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WOOHOO! It's Thursday again! My favorite blog day of the week as I get to see all the wonderful vintage things others have to share. Be sure to visit Suzanne's blog here to see all things vintage.
Last week, I shared some recent flea market finds. If you missed them, you can see them here. On that same weekend, I found this fabulous vintage sewing basket.
Here's a look at the beautiful blue satin lining.
Look at all the goodies in there! I didn't wait to get home to explore the contents.
The snaps cost all of fifteen cents! The metal piece on the left looks like a piece to a button hole attachment for a sewing machine.
The previous owner of this basket loved seam binding. There were five or six packages.
Several cards of buttons and a pair of pinking shears. It takes both hands to open these shears.
This box was inside the basket.
It holds some straight pins, a sewing machine bobbin, lace sewn to velcro, blue sequins, two small spools of thread, a seagull applique, and a puzzle piece.
I've never seen a zipper repair kit. This one cost all of thirty nine cents. The kit contains zipper wax, replacement slider and a tool to remove old slider. You just "TWIST MAGIC DIAL Jaws open up allowing permanent ZIPPER REPAIR. FIX ZIPPERS FAST! ELIMINATES ENTIRE ZIPPER REPLACEMENT".
This is an unopened package of "measure-clip hemmers". They are the "perfect aid to hemming without pins...measures and holds evenly up to 3" width...ideal for clothing, curtains, drapes". These clips look like long clothes pins with markings every half inch. The copyright on the package is 1970.
My favorite find in the sewing basket was this package of THRIFTEE NIFTY Liquid Fabric Mender. "Successor to the Needle and Thread". THRIFTEE NIFTY is a "new wonder product from the field of chemistry."
What sewing basket would be complete without...?
A hair trimmer?
I hope you enjoyed rummaging through my vintage sewing basket with me.
When Kelly of (un)Deniably Domestic, announced Blue Plate Monday, I didn’t even think twice about participating. Hopefully this is the kick in the pants I need to get back in the groove of being more creative, more organized and more economical in my meal planning and preparation.
It also got me to thinking about the different phases my meal planning and preparation has gone through over the years. There was the financially strapped, single working mom of two young girls. Not a lot of planning, just what ever was cheap and fast. We had lots of canned spaghetti sauce, boxed mac and cheese and goulash. My girls would probably eat pet food if I added pasta to it.
Then there were the years of working and cooking for a husband and two busy teens. “Just get through the week so you can order pizza Friday night.” Our local Pizza Hut knew our order before we even called it in.
There was the Weight Watchers phase as all that pizza took a toll on my waist line. That was where I was at the peak of my meal planning game. It was just me and Hubs by then. Occasionally, we would be joined by the youngest. Work was followed by at least one hour, usually two, at the gym. Two nights a week, I returned to the gym with Hubs in tow for yoga. Did I lose a lot of weight? Heck no! But I was a lean, fit eating machine.
All that changed when we moved half way across the country to this once upon a time grand home. The first thing we were going to do was put in a new kitchen. When we moved into This Old House, my kitchen had a sink, that only ran hot water, about ten square feet of counter space and three drawers, and six “cabinets”. The refrigerator sat in the dining room along with three large units of heavy duty restaurant shelves used to hold pantry items and the assorted items one would find in kitchen cabinets.
Did you notice I didn’t mention a cook stove? For one year, I managed to put meals together using only a crock pot, electric skillet, small microwave oven (which also sat in the dining room), a large electric roaster and our outdoor gas grill. Talk about a challenge! But I actually did a pretty good job.
Throughout that year, the kitchen remodel kept getting pushed farther and farther down the list. Finally, in August, 2008, I told Hubs I didn’t want to go through another holiday season without a stove or oven. We found a nice electric stove on Craigslist for $75. Now my kitchen looks much the same as it did when we moved into it, except I now have hot and COLD water at the sink and a stove. I am a much happier cook.
Has that made meal planning easier? No. It’s just made it easier to get meals on the table. But now, since I do not work, those meals are usually accompanied by yummy breads, rolls, biscuits, cookies, cakes and/or pies.
In the coming weeks, my plan is to commit to putting more thought and planning into my meals and expand my repertoire of recipes while making healthier, more economical meals. I hope to share what I learn as well as those things I have learned over the years with those of you participating in Blue Plate Mondays. Because, let’s face it, as the main meal planners/preparers, it’s not just the question, “What’s for dinner tonight?” but “What am I going to serve with it?” and “What am I (or the kids or the husband) taking for lunch tomorrow.”
The recipe I want to share with you this week is one that takes little time to put together and can bake while you are doing those after work household chores. I was once (and still sometimes am) BIG into using convenience foods from boxes or cans. This is one of those.
Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Bake
One package (6 oz) stuffing mix for pork
1 2/3 cup hot water
3 cups cubed ham
1 package (14 oz) frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
1 can condensed cream soup
1/3 cup sour cream
¼ cup milk
1 ½ cup shredded cheese (I like to use swiss and/or cheddar)
Preheat oven to 375F. Add hot water to stuffing mix, stir until moistened, set aside. Mix ham and broccoli in a 13x9 greased baking dish. Combine soup, sour cream, milk and cheese; pour over ham mixture. Top with stuffing mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with more shredded cheese the last five minutes of baking.
Variations – You can use any kind of frozen veggie; green beans, mixed veggies, etc. Substitute turkey for the ham and use a stuffing mix for poultry instead of pork.
I like to serve this with my favorite jello salad made the night before (Large package orange jello, can of drained pineapple, can of drained mandarin oranges and a handful of matchstick carrots.) and a side salad. Instead of the jello, serve applesauce or a can of fried apples.
Sorry, I have no pictures.
Want more recipes and menu ideas? Check out Kelly's Blue Plate Mondays here. Join us and tell us what's cooking at your place.
While doing spring cleaning and preparing for guests a couple weeks ago, I spent a lot of time in the upstairs bath. Usually, I only use this room for quick pit stops while working in my studio, so I was appalled at the look under the vanity. UGLY! The entire bathroom is ugly, but as Hubs says, "That's on the list."
See what I mean?
To answer the question, "What do you do with ugly?' Around here, you hide it. With a few yards of fabric, a tension rod and two sash rods, it now looks like this:
Much better, huh? I did as little cutting to the fabric as I could so that *someday* when we redo this bathroom, I can use the fabric to make something else.
I finished this cute apron for a birthday gift to a friend. Which of course, is late! It was my first attempt at machine applique. I thought it turned out pretty cute.
I also finished this apron.
It is one of those fabric panels you can buy that just needs to be cut it out and sewn. I altered it a little bit by stitching the neck pieces together so they slip over your head instead of tie. I also added bias to the raw edges as I thought the fabric weave was too large to not ravel if I just turned it under like the directions said. It has been neatly folded on a shelf in my studio since I stitched it in January. This week, I "Finished for Friday" by sewing on some embellishments. While they can't be seen well in the photo, I added a jingle bell to the hats of one of the snowmen on the bottom and to the one on the pocket at the top. I also added some buttons to a few of the polka dots.
Another project that can be checked "DONE" are these envelope style pillow covers I made for my studio.
They sit in the old rocking chair of Hubs that I never could quite find the right place for in our house. It would get moved from room to room until it finally landed in my studio. When redoing the room, I decided to make it finally belong somewhere and used it as the inspiration to the colors used in this room. The fabric used for these pillows can be found in my window treatments as well as in my fireplace "screen" that can be seen next to the rocker.
Since I know you are wondering... the fireplace screen is a vintage frame I have had for years because I knew someday I would find something to do with it. It was the perfect size to go over the opening of the unusable fireplace. Some foam board cut to fit the frame and covered with fabric created just the piece to hide UGLY once again.
"Finished for Friday"is hosted every week by Lit and Laundry. Click here to see what others have accomplished this week.
I am a day behind this week. To my delight, I realized it is Thursday! Make sure you visit our lovely hostess of VTT, Suzanne. She has quite a story to tell as do all the lovers, collectors, savers of all things vintage. Click on the picture at the left to take you there.
Hubs went to a lumber yard auction on Saturday. I didn't go because while auctions are one of my favorite places to find vintage goodies, I figured a lumber yard auction wouldn't hold much promise. Well, I was right and I was wrong. Across the street from the lumber yard was a huge flea market. Darn! My second favorite place to find vintage goodies.
On Sunday, we decided we needed a break from all the work around here. It was a beautiful day to be out and about. We took a Sunday drive through the rolling hills of North Carolina. First stop was the flea market at Roxboro, which is the one Hubs had seen on Saturday. There were very few vendors there on Sunday. A quick walk through proved fruitless.
Once back in the car, we headed to Raleigh. There is a big flea market there at the state fairgrounds every weekend year round. During the winter, there are a few seasoned vendors that tough out the weather. But with the arrival of spring, there are a couple hundred vendors there. I was like a kid in the toy department!
Here is what I found:
This bread box was made by the National Can Corp, New York. It was love at first sight! When the vendor told me I could have it for $5, I couldn't find my money fast enough. Once home, I realized I had finally found something to replace the ugly, plastic dog treat container sitting on the counter next to the back door.
Last week I shared my flour sifters. If you missed them, you can see them here. I found another one to add to my collection.
This one is an Androck. Some of the flower pattern can be seen on both sides. It had to be the Cadillac of sifters in the day. The red wooden handle makes it easy to to hold while sifting. It has three levels of fine mesh with an agitator at each level. The flour "rocks" between the second and third mesh were an added bonus for the $3 I paid.
The last flea market find I am sharing this week is this little red handled egg beater.
The large center gear is imprinted with: "HIGH SPEED SUPER CENTER DRIVE BEATER Made in United States of America". I laugh every time I read this. High speed, huh? It can only go as fast as you can turn the handle. I shelled out $2 for this beauty.
All the pictures this week were taken on a small square vintage tablecloth I unearthed in my cedar chest. An appliqued flower on an embroidered long stem graces each corner. It is a bit tattered and torn but only shows that is was a much loved cloth.
I also got another little item at the flea market but I am going to save it for next week as it is not a kitchen item. A little teaser: Marian, our Dream Weaver, will not want to miss it.
Hope you all have a Happy Easter!
Finished for Friday is hosted every week by Lit and Laundry. Check out what she finished this week. Awesome!
Speaking of laundry...Our washing machine died last Tuesday. Not something unexpected as our repair guy told us almost two years ago that it was going to need replacing. After a week without a washing machine, down to his last pair of socks and undies, with threats of having to go to the laundromat with me ringing in his hearing aids, Hubs purchased my dream washer and dryer.
After delivery of the Dream Machines (which you can see in the background) on Tuesday morning, I set about doing all this laundry. Then on Wednesday, I stripped our bed and the guest bed down to the mattresses and washed all the bedding. All the winter blankets are now clean and stored away until next fall. I also had a basket of bedspreads and comforters sitting in a corner since sometime before Christmas because my old washer was too small for them. Now they too are clean and stored away. I think Hubs and all the dogs are afraid to stand still as they may end up in the washer/dryer. LOL!
One of our daughters and her husband came for a visit. They arrived last Tuesday. Laura left last Thursday while Tommy stayed on until Wednesday of this week. During that time, it seems like all I got done was cooking, baking and doing dishes. But it was nice to have them here. Hubs and I get tired of looking at each other.
While visiting with the kids in the evening or watching basketball all weekend, I got all this t-shirt yarn rolled. Now I'm ready to start crocheting a rug for my studio with these forty six balls of fabric. 
I also crocheted two of these kitchen sets. The other set was included in a gift bag I sent home with Tommy for his mom.
Now that spring is in full bloom here, I located the hummingbird feeders. They were cleaned, filled and hung in anticipation of the arrival of these amazing creatures.
Why do the littlest of tasks often times go undone for so long? I painted this rabbit and welcome sign in 2003. All that needed to be done was attach the cup hooks and chains. Fifteen minutes of work for Hubs. But now it is Finished for Friday and hanging on our back porch.
Have a good weekend!
Posts
WOOHOO! It's Thursday again! My favorite blog day of the week as I get to see all the wonderful vintage things others have to share. Be sure to visit Suzanne's blog here to see all things vintage.
Here's a look at the beautiful blue satin lining.
Look at all the goodies in there! I didn't wait to get home to explore the contents.
The snaps cost all of fifteen cents! The metal piece on the left looks like a piece to a button hole attachment for a sewing machine.
The previous owner of this basket loved seam binding. There were five or six packages.
Several cards of buttons and a pair of pinking shears. It takes both hands to open these shears.
This box was inside the basket.
It holds some straight pins, a sewing machine bobbin, lace sewn to velcro, blue sequins, two small spools of thread, a seagull applique, and a puzzle piece.
I've never seen a zipper repair kit. This one cost all of thirty nine cents. The kit contains zipper wax, replacement slider and a tool to remove old slider. You just "TWIST MAGIC DIAL Jaws open up allowing permanent ZIPPER REPAIR. FIX ZIPPERS FAST! ELIMINATES ENTIRE ZIPPER REPLACEMENT".
This is an unopened package of "measure-clip hemmers". They are the "perfect aid to hemming without pins...measures and holds evenly up to 3" width...ideal for clothing, curtains, drapes". These clips look like long clothes pins with markings every half inch. The copyright on the package is 1970.
My favorite find in the sewing basket was this package of THRIFTEE NIFTY Liquid Fabric Mender. "Successor to the Needle and Thread". THRIFTEE NIFTY is a "new wonder product from the field of chemistry."
A hair trimmer?
