

Art Prints - $69.00 via ConcepcionStudios - Etsy

Adorning the walls of our vinyl room, we have a couple of music posters related to the records and bands we enjoy listening too. This collection of three retro styled posters for Bowie, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones are pretty timeless and would certainly go well with the posters we already have. Confession - I wouldn't mind that sideboard either.

Record Cloth - $5.99 via Needledoctor

Record cloths are pretty basic I have to admit but for $5.99 it's a perfect stocking filler for the vinyl lover. Basic but a necessity if you want to keep those records nice, clean and static free for every day use.

 

Turntable Pillowcase - $28.00 via cafepress.com

Snuggle up on the dark winter nights under a blanket or jazz up your bedroom or living room with this turntable pillowcase while listening to some music of course.

Bowie Eye Test Chart - $65.00 via WastedandWounded - Etsy

Handmade limited edition retro eye test featuring a number of Bowie's stage alter egos - perfect for checking how many mulled wines you've downed on Christmas Day and perfect for adding something extra to your wall. 

Vinyl Earrings - $19.89 via LesCreationsAna Etsy

I gotta say, I would be all over these if I had my ears pierced. These earrings are manufactured from the label sections of old records, sealed in resin which makes them so shiny. Perfect is you're after a one of a kind gift.

Turntable Infant Bodysuit - $18.99 via gifts.com
Kinda wishing I knew a baby to buy this for and well, the corruption into being a vinyl lover needs to start at a young age. Plus, this turntable bodysuit is just to darn cute. Comes in a range of colours too - blue, pink green and white or basically one for 4 days of the week at least.

Personalized Vinyl Frame Record - $75.34 via Vinylvillage - NotOnTheHighStreet.com

For the personal touch how about a personalized framed vinyl. Vinyl Village can frame up any 1950 to the present day single with space for a special message. Be it the single at the top of the charts on the day you or your gift recipient were born, your first dance at your wedding or just that song that sends shivers up your other half's spine, this is an awesome gift for something extra special.

Vintage 45 Holder - $19.12 via etsy

Everyone needs somewhere to store their vintage 45's, so why not store them in this classy and pretty tartan vinyl vintage 45 case. Gotta say I'm loving the pattern on this holder!

Any music lovers in your life?!