The Mid-Century Department Store Santa...

(My sister and I visiting Santa at Jordan Marsh, Boston, circa 1958.

She's the cute one looking up. I'm the one catching flies.)

 

Go to bed early tonight, boys and girls, because you-know-who will be making his rounds!

 

Ho Ho Ho!!!!!

 

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!

 

Inspired by Claudia (Mockingbird Hill Cottage)

who posted old photos of her family with Santa!

Donna

Birdcage Deja Vu....

(click any photos to enlarge)

This birdcage sits on top of the TV armoire in our living room. It may look familiar to you....


...because I showed you photos of it last year...


... when I found it (along with these two vintage frames) while junktiquing in New Hampshire.

The cage is flanked by the reproduction Staffordshire dogs that I got for Amanda last year...

They seem quite happy to be protecting it (although from what, I don't know!)

(mid 1950's... Nana lifting up my sister so she could see Pete the parakeet in his cage)

If you've ever read some of my older posts, you know I love vintage children's books... So you can imagine how excited I was when I happened across this copyright 1954 "Parakeet Peter" book (with the 29 cent price stamped on the front cover!)

It's just perfect! (This is exactly how my mom, sister, and I would hold our Pete's while teaching them to talk)...

We had a ladder and bell just like the ones pictured here...

And a few posts ago, I showed you a photo of my Nana's Pete with his bowl of water sitting in front of his cage, just like in this picture... Deja vu indeed!

Yup... We even had a mirror for our Pete...

Such sweet memories this book brought back!!!

Donna

Kitchen Counter... Sentimentality over practicality...

This is the most visible corner in my very small kitchen, and I'm afraid it's always been a bit neglected.... Several weeks ago I purchased this small candle lamp at The Christmas Tree Shop for my countertop, and that got me to thinking about doing a little arrangement of 'favorite things.' Other than the lamp, nothing is practical or 'kitcheny,' but it makes me feel good when I see it!
(click any photos to enlarge)

Do you see the vintage cat planter that I blogged about 2 days ago? And Pete that I wrote about yesterday? There's also another little "Pete the parakeet" hanging from a cabinet.


I should probably turn the light on so you can see them... There, that's better!! The lamp needed a little bit of height in the back corner, so I sat it on the bottom of a green ceramic planter.


Okay, now I turned the lamp off so you can see the pretty blue flowered shade. Hopefully in the near future I'll be priming & painting my beige backsplash tiles, as well as re-caulking above the countertop. (I picked beige when we bought our house back in 1981. It seemed like a good idea at the time.)

Pete is really enjoying this little birdcage from Home Goods (they came in a variety of sizes... I don't have a lot of room so I got the small size... I loved the little legs and the bird finial on the top). Pete told me he feels very safe inside the cage...

... which is a good thing since Sally is constantly gazing at him (and doesn't she look shiny and clean since her bath?)... She assures me the gazing is because she loves how his blue feathers match her blue bow...

Since there's ivy in Pete's cage, and a little potted plant next to Sally, I decided to use Sally as a votive holder rather than a planter. Of course that could change if she ever gets moved to another location (which isn't out of the question since I often move things around!)

This little lamp really gives off a lot of light in an otherwise dark corner, which I now refer to as my little 50's corner since I have the vintage cat planter (that looks like it could have come from my Nana's house in the 50's) and the parakeets (which also remind me of my childhood in the 50's, as I mentioned yesterday)...

I'll be sure to post photos if (when) I get around to painting that backsplash!!

Donna

For the love of Pete...

Meet Pete. We owned several parakeets throughout my childhood years and all, but one, were named Pete (why the long succession of Pete's was interrupted by a single "Bambi" escapes me right now...) In any case, it seemed fitting that I name this little guy Pete...


My Nana also loved parakeets, so they were very much a part of my childhood, way back in the 50's. I'm very nostalgic about that era and I love to decorate our little cottage with things that remind me of that innocent time.


So when I found this little Lefton China parakeet for $3 at a vintage shop, he made his way home with me. I have no idea if $3 is a good price or not. I'm not into 'antique' values. Apparently there was a minor 'glue/repair' job on this little guy (although I'll be darned if I can find it) so it lowered his value a bit. In any case, I thought $3 was a more than fair price to bring home this little piece of nostalgia...

This was Pete's former home. These photos were actually taken last September. If you ever find yourself in downtown Clinton, MA, definitely pop into Viviana's Vintage.

You never know what you will find... New things are always coming and going....

...like these round framed florals...

All kinds of jewelry, including vintage clip-on earrings...

How about this kids' pink kitchen set?

There are lots of vintage clothes to check out...

...and many unique, one-of-a-kind items...

Anyhow, I thought I'd share photos of Pete with you because I worked him into a kitchen counter vignette that incorporates Sally, my vintage cat planter from the Salvation Army (yesterday's post). Hopefully I'll be ready to share pictures of them both tomorrow!

P.S. Sally has had her bath, so the 'grunge' look is gone - she looks mahvelous!!!

Donna

P.S. It's 1:54 PM as I'm updating this... I just looked at my little sidebar Weather Widget and we are in the middle of a HEAT WAVE here in New England - it's a balmy 61 degrees (with some pretty fierce winds, I might add!)

Vntage Cherry Plates and Comfort Food...

Isn't this the sweetest little plate?


Just look how it dresses up this serving of tuna from last night's supper...


Now tuna salad might be able to stand on its own over the summer, but during the cold New England winters there's nothing like pairing it with a bowl of hot vegetable soup... Mmm mmmm good... Comfort food for sure...


Now back to these little dishes... The pattern is so adorable, but what really makes them sweet is that they were my Nana's! There's a large serving dish and 4 smaller lunch plates. (Ooops - there used to be four. I accidentally broke one in the early 80's. Have I ever mentioned what a butter-fingers I am?)

This is my Nana, who had the best taste when it came to picking out dishes and china (you can read my post about her china & hutch here)... I love this (late 50's) photo of my Nana sitting in her sparkling kitchen. I have the best childhood memories of Sunday dinners in that kitchen. I'll bet those cherry plates were stored in the hoosier cabinet right next to her!

At this angle, you can really see the unique scalloped edges on all of the plates...

The leaves are raised on one corner of each plate...

... and the cherries are also dimensional.

I have no idea how old these plates were... I'm assuming my Nana bought them some time between the 1920's and 1950's. The large serving dish has "401 ITALY" on the back; all of the smaller plates just say ITALY.

I'm so fortunate to have so many wonderful memories of my Nana, and to actually own pieces that she bought for her 'vintage cottage' years ago... (I love you, Nana!)

"EBTKS" Tuna Salad

Whenever I make tuna salad, I make a large batch for my family (tuna, chopped onion, chopped celery, Miracle Whip, pepper, and sometimes hard-boiled egg)... I also love that version, but I usually make a smaller batch of "Everything But The Kitchen Sink" Tuna Salad for me (my family thinks I go a bit overboard with the ingredients, but I love it!)

My EBTKS Tuna Salad: Tuna, chopped onion, chopped celery, chopped green olives w/pimentos, chopped dill pickles, mayo, pepper, and a bit of horseradish sauce for a little bite!!

Happy Friday, everyone!!

Donna