Handbags and Hats

I happened upon a bunch of old knitting, crochet, and doily making booklets at the thrift today.  I don't know how to do any of those things and looking at the instructions makes me think rocket science may be easier.  But I do like to look at the pictures and think I may one day figure it out.  I restrained myself and only bought 6.  (I put 25 back).  When I put them back another lady had a stack of ones that I never saw in her buggy.  What?!  Where did you get those?!  I guess I must have over looked them... Anyway, I handed her my rejects and all said she checked out with a total of 58!  I was bummed that I didn't see the ones that she snagged before me because she had a 1940's Mend for Victory booklet in her clutches.  She was nice enough to let me look at it.
But moving on....I did get 6 pretty cool ones.  I am going to post some of the highlights from each one...starting with "Handbags and Hats" cica 1953..

The two bottom purses are the cutest!

I love grey and yellow color combinations.

As you may recall the booklet is "Handbags and Hats" and I have not yet put a representation of a hat yet. That's is because the hats are horrible! Fine!  Don't believe me? Check it:

This is not even cool, not even uncool that becomes cool...if you get me.  And why is she carrying a purse around with a roll of toilet paper?

Dennison Crafts

The next booklet is "The New Book of Dennison Crafts" unsure of copyright date (40's?).   It is collection of stuff you can make from crepe paper!  The most interesting projects are wearables:

A crocheted paper hat.

A flouncy collar bow.  I can not believe that this thing would be comfortable.  

My favorite idea is crepe paper toy critter making.

To make most everything in this booklet a tool called a Dennison Crepe Paper Twister is needed, as seen below (not mine, just an image I found):

These Twisters can still be found on ebay. 

I have never considered wearing a paper hat out on the town unless I was doing it for a laugh. I don't think I could bring myself to putting that much energy into this hat beforehand with all the paper twisting and then crocheting it.  I would have to be having one really bad hair year.  But with it only costing 15 cents to make, it certainly was cheap.  I can see it would be something that would intrigue crafters as a challenge, turning paper into a yarn and then making a fairly classy hat that certainly does not look like it is made out of paper streamers.  That's some serious bragging rights.

There are a few other projects in the booklet a bit more far fetched...such as directions to make paper curtains with decorative paper tie backs and tassels!

Fluffy Ruffles

Fluffy Ruffles!  Feel free to borrow this title as your stripper roll call name!

I love the front and back covers of this booklet (above and below images). This booklet comes to us from 1951.

Whoa! I think someone went a bit "fluffy ruffles" crazy here!

There a few color images in this booklet...mega ruffles for the kitchen.

The booklet suggests adding ruffles to pretty much everything in your house including the family.

Fashions in Quick Crochet

Fashions in Quick Crochet, 1953

Front and back covers are super awesome (above and below images)! 

I love the hat and bag style above and really wish I could make them!  But I don't get: 1st rnd: 3 sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each ch across, 3 sc in last chain.....

I want that pink top!  Only not in pink....

The "centerfold" has some really neat ideas for making crochet trim for adding to existing garments:

I love the 'Ball Fringe Braid" seen on the blue circle skirt.  Very vintage "south of the border" style.  I would use any of these trims today, if I could just understand and decipher the code to make them.

Gallery of Crochet and Knitting

Welcome to the gallery!

circa 1952

The front of the booklet shows most of the projects that are inside in a cute and clever gallery!

They even stuffed the dog as part of the display!

And I only thought people dressed their pets up in goofy clothes nowadays...

The shopping bag is a good contemporary idea for reusable shopping bags and farmer's markets.

I have seen these bottle cap hot plate mats before and now I can make (someone else make ) me my very own!

Columbia: Novelties, Accessories, Bed Jackets

circa 1945

There are some amazingly gorgeous patterns in this booklet.

  I love this hat and the idea that the muff also has a place for your lipstick or concealed weapon.

This hat is even more adorable than the previous and I think she knows it!

And the best for last!

A three piece assemble! I love that "popcorn" look.

So there are the 6 craft booklets I picked up today.  The others that I left behind were mostly knitted baby layette sets and doilies, doilies, doilies....
They were pretty cool but I can't even make friendship bracelets so it's best they go to a yarn loving home.

Donut Cookies!

Donut Cookies?!  I lost my mind for a moment when I saw these on the shelves at Big Lots recently... and only 1.50 a bag!  I buy right into these themed kinda things.  {You may recall the Cotton Candy Cookies from last summer.}  

We started out using a donut shaped cookie cutter in hopes of recreating the perfect uniform cookies on the front of the bag, but this cookie mix does not rise... apparently... so that batch were donut crackers.  The bag suggests to make the donut shape by rolling the dough out like snakes and joining the ends. I found the dough a bit on the crumbly side so that was a slight challenge but I made it happen.

These are "plain" donut cookies...I thought they resembled my favorite snack, Funyuns!  I don't recommend putting icing on Funyuns though.

After getting a coating of pink icing and sprinkles the donuts insisted on wearing their well groomed fake plastic mustaches and bringing along their little donut hole friends!

I think these cookies are quite tasty and donutty flavored... and for only a buck fifty for 18+ cookies, that's a pretty good deal.  You certainly can't get a dozen from Krispy Kreme for that price... maybe the ones that fell on the floor....but only if you ask real nice like.

Ellie Kahlo

 

Last week a friend invited me to go to Painting with a Twist.  'Painting with a Twist' is where anyone with any (or none) artistic talent are shown how to paint a particular selection in a 3 hour time frame (and boozing it up while there is encouraged).  Painting has never been my strongest artistic endeavor...even with having a degree in fine art.  I had never been to 'Painting with a Twist' before but walked by it several times.  Generally the whole class is painting some garishly large wine glass with "Wine a little" scrawled across it. So, as some may imagine, I had no interest in this.  But, when the moon is full and the stars are aligned PWAT offers a class more individualized....Paint your Pet!

I choose to do my Elanor Dog as Frida Kahlo from her past 2013 Halloween costume.

I think it turned out fairly decent.  Her head appears a bit engorged and her eyes seem to be saying "What was that noise?!" at 3 am in the morning awaking from a dead sleep.  Her uni-brow didn't quite stand out as much as I would have liked though....(hmmm...mixed media felt add on?)

But as I said before, boozing it up is encouraged and can easily become your crutch for why your painting didn't turn out quite perfect...except in my case I was only having unadulterated Dr. Pepper.

Smokes for Father's Day

 PB went with a very interesting theme for his step dad for Father's Day this year.  As we were looking up images to make cards with we came across this vintage ad  recommending cigarettes as a gift.  Then PB and I thought "Sure... why not?!"  Hubs doesn't actually smoke though.... which meant we could have fun with the idea.  PB and I came up with a plan to make Hubs a huge box of pretzel cigarettes.

 We dipped large sized pretzel rods in white chocolate, leaving the ends exposed like a brown filter.  We then dipped the "lit end" in red sparkly sugar flakes.  

 We made a jumbo sized cigarette pack by covering a Trisket box with construction paper and gluing on a print out of  Lucky Strike cigarettes on the front.  PB also put a "Surgeon General Warning" on the side alerting of the possibility of addiction and cravings. 

 Here's Hubs lighting one up!

PB was really excited to do something special and fun for his step dad this year since, as PB pointed out, it was going to be his first official step-Father's Day.

Wookie Cookie Father's Day

For Father's Day this year PB went with a Star Wars "Luke, I am your Father" theme.

 He made the wookie gift bag on his own. First time using hot glue for him and no burns! He also helped make the Wookie Cookies too.  They are traditionally called haystacks, but I think hairballs are more appropriate.

He made the Wookie bag by gluing down cut strips of brown paper bag onto a small lunch sized brown paper bag.  The rest of the features are made from paper as well.

Fun City Amusement Park

 To welcome the end of the school year the fam and I spent a couple hours at our locally owned Fun City Amusement Park.

 It has several quaint old school carnival rides.

  Cool swinging seats!

The bumblebees each have different cute hand painted faces!

The main attractions at Fun City are the go-cart tracks and a huge water park....

which is why all the "cool" rides are vacant. 

More Scrambler for us!