Wagner Ware Magna Lite

Today I wanted to show you all my "set" of vintage Wagner Ware Magna Lite cookware.  I collected the pieces over several years from 3 or 4 places (thrift stores and rummage sales).  We didn't have a matching set of pots and pans and frankly what we did have was embarrassingly ratty and modern.  I started out by researching possibly buying a vintage set online.  My dream set became the Club Holiday Teal line, as example in the below photo that is not mine:

Oh my word!  They would match my kitchen walls!

My second favorite were the Serendipity Squiggle cookware:

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The problem with both of these is that I am apparently not the only person that has the hots for them and the prices reflect that.  So one day I was shopping at one of my favorite cheap thrift stores and came across a box containing a micro set of Magna Ware: 2 pots, 1 saucepan, and all 3 matching lids.  I got all of it for 5 bucks.  This wasn't really a style on my radar as they aren't much to look at but they are solid pieces so the hunt was on.   

Over the next few months I would find the rest of the pieces, spending very little for them.

After I gathered all of what I could find which tapped out with what you see, I donated all the hodge podge garbage we had been using for someone to start their own crack business.

 I took these photos to have a group shot but I have since donated the fry pans and lid.  They didn't have the nonstick qualities I desire.  I sent them back out in the world for someone that likes their eggs stuck to the bottom of their cooking utensils. We bought a couple of nice teflon fry pans and we call this the whole set now.

Appliance Planters

I have been working on tackling old craft projects the last couple of weeks.  After many decluttering sessions I saved back a few things that I just had to do, with this being one of them. 

 Several years ago I thought it would be crafty fun to turn old broken down kitchen apparatuses into planters.  So I spent several years collecting all the bits and here they are!  Just in time for spring flowers!

Above is a Dormeyer mixer with an aluminum ring pan for the planter part (popped holes in it with a nail and hammer for drainage). 

Ohh!  A pink Sunbeam mixer!  The plant pot is an aluminum bunt cake pan.

A rusted out flour sifter that I placed a plastic pot inside.

 

This toaster is more of a 'serving suggestion'.  I placed plastic flowers in it for this photo but my real idea is to line the inside of the toast slots with a couple of those thick vinyl reusable sandwich bags, fill with water, add fresh cut flowers and use like a vase.  But really, this works well too...low maintenance!

Meyercord Planters

This has been a project in the works for years!

I got the metal planters from IKEA quite awhile back with the intention of adding some planter inspired Meyercord decals to them.  I have been working on clearing my stash of "future" projects lately and these finally got finished.

I did not use the original decals.  I had them laser color copied at a copy shop.  I then added a layer of mod podge to the front.  I attached them with some of that roll-on sticky dots tape.  The ideal thing would be to attach them with mod podge but I kinda didn't want anything permanent in case I changed my mind later. 

I think they turned out pretty cute.  I wasn't sure how they would go with our spider themed front stoop but I think it's a nice contrast.

Here is a scan of my decals if you would like to make your own something-something with them:

 

Kitchen Pixies

I have this area in my kitchen that needed a bit of decor.  It's a problem spot because it is in the line of all sorts of food explosions and grease splatter.

The ideal thing would be something very resistant and washable like a ceramic plate but this area also can't be hammered or trusted to handle a command strip with something breakable on the other end.  So the only option is something kinda disposable if need be.

I came up with making these lightweight wood plaques.

All of the materials I used are coated down in multiple layers of mod podge along with being cheap and easy to replace if the whole thing falls into misfortune or spaghetti sauce.

The base is a bare wood craft plaque from 1.25 Tree as seen below.  I popped off the wood appliques and gave them a coat of old house paint.

The gingham paper is from a pack of placemats I picked up from an estate sale.  I photocopied the Kitchen Pixies from my vintage Meyercord decal sheet and podged them on.  The plastic roses are from a big bag I got from a thrift.  Since they aren't heavy I did use command strips to hang them.

 The two pixies on the left top and middle would be cute for a gardening project!

I would love to have them in a large format print and display in a potting bench kinda area.

Beauty! Color! Charm! With Meyercord Decals!

This week I have some Meyercord fun for you all!

I never come across these unused decals out in the wild so I bought these two from ebay.

I scanned all the bits for your pleasure!

Crafts in the upcoming posts!

I thought this set was super cute and reminded me of my dinosaur planters.

✧  ✵  ✴  ✧  ✵  ✴

Oh my word!  Kitchen pixies!

Ohhh!  I want the project booklet!

National Laundry Day

Today is official National Laundry Day!

I'm all for housewifery type holidays but I have to say I don't really get this one.

I'm sure most of us do our laundry more than once a year.

I could see calling it National Washing Machine  Appreciation Day but ya'll...that actually has a day (November 3rd) which also happens to be National Housewife Day...not a coincidence!

However to celebrate the day we have been given I present this ultra cute vintage Lil' Washer salt and pepper set: 

The mangler rollers are the shakers, holding about 10 specks of product each.

This thing is clearly for decorative purposes only and that is fine with me!

 Here is an ad for the set I happened to find in one of my old 1950s magazines:

Celebrate National Laundry Day as you see fit.  

Maybe try washing your clothes the old way by beating them on a rock!

Checkerboard DIY Slip-Ons

My old slip-ons that I made nearly 2 years ago are finally becoming too ick for me to wear.  They still look fine actually, the paint job I did on them still looks great.  The problem is the bottom of the soles have cracked ever so slightly and allow for water to get into the padding of the shoes.  Not a pleasant smell!  

So I had to make a new pair.  I decided to do a different design this time, grey and black checkerboard.

I am so-so on how they turned out.  I wish I would have made the paint a darker shade of grey.  Also there are numerous bleed lines....

 Here is a blurry process photo showing on the left the layout of the resist stickers and on the right after one coat of paint.

I bought the shoes from walsmart again (10 bucks) but the quality from my last pair has been downshifted for sure.  The memory foam pad is paper thin and the back heels of the shoes are a bit rough.

I'll have to do a little research on iron-on vinyl, maybe that would have worked better.  I may even cover the tops with fabric... 

But what will really happen is I'll just wear them and deal with it. 

Update:  I couldn't deal with it! 

 I decided to try out doing a wash made from the black fabric paint diluted with water over all the grey squares to darken them up:

Not perfect but much better!

Dime Kitty

Today I thought I would share this super cute dime saver from 1954.

Scanned for your crafting pleasure.

 But here is the best part!  As you save you "build" a cat!

Basket Case 2023

Yeah, I decided to somewhat acknowledge Easter this year.  I did it a little different than in past years though.  Typically for short lived holidays I like to decorate the dining room, taking everything down from the walls and removing all the knick knacks.  This is a bit of a bitch to do for a holiday that can't get it's shit together and pick a day.  So this year after I took down the winter snowman display (and you better believe it stayed up til March 20) in the living room the green display rack was bare.  Typically it would have been time to finally dig out the regular decor since the holidays are over until glorious Halloween arrives back.  Then I thought ehhh... why not Easter?

It does hold a bit of a thrill to try out decorating in a different spot so here it is:

 

I think it turned out super cute since all of my Easter decor is not the common bright ass pastel puke stuff you see at Hobby Lobby.

But speaking of Hobby Lobby I did get that pastel plaid deco mesh there....

Dino Wreath

Last year I bought a Halloween wreath on clearance at Target that had orange, black and white pom poms.  I was trying out transitioning each holiday/season into the next so for my Fall/Thanksgiving decor I wanted to incorporate more black/orange/Halloween.  To "autumn" up the cheap wreath I made some brown pom poms and added them in.  For Christmas I decided to do "Fallmas" and the wreath worked even through that season.  However now the overworked wreath has served it's time.  And truth be told even though it is cute and the colors were perfect I never could find the right spot for it.  I just have soooo much seasonal decor as it is.  After all the holidays passed I knew the wreath was on the chopping block edging toward being donated.

Also around about this time I was planning on making some sort of wreath for the back of my kitchen door that heads into the laundry room.  It was just this big bare curtain panel and needed a little something something.  My plans were all over the place of what I wanted it to be but I knew I was going to use items I already had.... and Hello!  I already had a wreath!  It just needed to be unseasonal-fied.

So to give it a year long look I added small pink pom poms and some plastic dinosaurs that I spray painted green and voila'...done!

Sorry for the crappy photos.  The spot where the wreath hangs is nothing but bad lighting however I wanted to show the wreath with the curtain contrast for the full effect.

{ Here is the Wreath Before.}

Cleaning Week: Cake-O-Matic!

Ending out the 2023 Cleaning Week I made a cake inspired by a vintage Electrolux vacuum cleaner:

The total idea wasn't mine though.  I found the cake design in a super cute cake decorating book called Cake My Day! that I picked up at a thrift several years ago.  This book is so fun and full of interesting cake ideas...there's a toaster!  So I don't get the cake lawyers on me I am not going to include a scan or photo of the cake in the book.  Besides, there's looks better than mIne!

The super extra added bonus of the cake is when you cut into it there's "dirt" inside!  To achieve this look after I mixed up the batter (store bought box pound cake mix) I folded in broken bits of chocolate cookie and some of the strawberry sugar wafers and then baked.