Supply Swap...Full to Overflowing!

It's Here! It's Here!

Dorothy's Supply Swap Box has arrived!

 

Dorothy, the smart and sassy librarian behind the blog Hensrule was my partner for this fun swap hosted by Elizabeth of Creative Breathing.  Miss E is currently convalescing from knee surgery and I wish her a speedy recovery...along with all of our bloggy friends.  It was so much fun to return home from my trip and find TWO packages waiting for me.  I purchased Elizabeth's patriotic treasure box and it was double the fun to unwrap.  The box from Dorothy was ginormous!!!  My sister was green with vintage envy watching me unpack the boxes.

The beautiful box!

 

Dorothy just posted some wonderful pictures of the box I sent her.  I worry that I won't be able to adequately express how much I loved the vintage treasures she sent me.  There were two boxes simply bursting at the seams with the most wonderful supplies...many of which I have never been able to find. 

Box detail...bluebird and mushrooms!  Two of my very favorite things.

 

 

The "blue" package.

There were several wrapped packages done in color themes.

 

The "pinks"

"Patriotic"

The most beautiful rosette.

Box Two.

 

Dorothy told me that she inherited simply loads of vintage crafting supplies from a friend who needed to downsize for a move.  I am so humbled that she would part from some of the items she sent me.   It's hard to photograph stacks of supplies...so I don't feel I did them justice, but I will mention some of my favorites.  Mind you...these are only a few of the things she sent me.

 

1.  Millinery flowers and leaves...and dear little red and white mushrooms.

 

2. Old photos, postcards and brochures...and a wonderful Christmas issue of a 1950s Women's magazine.

 

3.  Vintage holiday supplies, chenille, wrapping paper, tinsel and reflectors. Pink plastic Easter baskets, ribbons and trims.  Valentines cards and doilies...oh, my!

 

It took all afternoon to sort it all out...what a fun time I had!

My favorite...Gnomes and Mushrooms.

This postcard was mailed from Barcelona in 1947.

 

I have a few ideas already for some of my booty.  The postcard will be scanned, enlarged and printed on fabric to make a pillow or wall hanging.  The wooden spools are earmarked for the feet of a patriotic themed box I saw on Pinterest.  The small wooden shadowbox might be used for a nest project I have in mind.  Oh, the possibilities!

 

Gotta Run! 

I have a glorious mess to create in my craft room!

 

Thank you so much, Dorothy!  You were a wonderful swap partner!

And thank you, Elizabeth for hosting this fun, fun swap!

 

 

Vintage Vegas....The Neon Boneyard!

 Vintage Vegas!

I love Vegas kitsch...it's so tacky it's cool 

 I made this header from individual sign letters from my Neon Boneyard photos.

A whole folder of letters...Vegas Font!

Hi!

Welcome to the Boneyard!

Sigh...I even love the sign.

I am sure most people know about the Neon Boneyard.  At one time it was just a vacant lot where old signs from demolished casinos were stored.  You've seen it in music videos...The Killers for example...and in movies and TV shows.  Clark Griswald's daughter Audrey danced on top of one of the signs in "Vegas Vacation".  In fact the park was closed right after we left...a TV show was going to be filming.  It was a big secret...so I don't know which one it was...lol! It's an amazing place...and it's impossible to take bad pictures there...the signs are too photogenic!

La Concha Motel...1961 to 2003

The lobby and gift shop of the outdoor museum is the salvaged lobby of the old La Concha Motel. It minded it's dignified business at 2955 South Las Vegas Boulevard.

Motel Sign...all that remain of the MOTEL letters are M-O-T.

I saw them lying on their side in the Boneyard...sad and forlorn.

The Letter "O"

This part of the sign has been fully restored to working order.

There are several restored signs in the park.

Stardust!

Stardust Casino...1958 to 2006.

Last of the Mob-run casinos.

The sign is ginormous!

I never realized the scale of a casino sign until I saw...

Each space-age letter is around 8 to 10 ft. high.

Look how small our guide is in comparison.

The lettering is "Googie" a futuristic "atomic age" style of architecture.

The pieces of the sign are so massive they are stacked all over the park.

We found these everywhere in random corners.

A Few Favorites...

I love the Sassy Sally sign...in the boneyard all you have to do

is point and shoot.  Every photo looks like an art collage.

This "B" with the star has a circus feel.

Lady Luck!

You just can't take a bad picture.

I plan to make a collage for the Vegas condo.

Costco makes large canvas wrap prints...I can't wait.

Ugly Duckling.

I chose some pics that were a bit less common.

You can find almost any sign in a google search.

Silver Slipper and Fremont Street...

Before...

This picture I found on Pinterest...it shows how the old slipper looked until recently.

Silver Slipper Restored

The Neon Museum has twelve restored signs throughout the old Downtown Las Vegas area...some can be seen on a walk through the Fremont Street Experience.  Three others have been added to the median of Las Vegas Boulevard near the entrance of the Boneyard.  Our guide mentioned that in the future more signs will be restored and added to the median along that section of the boulevard.

Seen in Fremont Street...

If You Go...

Hours of operation:

The museum is open for tours 7 days a week. Hours vary by season. Guided tours available every half hour starting at 10 a.m. Guests should arrive at least 15 minutes before scheduled tour. The visitor's center is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Restored, electrified signs are on public display in downtown Las Vegas 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Cost:

$18 for adults; $12 for students and Nevada residents (with valid ID), senior citizens and veterans.

I hope you enjoyed this new installment of "Vintage Vacation."  I have another couple of posts on Vintage Vegas coming soon!  If you visit the Neon Boneyard, bring sunscreen and a water bottle and...most importantly...

Don't forget your camera!

Repost...Vintage Vacation: Yellowstone!

Holiday Road...

Next week George and I are leaving for a trip to the Grand Canyon along with my sister and her husband.  I love visiting that wonderful place...and I plan to continue my "Vintage Vacation" series when I get back.  I have a couple of post ideas...one possibly titled, "Vintage Vegas!"  So today I thought I would repost my first Vintage Vacation...Yellowstone.  My blog was still quite new when I posted this in the fall of 2011.  I have a lot more followers now than I did back then...so I hope you enjoy it!

Vintage Yellowstone!
What are your memories of Yellowstone? My memories look like vintage postcards. When I travel, I don't buy postcards. I wait until I'm home then I look for vintage postcards. I don't buy souvenirs...I go thrifting to find the ones that make me feel like a child again.

My Parents packed us all into an old station wagon with our pillows and blankets and a ginormous chest full of Shasta. On our way to Yellowstone we stopped in Jackson Hole at a Drive-In that featured picnic areas shaped like wigwams. The carhops were dressed as Indian girls. It was so politically incorrect... but totally wonderful! The city park featured archways that were created from hundreds of antlers.


We were renting a cabin for the weekend, but first we stopped at the Old Faithful Inn. It was as magnificent as a log palace! We followed the ranger's directions to a place where we could watch Old Faithful erupt.

We were amazed that something so powerful could be predicted almost to the minute. We returned to the old wagon and began the slow drive to the cabin area. The reason why the going was so slow was that every 500 yards or so, the people ahead of us would stop to feed the bears. Did we feed the bears?.....of course we did! When we ran out of cookies, the bears scratched at the windows. I was tempted to push my brother out the door...but alas...he was not Yogi chow that trip.




After our adventures with bears, bison and elk...it was like driving through one of those animal parks...the Devey clan got settled into the musty little cabin. It was damp and smelled like feet. Mom wandered off to find the showers and bathrooms. She was gone a long time. We finally heard a squawk and the sound of garbage cans falling over. Mom was trapped inside the bathroom while several large bears rooted through the trash.
She looked so funny in her robe and curlers, telling those bears what was what!


Since those days I have loved bears...especially Yellowstone bears. I have collected quite a few kitschy souvenirs that remind me of those long ago days when family vacations in the West were endless roadtrips with stops at places like Big Rock Candy Mountain, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon.

Chalkware Bear, Napkin Holder and Cute Little Indian Children.

Two Vintage Handkerchief Boxes.

The bears are crying because the sign says "No Hugging Allowed."

This must have been before the signs read "Don't Feed the Bears!"

Souvenir Pillow Cover

Navajo Indian Dolls.

I bought a pair like this on my first trip to the Grand Canyon.

Old Chalkware Ashtray

Salt and Pepper Shakers from Jackson Hole.

Display shelf made from an old pepsin gum box.

Cute old salt and pepper shakers and an old Smokey Bear shaker.

What do vintage souvenirs look like from your neck of the woods?

Morning Glory Pool

One more Yellowstone memory. My dad was a big tease (still is). He liked to pretend to throw me off things like the overlooks at Grand Canyon, etc. We were on a boardwalk over some bubbling mud pits. After telling us some horrid tale of a little boy who fell in and had the meat cooked off his bones...he picked me up and pretended to throw me in! If I had bad dreams later, I don't remember them. All I remember is how much I loved those Vintage Vacations.

 

"Looky here, Boo Boo! I'm smarter than the average bear!"

Have a wonderful day!

Post Script: After I posted this, I found out that Grandma Zetta spent two summers in the late 1920s working at the Old Faithful swimming pool to earn money for school. She was attending the University of Utah.

For the Love of Hedgehogs!

I Heart Hedgehogs!

Illustration from a European story book



One of the things I fell in love with when I lived in Germany was the hedgehog...the cutest woodland animal ever!  I loved the way they waddled about in the bushes and sometimes slept on my front porch.  I had a small collection of figurines and one day in Bremen I waited while a glassblower created one out of glass...the dear little fellow taking shape right before my eyes.  Sadly...my little glass hedgehog was one of the things the movers stole when we moved from Delmenhorst to Edewecht.  They also took one of the handmade clown dolls my grandparents made for me before I left home...but that is another story.

 

Anatomy of a Hedgehog...

According to Wikipedia, the name hedgehog came into use around the year 1450...derived from the Middle English heyghoge.  Heyg, or hegge ("hedge") because it often calls hedgerows home...and hoge, hogge ("hog"), from it's piglike snout.  Other names include urchin, hedgepig and furze-pig.

 

Although hedgehogs are covered with spines...they are stiff hollow hairs and are not poisonous or barbed like the quills of a porcupine.  They will roll themselves into tight little balls for protection...hoping that the prickly spines will discourage their enemies from eating them.  Forest hedgehogs have relatively few predators...mainly owls and ferrets.

Darling Spring Card

 

Hedgehogs are fairly vocal little critters...they communicate with grunts, snuffles and/or squeals.  I enjoyed hearing our neighborhood hedgehogs snuffling about in the woods near our apartment building.

A Russian Greeting Card.

 

 Hedgehogs are primarily nocturnal...but depending on the species may be more or less active during the day.  He may sleep for most of the day under cover of a bush, or grass, or under a rock or in a hole in the ground...a den he dug himself.  Pet hedgehogs love to stick their heads into tight spaces like toilet paper tubes and walk around with them stuck on their heads. This behavior is called "tubing."  McDonalds had to change the design of McFlurry containers, because wild hedgehogs would become trapped inside and starve to death.   ..

Steiff Hedgehog Family.

I have wanted a hedgehog doll for over 30 years.

I couldn't afford the very expensive Steiff animals when I lived in Germany.

 

Hedgehog Couple

Henrietta and Fritz Hedgehog

I found Fritz and Henrietta in the Etsy shop of one of my favorite bloggers, Julie of A Vintage Chic. They are the creations of her mother, Karen O. Smith.  Her designs are influenced by the classic German doll makers of the past...which have inspired Karen since she was "just one small girl."  They are crafted from 100% German Schulte mohair and 100% German wool felt. Fritz's lederhosen are suede!  These jointed dolls are amazing in their detail...heirloom quality.   I am so delighted with my treasures that I just had to blog about them.  You should visit Julie's shop "Just One Small Girl" and meet the other dolls and hedgehogs.

 

Just One Small Girl

 

Isn't he the sweetest little thing in the woods?

 

Thanks for letting me share a bit of hedgehog lore with you.

I think Fritz and Henrietta are going to need some accessories...

it will be fun thinking about some German-style furniture.