Catch Up!

This is going to be long cause I haven't had a chance to do any "ketchup" time here on my projects.  First off I must show you the gift I received from Big Daddy!  So exciting & the best part is that after 30+ years he's learned NOT to wrap an item of this sort in gift paper & put it under the Xmas tree!  Such a darling he is, and a quick learner too ;- )

And see how quickly HE learned to use it!

Yep, it's Big Daddy toiling away on the old brass & glass table I picked up a while ago.  After toiling with harsh chemicals, tiny hand sander, & scrubbing, he went to the tool shop & found THE magic tool for the job and is it looking INNNCREDIBLE!  Check it out!

It's almost all complete and looks like absolute NEW!  All "we" *wink*  need to do is put a good coat of laquer on it and it will look like the day it was born 60+ years ago.  Dang, sure wish we could put ME on the grinder & buff me up to look this great!  Yes, Big Daddy will get ALL the credit for this one.  I'm so excited to see it all back together & when that happens you'll see it too.  THANKYOU Big Daddy for your toil & devotion to this project.

Onto other little project's I've managed to finish.  First the plain little rattan sleigh I mentioned that needed a festive touch.  Here it is before.  Cute, but not a bit in the spirit of Christmas

Now it's ready for the store Christmas window in all it's new finery!  Yes, much better I think!

Then, after I'd purchased my 1950's hairspray can holder for my nostalgia room (which I'd never seen one before) I found another one (probably more from the 60's).  I was amazed to find this since I never even knew they existed & all of a sudden all these years later, here they are!  The gold on this was too gone to be pretty anymore so I got out the old spray can & gave it a pretty new look.  Here it is before (please let me explain that I have NO IDEA how to make some of these pics upright but you get the idea anyway.  If anyone knows how - PLEASE do let me know).  Before

And here's the pretty new look.  I have TONS of old, mismatched vintage jewelry & I plan to place a few tiny blings on the top of it.  Cute eh?!

And, these of course aren't projects but a few of my Thanksgiving blessings.  My helper, my granddaughter Tessa Belle

Ain't she just the cat's pajamas!  ;- )

And a super blessing - a new addition and 4 generations of McCloud girls

L - R: Great grama Joan (the tiny pillar of the Clan McCloud), my neice Melissa, Melissa's mom Cheryl and front & center our newest blessing, 2 week old Piper having a "get me outta here" moment but still absolutely adorable!

Ok, I know this is long, but hang on one more minute, k?  I'm going to do a (hopefully) weekly "shout out" for some of my new favorite Etsy stores & crafters.  I've decided this is going to be a buy AMERICAN Christmas & except for a few "must have" electronic toys for the kids I'm going to support American crafters locally & nationally as well as local small businesses.  My first salute is going to an incredible crafter who is located in eastern Sierra Nevada.  His/her shop is called NorseWest.  I adore Norse/Celtic jewelry & this person simply does a gorgeous job creating beautiful designs.  I made my first Christmas purchase from this shop.  This is not what I bought (cause I don't want to ruin the surprise) but a sample of the beautiful creations

So, if you have some time to browse, please do visit this shop & read the profile & you will see the spirit of which these designs are created from.  AMERICAN crafters & small business need our help- NOW!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving & DON'T feel as STUFFED as I still do!  I shall waddle out now.  Thank you for visiting. 

Cheerio!
Vic

  

A Love Affair With.....APRONS?!?

What?!  Me, who gets the megrams & must run for the fainting couch at the very thought of food preparation?!  But oh yes, I'm having a recent love affair with aprons.  The vintage kind.  The one's our mom's wore in the 50's & on into the early 60's or until mom passed away & we sent them all to the Goodwill or wherever, because us "modern" girls simply wouldn't ever use them.  At least that's how it was for me.  The only apron I ever owned was a novelty one given as a gift which said, "Insanity Is Hereditary - You Get It From Your Kids".  I wore it cause I thought it was funny & pretty much true but it wasn't a fashion statement.  And while I've picked up a few here & there to sell at the store I'd not really taken a good look or thought about them and noticed the HUGE variety and what a fashion statement they really were.  Even more amazing is how many of them have survived the years to be re-sold and loved again.  Oh yes, they truly were a fashion statement.  Mom had her everyday utilitarian one's that covered from shoulder to hem but when she was entertaining it was a whole other thing.  When the guests started arriving, off would come that old stained one & on would go the half one, starched & ironed with ric-rac, pretty applique pockets and the pretty bow tied perfectly in the back.  And I can remember her softly sliding her hands down the front making sure it looked perfect.  So here's a look back to a sweeter "domestic" time.

Elegant & versatile too!  (For the end of the week & you ran out of clean one's you could just flip the dirty one! ;- )

So pretty in pink! (This is the one she scrambled for when the guest's started arriving!)

Daydreams of when he gets home from earning the bread she just baked

It's gonna be a HOT time in the ol town tonight!!  Woo-Hoo!  Mama knows what rattles daddy's jingle bells (and it ain't those hot brownies he'll be grabbing for later, oh no siree ;- )

OH!  That Big Daddy - just HAS TO steal the show every time doesn't he!  But he really hates it when I get the megrams and the bruises, scratches & resulting scabbing so he pitches in now & then and not without a fashion statement of his own!  (Whata guy!)

But they really were a fashion statement weren't they, along with your pretty, new, up-to-date aqua or pink kitchen appliances

And here's one of my recent finds.  The reason I'm showing it is because of the thoughts I was having as I worked away at a tiny gravy stain, thinking maybe this happened when dad sneaked up to give her a little kiss behind the ear & scared her to death!  Did she respond in kind with a twinkle of promise in her eye, or did she whirl around & call him a sonuvabitch for ruining her BEST apron????

(Can you guess MY reaction to that fantasy??? :- )

They really were a fashion statement of the time, the occasion, and the woman herself

The End.

Cheerio!  And have YOUR best apron ready for Thanksgiving!  Who know's what surprise YOUR OWN Big Daddy will rein upon you!

Good Sunday Morning To You & Some Recent Finds

The sun is already shining at 8:27 a.m. here in sunny Sacto, CA.  Gives me hope that the temp will be warm enough to paint the old wicker sleigh today.  It's been "iffy" this week.  I've had the darn thing for a few years in it's current natural wicker color but it needs to be much more festive so bring on the Christmas red spray cans!  We're going to use it in our Christmas window display at Folsom so I must get crackin!

I've also decided that I MUST buy a new camera!  I've noted that other blogs are so much more interesting & fun because of pictures taken "on the fly" at flea markets, estate sales, and just places passing by on the journey.  I don't take those kind of pictures now because my camera is heavy & bulky & not easy to lugg around & really meant more for "photography" than just fun shots .  So, Walmart here I come for a smaller, easier to handle camera that I can just sling on my wrist & shoot with.  Well, um, maybe at this point in the season I may have to wait for Santa (Oh, I KNOW Big Daddy is "Santa"!  I caught him one time trying to sneak a blender into the house Christmas Eve.  That was of course the year he had bruises & abrasions on Christmas morning :- ) 

Had a few good "pickin" days - one was on my birthday with my old pal Linda.  Had a yummie brunch at Denny's in Cameron Park (love that place!) & headed for the hills around Placerville & Pollock Pines. We have a few favorite picking spots up that way & I adore going to the foothills & miss it when the weather gets bad & we're stuck down here in the valley.  Anyway, here's a few great finds. Some are at Folsom, some on Etsy but I love em all!

Ooo, I can SO taste that citrine martini with a little mandarin orange slice in the bottom of these glasses!

And I SO wish I were young and SKINNY again so I could have this fabric made into a fabulous 50's style halter dress for summer! 

Just simply LUUUV these Sexton kitty cats!

Just GOT TO find an old fondue recipe book & get back into it!  Yum!

An absolutely precious old needlepoint just waiting for the clever person (which I am NOT!) to make it into a pretty little pillow, or even frame it.  Too cute!

And the VERY coolest find of the week - An absolutely gorgeous Victorian era silver plate tea pot.  It's simply breathtaking in it's design.  I adore the reindeer legs & the dog on top.  A very special find for sure

So, those are a few of my recent finds.  Every picking day is an adventure, taking us to a place of no worries and things that make us feel happy.  Hope your weekend has been a great one with lots of love & happy!

Cheerio!

My Salute....

Veteran's ~ Friends & Loved One's ~ Near and Far

To ~

My Daddy ~ Daniel James Kennedy, United States Army, WWII, Italy

My dear friend Hepcat, United States Air Force

My FB Friend, Mary Everett, United States Navy Nurse

And Terrance A. Pratt, Viet Nam Vet, United States Army.  No picture but who remains a dear and close friend.

Sending my snappiest salute to all who have fought for and/or guarded our beloved freedom.  I send you my thanks.

Vic 

Who Knew?!?!?!

Wow, who knew having an Etsy store could be EXHAUSTING!  I'm tellin you, it seems to be as much work as the store at Folsom (meaning double work!).  It's a lot of work being a picker, ya know?  Whew.  Oh it all sounds real simple - just take some pics & throw them out there & the masses will appear.  Haha!  Nupe, gotta practically set up a "photo studio" to make sure all items look as appealing as possible, then filling out a long form for every item as well as an appealing description.  And OH, packing & shipping!  Whew again.  And this doesn't even include all the washing, scrubbing, ironing, etc that's always involved in re-selling vintage.  In fact right now I have two pairs of nice vintage gloves soaking in color safe bleach & one vintage apron with an oxy-paste on a gravy stain, oh, and the two other (adorable) vintage aprons I just washed & ironed, oh and....the sweet cotton Christmas table cloth still waiting to be ironed.  Waaaah!  What am I doing?!  These are my golden years - what was I thinking?!  My last marble just dropped out my left ear!!!

But as ALWAYS, Big Daddy to the rescue, if not with a blow-torch or a hazmat suit for me, then consoling, calming words of encouragement

But wait!  He has his motives.  He may look all suave & debonair (I know you're coveting - now STOPPIT!)  in those Sunday-go-meetin clothes and smelling like that old Jade East cologne he found at the estate sale last weekend, but then who wouldn't knowing what I found at that same estate sale

Oh I saw that wicked look and evil grin when I was slipped this old Magic Fingers bed massager between the mattress to make sure it still works properly & doesn't electrocute.  For you youngsters who missed the era of motor lodges with the  Magic Fingers Bed Massager feature, well, there's still a chance to experience the good ol days!  And you won't even have to put a quarter in the box for a cheap thrill!  (IMPORTANT NOTE:  - it goes between the mattress..the M-A-T-T-R-E-S-S!  I would not want to be responsible for an unfortunate event in case you're thinking of ordering! ;- ) Yessiree, they are still out there for home use!   Ho!  And he thinks I won't know when he secretly tries to order it from my Etsy store - I'll know.  So he can just take his soothing words, sexy junior prom suit, and the flowers he's no doubt planning to show up with when the thing arrives, and, well, you know :- )  He'll not pull anything over on ME!

So anyway, I've had a few good pickin days but took most of the stuff out to the store or getting it ready to go on Etsy & not yet photographed, but I have been lucky & found a couple more things for my nostalgia room which, BTW is starting to look like the Etsy Warehouse instead of my sweet nostalgia room - bummmer, but still looking sort of nice.  First thing I found is this great groovy hairspray can holder!  Gosh, we never had such a glamourous item to hold our hairspray & I'd never seen one so I never felt deprived, but I sure would have wanted one if I'd known, so now I do! 

How cool is that!  I got it at Zootsuitmama's store on Etsy.  I couldn't wait to zoom down to Walgreen's & get a can of good ol pink Aqua Net (how I would LOVE to find an old can of Carol Richards!!!).  Much to my dismay, they've updated the can (amazing it's still even around!) to look more modern and I want an OLD one darnit!  However....I do know there's a can of the old model in the restroom at the store in Folsom so I'm not discouraged.  They probably won't mind trading a full, new style can for the old model!  Stands to reason a vintage store would have a vintage can of Aqua Net in the lady's room, right?!

Also found a book to start my re-collection of my favorite girlhood reads

 I had a huuuge collection of the Whitman Publishing Co. books for young people with the shiney covers.  In good times and a LOT of hard times I lost myself for hours & days with the adventures of Donna Parker, Trixie Belden, The Bobsey Twins, and Annette (the Mouseketer).  There were many books in each series & I loved them.  And since my granddaughter is about the age I was when I had them, she is my excuse for getting them!  We can read aloud together.  Grandchildren are so great for many reasons :- )

So my friends, this is where I'm at these days, as uninspiring as it is to blog about (or read about!).  I've got several fun ideas to blog about, but gosh......who knew it would be so time consuming to be a successful business woman *snurk-snurk*.  It's actually going quite well so far.  I don't want to jinx myself or brag but it's going way better than I thought it might, so send me a *High-Five* and a wish for continued good "sale-ing" and I promise to CUT the Connie Francis music and find something else fun to talk about & listen to.  I will!  I promise!

Till next time....Cheerio!

A Pick And A Project

It was a meager picking week/weekend but here's the one thing I found last Saturday

I'm not much into white wicker & I don't like the fabric on the seat of this little hamper but it called to me so I couldn't pass it up.  My inclination is to paint it & put a different fabric (black w/pink satin seat, pink w/black satin seat....I dunno, the possibilities are endless - unfortunately my "project time" isn't so it might go to the store for someone to love as it is.

So here's what kept me chained to the sweat shop last weekend - can you see what it is???

Well I sure couldn't when I almost tripped over this pile of stuff on someone's lawn at a yard sale.  But I looked & looked at it when a man came over & asked me if I was interested.  I said "what the heck is it?!"  It was coated with at least an inch of dirt & nearly black with age but I was intrigued.  It looked like something that may have been quite beautiful at some time.  The gentleman explained to me it had been his mother's, who had bought it in the 1940's or very early 50's and it is a two-tiered brass & glass coffee table!  He'd had it in his attic for many, many years.  I could tell it was a good piece but never having restored brass before I wondered if it was salvagable.  He said he thought Brasso would clean it up.  So it became mine for ten bucks & he helped me carry all the pieces to the car.  As we were closing the trunk he said he was so glad someone was taking it that would restore & make it beautiful again.  Whoa!  Easier said than done I tell ya!

Brasso didn't budge it.  I scrubbed & scrubbed & SCRUBBED it.  Then tried Hepcat's miracle cleaner, "Awesome".  Even the Awesome didn't budge it.  Just as I was about to concede defeat & go somewhere and mope, Big Daddy to the rescue!

Along with his items of what looked to me like pure destruction!

You can't see the hazmat suit because I was wearing as I shot this picture

After using an old paint brush to apply THE most harsh varnish remover to all the pieces & wiping them all down with 000 steel wool, then using the little hand buffer for several days on all pieces (I'm exhausted re-telling this!), this is where I'm at

Waaay better eh?!  And here's the pretty little feet

See the difference!  In fact the shiney buffed one on the left is actually much shinier than it looks in this picture.

So my friends, I'm still slaving away at it & I have to go buy a little dremmel tool with tinier buffing pads to get into the small areas, but I think it will be FANNNTABULOUS when it's done.  It BETTER be doggonit!  In fact after a fairly exhaustive internet search I finally found one similar selling to the tune of SIXTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!  Holey Moley!  I won't be selling this one for such a price but it's good to know that I KNEW a "buried treasure" (& it did look like it'd been buried for 60 years!) when I see one.  Oh, and the two glass pieces are a beautiful oval beveled.  When I finally get it all done I'll bring it back to show you & preen my feathers again.  In the meantime......give me the courage to go on Lord!

Here we are at the weekend again (where on earth did the week go?!) & I wish you all the very bestest treasure hunting.  Hope y'all find a treasure like I did - WITHOUT all the work!

Cheerio!




 

Connie...

There are three “Connie’s” that I most remember from the 1950’s & 60’s – Connie Francis, Connie Stevens and Connie whats-her-name that stole my 10^th grade boyfriend.  I got him back but that’s the last time EVER that we’ll mention THAT Connie ;- ).  For now I want to feature the beautiful Connie Francis, my all-time favorite female singer. 

She was the darling of the 50’s and 60’s in America as well as in Europe and made 31 albums & 26 hit singles.  In 1960, she became the first female singer to have two consecutive No. 1 singles, both on the top for two weeks: "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" and "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own." That same year, she became the youngest headliner to sing at the Copacabana in New York City as well as in Las Vegas.  She also recorded in 15 languages.  Her most famous (and beautiful) foreign language album, to me, was “Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites”.  Of course I knew NO Italian but I could sing along with every track – phonetically.

 Early in her career, she was introduced to and fell in love with Bobby Darin but her very controlling father disapproved of him & when he learned that Darin had suggested the two elope her father ran him off at gun point & told him never to see his daughter again.  She only saw him to more times for TV programs they both appeared on and she learned sadly learned of his marriage to Sandra Dee on the radio.  She later said that not marrying Darin was the biggest mistake of her life. 

Her fabulous career included 4 movies for MGM:  Where the Boys Are (1960); Follow the Boys (1963) (the title song of which became a No. 17 Billboard single for Francis); Looking for Love (1964), and When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965).   I saw them all when they came out but recently caught “Looking For Love” on a late night classic movie channel.  It was so adorable – sweet, innocent, silly, chauvinistic -  demonstrating the spillover of the 50’s women’s roles to the not yet women’s movement of the later 60’s.  It was a very confusing time & I remember it well.  And it was a time when women were still dressing to the nines and oh my, the clothes worn in that film were to DIE for!  Connie was also recognized for the gorgeous fashions she always appeared in.

Some of the beautiful "looks" of Connie Francis

Her later life was filled with heartbreak and tragedy.  She was brutalized and raped in 1974.  She had 4 failed marriages, and was plagued with chronic depression which hospitalized her many times and kept her from performing for many years.    In 1989, she resumed her performing career. Her most recent CD The American Tour (2004) contains performances from recent shows. In late December 2004, Francis headlined in Las Vegas for the first time since 1989. In March and October 2007, Francis performed to sold-out crowds at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. She appeared in concert in Manila, the Philippines, on Valentine's Day 2008. In 2010, she also appeared at Las Vegas Hilton.  If I’d known she was in Vegas last year I would have BEEN THERE!  My "bucket list" will never be complete until I can see this incredible lady perform.

Unfortunately & incredibly, as of this writing she is still not in the rock & roll hall of fame,  yet she was the first female pop star worldwide.  She has also done a lot of work for victims' rights since her rape in the '70s.

So for now, while I’m working on my current project, it’s going to be Connie Francis week here at Sponge Curlers & I will feature some of my favorite tunes by her on my playlist.  I hope you enjoy them too.  I have gleaned all information from Wikipedia, and added some of my own comentary.   

Have a GREAT treasure hunting weekend!

Cheerio!