Friday, January 30, 2009

High-Five Friday: Carnival Week Edition

High-Five Fridays are a way of highlighting links (posts, blogs/sites, people) that you liked during the week.

Things Your Grandmother Knew made it into several blog carnivals this week, including:

1 Carnival of Homeschooling: The RPG Adventure Edition

2 the 100th edition of Make it from Scratch

3 this week's Home Improvement carnival

4 the Carnival of Everything Home

and 5 the Carnival of Family Life -- which featured Life Lessons From the Pinewood Derby.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Suburban Diva Bloggy Giveaway

When I found out about Bloggy Giveaways, I knew I'd be posting it here -- as of right now, there are over 1400 opportunities to win something!

But as Grandma always said, "It's better to give than to receive," I figured I'd better give something away too.

So I'm giving away one copy of Suburban Diva: From The Real Side Of The Picket Fence, by Tracey Henry.

All you have to do is post a comment telling me something you'd like Things Your Grandmother Knew to help you with -- a household tip, a recipe, a 'how to', etc. -- so that you'll actually have time to read the book *wink*

Here's the giveaway fine print:

* Giveaway is open to US residents only
* Post a comment with your 'help' request
* Be sure that you leave your email so that I can contact you
* Winner will be announced on Sunday, February 1, 2009

And yes, I'll actually do my best to see what vintage wisdom I can find to solve your problems and post it too. That way, even if you don't win a copy of the book, you'll still be a winner!

Prepare For Stitching Time

Another reader tip published in a 1921 issue of Modern Priscilla magazine; this one on stocking several sewing kits and having them accessible:

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Common Terms Used In Cooking

A list of common cooking terms from the pages of The Amarillo Garden Club's Blue Ribbon Recipes book -- as always, click to read larger scans.



How many did you recognize? I'd never heard of "to lard" or "to shir" before.

Friday, January 16, 2009

High-Five Friday: Modern Grandma Edition

High-Five Fridays are a way of highlighting links (posts, blogs/sites, people) that you liked during the week.

While I' calling y'all "grandma", I mean that in the best possible wisdom sharing of ways *wink*

1) Roxanne shares her laundry detergent recipe -- something I may just have to try because I too dislike the "smelly" detergents of today (such strong smells make me thing they want to cover-up stink, as opposed to clean & remove odors).

2) Found at Roxanne's blog, Letting it All Hang Out, by Wendy Priesnitz, on joys of using your clothesline to dry your laundry.

3) Chloe compiles her "De-Stash Challenge" posts to help de-clutter your sewing room.

4) Get kids interested in cooking with this silly science measuring cup!

5) Grandma would have used Swap Style had it been around in her day. (This is me there, but I haven't listed anything to swap yet; I'm still browsing.)

Lazy Susan For Mops & Brooms

A project idea on how to store mops and brooms from the "Ask The Family Handyman" column in The Family Handyman (March 1956). I'm guessing more modern cleaning supplies such as Swiffers etc., still have holes for hanging -- and if you don't have the proper cupboard, this would work in a pantry or hall closet too.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Five Recipes For Finger Paint

More from Fun Crafts For Children, by John L. Squires; this time five recipes for making finger paint:


Vintage Uses For Vinegar

Vintage tips on using vinegar to perk up wilted vegetables and to condition your hands when cleaning from The Amarillo Garden Club's Blue Ribbon Recipes book:

Basic Cooking Tips For Fruits & Veggies

Also from that vintage EHP Waterless Cookbook, tips proclaiming "Cooking Can Be Fun!", but all I see are practical tips on filling cooking pots & care of fresh vegetables & fruits. Not that it's the opposite of 'fun', but it's no day at the circus. *wink*

Monday, January 12, 2009

Sweet Dreams Embroidery Pattern

An iron-on transfer pattern from McCall's Iron-On Transfers For Tots, Vol. III, T/7701. My copy was a thrift store find -- cheap, but stained and wrinkled from water damage -- but I think I cleaned-up the large scan enough for you to use as a pattern. The image of a boy sleeping in bed was just too cute not to share...



I'm not sure if you'd call this "vintage" or "retro" as the book was first copyrighted in 1948, last in 1977.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

How To Repair Cracks In Between Floor Boards

More from How To Protect & Preserve America's Homes (Moore's Handy Index Book is quite handy!), this time on how to fill in cracks between floor boards:

Pine Cone Identification

A recent thrift store find, Decorating for the Holidays: Advent through Twelfth Night, by Harold C. Cook (1976), has two pages on the identification of pine cones (below) and this bit of information:

Nature produces cone crops at irregular intervals. On the average, cone-bearing trees produce crops every three to five years, hence the reason for cone shortages during the off-crop years.
This I did not know!


Saturday, January 10, 2009

How To Best Salvage Burnt Toast

A vintage kitchen tip from The Amarillo Garden Club's Blue Ribbon Recipes book says not to scrape burnt toast with a knife:

Don't Mock The Sock (Or Anything Else) It Could Be You!

Go Shopping in Your Own Closet is the double-dog-dare of fashion blogs. It serves as a reminder to really dig deep in those closets & banish what you haven't worn in 18 months -- and to learn how to darn your socks.

Friday, January 9, 2009

High-Five Fridays: Home Ec Edition

High-Five Fridays are a way of highlighting links (posts, blogs/sites, people) that you liked during the week.

1) Frugal Fine's how to save on household cleaning products -- really more about how to substitute with things you may already have around the house (in any case, you'll be paying for the stuff).

2) At MSNBC, From pills to pillows, when to replace your stuff -- somethings you can keep longer than stated!

3) In Of Dust Bunnies, Spiders & Natural Selection, Shawnee's funny post does also remind us that homes can be too pretty to really live in.

4) Ch-ch-chia: "Not the fluffy haired creatures from infomercials, silly," Chi Seeds are good for you!

5) At KKC I posted a free knitting pattern for 16 inch doll undies, in case you or your children are interested.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Cookie Cutters That Are "Sew" Good

I'm absolutely squealing with delight over these copper cookie cutters with sewing themes!


There's a spool of thread, a sewing machine, and even scissors!



How To Care For & Clean Men's Neckties

Tips on caring for men's ties from the March 1954 issue of Silhouette magazine (promotional booklet for Hollands Dry Cleaners). Likely as practical in its advice regarding today's ties as it is for caring for the lovely vintage men's ties you may collect:

Rust Removal

From a vintage cookbook (The Amarillo Garden Club's Blue Ribbon Recipes book), some practical household tips on removing rust from linoleum and things made of nickel:

Basic Macrame Knots

From inside the back cover of Macramé with Potpourri (Hazel Pearson Handicrafts, 1981), information on how to make basic macramé knots:



If you're looking to macrame a lampshade... look no further! *wink*

Let’s Eat Cake Helping St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital


Let’s Eat Cake, a fundraiser hosted by Melissa Margarita-DiStefano, is coming up quick: Tuesday, February 17th at the Plaza Paramount Hotel in Gainesville, Florida! Let’s Eat Cake is a cake decorating competition with all proceeds going to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Learn more about the fundraiser here.

In an effort to make sure spread the word (and raise money), we are continuing this chain-blog (Wait. Is that even a word?)

Want to help? Here’s what to do. Cut and paste this post or create your own new version on your blog and ask others to post it on their blogs. Melissa will donate one dollar to the fundraiser for EVERY BLOG that posts on Let’s Eat Cake this week! With the power of the blogosphere, that can QUICKLY add up! Let’s make Melissa Pay! Once you have reposted it, leave a comment here that you posted it along with the url to the blog. It’s for a great cause and it will be fun to see how far it will go! So lets do it… Lets blog it forward and raise money for a great cause!!!

**Kudos to Unique Designs for creating this fun chain-blog effort and for Thoughtfully Simple and Kimworld for Blogging it Forward.**

P.S. Ok, Melissa… time to kick in another $1! ”;)”

P.S.S. If any business wants to help out with a matching challenge, Melissa could use your help!

Blog it forward, then leave a comment and share your blog link!
HTML Code for Easy Cut and Paste

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Some Important Cooking "Do's"

In a vintage EHP Waterless Cookbook, tips for healthy cooking of vegetables with the EHP cookware -- which means your mileage may vary. (And please don't use asbestos products!)

Why Craft With Kids

In Fun Crafts For Children, by John L. Squires, the introduction contains interesting information on crafting, hobbies and the satisfaction of creating things by hand. (Actually, there's a lot of good & interesting information on the importance of crafting with kids; so I'll likely be quoting from this book often, even if some of the projects are a bit kitschy.) Here are a few scans from that introduction section:



Also included in the introduction, this information on youth in crafting programs, which is sure to help parents, teachers and group leaders (such as those in Scouting), see the merit in merit badges and craft projects with kids.

Most children desire to participate in an arts and crafts program because they enjoy the actual making of the project. They also seek other objectives:

1. To be with others in a social situation and be accepted by them and by the leader

2. To have leadership in an activity that is socially approved and a profitable use of their time

3. To receive recognition for a project well done

4. To improve skills, coordination, and understanding

5. To have an opportunity for self-expression

6. To enjoy the feeling of satisfaction upon completion of a project

7. To be able to admire, use, or play with the finished product
Fun Crafts For Children, by John L. Squires (University of Utah), Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964.

How To Remove Old Light Fixtures

From the "Ask The Family Handyman" column in The Family Handyman (March 1956), how to remove old fashioned wall lights:

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Now Where Did I Put That?

When it comes to cleaning the house, I'm a big believer in "handle it once". You pick something up and put it away where it belongs immediately, in what I call "its home." (This rule is second only to "Put it away when you are done with it," but, of course, if that actually happened on a regular basis, the house wouldn't need so much cleaning up of the clutter -- especially in the kids' rooms.)

But every now and then, you have something which does not have a home or which you fear you will need soon, for an appointment or errand etc., and so you put it in that "some place safe" place -- only to forget where that special safe place is.

In a 1921 Modern Priscilla, there's a published reader tip to help with that:


Related: Flapper Girl has a tutorial for making a Crafty Business Binder, which can easily be modified for organizing home bills and paperwork.

Baskin-Robbins Launches Healthier Treats

To kick-off the season of making New Year's resolutions, Baskin-Robbins® is ringing in the New Year with the introduction of BRight Choices treats. BRight Choices are better-for-you light ice cream options including fat free, dairy free, no sugar added and light ice cream offerings -- all the great taste but with less guilt.



The pink star on Baskin-Robbins' products indicates a BRight Choices flavor.

Baskin-Robbins is celebrating with BRight Choices Day on January 15, 2009, when participating Baskin-Robbins shops nationwide will offer a free BRight Choices scoop to any customer with proof of a gym membership.

Ironing Making A Comeback?

The rumor is that ironing will be making a comeback. According to The Wall Street Journal, Teen Vogue magazine's fashion director, Gloria Baume, said that more families will be pulling out their irons in the coming months:

For items that do need pressing, she foresees a back-to-basics, hands-on trend. “Old-fashioned things like ironing and washing your own clothes and taking care of them — I think those things are going to come back in a big way” among teens and parents alike, she says. Among the factors she cites are parents’ resistance to high dry-cleaning bills and teens’ growing love of do-it-yourself, hands-on crafts, such as iron-on patches for clothing.
There's a health benefit to ironing things like bed linens too -- some of you may remember grandma saying to iron pillowcases & sheets when babies had rashes on their faces. While doctors may not believe that a hot iron will kill allergens, a hot iron may, according to Cheryl Mendelson in Laundry: The Home Comforts Book of Caring for Clothes and Linens, kill mites.


Of course, you'll have to balance all of this with your beauty needs; folks say that cotton linens don't slip, so they continuously tug at the delicate skin on the face and neck, causing wrinkles.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

That Art Which Will Not Lose Its Worth

In A Healthier, Greener New Year With Collecting I discuss the practical side of collecting vintage cookbooks. While scanning/uploading some of my vintage cookbooks to the community, I rediscovered this cute little poem by Vera Blackwell (in the foreward to The Amarillo Garden Club's Blue Ribbon Recipes book):

May all who buy this little book
Succeed with all they try to cook,
That art which will not lose its worth
While man abides upon this earth.

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