Stampin' it up the S&H and Top Value way!

Did you ever collect S&H Green Stamps or Top Value Stamps at the grocery store?

I remember my mother collecting the S&H stamps and letting me stick them in the little book. I was always so neat with those stamps -- they had to be perfectly placed in the blocks on each page. I have no idea what she got with the stamps but I'm sure it was all anticipated with great excitement!

I just liked sticking those stamps!

The book itself was different too -- just a big S&H on the front as I recall -- no cute family deciding what they are going to redeem those stamps for! I wonder if those kids licked all the stamps for their mom like I did....

I had some of the S&H and also Top Value stamp books tucked away in my buffet. I was scrounging around for something or other in the top drawer which has turned out to be my catch-all drawer -- it catches all the stuff I don't want to fool with right away, but don't want to lose either! Anyway, among all the odds and ends and bits and pieces.... I found the stamp books!

Now these stamps are my own from when I was all grown up and did my own grocery shopping. The last time I remember getting something with stamps was in 1973 or so -- it was a blue wing back chair! I really liked that chair -- I have two wing back chairs now that are burgundy. Comfy to sit in. (But I didn't get them at the stamp store!!)

The books had cute drawings on the inside of people shopping at the stamp store (aka Redemption Center)!

Oh! Is that my wing back chair?

Actually, it was a more feminine looking chair with a kind of scalloped back and curvy legs (which is what I have now with my two burgundy wing backs)!

I found these coupons tucked away in one of the books -- they are worth 400 stamps total, or 1/5 of a book plus 100 extra stamps -- woot! woot!

When I was licking those stamps for my mother, they only had the single stamps, 50 stamps on each page. That's a lot of licking!!

The Top Value stamp books had a cool drawing on the cover -- all the happy people doing their shopping and collecting those stamps! Look at that blue sky -- it's a beautiful day for shopping!

Or filling up the family car at the gas tank! Look -- there's the guy to do that for you (WHAT?? You didn't do it yourself?? LOL!). I bet he cleaned your windshield too! Gone are those days!

Open it to show both front and back covers and we've got those happy shoppers rushing to the redemption center to shop and get free stuff! What fun! What thrifty shoppers!

I'll be listing them in my Etsy shop -- I figure somebody might want them to go in a nostalgic kitchen collection or for vintage paper ephemera to craft with, but for now I'm enjoying looking at them and remembering.... 

Sharing at
A Favorite Thing at Mockingbird Hill Cottage
Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove
Blue Monday at Smiling Sally's
GRAND Social at Grandma's Briefs


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Card Making ~ Noli Style

If you're anything like me, you keep every sweet handmade card your children or grandchildren have made for you. Your refrigerator is probably full to the brim with cards and drawings!

I was looking through the top drawer in my buffet this morning, hunting for an old metal toothpick holder that belonged to my grandmother (don't ask me why.... it's a long story....) but anyway, while rooting around in that drawer (a drawer that holds all manner of photos, cards, little stuff and nonsense) I came across this card! It was made by Noli with, I'm sure, a bit of help from mommy, and was my valentine a few years ago. 

Unfortunately, it's not dated but from Noli's picture, I'd say she was close to three which would make it February 2009. Her hair is still short and whispy -- just like her mother, her hair didn't grow much or thicken until she was well into her three's and four's.

It was made by gluing an embroidered armchair antimacassar to a used card (if there's anything that my daughter is, it's thrifty and totally into upcycling and recycling!) 

Isn't that butterfly sweet? and the pink and blue crochet edging?

The inside has recycled valentine tissue paper topped with a bird cut from a felted sweater on one side...

and a cute picture of Noli surrounded by flowers on the other! The background is water colored on card stock. Noli looks like a little waif in the picture with her soulful expression! I remember the dress -- a longish prairie style with tiny pink and blue flowers. 

Stephanie always made cards for me when she was small, and has passed that tradition on to Noli. 

Noli loves to make cards for every occasion, for everybody in her life -- some are plain with just writing and some are more elaborate with lots of glued on detail.

This is one that Noli made for my recent birthday (we don't talk about it because it was a BIG one...). I have no idea why she drew a puppy on it since we are all kitty people around here! But it's sweet and shows her writing abilities now at the summer after 1st grade. Don't you love little kid's spelling? Note the two T's in birthday and the backwards D! Cute!

And these are very detailed ones that she made for Stephanie for Mother's Day. I just had to document it in a pic! 

This one is Noli -- her hands are from tracing her own hands, and she crinkled the hair so it would be curly!

And the missing teeth! She has something like seven new ones now!

And this is a lovely purse

which opens to reveal some information about mommy

Note that in "the good old days" mommy liked to play with baby dolls,  not balls as it looks like -- there go those backwards D's again! And note the cute spelling of "especially" -- that's the one that should be in the dictionary! 

Boy, rooting through a drawer on a toothpick holder quest sure brings back the memories!!

sharing at

Thrifty Things Friday

A Favorite Thing

Pink Saturday
Blue Monday

Grandma's Briefs 

♥♥

Treasury Tuesday ~ All in a Row

All in a row....

Little kids marching down the hall behind their teacher, ducklings hurrying to keep up with mama, penguins playing follow the leader, houses all in a row...

Rows and rows of vintage love from the Etsy Vintage Team!

'All in a Row' by MagnoliasAttic

Vintage Horse Plast... TPBVintage $8	Instant Collection ... Tparty $44.9	Vintage Red Wooden ... hurstdesigns $6	Vintage Strawberry... jenscloset $22.5
mid century RED vin... beguilingvint... $30	DISNEY Candy Dispen... HamiltonBay $30	Old Thread Cones Re... veraviola $20	Stained Glass Panel... HeritageDishe... $89.95
Chickens and Rooste... scoutandrescu... $24	Vintage Griffiths S... CalloohCallay $88	vintage Fisher Pric... Shoptastic $10	3 Vintage Oil Cans ... merrysunshine $18
Red Buttons Vintage... TrueColorsFor... $4	Wrisleys Perfumed W... OldQuincyScho... $25	Vintage Billiard Ba... wallstantique... $7.99	Four vintage Durkee... OnceinOhio $12

I shared this treasury on Treasury Tuesday at Aquariann

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The Other Side of the Window ~ A Favorite Thing

Last week my favorite thing was the window-less window over my kitchen sink that's full of some sweet things that make me happy while washing dishes. So today I'm sharing the other side of that mirrored window -- the not-so-pretty backside.

If the window were a real window, it would look out into the laundry room and then out the window beyond into the backyard. That would be OK, except for the laundry room in between that's not so lovely...

The mirror and shelves facing into the kitchen are backed by plain old plywood and then the glass of the original window. That brick is the original outside of the house.

Lovely, huh?

That glass canister that holds my laundry detergent

was my mother's -- she used it for flour.

It makes me smile too!

And those candles are my emergency when-the-lights-go-out candles.

They don't make me smile because if I'm using them

it means no electricity and a bad storm outside.

Not liking that!

But then I have a pretty sky and rainbow

and big yellow flowers

covering (most) of that plywood!

It's a poster that Stephanie painted when she was a little kid

She was just learning to spell that long name

and she wrote it backwards on the poster!

It makes me smile.

It makes doing laundry bearable enjoyable.

It makes me remember that sweet little girl

who will soon be 30!

Oliver! I was just going to write about the funny red and black house

and you're in the way!

>^.^<

Hewwo 

I am Oliver, the King Kitty

and I am taking over this blog!

Mommy brought the outside inside

but where are the birdies?

Hmmm, maybe it's a good place to hide... 

Now you can't see me, can you?

OK, I'm bored!

Giving the blog back to mommy.

>^.^<

Well! Thank you very much, Oliver, for your input....

So, about that house....

quite tall and skinny with many windows in an interesting arrangement,

and a garden that grows mammoth flowers!

But the best is her name

written right to left

and every letter backwards!

(and the child is left-handed -- can you imagine all that backwardness?!!)

Yep, definitely a favorite thing!

sharing at

Claudia's for A Favorite Thing
Smiling Sally's for Blue Monday 

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Teapots and Hummels ~ A Favorite Thing

I don't have a kitchen window.

Well, I have a window, but it's mirrored in. The people who owned the house before us added a sun porch and laundry room onto what was then the back of the house. While I love these additions, it did leave a missing window that would have looked out onto the laundry room. Of course, I would much rather have that mirrored window above my kitchen sink than to gaze out upon the laundry room!

The window is recessed, mirrored all the way around, and has glass shelves.

So my favorite thing today is what is on one of those glass shelves. I love what's on the top shelf too, but what's on the eye level shelf is what gives me the most smiles. One day I'll show you what's on the laundry room side of that window, 'cause that's a favorite thing too!

This is a teapot that I painted and glazed back in my ceramics days. Isn't it the cutest?!! I love the gnome cottage look of it and the backside is my favorite because of the cute kitty in the window. I sponged little blue flowers on it and did a paint on, wipe off process for the stones.

 My daughter wants it -- I have to watch her when she's here so that she doesn't make off with it!! Not really, but I did tell her I'd give it to her one day...  For now, and for quite a long time, it's staying in my pretend window!

She wants the other teapot too -- this dark blue one. It belonged to my mother-in-law and I dearly love it. Nothing so special about it -- just a blue pottery teapot. But I love it and think it's so sweet.

Now the Hummels -- well they are super special. Again, my mother-in-law's. They lived in Germany for several years when my father-in-law was in the army. She collected about ten of them, and designated that, after her death, they were to go to my daughter. Stephanie graciously lets me keep them (she knows how much I love them)!

Their cutie patootie backsides....

These three reside on the glass shelves -- they are kind of kitchen related -- Baker taking a little taste, Little Sweeper, and Busy Student who is writing her ABCs (which she would do in the kitchen, in front of the fireplace).

Hey! I just realized....

My daughter actually owns EVERYTHING on my favorite kitchen window shelf!!

(shhh..... don't remind her....)

sharing over at Claudia's for A Favorite Thing
and at Smiling Sally's for Blue Monday 


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