Rita Hayworth ~~ Stayin' Alive!

Bet you're wondering about that title, aren't you?!!

Well, my brother sends me all kinds of crazy stuff and when I saw this I knew I would have to post it!

It's a compilation of Rita's movie dance sequences set to the music of the song "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees

Fabulously done and so fun to watch!

It will make you smile .... guaranteed!

Plus she dances with my absolute, hands down, favorite dancers of all time --

Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire!

♥♥♥  I'm linking Rita to Rednesday over at It's A Very Cherry World -- 'cause there's lots of red  : )

♥♥♥  And linking to Knick of Time Tuesday -- 'cause Rita is definitely vintage!!



♥♥

Puzzles, Ponies and Clowns!!

Boy, I've really neglected this little blog! I've been doing my posting over on my other blog, Magnolia Surprise, and the Attic has taken a back row seat! But I'm back now with a post for Rednesday to show off some neat reds that I've recently come across ....

Sometimes when I'm keeping Noli on a weekend, she likes to go to thrift stores and garage sales (a child after my own heart, she is)!!  I mean what could be better than a six-year-old actually WANTING to go to garage sales! Of course, this means that she will get "new" toys, twisting my arm -- "please oh please, puh-leeze can I have it? -- and I fall into her trap. And the little sneak usually scores a few freebies along the way!

So, we recently went to our favorite thrift store -- Noli being on her best behavior since she knows that's the only way she can pick out anything to buy. I'm always ready to negotiate with her, lining up her hopefuls and telling her she can pick two. "But I want this one and that one and I NEED this other one...." Into her trap I go -- Oh, OK, you can have it, you've been so good today.

STRENGTH --- I need STRENGTH to resist this small child! Can't do it, not ever and besides, isn't it a grandmother's right and privilege to spoil their grandchild? You bet it is!!

We found a really neat puzzle -- we put it together when we got home but I forgot to take a pic ....

Don't you love the colors? Are chameleons really blue? Red, yes, but blue? I dunno! Of course we had to talk a bit about how animals camouflage themselves (I'm always on the lookout for a way to sneak in a little learning!)

We couldn't leave the store without a few ponies -- this kid is pony obsessed! We found a bag full. 

And, the unicorn pony has a red mane and tail!!

And she found this big pony ("I NEED it for my Cabbage Patch dolls. I don't think it's a REAL Cabbage Patch horse but it looks like one, and I NEED it for my dolls to ride on. Puh-leeze? And it's PURPLE! Puh-leeze?") Who can resist?!!

So what did I find? Well, these two cool thermoses (is that right for the plural? Maybe it's thermosesses? Thermosi? Anyway, the gold one is HUGE -- that thing will hold a lot of coffee! And the red one is just a cutie I think.

And then I found these two clowns. Now I'm not a lover or even liker of clowns. I'm one of those people that just don't find them funny. They're not scary, unless they're Stephen King clowns but we won't think about those evil sharp-toothed clowns!! I just don't much like them. Well, I liked Red Skelton's clown but then I liked anything Red Skelton did!

Anyway, these two clowns are totally cute in their red jackets and playing their musical instruments. I like the big red spots on the violinist, and the way the drummer's toes stick out of his shoes! They are porcelain and made in Korea.

They and the thermoses (that must be the right one because the auto spell-check is not underlining it in red) will be happy and cozy in my Etsy shop soon, sooner, soonest! And if you like clowns, you know where these two will be!


♥♥♥  I'm linking my red thermos and clowns, and Noli's red puzzle and pony over on Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World -- hop on over and see some more reds!!

♥♥

A Red, White and Blue party

Miss USA throws her party tonight and we've got to be ready to celebrate vintage style!

This fabulous dress is both fun and flirty -- just right for a Fourth of July party! Swirl on the patio to patriotic music and indulge in a few hot dogs! Vintage Dress in Red, White and Blue from xoUda

Dress it up with vintage red, white and blue jewelry....

Fabulous floral enamel earrings from Antique and Vintage

and a fun lucite beaded stretch bracelet from LifeTravelsDesigns 

Carry all your essentials in this beautiful beaded drawstring bag from TinkerzTreasure

You'll be the envy of the party in these awesome patriotic sandals from VintageDame

Did I forget anything? 

Oh yeah, the mister!

 

The fireworks are already happening on this shirt!! 

Vintage disco shirt by Sideburns

♥♥♥  My party will be taking place over at It's a Very Cherry World for Rednesday! You're all invited!

♥♥

Kitchen Gadget or Tool of Destruction? Mwahahahaha

Doesn't this look vicious? Like maybe it would be good to keep under your pillow at night .... just in case ....

Well, it is but a lowly meat tenderizer and not a tool of destruction and mayhem ....

I remember my mother using the edge of a plate to tenderize meat -- bang, bang, bang across, then bang, bang, bang the other direction. Made a little cross hatch design in the round steak!! Add some flour and bang, bang, bang again.

So, of course, when I grew up and tenderized my own round steaks, I used the plate method too!


But then I came across this -- and now I'm a bit scared to put it in my kitchen ....

Afraid that it might tenderize more than the round steak ....

(have I got you wondering just what kind of a cook I am?)
(or am I of the Lizzie Borden variety?)
Mwahahahaha

: D

♥♥♥  Linking my meat tenderizer (mwahahahaha) over on Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World
  and  Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady.


♥♥

Trivets, Trivets, Trivets!

I came across this little cutie at an estate sale I went to last weekend and just had to pick it up. There were a couple more, though in worse condition, but I still wish I had gone ahead and gotten them. Ah, well.....

I love the folk art look, especially the birds -- and it appeals to my sense of symmetry! Not to mention, of course, the blue/green color combo. I especially love it that the cast iron part is *gasp* turquoise!

I have a collection of sorts of trivets --this is the wall where I have some that I just display. I had to get far back and use the zoom on my camera or else there would be too much glare -- there's a mirror over the sink which is to the left, and a skylight in the middle of the ceiling.

The brass trivets are some that my brother brought to my mother when he was in the Navy and stationed in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, way back when in the early 60s. I've always liked them, and knowing that, my mother gave me two of them when I moved from home. Years later she gave me the other two!

Though not a trivet ; )  this magnolia watercolor is one of my most precious belongings. My aunt (who was like a second mother) painted it and gave it to me. My mother's Roseville pottery and this painting started on the road of magnolia love. 

This black cast iron one is called "Tree of Life" and was given to me by a dear friend from my high school and beyond days. It resides to the side of the kitchen sink and reflects back to me in that mirror! Then, lo and behold, my daughter found another one and thought I would like to have a pair! (I did!) I enjoy using these two, plus they have memories attached of a couple of sweet gifts!

These straw ones get used a lot too -- they belonged to my mother-in-law and I'm pleased as punch to have them! I do believe that they have a bit of blue on them too!

And, last but certainly not least, this is the one I keep on my counter and use daily. It's a new one with no attached memories, except that I bought it several years ago at Target!! But it's cast iron heavy and is an ample size for hot pots and casserole dishes! Plus, I really like the scroll design. Can you see the fleur-de-lis and the hearts?

I'm linking my trivets to Blue Monday at Smiling Sally and to Knick of Time Tuesday! 

♥♥

My Favorite Cookie Jar

Wow! I can't believe it's been a full month since my last post! Well, I can believe it and I'm having some pretty intense talks with myself about that right now!!

So, maybe Knick of Time Tuesday, Rednesday and Vintage Thingie Thursday are the paths to getting me back in blog land!!

Today I'm sharing my favorite cookie jar -- it resides on the baker's rack in my kitchen and every time I look at it, I smile. It's really hard to sneak cookies out of it -- there's a distinctive clink sound no matter how careful you are to gently replace the lid. Gives me away every time!!  And, even though it's pretty beat up and isn't so lovely in the looks department, it's very special to me.

It belonged to two of my aunts -- they were my father's older half-sisters and if they were alive today, they would be well into their 100's. The older aunt was Aunt Annie and, after her husband's death, she moved in with Aunt Florence who never married.

Aunt Florence taught school and I guess was the typical "spinster school teacher" but I sure loved going with her sometime to her school. Made me feel like a big girl!! Aunt Florence wasn't the cuddly type but she did take a lot of time with me. She loved doing crossword puzzles and got me started on that (I remember going in their garage and finding stacks of TV Guides -- those were my first crossword puzzles!!)

Aunt Annie WAS the cuddly type and she was the one filling that cookie jar! I would sit on her lap and she would read to me. She was, shall we say, ample, and it was cushy love that she gave me. She had a great sense of humor too -- once, she said she was going to fix frogs' legs and, of course, I ewwwed and thought how gross. Well, that lady took me into the back yard where there was a small pond, and proceeded to catch a few frogs. We won't talk about what happened after that, but she had a good laugh and I had my first frogs' legs!! (taste like chicken, don't ya know...)

I loved going to their house in Alabama -- we would visit just about every summer. One summer I developed mumps on our trip -- and got to stay with Aunt Annie and Aunt Florence while my parents went on to visit some friends for a few days. I was thrilled!! There was a little boy that I could play with since he had already had the mumps, but the little girl across the street (who I really wanted to play with!) could only look at me through the screen door! I think I was about four or five then and it was a big deal to stay by myself with my aunts!

OK, back to the cookie jar!

It's a very shiny black with painted on red flowers and green leaves. The paint has chipped away a bit and, to tell the truth, the original paint job really wasn't so hot! I have no idea how old it is or the brand -- there are no markings of any kind.

My mother brought it to me after Aunt Florence died and I'm so glad to have this remembrance of my aunts. I have a few other things too, including a beautiful quilt which I'll share with you another time!

♥♥♥   I'm linking my cookie jar to Knick of Time Tuesday,  Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World! and to Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady 

♥♥

A Little Garfield Fun

Garfield, gotta love him! He's lazy, loves lasagna, hates diets and Mondays!! (So, of course, I have to feature him here for Blue Monday...)

My son had every Garfield book there was -- you know the ones, paperback books filled with Garfield cartoons. No doubt he still has them! Did you know that Jim Davis, the Garfield comic strip creator, named Garfield after his grandfather? I wonder if he possessed Garfield's many attributes.... LOL!

So, when I found this little mug at a garage sale, of course I had to bring it home!

A little faded, but still cute! 

Garfield always gets the best of Odie!

Sounds like my house!!

(link to comic site here)

♥ Linking good ole' Garfield over at Blue Monday on Smiling Sally's!


♥♥