Box Lunch Social Tag Garland!

Friendship Garlands...

Copying Tammy's measuring tape and clothes pins...too cute not to!

I'm finally getting around to hanging my tags from Elizabeth's Box Lunch Social swap.  I've had a bad cold since last Thursday...so I haven't been posting...just lurking around the blogs.  There are several groups who are exchanging friendship cards that express the personality of their blogs.  I will be participating in a couple of these and I already know what to do...just need the energy to do it.

Not the best closeups, but the cards are so cute!

They came wrapped like sandwiches in the cutest red and white polka-dot box!

They were delicious! =D

Short and Sweet...

I will have more to post later....'til then...

Have a lovely (hot) day!

Midsummer Moonlight!


A Midsummer Night's Dream...
Yesterday was Summer Solstice...the first day of summer.  It seemed like a good time to redecorate my front door...I was getting a little tired of the Spring Birds theme I had going.  But what was I going to replace it with?  One summer I hung vintage kitchen utensils and crocheted potholders around the door...but that was soooo 2008!  I started thinking about my favorite thing about a summer's night...moonlight! 

The Full (moon) Treatment...



Using a variety of moon images...some I found at Graphics Fairy ...I made some friendly wooden moon plaques. I added one to the wreath, with glittery silver letters...and of course...there must be a snowy owl.  I've added white flowers to glow in the moonlight.  Usually I am decorating with sunflowers by midsummer...so this is a fun change.

Garland Detail...

The moon-like globes  are actually small earth globes I found in the fun Michaels bins.  They had classic blue earths and pale versions.  It would be cool if they were really the moon...but hey...beggars can't be choosers.  Close enough!

To hang them, I painted some old spools and beads and glued them to the tops of the globes.  I wasn't sure how everything would work out...but I was pleased with the result.  Later this summer I may switch to Olde Crows and Sunflowers. 

A Few Miscellaneous Projects...

Pillow covers made from barkcloth remnants.  The bird fabric has been in my stash for years.

Kenzie's Pillow...shhh! It's a surprise.

My granddaughters change their room decor about as often as I change my front door. =D This month the theme is "Under the Sea."  Kenzie's comforter will have swimming Clown Fish along with a variety of colorful fishes...so I thought she might like a Nemo pillow.  Of course this means I have to make 7 more pillows...one must be fair to the other Grands.

The darling tiny doll I got from Laurie of Magpie Ethel.

Only a few inches tall, I was amazed at the detail of Laurie's work.

You should visit her Etsy shop for even more red, white and blue fun.

Have a productive day, dear friends. 

I'm trying to keep busy so I don't snack so much!



Tax Stamps on Playing Cards!



I Learn Something New Everyday...

Cute Gypsy Girl Canasta Card

I recently purchased for $1, a pack of adorable Canasta cards.  The color combination of orange and black suggested a Halloween theme.  I thought I might be able to make some cute tags or cards or maybe even a garland.  Today I opened the ziplock bag to take out the cards and I found a remnant of cellophane packaging affixed with an odd stamp: 

I thought it was a postage stamp until I saw the "U.S. INT. REV." printed on it along with the "PLAYING CARDS."  I wondered why playing cards had a tax stamp.  I went online and found a site called Dan and Dave. 

They said, " Up until 1965, a tax stamp on playing cards was mandatory in the United States. Although most playing cards still incorporate a stamp or seal of some kind, it does not entirely serve the same purpose. When in circulation, a tax stamp was legal proof of taxation and therefore made difficult to reproduce, like currency. In fact, a tax stamp was issued by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the same government agency that designs our currency." 

That's great...but it doesn't tell me why they were taxed.  I did find out that I could narrow down the age of my cards by the pre-cancellation on the stamp.

Two Examples of Cancellations.

Another visit to Dan and Dave informed me that if a deck is found with one of the above precanceled stamps, it had to be sold between July 1, 1940 and July 31, 1965.   So...if my little gypsy girls came with the stamp on the right...I can narrow the age down to between 47 to 72 years...give or take.  Knowing the age of my cute cards is not that important in the scheme of things...merely a way to waste time on a Monday afternoon.

Go Date Your Playing Cards, People!



Happy Father's Day, George!

Happy Father's Day...
The day that George became a father for the first time he was in the midst of officer training at Fort Lewis, Washington.  A phone call through the U.S.O. brought him winging his way home.  Luckily it was a long labor and he made it time to meet his daughter Amber.  His daughter was supposed to be named "Aerie" after our favorite John Denver album...but she looked just like an "Amber" to me.  From that moment on...Amber was his.

George and Amber...Deadhorse Point, Utah 1977

The day this photograph was taken, we were on our way to El Paso, Texas to Fort Bliss for Army Air Defense training.  They needed one more officer for the course, so two weeks before graduation we were called to the ROTC commander's office where George was quickly sworn in as a 2nd Lieutenant.  We packed up our ancient VW Bug (with the broken heater that wouldn't shut off), our meager possessions and Amber Lee.  I have so many photos of a smiling George holding his little girl...and oddly enough...he's wearing the same shirt in most of them.  Did I mention we were poor, struggling kids?  Look at his face...he looks like a child...not the burly bearded guy he is today.  We had 4 more children after Amber, but in my memories, I see the impossibly young father and his first little girl.

Happy Father's Day, Sweetheart!

I am sad...today I lost my Cherry Cream Soda font and I cannot get it back no matter what I do...I hate blogger today!

A Day to Remember...Flag Day!

An American Summer...
An American Summer is red, white, and blue.  Beginning with Memorial Day and on into July, these colors are inseparable from our vacation days and celebrations.  Today is Flag Day and the streets of my home town are lined with flags.  The Boy Scout Troops in the LDS Wards set up the flags for each flag holiday throughout the year...this is how they raise funds for their activities.  They learn flag ettiquette and how to care for this precious symbol.  I'm so proud of these young people and I admire the example set by the boys' leaders.  Only the hardest of hearts could fail to swell at the sight of so many flags.

Flag Days Origins...

Flag Day was officially signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1949, but has been celebrated for over 200 years.  But what are it's true origins?  From the National Flag Day Foundation website I found the following information: 

"The “Stars and Stripes”, the official National symbol of the United States of America was authorized by congress on that Saturday of June 14, 1777 in the fifth item of the days agenda. The entry in the journal of the Continental Congress 1774-1789 Vol. Vlll 1777 reads “Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States be Thirteen stripes alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”"

"In Waubeka, Wisconsin, in 1885 Bernard John Cigrand a nineteen year old school teacher

 in a one room school placed a 10” 38 star flag in an inkwell and had his students write essays on what the flag meant to them. He called June 14th the flag’s birthday. Stony Hill School is now a historical site. From that day on Bernard J. Cigrand dedicated himself to inspire not only his students but also all Americans in the real meaning and majesty of our flag."

 

God Bless Our Flag!

I am so grateful to Nan of Retired in Alaska for her gentle reminder that today is Flag Day.

May we each take a moment to consider the meaning of those colors....Red, White, and Blue.

Have a lovely Flag Day!

I am so embarrassed by the bad formatting today...blogger is being a pain.

A Father's First Years!

The Baby Book...
After my mother passed away, my father married again...a lovely lady named Gerry.  Her health is not good, so they are preparing to move to her home town of Chicago to be closer to her children and doctors.  Dad is trying to de-clutter his life, so he brought me several tubs of books, pictures and papers to go through.  I found a lot of photos and keepsakes that I hadn't known existed.  In one of the tubs...a disk with Dad's personal history files was something I was very glad to find.  Now I can edit them into a book for my siblings.  But the sweetest and most precious discovery...the gold at the end of the rainbow...was Dad's Baby Book.  The book was a gift from one of Grandma Zetta's oldest and dearest friends and in its sweet pages I caught a glimpse of my father's life when he was very small.

Tad's Story Begins...

In  June of 1932, newlyweds Melvin and Zetta Devey moved to Fort Canyon, above Alpine, Utah, so Mel could work in William Andrew's apple orchards.  They stayed in a few rooms of Mr. Andrew's old home.  Zetta was expecting her first child in August.  But though her mother traveled from Ferron, Utah to be with her, the baby was stillborn.  Zetta was heartbroken.

The Old Wingenfield House

Two years later, in March of 1934, the couple moved further up the canyon to the Wingenfield Farm and later purchased it.  Two months later, on Saturday, the 26th of May, at 10:40 p.m., Thomas Albert (Tad) Devey was born in the Wingenfield house.  His nickname...Tad...is from his initials, T.A.D.  He weighed 10 pounds! 

Gifts and Visitors...

I don't think Grandma Zetta had a baby shower...most likely folks brought a gift when they came to pay their respects to the new arrival.  The gifts were quite modest...this was during the Depression. Dorothy Elliot, who gave Zetta the book, was an R.N who became one of the highest ranking nurses in the U.S. Army during the Second World War.  Dorothy and Zetta met at Yellowstone where Zetta was working at the Old Faithful swimming pool. Dorothy's family spent the entire summer at the Park.  The two became lifelong friends.

It's so much fun to see the names of my great-aunts and old Alpine neighbors written in his book.

Milestones...

First Outing...

"June 16, 1934...Aunt Fern, Gale, and Mother took me for a walk to the creek and back.  I really didn't enjoy it much because they had me bundled up too much."

First Tooth...

"Nov. 2, 1934...Tad was discovered to have cut his first tooth, the left front on the bottom."

First Steps...

"June 1, 1935...took three steps for his Daddy, when he came home at noon."

"June 13...Walked all over, at times sitting down very hard...Can get up in middle of floor by himself."

First Words...

"Yes"

"What is it Mama?"

"Kitty"

"Nov. 17, 1935, Tad says his full name...'Thomas Albert Devey'. He isn't quite 18 months yet."

Favorite Toys...

"Rattle...with rabbit face...with bells.

Brown Bottle

Mickey Mouse

Pasteboard Boxes"

Pets...

"Kitty...Tom

Dog...Coalie"

Christmas card from "Aunt" Dorothy...December 1934

One Year Old...

At 78...Dad still wears this expression when he's irked about something.

First Birthday...

"May 26, 1935...Thomas Albert celebrated his birthday by going to Provo.  Stopped at Training School to see Stanley.  However he was asleep, so Stanley just got a peek at him for first time.  No cake.  Presents...Green sun suit from Gale and Ina. And blue material for suits from Blanche P. 30 cents from Daddy...overalls from Mamma."

Two Years Old...

Card from "Lola."

Second Birthday...

"May 26, 1936.  While asleep, I made his cake.  Got white icing, candies, blue holders and yellow candles.  Rode down to store.  Mrs. Marsh gave him ice cream cone.  Health fine.  Cutting double teeth.  Will soon have full set."

Tad's baby shoes.

When Grandpa Mel got the reward for finding the Lost Plane...he was asked what he would do with the money.  One of the things on his list was new shoes for Tad.  These little shoes were in one of the boxes Dad brought...the toes have been cut out to accomodate growing feet.  The Depression made it hard for parents to be able to buy shoes for their children.  More than one little boy went barefoot for most of the summer.

Another cute picture from the book.

And on to Five...

Fifth Birthday...

1939 was the year when Tad finally became a big brother.  On June 6, his baby sister Elizabeth Jane (to be known as Jane) was born at 1:30 a.m. in American Fork Hospital.  On September 5, he started Kindergarten at the old Alpine School.  His teacher was Miss King.

Cute Little Tad...4 Years Old

And So On...

These were the first few years of the life of Thomas Albert Devey.  This is a story not found in Dad's personal history, but on the pages of a little pink book in the careful handwriting of a loving mother.  Zetta lost another baby boy in 1936...his name was Aldwin, after her only brother...who also died young.  Zetta and Mel would have liked a large family, but their two children brought them a lot of happiness and pride.



Happy Father's Day!

Daddy, I am so glad you're still here...

I will miss you when you move away.

All my love,

Cartoons...Part of This Complete Breakfast!

A 60's Saturday Morning...
Way back when...on a Saturday morning...we slurped down cereal in our footie jammies and glued ourselves to the television for Saturday Morning Cartoons.  They may have been in black and white...at my house anyway...but they live on in vibrant technicolor in my memories.  I am so excited to have been a part of Tammy's cartoon tag swap.  I wasn't going to post any of my tags yet, but it's been fun to get a hint of what the other crafters have made.  So many different crafting styles will be represented and I can't wait to see them all!  I have plans to string a garland in my office...on a yellow tape measure. (Tammy knows why...see her blog post Now I Know My ABCs. )

Just a Sneak Peek...

Quick Draw McGraw!

Remember the repeating background...the same cactus and mountains over and over...and over!

The Back of the Tag

I did a different cartoon on each tag. 

Yakky Doodle wasn't one of my favorites...but seeing him again brought back an old memory...

Isn't my little sister a cutie?

When my sister Patti was very small, she had the squawkiest, raspiest voice.  So for years we called her Yakky Doodle.  His little ducky voice was so sweet...especially when he would ask "Are you my Mama?"  I had totally forgotten this.  I am so grateful for another childhood memory restored.

Top Cat!

Top Cat was a favorite of mine when I was about 6 or 7 years old.  Back then we didn't have garbage pickup and all our trash was burned in a big barrel.  But we stored the trash in those metal cans with lids.  I remember dancing around the trash can banging the lids together like cymbals...just like Top Cat did to call his gang to a meeting.  Just another memory fragment...another odd-shaped piece put in place in the 5000 piece puzzle that is my life.

What was your guilty pleasure?

And what kind of cereal did you slurp down in front of the TV?

Miscellany...Summer Projects!

Summer Crafting Fun!

First off...isn't this the cutest tin ever?

As the weather gets warmer...I've been feeling even craftier than usual.  I have a few fun miscellaneous projects that I keep forgetting to post...so I thought I would do a quickie post and let you see a few things I've made lately.

Pretty Pillows...

A Pillow for Amber.

Old vintage cottage embroidered doily...too small for a runner.

Closer look at stitching...I found this at a thrift shop years ago.  I've always loved cottages.

The crochet edging was so pretty, I just stitched it onto the chintz floral fabric.

I made a simple overlapping opening to insert a pillow form.

An Alice Pillow for Sascha.

Sascha collects Alice in Wonderland dolls and memorabilia

A closer look at "Alice."

I used eyelet for the ruffle like on Alice's pinafores.

The backing is pink with white rabbits...same envelope closure as Amber's

Patriotic Candy Boxes....

Paper Mache and Modge Podged Images.

My sister asked me if I would make something for a fund raiser auction to help an Associate at the Walmart where she works.  I love making candy boxes and filling them with treats...so I made large one for the auction and a smaller one for myself...why not?

A closer look at the lid graphics.  I found a lot of fun patriotic images online.

The Graphics Fairy is a fun place to get free vintage images.

All wrapped up and ready to go.  I hope someone likes it enough to bid on it.

Have a lovely evening, dear friends,