Hope you're enjoying much good cheer on this festive New Year's Eve!

Wishing you all the best for the new year!

See you in 2011!

Holiday Greetings...

Warmest Wishes for a Wonderful Holiday
and a Bright New Year
from Miss CherryBubbles and Past Life!

And, oh my goodness, I see that I've got 97 followers now, and you know what that means...
it won't be long until I host a fabulous 100-followers giveaway!

Stay tuned...

Do you remember ribbon candy?

Ribbon candy always brings fond memories of my childhood Christmases!


Along with a few other old-timey candies, my family always included ribbon candy in the holiday candy dish. It's not the easiest candy to eat without shattering the "ribbon", but it's so colorful and differently-shaped from any other type of holiday candy. According to a history of ribbon candy at eHow.com, the striped pleated confection has been around since 1856 and was invented by the F. B. Washburn candy company in Massachusetts. The Sevigny brand of ribbon candy pictured above is now owned by F. B. Washburn too.

I always wondered how it was made, so I did a little looking around on this new-fangled computer internet to see what I could see.

Note: You can pause the music by clicking the pause button on the red music player in the right sidebar.

Here's how Hilliard's House of Candy makes theses lovely treats...




And here, the ribbon candy is made entirely by hand...



What holiday candy stirs your childhood memories?

Like the Pages of a Calendar...

Time is passing so quickly that I forgot all about my 2011 calendar hunt!

I usually end up looking online or in a big bookstore for interesting vintage-related or retro calendars that I can write all those calendar-y things on. But that's not quite as much fun as hunting for at least one actual vintage calendar for a year that corresponds to the upcoming one - that way all the days fall on the right date. In the case of 2011, the corresponding years are 1910, 1921, 1927, 1938, 1949, 1955, or 1966.

So, come browse along with me now - we've got no time to lose...


Feeling secretarial? How about this 1949 "silent secretary" daily calendar from SarahAnntiques on Etsy?


Or here's an exotic 1966 Australian aboriginal carvings print linen calendar from HeyFriends on Etsy...


Perhaps you would prefer the pretty rosy-cheeked girl illustration on this 1921 Nucoa butter calendar from christmasangel on Etsy?


Now, if you're partial to poodles, here's a 1966 cute calendar from Ebay seller bungalowblondie1...


Methinks there's monkey business going on in this wacky 1955 cartoon monkeys calendar from Ebay seller tmorris2...


And of course, who doesn't love to look at a lovely lady like the one gracing this 1949 pinup calendar from grapefruitmoongallery on Ebay?



Last, but not least, one could always opt for a vintage perpetual calendar!


Bowling theme perpetual calendar from rarefinds4u on Etsy...


Or how about this sleek, mod flippy perpetual calendar from take2vintage on Etsy?

Who knew marking the passage of time could be so much fun?

So, do you still use good old-fashioned calendars or do you keep track of time the new-fangled electronic way?

Grandma's Thanksgiving Dinner...

As I was perusing my November 1938 and 1939 Good Housekeeping magazines recently, I thought it would fun to put together a "Thanksgiving dinner" using the old-timey advertisements and photos. Something that struck me while in the process of choosing my menu items was that some of the brands available to Grandma in the 1930s are still available today. Do you recognize or use any of these?

First, we must find recipes in the Settlement Cookbook ("the way to a man's heart").


Now, don't forget to season your stuffing before you put it in the bird at 5:00 am!

Ah, who can resist the lovely jewel-like glow of cranberry sauce?

And don't those niblets look nummy?

Turkey in the straw? No, turkey on the table.


To keep your turkey from trotting off the platter, you might want these anchor carving pins.


Do you suppose he's got anchor carving pins? Or is he just that good?


It MUST be true, because Flako's got the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval!

Speaking of pie... my favorite is good old-fashioned pumpkin, but the one shown here with Brazil nuts sounds interesting. What's your favorite?

Well, I don't know about you, but I feel stuffed! And I keep humming "Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go"....

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Little Something for Veteran's Day...

To veterans of all the wars, Thank You for your service!

Here's a little musical celebration, vintage style, in honor of this day...

A Great Big Thank You!

...to ArtDecoDame and Lady Luck!

A little while back, ArtDecoDame at Pretty Little Things blog hosted a fabulous giveaway to celebrate reaching 300 followers... and, oh my goodness, Lady Luck smiled on Miss CherryBubbles! My name was drawn as the winner! Now, just see all the swell vintage things that arrived in the mail one day...

The black floral hat is just gorgeous and the petal hat is too fun! I've used the lovely corde purse for a couple special occasions and worn the bracelets (separately, I might add) several times to work or just about town. But, oddly enough, I think my favorite thing is the leafy handkerchief. I'm a complete sucker for anything with autumn leaves!

Thank you, ArtDecoDame! You're the most!


Sophisticated lady? No, but she plays one on tv.


Now, hold still, Mr. Lucky, and blow.

She Was a Creature of the Night...

and she was waiting for her Count to awaken from his sunlight sleep...


In honor of Hallowe'en, I thought I'd share one of my favorite vintage photos, purchased years ago when my collection was meager. I love how the photo portraits of the 1920s and 1930s evoke so much "atmosphere." This one, in particular, has always fascinated me - from the amazing velvet gown that looks like midnight on a moonless night to the wall sconces that almost appear to be dripping and the mist outside the door with the swirling scrollwork. Is it any wonder that I hear Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake whenever I look at this photo?

Okay, who's up for watching Dracula (the 1931 version, that is) now? ;)

Wishing you all a haunting Hallowe'en and a spirited Samhain!

Fall Foliage and Antiques Make a Winning Combination!

I've often wondered why "leaf peeping" and "antique-hunting" go so well together....

On our way to the apple orchard a couple weekends ago, we made a stop at one of our favorite little country antique shops, Dokter's Treasures & Trees. The neat thing is that it is a tree farm in addition to an antique shop. In fact, we get our Christmas tree here every year. But let's not think about the winter holidays just yet. I'm still enjoying the beauty of autumn!

I thought I'd share some of our photos of Dokter's wares, the fall foliage, and a few interesting sights from our autumn excursion...

Oddly enough, I have green lawn chairs similar to those in the photo.

This gives new meaning to "outdoor hot tub."

On the table of goodies in the background, I found a black feather chignon clip still in its original round clear plastic box!

It seems somehow more substantial than a "clip."

A bit of fall decor next to the doorway to the shop.

Since there were quite a few people inside this tiny shop, I didn't take any indoor photos. However, there were lots more good things, as well as a refreshment table with apple cider, donuts, and cookies.

We also found a couple yard sales on our sojourn. I didn't see anything to buy at the first one, but they had these adorable little burros in the pasture just waiting for their picture to be taken.

And somewhere along the way, we spotted this tiny vintage camper hiding way back in the woods.

A bit spooky, don't you think?

Geese, who will soon be winging their way south.

And here are the vintage goodies I brought home from the antique shop and one of the yard sales.

Cookie cutters and head gear - does that seem an odd combination to you too?

Speaking of odd, I'll leave you with a photo of my swell bumpy pumpkin, acquired at the apple orchard we visited...

I love my weird pumpkin - can you tell?

A Few of My Favorite Fall Things...

One of my favorite vintage magazine covers includes a few of my favorite fall things...

McCall's, September, 1944

...going to an orchard for apples and cider, seeing the sky a shade of blue that only happens in autumn, having a fun fall outing as a reason to wear cute overalls and braids.

This weekend, my mister and I will be off on our annual October excursion for apples, cheese, maple syrup, and hopefully a bit "leaf-peeping" (see this post about our swell lunch stop on last year's trip). At the moment, the fall foliage isn't too fabulous in this area. The recent rain knocked most of the leaves off the trees that had already turned, but I must say, I'm still hopeful.

Our autumn excursion always includes stops at Jayne's Orchard, LeRaysville Cheese Factory, and Back Achers Farm, as well as an interesting lunch spot. In past years, we've sometimes just stopped at a roadside rest to enjoy a snack of apples, cheese, and cider. Yum!

One of my most favorite fall things is seeing the asters in bloom. I love the purple petals with the yellowish-orange center. Here's one of the spots in my yard where I have asters blooming even as we speak...

Hope you're enjoying this autumn season too, wherever you may be!

Experiment...in...Pancakes!

Tastier than an Experiment in Terror, don't you think? Okay, okay, let's just say they're equally tasty. ;)

Yesterday, I bought a small jug of locally-made apple cider, thinking only of enjoying a nice cold glass of the autumn manna. Then, an idea came to me... Apple Cider Pancakes! Could it be done?

After searching a bit online, I only came up with apple cider pancake recipes that called for "pancake mix" or Bisquick. Well, I'm more of a "from-scratch" kinda gal, so I thought why not experiment with one of my tried and true vintage cookbook recipes.

I started out with the pancake recipe that I normally make for Sunday breakfast - Sweet Milk Griddle Cakes from my oft-used and well-loved The Lily Wallace New American Cookbook (copyright 1941, 1943, 1947, 1950).


Now, here's my Apple Cider Pancakes version...

2 cups flour
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on your preference)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons maple sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups apple cider
1 egg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Mix and sift (yes, I do sift - makes a lighter texture!) flour, salt, baking powder, maple sugar, and cinnamon. Mix together beaten egg, cider, and melted butter. Combine with dry mixture and mix well. Drop by tablespoons or pour from a swell vintage batter bowl (the kind with a spout) onto hot griddle (greased well if it isn't cast-iron, otherwise grease lightly). Brown on both sides. Serve hot with butter and real maple syrup (I also think a ginger syrup, blackberry syrup, or cinnamon syrup would be tasty).


As much as I love my well-seasoned round cast-iron griddle, someday I'd like to have either a vintage stove with a "griddle in the middle" or a vintage six-burner stove that I can use a two-burner-sized rectangular griddle on. But, it'll do for now. ;)

Here come the bubbles...


Nicely browned, although I think the cider and/or the maple sugar make the pancakes a darker shade of brown than the usual milk/white sugar recipe...


Sage & Thyme Chicken Sausages (organic, even) for "on the side"....


Now that's a fine fall feast fit for family and friends...

Happy October!

Apple Cider: Jayne's Orchard, West Auburn, PA
Maple Syrup: Back Achers Farm, Rome, PA

Lovely Giveaway at Pretty Little Things... and an upcoming giveaway here. ;)

My pal, ArtDecoDame, over at Pretty Little Things is hosting a fabulous (and I mean fabulous!) giveaway in honor of reaching the 300-follower mark.

It's no surprise that she's got so many followers - after all, ArtDecoDame's blog is always a fun read! So, go check it out and enter the giveaway. And don't forget to take a peek at her shop on Etsy - you're sure to find treasures you can't live without.


And now, I must apologize to my readers for neglecting my blog over the past month. I recently started a part-time job at a historical society, have been busy with my freelance work, and am just getting over a nasty sore throat/cold/sinus/virus thingy. At least 2 out of the 3 were "good" reasons. ;) Thank you all for hanging in there...

...and, oh my goodness, I see that I've reached 90 followers. That means I'll be hosting a giveaway when that number reaches 100. I've already got a few ideas for giveaway items, so...

Stay Tuned!

I Sing the Body Eclectic... Part One

When it comes to old-timey stuff, I tend to be eclectic. There are so many fantastic styles of clothing, decor, music, cars, housewares, etc. that I've never been able to settle on one particular era as my favorite... and I don't think that's such a bad thing. After all, didn't someone say that "variety is the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor?"

I thought that, every so often, I'd highlight my eclecticism in a particular area of vintage. This "Part One" post is about music. While I actually enjoy songs and artists from just about every era/genre, here are some of my favorites, and this is just a drop in my musical bucket....

The Boswell Sisters



Astrid Gilberto & Stan Getz



Benny Goodman Orchestra



The Ventures



Les Baxter



Al Bowlly



Collins Kids



Booker T and the MGs



Bert Kaempfert



Three Dog Night



Jimmie Lunceford



France Gall



Arlo Guthrie



John Lee Hooker



Eddie Cochran



Well, you get the idea...

Now, what about you?
Do you prefer a particular era or genre of music or do you sing the body eclectic?

Heartin' for Tartan...

and you thought I was going to say "mad for plaid."

1915 photo of my great aunt Ruth at about age 3 in full Scottish regalia.

I'm not sure why, exactly, but there's always been a place in my heart for plaid, or if we prefer to be proper, tartan. Maybe my Scottish roots are showing... or perhaps it's related to my love of autumn, when the crisp air says, "colorful wool skirt or jacket." Maybe it's a little of both. ;) Whatever the reason, I thought I'd share some kicky plaid items I happened upon while window shopping on Etsy...

A swell plaid umbrella from ReKindled Cottage...


A fun plaid picnic jug from OraGraceVintage...


The ever-popular Pendleton 49er in red & grey plaid from TopsyDesign...


Nifty plaid & black wedge shoes from AvantGarb...


Perky plaid kerchief from VintageDove...


A neat plaid overnight case from CircleCreekHome (and I might add, plaid inside and out)...



Pretty plaid 30s dress from SnootieSeconds...



And last, but not least...

A plaid book all about the clans and tartans of Scotland from Junquete...

I don't know about you, but now I'm feelin' plaid all over.