Three Random Things

I was tagged for this meme - sharing three random things about yourself - by Tarrant at Retro-Food.com, which is a fabulous place full of astonishing retro recipes. Tarrant was one of the first retro bloggers I knew about, and I admired from afar long before Kitchen Retro was cooked up.

Anyway. Three random things, huh? Let’s see…

1.  My favorite cereal, which I am pretty sure is no longer made, was called (I kid you not) Product 19. Doesn’t that sound like a 1950s Cold War movie or something? But it was really good! Anyone else remember it?

2.  I love cardigans and own more of them than even I can believe. I also love purses and backpacks and have a lot of them. Oh, and also: backpack purses. I have nowhere to put them all but still if I see one secondhand that I like I must have it!

3. My two favorite animals are cats and - um, octopi. We have two cats - grey, green-eyed sisters - that I adore. I adore all cats though. And octopus - they are so cute and really smart, did you know that they can open a jar to get a snack, and build themselves little houses out of stuff they find? Any creature that can get snacks AND do vintage decorating is my kind of creature!

Oh, now I need to tag a few people, right? Right. So - if you want to do this, that’s cool, and if not, also cool:

Vallen at Queenly Things

Shay at Little Grey Bungalow 

Amy at I Love Retro Things

Susan at Party Meatloaf

Susan at Something From Susan

Picture of cat and jar from the amazing New York Public Library Digital Gallery.

Pictorial Review Fashions, Summer 1918

This is for Vintage Thingies Thursday over at Confessions of an Apron Queen. Because thingies are great just on their own, but vintage thingies are even better!

 

I found this in an old sewing book. I think it had been in there since 1918, so it is beautifully preserved and not yellow or anything.

And here is the inside:

This was an advertisement for a magazine called The Fashion Book. I don’t think it had to do with the big Sears store: this was printed by Benjamin Sears at his Sears Dry Goods Store in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The first Sears & Roebuck department store opened in Chicago in 1925. I was confuzzled by this at first, until I had a closer look. And checked Wikipedia.

The hats are great, and the dresses are very snazzy despite the fact that World War I was still going on. Mr. Sears does point out that “this year above all others waste must be avoided” and that you had better choose your patterns carefully. And then buy lots of dry goods and fabric from his store, of course.

Plum Spin

I was just looking around on the London Times site, and looky what dear cranky old Gordon Ramsey is making! I do believe that might be called Plum Spin. Miss Nicholl will be so pleased, though she will be frightened of him, I’ve no doubt.

Actually this looks great, and I might make it - I love yogurt. Plums are good too. Image from Wikipedia

The Grandest Chicken in the Easter Parade

It’s a little late for Easter-themed posts, but how could I pass up the chance to share this 1947 ad with you? It is from the New York Times. The ads were not all that amusing, mostly - it being the Times and all.

This is what ladies wanted to get from their beaux at Easter. The jeweled Easter egg with It’s You perfume is at the top, and would set a guy back $6.50; at the bottom is a lovely Acetate Corsage Box with Violet Essence for an even $5.

I’ll tell you what I would have liked to get - and it’s the most expensive thing, too ($8.50)! Check out the Satin Chicken (containing Blue Grass sachet) and the jeweled egg with the It’s You perfume in it. The chicken appears to be nesting on a plastic box. Egg’s not going to hatch like that. But who cares? A satin chicken  - I love it. I wish they still made them. I’d be hinting around, you know. Even the hinting would make me laugh.

This is just to get the party started - I have a couple more posts for today: a meme and a vintage show-and-tell. So I’ll be back. Have to hunt down something to show you. Hopefully something almost as great as a vintage satin chicken!