Mitzi's Miscellany

Scary Recipes of the Past

 I love old recipe booklets, so when I come across them they get my attention for a while. This one from Gold Medal Flour amused me, and since most of us have enough recipes for goodies we want to try, I thought I'd share some of the most unappetizing recipes it held with you.....

Make It Monday Link Party #7

Welcome to our Make It Monday Link Party!  Our party has been growing every week, and we couldn't be happier!  Tonight it's Donna's turn to select her favorites from the entries last week, so head over to her blog, Distressed Donna Down Home, to see who was chosen.

Crochet Covered Pumpkins: My Most Popular Craft

Back in 2011, I created some faux pumpkins and gourds covered with vintage crochet doilies.  Of all the craft projects I've presented on my blog, it's been the most popular.  Better Homes and Gardens Online  picked it up a while back, and it was featured in Daphne's Diary, a magazine that's popular just about everywhere except the U.S. (oh, well!)  It's a favorite at FaveCrafts, an online craft magazine, and because I used Mod Podge for Fabric for the project, it popped up at Mod Podge Rocks, too.  

Because of the popularity of my "Crochet Covered Pumpkins," I thought it deserved a re-run this year, for those of you that haven't seen it.

Make It Monday Link Party #6

Welcome to our sixth Make It Monday Link Party!  This week it's my turn to select favorites from the entries last week.  We had some fun up-cycling projects, like this one from Deanie's Stash.  She created little pumpkins from easy to find metal molds:

Roseville Art Pottery Purchase and a Reader's Question

Recently I purchased a grouping of Roseville art pottery for resale in my antique mall booths.  Art pottery in good condition is a pretty reliable seller, so I like to offer customers a few pieces at all times in my showcases.

I had lots of pieces to choose from, and these are the pieces I bought.  Let me tell you why I bought them.....

I chose unusual forms, like the "Clematis" ewer (below left) and the "Snowberry" pillow vase (below right):

If I Ever Made A Bridal Bouquet.....

I was just thinking the other day, if I ever made a bridal bouquet, it would have to be something different.  I've seen some of the wonderful bouquets made from vintage brooches, and have been so inspired by them.  But they've been done already, so I'd have to think of something unique....

 

Make It Monday Link Party #5

Welcome to our fifth Make It Monday Link Party!  Now that fall is definitely here, I think we'll be seeing lots of great autumn projects!  This week, Tamara is selecting her favorites from the entries last week.  Head over to Etcetorize to see who she's chosen for special recognition.

Back to School Way Back When

Now that everyone has returned to school and settled in, I'd like to share some of my "back to school" images from many years ago.  Some of these images have appeared on my blog before, but I think they deserve an encore.  For some reason, I really enjoy group photos from old schools.  Maybe it's because both my mother and grandmother were teachers, and my dad was a principal, and I've spent many years working in the school environment as a school psychologist before I retired two years ago.

The first two photos are from dorm rooms at Michigan Agricultural College, which is now known as Michigan State University.  If you have college-age children, or have memories of college fresh in your mind, consider how different dorm life was back then without the technology we have today:

 

McLaughlin's Coffee Trade Cards Free Downloads

I've seen many trade cards in my years as an antique dealer, and I would say McLaughlin's Coffee and Clark's ONT Cotton would be two the most prolific in terms of their production of trade cards.  Years ago, before folks like us used to put together family pictures in elaborate scrapbooks that have become so popular now, "scrapbooking" was a popular hobby during the Victorian era although the content of the scrapbooks was different.  People collected colorful advertising trade cards and diecut "scrap" and filled their books with these items instead of baby's first birthday and graduation pictures.  For more information about scrapbooking long ago, read my post Meet the Original Scrapbookers.

Today I want to share several McLaughlin's Coffee trade cards.  These all came from one scrap album.

Make It Monday Link Party #4

This is our last Link Party for September.  Wow, time really flies!  We've been gaining lots of visitors and great projects.  This week, Donna is selecting her favorites from the submissions last week.  Head over to Distressed Donna Down Home to see which projects she singled out for special recognition!