49 and loving it.

I love it when I read about someone embracing their age and looking forward to each new decade. I used to play my birthdays down. That was partly because I lost my brother due to illness when he was just twenty-nine. I felt guilty about getting older when he couldn’t. Now that I am in the middle of my life, I embrace my age. Canada and the United States are very concerned with body image. It is actually a sad thing that women judge their value on how they look rather than instead of what’s inside. What a great feeling to be able to leave all that feminine insecurity behind and wrap my arms around life. Let someone else worry about the size of their @ss. I’m too busy looking forward to notice what’s behind me.

This is my before picture. I'm letting my grey hair come in.

The worse that will happen is that I won't like it and I'll go back to colouring it again. If I do go back to colouring I will use Henna dye. It isn't permanent and doesn't have side effects. It coats each hair strand rather than penetrating it. If you stop using it, it will eventually wash out completely

The best thing is that I will love not having to bother with it anymore and spend more time just feeling great than wondering how to part my hair so my roots won't show. If more women would accept their going grey, the more acceptable it would become. Look at how beautiful Helen Mirren was when featured in More magazine or Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. There is beauty in every age and once we realize it, we will be able to face each day putting our best face forward.

If you decide to go grey, don't let your whole appearance follow. The absence of hair colour requires the presence of colour in other areas to keep you from looking washed out. Check out these tips for looking grey and gorgeous!

As I was going down the stair,

I met a man who wasn't there.

He wasn't there again today.

Oh how I wish he'd stay away.

Pink for Spring

I found this sweet little bird's nest at our local florist which is located right inside the Downey Pharmacy here in Colborne . I go in every few days to talk to Cheryl and see what new piece of greenery she has in stock. I didn't plan to buy anything ornamental but this little nest just sung to me of spring and I knew it would look charming on the sideboard along with some candies and a pair of vintage gloves.

I buy candy at the Bulk Barn and it lasts for a very long time. My favourite ones are the green mint and Paul likes the pink. I must admit the green go down faster than anything else.

I did buy a neat little succulent called String of Beans. There are also String of Pearls, Buttons and Bananas. I've always wanted the pearls ( beads) but the beans are close and they were in stock.

Lotsa Stuff

There is a sweet little shop here in Colborne ON., called Lotsastuff. I wander down every few days to see what's new. Mostly I browse but I have also bought some lovely treasures there as well. These birds just sang to me of the coming spring and as much as I dearly love winter, it has been a hard and sorrowful season this year and I need to hear my birds singing again.

I have a window in my kitchen that looks into the sunroom. There are shelves in the window and I am having a great time dressing the window for seasons and holidays. Upon entering the sunroom, it is one's first impression of the house and what can be found inside. One of my teacups suffered a tiny chip in the rim making it no longer safe to use so I put a tiny little hippopotomus figurine in it that my aunt gave me from a job lot she bought at the auction.

She bid on salt and pepper shakers and anything that didn't fit the bill, she gave to me. I also gleened this tiny kitten and it sits in what I believe is a sugar bowl. The bowl has been in my mother's cupboard since I can remember. I decided it needed to come out into the open where it can be admired. If anyone has any information about this dish, I'd love to hear from you.

I am looking for some beaded eggs I made to go into the display as well but they are lost at the moment from the move.

vintage advertizing

Here are a couple more vintage ads from those old magazines I was gifted. These particular ads come from BH&G April 1947.

Hmmm, just what every woman wants. A plastic apron! But how would you iron it? Ha, ha.






















My mother used to give me Milk of Magnesia but it wasn't for a facial. For some reason the link below doesn't want to open. Only half the address comes up but if you copy and paste the link into your address bar, you should get through.
http://www.old-time.com/commercials/1930's/Phillips%20Face%20Creams.html

vintage patterns

Paul and I were at an auction with my Mom not too long before Christmas. We bid on a whole bunch of stuff and won most of it. One of the lots that Paul won for three dollars had a box of vintage patterns in it. At first I thought 'big deal' but as I went through them I found myself becoming very excited. They are a real treasure. I can't wait to get started on some of these. They range in size from 9 to 22+. The sizes are more realistic than today's size standards. My sister-in-law has offered to come out and give me a hand mastering my serger. I've had it for about 4 years now so it's time I made something.

The pattern above has a post mark on the envelope for 1942. The pattern beside it has an additional pattern inside that is cut from newspaper from WW2.

"What one loves in childhood

stays in the heart forever."

~Mary Jo Pulney

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They date all the way up to the stylish era when Simplicity patterns exorbitently priced their patterns at a dollar. My goodness, can you imagine getting a pattern for that price now? A lot of these ones were priced at twenty-five cents. Whoooa.

"Nothing makes a woman more beautiful

than the belief that she is beautiful."

~Sofia Loren

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I plan on making costumes with these patterns and perhaps a few dresses for myself. Most patterns are easy to adjust up one size or down one so the whole box of patterns offers a fit for almost anyone.

Whoever owned these patterns must have really favoured a couple of them because there are duplicates in different sizes.

"Oh, never mind the fashion.

When one has style of one's own,
it is always twenty times better."
~Margaret Oliphant

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There are also a few girl's dress patterns and one Mommy and Me set.

"Fashion is general:

style is individual."
~Edna Woolman Chase

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"When you are feeling low about how you look, it's important to put the magazines aside, and practice looking in the mirror and focusing on all that you have to be grateful for. Stop comparing youreself to the made-up fantasy images presented by the media; instead, be the best that you can be given the attributes that you have."

~Kristine Carlson

I love these two little gems. #9081 and 9257. There is quite a difference in the two sizes but I'm somewhere in the middle so I'm hoping to work something out.

"Fashion fades.

Only style remains."

~Coco Chanel

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"Those whose ideals of love face the future instead of the past will find it a very tender, beautiful, and spiritual expression of the human longing for a mate who shall be also friend, companion, and inspirer."

~Richard Wightman The Things He Wrote to Her.

There are about thirty more patterns but I posted only a few of my favourites. I was hoping to have my give-away for a few of the patterns left in the box in March but as there seemed to be no interest in this post I will hold off until this blog is more established.

"Fashion mocks individuality.

Style celebrates it."

~S.B.B.

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Fashion guesses,

style knows.

S.B.B.

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vintage ads

When we moved into this house, I was generously gifted a box of magazines from the previous owners, Ken and Nancy. The magazines are mostly BH&G, a few American Homes and Chatelaine . They date back to 1934. What a treasure. I have really been enjoying these old magazines. It's like a walk down memory lane. My mother's memory lane too.

What really makes me laugh is the old ads. Many of the products are still around but most have long since disappeared. All the better for us. I can comfortably tell you that I have never done my dishes or vacuumed my floors while wearing high heels!

I plan on posting some of these ads from time to time. That is after I starch my apron, take the curlers out of my hair and make sure I have a steaming hot dinner on the table for my husband as he walks through the door. Hey, I love the idea of yesteryear as much as so many of us do but I wouldn't trade my microwave, jeans or blowdryer for all these wonderful products. As for my husband, we take turns cooking. He's a man who knows his way around a kitchen and I love him all the more for it.