Decennial MHICTY: The Lost Episode

Welcome again guests! 

 For today's special My House Is Cuter Than Yours 10 year blogiversary series, I am sharing a "lost episode" of a post I did in 2006.

I have many partial draft posts sitting on the shelves getting dusty because they are crappy.  But this post is different because it was complete and decent.  I just never posted it because I thought Sarah and I would post them the same day together but somehow we just never did.  I think it has to do with my cookies being ugly and she didn't want me to live with that embarrassment!

It's a Cookie Exchange!

Sarah and I have several of the same vintage cookbooks and decided to do a cookie exchange. We each picked out a recipe from Good Housekeeping's Book of Cookies (1951) to make for the other and look at this:

Hers for me

(l-r: Crinkles and Walnut Clusters):

Mine for her
(middle:Prickly Butter Balls, outer circle: Mocha Jumbles)

Not only did we both do two recipes, but the cookies we picked out for each other look very similar! Creepy! Ha ha! As you can see, her cookies are much more beautiful than mine... I have cookie envy! I don't understand how she got the sugar on the top of hers to look so nice and mine looks all half assed. Also understand that the reason her plate of cookies looks bare is because that's all of the dang things I had left! Too many got eaten up before I realized I didn't have a picture of them!

In the "packaging up your cookies" area of the cookbooklet I saw the image below and thought "What the....!?" Are those cotton balls? and are they gluing them on a coffee tin ...for decoration? Hell yeah!

So I made my own cotton ball adorned container to ship Sarah's cookies in. I knew she would appreciate it and it's dorkiness!

Here are the recipes for the two sets of cookies I made and her recipes can be found here (2015 update note: a link for "here" was what I was waiting for). Of all the cookies, I have to say that the Crinkles she made are really really good and I recommend them highly.

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The Recipes:

Read all instructions first!

(The above is a basic recipe, to make the prickly butter balls apply the edit below to it:)

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(The dough for this one needs to refrigerated for a day before cookies are made)

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I can now sleep at night knowing that the world has the option to whip up their very own batch of prickly butter balls along with having the knowledge about storing them in a hand crafted cotton ball adorned old coffee tin.

Next Up...polka dots and Geiger counters.

Decennial MHICTY: 15 Minutes of Fame

Autographs...Well if I must.

Hello there friends!  Welcome to the fifth installment of the Decennial My House Is Cuter Than Yours 10 year blogiversary retrospective and more! A series of my favorite rewinds and such...all leading to a big Gala event!

This post is about my couple of brushes with international fame.

The first was being a craft tutorial contributor for a 2007 released UK published book called The Crafter Culture Handbook.  It's a hefty sized book of about 300 pages and 50 projects.  There are several decent crafters represented within the contributors.  I am not a name dropper though... 

I came up with a scrap craft that involved turning the front and back of a super cute Jiffy box into a memo pad.

Retro Crafty Memo Pad

You can still buy the book on Amazon...used for .36 cents! That's quite a bargain!

But as my gift to you, just click the memo pad link for my tute online for zero cents.

The next brush of fame I had was within the same month in 2007.  I was featured in a new and now defunct magazine called Creative TECHniques.  A really neat magazine on how to mesh digital and hands-on crafting together.  

The article was about Craft Culture and where to find the best ideas, material, inspiration. 

I was listed in the blog area as:

"A snappy retro celebration of housewifery.  Old school crafting with new school attitude!  This blog is hosted by groovy-keen Mary, a hipster chick who rocks her cat eye specs and punk aprons with style."

My photo was featured of me wearing my Smock Apron which was my submission for the May 2006 Tie On One Apron challenge.  I made it out of a vintage pillow case.

As I said earlier, this magazine is not being made anymore so you will have to pick up back issues at a yard sale.

Next up....My House Is Cuter Than Yours...The Lost Episode!

Decennial MHICTY: Swapatorium

Hello there friends!

Welcome to the fourth installment in the My House Is Cuter Than Yours 10 year blogiversary!

If I could pick the activity I participated in with this blog that was my most favorite it would have to be guest blogging on a super awesome site called Swapatorium.  Swapatorium was a lovely 'junk drawer' blog of old photos, ephemera, and weird stuff.  I was asked to recreate and write about vintage recipes that had a bit of a gag reflex factor, you know, to do the technicolor yawn, to blow chow, to summon the earl...

I can't give you a link to Swapatorium because it is now 'by invite only'. I lost contact with the site owner so even I don't know the super secret word to get into the club.  Luckily, I would re-posted the entire entry on MHICTY calling it "Leftovers" or I wouldn't have access to these posts anymore.  I have discovered while going through back entries that there are at least two posts that didn't get served up as leftovers. It makes me feel kinda like I let someone borrow my newest copy of my most favorite magazine, Crafty Crap, and I only got to look through it once.  They never gave it back and back issues aren't available. Crafty Crap has the slimmest chance of showing up at a yard sale as do my past posts...because, well, it's not a real magazine but hopefully you get what I am putting down.

No reason to cry over split hot dog juice...Let's enjoy what we do have!
Hope your not hungry,  because you appetite is about to be displaced!

Merry Cherry Scary Make Ahead Delight

The interesting thing about this dish is the putrid pink color that was not digitally enhanced for your displeasure but happen on it's own!

Lets Make Pie

Prunes? Or Cockroaches?  You decide.

My, That's A Huge Wedge O Pie

The pie on it's own is not visually disturbing but the image from the magazine was.  Click the link to see for yourself.  I also thought it was interesting that the recipe was brought to us by a chewing gum that is not used in the dish at all.  Which would have been weird but so up my alley!


It's Broiled and I'm Calling It Dinner

Keep your eyes shut while eating this!

Oh! The Things You Can Do With Wieners!

How wieners and sculpture can become one.


Eggs La Kang

Ready to cash in a round trip meal ticket?



Savory Salmon Slime

A cruel and vile punishment involving canned salmon.


It's ok... You can be excused from the table.

Next up, control the paparazzi!

Decennial MHICTY: What's Cooking?

Hey Good Lookin'? What's Cookin'?

Welcome to the third installment in the My House Is Cuter Than Yours 10 year blogiversary retrospective and more!

Today we are taking a spin back to 2006 where a fellow friend, Sarah, and I started our own swap! 

The best swap that could ever be! An Apron and Recipe card swap!

"Why, it's a friendly little apron swap and recipe exchange!  This swap is as easy as sewing up an apron and gathering some recipes to be put on homemade cards for another such domestic as yourself.  Piece of cake, right? And to spice things up a bit each swap has a distinctive theme.  So, please, won't you join us and be our guests at our little swap party?"

Sarah and I met through flickr and shared a love of vintage housewife-ness and of course, aprons! 

Swaps were very popular and we wanted to have one with our interests being addressed!

Sarah and I called ourselves the hostesses of the party/swap.  Part of the fun was you had to keep it a secret from the person you were making for, but we encouraged stalking their blog to find out more about them.

The first theme was called "Tried and True".  

The apron needed to be utilitarian and the recipes made from basic ingredients. 

Here is the apron I made for my person whose name was Mary Ann.  She and I became pretty good friends and had the same birthday!  She was also into vintagey stuff so it was fun making these items for her.

 As with all swaps, adding a little extra in the package is always fun.  I made a matching headband as the little bonus.

The Recipe Cards

The requirements of the swap were to send along 2 recipes that you have found to be "tried and true".  Mine were for Cucumber Salad and Chicken with Rice.  The added bonus I made for this set was a recipe card cook book with plastic sleeves to place the cards (and future ones) in.  I covered the front with fabric left over from the apron and attached a print of a vintage 'in the kitchen' image.

The apron I got was from one of my favorite bloggers, Amanda Button.  She has a real knack with embroidery.  The apron's previous life was a skirt Amanda said she wore at punk shows in mosh pits. Cool!! Off to the left you see the chain wallet feature? It has measuring spoons on it!  So fun!

Amanda sent me a slew of extra stuff too...5 recipe cards, a matching pot holder, a bonus vintage apron, and a bunch of cds of saucy music from the 1920/30/40's.

Best to go to this here post to see everything!

The What's Cookin' Apron and Recipe Swap ran for three rounds.  I was a part of the first round completely (helped with the swap details and participated in the swap).  I started back to school during the second round so I dropped down to just assisting with the details.  At the last round I had to bow out completely due to my school load.

The swap was a lot of fun and good memories.  Sarah and I are still friends.  We don't keep in close contact but it's one of those things that if I sent her an email now we would just pick up like it was yesterday!

If you venture to the sidebar on the right of this blog you can still see the working archaeological remains of the What's Cookin' link button still present today.  I have no plans of removing it from it's natural habitat.

Next up...a reason to wear an apron, bib, or trash bag!

Decennial MHICTY: Craft A Long

Hello there!
And welcome to the second installment in the
My House Is Cuter Than Yours 10 year blogiversary retrospective and more!

Because of my love of all things vintage housewife, in early blogging years, I participated in a fun monthly apron craft along that is now defunct.

Tie One On

Each month had a new theme that I would put my own spin on.
To read more about any of the aprons click the links!

Home on the Range Apron

The first apron I made and first time with embroidery.


Pink Lemonade Apron

I wasn't too keen on this theme but worked it best I could.

Mini Me Apron

Me and Daisy!


Tea Towel Apron

Halloween represent!


Mixed Media Apron

This apron theme had to have no common apron making materials like...thread and fabric.  I made this apron from black trash bags, staples, and plastic spiders.


Holiday Apron

This photo was on the home page of Tie One On as the intro on this theme, which I was thrilled about!  I made this apron from a vintage Christmas tree skirt.


Apron from Clothes

I apparently fancied myself Pin Up material.  I made this apron from under garments: vintage garter belt and parts of a nightgown.


Apron for a Dolly Type Friend

More Halloween! And it was actually March!


Smock Apron

I loved how this apron turned out and loved the photos!  The apron is made from a vintage pillow case.  It is still one of my favorite aprons.


Apron themed after a Musical

This was the last theme I participated in but at least I went out with a bang!  I choose the musical "Nightmare Before Christmas" with a Sally-esque thing going on.  I think it was really suppose to be broadway musicals but I liked bending the rules to my liking.  The photo shoot was appropriately at a cemetery.


I apron-crafted-along until I went back to school and didn't have the time.  I really enjoyed the challenge of how could I make the theme work for me...either vintage inspired or creepy!  I also discovered my love for setting up staged photos that continues to the present.
Such as this more recent apron escapade :

Next up on the MHICTY Decennial...something else apron-ish!

Decennial MHICTY: Sit A Spell!

Hello Friends!

Come on it!  I was expecting you!

Help yourself to some canned meat munchies and refreshing tomato juice!

Now have a seat, I covered all the furniture in vinyl slipcovers because I knew you were coming over.  Let's not have a repeat from Aunt Martha's retirement party ok?!  I liked to never get that Aspic Glazed Lamb Loaf out of the carpet!

Welcome to the first installment in the My House is Cuter Than Yours 10 year blogiversary retrospect and more!

For the first post I thought I would do a little interview...of myself!  

A Frequently Asked Question kinda thing, but that would have to mean I have had questions asked of me in the first place... I am sure I will cover a burning question that has been on someone's mind.

Well, let's get started... Once those appetizers get cold it's not pretty.

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Why did I start this blog?

I started this blog to have someplace to document all of my delightful dishes, crafty endeavors, thrifty finds and domestic undertakings! Sounds familiar, right? 

I wanted to be a part of the online crafty crowd, participate in swaps/craft-a-longs, and maybe make a few friends.  I also had previously followed a few blogs and thought.."I can do that!"  So, My House Is Cuter Than Yours was conceived! 

About that blog title...Where did that come from?

 I am a bit of a snarky kinda gal.  I love humor like Anne Taintor:

The statement: "My house is cuter than yours." sounds like something a mid-century housewife would brag about to her fellow bridge club friends. I also like that the title can cover anything that I think is fun or cute, it doesn't have to be limited to house decor.

I don't really think my house is cuter than yours....but it is cuter than Clara's...and Barbara's...and Gladys'....

What was blogging like 10 years ago?
Blogging ten years ago is a lot different from today.  When I first started, fellow bloggers become actual friends that would frequent each other's blogs on a regular basis. It was kinda like having each other over for tea and cookies.  The web is now saturated with so many blogs that it doesn't allow much time for anyone to sit a spell, visit, or leave a comment.  I had a few lean blogging years and lost contact with most of those friends along with missing out on the "Sponsor My Blog" fad.

What about those years that had only a few minuscule posts?
During those lean years I was going through a lot of personal issues.  Not to get into the finer details but I went through a horrific divorce, lost friendships of people that I thought would always have my back, time for myself, and my house.  I didn't post much during that time because I didn't have much to enjoy and share.

Why do you still keep the 'house' running after 10 years?
Life goes on and slowly things started to shift to were I was in a more positive mind frame and just being able to have the time to create and have something 'blog-worthy" to post about.  PB has been a large part of it.  He is always cheering me on with beating the number of posts I do each year.  I remarried last year and my husband is also a huge supporter of MHICTY.  Case in point.  He is always game for what ever weird/fun idea I have.  MHICTY has become something I now do for myself and family.  It's my online scrapbook of best of times. I love to "flip' through the pages to relive things I have done or places we have gone.

Can I give out some hints of what to expect in the future decennial posts?
Sure I can!  I still need to write them but plans are to highlight some of my favorite things I was involved in over the years.  A bunch of  "Rewinds" and a then huge gala event on the actual blogiversary date, June 23.  I don't want to drop names but expect to be mingling with some red carpet kinda folks....That's enough for now, you'll just have to stay tuned!


Would you like a to-go bag for those appetizers?  I am sure you didn't eat them because of how pulled into the enthralling and riveting conversation we were having!

Decennial: My House Is Cuter Than Yours

Gladys, did you here?

Here what, Ruth? Spill it!

My House Is Cuter Than Yours is turning 10 years old!

Well, I do declare! I guess I owe you a shiny quarter!  I never thought it would make it that long! 

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Me either, Gladys! 

 For the next ten posts I am going to have a bit of a retrospective with favorite stuff of mine from the MHICTY archives along with a few other tidbits. Everything will then finish up with a huge gala event on the big day!  You might want to start shopping for a really nice hostess gift for me.  Ruth has hinted about getting me one of those can openers with a mini umbrella attached...you know, so my hand won't get wet when I am opening cans in the rain!

Opie's Lemonade Piedding

When life gives you Lemonade pie that won't set you make Lemonade Piedding!

I found a recipe in my copy of Aunt Bee's Mayberry Cookbook for "Opie's Lemonade Pie".

It only called for a few ingredients. Just mix together and put in a pre-made pie crust. I can handle that!

The problem occurred when I foolishly followed the instructions:

"Chill for 2 hours"

I chilled for 2 hours in the refrigerator and then when that was not successful for setting, I chilled it in the freezer for 3 hours.

The consistency still remained as a weak pudding.  

Pudding!? Well, so be it!  I choose to call it Piedding though! To make your own start by crumbling some of the graham cracker crust on the bottom of the glass.  Then layer with the lemonade mixture. Lastly, top with some graham cracker crust crumbs.

It is super yummy! As Flora would say.

Opie's Lemonade Pie

1 8-oz carton of Cool Whip

1 6-oz can frozen lemonade concentrate

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 9-inch graham cracker crust 

In a large bowl combine cool whip, lemonade, and sweetened condensed milk, blending well.  Pour the mixture in the crust, and chill till firm, about 2 hours*.

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I have since looked online to see about another variation of this dessert and it appears that the milk should be chilled, everything shouldn't be blended well but folded, and put in the freezer for overnight.  But I still liked my take on it because who wants to wait overnight for pie?

*Lies!

For more of my Mayberry inspired recipes:

Wallpaper Paste and Moulages

Applesauce Cake

Donut day!

Today is National Donut Day! Celebrate it by stopping by Krispy Kreme for a FREE donut of your choice!

Here are a couple of past donut posts for calorie free enjoyment!

Donut Cookies

Make Donut Sundaes!

You don't get a waist like this by eating the donuts..you must wear them like pirate patches!

School's Out!

PB's elementary years are now officially over. It has been very special and important for me to be involved in his classrooms. Here is a long post/trip down elementary memory lane! As I mentioned at the beginning of the year I was going to be a major contender.  It's time to dish. I started this year by taking on doing room parenting for two class rooms which wound up being 42 kids (PB had 2 teachers... let's call them Ms. Cabana and Mr. Surf).  Back story on this is that I was planning on just co-room parenting with another parent for just Ms. C since she was PB's primary teacher.  Ms. C was the only fifth grade teacher that even had anyone sign up to be room parent.  This other parent suggested that we do the room parenting for Mr. S because the kids switch classes between the two.  I was extremely hesitant.  But I was trusting he would follow through...this did not quite happen.   

 I pushed through, setting up and maintaining two email accounts, setting up and maintaining online sign-ups for parties and activities, coming up with the ideas for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Teacher Appreciation, teacher's birthdays, and End of the year parties for both classes. I made items and decorated for both of the parties, along with cleaning them up.  I spent hours coming up with art activities for holidays to be used in several collaborative hallway displays which I set up. I also volunteered at least one day a week to make copies, staple together tests, etc for both teachers.  And believe it or not, I wouldn't have traded any of it for anything.  I had several excellent parents/family members that always signed up to send stuff in and help at the parties so I wasn't completely solo.

This was the first time I was the official room parent for any of PB's classes.  I have however been a volunteer for all of his classes best I could around my work schedule. Because this experience has been so important to me I am going to highlight some of my favorite stuffs over the years:

In kindergarten I volunteered an entire day a week to help the kids at the art table (loved it!).  I also helped with parties and plays.  I made a set of worldly outfits for a stuffed penguin that 'travels the world' through a story book with a new destination each day.   PB's kindergarten teacher was so much fun.  She just recently showed me her little penguin and told me how much she looks forward to showing him and his outfits to her classes every year.  I also arranged a grant for her classroom to have pets (fish).

In first grade I wasn't needed as much in the classroom, so I came up with activities on my own to do with the kids that worked with lessons they were learning .  Once I read the kids a book about earthworms, I also brought them real live earthworms to experience, then Terrarium Cupcakes to eat.  I also did something similar with the book The Twits by Roald Dahl that may be my most favorite of all time activity.  This school year was the first time I read and did an activity with the kid's for Halloween with the book, "Bone Soup".

In Second grade I was the assistant to the room parent.  She and I did so many fun things for the kid's class parties.  On Halloween, we set up 4 stations where they rotated through decorating their own monster cupcakes, using a scale and measuring cups to make monster munch trail mix, mixing up oobleck, and making blow paint monsters with googly eyes.  At Christmas, she and I made 3D mat-board houses for the kids to decorate with icing and candy similar to ginger bread houses. For the last day of school we had a waffle bar with an array of toppings.  We also made mother's day clay pendant fingerprint necklaces. Here is Teacher Appreciation Week 2012 for that year.

Third grade...let's not talk about that year.  The teacher did not like Halloween (you see the problem?!) and I had to beg her to please let me read Bone Soup to the kids.  Other than that, I made copies, helped a bit with a basket for a fundraiser.  I also did alot of sewing for the drama productions. My work schedule started to become overwhelming this year so time was an issue for me. 

Fourth grade.  I loved PB's teacher but my work schedule was beyond overwhelming.  I never made one copy for his teacher the entire year because of this.  I did help by volunteering at all the class parties. 

And I did get to do an excellent rendition of  Bone Soup (2013) with the kids.

Fifth grade...As I wrote about above.  It was on.  My wonderful husband knows how much all of this means to me and how I hated missing out on it the two previous years. He and I worked toward getting our ducks in a row so I could leave my job and spend more time with him, PB, and the school.

I have collected a few posts about some of the activities from this year:

Teacher Appreciation Week Cake 2014

Bone Soup 2014
Spook-tivities
School of fish cupcakes
Big Dills!
Pickle Jello
Smart Cookies
Viva Los Teachers!
Fan-Stache-tic Teachers

Aloha End of the Year Party

I didn't blog about everything that I was involved with this year including but not limited to: Thanksgiving activities,  huge hullabaloos of Tacky Christmas parties and activities, Valentine parties with games/contests/awards, impromptu ice cream socials, fundraiser baskets, costume sewing,  a pet for the classroom (snake), hours spent coming up with teacher appreciation ideas and working with the kids on these ideas and several other miscellaneous things that I am sure I am forgetting ..,all for 2 classes.  I think I baked almost 200 cupcakes this past school year.  But it was worth it, PB loved everything I did.  PB and I have known most of these kids since kindergarten and won't see them in middle school.  It was a bit emotional on the last day having to say goodbye to them and to the school. But life goes on, we all have to move forward. Let's see what the future holds.